car.â
She gave a sheepish grin. âI did do that, didnât I?â
âYes, you did.â
Tammie nodded. âWell, stranger things have happened.â
âSuch as?â
Her brows furrowed. âBoy, you just get right down to things, donât you? Not even a mention of coffeeâwhich, by the way, I havenât had and am dying for right now. In case you forgot, Iâm still on Oregon time.â
With a shrug, he said, âNo coffee, Iâm afraid. I didnât have a chance to pick up anything for the kitchen yesterday.â
She gave a mock pout and snapped her fingers in disappointment.
He added, âWe can get some at the campground store, or just run down to the café for breakfast. Take your pick.â
Tammie lifted her eyes to him and held her gaze. âThere was a man in the yard last night.â
âA man? Outside the house?â
âYes.â
He laughed humorlessly. âAnd you say I cut to the chase. We went from coffee to a man in the backyard?â
She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. âI havenât had coffee yet. My mind is a little fuzzy.â
âWhat was he doing?â
âI donât really know. It looked like he was digging.â
âIn the dirt?â
With a roll of her eyes, she said, âWhere else?â
âDid anyone else hear or see him? Any of the other people in the house?â
âThey should have heard him. He was making enough noise for me to hear him from the second floor. But Serena had had a nightmare, and they were so busy with her, they probably didnât notice.â
His brow creased. âDid the man try to come near the house?â
âNot the house. But he did go into a shed out back.â
Dylan nodded. Heâd never gone out back. Heâd never even made it past the front door before yesterday. But with all the trees surrounding the property, and the desolate country roads that led up to the mansion, it would be easy for someone to get in and out of the yard unseen.
Tammie was leaning against her car, her arms folded across her chest and her head bent slightly.
He cleared his throat. âDid you say anything to anyone?â
Another roll of the eyes. âDo you think I would have gotten a straight answer if I had?â
âPoint taken. But still, if someone is searching the grounds in the middle of the night, whoever it is might get bold enough to try to get into the house.â
Looking alarmed, Tammie stood straight and unfolded her arms.
He answered the unspoken question written on her face. âThat mansion is like a fortress, but people have been known to break into buildings with even the tightest security systems.â
âI wonder if that had happened before,â she said, her eyes shifting to one side, as if she were thinking of something.
He waited, and when her eyes met his again, she said, âAurore told me to lock my bedroom door last night.â
âStrange.â
âI thought so, too. The only people I could think to worry about last night were Susan and Aurore. That is, until I saw the man in the garden.â
Dylan looked more closely at Tammie then, saw the droop of her posture, the dark lines under her blue eyes, which were puffy, as if she hadnât had much sleep.
Well, at least he hadnât been the only one.
âThereâs time enough to ask them about it later,â he said. âWhy donât you take a load off while I pick up some things from the campground store? We can throw together some breakfast here. Carol, the waitress at the diner, is a sweet girl, but she has big ears. She can retell a conversation verbatim to the other waitresses the moment her customers walk out the door.â
Tammie laughed. âI see your point. Besides, given the fact that Serena is practically my double, Iâd rather the whole world not come to the conclusion that Iâm her.â
âIf they havenât