by Barbara Gee
“Go for it,” Maddy said. “This place could use a good dog.”
“I’ll ask Virgil what kind would make a good ranch dog. I know he’s had dogs in the past, so he’ll have an opinion.”
Libby couldn’t help but smile at the idea of Hank having a dog to love. It was something every little boy should experience.
***
After dinner that evening, Libby’s phone buzzed. She slid it from her pocket and saw a text from Ryan.
Can I call you?
She had just curled up in a chair in the great room to watch a movie with Maddy, and she held her phone out for her friend to read the text. “I’m going to pass on the movie and head upstairs so he can call. I’ll let you know if he has any news.” After saying hasty goodnights to the others, she went to her room, sending a text back to Ryan on the way.
Sure.
A moment later her phone rang. Libby took a deep breath and answered.
“Hi, Ryan.”
“Hey, Libby. I hope I’m not taking you away from anything.”
She sat down on the edge of the bed, clutching her phone tightly but trying to sound calm and unaffected. “Not at all. How’s Byron?”
“He’s doing great. Came through surgery like a champ and has so far had very little discomfort. He’ll most likely go home in a couple days.”
“Did Hank get to see him yet?”
“Yeah, and I think it helped some. He seems less agitated, but he still won’t talk to me. I’m starting to think he’s afraid that if he talks I’ll ask him about last night, and he doesn’t want to relive it. When we were at the hospital, Louise was trying to praise him for being so brave, and he just put his hands over his ears and wouldn’t look at her.”
“It hasn’t been long, he probably just needs some time,” Libby said.
“Yeah, I get that, but we also need him to identify the guy he calls ‘the mean man.’ I don’t want to rush him, but the sooner the better, you know?”
“Byron didn’t get a good enough look at the man?”
“No, things happened fast and it was dark. He mostly just saw the guy’s outline. He says he was of average height and build, but that’s as much as he can say.”
“Maybe you can explain to Hank what you need him to do, and why, and then tell him he can decide when he wants to do it. He might feel less pressure that way.”
“That’s kinda why I’m calling. I don’t mind letting him choose the time, but I thought maybe it wouldn’t hurt to try to give him a little incentive to speed it up.”
“Like coming to the ranch sooner?” Libby asked perceptively.
“Yeah. I’ve described it to him, and I know he wants to come, but I thought it might help if we could Skype with you tomorrow. Maybe you could go out to the stables and show him the horses and cowboys.”
Libby was all for it, so they made plans to have her go the stables at ten o’clock, her time. After a little more small talk, they hung up.
Falling back on her bed, Libby closed her eyes. Hearing Ryan’s voice again brought it all back, and she felt as if it were only yesterday that she’d left North Carolina. Having them come here would be hard on her heart, but it was the best thing for Hank, so she would deal with it. And, at breakfast tomorrow, she’d have a talk with Virgil about getting a dog.
***
The next morning Libby stood by the door of the stables, staring at her phone as she tried to get up the nerve to make the Skype call. Knowing she would be “seeing” Ryan again had her heart racing, but she could do this; it was for Hank. She exhaled a long breath, opened the app, and made the call.
When Ryan’s face appeared on the screen, she forced a smile and hoped her voice would come out normal.
“Hi.”
“Hey, Libby. Good to see you. Look who I’ve got here.” Ryan smiled and turned his iPad so she could see Hank.
Her heart jumped when she saw the sweet little face. “Hi there, Hank!” she said, grinning. “It’s so good to see you! Your daddy said you’re coming out here to visit me, is that right?”
He looked at her for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“That’s so awesome, I can’t wait. Guess where I am right now.”
He looked up at Ryan, then back at the screen and shrugged.
“Take a look at this.” Libby switched the camera to face the other way, showing him the door. “This is the building where we keep most of our horses. I’m going to show them to you.” She went inside and started walking slowly through the stable, stopping when she got to Jet’s stall. “This is my horse, Jet. What do you think of him?”
Hank was staring intently at the screen, his eyes wide. Jet tossed his head and nickered, waiting for a treat. “He smells the apple in my pocket,” Libby said. She took the apple and held it out, making sure Hank could see the big horse take it delicately from the palm of her hand. “Apples are his favorite, but he likes carrots, too. When you get here, I’ll let you bring him treats.”
Hank nodded, continuing to stare at the horse. “Okay, let’s move on,” Libby said. She walked to another part of the stable, holding out her phone so Hank could see all the horses as she passed them. “Now this little guy is special,” she said, stopping at the stall of a small brown horse. “His name is Ozzie, and he’s a full grown horse, he’s just real small. And I’m thinking he would be perfect for you to learn how to ride on. If you want to, that is. If you don’t want to ride that’s fine, no one will make you.”
Hank’s gaze was fixed on the little horse, but he didn’t respond.
“How about I show you what it’s like to ride. Let’s go out back for a second.”
Libby went out the back door of the stable and walked up to the corral fence. There were a few ranch hands in the ring, working on some basics with some of their younger horses.
“Can you see that guy riding, Hank?” Libby asked, trying to keep her phone trained on the man riding around the perimeter of the ring. “Do you think it looks like fun?”
He nodded quickly and Libby chuckled. “I thought you would. Ozzie will be glad to hear it. He could use a new friend. He’s small, like I said, so our cowboys don’t like to ride him, and sometimes he has to go outside all by himself to get his exercise.”
Hank’s eyes narrowed in sympathy for the little brown horse.
Libby continued. “I think it makes him kinda sad sometimes, to see all the other horses getting ridden, and he doesn’t. He likes to go out and run through the fields, but when no one rides him he has to stay in this corral and just run in circles.”
“I’ll ride him out in the fields, Libby,” Hank said in a rush, his voice coming out a little husky.
Libby switched the camera so it was on her face again and she gave him a hopeful look. She was pretty sure the words had poured out of him before he could think about it, but now that the dam had burst she wanted to keep him talking. “You sure you wouldn’t mind?”
“I want to ride him.”
“Well then, Ozzie is going to be one happy, lucky horse. Do you want to go see him one more time before we leave the stables?”
“Yes,” Hank said, his voice eager and his eyes shining.
Libby went back to Ozzie’s stall and the horse’s big, sweet face filled the screen.
“Do you have an apple for him?” Hank wondered.
“Actually, I do have another one.” Libby took it out of her pocket and Ozzie lipped it out of her hand and crunched happily, tossing his head.
“Tell him I’ll be there soon, okay?”
Libby put her forehead up against the horse’s, trying to keep them both in the frame for the video. “Hank will be here soon, Ozzie. You be a good horse and wait for him, okay?” She stepped back and the horse tossed his head again. “That means he’ll wait,” Libby said. “Now how about we take a little drive.”
“Where to?”
“Up to the big house, where you and your dad will be staying. I’m going to drive a thing called a Gator. Your dad will have one of these to use when
you guys come.” Libby showed the vehicle on the screen, then got in and held her phone out so he could see where they were going. A few minutes later she pulled up in front of the house.
“This is where you’ll be. My Uncle Virgil and Aunt Kay will be in the house, too, and let me tell you, Hank, Aunt Kay is the best cook in the world. She makes things that taste even better than the stuff we bought in the bakery. And she can’t wait to meet you.” Libby switched the camera back to front-facing, so Hank could see her again. “You still want to come, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I wanna come.”
“Good. And I might have another surprise for you when you get here.”
“What surprise?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you, because it’s a surprise. But I’ll give you a hint and see if you can guess. It starts with a ‘P.’”
She heard Ryan’s deep chuckle. “A peach?” he asked.
“Nope. That wouldn’t be much of a surprise.”
“A penguin?”
“Hank, tell your dad there are no penguins in North Dakota.”
The little boy did so, then begged again to know what the surprise was.
“I’ll give you some more hints. It has four legs. And it might lick your face.”
Hank’s eyes got huge. “A dog?” he asked reverently.
“Well, kinda, but it starts with a ‘P’ remember.” She smiled when Ryan leaned down and whispered something in Hank’s ear.
“A puppy?” he asked, even more reverently.
“You guessed it! I’m going to pick him up tomorrow, but I won’t name him. I’ll let you do that when you get here. Sound good?”
“We’ll be there soon, Libby. Dad told me we can leave soon.”
“I can’t wait, Hank. Just let me know when you’ll get here, and me, the puppy, and Ozzie will be waiting. Okay?”
“Okay. Bye, Libby.”
Ryan told Hank to go wash his hands for lunch, and when he was out of earshot he looked at the screen and shook his head. “You did it again, Lib. You’re like magic with that boy. I’m going to go talk to him about looking at the mugshots now, while the ranch is fresh in his mind. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
“Please do. It was good to see him again, even if it’s just on a screen.”
“It’s even better to hear his voice,” Ryan said. “Thanks for that. Making him feel sorry for that horse was a stroke of genius.”
She laughed. “I have my moments.”
“I’m planning to drive the truck out there instead of flying. I think it’ll help Hank realize how far away we’re getting from Chandler, and it’ll help him feel safer. By the time we come back, I should be able to assure him that the guy is locked up and won’t be a threat anymore.”
“That sounds like a good plan. You’re a great dad.”
“I don’t know if I’ve achieved that status yet, but maybe I don’t totally suck.”
She chuckled. “It’s a start. Bye, Ryan. Talk to you soon.”
“Bye, Libby. Thanks again.”
***
She ended the call and just sat there for a few minutes. It had gone better than she’d dared to hope, and she prayed that Hank would now be able to face the task of identifying ‘the mean man’ so they could leave town and put the bad memories behind them, for a while at least. She believed with all her heart that Hank would heal here at the ranch, surrounded by people who loved him. No one could take the place of his mother, but they could certainly help fill the void, and also help him forget that awful night at his grandparents’ house.
When the time came, if Hank left the ranch feeling at least a little happier and a little safer, it would all be worth it. But she had a feeling Ryan would have an extra passenger on the way back to North Carolina. Of the four-legged, Australian Shepherd variety.
Oh well. He would just have to deal with it. Every boy should have a dog.
CHAPTER 23
The back yard of Ryan’s house was conveniently shadowed by large trees, and a thick hedge at the edge of the grass provided even more cover. The man Anthony called ‘Big’ had been hunkered down there, watching the house for hours. He knew the cop and his kid were both inside, because he’d seen their silhouettes through the sheer curtains. If only they’d call it a night and go to bed already.
Uncomfortable and hungry, Big toyed with the idea of attempting the shot through the window, so he could be done with it all and get out of there. It would be a risky move, though. He was too far away to be assured of hitting his target, and the motion lights mounted in the eaves on both corners of the house made it impossible to get close enough without alerting the cop. It was tempting to try it anyway, but although he was a decent shot, he wasn’t great. If he took the shot and missed, all hell would break loose, and he wouldn’t get another chance. It was better to wait, even though his patience was being severely tested.
Not that being tested was anything new. The weeks since Anthony had been arrested had taken their toll on Big, and he resented it to the max. He was jumpy and paranoid, and he hadn’t been able to sleep much for worrying that the cops were going to come knocking. They had only questioned him once so far, and he thought he’d pulled off the innocent act pretty well. But that was before he’d gone after a cop’s son, when they were only looking for an arsonist. If they brought him in again, he was in trouble. Best to do the job right this time, then hope his alibis all came through for him. They should, he was certainly paying them enough.
There were several other suspects for Anthony’s hit man. Big knew this for a fact, thanks to his inside source at the police department. While that had bought him some time, he knew that all it would take to prove that he was the one who had tried to burn the cop in his own house, and multiple other offenses the cops had become aware of after going through Anthony’s desk and computer, was for that blasted kid to point a finger at him. If that happened, he was done for.
That’s why he was here now, skulking in the bushes and waiting for lights-out in the cop’s house. He wasn’t about to let a five year old kid put him behind bars for the rest of his life, that was for darn sure. He’d failed to eliminate the kid once, but he wouldn’t fail again. And it had to go down tonight, because according to his contact in the Jonesville PD, the kid was going to the station the next morning to look at mug shots.
Upon hearing that news, Big had quickly made his own plans. For a little extra green, his contact had provided the address where the kid and his dad were living. No doubt the cop thought he could keep his kid safe, but he was in for a rude awakening. He’d be caught completely unaware in his bed, and Big planned to be in and out so fast the cop wouldn’t have a chance to cause any trouble. If he did, he would simply have to die right along with his kid. It didn’t matter much either way to Big.
He had shown up at the house right after dark, watching and waiting behind the hedge at the edge of the back yard. A little bit ago a light had come on in a room at the back end of the house. The man assumed it was the boy’s bedroom, and he dialed his phone. It was finally getting closer to go-time.
“Anything happening in the front?” he asked the twenty-something kid he had hired to watch the front of the house.
“All quiet, boss,” came the reply.
“I think the kid’s going to bed. Now we just need to wait until his cop dad hits the hay.”
“Let me know if you want me to go in with you when it’s time,” the guy said.
“Stay put unless I call for you.”
“You got it, boss.”
Big checked his gun, eyed the windows, and continued to wait. The light in the bedroom went out, but it was another hour, almost eleven o’clock, before the house went completely dark. He forced himself to wait forty-five more minutes, giving the cop a chance to fall into a deep sleep before he carefully approached the back door.
Last time, at the old guy’s house, he’d simply smashed the glass in the door and taken his chances on being heard. Turned out that hadn’t be
en wise, and the old guy had heard him and managed to get the police there before Big could find the boy. Because of that failure, and the fact that he was dealing with a cop this time, Big was being extra careful. He used a glass cutter to silently cut a fist sized circle out of the glass pane, then he reached in and unlocked the door and the deadbolt.
The house was dark and quiet. Using a penlight cupped in his hand to let out only enough light to make sure he didn’t run into anything, he moved carefully though the kitchen, into the living room, and toward the hallway leading to the back end of the house. Judging from the light that had been on for a short time a couple hours ago, the kid’s bedroom was in the back corner.
He made his way soundlessly down the hall. The plan was to find the kid, shoot him enough times that the outcome wasn’t in doubt, then go out the same way he had come in, before the cop could get his bearings and come after him. His car was parked on the street behind the house, and all he had to do was run through one neighbor’s yard to get to it. He would easily be gone before the cop realized what had happened.
His heart was beating a little fast, but he kept a cool head. It wasn’t like he hadn’t done this kind of thing before. Anthony wasn’t his only employer, and there never seemed to be a shortage of people who needed to be dealt with in special ways. The difference this time was that he was saving his own skin, not that of the person paying him, and another failure could be devastating. He wouldn’t let that happen.
The door on the left at the end of the hallway was cracked open a few inches, the very dim light of a night light illuminating the opening, confirming it was indeed the kid’s location. The door across the hall, which had to be the cop’s bedroom, was closed tight. Perfect. This wouldn’t take long.
Big moved to the kid’s door and slowly inched it open further, relieved that the hinges were silent. The room was revealed gradually, and he smiled when he saw the bed in the far corner, a kid sized hump under the blankets, up against the wall. He crept to within five feet, raised his gun, and opened fire.
Things went very wrong, very fast. As the shots rang out, hitting the hump on the bed just as planned, bright lights suddenly blinded him and a massive weight drove into his back, taking him down to the floor hard and fast, his nose smashing into the hardwood, the pain stunning. His arms were yanked up behind him and efficiently zip tied, then a heavy boot rolled him onto his back. He squinted into the light, feeling blood pouring from his nose, and saw three men standing over him. While one of them told him loudly and colorfully just what he thought of him, another yanked him to his feet.
