Charmed by His Love

by Janet Chapman

  “And Mr. Ezra is her grandfather,” Peter added with a semitoothless grin. He suddenly frowned. “Only how come Miss Olivia didn’t know he was her grandfather? She saw him at his store in town all the time.”

  Peg ruffled his hair. “It’s a confusing story. And the important thing is that Olivia and Sam and Ezra are finally together now.”

  “So can we go see the horses?” Peter asked. “I promise not to let them drool on my shirt, and we’ll go right back to the gazebo after.”

  “Only if you also promise not to go in their stalls.” Peg started walking toward cabin three again. “And thank you for asking.”

  “Mom!” Jacob shouted from the gazebo where he was standing on a bench. “Isabel thinks she just saw a whale blow! Only I missed it ’cause I was watching the beach. It looks like they’re gonna take out the submarine. Can we sit on that rock over there to see better?” he asked, pointing toward the boulder on the shoreline. He lowered his voice as she approached. “I promise I won’t talk to any of the scientists.”

  Peg eyed the large, flat rock jutting out into the new Bottomless Sea. She wasn’t worried the kid would drown since the water wasn’t deep and Jacob swam better than most fish, and she really didn’t want to squelch his enthusiasm, considering his traumatic run-in with one of the scientists yesterday. Besides, what could be more entertaining for three hours than to watch a tiny two-man sub being launched?

  “Okay, but you don’t go any closer than the boulder, got that?”

  “I got it!” Jacob shouted, jumping off the bench and running down the gazebo steps. “Come on, Isabel. I’ll help you climb up the rock.”

  “Mommm,” her daughter whined, giving Peg a rather impressive scowl. “I can’t climb a rock in my party dress.”

  “Then sit on the log next to it,” Peg suggested, once again heading off on her mission. God, she hoped the bastard who’d scared Jacob was staying in cabin three, because if he was, she intended to use his head for a plunger.

  Since when was some stupid submarine more precious than the tender heart of a young child? For crying out loud, Jacob was four! Well, he’d be five in a couple of months, but her younger son was way behind his boisterous twin brother in many aspects. Peter was her daredevil, where Jacob was a sensitive soul.

  But thanks to the family curse, her sons didn’t have a whole bunch of males to emulate, now did they? Well, except for her father-in-law and Billy’s older brother. Only Peg figured she had more testosterone than the two of them put together.

  Honest to God, Clive Thompson sent his wife to investigate anything that went bump in the night, and his idea of sports was putting on an engineer’s hat and playing with toy trains. As for her husband’s hulk of a brother, Galen … well, everyone knew Arlene wore the pants in that family. And damn if the one time Peg had called Galen to come check out a strange vehicle in her gravel pit if Arlene hadn’t shown up instead.

  At least her sister-in-law had brought along a shotgun.

  Peg knocked on cabin three’s door, then walked inside when nobody answered, only to nearly trip over a pile of diving … stuff. “Be careful of that gear,” a voice said from somewhere inside another pile of stuff on the couch. “It’s expensive.”

  Peg picked her way through the clutter, but stopped at the couch to peer over the guy’s shoulder. “Hey, is that a map of Bottomless?”

  He kept hitting keys on his laptop, although he did give a nod.

  Peg leaned closer, squinting at the screen. “Are all those numbers depths? Is Bottomless really eighteen hundred feet deep now, there in the middle?” Peg was so fascinated, she couldn’t stop asking questions. “But everyone knows the deepest basin has always been four hundred feet, so does that mean the earthquake really did split open the bottom of the lake like they said on the news? And is there really an underground saltwater river running up here all the way from the Gulf of Maine?”

  Again nothing, except for a grunt when she impatiently nudged his shoulder.

  Peg sighed and headed toward the bathroom, only to stop and stare in dismay at the mess. Jeesh, these guys hadn’t even had the combined brainpower to turn off the valve at the base of the toilet. Heck, Peter and Jacob knew enough to shut off the water, and they weren’t even in school yet. She bent down to reach the valve, glad that she had enough brains to bring her bridesmaid dress instead of wearing it this morning.

  “We’re going to need more towels,” she heard from behind her.

  Wow, a whole sentence. Peg looked over her shoulder to find that the guy might be talking to her, but it was her three-pregnancy-wide backside he was looking at.

  She immediately turned to face him. “You guys aren’t getting any more towels until you round up the ones you’ve been lugging onto your boats. And here,” she said, thrusting the plunger toward him. “I’ll just leave this with you, since you must know more than I do about the physics of suction.”

  The guy—who appeared to be barely twenty—eyed the plunger as if he didn’t have a clue what it was.

  “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me.” Peg pulled him over to the toilet. “Okay, watch and learn, because there’s going to be a pop quiz later.” She shot him a brilliant smile. “And if you pass, I will give you this fascinating tool, and then you can show all your cabinmates how it works.”

  “I haven’t got time to mess around with some toilet,” he said, turning to leave. “We’re about to launch the submersible and I’m piloting it today.”

  Her heart skipping a beat that she may have just found Jacob’s scary man, Peg grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back around. “Then they won’t launch until you get there, will they?” She slapped the plunger against his chest. “Consider this training for when you’re eighteen hundred feet underwater and your Porta-Potty clogs.” She pulled him over to the toilet. “See, I’m really doing you a favor.”

  The guy actually shoved the handle of the plunger into the bowl of clear water—which made Peg suspect it was probably a washcloth plugging the toilet. “You’re a rather bossy broad,” he muttered, sloshing water all over the place.

  Peg closed her eyes to count to ten, but only made it to five. “You try being a single parent without being bossy.” She grabbed the plunger, turned it around, and slapped it back in his hand. “That’s the business end.”

  He blinked at her. “But it’s too big to fit down the hole,” he said, utterly sincere as he held it up for her to see.

  Really? Honest to God really? Peg took hold of his hand and guided the plunger down into the bowl. “Speaking of children,” she said, keeping her tone neutral, “I bet when you were a kid you were fascinated by little submarines, weren’t you? And some nice scientist must have showed you all around one, and you got so excited that you decided you were going to drive them when you grew up.” She stopped plunging to give him another brilliant smile. “And because of that nice man, now you do.”

  The guy straightened, getting a faraway look in his eyes. “I was eight when my dad took me down to the pier where they were loading a four-man submersible onto a ship. One of the crew snuck us onboard and even let me climb inside it. That is, until Claude caught us.” He shrugged. “But we left with a snorkel and mask, and the crewman told me to come back when I got out of college.” He smiled, nodding toward the window. “I’ve been interning with Claude for over a year now.”

  “So if you were to see a little kid admiring your little submarine out there,” she said conversationally, “would you show him around and feed his enthusiasm, or would you scare the bejeezus out of him by threatening to use him for shark bait?”

  The guy’s smile disappeared, replaced by confusion. “Oh, you must have met Claude,” he said with a shrug. “He hasn’t got much use for kids. And the submersible has some pretty expensive equipment and delicate instruments. Why? You mentioned being a single mom; you want me to give your kid a tour?” His gaze lowered and then lingered a tad too long on her chest before he shot her an utterly male grin. “If
you let me take you to dinner tonight, I could give you an in-depth tour of the equipment.”

  Wow; she hadn’t seen that one coming.

  “I … um … I don’t date.” Peg swiped the plunger from him and drove it into the toilet bowl. “Mostly because I can’t find anyone to babysit my four kids.”

  He took a step back, although Peg didn’t know if it was because she was splashing water all over the place or because she had just scared the bejeezus out of him. “Four?” he choked out, taking another step back.

  “Yup. All under the age of nine. There, that took care of that little problem,” she said over the sucking sound of the toilet unclogging. She set the plunger beside the tank and washed her hands in the sink, but not seeing any towels, she wiped them on her pants as she turned to face him. “Now, if you can find out where all the towels are hiding, I’ll give you an in-depth tour of our laundry facility,” she said on her way past him. She stopped in the doorway. “What’s Claude look like, anyway?”

  “Hey, you aren’t going to tattle on me, are you? I mean, jeeze, I was only asking you out to dinner.”

  “And I thank you for that.” She shrugged. “I just want to keep all you guys straight, since you’re going to be here all summer exploring Spellbound Falls’s freaky new tourist attraction. Is Claude the boss of your little operation?”

  He nodded, looking relieved—which told Peg that Claude was her target.

  “He’s fortyish,” Mr. Romeo said, “a good three inches taller than me, athletic build, short dark hair.” He shook his head. “You might want to leave your bossy-mama attitude at home when you’re around him, though. Not only is Claude not into kids, but on a good day he barely tolerates women. And on a bad day I’ve actually seen him throw them overboard.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up,” Peg said, picking her way through the cluttered cabin.

  “Wait. About Bottomless,” he said, making her stop at the door. “Have you lived around here long?”

  “All my life.”

  “So you were here when the earthquake hit last week?”

  “Yup.”

  “It must have been pretty scary when those mountains split apart,” he said, pointing toward the window. He shook his head as he looked around the cabin. “The fiord the earthquake created is twelve miles long and over two thousand feet deep, but after talking to the geologists staying in cabin seven, none of us can figure out why nothing was damaged. Hell, we arrived within two days of the event and we didn’t even see a broken window. All the buildings in Spellbound Falls and here at Inglenook seem to be perfectly intact.”

  Peg snorted. “The ground did a lot of shaking, and when Bottomless split open and the ice covering it caved in, it made one heck of a deafening boom. It’s a miracle none of the structures were damaged. As for that new fiord, it cut right along my eastern property line and flooded a large part of my old gravel pit. So tell me, have you guys been able to come up with an explanation for what happened? Because honestly, people in town are really rattled and are calling it magic.” She snorted. “And some are afraid to even go in a boat now, claiming Bottomless is cursed or something.”

  “Sorry, we’re as baffled as anyone.” He picked up his laptop and followed her out of the cabin. “The geologists can’t figure it out, either, swearing there wasn’t one warning sign of an impending earthquake. But what has us oceanographers really baffled is that the subterranean river actually became a navigable passageway from the Gulf of Maine to the St. Lawrence Seaway. The underground river surfaced in seven lakes; six here in Maine and one in Canada.” He stopped at the bottom of the stairs to face her. “Each of them appearing almost deliberately spaced so that ocean mammals can come up for air.”

  “Does that mean there really could be whales in Bottomless?”

  He nodded, gesturing toward the lake. “One of our crew swears he spotted the biggest sperm whale he’s ever seen the very first day we were here, and yesterday a pod of harbor porpoises thought our submersible was a fun little toy to play with. A wide variety of saltwater creatures are already calling Bottomless home, including crustaceans that got sucked in with the river’s initial surge.” He grinned. “Tell your kids to keep an eye on that new fiord running past your house and they’ll probably spot anything from whales to harbor seals to sharks, and your flooded pit will probably become a sheltered cove for all sorts of tiny sea creatures.”

  “Sharks! Does that mean we can’t swim in Bottomless anymore?”

  He shrugged away her concern. “They shouldn’t bother you any more than they would ocean swimmers. But I’d keep your kids in the protected coves.”

  Peg turned away to hide her shudder. “Thanks for the heads-up,” she said with a wave over her shoulder.

  “Hey, what’s your name?”

  She turned and walked back to him with a sheepish smile. “Sorry about that. It’s Peg.” She held out her hand. “But I also answer to Peggy or Margaret or Mommm.”

  “Steve,” he said, shaking her hand. He looked toward the beach then back at her. “So, Peg, how about I give your kids a tour of the submersible the next time Claude goes to town … say, in exchange for more towels?” he added with a grin.

  “Deal. And as an added bonus for being such a nice guy, I’ll even steal some towels from the geologists for you.”

  He stepped closer. “Hell, for more towels I’ll sneak your kids a ride. Claude said something about driving down to Turtleback Station this afternoon.”

  “Sorry,” Peg said with a shake of her head. “I’m making sure my friend gets married this afternoon.” She waved toward the main lodge. “I don’t know if you happened to notice all of the fuss, but there’s a wedding going on here today.”

  “Oh yeah, that’s right. I heard something about the new owners getting married. Don’t worry, then. Claude’s supposed to meet some oceanographers at the airport in Bangor on Tuesday, and I’ll round up a couple of buddies and we’ll at least get your kids out on our boat. They can watch the screen of our unmanned rover as it follows the subterranean river north.” Steve paused, canting his head. “You sure you don’t date? Because it just so happens I like kids.”

  Peg laughed and started walking backward. “Are you trying to get me arrested for compromising a minor?”

  “Hey, I swear I’m legal.” He sighed and waved her away. “Never mind. I just finally moved out of my parents’ house, so I’m really not up to dealing with another bossy mother. I’ll see you around, then,” he ended, turning and jogging down the path toward the beach.

  Peg headed for Olivia’s cottage, a tad disturbed at how bummed she was that Steve had given up so easily.

  Chapter Two

  Peg rounded a curve in the peninsula’s winding lane and gasped in surprise when she spotted the strange man striding across the parking lot with Jacob thrown over his shoulder. Even from this distance she could see the sheer terror in her son’s eyes as Isabel skipped backward in front of them, trying to get the man to stop. Peg started running even as she sized up her adversary: tall, athletic build, short dark hair. Yeah, well, instead of traumatizing defenseless little children, Claude the mad scientist was about to find himself on the receiving end of a healthy dose of fear.

  “I swear I’ll kick you if you don’t put him down, mister,” Peg heard Isabel threaten. “He wasn’t hurting your stupid machine none. He’s just a baby!” And then the six-year-old actually did kick out when the guy didn’t stop, only to stumble backward as he merely sidestepped around her. “Charlotte! Peter!” Isabel screamed as she scrambled in front of him again. “Come help me save Jacob from the scary man!”

  Alarmed that the guy would go after her daughter when she saw him hesitate, Peg didn’t even stop to think and lunged onto his back. “Put him down!” she shouted, wrapping her arm around the bastard’s neck as she tried to pull Jacob off his shoulder with her other hand. “Or I swear I’ll rip out your eyes!”

  The guy gave his own shout of surprise and suddenly dropped like a st
one when Peter slammed into his right knee. “You leave my brother alone, you scary bastard!” Peter shouted as he rolled out of the way, dragging Jacob with him.

  Peg reared up to avoid Charlotte’s foot swinging toward the guy’s ribs, although she didn’t dare loosen her grip or take her weight off him, fearing he’d lash out at her children. He suddenly curled into the fetal position with a grunt when Peter landed on him beside her.

  “Get away from him!” she screamed over her shouting children, trying to push them off when they all started pummeling him. “Run to the—” Peg gave a startled yelp when an arm came around her waist and suddenly lifted her away.

  “Sweet Zeus,” Mac muttered, dragging her up against his chest as he took several steps back. “You will calm down, Peg, and control your children,” he quietly commanded even as he tightened his grip against her struggles.

  “Ohmigod, Jacob, come here!” she cried, holding out her arms. Jacob and Isabel threw themselves at her, actually making Mac step back when he didn’t let her go. “You’re okay, Jacob. You’re safe now,” she whispered, squeezing both trembling children. “You’re a brave girl, Isabel, and a good sister.”

  Charlotte called out, and Peg saw the girl pull away from Mac’s father just as he also released Peter. Both children ran to her, giving the bastard rising to his hands and knees a wide berth. Peg took a shuddering breath, trying to get her emotions under control. “You can let me go,” she told Mac over the pounding in her chest. Holy hell, she couldn’t believe they’d all just attacked the giant!

  Mac hesitated, then relaxed his hold, letting her slip free to protectively hug all four of her children. “Mind telling me what incited this little riot?” he asked the man who was now standing and wiping his bleeding cheek with the back of his hand.

  The guy gestured toward the lower parking lot. “I was taking the boy to find his parents, because I caught him inside my excavator not five minutes after I’d just pulled him off it and told him to go play someplace else.” He shrugged. “I figured his mother or father could explain how dangerous earth-moving equipment is, since he didn’t seem to want to listen to me.” He suddenly stiffened, his gaze darting from Jacob to Peter and then to Peg. “They’re twins.” His eyes narrowed on the boys again. “Identical.”