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even
thought
like he did!
How could he have forgotten that people became who they lived with?
Especially impressionable young children.
There were a lot of things he’d forgotten, apparently, about the inherent nature of man—which, considering his line of work, could be hazardous. But indulging in the more pleasurable aspects of human desires for the greater part of his adult life, Mac realized he had obviously dismissed as unimportant many of the more mundane laws governing the universe.
Nothing like having a son to put everything into perspective.
Yes, for as much as he hadn’t wanted to travel even this short a distance from the ocean, bringing Henry to Inglenook just might prove to be one of the wisest decisions he’d made in several centuries.

Chapter Three
     

     
The moment they crested the final knoll that brought Inglenook’s main lodge into view, Olivia spotted Eileen helping John climb up into the passenger seat of their van. And judging by the look of relief on their faces when they realized she was in the SUV, it was obvious they had been coming to search for her. Giving them a wave to show that she was fine, Olivia directed Mac to continue along the narrow lane winding its way through the high peninsula studded with old-growth pines.
She had originally wanted to put Mac in cabin three nearer the main lodge, so he and Henry wouldn’t have so far to walk before the dining hall opened in three weeks, as well as because the smaller cabin was a good fit for them. But considering the size of the check he’d sent—most of which was already spent—Eileen had felt Mr. Oceanus deserved their most secluded cabin that sat right on the lake, since it was going to be his and Henry’s home for the next six months.
Only instead of heading out onto the peninsula, Mac pulled into the driveway leading up to the lodge, stopped behind the van, and shut off the engine. Olivia got out with asigh, wondering why she bothered to open her mouth if no one listened to her.
“What’s going on?” Eileen asked, rushing over as John followed on his crutches. “Livy! What happened to your face?”
“In a minute,” she said, turning to grab the opening back door. “Sophie, why don’t you take Henry over to cabin ten and show him where he’s going to be staying?”
Sophie started to hand Olivia her backpack, but suddenly passed it to Eileen instead. “Mom hurt her wrist when she fell, Gram, so could you take this for me?” She turned as soon as she was relieved of the burden. “Come on, Henry. The grown-ups will probably talk forever, so we can stop by and see Tinkerbelle on the way.” She headed toward the barn. “And if you promise to be gentle, I’ll let you hold her babies.”
Olivia watched young Henry start after Sophie but wasn’t surprised when the boy suddenly stopped and turned to Mac, who was just walking around the front of his truck. “Father?” Henry asked.
“It’s okay, son; you can go with Sophie. Just remember to assure the mother that your intentions are good before you pick up her kittens.”
“And you two stay away from both of the lakes,” Olivia called after them as they took off at a run. “The ice is already rotting along the shoreline of Whisper.”
“What happened?” John asked the moment they were out of earshot. “Mark came flying in here like a bat out of hell and drove straight to the bunkhouse. He threw his things in his truck, shoved the water heater out of the back of it, and was gone before I could get over there to see what was going on.”
“What happened to your face?” Eileen whispered, eyeing Olivia’s swollen lip. Her gaze darted to Mac, then back to her. “You look like you were… did Mark hit you?”
“He tried to rape her,” Mac said before she could answer.
Her in-laws turned to him, Eileen with a gasp and John’s eyes hardening in anger as they both looked back at her.
“Eileen, John, this is Mr. Oceanus,” Olivia said with a tight smile. “He and Henry