Chapter 6
Cassie and I were the only two guests headed for the inn. The others—a dozen or so vacationers—stepped off the steamer and were handed into an elegant conveyance bound for Cedar Lodge.
We watched them leave, waiting patiently beside our luggage until a farm cart approached. Apparently, all expenses paid did not entail unnecessary luxuries.
The man who climbed down was in his mid-thirties, lean and sunburned with a full head of red hair lightened by the sun. He was accompanied by a boy of perhaps ten years old, equally tanned, but tow-headed. A brown-and-white beagle followed the child.
The man reached for a suitcase handle and nodded toward my carpetbag. "Lucas, grab that one for the lady."
The boy gave me an awkward bow and reached out a hand.
"Thank you, young man," I sai
