23. Pick Up Artist
Chapter 23
Pick Up Artist
C louds moved in as they sat on the ground and on the truck beds to eat. Thea hoped it wouldn’t rain until everyone was gone. The orchard and compost would love the rainfall, but she didn’t want her friends to get drenched after they’d spent their evening helping.
She spotted Fox sitting beside one of the trees, a little away from the group. The crowd and the noise might be a little much for him. He was used to the quiet farm with only her and Knox.
Beside her, Nina pointed. “Is that your dog? He’s gorgeous.”
Thea shrugged. “He lives on the farm. Always has. Jay said Fox was here when he arrived. He’s friendly. Would you like to meet him?”
After a quick check with her mom, Nina bounced along with Thea as they approached the dog. Without prompting, the teen slowed her pace as she neared. She held her hands out to her sides. “Hello, Fox. I’m Nina. I’m a friend of Thea’s, and I’m not going to hurt you.”
Thea moved close to Fox, who rubbed against her legs. She knelt to give him his rubdown. “This is Nina, Fox. She’s a friend who wants to meet you. Is that okay?”
Fox stepped to where Nina held out her hand for him to sniff. The girl spoke softly and maintained eye contact. “You’re a beautiful dog, Fox. I like your name. We live next door to Kimi and Garrett’s petting farm and animal therapy center. Our animals have lots of fun names, as well. I think you’d get along with them.”
Fox batted Nina’s hand, and soon the girl was sitting on the ground with Thea and rubbing Fox’s belly.
Nina laughed and kept talking to the dog in an easy manner that proved she knew a lot about animals and was comfortable with them.
She smiled at Thea. “I’ve read about Great Pyrenees dogs before, but I’ve never met one. Fox’s fur is so thick. Is it true they spend most of their time outside?”
Thea nodded. “I don’t know about all of them, but that’s true for Fox here. Sometimes, he’ll come into my cabin for a treat, but he always goes right back out. He’s never stayed inside for more than a minute.”
“Does he like the farmhouse? It’s huge. Maybe he wouldn’t feel closed in there.”
Thea grinned. This teen was intuitive and intelligent. “As far as I know, he’s never been inside. He’ll sometimes walk with me closer to the farmhouse, but he always stays in the trees.” Other than when Andy had arrived but she wasn’t telling Nina about that.
“Where does he sleep?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never followed him to see. Seems like an invasion of his privacy.”
Nina laughed. “I agree. As long as he’s happy and healthy.”
Thea agreed. “He generally comes to see me at the compost in the mornings. Then, he’ll check in with me a few times a day. He’s always happy.”
Nina ran her hands over his fur. “Sure seems like it. I wonder if he’d like a friend one day. Maybe I can bring my dog, Animosh, to visit. She’s a shepherd mix ,and she’s a sweetie. She wouldn’t scare him away.”
Thea’s heart swelled. “I’d like that. I think Fox would like that, too.”
“I’ll talk my parents into bringing me back once the Worminator is working or if you need help. It’s too far for me to bike but I’ll have my license in a few years. Then I can drive out and help whenever you need it.”
“That would be awesome.”
Knox walked over with a grin, and Fox popped up to greet him. He went through the rubbing and rubdown routine. “Did you make a new friend, Fox? I bet the noise and amount of people is a little overwhelming. But they’re all as nice as Nina here.”
Fox returned to Thea and snuggled in for another hug. Then he loped off into the orchard again.
Knox held out his hands to help the two of them to their feet, making Nina laugh. “Thank you, kind sir.” Then she bounced off to the group.
Knox slung his arm over Thea’s shoulder, and they walked more slowly. “You still doing okay? Are the noise and people overwhelming for you, too?”
She smiled. “Not as much as I’d thought. They’re great people and the noise is all about making progress with the Worminator. I think Fox will check it out after everyone is gone.”
“Ford and Sean have most of the things hooked up. I’ve learned a ton from the two of them already.”
She smiled. “Ford fits right in. He’s going to be really good for this place.”
“I agree. I’m so glad he’s here.”
The winds picked up as they walked, and the first of the raindrops started to fall. Not heavy yet but enough to have everyone moving more quickly.
Chaos and laughter reigned as the rain increased and the wind battered them.
Enough people were helping at the Worminator, so Thea headed to the compost area to put away her equipment. No sense in losing her stirring sticks to the wind and having to hunt for more. She also needed to put away the hose with her very own key. That was never going to feel old.
She grinned into the wind as she moved. Even the weather couldn’t dampen her feelings. At long last, she was learning the meaning, the feeling, of friendship. Of home. Surrounded by love and doing work she loved with a man who made everything better.
Tonight would be the night. She’d tell Knox she loved him. Hopefully, he felt the same.
But the feeling was too big and bright to contain any longer. It was going to burst out of her. Her mind filled with a dozen erotic scenarios of how she would tell him. It was going to be an excellent night.
After she’d set her sticks inside the shed, she moved to wind up the hose.
A flash of movement had her starting to turn. But she never saw who or what it was.
Something heavy thunked into her head, and everything went black.
R ain battered against Knox as he and Ford guided Sean and his zoom boom back onto the trailer. The pounding rain and heavy winds had sprung up out of nowhere.
Because that’s the type of people they were, he heard more laughter than complaints. He’d invite everyone in for hot drinks and towels before they headed for home. It was the least they could do after all the help they’d received today.
Thea had practically glowed as she’d put in the final screw on the kettle. And as she’d played with Fox and Nina. While she’d been chatting with friends, too.
Even counting the rain, it had been a fabulous day and one he would long remember. He loved watching Thea interact with friends and realize they were friends, not merely acquaintances. She was a special person, and he was pretty sure she was the only one who didn’t realize it.
Tonight would be the perfect time to tell her he loved her. It was fast but he was more sure of his feelings than he’d been of pretty much anything in his life. He was pretty sure her feelings echoed his, but he wouldn’t expect the words from her. Not yet.
She hadn’t had a lot of love or acceptance in her life. Thankfully, none of her foster homes had been abusive. But she hadn’t experienced love before.
He couldn’t wait to show her that love was the best part of life. That their love would only build over the decades ahead of them.
His family would love her, too. She’d get to enjoy all the variations of love she’d never had. Romantic, family, friends. It was going to be an amazing future.
Yep, tonight was the night he’d tell her.
He managed to yank his focus back to the present and secure the zoom boom with the straps. When he hopped down from the truck, he searched for Thea. He didn’t see her anywhere.
Most of the tools, food, and coolers had been cleaned up and stowed into trucks. Was she in the group huddled under the Worminator’s platform?
Panic raced through his system, but he shoved it down. She’d been surrounded by friends. Nothing could have happened.
But he couldn’t see her.
He grabbed Ford’s arm. “Can you see Thea?”
His buddy’s eyes widened at the fear in his voice, but he didn’t care. Finding Thea was the most important thing.
She wasn’t with the group in the Worminator. She wasn’t in any of the trucks.
He raced to the compost area. Thea wasn’t there but the shed door was unlocked. His heart rate steadied until he looked in the shed and didn’t find her.
He called her name but she didn’t answer. The wind swallowed his voice and he didn’t know how far his call carried.
She wouldn’t have left the job half-done without a reason. Her sticks were stored neatly in the shed but the hose had been dropped a couple of feet from the building. A shovel lay a few feet away.
Panic made him momentarily lightheaded and he had to remind himself to breathe.
Ford and Marcus materialized beside him. The police chief’s frown told him they hadn’t spotted her either. Had she returned to her cabin for something? Possible but with Gammon in the picture, she would have told him before she left.
Marcus took in the scene in front of them. He squatted down and studied the ground. “With the rain, it’s hard to be sure, but it looks like two sets of prints, one set much larger than the other.”
Marcus rose and followed the slight tracks to the back of the shed. “More of the larger prints here. Deeper.”
Shit, shit, shit. Had he stood there longer or was he carrying Thea?
Marcus pointed at the shovel. “No one touch anything until I have pictures. And leave the shovel alone. I’ll check it for prints.”
Knox had to squat down so that his legs didn’t collapse. If Marcus wanted prints, he thought the same thing that was consuming Knox.
Asshole Andy had her.
She wouldn’t have gone willingly. Had he knocked her over the head with the shovel? Was she injured? Unconscious?
Ford’s hand on his arm stopped Knox’s thoughts from spiraling into an even worse area. His friend patted him. “Breathe, Annie. We need you at your best here. Breathe. We’re going to find her.”
They would, but would they be too late? Would it be another mission gone wrong?
“Come on, Annie. Shove that shit out of your head. Focus on the mission. One step at a time. I’ve sent someone to check out her cabin. Someone else is calling her. None of us know the area well enough. We need you.”
Knox nodded and shoved to his feet, shoving the fear aside so he could think. He couldn’t allow his panic to cost Thea anything.
He slapped Dodge on the shoulder. “Thanks. Okay. There are at least four sheds on the farm, along with the three barns and the two farmhouses. The only road off the property is the main one. These side roads don’t lead off the land. We have neighbors to the north and south, but no roads connect the properties.”
Ford nodded. “Good. We’ll divide everyone into search teams and check all the buildings. Troy took a car out to the road to block any egress.”
The military language and even the use of his call sign helped Knox keep himself from losing his shit. To be at his best, he needed to think of this as a mission.
Marcus returned. “I’ve got Elina and a few others keeping everyone away from the footsteps. Garrett’s collecting photos and anything that might be evidence. From the evidence, I believe someone is carrying Thea. The footsteps are there, but the rain is washing some of them away. I think he headed south into the bush that lines your property. I lost the prints in the thicker grasses.”
Damn it.
Marcus continued. “We’ll divide into search teams. Troy is blocking the drive. I’ve sent Sean out to talk to your neighbours. Are you coming with me, or leading a second search team?”
Knox closed his eyes briefly. If Gammon had her, where would he go?
The man wasn’t in terrible shape, but he wasn’t in the kind of shape where he could carry a woman without it wearing him down. “Gammon is a farm guy so I’m assuming he could drive an ATV. We need to find out if anyone is missing one, as I doubt he drove one from Iowa.”
Marcus nodded. “Good call.”
“I’m going to get our ATV and check the area south.”
Ford nodded. “I’ll go with you.”
Marcus nodded. “You’ll have the best instincts. Follow your gut. Go. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Glad to have these people on their side, he and Ford took off at a run.
They couldn’t be too late.