Maren reached in the tunnel and lifted the dog out. “You must be Trooper. I heard you had focusing issues.” The pup offered her doggy kisses as his little body wiggled.
“I don’t know about that guy,” said Dev. “Great personality but totally doesn’t have the drive we like to see in K-9s.”
Chance finished the course and sat looking up at Dev, who tossed him a snack. “I’m thinking this guy might be good at suspect apprehension.”
“It’s still early in training.” River stepped over to where Maren still held Trooper as he snuggled against her neck. “This guy still might turn things around.”
“Sure,” said Eli. “Dogs can change patterns of behavior just like people can.”
Eli’s words sank in. Ever since Noah’s death, River had seen himself as unworthy of keeping a child safe. With that fear driving his actions, he’d put up a barrier to ever thinking he could have a child of his own. Maybe his pattern of thinking needed to change.
Dev excused himself, calling after the puppies to follow. Even though Maren put Trooper down, he had to be called three times before he lined up behind his brother. The pups were still too small for their big paws and floppy ears. Trooper had one ear that was still crooked.
“Dog’s grow and change, don’t they?” River’s voice drifted off as he thought again about why Lydia and Elsie were foremost in his mind. “They can learn and grow and so can people.” Lost in thought, River’s voice drifted off. Could he change the way he viewed himself?
Maren stood on the other side of him. “You gonna tell us what’s on your mind?”
River’s cheeks heated. “It’s Lydia and Elsie. The case is over, but I can’t seem to get them out of my head.”
“You care about them?”
Maybe more, thought River.Maybe I love them.“I spent so much time with Lydia under such trying circumstances. She’s an incredible lady.”
Maren leaned in and tapped her elbow against his arm. “So maybe there is something worth exploring between you two.”
“It seems to me that if you feel something for her, you shouldn’t just walk away.” His voice swelled with emotion as he stepped closer to River. “When you find true love, you need to hold on tight to it.”
Eli, of all people, understood immense loss.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” The three of them walked over to the kennels to get their respective dogs. Being with Lydia meant loving Elsie, too, and protecting them both from whatever life threw their way. He had a lot to think about.
* * *
“Elsie, take off your hiking boots so Mama can clean them.” The girl sat on the sofa with a menagerie of stuffed animals.
After two days of staying close to home, she’d taken her daughter on their first outing, a short hike on a trail in town. Though she was worried that a hike would bring back bad memories for Elsie, her daughter had insisted that she wanted to pick some flowers and chase some butterflies. Being connected to nature was the most healing thing for her little girl.
Her rational mind told her that Norm, Sheryl and Gregory were all in jail and couldn’t hurt them anymore. But that didn’t make the fear of being out in the open from going away. Elsie’s enthusiasm about getting to go outside had quelled much of her own fears. All the same, it was going to take a while for both of them to feel like things were back to normal. Though Elsie seemed okay, she knew there might be a delayed effect for what she had been through. She’d look into finding a counselor for both of them.
The whole time they were hiking, she’d been thinking of how nice it would be if River and Frankie were with them. Not just because of the sense of safety she felt when the officer and K-9 were close, but because she missed their company. Not having them around would be an adjustment after being in such close proximity. Elsie had asked several times if River and Frankie could come visit.
The child seemed to have bonded with both the dog and River. Lydia had answered that she didn’t know. “River and Frankie have an important job to do.”
While Elsie removed her boots, Lydia stared into an open cupboard, trying to decide what to make for lunch. She’d gotten a new stove, but the rest of the repairs would take some time. She really needed to go to the store. As much as Elsie would like to, they couldn’t live on macaroni and cheese forever.
The doorbell rang.
Lydia ran ahead of her daughter. “Elsie, let me get it.” She still felt protective of the three-year-old. Even letting Elsie out of her sight for a second or putting her down to sleep made her nervous. For sure, the healing over what had happened was going to take time. There was loss, too. She’d thought of Norm and Sheryl as family. They’d both been arrested and were awaiting trial for several crimes. Debbie had been devasted to learn about her parents and had promised to reconnect with Sloane. When she’d called Sloane to let him know Elsie was okay, he apologized saying he hoped that someday he could be in Elsie’s life even though he knew he’d done too much damage for him and Lydia to get back together.
She opened the door. River stood with a pizza box in his hand and Frankie at his feet. He offered her a bright smile. “I thought you might be hungry.”
Her heart fluttered as she looked into his blue eyes. Hadn’t she just been thinking about him?
Behind her, Elsie jumped up and down. “Yeah, Frankie’s here. Come on in, Frankie.”
The dog wagged her tail then looked up at River. “Go, girl.” Frankie bounded into the living room as Elsie laughed and danced around her.
He held the pizza toward Lydia. “So, are you hungry?”
