It would be back. There were some things that were inevitable.
The clock beside his bed told him that it was five a.m. but Teague knew sleep wasn't on his schedule anytime soon. He frowned and ran a hand across the stubble on his chin as he gazed out at the calm water. It was silent-so quiet out there-and yet his head was filled with noise.
Explosions and gunfire. Voices that belonged to ghosts. Voices that wouldn't let him go.
Wearily he exhaled and leaned against the window frame, eyes on the boathouse. It took more than a few minutes but eventually the noises faded and he took a step back. His body glistened with sweat and the muscles across his shoulders were still tight.
He couldn't take another day of nothing. Of sitting on the deck with a bottle for company. He'd always been a man of action and this retreat shit wasn't cutting it anymore. Restless he reached for his cargoes and pulled them on. But what to do?
He heard the morning dove once more. The call of a loon. A splash from the dock.
Fishing. Yeah. That might work.
Striding from his room Teague made a thermos of coffee, grabbed a couple muffins from the bag he'd not bothered to put away and snatched his worn ball cap from the table near the front door before heading to the boathouse. He couldn't find his tackle box or his old fishing reel but his father's would do.
The water was calm and the air crisp as he steered his boat out of the bay toward the lake. He'd grabbed the one that he and Tucker had been given for their fifteenth birthday. It had a small outboard motor, but he used an oar to get going and waited until he was far from shore before firing up the engine. No use in making more noise than he had to.
In less time than it took to drive to town, he was gliding into a small, protected cove where the fishing was always good.
Teague cut the engine and settled back into the boat for a moment, content to sip his hot coffee and let the silence of the Muskokas roll over him. He stared out at the forest that crept down to the lake and then over to the sheer rock face farther up the way. A rare smile lifted the corners of his mouth as a memory washed over him.
"You jump first. You lost the bet. "
Teague jabbed his twin Tucker and would have pushed him over the edge of the jumping rock, but his older brother Jack stopped him.
"Mom is going to kill all of us if she finds out we 're here, " Jack said.
"So don 't do something stupid, " Teague 's other brother Beau warned, making a face.
Just like Beau to ruin all the fun.
"You don 't want to ruin your pretty face, " Teague retorted, glaring at the golden boy who stood a few feet from him.
"You 're a dumbass, " Beau replied.
"Yeah? " Teague puffed out his chest. His brothers were older but he and Tucker could take them if they had to. Tucker was wiry and quick as a cat, while Teague was strong, but more importantly, devious as hell and willing to do whatever it took to win.
"Guys, " Tucker interrupted. "Why don 't we just jump? It 's what we came here for. Everyone has done the jumping rock except us. "
"That 's because mom will kill us when she finds out, " Jack said peeking over the edge.
Teague took a few steps closer and glanced down, a wicked grin on his face. "You first, " he said, pushing Jack before his brother could react. They watched the oldest Simon brother sail over the edge and disappear beneath the surface. For a moment there was quiet, followed by a whole lotta words from below -words their parents wouldn 't like coming from Jack Simon 's mouth.
The three remaining boys laughed and with a shrug, Beau followed suit.
Then Tucker.
Then with a loud whoop Teague jumped off the rock. He felt free as a bird and stronger than anyone. He felt invincible, like Superman. In that moment he felt as if nothing could touch him.
Beau was right. What a dumbass he'd been. He'd hit the water. Hard.
And lost his swim trunks.
Swim trunks that his brother Jack got to before Teague could, and damn if he hadn't had to run home through the bush with his junk hanging out. Wouldn't have been so bad except he'd run through poison ivy and well …
With a snort, Teague shook off the memory and reached for his gear. No sense in dwelling on a simpler time-a time when the only thing he'd had to worry about was the jumping rock and poison ivy. The world he lived in now was about as far away from that as you could get.
"No going back," he muttered, sending his line out into the calm water.
The next few hours saw the sunrise and the lake slowly come to life. By the time boats were zipping along the open water, pulling skiers and tubers, Teague was done. He'd had a good morning and his large cooler held four good-sized pike and two largemouth bass.
He tied up the boat and gathered his gear together and then headed into the boathouse. Once everything was put back where it belonged, he returned for his cooler, intent on cleaning the fish and getting them ready to eat.
A kid was sprawled on the dock, peering over the edge into Teague's boat. The blond curls were unmistakable. Harry.
Teague took a step closer and paused as a puppy came hurtling his way along with another kid.
Morgan.
Both of them were in pajamas-seemed the superhero thing was a big deal in their house-and Morgan's hair was a mess. He glanced up at the cottage.
Irritated, he tried not to show it and kept his voice level. "Where's your mother?" he asked, kneeling beside Harry so that he could retrieve his cooler. Bingo jumped up and tried to lick his face, and with a scowl, he gently pushed the dog out of the way.
"Sleeping," Morgan answered, joining her brother, those big eyes of hers meeting his. She pointed to the cooler. "What's in there?"
"Fish, you dummy," Harry replied, pushing to his knees. "Right? You went fishing this morning?"
Teague didn't reply-he just gave a quick nod. He had other things on his mind … like a hearty breakfast. The muffins didn't cut it and he was hungry as hell.
"I like to fish," Harry said standing up and rubbing his tummy. "But Mommy doesn't like to take us out in the boat."
"That's because she can't," Morgan said with a frown.
"Can't?" Teague asked, grabbing the cooler.
Harry shrugged. "She can't swim and only goes in the boat with Daddy. And since Daddy is in heaven she … " Harry snuck a glance at his sister, who was nodding in agreement.
"Since Daddy is in heaven, there's no one to take us on the boat." Morgan sounded matter of fact, but something in her eyes made Teague uncomfortable. She'd gone through a lot for someone so young.
He cleared his throat and nodded toward their cottage.
"You guys shouldn't be down here alone. Maybe you should head back up to the house until your mom wakes up."
"But she's sleeping in the family room and we don't want to wake her," Harry piped up, moving to Teague's side. "Bingo is loud."
Morgan nodded. "She doesn't sleep that good."
I know the feeling, Teague thought.
"Sometimes she cries in her sleep." Harry kicked at the dock with his bare toe.
Teague's gut tightened and he glanced away. How the hell did you deal with kids who said exactly what was on their minds? Things that he-basically a stranger-had no right to know.
"I'm hungry," Harry said.
"Do you have eggs?" Morgan asked, reaching for his hand.
Startled, Teague didn't move and when the small fingers tried to thread through his, he let them. What the hell? Christ, he'd refused to hold his own niece a few weeks back. The baby was too damn small and he was too damn nervous. What if dropped his squirmy niece? He didn't relate to kids. End of story. Not these ones anyway.
The kids over there? The ones who'd been raised to kill? Those ones he understood.
"Do you?" Morgan asked again, shaking him from his thoughts. "I can help. I like to swoosh them around in the bowl though Mommy doesn't like me to cook."
"That's because you started that fire," Harry said, poking her in the shoulder. "And the fireman had to come."
"I didn't do it on purpose," Morgan shoved back at her brother. "It was an accident. Even the fireman said so."
Fire. Great.
Teague stared down into two earnest faces that looked up at him and for a moment, he didn't know what to do. Shit. The manners he'd been brought up with told him to take the kids back to his place and feed them. Make sure they were okay. Make sure the mother was okay.
But hell, he wanted to be alone, not dance around an awkward situation. And their situation was awkward. Sabrina Campbell didn't like him. He got it. These days not many folks did.
Morgan yanked on his hand.
Except apparently these two.
With a frown he took a few moments to think things over. Truthfully all he wanted to do was crank some Creedence Clearwater, inhale the smell of a fresh pot of coffee and have some steak and eggs.
He didn't want to talk to anyone and he sure as hell didn't want to listen to two chatty kids.
"Tigger." Morgan tugged on his hand. "Can we have some bananas and blueberries too? They go good with eggs."
"Look," Teague finally said, letting the little imp pull him toward the path leading from the boathouse. "I'll make you guys breakfast but then you need to clear out as soon as your bellies are full. Got it? I've got lots to do today."