His tone was so non-committal and yet all knowing that she turned to read his face. At that moment, a single sharp bark came from Brady along with an eruption of cheers and praise.
“Come on.” Josh put his hand on the small of her back and urged her forward.
Just what she needed, hot cheeks, a warm back, and every chance of self-combusting.
Only halfway to where Brady and Kade had disappeared from view, Kade, Cassie, and Benny came into the clearing.
“He found Benny.”
“Yep.” Josh slowed his steps, letting the others catch up to them.
“I knew he was a good work dog.” Removing his hat, Benny wiped his forehead with the red bandana that Brady had sniffed to find him. “But I had no idea he was this good. I was surrounded by enough fertilizer and manure to throw off the best bloodhound.”
His chest puffed and his smile wide, Kade patted the dog’s head. “Brady’s better than a blood hound.” At that, Kade flipped his wrist and checked his watch. “Playtime is over. I’ve got to hit the road if I want to be back on base before someone reports me AWOL.”
Josh carefully moved to one side, falling into step beside Kade and the others. “Give the guys my best.”
“I will.” Kade looped his arm around his wife again while Brady ran ahead to the house and Benny veered off to return to his work in the barn.
At the porch, Alice set the green beans to one side and pushed to her feet. “Will you be back soon?”
Pulling away from his wife, Kade wrapped his arms around his mom. “As soon as the brass gives me a little time off.”
Nodding her head into his shoulder, Alice’s smile was a little stiff, but she bobbed her chin once again and stepped back. “Well,” she sighed, “at least I know you won’t get blown up by insurgents in some sandy country on the other side of the world.”
“It won’t be long.” Kade reassured his mother.
The way Josh tensed beside her, she got the impression his mind had just gone back to a convoy in Texas that had blown up sending several good men to the hospital. No point in anyone mentioning that to Alice.
A few more hugs, a long kiss for his wife that had everyone developing a sudden interest in the ceiling, and Kade swung his duffel over his shoulder and waved once more from halfway to his rental vehicle.
Josh nudged her with his arm and tipped his head toward the house.
Nodding, she followed him inside allowing Alice and Cassie a little privacy as the man they both loved rode off the property.
“I know he’s supposed to be a working dog, but to me it looked like he was just having fun.”
“That’s because he was. Like people, if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
“My mom always said that. I love my job, but it still feels like work.”
“But you like it?”
“Most of the time.”
“You’re on furlough from the shutdown?”
“That’s right. I’m under contract to the DOD. Lots of perks. I get a bazillion weeks of vacation and every other Friday off. When necessary I can work from home, so it has a lot of positives.”
“Any word on when you’ll be called back?”
She shrugged. “Who knows. The news thought it would be over as soon as I got here and yet…”
“Here we still are.” He made a sound not quite a scoff, not quite a chuckle. “Who’d have thunk. Two people who both work in one way or another for Uncle Sam, and for one reason or other are forced to take time off from a job we like.”
Since being here, meeting him, she had to admit, she wasn’t so sure she liked her job near as much as she’d thought. Odds were, he was probably considering his own future. “Are you looking forward to going back?”
He heaved a slow heavy sigh. “Right now, I’m not very sure of anything. I feel like I’m in a dream and any day now I’ll be forced back into the real world.”
