Prologue
“It’sawesome, Grandpa!”Six-year-old Graham burst out of the truck just as it was coming to a stop and raced across the grass to the edge of the lake. He stood excitedly at the water’s edge while Quinn climbed out of the truck, grinning. This was his grandson’s first trip to the cabin on the lake, and the boy was ecstatic.
Warm affection softened Quinn’s face as he approached the lake, noticing the gentle “quiver” that rippled across the surface as he got closer to the water. It had been a lonely winter in the valley, as he had come to think of the city where his family lived. The winters were the hardest for him when the lake froze over, and Lochlan went into hibernation.
Since the birth of his grandson, Graham, winters in the valley had become a little easier, softening the longing in his heart. From the moment he held his newborn grandchild in his arms, Graham became his whole world. He knew that one day, he would share his secret with Graham. Even at such a young age, he sensed how special the boy was. It took a special kind of heart to carry the secret of the lake.
Lochlan knew about Graham; Quinn told him everything, and what he couldn’t express in words, Lochlanfeltthrough their unique connection.
Today marked the first step in sharing his special secret with his grandson: introducing Graham to Lochlan.
“Can you teach me to swim, Grandpa?” Graham’s excitement was contagious, although Quinn didn’t really need to catch the bug since this was his first trip to the lake since the winter’s thaw. He yearned for connection with Lochlan—intimateconnection—but that would have to wait.
“Of course.”
“Is the water cold?” Graham crouched at the edge of the gently lapping water, his small hands gripping his knees as he looked through the shimmering surface.
“Shouldn’t be too cold this time of year.” A tender shiver ran through Quinn’s body at the thought of the lake’s cool embrace and Lochlan’s…touch. Maybe his first trip should have been a solo one, but he couldn’t resist Graham’s pleas to come along. He’d been telling Graham stories of the lake—and Lochlan, the lake creature—since he was two years old, framing the tales as stories he made up, being an author. Tales of Lochlan were Graham’s favorite stories, even more than the published children’s books his parents had bought for him. He loved them so much that Quinn had personal copies printed, with illustrations designed by Quinn, and gave them to his grandson. He never published the storybooks, though he was sure kids everywhere would love them. But Lochlan was a secret not to be shared with the world, a piece of Quinn’ssoul. Even Graham seemed to sense this, and only wanted Quinn to read him the Lochlan stories, never his parents.
Just before Graham’s sixth birthday, Quinn began casually suggesting taking his grandson up to the cabin. Although Quinn was a nature lover, his son and daughter-in-law were the ultimate city dwellers and had no interest in “getting back to nature.” However, Graham took after his grandfather and thoroughly enjoyed Quinn’s stories of his younger days spent hiking and camping in the great outdoors. Once Graham learned that the lake from his favorite stories was real and theinspiration for the Lochlan tales, he started begging his grandpa to take him to the lake.
The boy’s parents weren’t comfortable with Graham being near a large body of water—Quinn’s son, Adam, had a fear of water ever since he almost drowned as a teenager while swimming with friends. It took a lot of coaxing and reassurance for Graham’s parents to finally agree to let him visit the lake.
Graham looked up, squinting in the bright sunlight, with a big grin on his face. “Can you teach me now?”
Quinn chuckled. “Why don’t we unload the truck first and get settled? Then we can go swimming.”
“Okay.” Graham popped upright and waved at the lake. “See ya later.” He tore off back toward the truck as a large ripple rolled across the surface.
Quinn stayed at the water’s edge, a smile on his face. “He’s going to love you,” he murmured. Water lapped at his boots. Quinn looked down and sank to his heels, running his hand over the cool surface of the water. Silken filaments fluttered just beneath the surface, tickling his palm, then slipping through his fingers. A tingling warmth spread through his nerves and brightened his mind. Quinn shivered. “I missed you, too.”
“Grandpa! Come on!” Graham shouted from the truck.
“Coming!” Quinn reluctantly withdrew his hand, rose to his feet, and headed back to the truck.
After unloading the truck, Quinn prepared a light lunch for himself and Graham—sandwiches and apple slices—and ate out on the porch. Graham was almost too excited to eat as he looked out at the lake, eager to start his swimming lessons. But Quinn wasn’t quite ready to take the boy into the water.
Setting his plate aside, his lunch only partially eaten, Quinn wrapped his arm around Graham as the boy munched on a piece of apple. “We’re best friends, aren’t we, Graham?”
“Mm-hm,” the boy responded around a mouthful of fruit.
“And best friends can trust each other with secrets, right?”
Graham nodded.
Quinn inhaled, a nervous tremor in his hands. “I have a secret. Abigsecret.”
His grandson looked up at him and swallowed. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a very special secret,” Quinn said. “If I tell you, then you have to promise to never tell anyone. Not your parents, not your friends at school, notanyone.It’sthatspecial.”
The boy’s eyes glowed with curiosity. “What is it?”
“It has to beoursecret,” Quinn reiterated. “It’s very important that you understand that. I know you’re young, but I believe I can trust you with this.”
