Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 69582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 348(@200wpm)___ 278(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
“She’s already out,” I admitted. “But my dad got her.”
“Okay, good.”
I would not admit that I liked the way he worried about whether my daughter had gotten picked up from school or not.
That was just crazy talk.
It was stupid to be happy that he’d thought of her.
I mean, it was a logical choice to assume that she would need picked up. She was school age, after all.
But still.
It made my insides all gooey.
I stood up and wiped invisible dirt off of my jeans. Picked a piece of lint off my jacket.
“What’s your goal for today?” I blurted out.
“Let Creed get far enough off course and then let Peanut do his thing,” he admitted. “What’s with the bird?”
I looked up at Possum.
“He was caught tangled up in fishing line,” I explained. “As a youth. We try really hard not to let animals imprint on us, because our main goal is to release them back into the wild to live their lives. However, that didn’t work out with Possum. Possum refused to hunt for himself. When we released him, he followed us back home. Flew miles and miles back to our place. Then waited for us like he’d done every morning since he’d been brought to us. Eventually, he started to lose weight. Then he’d venture closer and closer to us, giving us those sad osprey eyes. We knew he’d never be released into the wild. So we made him a nest of his own. He patrols the area. Keeps the rodent population to a minimum. Gets his daily intake of fish.”
“What else do you rehabilitate?” Odin asked.
“I didn’t even know you could talk, Odin,” Major mused. “Are you going to be joining this meeting, or should I…”
Odin sighed. “Head home, Constance. I’ll keep you updated on the saga that is your life.”
I smiled, though it barely reached my eyes. “Would it be okay if I watched y’all work? This sounds exciting.”
“If you’re going to watch,” Sage suggested, “maybe you should participate. Major is always looking for more volunteers.”
Major grunted. “As long as they know how to turn their talk buttons off.”
My lips quirked. “I think I could manage that.”
By the time that I got home that night, my mind was reeling with my day.
First the dog attack.
Then a man following me and putting a tracker on my car.
Then the search and rescue practice where I had to watch Odin work with his dog.
A cute dog that pranced at his side, looking up at his master like he was his world.
It gave Odin a softer edge that blunted the harshness of his demeanor.
But what really got me was the way he’d not only walked me safely to my car, but he’d made sure I got home safely, too. With no unknown stalkers dogging my every move.
“Your day was eventful,” Dad mused when I told him and my mother about my “bodyguard.”
“The guy was legit, too.” I shook my head. “When we were done with the searching, Odin got a call from Sheriff Black. He’d met with the Otto guy’s boss who sent over a full contract. In it was my full name, with a signed permission in my own handwriting—or at least close handwriting. And Errol’s. But the photos that were sent over to them weren’t Errol’s. It was some AI-generated guy, according to Sheriff Black. The guy they’re supposed to be protecting me from was Errol.”
“Do you think that Mackey’s parents could’ve hired them?”
“I mean, yes. If it wasn’t for the name swaps. Why use Errol’s name as the client and then his photo as the man they’re protecting me from?”
“Why, out of three children, are you the most difficult?” Dad asked.
I threw my hand up with a laugh. “I have no clue. I thought I was the easy kid, too.”
“You were until you got pregnant,” Dad muttered. “Before that it was Harvey’s drinking and Essie’s inability to say no to dick. But compared to your shit, theirs seems rather paltry.”
I smirked. “I wish I had an answer for you, Dad.”
My mom placed her hand on my shoulder. “Be careful, dear. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but you’re right in the middle of it.”
I couldn’t agree more.
“Thanks for watching her today.”
“We had fun.” Mom smirked. “We went into town and stopped at Tractor Supply. She demanded we get chickens, but I convinced her to wait.”
“How?”
“By distracting her,” Dad snorted. “She has almost a completely new wardrobe.”
“Speaking of wardrobes.” Mom got up and washed her coffee cup out in the sink before turning back to me. “Don’t blame me if she wakes up in the morning complaining. I tried to get her to wear something normal to bed.”
I walked my parents to the door and thanked them one last time. When they were gone, I headed to Wendy’s room to get a look at what she’d worn to bed.