Chapter 13 Aspen
Aspen
The next morning feels almost normal.
Almost.
Grandpa is sitting at the kitchen table eating oatmeal like nothing happened.
Dylan laughs at something Buddy does, and the sound hits me right in the chest.
Relief.
Pure, overwhelming relief.
He’s okay.
Grandpa is okay.
For now.
And for a moment—
that’s enough.
I reach out, brushing my hand lightly across Dylan’s shoulder as I pass.
Just to feel him there.
Just to remind myself he’s still here.
Dylan is packing eggs into a carton for the neighbor who buys them every week.
If I didn’t know better…
I’d think everything was fine.
But my nerves still haven’t settled from last night.
Havoc and the Rangers saved Grandpa.
Just like that.
They moved like a team that had done rescues before.
Professional.
Controlled.
Military.
Joseph would have recognized them instantly.
I pour coffee into a mug and stare out the window.
Life is strange, how the Ranger’s moved to the same town where Joseph’s grandpa lived.
The mountain is peaceful this morning.
The barn sits quiet in the pasture.
The wind moves through the grass.
But something still feels off.
“Mom?”
Dylan’s voice pulls me back.
“Yeah honey?”
“Can I show you something?”
“Of course.”
He grabs Buddy’s collar and heads toward the barn.
Curiosity pushes me to follow.
The big wooden doors creak when Dylan slides them open.
Dust floats through the sunlight.
Old tools hang from the walls.
Joseph’s grandfather used this barn his entire life.
I expect Dylan to show me something simple.
A bird’s nest.
A loose board.
Instead, he points to the far wall.
“Buddy kept digging here.”
The dirt floor has been scratched away near a wooden post.
Buddy wags his tail proudly.
“You found something?” Dylan asks the dog.
Buddy barks.
I kneel down.
Brush dirt aside.
And freeze.
A metal lockbox is buried under the floor.