Page 62 of Double Take

“What in the world would you have that for?”

“Mom had it for one of her craft things. I don’t think it’s ever been opened.”

Because his mother had more ideas than time for her many projects that she ordered materials for. “Well, it’s not dental stone, but it should do the trick for what I want.”

“I’ll get it.” Keegan disappeared around the side of the building, and in seconds, James heard the keypad beep. When his brother returned, they got to work, and soon James had the mold forming. It would take twenty to thirty minutes to dry, according to the label.

He stood, his legs protesting the length of time he’d been squatting. When his left knee popped, Keegan snickered. “Need a hand there, old-timer?”

“Shut up.”

The mild words sent Keegan into a full-blown chuckle, and James rolled his eyes while smothering a smile. He’d missed the camaraderie of his siblings, the belonging, the community. A pang jabbed him right in the heart. He shouldn’t have been such a coward. He should’ve called them as soon as he’d gotten home. But he hadn’t and that was that. Dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything. He was here now.

His gaze roamed the area, then settled on the water. A lone figure in a canoe was about a hundred yards out. “Know who that might be?” James asked, tilting his head in the direction of the lake.

Keegan shrugged. “No idea. Why?”

“Someone’s been after Lainie.”

“Who? And why?”

“Those are the questions of the week.” James walked back the way he’d come, then stepped off the dock and made his way down to the edge of the lake where the grass met the sandy beach.

“What are you looking for?”

“That.” He pointed to the deep grooves left in the sand and dirt. “If I were a betting man, I’d say that fellow pulled his canoe up here and got nosy with the boathouse.”

“You sure?”

“Not positive, but I’m happy with the odds.”

“You think he’s the one following Lainie?”

“Don’t know. Keep an eye on him, will you? I’m going to grab the binoculars.”

“Better hurry. He’s pulled the paddle out.”

James rushed back to the boathouse, grabbed the binoculars from the hook on the wall, and bolted back to the spot next to Keegan. He lifted the glass to his eyes and focused in on the man in the boat.

The man ducked his head and started paddling. Fast.

“Can you tell who it is?” Keegan asked.

“No, but it sure does look like the guy who’s been following Lainie. From the back, anyway. Wish I’d gotten a look at his face.”

“He didn’t want you to see his face.”

“No. No he didn’t.”

Twelve

Lainie watched from the window of the sunroom off the den that gave her a good view of the lake. Dixon walked toward the barn with Jericho following behind him like a puppy. A barn. At the lake. Why not? She smiled and shook her head. Dixon was his own man and didn’t really care what others thought of him. He’d started his own law practice before the ink was dry on his license and had made a name for himself in the legal world. Steph sat on the couch, curled up with a book open in her lap. Every so often she would glance in the direction of the kitchen where the hushed voices of James’ parents and the smell of dinner cooking drifted from. Probably Mrs. Cross encouraging James’ father to behave himself.

Lainie wasn’t quite sure that would happen, but at the moment, she was more interested in the fact that James and Keegan seemed overly interested in the man paddling toward the cove that was just around the bend. It didn’t take him long to disappear from sight.

The guys stood at the edge of the lake, talking and pointing. About what? The man in the canoe? Who was he and why had James raced into the boathouse to get a pair of binoculars? A bad feeling grew in the pit of her belly while she watched for a few more minutes. When they walked over to look at something on the ground, her curiositygot the better of her. “Excuse me a sec,” she said to Stephanie and strode to the sunroom door.

“Where are you going?”

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