Chapter 1

The slow sound of an axe chopping against wood echoed around one part of Muskoka Lake. The sound carried over the surface of the water, with the morning mist drifting against the boathouses and in-between the pine trees of the surrounding forests. Sunrise was always a little late on the lake, the rolling countryside and the forest kept the sun’s rays from reaching down onto the shoreline, keeping it cool in the morning for working.

Jamie Connor, stood tall and broad-shouldered with curly red hair atop of his head. Swung the axe downward and split pine log after pine log to stock up for winter firewood, at his family’s lakeside cottage. It was called a ‘Cottage’ however, it was a very large house with five bedrooms and an open plan kitchen, a great hall and had a multiple-space garage, stores, and a three-berth boathouse. It was more of a lakeside mansion than a compact country cottage. But here in Canada, everything was bigger, better and grander. The pile of logs he was chopping was getting big by the minute with each swing of the axe from Jamie. He had been cutting wood this way, since his teenage years and now at Twenty-Nine years of age, he could easily cut a half-ton of logs in the morning without barely raising a sweat.

Sitting near Jamie, a stray hunting dog called Homer sat and watched and kept Jamie company. The dog had found its way to this side of Muskoka Lake last year and with the help of the locals fed and cared for the ex-hunting dog. Homer had stayed and made a home travelling along the shoreline going from cottage to cottage, making a life for itself.

“Well, time for morning coffee and biscuit or two, don’t you think Homer?” Jamie asked the dog. The dog looked up and at the word, ‘biscuit’ got up and began to follow Jamie up to the door of the cottage. At the door, there was a food bowl and a water bowl. Homer waited patiently while Jamie brought out some broken biscuits and scraps for the dog to eat.

“You’ll not go hungry around here Boy,” Jamies said as the dog wolfed down the food from the bowl.

As he stood and watched the dog eating its breakfast, the first of many each morning. A red SUV came into the driveway and beeped its horn to catch his attention.

“Visitors Homer! Maybe they have come for their breakfast too,” Jamie said as the dog kept on eating.

The SUV came to stop and out from the driver’s side stepped a small woman with long black hair and wearing a dark blue business suit. She waved at Jamie as the other SUV doors opened, two more women got out and stood waiting. Both were blonde with one taller than the other. Both are wearing white summer dresses with cardigans over their shoulders.

“Jamie! Are you making coffee?” called the small woman in the business suit.

“Sure Janet and bring your friends along,” Jamie called back.

Janet McPherson was a local real estate agent and was well known to Jamie and the surrounding community. She had lived and worked in the Muskoka Lake area for more than thirty years. She indicated that the two other women should follow her and go into the cottage.

“I have brought you, some new neighbours,” Janet said proudly.

“Jamie Conner, meet Madam Mary Duval and her daughter Justine Duvall,” Janet introduced both of the blonde-haired women. Mrs Duval was the shorter woman, and her daughter Justine was the taller.

“Bonjour,” Mrs Duval said in a Canadian-French accent.

“Oh, bonjour madam,” Said Jamie with a smile.

“I take it you do not speak French either Mr Conner?” Mrs Duval asked.