“Chelsea and Jordan took Bandit for a walk. I think they were bringing back food from Pepper’s. I got stuck here babysitting.”
“Babysitting?” The expression on Rico’s face showed his confusion.
Theo pointed to the laundry basket near the couch. “Babysitting.”
Rico edged closer and eyed the black puffballs in the basket. Scooping one up, he grinned. “You got kittens?”
His leg had started to throb again as he’d placed his weight on it, so Theo hobbled to the couch and sat down under the guise of showing his friend the animals.
“Chelsea saw these when we picked out the dog. Since they’re black, there wasn’t a good chance they’d get adopted. She’s such a softy; she couldn’t leave them there.”
“And you didn’t try and talk her out of it?”
“You should have seen her face. She was so excited. Almost more so than Jordan, although Chelsea didn’t jump up and down clapping like our daughter.”
“Ourdaughter. That’s rolling off the tongue a bit easier these days.” Rico placed Snap back in the basket and pulled out Pop. The kitten immediately started jumping.
“I have to be real careful about saying that. The look on Chelsea’s face when I make a mistake? It’s awful, man. You have no idea.”
“She seemed pretty upset about your accident yesterday. She obviously cares about you.”
Theo glanced at the kitten he’d picked up. “How we feel isn’t the problem. We were only married for two weeks before she left and that was almost five years ago. Things have changed. Our lives have gone in different directions. Not to mention, Chelsea still isn’t back to where she used to be. I don’t want to push anything on her that she isn’t ready for.”
“And maybe you still harbor some resentment that you had to raise a baby all by yourself?”
Theo’s head snapped up, his tongue ready with an angry retort. But was Rico right? Did he still resent that he’d raised his…their…daughter all by himself? He couldn’t blame Chelsea. She’d been as much a victim as he’d been. But the bitterness and despair at what had happened, and how much Jordan had lost because of it, was still strong in his memory.
“Maybe. Of course, the resentment has shifted all to her father. And maybe to me, too. I never forced the issue like I should have.”
“Look to the future,” Rico said, holding up Pop. “You have three little kittens in your life. As well as a dog, a child and, hopefully, a wife.”
After plunking the kitten back in the basket, Rico stood and peered out the window. When he looked back, his face was solemn.
“What’s up? You didn’t come here to discuss kittens.”
“I went and had a look at that tree after I got back from dropping off your things at the hospital.”
Theo narrowed his eyes. Where was this going? “And?”
“The roots were cut, not broken. I asked Chelsea on our walk back, and she said neither of you had done anything to them. She seemed to think the tree might have fallen because she kicked a little dirt near the base.”
“Chelsea barely went near the base of the tree. I thought the roots looked strange, but then the tree started tipping and there wasn’t time for anything else.”
“Is there someone who might have wanted to harm you or her?”
“Harm us? Like who?” Brett Sheehan came to mind. He hadn’t been at the house when they’d gone back later.
Rico shrugged. “I don’t know. Could’ve been teenagers fooling around, but the roots were definitely cut and quite a few of them. It wasn’t an accident.”
Rubbing his thigh where the bandage covered his injury, Theo thought back to the last week.
“I hate to sound paranoid, but there have been a few things lately that I kind of shrugged off.”
“Like?” Rico shoved his hands in his uniform pockets and rocked back on his heels.
“Remember I told you I had those rocks tumble down on the North Ridge Trail?”
“Yeah. You had a humongous bruise on your back, if I recall.”
