Chapter 2 #2
Satisfied the boy would be preoccupied for a few minutes, he hastened to follow Trina inside. The house was nice, bigger than his cabin. She set Ben’s backpack on the floor in the living room, then headed into the kitchen. As she pulled food items from the fridge, he crossed over to join her.
“Let’s talk while Ben’s outside. We need to call the Cody police, but I need to know about Ben’s father.” He held her gaze. “I assume he’s not in the picture?”
“Correct. Brian and Evie divorced three years ago when Ben was five.” She grimaced. “I don’t think he paid any child support, and Evie didn’t push the issue because she wanted sole custody. I can’t imagine why Brian would show up here now, much less fire a gun at us.”
“Maybe he’s upset about you getting custody?”
“Why would he care? It’s not like Evie had money or anything.
There was barely a thousand dollars in her checking account, and she didn’t have life insurance.
” She turned her back on him and began cracking eggs into a bowl.
“I don’t think someone fired at us on purpose.
I’m sure it was kids goofing off. There’s no reason to get the police involved.
Ben is safe, and that’s all that matters. ”
He frowned. “I would feel better getting this incident on record at the police station. Just in case something else happens. They might be able to lift a fingerprint from the brass Royal found.”
“Later.” She waved him off. “Ben’s hungry. And so am I.”
Swallowing a sigh, he let it go. She could be right about the gunfire being from a kid. He and Royal had scouted the area without finding anyone lurking nearby. Just the shell casing, which may or may not help find the gunman.
“Do you mind if I make coffee?” He gestured toward the coffee maker.
“That would be great.” She smiled weakly as she whisked the eggs together. “I’m usually on my second or third cup by now.”
“Same.” He went to work, thinking again about the shooting incident. That anyone would be careless with a firearm near a child bothered him.
That alone was worth reporting to the police. Even if it had been some teen goofing off, the kid needed a stern talking to.
Looking out the window as he waited for the coffee to brew, he watched as Royal chased the ball for Ben. The kid was grinning from ear to ear, giving Joel hope that the boy would find a way to get past his grief. He knew from experience there would be good days and bad ones.
But over time, the heartache lessened. At least he and his siblings had been able to fall back on their faith.
It bothered him that Trina had seemingly turned away from God.
“I know you don’t want to hear this, but it may help Ben to know his mother is looking down on him from heaven.” He chose his words carefully. “I know that helped us after our parents died. We took some comfort in knowing they were together.”
She shot him a quick look, then shrugged. “I’ll consider that, thanks.”
He wanted to push the issue but reminded himself that Ben wasn’t his son or his responsibility.
Joel’s experience with women wasn’t great, and he’d pretty much soured on the whole idea of marriage.
His older siblings had been dropping like flies, which had only reinforced his determination to stay away from the marriage scene.
Yet he had to admit that the spouses his siblings had chosen blended into their family very well. Maybe if he’d found someone like that...
But he hadn’t. And being burned a few times made it less likely that he ever would.
When the coffee finished, he poured two cups, handing a mug to Trina.
“Thanks.” She had strips of bacon frying in a pan. “I should have asked if scrambled eggs are okay. They’re Ben’s favorite.”
“I’m not picky.” He was hungry enough to eat just about anything. “I can take over making the bacon.” He nudged her side, then nodded toward the window. “Looks like Ben and Royal are tired out.”
She moved out of the way, her expression softening when she noticed Ben lying on the grass with Royal stretched out beside him. “Ben looks so happy and carefree. It’s as if his bad dream and running away had never happened. Maybe I need to get him a dog.”
“Good idea.” He grinned. “Dogs are great companions.”
She playfully elbowed him in the ribs. “Sure, that’s one way of looking at it. The other side is that dogs need constant attention. You know as well as I do I’ll be the one doing all the work taking care of it, feeding it, and cleaning up after it.”
“I understand, but you should also make sure Ben chips in to help. He looks happy with Royal out there. And trust me, the effort of taking care of an animal is well worth it.” He wasn’t lying about that. He wouldn’t change having Royal as his K9 SAR partner for anything.
“I’ll look into it.” She opened the cupboard to grab plates. After setting them on the table, she went to the front door. “Ben! Breakfast is almost ready.”
Still able to see the boy through the window, Joel watched as the boy rolled over onto his stomach, giggling when Royal licked his cheek. More proof, in his humble opinion, that Ben would benefit from a pet.
He flipped the strips of bacon until they were nice and crispy.
Then he reached over and began the scrambled eggs.
His family had Anna to help coordinate their searches and cook meals, but his parents had made sure each of the Sullivan siblings could cook.
And do laundry. Not to mention the multitude of other ranch chores.
There had been times when he’d resented the work, but looking back, he could appreciate his upbringing. The hard work they’d done as kids had transformed into their dedication and determination to succeed in their search and rescue missions as adults.
“Go into the bathroom to wash your hands,” Trina said.
“Why?” Ben’s voice was whiny. “They’re not dirty.”
“You probably have Royal’s saliva all over them from throwing the ball.
” He glanced over his shoulder, smiling to note his K9 had stretched out on the floor under the table.
That was a typical place for their dogs to be when they were eating in restaurants.
Royal must have decided this was a similar situation.
Ben frowned, stared down at his hands for a moment, then hurried down the hall toward the bathrooms. Trina arched a brow. “Thanks, but really, I’d like him to listen to me, not you.”
“Sorry, I was just pointing out the obvious.” He finished making the scrambled eggs. “I’ll stay out of it next time. I need a platter.”
Trina opened another cupboard and handed it to him. He piled the scrambled eggs and bacon strips on the wide plate and carried it to the table.
A moment later, Ben ran back into the room. “No doggie germs, see?”
The wash job wasn’t great, but he wasn’t about to mention it. Trina didn’t either.
“Sit down, Ben.” She picked up the platter and spooned a serving of eggs and bacon onto his plate.
Joel carried his coffee to the table and took the empty seat on the other side of Ben. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to say grace.”
Trina froze for a moment, then nodded. She filled her plate, then pushed the platter toward him. She sat and bowed her head.
“What’s grace?” Ben asked.
“A prayer. Like this,” Joel said. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this wonderful food we’re about to eat. We ask that You continue to keep us all safe in Your care. Amen.”
Another pause, then Trina echoed, “Amen.”
“Jesus didn’t make the food,” Ben protested. “You and Aunt Trina did.”
“That’s true, but Jesus has blessed us with the ability to buy and make food, so it’s only right that we thank Him for it.” He wondered if all kids were so literal. “Someday I’ll tell you the story of Jesus.”
“Okay.” Ben shrugged and took a bite of his bacon.
“We should be the ones thanking you, Joel.” Trina subtly changed the subject. “How many search and rescue calls do you get each month?”
“In the summer? A lot.” He took a bite of his eggs. “For some reason, this has been an unusually busy season for us.”
“Maybe more people are taking road trips rather than opting for more expensive vacations,” she suggested.
“Could be. We’ve had days where we’re all out on calls at the same time.” He shook his head. “That hasn’t happened before.”
“I’m sorry to contribute to your workload.” Trina glanced at Ben, then added, “Please tell me which brand of dog food you use.”
He hesitated, then nodded and gave her the information.
His parents had put their massive investments in a trust prior to their death.
He and his siblings hadn’t known how much money they had and thankfully had been able to keep the extent of their wealth a secret.
The Sullivan K9 Ranch took a significant amount of money to run, not to mention the upkeep of their vehicles, the K9s, and their horses.
They paid an exorbitant amount for veterinary bills.
They each drew a modest salary; the bulk of the investments were saved for running the ranch.
For a moment, he imagined Ben playing with Chase and Wynona’s son, Eli, goofing around with the dogs, and maybe riding horses.
Then he abruptly dismissed the idea. His job here was done.
Ben would be fine. His getting lost this morning might have helped the boy appreciate the home his aunt provided for him.
And it was obvious Trina cared about the little boy.
So what if he admired her determination to raise her sister’s child? He would not hesitate to do the same for his siblings.
Joel quickly finished his breakfast, then drained his coffee. “Delicious,” he said. “Thanks Trina. I need to get back to the ranch.”
“Can Royal stay with us for a while?” Ben asked. His pleading gaze was hard to resist.
“No, Ben, Royal has more lost people to find.” Trina reached over to smooth her hand over Ben’s back. “You wouldn’t want others to be lost, too, right?”
“I guess.” Ben sneaked a piece of bacon off his plate and held it under the table. Joel pretended not to notice as he carried his dirty dishes to the sink. He was confident Royal wouldn’t take the bait, but he wanted to prove it to Ben.
When he turned back to the table, Ben was staring under the table at Royal. Then he shot Joel a guilty look. “I was just testing him.”
He fought the urge to smile, keeping his expression serious. “I don’t want you to do that, Ben. It’s not fair to Royal to be teased with something he can’t have. You wouldn’t want me to eat ice cream in front of you, would you?”
“No.” Ben scowled and stared at the floor for a minute. “But a small bite of bacon can’t hurt.”
“It can hurt him,” Joel said, trying to be patient. “People food isn’t good for dogs. He might get sick, and what if he eats something that’s really bad for him? Did you know that a dog like Royal could die if he ate chocolate?”
Ben’s eyes widened in horror. “Why?”
“Because it contains substances that are toxic for dogs. Royal wouldn’t be able to digest some of the ingredients in chocolate, so it would make him super sick to the point he could die.” He gave the boy a stern look. “I need you to promise you won’t try to feed him anymore, okay?”
“Okay.” Ben quickly popped the piece of bacon into his mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled around the food.
“Thank you.” He glanced over at Trina who looked weary.
He could only imagine how difficult it would be to become the guardian of an eight-year-old overnight.
The kid was either questioning everything or pushing the boundaries.
He crossed over to rest his hand on her shoulder, silently reassuring her she was doing a great job.
“Come, Royal.” The lab crawled out from beneath the table.
He stroked the dog, then moved toward the door.
“Take care, Trina. I’ll see you around.”
She quickly jumped up and crossed over to join him. “Thanks again, Joel.” Then as he was about to step out, she surprised him by drawing him in for a hug. “I appreciate everything you and Royal have done for us.”
He held her close for a moment, then stepped back. “My pleasure.” As search and rescue calls went, this had been one of the better ones. He’d take a good outcome over a bad one any day of the week.
Before he could head outside, another sharp crack of gunfire ripped through the air. He instinctively ducked, throwing himself over Trina who was beside him.
He quickly backed away from the opening, drawing Trina with him and making sure that Royal was still inside too.
Then he slammed the door and shot the dead bolt home. “Get Ben into the bathroom and stay down away from the windows, understand?”
She stared at him, then wordlessly nodded. “Come, Ben. Hurry.”
He moved to the window and searched for the shooter. He didn’t see anyone, but there was no way he was leaving now. He pulled out his phone to dial 911.
A second round of gunfire in a matter of hours was not a coincidence. Someone wanted to harm Trina and Ben.
And he wasn’t leaving until he knew they were safe.