him another smile. “At least gnomes and fairies don’t ask a
thous—”
Duncan was gone in a blur before the scream of terror
even reached her, and was wading into the water and lifting
Jacob into his arms just as the boy burst into tears.
“Jacob!” Peg cried, running to them.
“You’re okay,” Duncan murmured, hugging Jacob against
his chest. “He’s okay, Peg. I don’t think he swal owed any
water. You’re okay,” he continued, his broad hand holding
Jacob’s head against his shoulder. “Quiet down now,” he
whispered as he shot her a wink on his way by. “You’re
scaring your mom.”
Even though Peg was al but shaking with the need to
make sure her son was okay, she took hold of her unusual y
quiet older twin’s hand instead and fol owed, Duncan’s
soothing words seeming to calm her just as much as they
were Jacob.
“And it’s been my experience,” she heard him continue
softly, “that when moms get scared, they make ye play
inside for at least a week.” He stood Jacob on the picnic
table, then shrugged out of his leather jacket and wrapped
it around the boy—who was now valiantly sucking up his
sobs. “And if you get yourself stuck inside, you’re going to
miss my bul dozer pushing al the stumps and topsoil off the
—”
“Jacob! Peter!” Galen shouted as he ran toward them
fol owed by the other men. He crowded Duncan out of the
way and swept Jacob into his arms. “Lord Almighty, boy,
what happened? Are you okay?” He turned on Peg, the wild
look in his eyes making her take a step back. “You gotta
watch them every minute. The boy could have drowned!”
“Peg is wel aware of her responsibilities,” Duncan said
quietly, stepping between them. “Jacob only got a little wet.”
Peg shot around him and pul ed her son away from
Galen and started walking to her house. “Come on, Peter.
It’s time for your naps.”
“Mommm.”
“Let Pete stay here with me,” Galen cal ed after her. “I’l
keep an eye on him.”
She turned to see that even though Galen had moved
away from Duncan, the look in her brother-in-law’s eyes
sure as hel didn’t match his tone. “If Peter doesn’t mind
being too tired to cook hot dogs over a campfire tonight,”
she quickly prevaricated, “then I guess he can stay out here
with you.”
Peter gasped so hard, he actual y stumbled backward
just as Duncan folded his arms over his chest with a grin
and—did he just wink at her again?
Peg spun away and started for the house, pressing
her cheek to Jacob’s wet hair as Peter ran up beside her.
“We’re gonna have a campfire?” he asked excitedly. “Can
we make jel yfish soup? And cook the snails?”
“I think we’l save the jel yfish and snails for your
birthday, okay? Say good-bye to Uncle Galen.” Only Peg
suddenly stopped, turned around, and walked toward
Duncan, who was heading down the beach with Robbie
MacBain. “You need to thank Mr. MacKeage for pul ing you
out of the water,” she whispered to Jacob. “Can you do that,
big man? He was just like the Rescue Heroes you watch on
TV. And you’re always supposed to thank a hero when he
saves you.”
Robbie spotted her and nudged Duncan, and both men
stopped to let her catch up to them. Peg used her shoulder
to nudge Jacob upright. “Mr. MacKeage, Jacob has
something he wants to say to you.”
“Tank you,” her son blurted at Duncan’s shirt buttons even
as he turned and buried his face in her neck again.
Peg sighed through her smile. “Yes, thank you, Mr.
MacKeage, for pul ing him out of the water.”
“Jacob?” Duncan said in question. “Can you tel me what
happened? What was that?” he asked with a chuckle when
the boy muttered something into her neck. He ran his hand
over Jacob’s wet hair. “Did you stumble and fal into the
water, or did the ground give out underneath you?”
“I saw what happened,” Peter chimed in. He pointed at
where Duncan had waded in after Jacob. “We seen
bubbles coming out of the water when we was standing at
the edge.” He looked up at Peg, a tad worried yet
somehow defiant—just like the father he was too young to
remember used to get. “I swear we wasn’t in the water,
Mom, ’cause you told us to keep our sneakers dry.” He
craned his head back again, first glancing at Robbie, then
at Duncan. “And the sand suddenly sunk. I jumped back just
in time, but Repeat wasn’t fast enough. See how the water
is al up there now?” he said, pointing a dozen yards down
the beach.
Peg shifted Jacob to her other hip when she realized her
arms were going numb, but then signaled for Galen to take
him when her brother-in-law walked up with his posse.
“What’s going on?” he asked as he settled Jacob against
his shoulder.
“We believe the sides of the old pit are caving in,”
Robbie MacBain said. He looked at Peg. “How steep was
the bank on this side before it flooded?”
“Not steep at al ,” she said, frowning as she tried to
picture it in her mind. She pointed to the west. “It was more
vertical on that end, but even that’s been eroding over the
last three years.”
“How deep is it?” Duncan asked.
Peg shrugged, looking at Galen. “What, maybe forty feet
deep?”
“More like sixty or seventy feet toward the west end.” He
looked at the shoreline closest to them. “But this side is
mostly sand, so it’s probably not al that stable, especial y
with the tides.” He gestured to the east where the water
came in from the newly formed fiord. “And there’s no tel ing
how deep that opening to the lake is.”
Peg heard Duncan release a soft sigh and saw Robbie
grin. “You do look like ye need a bath,” Robbie said.
“I’m real y not due for another two weeks,” Duncan
drawled, returning his grin. “I believe Alec was smel ing a
little off this morning, though. And he spends enough time
on the ski slopes that he’s likely permanently numb.”
Peg couldn’t imagine what they were talking about—that
is, until she saw Duncan start unbuttoning his shirt. “Never
mind,” he said with a snort. “I’m soaked to my thighs
already, so I might as wel finish it. Hel—heck, maybe it wil
numb my ribs.”
She grabbed his arm. “Wait, you … you’re not actual y
going swimming?”
“For the love of God, man,” Galen said in surprise,
hugging Jacob to him. “That water’s freezing!”
Duncan gently pul ed free of Peg, reached in his back
pocket and took out his wal et, then unclipped his cel
phone from his belt. “Somebody has to check the slope on
this side of the old pit,” he said, handing his belongings to
Robbie, “before you walk out one morning and find your
driveway underwater.”
“No,” she growled, grabbing him again when he went
back to unbuttoning his shirt. But she was ready for him this
time when he tried to pul free, and dug her fingers into his
arm. “You are not doing this. I don’t care if the entire
dooryard sinks into that pit; I’m not going to stand here and
watch you drown.”
The building gleam in his eyes disappeared, and he
covered her hands with his own. “I’m not going to drown,
lass. I’ve been swimming in cold mountain ponds since I
was Peter and Jacob’s age. We al have,” he said,
gesturing at Robbie. “And I need to see what that slope
looks like so we can shore it up with the excavator. It might
only be a matter of setting some large rocks in a few
strategic places.”
“No,” she growled again, actual y trying to shake him.