grass showed a vehicle had turned in from the old roadbed.
Summer’s head swam, and she leaned against the wall that had once held the back door, letting the anger and frustration rush through her. Someone had been here yesterday. Last night. A low hum nearby called her attention to a spot of golden brown liquid that stained the wall, and was now covered with flies. A broken whiskey bottle lay in the weeds below.
Was it the same person who’d been across the cove? Had the news story brought him here? Anguish nipped at her heart. This was her fault.
Looking at the dead kit brought the bitter taste of bile into her throat. All those years, this place had been isolated and quiet. That someone had been here the night the story was in the paper seemed too big a coincidence. In her haste to garner attention, she hadn’t considered any bad consequences. Her selfishness had caused this. All of it. Her knees grew weak at the thought.
Willing her legs not to buckle under her, she half staggered back around to the front of the cabin. Rick glanced up over the heads of the kids. When his eyes locked with hers, he seemed to read her mind.
He clapped his hands together. “You know, if we travel very quickly and quietly on down to the lake this morning, we might be lucky enough to catch that eagle again.”
“You heard the man.” Neil spoke in a stage whisper, jerking his head toward the path. “Let’s go, gang.”
Rick leaned down and whispered something in Neil’s ear. The young man’s eyes shot to Summer, and he nodded. He hustled the kids out of the clearing as Rick approached.
“What’s wrong?” His fingers skimmed down her arm and caught her hand. The touch was warm and soothing, and she knew she should pull loose, but it was what she needed right then. She let it stay.
Swallowing didn’t rid her throat of the tight lump lodged there. “One of the kits is dead. Run over.” Her voice quivered on the last phrase. She cleared her throat. “Somebody’s been here.”
Rick’s face darkened. He dropped her hand and stalked toward the back of the house. She had to jog to catch up.
Stooped beside the lifeless form of the small creature, he smoothed its fur gently with the back of his fingers. She watched his eyes fill with grief as they took in the tracks left in the grass.
“Do you think it was the same person who was in the cove?” She motioned toward the wall and the whiskey bottle.
Rick’s eyes flashed from sorrow to anger, and he shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Summer swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “This is my fault. We’ve never had trouble before. It can’t be coincidental this happened right after the story was published.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions, Summer.” The sympathy in his voice battered at the wall holding back her emotions. Her body shook with the effort of keeping them in check.
When he stood and pulled her to him, her resolve crumbled amid the bombardment of anger and frustration. She clung to him like a child and cried against his chest as his hands smoothed over her hair and back.
“It’s okay. Quit crying now.” He sounded like he was soothing one of the kids.
No way was she going to let him think of her that way. Pulling herself together, she pushed out of his hold.
His hands settled on his hips as he blew his breath out in a discontented sigh. “Go back to the camp and get a shovel. Bring it here, and leave it. We’ll meet you on the way back. You can accompany the kids with Neil, and I’ll stay and bury the kit.”
They walked silently to the main trail, but he gave her shoulder a pat before he broke into a run in the direction of Neil and the campers.
Summer’s legs felt like weights were attached to them as she jogged back to camp. Or maybe her heart had sunk so low it was now in the vicinity of her ankles.
The shovel Charlie kept near the campfire leaned against a tree. She got it and headed back toward the wooded path just as Tara turned in the drive.
Burying the kit was important, but welcoming Tara back took top priority. Summer went to meet her as her friend parked the car.
Tara’s face was unreadable as she got out, but when she turned to Summer, she took off her sunglasses, and Summer