was man-made and about half the size of a football field. The surrounding homes that bordered the green water were in contrast of one another. Some were rustic blocks of wood that looked as if they’d been erected by pioneers hundreds of years ago, and some were more modern establishments that resembled basic, one-story homes you might find in any modest suburb throughout the country.
Crescent Lake was not flashy; that wasn’t its purpose. Its purpose was serenity and solitude, and in that, it excelled. Amy turned back to Patrick, smiled, and said, “Just as peaceful.”
Patrick smiled back and breathed in deep. The smell of wood, leaves, and mountain air calmed him to no end. The trees that surrounded the rear of their cabin, and nearly every cabin bordering the lake, narrowed upward from a mighty base until their tips were lost among an explosion of red and orange, with not a single leaf daring to fall to the earth just yet.
“It really is, isn’t it?” Patrick said, more to himself than Amy. He breathed in the earthy scents again and closed his eyes, the gentle calls of nature singing to him, more acute with his eyes shut. He thought it might actually be possible to fall asleep standing up.
Amy took hold of a small duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. “What do you want to do about food?” she asked.
Patrick snapped from his daze and brought his attention back to the Highlander. He took a small black suitcase from the car and set it at his feet. “You want to go shopping now?”
Amy grabbed another small duffel bag and balanced it atop the black suitcase. “Might as well get it out of the way before we get comfortable.”
Patrick shrugged. “Okay. You want me to go?”
“Nah, I’ll go. You can take the kids for a walk around the lake or something.”
“Oh, I get it. Dump the kids with the naïve dad and the new mangy mutt while you drive off to reunite with your forbidden mountain man.”
Amy raised an eyebrow, and did not smile when she said, “Actually, I was going to go look for your little buddy, Arty.”
Patrick dropped another bag at his feet, stood upright and sighed. “Yeah, that was kinda weird, wasn’t it?”
“Kind of weird? That was flat-out bizarre Patrick. What would a grown man want with a little girl’s doll?”
“Well, I’d like to think he didn’t actually want the doll, Amy.”
“So explain then.”
“I don’t know. My guess is that he was just using it as a way to give Carrie a piece of candy. I mean let’s face it, the guy did have a bit of an odd way about him, to say the least.” He paused for a second, smiled and added, “I guess we must have forgotten to give our daughter the ‘don’t take candy from strangers’ speech.”
Amy shot him a disgusted look. “It’s not funny, Patrick. She was out of my sight for less than a minute. It couldn’t have been a coincidence.”
Patrick frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Well for starters, how did this guy know Carrie wanted a piece of candy so badly? Was he watching us in the restaurant? Listening to our conversation at the table somehow?”
Patrick’s back stiffened. His wife’s question was a damn good one. He had sized Arty up from the moment he met him and did not figure him a physical threat in any way. Weird? Hell, yes. But a threat? No. The man’s actions at the gas station and the restaurant were no doubt bizarre, but Patrick still felt comfortable that if push came to shove, he could deal with Arty with little trouble.
Amy continued. “I mean that whole thing at the station with the free gas was strange enough.”
Patrick steadied himself, took a deep breath. “I don’t know what you want me to say, baby. Maybe in his weird little world, it’s his way of being friendly. You know there are some people out there who just don’t know where the line is.”
“Bullshit. The way he smiled and waved as he was driving away from the restaurant…that was…that was something different than being friendly.”
“Like what?”
“Like, I don’t know. Just different, okay?”
Patrick held up both hands. “Okay.”
Amy shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck. “And what the hell was that whole thing with the doll? Carrie barely lets us hold that damn thing, yet she gives it to a strange man for a piece of candy in less than a minute?”
Patrick felt his