Chapter 10 #2
“Oh, Ben, I’m sorry.” She probably shouldn’t have made up that bedtime story about the bear.
See? That was why she needed an owner’s manual on raising kids!
How was she to know her attempt to spin a tale would end like this?
“Don’t worry, you’re safe now. That was just a bad dream.
The mama bear and her cub are far away.”
He cried for another minute before his sobs began to fade away. He sniffled loudly and wiped his face against her sleep shirt. “I would never hurt the mama’s baby bear.”
“Oh, Ben, of course you wouldn’t.” She tried to think of a way to reassure him. “Maybe you and Royal startled her, and that’s why she was so scared of you.”
Ben lifted his head. “She was scared of me?”
“Yes. I think all wild animals are afraid of humans.” Was that true? She hoped she wasn’t lying, but she pressed on. “She was scared, so she went up on her hind legs to make herself look bigger to scare you away from her baby.”
“Oh, I see.” Realization dawned. “That’s why Joel waved his arms and shouted back at her.”
“Yep, you and Joel were scared, but so was the mama bear. But in the end, she realized you wouldn’t hurt her and left you alone. All she really cares about is that her cub is safe.” She hugged him again. “Just like all I want is for you to be safe.”
Ben rested against her. “I get it now.”
“Good.” She brushed his damp hair from his forehead. “It’s still dark outside, so you need to go back to sleep.”
“Okay.” To her surprise, he hugged her, then snuggled back down into the covers. “Good night, Auntie Trina.”
“Good night, Ben.” She pressed a kiss to the top of his head, then rose and crossed to the doorway. Pausing, she looked back at him, her heart aching for what he was going through. Losing his mother, moving to Cody, now hiding in a cabin in the woods.
And her bright idea of a bedtime story hadn’t helped. She needed to read more children’s books to understand what types of stories kids Ben’s age liked to read. Nothing scary from this point on.
“Everything okay?” Joel’s voice coming from the end of the hallway almost made her scream. She put a hand over her pounding heart and managed a nod.
“Fine. Ben had a bad dream.” She tugged on the hem of her sleep shirt, feeling self-conscious. “Sorry to wake you.”
“You didn’t. I haven’t been sleeping much.” His dry tone made her wince.
And that was her fault? Because she hadn’t wanted to go on a camping adventure in the middle of the night? “Sorry about that. Good night.” She quickly ducked into her room and closed the door.
As Trina struggled to fall back asleep, she realized most women wouldn’t have minded camping in the woods with Joel, even knowing a grizzly had been in the area.
Joel deserved to have someone to do those spontaneous things with him.
She had no doubt his sisters were the same way.
Ready, willing, and able to do whatever was necessary under the circumstances.
It hurt to know she and Joel were completely wrong for each other.
After Trina went back to bed, Joel continued prowling around the kitchen. Royal looked at him from the sofa as if trying to understand what the problem was.
“Your alert is my problem,” he whispered.
Royal cocked his head to the side as if asking why.
With a sigh, he turned away. Now that he was awake, again, he peered through the windows, checking the yard again, the way he had several times during the night. He hadn’t seen anything alarming.
And of course, Royal had slept like a baby. His K9 snored, which was both cute and annoying.
Especially when Joel wasn’t getting any sleep.
Okay, to be fair, he’d managed almost four hours.
Not consecutive hours by any stretch of the imagination, but still better than nothing.
Royal closed his eyes and fell asleep again.
Shaking his head, Joel stifled a yawn and glanced for the zillionth time at his watch. Six o’clock was well past coffee time.
Trying to be as quiet as possible, he filled the carafe with water and added the coffee grounds. He leaned against the counter waiting for the coffee to brew while watching Royal. His K9 showed no interest in going out to get busy, probably because Joel had let the dog outside at midnight.
He wondered about Ben’s nightmare. Hearing the boy’s sobs, he’d been about to head down the hall to talk to him, but Trina had beat him to it.
Which really was probably for the best. Things were difficult for them, but he knew it wouldn’t take Ben long to see Trina as his mother.
Memories of his loss would fade over time, and Trina would be the constant presence in his life.
Yet getting there would still be a rocky road for Trina and Ben to travel. What had upset Ben this time? Another bad dream related to his mother’s passing?
Poor kid, he hated to see the boy suffer.
When the coffee finished, he poured a large mug and padded back into the living room. Anticipating Royal would need to go outside sooner or later, he set his coffee aside to slip his boots on and lace them up.
Royal didn’t move.
“Glad one of us is getting some shut-eye,” he whispered dryly. He scrubbed his hands over his face, then reached for his coffee. Normally, this was his favorite time of the day. But he was still too tired and cranky to appreciate it.
A moment later, he heard a door open. Trina came into the kitchen wearing clean clothes.
“Who can resist coffee?” She shot him a quick glance as she reached for a cup. “Thanks for making it for me. I’m sorry if we kept you up last night.”
“You didn’t.” As the early rays of morning sunlight began to creep over the horizon, he realized his fears were unwarranted.
He’d stayed up until well past midnight for no good reason.
Well, Royal’s alert wasn’t nothing, but his K9 must have scented something else.
Either the bear or some other creature that his K9 wanted to warn him about. “I’m the one who woke you.”
“It’s fine.” She filled her cup and carried it to the kitchen table. “I’m glad everything was quiet last night, well, except for Ben’s nightmare.”
“His mother?” Joel stood and joined her at the table.
She winced. “No, I told him a bedtime story about a boy with special powers who can talk to animals, like the mama grizzly bear. Turns out, he had a nightmare that the bear didn’t listen to him and tried to eat him.”
“Yikes.” He cocked his head. “You made up that story on the fly?”
“Yeah, which was the problem. I should have realized he didn’t need to be reminded of his close encounter with the grizzly.”
“Hey, he may have had that nightmare regardless.” He reached over to pat her hand. “Don’t beat yourself up. I think a story about a boy who can talk to animals is a great idea.”
“You’re an adult. He’s eight.” She shook her head. “That’s my whole problem. I don’t have enough exposure to kids his age to know what will hold his interest versus scaring him to death.”
“I wish I could help, but my memories of being eight are somewhat vague.” He hid a smile behind his mug. “And considering how much our older siblings teased us, I doubt we’d be afraid of the same things as Ben.”
She frowned. “You’re accusing me of being overprotective?”
“No, but I am pointing out that my childhood was very different. Our parents were working the ranch and didn’t have a lot of time to pay attention to their nine kids.” He waved a hand. “I’m not complaining, just stating a fact.”
“Well, that’s easy for you to say. I’m doing my best.” She sounded cranky, and he had to resist the urge to draw her into his arms.
Enough. He couldn’t afford to think about Trina as anything more than a friend.
Time to stay focused on the very real threat of danger.
He needed an update from Griff soon. The Laramie PD should know where Peter Thomas is by now.
And he wanted to know if the video outside the Lumberjack Inn had revealed anything of interest. Finally, he wanted to know where Robby Rawlings was.
But for now, they needed to eat. He stood and moved toward the counter. “I’ll start breakfast.”
“I can help.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when Ben’s bedroom door opened.
“Aunt Trina? Where’s Royal?” The boy came into the kitchen, his feet bare and his reddish hair adorably mussed.
“Royal’s sleeping.” Joel nodded to the sofa.
“Let’s get you showered and dressed, okay?” Trina rose. “I’m sure Royal will be awake once you’re finished.”
“Okay.” Joel was amazed the kid didn’t argue. Maybe Trina was right that he’d needed some sleep. His experience with Eli, Chase and Wynona’s son, was limited. And really, Eli was so quiet it wasn’t a fair comparison.
Remembering Ben’s favorite breakfast food was scrambled eggs, he set about making a large batch. In another skillet, he fried bacon.
Royal slid off the sofa, stretched, then padded into the kitchen. Joel eyed his K9 who sniffed the air with interest.
“Are you begging?”
Instantly, Royal looked away as if caught in the act, then wandered over to his water dish. The trainer Maya had hired for their dogs had made a big deal out of telling the K9s in a firm tone no begging . The dogs were programmed to ignore table food, even to the point of recognizing the phrase.
“Good boy.” He eyed the clock. “You’ll get your breakfast soon. Let’s wait until Ben is ready.”
Ben and Trina returned to the kitchen just as breakfast was ready. “Have a seat.” Joel waved at the table, which was set and full of food. “I need to feed Royal, then I’ll join you.”
“We’ll wait, since we need to say grace.” Trina arched a brow when Ben tried to steal a slice of bacon. “Wait, Ben.”
Joel filled Royal’s bowl, gave the dog permission to eat, then quickly dropped into his seat.
He bowed his head. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food we are blessed to eat. We ask that You continue to keep us safe in Your care. And please provide the police the wisdom and bravery to find the person responsible. Amen.”
“Amen,” Trina said.
A half beat later, Ben chimed in too. “Amen.” He chomped a piece of bacon, then asked, “Why can’t the police say their own prayers?”
“They can. But we can all pray for each other, right?” He glanced at Trina, who nodded encouragingly. “I pray for my brothers and sisters, just like they probably pray for me.”
“So we should pray for each other? Kinda like giving presents on birthdays?” Ben asked.
“Ben, it’s not polite to hint for a birthday present.” Trina rolled her eyes. “Your birthday was in March. You have a long way to go until your next one.”
Ben sighed. “March is really far away.”
Joel knew better than to make any promises he might not be able to keep. March was a long way off, and his immediate concern was making sure Trina and Ben were able to return home safely.
“Eat your eggs.” Trina spread jelly on a piece of toast and handed that to Ben. “You have to finish up if you want to play with Royal.”
“Okay.” Ben took a big bite of his toast. “Why didn’t we get more Pop-Tarts? I like those better.”
“Those are only for a special treat.” Trina’s patience was admirable.
They finished their meal a few minutes later. Trina got up first, carrying her dirty plate and Joel’s to the sink. “I’ll do the dishes,” she offered. “You cooked.”
“That’s fine.” Royal looked up at him, then walked to the front door. That was his cue that he needed to go outside. “Do you have to go outside, boy? Do you?”
“Can I come too?” Ben asked.
Joel nodded. “Sure, but we need to give Royal time to get busy, okay? After that, you can play.”
“Okay!” Ben slid off his chair.
“Hold on,” Joel held up a hand. “Carry your dirty dishes to the sink.”
Ben hesitated, then reached for the plate. He carried it to the sink, where Trina thanked him.
“Behave,” she warned as Joel opened the front door for Royal.
The dog hurried over to do his thing. Then he lifted his nose to the air, sniffing intently. Joel hoped his K9 wasn’t about to make another false alert.
Royal darted toward the SUV, sniffing the ground near the tires. Then he let out a sharp bark.
Instantly, Joel swept Ben up into his arms and hurried up to the house. He opened the door and set Ben inside. Royal came inside, too, which he found odd. He’d intended to make another sweep of the area without Ben being anywhere close.
“Trina, Royal alerted—” His voice broke when a loud explosion rocked the earth. Knocked off his feet, Joel hit the floor and rolled halfway across the kitchen floor, coming up hard against the edge of the counter. Stunned, he glanced over his shoulder.
And saw the SUV was a ball of fire.