Chapter 2
“ W ho’s shooting?” Trina stared at Joel, trying to ascertain what had just happened. “Did you see him?”
“No.” Joel scowled. “But stay down for a while, okay?”
She hugged Ben close. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”
Ben turned his face into her chest. Feeling the dampness of his tears tugged at her heart.
“I’m going to check the area,” Joel said.
“Wait.” She grabbed his arm. “What if the gunman is still out there?”
“It’s been quiet.” He shrugged, then rose to his feet. “Royal, search! Search for gold!”
Gold? She wanted to ask what that meant, but Royal lifted his nose to the air and trotted out of the woods with Joel hot on his heels.
“I’m sorry,” Ben whispered. “I shouldn’t have run away.”
She closed her eyes, relieved he was okay, then pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I’m so glad you’re not hurt. But, Ben, you can’t just take off like that without telling me.”
He lifted his tearstained face to hers. “I dreamed about Mom. I miss her so much...”
“Oh, Ben. I know you do.” She pulled him close. “I miss her too. Please don’t run away like this again. I’m here for you, Ben. We’ll get through this together, okay?”
He nodded against her. “Okay.”
She leaned back, looking down at him. The gunshot was concerning. “Did you see anyone while you were walking around?”
His slender shoulder lifted in a shrug, and he sniffled loudly. “A couple people. I didn’t want them to see me, so I runned into the woods.”
She nodded. Easy to see how his mind worked. He’d run away and hidden from people, only to get lost. Joel had been right about that part.
“You didn’t see anyone familiar?” She tried to sound casual, but ever since hearing the gunfire, she’d wondered about Joel’s father, Brian. Had her ex-brother-in-law changed his mind about being a father to Ben? It didn’t make sense, but she didn’t want to discount him from being involved either.
“No.” He wiped his nose with his sleeve. “I’m hungry and thirsty.”
“We’ll get something to eat soon.” She turned to see where Joel and Royal were. She felt certain the gunman was long gone but decided against moving from the shelter of the trees.
A moment later, Joel and Royal strode toward them. He wore a grim expression and had something tucked into his hand. He nodded at her. “I think the shooter is gone. We can head back to your place.”
“What did you find?” She stood. Ben wiped his nose again, then stood too. She gently removed the backpack from the boy’s shoulders to carry it for him. Ben glanced up at her, then eyed Royal curiously.
Joel hesitated, then said, “A shell casing.”
Gold , she thought. That must have been what he meant by searching for gold. “Ben, this is Mr. Sullivan.”
“Hi. Can I pet your dog?” Ben asked.
“Of course. Why don’t you call me Joel.” Joel knelt beside Royal. “Give me your hand, okay?”
Ben edged closer, extending his grimy hand. Joel brought the small hand to Royal and addressed his K9 the same way he had with her. “Friend, Royal. Ben is a friend.”
Royal sniffed the boy’s hand, his tail wagging. Encouraged, Ben stepped closer and ran his fingers over Royal’s glossy fur. “He’s soft.”
“Yes, especially behind his ears.” Joel smiled gently as he knelt beside Royal and Ben. “Did you know Royal was following your scent? He was about to find you when you came rushing toward us.”
“Really?” Ben’s brown eyes, so like hers and Evie’s, widened in amazement. “He can do that?”
“Yep. He’s a very smart dog.” Joel rose. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Trina was more than ready. She looped Ben’s backpack over her shoulder and fell into step beside Joel. The gunfire continued to nag at her. Ben stayed close to her side, so she was afraid to say too much. “Any idea who fired the gun?”
Joel shook his head. “We’ll talk to the Cody PD when we get back.” He glanced down at Ben, then back at her. “Know of anyone who might be carrying a grudge?”
“No.” She would have to explain about Brian later. “I’m sure it was some kid goofing around.”
“Maybe.” Joel’s noncommittal response did not make her feel any better. He held up the small baggie containing the shell casing. “I’m hoping there will be fingerprints on this.”
Seeing the brass up close made her shiver. What if this had been a targeted attempt to harm Ben? No, she couldn’t believe that. Why would Brian or anyone want to hurt a child?
“Is there anyone in your life who may be upset with you?” Joel asked.
Her? She belatedly realized that possibility made far more sense than someone going after Ben.
“I—no. Not really. I’m not seeing anyone now.
Robby Rawlings and I broke up a few months ago.
” When Joel’s blue eyes flared with keen interest, she shook her head.
“No. Trust me, he found someone else. I hardly think he’s upset with me. ”
“Who ended it?”
She flushed. “I did, but like I said, Robby has found someone else.” She didn’t want to mention the heated shouting match that had prefaced their breakup. Robby had a temper, but he’d never hit her the way Brian had struck out at Evie.
And she couldn’t imagine him firing a gun at her, especially when Ben was close by. It would take a truly callous individual to do that.
Or someone foolish as to not understand the possible outcomes of their actions. Guns were everywhere in Wyoming. It was the rare person, like her, who didn’t have one.
She personally didn’t see the point. And she was glad she’d refrained from buying one now that she had Ben living with her.
“Who is Robby seeing?”
Joel’s question interrupted her thoughts. “I don’t know because I don’t care.” She shot him an exasperated look. “It’s a moot point. We’re not together, and he’s not responsible for what happened back there.”
“It’s best to consider all possible theories.” Joel clearly was not convinced. “What about other guys?”
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. “You really expect me to name each of my three boyfriends? Seriously?”
“Yep.” Joel arched a brow. “I told you, we need to cover all bases.”
“Whatever.” She put her hand on Ben’s shoulder. “What would you like for breakfast?”
“Eggs and bacon?” Ben looked up at her hopefully, then his face fell. “I ate a Pop-Tart.”
“I know. Royal found the park bench where you sat to eat. We also found blue and white sprinkles on the ground.”
“Wow.” Ben looked at Royal with admiration. “Can I share my breakfast with him?”
“No, Ben, you can’t,” Joel quickly interjected. “People food isn’t healthy for him. And he won’t eat anything unless I give it to him.”
Ben frowned. “Why?”
“Because it’s safer for our dogs if they don’t eat anything they come across out in the wilderness,” Joel patiently explained. “What if someone put spoiled food out and Royal ate it and got sick? We wouldn’t want that, would we?”
Ben’s eyes widened with horror. “No, I don’t want Royal to get sick.”
Joel nodded. “It’s better if you play with him, instead of feeding him. Royal loves to play.”
“Can I play with Royal, Aunt Trina?” Ben looked up at her with a gleam in his eyes. His fear over getting lost had eased. She was relieved he seemed to have survived the incident relatively unscathed.
“Yes, after breakfast.” She glanced at Joel. “You’re welcome to stay.”
Joel’s expression softened. “I wouldn’t mind. I fed Royal but left without eating anything other than a breakfast bar.”
She was touched by his willingness to drop everything to help her find Ben. “Thank you, Joel.”
“This is what we’re trained for.” He nodded toward Ben who had run ahead. “And finding Ben safe is all the reward I need.”
“He apologized for running away, mentioned he’d dreamed about his mom.” She sighed. “I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for him.”
“Kids are resilient.” Joel caught her hand, giving it a squeeze. “He’ll come around. Starting school in a few weeks should help.”
“I hope so.” She thought about how Joel had mentioned having faith and believing that God would watch over her nephew.
“I’ve been trying to get out more, to meet the neighbors, especially kids that are Ben’s age.
There’s one boy, Mitch, who lives a few blocks from us.
I’ve arranged for a few playdates but need to find other kids too. ”
“I can imagine meeting the local kids wasn’t part of your routine before now.” Joel smiled. “I agree it’s good to keep Ben busy.”
“Yeah. Oh, good we’re almost home.” She gestured to the opening between two large trees. “I can’t lie; my feet are killing me.”
His low, husky chuckle sent a shiver of awareness down her spine.
She tried to ignore it. This wasn’t a good time for her old crush to resurface.
Especially since she had Ben to worry about.
Not only did she not have time for a relationship, but even if Joel was remotely interested, she suspected it wouldn’t take him long to move on.
He could get any girl he wanted. Her life was beyond boring.
Besides, Ben didn’t need that sort of upheaval in his life. She had no intention of exposing him to a short-term relationship. The boy was dealing with enough as it was.
As they crossed through the trees to cross her backyard, Ben broke into a run. “Come play, Royal! Come play with me!”
“Go on, Royal.” Joel gestured to the boy. The black lab quickly bounded after Ben.
Listening to Ben’s laughter made her smile, lifting the heavy cloak of despair that had fallen over her while she’d searched for him.
She glanced up at the blue sky, wondering if maybe God had been watching over him after all.
Joel grabbed a tennis ball from his pack and handed it to Ben. “Throw this for him, he loves playing fetch.”
“Okay.” Ben threw the ball. It didn’t go far, but Royal took off after it anyway. His K9 brought it back, dropped it at Ben’s feet and looked up at the boy expectantly. Ben picked it up and threw it again.