Chapter Sixteen
“S tay here,” Dale told Sadie before moving quietly to the front room where Ranger continued to bark. Quietly and quickly, Dale glanced out the corner of the window to see ESI SUVs in both Sadie’s and his dad’s driveways.
“Is it them?” she asked from the kitchen.
“Yes,” he replied, quieting Ranger.
Tesla jumped down from his perch at the back of the couch to step on the “Bad” button, then “Ranger”, followed by “Noise”.
Dale held back a grin. “I know, buddy. Sorry,” he said, bending down to pet the cat’s head before answering the door.
Mac, Cooper, and Dean walked in, arms laden with black equipment boxes, while RJ pulled up the rear carrying a large bakery box.
After the men stacked the equipment, they petted Ranger, then glanced at him, brows rising.
“Carter owes me twenty bucks,” RJ stated, grinning at Dale. “You didn’t sleep on the couch last night.”
“But it looks like Tesla slept on your shirt,” Cooper observed, reaching out to remove a long, gray piece of hair from Dale’s shoulder.
He frowned, lifting a closed fist as a universal stop gesture. “Shh. Sadie’s in the kitchen.”
Thankfully, it worked, because they all nodded and decided to slap his back on their way to the kitchen.
Within minutes, the men had exchanged greetings with Sadie, helped themselves to coffee, and surrounded the island.
RJ, always the jokester, was grinning from ear to ear as he set the large box on the counter. “Thought I’d bring some donuts from the bakery to go with that coffee. Can’t work on an empty stomach.”
“Liar.” Dean shook his head. “Our wives loaded the box and told you to bring it here.”
RJ swallowed a mouthful of donut and shrugged. “But I didn’t lie about me not working on an empty stomach.”
Sadie laughed, reaching into the box. “Those two know the way to my heart.”
And Sadie knew the way to Dale’s.
In the short expanse of time they’d spent together over the past few days, he’d let her right in as if she’d always resided there. He should have been alarmed, but he wasn’t. He was grateful she was single. The thought of going through life never knowing or experiencing their incredible connection was terrible.
Yeah, he was grateful as hell.
Dale grabbed a donut and took a bite. The familiar, sweet taste of the pastry brought back memories of simpler times in Harland County. “Regardless of whose idea it was, thanks for bringing them, RJ. You’ve saved the day.”
His buddy’s chest puffed out. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
Cooper groaned and dropped his glazed donut onto a plate Sadie had provided everyone. “Ah, man, don’t feed his ego. The guy’s already having trouble walking through doors.”
Everyone laughed, including RJ.
For the next several minutes, the conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter and the kind of camaraderie that Dale had missed. Mac and Dean discussed the final touches for the security system. Ranger walked around the island, stopping every so often to set a paw on someone’s leg. Then, RJ, with his signature grin, decided to liven things up with a story.
“So, get this,” RJ began, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “We’re on this job a few weeks back, right? And Cooper decides he’s going to take a shortcut through this field to catch the perp. Only, he didn’t check the weather report.”
Sadie raised an eyebrow, already smiling. “Let me guess—mud?”
“Mud doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Dean answered, a rare grin on his face.
“It was like fu—freaking quicksand,” Cooper grumbled, stuffing another donut into his mouth.
RJ chuckled. “One step in, and Cooper goes down like a rock. The guy we were chasing? He just stops, turns around, and starts laughing so hard he can’t even run anymore.”
Mac shook his head, trying to suppress a grin. “Cooper was not amused, let me tell you.”
“And the best part,” RJ added, his laughter contagious, “is that by the time we caught up, Cooper was stuck up to his knees in mud, yelling at the perp to ‘come back here and take his arrest like a man!’ But all the dude did was ask him if he needed a tow truck.”
Dale laughed, the image of Cooper floundering in the mud too funny to resist. “Please tell me someone got a picture.”
He knew his brother would also love to see them. Coop and Cas had once been on the same team.
RJ grinned wider, nodding. “Oh, there are pictures. Trust me, they are going to be blackmail material for years.”
Dale shook his head, chuckling along with the rest of them. “I can’t believe I missed that one.”
“Don’t worry,” RJ said, clapping Dale on the back. “We’ll get you in on the next mud pit adventure. Just don’t forget to pack your waders.”
The room erupted in laughter again, the lightheartedness a welcome reprieve from the tension that had settled over them in recent days. Ranger sniffed the floor for crumbs, letting out several ‘woofs’, and even Mac, the fearless leader, usually the most serious of the group, couldn’t help but crack a smile at the retelling of Cooper’s antics.
“I feel for you,” Sadie said, patting Cooper’s shoulder. “I used to do things like that all the time. I was the queen of awkward situations.”
Coop smiled at her. “Thanks. I appreciate it. Now you’re the queen of sweetness.”
Dale agreed, watching the beauty blush. There were a lot of things about the woman that were sweet, including her taste.
Inhaling inwardly, he worked hard to push that thought away before memories of their hot night together had a chance to take hold. “So, what’s the plan for my dad? Is the safe house ready for him this afternoon?”
Dale planned to pack a suitcase for him when he ran next door to get changed. Then he’d return to Sadie’s to lend Mac and Cooper a hand installing the system in the house, while Dean and RJ finished up with the garage and apartment.
“Yes.” Mac nodded. “Everything’s set. Carter, Tyler, and Rylee are there and aware of your dad’s arrival. Dante and Dex are out on assignment, and you know where Sinjin and Hunter are. I got a SITREP from those two an hour ago. Everything is quiet. Property and horses are undisturbed.”
“Okay. Good.” He nodded, relief easing the tightness from his shoulders just knowing there would be several ESI agents in the building where his father would stay.
But he wasn’t as relieved about the no incidents at the ranch. He’d secretly hoped someone had tried something last night because of the two shadows guarding the place. The perp or perps would be in custody right now—or dead—and his father and Sadie would be safe.
“Talk to your brother yet?” Dean asked, lifting his coffee mug.
Dale nodded. “Yeah. This morning. I hope I convinced him to stay put and that we’ve got this situation handled.”
The men grunted.
“Yeah, Virginia Beach is a long way from Harland,” RJ said, before taking a drink.
Cooper snickered. “Good luck. Cas put the S in stubborn.”
Sadie grinned and set a hand on Dale’s arm. “He gets it from your father, although I’m pretty sure it’s a Taylor family trait.”
A round of chuckles echoed through the kitchen, then gave way to a companionable silence as they finished off their donuts and coffee.
“All right, time to get to work,” Mac said, rising to his feet along with his crew.
RJ and Dean retrieved their equipment from the front room and were about to open the back door when they stopped.
Dean’s brow furrowed, glancing out the window on the door. “Wasn’t the garage door shut when we arrived?”
Dale’s heart dropped to his boots. Dammit! His gut had sensed something was up. Why the hell hadn’t he listened to it?
Because you were in a hurry to get back inside with Sadie , his mind answered.
“It was shut when I let the dog out a half hour ago,” he informed.
RJ’s playful demeanor vanished as he, too, glanced out the window at the garage. “Yeah, it was shut when we arrived.”
Dale straightened his spine. “We need to check it out.”