Chapter Four
If Josh thought the morning at the Sweets had been busy and bustling, there was no comparison to dinner. He had no idea if the entire family showed up for him, for Katie, or just because they were hungry.
Either way, Alice’s dining table looked like a recruiting poster for Happily Ever After, Sweet Edition. Plates, platters, and bowls covered every inch of wood. Conversation bounced from one end of the table to the other like a well-served ping-pong ball.
“Pass the potatoes before Kade eats them all,” Jackie ordered.
Flashing a toothy grin, Kade reached for the bowl. “I’m carb-loading,”
“Pretty sure you have to do cardio for that to count.” Garret returned the stupid grin.
“Says the guy who spent all day sitting at a desk.” Kade pointed his fork down the table. “We chased a stray bull for two hours this morning.”
“First of all,” Garret waved a finger at his big brother, “I’ll trade chasing bulls to keeping a class of middle schoolers in line any day of the week.”
“Would this be a good time to mention that we chased that bull on horseback?” Clint reached for the green beans.
The siblings teased over who worked the hardest and who had the life of Riley.
All the while laughter rolled around the table.
And Josh thought, not for the first time, no wonder Kade was so well adjusted.
Lots of guys had their issues and egos, but Kade was a solid soldier.
He and his K9 partners through the years had saved a whole lot of lives, but no one who wasn’t there would have any way of knowing by simply hanging out with the guy.
“You doing okay over there?” Alice’s voice broke through, soft but direct. “Getting enough to eat?”
Josh glanced down at his plate. Chicken-fried steak, potatoes, gravy, green beans, a biscuit the size of his palm. “Yes, ma’am. I’m trying to pace myself so I don’t embarrass my entire unit.”
“Too late, he already face-planted in the hallway.” Kade turned to Katie. “Our other guest broke his fall.”
Katie nearly choked on her water.
Anyone else, and Josh would have had a colorful retort; instead, he plastered on a smile. “I’ll be performing nightly.”
The room filled with more chuckles and laughs, but Alice was the one to shake her head. “Please don’t. I’m not sure Brady’s up to it.”
“Sorry, ma’am.” He could have hurt someone the way he collapsed. His gaze drifted to where Katie sat, thankful he hadn’t hurt her, thinking how nice it might have been to find himself in her arms for a completely different reason than he couldn’t keep his balance.
Alice Sweet smiled and reached across the table to pat his hand. “I’m only joking. You can fall on all of us anytime you want.”
Sitting up straight, Brady let out a deep bark before rocking his head. Whether it was an agree or disagree, Josh wasn’t sure, but he was very sure that all of this was why bringing him here to heal might very well be the best idea Kade ever had.
“So.” Leaning over to scratch at Brady’s scruff, Alice turned to Sara Sue. “What’s the status with Raider?”
Josh’s fork slowed. He wasn’t sure why his pulse kicked up at the dog’s name, but there it was.
Sara Sue set down her fork and nodded. “As I expected, you’ve been approved to foster.”
“Good.” Alice’s whole expression softened.
“Raider’s six years old.”
“So he would have had at least two more years of service.” Josh remembered what she’d said earlier in the day about his not being ready to retire except for the injury. He could certainly relate. “Or as much as six.”
“Exactly,” Sara Sue agreed. “He’s been deployed three times. Mostly convoy and route security, some gate work. Solid nose, good nerves. Until the last mission.”
“Well trained,” Kade muttered under his breath.
Josh wasn’t a handler, but he’d been around the dogs and their human partners enough to have learned a good deal. That diversity of assignments meant someone had a treasured K9. “What about his handler?”
Sara Sue huffed. “Depends who you ask.”
That didn’t sit well with Josh. He knew how hard losing a K9 partner hit a soldier. He’d seen good men go into depression, PTSD, lose their edge. Others got right back into the thick of it with a new dog, but none ever stopped worrying about their former partners.
“He checks in on Raider as often as he can. Psych eval says he’s ready to get back in the thick of things. His CO says the relationship isn’t there yet. He’s not sure that the handler isn’t masking his own issues.”
Nodding his head, Kade tsked. “It’s like having a brother your whole life, then one day the brother has to go away and a new guy shows up and says he’s your brother now. Your dog is not a favorite toy, he or she is family.”
Katie’s gaze flicked quickly to Josh, then away.
He’d done his best not to think about the explosion that he knew had injured the dog in the first place.
Not think about how he too was sent to the Sweets to heal.
Not show signs of how unsettled the unknown was for him.
Much like Raider, he had no idea if he’d ever be able to go back to work or if he’d be on the sidelines for the rest of his life.
And he had no idea if Katie was somehow reading all of that or if she’d just happened to glance his way. Another place, another time.
“Same for the dogs.” Sara bobbed her head. “They don’t understand what has happened to their humans.”
“Poor baby,” Alice spoke softly.
Yeah, and Josh knew exactly how that poor baby felt.
Katie couldn’t help but notice the tension in Josh’s shoulders. Every so often, he seemed to squeeze his fork more tightly. Sometimes, he’d watch the folks around the table, and then other times, he’d look down at his plate as if interacting with humans was painful.
“Because of the recent issue with his wound re-opening,” Sara Sue continued, “he needs to be assisted outdoors with a belly band.”
“We can do that.” Alice reached for the basket of biscuits.
“There are plenty of us around to help,” Carson added while beside him his wife bobbed her head.
“Exactly. Not only do y’all have plenty of hands-on help, tending to injured animals is nothing new to anyone around here and the cherry on top is that y’all understand working dogs, both ranch and military.
” A smile spread across Sara Sue’s lips.
“And of course, you have the added asset of a retired military dog to help show Raider the way.”
Under the table, Brady thumped his tail once, as if he knew he’d been volunteered.
Josh cleared his throat. “Any anxiety meds?”
“Not yet,” Sara Sue replied. “We’re hoping if he comes here, we won’t have to.”
Everyone at the table was keenly aware of the situation with the injured dog and eager to help, but she wondered if anyone had noticed Josh’s reactions to the situation, or was she the only one worried about him? Which made no sense, she’d barely met the man.
“So now what?” Alice asked.
“We transport him.”
“We?” Clint spoke up.
Sara Sue’s gaze darted to Kade. “We move dogs about all the time, but I’ve convinced the vet that having an experienced handler would be an asset if we can get the paperwork done before you return to base.”
“I can tag along, but I should not be the one to work with him. He needs to bond with people who are going to be caring for him.”
“That would be me.” Alice raised a finger.
“And me,” Clint added and Katie’s heart shifted at the precious way that Alice smiled over at the man in her life.
The muscle in Josh’s jaw began to pulse. She could almost see him grinding his teeth as he worked something over in his mind. Setting down his fork, Josh looked up at his buddy. “I’d like to tag along too.”
Kade eyed his friend a long moment before finally nodding.
That settled, the conversation shifted to other things, mostly around ranch business, an occasional mention of a unique customer at the candle store, or the challenges with Carson’s latest projects.
Having grown up an only child, all this teasing and laughing and general shenanigans was out of the norm for her.
She’d obviously had friends with siblings, but none with this many.
Even though she’d been exposed to all of them at Jackie’s wedding, everyone had been more focused on their tasks for the big reception.
Tonight, things were much more low-key, and Katie found herself enjoying it even more than her last visit—despite her concerns for the Sweet’s other houseguest.
After supper, everyone moved around the kitchen and dining room, clearing plates, wiping tables, rinsing dishes, storing leftovers.
The typical after dinner chores only multiplied on a larger scale for a gathering that would rival many dinner parties in size.
The kitchen nearly sparkling, the siblings who lived outside the main house, one by one, kissed their mother and made their way to their own homes.
Carson and Jess were upstairs reading to Mason; Katie had learned last night that this was a ritual that could often last an hour or more as they worked their way through another Louis L’Amour book.
Kade and Cassie had wandered out to the barn to check on a new foal.
It was Katie’s understanding that Cassie had grown up in the city but had taken to ranch life like a pig to mud.
Finishing up drying a few stray pots and pans, she noticed Josh walking very slowly toward the back door. His hands not quite extending, but not quite at his sides, no doubt trying to keep his balance.
“Why don’t you go relax on the back porch. I’ll make a nice pot of tea.” Alice turned off the water faucet.
“Oh.” Katie set the dry pan in the cabinet below and set the towel on the counter. “I can do that.”
Drying her hands, Alice shook her head. “No need. Go.”
At that moment, Clint turned from the fridge where he’d stored the last of the leftovers and smiled at Alice. Everyone in this place was insanely happy and it showed. Except for Josh.
Her gaze drifted to the back door, excusing herself, she made her way outside. Closing the door behind her, she carefully strolled over to where Josh sat on the swing. “I love swings.”
He lifted his gaze to follow the chains that hooked into the ceiling. “I suspect there have been a lot of nights spent stargazing and snuggling on this thing.”
“I won’t argue with you.” Not wanting to invade his space, ignoring a ridiculous urge to test out the snuggling idea, but more curious if he was all right, she leaned against the railing and stared out into the distance. “Hard to believe Honeysuckle and Houston are both in Texas. So different.”
“Ranch country is different from most places on the planet.”
“Do you think that Raider will really be okay here?”
He took so long to respond that she turned to face him.
He was staring into the distance, eyes narrowed.
“It might be hard for him at first. Being a service K9 is probably all he’s ever known.
” He remained quiet another few seconds.
“I joined up right out of high school. The army is the only life I’ve ever known. ”
“So you know how Raider feels?” She didn’t want to mention the explosion was another thing they had in common.
He nodded. “I think if this place can’t heal him, no place will.”
Tempted to ask more, she sensed now might be too soon, too raw. Instead, she walked closer to the swing and leaned back against the railing again. “Won’t it be difficult switching handlers?”
“Not all dogs spend their entire careers with one handler.”
“I see.” She glanced over her shoulder and then back again. “I thought every handler had his own commands, his own demeanor, making it hard for someone else to work with their dog.”
“Some. But most commands are standard, like sit, stay, down, drop it, guard or stand down. Enough that working with the dog shouldn’t be hard. Now, bonding, that’s a whole other issue.”
“Mm,” she murmured. “Do you think I can come along for the ride?” She had no idea where that request had come from, but now that the words were out, she knew that she’d meant them. She wanted to see this dog, and maybe, if she could, help. Not that she had any idea how. “I’d stay out of the way.”
He shrugged. “It’s not up to me. I suspect it might not even be up to Sara Sue. The decision may very well rest in the hands of the clinic that has Raider in its care.”
“I suppose.” Now she did glance away, returning her attention to the stars splattered above.
“It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
Whirling around, she leveled her gaze with his. A question in her eyes.
“The stars,” he explained, before a little smile tugged at one corner of his mouth, “and for what it’s worth, I think Raider would be a lost cause if he didn’t find you a pleasant addition to his recovery entourage.”
“Thank you for that.” She knew her cheeks had to be flushing bright red at the compliment. What she didn’t know was if he was really speaking for Raider, or for himself?