She smiled at the memory of cookouts with her family, trout-fishing with her dad and sleepovers with her sister and their friends in the loft bedroom. She’d spent a lot of happy times here; why had she been so reluctant to come today?
“Maybe this was a good idea,” she admitted.
Grace flashed her a smile. “Didn’t I tell you so? It’s our slowest day at work, so Bob and Justin can handle everything there. You and I can just chill out.”
“I can’t wait to get into my waders. It’s been so long since I’ve had a fly rod in my hands I’ve probably forgotten how to cast.”
“Oh, I doubt that. I have a feeling you’ll definitely catch something today.”
Chloe had to smile at Grace’s wording. “A cold, probably.”
“Cute.” Grace parked the car and opened her door. “Grab the groceries, will you? I’ll carry the drinks.”
They had come prepared to grill hamburgers later. Grace had brought so much food that Chloe had accused her of buying enough for half a dozen people instead of just two. Grace had merely shrugged and claimed she’d gotten carried away.
The inside of the house had not changed since Chloe had last visited. They entered into a two-story-high main room with a large rock fireplace and a ceiling fan with a light fixture overhead. To the back of the main room, separated by a low dining bar, was the kitchen and dining room combination. The master bedroom opened off the other side of the living room, beneath the stairs. Upstairs, a loft sitting room overlooked the living room, and two small bedrooms shared another bath. One entire side of the house consisted of large windows that overlooked the river.
The log walls were hung with duck prints and primitive art, the furnishing were worn and comfortable, the wooden floors warmed by thick braided rugs. Chloe always thought of her parents’ weekend hide-away as a nap waiting to happen.
She carried the groceries into the kitchen and deposited them on a tile countertop, stowing perishables in the refrigerator. Returning to the main room, she found Grace peering out a window toward the driveway. “Expecting someone?”
Grace jumped, looking almost comically guilty. “Of course not,” she said, her voice oddly breathless. “Why do you ask?”
Eyeing her twin curiously, Chloe shook her head. “You do need a day off, don’t you? You’re as jumpy as a cat.”
“I told you, I’ve been working too hard.”
“Apparently. So, what do you want to do first? It’s too early to start the grill. We could fish.”
“You know, I think I’d rather just rest for a while. I brought a new mystery, so I think I’ll curl up in a rocker and read for a couple hours.”
“Okay. I’ll go fish by myself. You always scare the trout away, anyway.”
“I don’t always scare them away. I just get mad sometimes when I hook one and then lose it.”
Chloe grinned as she pictured Grace stamping her feet in the water and throwing rocks at the fish that got away. She never actually hit one of them, of course, but she guaranteed that no one else would catch any, either. “Enjoy your book. I’ll see you later.”
“Mm,” Grace murmured behind her. “Much later.”
Deciding she would never figure out her twin’s odd mood, Chloe headed out to the storeroom where her father kept the fishing gear.
“Tell me again why you want to buy another vacation cabin?” Donovan asked Bryan quizzically, watching cornfields, cow pastures and mobile homes pass by outside the passenger window of Bryan’s car.
Sitting behind the wheel, Bryan glanced away from the road ahead to reply, “I’ve gotten tired of the place in Missouri. Bad memories there now. I’d like to find someplace smaller and easier to get to. The cabin you and I are visiting sounds ideal.”
“So why do you need me here? You don’t require my approval to buy anything.”
“I just wanted company, okay? And I do value your opinion.”
Donovan shrugged. “Then I’m happy to oblige.”
A small red sports car passed them going the opposite direction. It was driven by a woman in large sunglasses and a floppy hat, both of which concealed her face. Donovan told himself it was a depressing clu
e to his state of mind that the woman still looked like Chloe to him.
Sometimes he saw her everywhere he looked.
Bryan’s cell phone buzzed. He sighed heavily, reached into his pocket, and held the small device to his ear. “Falcon.”