Chapter 18
JAMES WISHED he could make that little wish come true.
Lyle sat in his chair, legs pulled up, and soon enough, he had dozed off.
All the travel and then the excitement surrounding getting the dogs back must have been too much.
Dash was the first to get up from where he lay in the grass.
He sniffed around the chair and then stretched upward, looking at Lyle and then at him with those deep, black eyes.
“I know,” he said softly. Then James quietly went back upstairs, leaving Lyle alone with the dogs. The police were just finishing up. “Do you have any questions for us?” He really wanted to see if he could spare Lyle any more excitement.
“Not really,” Red said. “Where’s Lyle?”
“He’s downstairs with the dogs. He just got back from a business trip, and he’s exhausted at the moment. Did you find anything?”
“Yeah, we did. She left a number of things behind, as near as we can tell. Since we know what to look for because we have a suspect in custody, we have fresh prints on the door as well as the counter in the kitchen and a few other places, which indicates that Debbie was inside this unit recently. That’s enough to place her at the scene, which is all we were looking to do.
She and her husband were caught with the animals in their possession, but now we can place her where the animals were kept, so it closes the loop.
” He made a few additional notes while they were talking.
“The lock on the front door needs to be replaced and a deadbolt added. That will make a repeat of such a break-in more difficult.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to tell Lyle.” He shook hands with the officers as they left and closed the door. He made sure it was locked, such as it was, and went back downstairs.
The dogs came up to greet him but were quiet. “Is Lyle still sleeping?” he asked them, and found him curled up in the chair, eyes closed, snoring softly. James got the dogs inside and closed the door. Then he gently lifted Lyle into his arms and carried him up the stairs.
The dogs followed James as he gently set Lyle on the sofa and covered him with a blanket.
As soon as Lyle was settled, two of the dogs climbed on the sofa to claim spots near him and the others lay on the floor next to him.
It was so cute how they all wanted to be close to him, like they knew what Lyle had done to bring them all back home and keep them safe.
James sat in the chair across the way, pulled out one of his books, and got some work done as he watched Lyle sleep. The townhouse was rather chilly in the fall afternoon, but James was warm and comfortable with Lyle and the dogs nearby.
“I’M SORRY,” Lyle said as he stretched. James put down his book and blinked a few times to pull his mind out of the law and back to the present.
“Don’t be. I needed a few hours of reading and was able to get it all done.” He stretched himself and got up to go to Lyle’s kitchen, where he made some tea and carried a mug in for Lyle. “So, besides the welcome home and all the activity, how was your business trip?”
“It was good. I got the training done, and I think it went really well. Everyone seemed to appreciate the insights I could bring, and the supervisor there was very pleased.” He sipped. “How was it here? Did you get done what you needed to?”
“Yeah, I did. I hope it was okay, but my roommates came over a few times for case work and discussions. I think they like your place better than ours.” He sipped his own tea. “You have more room than we do, and they loved the dogs. Each of them took a lap, and they got plenty of attention.”
“I bet they loved it.”
“And so did the guys. We got so much work done, and there was no bickering. Oh, we argued, but over cases. It was like we were all happier and contented.” James sat back in the chair. “It was pretty amazing.”
“I’m glad they were of help.” Lyle said.
“And thank you for staying with them.” James lowered his gaze and nodded.
“Hey, them being taken by Debbie had nothing to do with you and everything to do with her. I know that. She was determined to get her hands on the dogs. It was all she wanted, and there’s nothing we can do about that now.
Debbie is going to be in jail for breaking and entering as well as theft, and God knows what her husband is going to be charged with in relation to the dogfighting.
But they will be out of circulation for quite some time. ” He shook his head.
“What are you thinking about?” James asked.
Lyle shrugged. “Nothing important. Just how disappointed Corky would be if she knew what Debbie had done. I think it would hurt her more than anything else. The thought of her dogs being in danger… and Debbie behind it.” He sighed and shook his head again.
“I can’t stop thinking about it and yet I don’t want to. It’s over, and the police have them.”
“But it’s not over,” James said. “It sticks around. The worry will be there.” And he knew that the next time he went out of town, Lyle would hesitate to leave the dogs with him. Not that Lyle blamed him necessarily.
“Yeah, it will be.” Lyle stood and came over to the chair, standing in front of him.
“You need to stop worrying yourself. Debbie was selfish and she only cared about herself. She didn’t respect her mother’s wishes enough to just walk away.
She had to have what she thought was her right, and that meant stealing.
If I had been home, she would have done the exact same thing eventually.
That’s why she and that jackass she married took their walks over here each night.
They were casing my place. And I’m pretty sure they tried to get in the back door that time but weren’t successful because it was just too secure.
My car was gone and she saw that the dogs were here.
So when she thought the place was empty, she jimmied the lock and took the dogs, at least the ones who didn’t manage to get away from her.
None of that had anything to do with you. ” Lyle stroked his cheek.
“I know all that,” James said.
“Then you can stop second-guessing yourself.” He leaned closer. “I know you are. The dogs don’t hold you responsible, and neither do I.”
James swallowed hard. “Why aren’t you angry with me? You should be. I should have been more careful.”
“Because you aren’t responsible. Debbie was.
And we have the dogs back. In the end that’s what really matters.
We got the dogs, and we saved the ones that had been taken from the shelter.
” He leaned closer. “You’re a good man with a good heart, and that’s what I love about you most. As for any guilt or worry, those sorts of things are a waste of time and effort. ”
James hugged him around the waist. “I just feel like you should be angry with me.”
“I’m angry with them,” Lyle countered. “But if you really feel bad, you could make it up to me. I’m hungry, and we really didn’t get lunch. So you could order a pizza and we could spend a quiet evening here. I need to call my mother and let her know that I’m home, but other than that….”
“Sounds good.” James wished all problems could be solved with pizza and a little talk.
But he appreciated that Lyle wasn’t angry with him.
After standing and receiving a kiss that curled his toes, James ordered the pizza while Lyle made a few phone calls.
Then they settled on the sofa to eat, with Lyle cuddling up next to him until it was time for bed.
Neither of them got much sleep, and thankfully the dogs stayed in their own beds, since he and Lyle spent much of the night rolling around together, passion spending and building all night long.
James really wanted to show Lyle just how he felt.
He was a kind man, the kind of person James had been looking for, but hadn’t known he truly wanted until they met.
Now he just had to find a way to tell him how he felt, because words just didn’t seem like enough.
JAMES ALWAYS loved Saturdays. They were his one day off, except when he needed to study.
Everyone had agreed to meet on Sunday to go over cases.
He awoke to a full bed. The air was chilly in the small room, so Lyle had pressed his back to him, and the dogs were all curled around them on the bed, each burrowed close for some additional warmth.
“They know where it’s warm.” Lyle mumbled. “I suppose we’re lucky they didn’t get under the covers with us.”
“Daisy tried, but I didn’t let her.” The dog in question lifted her head and gave him a look, like he was being mean for telling on her.
“It’s okay. If we let the dogs do that, there wouldn’t be any room in the bed for us.
” Lyle rolled over and pressed to him. Their lips found each other, and Lyle groaned as he climbed closer.
The dogs seemed to know that it was time for them to make an exit.
They all jumped down off the bed and left the room as the heat between them grew more intense by the second.
“I WAS WONDERING,” Lyle asked as they lay there holding hands, catching their breath. James was always surprised at just how spirited Lyle was when they were together. It often took his breath away. James hummed softly to him.
“What is it?”
“Well.” Lyle rolled over. “I was wondering if you wanted to move in here with us. The place is big enough, and there’s plenty of room in here for your things.
” He rested his head on James’s shoulder.
“I know you have commitments to your roommates, but I wanted to make the offer. I like having you here with me.” He lifted his head until he met James’s gaze.
“If it’s something you don’t want to do, then that’s okay.
I mean, I’m not ordering you to or anything. ”