“No.” That was an easy answer to give. “She seems 100 percent fine to me. And from what she said, her doctor didn’t express any serious reservations about her health.”
“That’s good to hear.” The tension in his features eased, and the corners of his lips twitched. “But I expect I’ll still worry.”
“To tell you the truth, I’m glad shehassomeone to worry about her.”
“I’ll keep that in mind if she starts complaining about me being overprotective.” He flashed her a full-out grin, then waved toward the cage. “So what are you going to do with this little guy?”
“Keep giving him food and water until I take him to the vet in town next week.”
“It’s a shame we’re not closer to St. Louis. I know a vet there who could check him out. She does make occasional house calls, but this is way beyond her radius.”
She.
A friend? Neighbor? Medical provider for a four-legged companion, perhaps?
Cara kept her tone nonchalant. “Do you have a pet?”
“No. I’m not a cat person, and my long hours on the job wouldn’t be fair to a dog. Besides, pets are a big responsibility, and I have too many of those as it is.”
There wasn’t a single clue in that answer about his relationship with the female vet.
Fine. It wasn’t any of her business, anyway.
Cara smiled. “I hear you. Same story here. Well ... I’ll go ahead and take care of Thumper, then finish my circuit around the lake.”
“I’d offer to join you, but Natalie’s expecting me for lunch.”
“No worries. I’ve got the route down pat.”
“Maybe tomorrow, if you’d like some company?”
“I’d enjoy that.”
He began to walk away, but turned back after a few steps, his demeanor once more solemn. “Be careful, okay?”
The same warning Micah had written on the note to Natalie after the fire.
A tiny shiver rippled through her at the odd coincidence.
“I will. But I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
“I hope not.” He looked toward the lake again. “But I have a strange feeling about everything that’s been going on here. Natalie could have been injured in the fire, and now Micah’s dead. I wouldn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
With that, he set off down the trail toward the cottage and the house.
Cara watched until he disappeared from sight, tended to the rabbit, and set off along the path toward the far side of the lake, quashing her sudden case of nerves.
It was silly to be uneasy.
The potholder incident had to have been an accident, even if no one could pin down how it had ended up in thetrash. And Micah’s death would surely be ruled accidental or natural.
There was no reason to worry about her own safety.
None at all.
Yet as she trod over the withered, fallen leaves on this autumn day, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the warnings Micah and Steven had issued were worth heeding. That something not quite kosher was happening on the grounds of this isolated estate, with its legacy of tragedy.
But she wouldn’t be here long. Only until the end of the semester. And she had no long-term connection to this place.
