Chapter Twenty-Seven
Linx closedup the Rescue Center after Vanessa departed with the two retrievers and Aurora, the black chow. Poor Bob had been passed over again. Vanessa wanted to take him, but because he was so elderly, she felt it would be another source of grief when he passedon.
Linx gave the bulldog a hearty neck scratch and patted him. “Someone will fall in love with you. You’re such a gooddog.”
The rest of the dogs had been fed, and they were quieting down as the shadows lengthened into the cool, summerevening.
She opened Sam’s pen. “Come on, boy. We’re going to take atrip.”
After checking that Cedar was comfortable inside the cabin, Linx snapped a leash onto Sam’s collar and put him in the passenger compartment of herDurango.
Grady’s family had been all over the town looking for him, but after talking to Paul, they decided he might have headed back to Redstone to join a firecrew.
Off they flew, probably on a wild goose chase, every single one of them, including his two pregnant sisters. Grady used to tell Linx how his family smothered him, and that the reason he went incognito was so he could come and go as he pleased, without worrying the people heloved.
He’d spent years training them to stop obsessing about him or bothering him. He claimed he didn’t need anyone tocare.
But Linx knew Grady better thananyone.
He was like her—embracing loneliness instead of admitting his need forcompanionship.
That was why he turned to dogs—until he lost Sasha and turned bitter toward any sort ofattachment.
Once, long ago, there was a Grady who watched the eagles soar on a mountain peak, who climbed tall trees and sat up in the branches, looking at the clouds above. A Grady who splashed with her in a hidden swimming hole. Who explored caves and lay on a grassy meadow tracingstars.
He never spoke much, but surrounded by sweet nature, he was happy and content, and she had shared it with him, in those rare moments they’d been able to get away from the fire trainingcamp.
Linx turned the truck up the unmarked road, putting it in four-wheel-drive. The landscape was surprisingly lush with charred stumps surrounded by the pale green shoots of new trees. Vines wrapped fingers around the spidery outlines of the dead, but the giant sequoias stood tall and alive, survivors of centuries ofwildfires.
Sam hung his head out the window, sniffing and observing the hillside. He was a quiet dog, pensive, and he didn’t require much attention oraffection.
She had no idea if Grady was back, but it didn’t matter. She’d take Sam up there and let him get acclimatized, and she could also use a walk to clear her head. Besides, she was curious to see the progress he made for the newcabin.
Smoke from a campfire drifted up in the wind—oily with charcoal and charred meat. Her heart quickened at the thought that he could be back. She hung the final turn and spotted histruck.
Sam let out a grunt as his nose worked overtime and his body shuddered withexcitement.
“Looks like we’re in time for dinner.” Linx cut the engine and opened the door. “One guess as to who’s at the campstove.”
So she was stalking him, invading his privacy, and he would be within his rights to throw her off his property. But she’d brought a gift, a peace offering, and hopefully, he would be open to her presence, despite the hurtful words they had said inparting.
She closed the door as silently as she could and walked light-footed with Sam up to theclearing.
Grady looked up from the ruins of his old cabin. He’d made a fire inside the stack of bricks over what had been thefireplace.
Linx rolled up Sam’s leash tighter to keep the dog at her side and stood on the flagstones where the door used tobe.
Grady took the steak off the grill and wiped his hands on his jeansjacket.
Linxwaited.
Maybe he’d pretend she wasn’t present and go on with his dinner. If he was surprised, he sure didn’t showit.
Taking a knife, he cut the steak in half. The blood glistened from the piece of meat and beside her, Sam licked hischops.
Okay, so he’d acknowledged the dog, but nother.
Turning back to the remnants of the stove, he put on fire mitts and removed a covered cast iron Dutch oven from the fire. The smell of pork and baked beans wafted over the ruins of the cabin as he lifted the lid and stirred thecontents.
