Summer settled over Evergreen Hollow like a warm blanket, lazy and golden. The days stretched long, filled with the hum of lawnmowers, the splash of kids in backyard pools, and the distant crack of bats from the little league field. For the Kane family, it was the first full summer with Lily home from college, and they intended to savor every minute.

Lily arrived in mid-May, tanned from Colorado sun and carrying a duffel bag stuffed with Pioneers gear and stories. She had grown another ...