“I see,” I said, nodding my head.“Well, he seems fairly young.How old is he?”
“I got him when he was ten weeks old, and I’ve had him for a few months, I think?”He scratched his head as he tried to remember.
“Well, the nice thing is that he’s still trainable.You just have to work with him, but you should be able to break some of these bad habits.”
“You really think there’s hope for him?”Pat arched an eyebrow in question.
“If I could turn my life around, there’s no doubt he can turn his around too,” I teased.
I caught a glimpse of Patrick as his jaw tightened before he walked off and resumed cooking.I knew he hated it when I said stuff like that, but if he knew the things I had done in my life, he wouldn’t want anything to do with me.
Twelve
Poppy
The sun peeked throughthe sheer curtains, greeting me as I opened my eyes.The sound of my phone ringing on the nightstand beside me startled me.I reached over and grabbed it, my heart sinking when I saw the phone number.Although the phone number was unknown, the area code was for Coyote Creek.
“Hello,” I answered, trying to keep my voice steady so the panic rising inside of me didn’t come through.
“Hello.May I please speak with Poppy Grant?”a male voice asked.
“Yes.This is she.”
“Mrs.Grant, this is Detective Gibson from the Coyote Creek Sheriff’s Department.”
I stayed silent and waited for him to tell me what he was calling for.When he didn’t continue, I swallowed down the rising bile and forced myself to speak.
“How can I help you?”I asked, pulling my shoulders back as I took slow, calming breaths.
“The reason for my phone call today is that we have not been able to reach your husband, Sheriff Hudson.Do you know of his whereabouts?”
“I do not,” I replied right as Patrick walked into the room.I lifted my finger to my lips, asking him to be quiet as he furrowed his brow and folded his arms over his chest.
“When was the last time you saw him?”Detective Gibson pressed, pulling my attention back to the phone call.
“I last saw my husband a few nights ago.We had a fight, and I left after he assaulted me.”
