“Is he your dog?”
She shook her head no. “Not yet. He just came, and I’ve been feeding him, but he’s not nice. He bites, but it’s because he’s lonely and he’s scared, and eventually he’ll stop being angry and fall in love with me and be my dog. So just leave him be, please, sir. I don’t want anybody to know he’s out there because if Daddy knows that he bites, he’ll run him off, and I want him. Okay?”
“All right, all right, I hear you.” He would hold up his hands, but casserole. He just nodded, trying for a smile. It wasn’t like he didn’t know a million children, and he was usually pretty good with them, but these little girls had him stymied.
They were too smart for him, that was for sure.
He waited for her to go back inside too, but she didn’t. She stood there with her arms crossed over her skinny chest and stared at him.
He cleared his throat. “So, what’s your name?”
“What’s yours? Daddy says I shouldn’t introduce myself to somebody, I don’t know their name.”
“I’m Campbell Halley. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’m Sarah Gonzales. It’s very nice to meet you too. And that’s Rosie.”
“Rosie?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, it’s Rosie. His name is Rosie. Rosie Posey.” Suddenly she looked so young, so lost and worried. “Just don’t tell because I want him to be my friend, and if he bites my sisters, either one, Daddy’s gonna be mad. I won’t tell if he bites me again. Okay?”
Again? He didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all. “Is it bad? Does it need some medicine?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Can I see?”
She stared at him. “Are you gonna keep our secret?”
Dammit. “I will do everything on earth to keep our secret, but if it’s really bad, you might need to have a doctor.”
She shook her head at him, eyes huge with horror. “I can’t afford a doctor. Daddy has all the doctor bills. Everything is… we can’t. We have to be able to eat and feed the critters.” She held out her arm, and sure enough, there was a bit of a mark, but it wasn’t bad—it was more of a warning nip than anything—one possible tooth mark that didn’t even break the skin.
“I think with a little peroxide it’ll be fine, and I’ll tell you what. After I’m done seeing your daddy, I’ll go out and see Rosie, and we’ll see if we can’t make sure he’s okay. Maybe he’s biting because he’s hurting, and maybe he needs to see the vet.”
She stared at him, looking so defeated. “Oh, okay, well if he needs to see the vet, I have a piggy bank. I have twenty-three dollars, and I will pay the vet because I don’t want him to hurt.”
God help him, this kid was something else.
“Sister’s coming. Shh.”
The screen door opened, and a man in a back brace walked out, cane in hand. He had raven-black hair with huge silver wings at the temples, and his skin was near ashen with darkcircles under his eyes, hard lines of pain and want written all over his face. He stood there and blinked. “Well, I’ll be damned. Cam Halley. What the hell are you doing here?”
“I brought a casserole.” He held it up, his cheeks heating, because Mitch didn’t sound welcoming. Not that he’d expected the man to, or anything, but still.
Ouch.
“Well, tell your momma thank you for me.” Mitch stared, waiting for him to leave, most likely.
“I will. Can I come in a minute?” He needed to do his due diligence, or his momma would just send him back out here every day. Shit, he was so tired from being on the road, pushing it for two weeks leading up to coming here, that he could sleep for a month if anyone would let him.
Mitch crossed his arms over his chest, just like wee Sarah. “Why?”
“Because my momma told me to deliver this, and to talk with you. You know how she is.”
“I reckon I do.” Mitch’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Come on, then. Sarah, Bekka, can you get the door for me and go pour some iced tea?”
“Okay, Daddy.” The girls dutifully moved, Sarah holding the door, the older one, Bekka, moving inside to head for the fridge.
