Chapter 9
“ W ho’s like Brian Ashland?” Trina could only hear Joel’s side of the conversation, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out they were discussing her former boyfriends.
Joel had asked about Luke and Robby, which indicated Toby must have been in the clear.
She hadn’t wanted to admit to Joel that both Luke and Toby had broken things up with her.
She’d actually stayed with Robby longer than she should have because of that. At some point, she’d realized that being alone was better than sticking it out with Robby.
“Thanks, Griff. Later.” Joel lowered his phone. “Robby missed work the past two days. And apparently had an argument with his girlfriend a few weeks ago.” Joel’s blue eyes narrowed. “Other patrons of the bar had to physically restrain him from striking her.”
“That’s not good.” She swallowed hard. Breaking things off with Robby had been the right thing to do. “I knew he could get mad, but I never anticipated he could hit someone. Especially a woman.”
“He came close, but I’m more interested in where Robby is now.”
“His apartment?” she suggested.
“Griff said he didn’t answer the door.” Joel picked up his empty plate and carried it to the table.
The little things he did, clearing his dishes, chipping in to cook and clean up, only reinforced the differences between Joel and Robby.
Robby had been a slob, and since he lived in an apartment, he had liked spending time at her place.
Maybe that was the reason he was upset about her breaking things off. Robby may have imagined they’d get married, enabling him to move into her house permanently.
Despite hearing Robby had been MIA for two days, she still couldn’t imagine him lashing out at her like this. In a fit of anger, yeah. But coldly positioning himself nearby for the sole purpose of shooting at her? Setting the fire?
No, she could not mesh those images in her mind.
“Has Griff said anything more about Peter Thomas?” She stood to gather her plate and Ben’s. Her nephew had jumped up from his chair, startling Royal who had been sleeping beneath the table. As if knowing the meal was over, Royal crawled out, stretched, then headed toward the main door.
“The Laramie police have not found him yet. But they’ll keep trying.” Joel nodded toward Royal. “Excuse me while I take him outside.”
“Of course.” She set the dirty dishes on the counter, then filled the sink with hot soapy water. From her position, she could watch through the window as she washed their dishes. Joel and Royal came around the corner to the clearing. Joel was saying something, likely telling Royal to get busy.
She admired him, far more than she was comfortable admitting to anyone else.
If she’d thought spending more time with Joel would diminish her feelings for him, she’d been wrong.
Not only was he dedicated to his search and rescue missions, but he had been nothing but patient and kind to her and Ben.
And from what she could tell, his actions were genuine.
Not something that he’d put on for her benefit.
Which begged the question, why wasn’t he married? Or at the very least involved in a serious relationship?
None of her business, she told herself. Her job was to provide a loving home for Ben.
Tearing her gaze from the intriguing man and his dog, she scrubbed spaghetti sauce from their plates. She was just finishing the chore when Joel returned.
“Come on, Ben,” Joel called as he walked into the kitchen. “We get to dry dishes.”
“Why?” Ben frowned. “I’m playing my game.”
“Because we don’t sit around while other people do all the work.” Joel’s voice was firm. “Now, Ben. This won’t take long.”
She glanced at him. As much as she appreciated what he was doing, she was irked by the way Ben listened to him.
She needed Ben to listen to her too. Yet in Joel’s defense, she should have been the one to insist Ben help with the task.
She was so used to taking care of everything herself it hadn’t even occurred to her.
“Okay.” Ben heaved a sigh, then slid off the sofa to join them.
She shot Joel a grateful look. Joel gave her a small nod, then handed Ben a dish towel and gestured to the sink. “You dry them, and I’ll put them away.”
Ben began to dry one of the plates. “Do you have’ta do dishes at your house?”
“Yep.” Joel took the plate from him. “It’s only fair for everyone to chip in to do the work, don’t you think?”
“I guess.” Ben dried another plate. “But I’m just a kid.”
Joel let out a snort of laughter. “So what? You have two hands, don’t you? Me and my brother Justin started taking care of the horses on our ranch when we were only five years old. The rakes we used were twice as tall as we were.”
Ben’s eyes bugged out. “Really?”
“Really.” Joel placed the dried plate in the cupboard. “And we had to take turns working in the kitchen too.”
“Wow.” Ben seemed impressed as he reached for a glass to dry next.
Trina swallowed the urge to tell him to be careful. What’s the worst that could happen? A broken glass? She figured some losses were to be expected when leasing a property to strangers.
“Can I see your horses?” Ben asked.
“Of course.” Joel caught her arched brow, and hastily added, “But only if your aunt Trina says it’s okay.”
“Can I, Aunt Trina?” Ben asked. “I never got to see a horse up close.”
“That’s fine. We’ll find some time to visit the ranch before school starts.” She kept the timeline vague on purpose. “But only if you behave. No more running away, okay?”
“Okay.” Ben handed Joel the glass. “I promise.”
Having Ben dry the dishes took twice as long, but she knew Joel was right to set an example.
Until now, her focus had been on making sure Ben felt welcome in her home.
That the little boy had time and space to grieve his mother’s passing.
Yet she understood her role as a parent was to raise Ben to be a functioning member of society.
And that included taking on responsibility. Like basic household chores. She made a mental note to do better as she drained the water from the sink.
“Can I play my video game now?” Ben asked when the last piece of silverware had been dried and put away.
Joel didn’t answer, clearly leaving that one for her. He’s learning , she thought with a wry smile. She nodded at Ben. “Yes, go ahead.”
Ben tossed the dish towel aside and ran back into the living room. Royal bounded after him. She liked the way the dog had pretty much adopted Ben.
“Thanks, Joel.” She glanced up at him. “I should have encouraged Ben to help with the chores.”
“Hey, chipping in is part of life.” Joel nodded toward Ben. “He’s not too young to learn how to wash and dry dishes.”
She leaned back against the counter. “As you’ve proven here today. I guess I have a lot to learn about being a parent.”
“Hey, you’re doing fine.” His smile was reassuring. “I do think keeping Ben busy is important. He might still have nightmares or dreams about his mom, that’s to be expected. Yet I believe keeping him preoccupied is the best way for him to move on.”
“You’re right about that.” It occurred to her that Ben seemed to be doing better despite not attending his counseling sessions.
Not that she would pull him yet, but she had to admit Joel was right.
A yawn caught her off guard, and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
“Sorry about that. It’s been a long day.
I’m glad we’re safe here. From the gunman,” she hastily added.
“Not necessarily from bears or other wild animals.”
“We’re fine inside the cabin. Animals won’t try to get inside. I checked the clearing when I was out with Royal.” He waved a hand toward the window. “And I’ll do another sweep of the area before it gets too dark.”
“Thanks.” Maybe she should take lessons from Joel on what to watch for in the wilderness. Cody was the third biggest city in the state, but her property was very close to the hiking trail. Just because she hadn’t noticed wild animals roaming too close didn’t mean they weren’t prone to do that.
In fact, there had been a large moose standing in the middle of the road a few months ago. She’d heard all about it when she and Ben had returned from Laramie.
“I’ll go with you.” She forced a smile. “You can give me my first lesson related to the local wildlife.”
He grinned, and she felt the impact of his smile all the way to her toes. She tried not to frown. Joel’s smile should be considered a lethal weapon, at least against women. “Great. We’ll all go.”
She headed into the living room and picked up her computer. It would be nice to get more writing done, but she figured finishing her scene was more than enough for now. After taking a moment to make sure she’d backed up her work and sent herself a copy via email, she logged off the device.
Stifling another yawn, she eyed Ben. The kid was fully engrossed in his new handheld video game. One concern she’d learned in her parenting books was about the negative impact of prolonged screen time on kids. Glancing at her watch, she decided to give him thirty minutes before they’d head outside.
Joel gestured to the computer. “Do you mind if we look at Robby’s social media? I’m curious about his so-called friends. You can help me identify those who may know more about where he’s staying.”
“Sure.” She carried the device to the table and opened it up. “But I’m not convinced that will help.”
He shrugged. “We won’t know if we don’t look.”
She found Robby’s social media site without too much difficulty.
She’d avoided looking at it after they’d broken up, not wanting to see the new woman in his life.
Bad enough that Cassie from the grocery store had made a point of telling Trina all about how Robby was involved with someone else just weeks after their breakup.
As if Trina really cared.
“Who of these friends is Robby closest to?” Joel asked.
“Dean Mallory.” She tapped his name on the screen.
Joel made a note of that. “Anyone else?”