by kimberly
He laughed along with her wanting to put her at ease.
“And right now. I need someone like you.”
Hm. This sounded . . . interesting.
She must have realized how that sounded, because her jaw dropped and then closed. A tinge of pink touched her cheeks as she continued. “Um, to live here on the property, I mean.”
“Of course.”
“My daughter witnessed a murder recently and it has upset our quiet little world.”
He absorbed this information. No wonder she’d been so on edge. And her daughter, the poor kid. No kid should have to go through that. “I’ll do everything I can to help.”
“It will help to know you’re here, on the property.”
“Are you afraid the killers will come after her?”
She met his gaze, and he saw the answer—and the fear—in her eyes. Sean nodded. “I understand. And I promise you, Anesia, I’ll do whatever I can to keep your daughter safe.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
ZOYA
January 17
Naltsiine Kennels
11:45 a.m.
Mom and Sean talked near the sleds. No doubt she was telling him how to get the dogs ready. Again.
Auntie Jenna and Cole stood on the porch drinking hot chocolate and chit-chatting.
Andie crouched to the ground and formed a snowball.
I followed suit. Maybe if I pretended to laugh and have fun she would think everything was fine . . . Yes. That would work. It had to.
“Andie, Zoya.” Mom caught us.
Andie giggled and we hid the round objects behind our backs.
“Yes, ma’am?”
As soon as she turned her back the games began. One ball after another would soar through the air until colliding with the intended target.
“Ah!” Andie ducked as two came flying. “Oh, you’re in for it now!”
I tried to give a smile, and almost succeeded. Come on, pull yourself together. You’re supposed to be all better, remember?
The fight continued for more than ten minutes as Mom showed Sean once again how to attach the dogs to their harnesses.
A niggling feeling passed through me, starting in my stomach and going up. Was I wrong to pretend?
No, it will help everyone.
Mom’s words echoed throughout my head . . . “God did not let you down. Those men who committed the crime are the ones who did wrong. Not you. Not God. He loves you. And whether you want to admit it or not, ‘junk’—like you put it—happens to all of us. To good people. All the time.”
I shook my head. The voice returned.
“Don’t trust Him . . . Don’t trust Him . . .”
Andie’s surprise hit brought me back to the present.
“Yikes! That’s cold!” A chunk of ice made its way down my jacket and onto my shirt. It melted, leaving a cold, wet spot. “Andie! I don’t have time to change!”
“Hey, you did the same thing to me.”
“Did not.”
“Did too!”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeaaaah . . .”
And snowballs went airborne again.
“Make sure you don’t tell the dogs to go one way and shift your weight to the other, these dogs go so fast you may fly off. This rubbery, mat-like flap right here can be flipped down with your foot, place your heel on it and it will help slow you down. For a turn or whatever. But don’t use the foot brake unless it’s an emergency. It’ll tear up the trail. ‘Gee’ is right and ‘haw’ is left. Got that?” Mom pointed to each thing in turn as she explained.
Sean nodded.
“Okay then, time to go.” Mom issued the cease-fire. Lunches were packed, Sean’s lessons were done.
Finally.
Everyone jumped onto their sled. Cole and Auntie Jenna in the front, me and Andie in the middle, and Mom and Sean in the back.
We rode for awhile, no one saying a word.
I closed my eyes. I’d missed running the dogs. It was good to be back on the sled.
I glanced beside me at Andie. She grinned and motioned for me to look behind.
Loosen up. Stay calm.
“Don’t trust Him . . . Don’t trust Him . . . Don’t trust Him . . .”
A shiver jolted me. I wanted to get rid of the voice. But it seemed to be there to stay.
Were there murderers out there?
Andie giggled. “Look.”
I looked behind me to where Andie pointed. Mom was still giving instructions to Sean.
“And shift your weight, like so . . .”
Andie laughed.
I tried to. But the little voice kept speaking. Reminding me . . .
Go away!
“God did not let you down . . . He loves you . . .”
“Please don’t think I’m being mean, it’s not like he’s a bad guy or anything . . .”
I jerked my head over to Andie. Thankfully I hadn’t fallen off the sled. I really needed to pay attention.
Andie smiled and looked behind. “But he’s sooooo weird.”
I nodded, trying to bring myself back to the present. Sean? “For someone his age you’d think he’d catch on a little quicker.” I cleared my throat.
Andie nodded. “And with his education. Mom said he went to Harvard.”
Harvard?
Cole yelled at us from up front. “How about we stop at the big clearing up ahead?”
“Okay.” Andie smiled.
I nodded. I just hope there aren’t any bad men waiting for us.
No! Zoya, stop thinking like that. I shook my head.
“Gee.” One at a time Cole, Auntie Jenna, Andie, and then me yelled for our dogs to turn into the wide clearing.
Mom sped up in front of Sean and turned too. “You’re next, Sean.”
I hopped off my sled and went to unpack the lunch boxes. Distraction . . .
“Gee!” Sean’s shout brought more than one bird out of their nests.
I covered my ears.
“Not so loud, Sea—Look out!”
I spun around. Well, he shifted his weight all right.
A laugh bubbled up. It felt good to laugh. But did I want it to?
Sean flew through the air and landed smack-dab into the trunk of a full grown tree. Even from where we stood I could hear his loud “UMPH!”
Mom and Cole ran over and yelled for his litter of dogs to stop running.
Auntie Jenna walked up next to us as Mom and Cole helped him out of a pile of snow. “I hope he’s not hurt.”
Mom nodded. “I think he’ll live.”
The foursome walked back over to us, Sean dusting snow off himself as he walked.
Andie clapped. “Bravo, Sean. That was an excellent performance.”
I couldn’t help it. A smile stretched across my face. It felt good. Almost.
A blur in the trees caught my attention.
A man.
Pointing at me.
* * *
COLE
1:11 p.m.
Cole lifted his face to the vanishing afternoon sun. The tension of the AMI encryption would send him to an early grave if he didn’t watch it. Jenna walked up beside him and slipped her gloved hand into his.
“Hey.”
“Hey, babe.” He released a long sigh.
“I’m glad you took the afternoon off to spend with us.” She pulled him closer. “But I can tell your mind is elsewhere. Wanna talk about it?”
“Wish I could, but I can’t. At least not yet. Just issues with the prototype.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Sometimes I wish I had retired when I had the chance.”
Jenna’s arms reached around his neck and tugged him down. “You? Retire? Yeah, right.” She pulled a little harder and stood on tiptoe.
As their lips met, he tried to focus on his wife, enjoy the moment.
She laughed and pulled away. “I don’t think you’ll ever be able to retire. You enjoy the thrill a little too much.”
“More like a headache right now.”
He grabbed her before she could get away. “Okay, little miss-know-it-all”—he kissed her soundly—“thanks for the boost of confidence.”
She sauntered away, a glimmer of triumph in her eyes. “You’re welcome. And I expect our date night tonight to be totally focused on you and me. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Cole watched her walk over to Anesia. God sure had blessed him with that one. And she was right. His AMI problems could wait until later. Needed to focus on her now. He glanced over to the sleds. Sean went from dog to dog checking harnesses. Time Cole got to know the new guy. Zoya wasn’t herself and they needed to protect her.
“Understand it all yet?” He stuck his hand out. Anesia told him she’d received the background check and had hired Sean that morning. She also informed him that she’d spoken with Agent Philips about Sean. That relieved a lot of his worry, as had the news that Mr. Connolly was a Christian.
“Not remotely.” Sean received his handshake with a firm grip.
“Don’t worry. It took me months and plenty of eye-rolls from all four of those lovely ladies over there before I caught on.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t take that long, considering this is now my job and I’m being paid to learn this canine business.”
This guy was different. Seemed honest enough, but a little too polished. “So what brought you here, Sean?”
“A fresh start.”
“From what?”
“The family business.”
“Oh? Something you didn’t enjoy?”
The other man glanced at Anesia. “My boss knows the truth, and that’s enough.”
Truth? What truth? Hadn’t Agent Philips cleared this guy? That’s all he needed. Another mess to clean up. He must’ve been scowling because Sean held up his hands.
“It’s not what you’re thinking.”
He stiffened and his jaw clenched. No one messed with his family. “And what exactly am I thinking?”
“Let me start over. My name is Sean Connolly. Of the Boston Connollys. My father owns CROM.”
Open mouth. Insert foot.
Sean shook his head. “Sorry, Cole. You have every right to be concerned about your friends.”
Cole cleared his throat. “I’m the one who should apologize. I appreciate your honesty.”
Sean held his hand out for another shake. “Shall we begin again?”
“Yeah.” The grip was hearty and shared mutual respect. “But, we’ve got to get you to relax in your speech a little.”
A laugh was Sean’s response. “If you have a cure for thirty-seven years of grooming and breeding, I’d take it. But I’m afraid some things aren’t easily achieved.”
“You can say that again.”
“I was hoping that in my travels here, some of it would be erased, but I guess it’s still obvious.”
“How did you get here?”
“I walked.”
Cole sucked in too big a breath and choked on the icy air. “You what?”
“I walked.”
“From Boston?”
“Yes. I had just read in Luke about Jesus challenging His followers to leave everything behind and follow Him. And I’d felt the prodding for some time that I was lukewarm, the only way to be on fire for the Lord was for me to leave that life behind. So I did. I sold everything I owned in Boston, packed a backpack, and set off on my journey.”
“Wow.” Had to give the guy credit. That was a lot of miles to cover. “You walked all the way here? How long did it take?”
“Indeed I did. Plenty of people offered rides, but I declined. It took the better part of seven months. Covered over 6,000 miles.”
“Guess you took the long way, huh?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. I wasn’t entirely sure where I’d end up.” Sean looked down at his hands. “For many years I’ve been sequestered among the social elite. The chosen few my father allowed into our ‘circle.’ Everything was about title, money, speech, and appearance—to be quite blunt—a façade. I hated myself. Didn’t even know myself.”
“That’s intense. To have the guts to just pack up and leave? How’d your family take it?”
“Not well.” Sean’s green eyes met his. “My father is not pleased.”
“He knows where you are?”
A sad laugh. “Unfortunately. He has unlimited resources. And likes to know everything.”
Cole nodded. “I can imagine.” He patted Sean on the shoulder. “Sounds like you did the right thing. And you’ve got us to help you through it.”
“What do you do?”
“Oh, a little of this and a little of that.” Cole smiled at him. “I’m in the military. A lot of stuff, I can’t talk about.”
“Understood. It’s good to know you’re here though. I would greatly appreciate a solid male friend.”
“Man, we’ve got to work on you. Get you to loosen up. We’ve got a men’s Bible study every other Saturday morning. Sometimes my work keeps me away, but it would be a great opportunity for you to meet with other men. And we hold one another accountable, which is a good thing.”
“Sounds exactly like what I’ve been looking for. And I would love help in ‘loosening up’ as you put it. You don’t have any idea how difficult it is to blend in.”
Cole chuckled. “You should’ve heard Andie the first day. You and your button down Oxford shirt. Leave it to a thirteen-year-old to put you in your place.”
“Well, when the majority of the wardrobe you’ve had for fifteen years is three-piece suits, and you wore them almost around the clock, it’s a little difficult to discern what one wears to work at a dog kennel. Believe me, I was afraid Anesia would kick me out in my Oxford.”
Cole chuckled. “You don’t want to mess with Anesia, that’s for sure.” Something in the trees caught his attention. “But don’t worry. We’ll help you figure it all out. I’ll get your number from Anesia and call you about Bible study.” Hopefully he didn’t sound too rushed, but his gut told him something wasn’t right.
“Yes. I need to find out what needs to be done next.” Sean walked toward Anesia.
As Cole headed to the tree line where he’d seen movement, he scanned the perimeter. He slid a hand inside his down jacket and pulled his sidearm free.
Rustling greeted his ears.
Snow crunched.
Then antlers appeared.
Cole exhaled and, as he holstered his gun, the moose grunted at him. But as he turned to head back to their picnic, something else caught his eye.
Footprints. Of the human kind.
And they were fresh.
* * *
SEAN
January 17
1:34 p.m.
Even though he’d been through an information overload, Sean forced his brain to alertness. To watch and learn. These people had deep relationships. They knew each other well. Closer than any other family he’d witnessed.
Yet the undercurrent of fear was tangible. Anesia seemed to tackle the day, almost forcing everything to be . . . what? He wasn’t sure. Cole and Jenna appeared like any other newlywed couple. In love, enjoying every minute. But Cole . . . no missing that edge of vigilance. How he never quite let his guard down.
Sean watched Cole as he crouched in the trees. What was he looking for? When he turned and came back to join them, a smile cracked his face. Maybe it was nothing.
Anesia caught his attention. Sharp, attentive, intelligent, independent. She poured her life into her work. His new boss intrigued him.
“Time to eat.” She smiled at him before she started tossing bags to everyone.
Cole approached him. “Hey Sean. Let me show you something real quick.”
Jenna placed hands on her hips. “Don’t take long, babe, we’ve got a feast waiting.”
As Sean followed Cole, he heard Jenna say to the girls, “Men. Got
ta love ’em.”
Several yards away from the others, Cole turned. A stiff smile on his face. He pointed to his left. But stared at Sean. “Paste on a smile and don’t say anything. I saw something in the trees earlier and found footprints. I think we’re being watched. Keep your eyes peeled.”
“What?”
Cole gripped his shoulder and laughed heartily. “Don’t you dare scare them. Keep it light. Pretend, Sean.”
Pretend. He’d never been in a situation like this before. And even though Cole appeared to be joking with him about something, it was all an act. The man was protecting his family.
Years of suppressed emotion and desire welled up and shattered the shell surrounding him. Like a cocoon falling away, Sean felt new life surge forth inside him.
More than anything he wanted to be part of a real family. More than anything he wanted a reason to care.
More than anything he wanted to protect Anesia and Zoya.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ZOYA
January 17
1:46 p.m.
A breeze floated by.
I blinked. Tried to pull myself out of my thoughts. I needed to stop thinking about the murder. The gun. The blood. But how could I when they wouldn’t let go of my mind? That guy I saw pointing at me wasn’t real. It was just my imagination.
Auntie Jenna and Cole laughed. At Sean no doubt. Andie tried to lick sticky, half-frozen strawberry jelly off of her hands and face. Mom sat reorganizing the lunch boxes.
Andie giggled. When had she become so happy-go-lucky? Oh, wait. She’d always been that way.
I was the one who changed.
“Mom, how much jelly did you put on this thing?”
Auntie Jenna shrugged and pointed to Mom. “Anesia made the ones with strawberry jelly. I made the blackberry.”
“Oh, so you’re the culprit!” Andie pointed her half-eaten sandwich in Mom’s direction.
She winked.
“Having trouble?” I turned and tried to smile. Just play the part. That’s all you have to do.
