Chapter 131

The fireplace took up part of the back wall, an empty firewood rack to one side of the hearth and the tools to the other.

At the other side of the room was the kitchen, with a compact refrigerator, a sink, and a four-burner stove with the oven Mark had insisted we’d need. Fortunately, we wouldn’t have to eat sitting on the beds. There was a small table and four chairs that would suit.

Surprisingly, the cabin was clean. There were no mouse droppings on the counter or in the cabinet above the sink, or the remains of insects in the sink or shower stall.

I opened the window in the bathroom, and Mark raised the shades and cranked open all the others. The air blowing in was cold, but it freshened the room. While I retrieved the linens, he went to the car, hoisted out my carry-on and his suitcase, and then slammed the trunk shut.

He came back in, kicking the door shut behind him. “Lock it, wouldja?”