Ian and Seth shared a look between them but didn’t say anything. Ronnie had been a real bitch these past few weeks. He knew it, but couldn’t seem to shake off his bad mood. Between getting back into the habit of school and missing Kayla and Addie, he’d been a little out of sorts.
He had hoped upon hope that Kayla would realize she cared about him and call him. When she hadn’t called he’d gone home for a much needed visit with his family. By the end of the visit his whole family had figured out that he was licking the wounds of a heartbreak That had made things even worse, because then his mama had called in the troops—his sisters—who felt the need to share their wisdom regarding women…whether he wanted it or not.
His return to Ohio had been just as bad. Ian or Seth, one of them, had left a cheerleading movie on his bed, and instead of finding it funny or even humiliating, it had only reminded him of Addie, which then reminded him of Kayla. Ronnie knew he needed to snap out of it since the jokes coming from his closest friends stopped after only a few days. That meant they weren’t getting a response and had decided to give up.
“Glad to hear Buck was able to find the old woman. I guess, like me, he is a dog of many talents,” Seth said.
Ian rolled his eyes. He handed Ronnie a cup of coffee and sat next to him on the couch.
“I’m sure that was a weight off Kayla’s shoulders, that her mother is safe,” Ian said.
“You guys suck at subtlety,” Ronnie said. “Kayla thanked me, but that’s it. I know that job brought in good money, but you’re both working other jobs now and I’m still paying my own way because I was smart and saved my money.”
“It’s not the money, it’s the pouting that is annoying,” Ian said. “You kind of put me in mind of a teenage girl not making the cheerleading squad.”
“You seriously need new material, man,” Ronnie replied.
“Why don’t you hang at the club? A little rebound action might help. I may be a little older now but I still got it, and I can hook you up with some prime action,” Seth said with a smile.
“I appreciate it, but I really just need to pull my head out of my ass and focus on school. Stop worrying about stupid shit and focus,” he said.
“I’m sure it would be easier if the kid wouldn’t call, but you did the right thing, man. They can take the soldier out of the army but they can’t take the army out of the soldier,” Ian replied.
Ian was right. Saying no to Addie when she needed him, regardless of his issues with Kayla, was as impossible as his sisters butting out of his business. He pulled out his cell phone and noticed Addie hadn’t called him yet.
“Hang tough, buddy. Things will work out, and until they do, if you change your mind about a soft, good-smelling shoulder to cry on, let me know.” Seth smiled and headed back to his room.
“I heard enough of that shit last night so I’m hitting the shower before they go for rounds four, five and six,” Ian said and headed to the bathroom.
Left alone with his thoughts and cup of coffee, Ronnie decided to call Addie and see if she was awake. He needed to pick up Buck.
“Hey, Ronnie,” Addie answered a little breathlessly.
“You up? I need to come get Sergeant Buck and get him back over to Rusty’s because I have things to do today. Your mom home yet?” he asked.
“Um, yeah, she’s at the house. Can you wait about an hour, though?” Addie asked.
“Addie, what are you doing?” The child had yanked his chain enough that he knew when she was up to something. Right now he wanted no part of it.
“Well, we went for a run and haven’t made it back to the house yet,” she answered.
There was more to this than she was saying. He could smell the bullshit but simply asking her what she was up to would prove fruitless. Everything in him screamed that something wasn’t right.
“You left Sergeant Buck with your mama?” he asked.
“Um, no, he’s with me,” she replied hesitantly.
“Don’t overwork him, Addie. He’s no spring chicken, and I don’t want to hear him whining about his arthritis,” Ronnie said.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine. He’s just watching us mostly,” she said. It was then that he heard whispering in the background.
“Who is ‘us’?” he asked. More whispering.
“Just a few of us from the squad, trying to stay in shape for competition. You know, so that when we get a new advisor we’ll be ready to jump back into it,” she said.
“Fine. One hour,” he said.
After hanging up with Addie, his gut still told him that there was more to this than she was saying. Never one to ignore his instincts, he left for Kayla’s house. Just as he pulled into the driveway, his cell phone rang and Kayla’s name showed up on the screen.
“Hi, Ronnie. First, I wanted to say thank you for yesterday. My mom has a broken wrist and some bruising but she’s going to be okay. Second, I hate to ask, but Tori isn’t answering so she must be at the office. Would you mind running by the house to check on Addie? She’s probably still asleep, but she’s been there all night by herself and I’d just feel better if I was sure. I am waiting to sign some paperwork so that Mom can be transferred back to the nursing home,” Kayla said.
Son of a bitch….If that little shit Chase was there when Kayla wasn’t, Ronnie was going to stick his size-thirteen foot up the boy’s butt.
“I’ll take care of it,” he replied and then hung up the phone.
He hated hanging up with Kayla without saying more, but right now he was seeing red. He didn’t want to say anything that would make her worry even more. He could handle the death of one teenaged bastard all by himself. Addie’s breathless reply and hesitant responses to his questions made more sense now.
Getting out of the truck, Ronnie headed up the walk. When Addie didn’t respond to his knock on the door he dug around in the flower bed until he found the spare key then let himself inside. He headed directly to Addie’s room, planning to bust down the door and drag the boy out by the scruff of his neck if he had to.
He opened the door to find the room empty. Ronnie made his way through the whole house calling for Addie and realized she really wasn’t home.
What the hell?
His gut was burning now. Something was wrong. He locked up the house, put the key back and drove around the neighborhood. When he didn’t see her, he headed toward the high school figuring it was time to call Kayla. Adding to her concerns wasn’t something he looked forward to doing, but she should know that Addie wasn’t home.
Pulling into the parking lot of the high school building, Ronnie had just pushed the send button on his cell phone when he noticed Chase’s car parked alongside several other cars that he also recognized. One-stop shopping. He’d just pop in and find out if Chase or any of the boys happened to know where Addie was and remind them that Ronnie had twelve years of military training. That training amounted to more than just a can of whoop ass if any of them had less than honorable intentions where Addie was concerned.
“Hi, Ronnie, is everything okay?” Kayla answered.
He closed his mouth. How had a mere fifteen-year-old slip of a girl left him unsure of how to proceed? Was this normal? Was this what Kayla had to deal with all on her own? No wonder she’d been so mad at him over not telling her about coaching Addie.
Keeping tabs on the girl was harder than he’d imagined. He’d never really thought about it before because ultimately Addie was Kayla’s responsibility. He just did what Kayla told him to do—except for the cheerleading thing. Now that he was solely charged with Addie’s well-being, even temporarily, he was at a loss.
Hell, less than eight hours ago she’d been snuggled up with his dog at her side in a picture worthy of Norman Rockwell. Now he was sick with worry and ready to kill anyone responsible for putting her in harm’s way. Hearing Kayla’s voice had simply slapped him upside the head with the reason for her anger the day of the competition. Keeping him a secret from Addie was probably only secondary
to Kayla attempting to keep track of the child.
“I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to find out right now,” he said. “I dropped off Buck last night to stay with Addie because she said she was scared. Then I called this morning to see if I could come and pick him up and she said she was out running and to give her an hour. I no sooner get off the phone with her than you call saying you hadn’t been home yet. So I headed over there anyway and Addie’s not home. But I don’t see her running around the neighborhood either. I’m at the school right now. I will let you know as soon as I find her. If I can’t find her in the next twenty minutes, I will call you back anyway,” he said.
He hung up with Kayla and headed into the school. Out of habit, he stopped off in the gym first. He came up short upon noticing the principal talking with the cheer squad. Buck stood next to Addie on his leash. The practice mats laid out gave Ronnie a pretty good idea of what they were doing. Now that he knew she was safe, he was going to kill her himself. He marched over to where she stood.
“See, Mr. Thompson, he’s right here!” Addie said, noticing him approach. “I told you. He was just in the bathroom!”
Addie stepped close to Ronnie, linked her arm through his and smiled up at him. This ability of hers to ring his bell was going to stop. The look on the principal’s face, though, meant her death would be postponed until Ronnie dealt with the man first.
“Mr.…I mean, Sergeant Brown. It’s good to see you back and ready to help the kids prepare for the state competition. I was a little worried when you didn’t call me back that you weren’t going to coach them. You’re here now, though, and that is all that matters. The gym is only open until noon today but if you think the team will need to practice over the holiday break, just call and I’ll come down myself to let you in. I left my number on your voice mail,” the balding man said, smiling and holding his hand out to Ronnie.
Damn her. She’d roped him in yet again. The group of kids all stood staring at him with a combination of pleading and hope in their eyes. The principal looked much the same, and Ronnie found himself sighing heavily and shaking the man’s hand. There was more than one way to make Addie sorry for manipulating him into this.
After Mr. Thompson left the gym, Ronnie turned to the kids. None of them would meet his gaze except for Chase. The kid sorely grated on Ronnie’s nerves but at least he was man enough to face him. Taking Buck’s leash from Addie’s hand and unpeeling her fingers from his arm, he handed her his cell phone.
“Call and explain yourself to your mother while I make your friends sorry for being your accomplices in making me worry. Soldiers aren’t supposed to worry. We don’t doubt. We are the last line in the sand,” he said.
For the first time since he’d come into the gym, Addie looked ashamed as she took the phone from his hand and turned away to call her mother. Ronnie stood with his arms folded over his chest and stared the other kids down for several minutes.
“It was my idea, Sergeant Brown…not Addie’s,” Kaitlyn finally said.
“Actually, it was my idea, Sergeant, sir,” Chase said. As though he thought it would really help his cause, the boy stood up a little taller and saluted Ronnie, which immediately brought a snicker from his friend Stevie.
“No, it wasn’t. It was my idea, Ronnie,” Addie said from behind him. “I called mom and told her the truth and she said that whatever punishment you felt was warranted was probably deserved. When Mom called last night and said she would probably be at the hospital most of the night and told me to call Tori to see if she could come and get me, I figured I’d rather hang with you and Buck. I fell asleep while I was trying to get up the balls to call you and that’s why it was so late when I finally did. When you wouldn’t stay over so I could try to talk you into coming this morning, I thought we could fool Mr. Thompson since we had Buck. I am really sorry, Ronnie.”
“Dishonesty and distrust are dark holes in which to find yourself. They are hard to dig out of,” he said.
“Really? Then why did you tell me that Grandma bought the mix CD then?” Addie asked.
“Maybe I loaned her the money? Did you ever think of that? Don’t run off at the mouth until you’re sure you have all the facts. Besides, I’m afraid this discussion will have to wait for another day since we only have the gym until noon. I guess you all better start off with five laps around the gym and then five sets of stretches,” he said. Then upon hearing the kids all groan, he said, “Hey! You brought this on yourselves. Get moving. You wanted the sergeant and me as your coaches? Well, you bought us, at least for today. Now it’s time to pay the price.”
Rather than giving him more arguments, which was her usual modus operandi, Addie simply smiled at him and started the lineup. After getting themselves together in the correct formation, the kids took off running, and within a few seconds they were moving in sync. At least all wasn’t lost, and he wouldn’t be forced to start this craziness all over from the beginning.
He worked the team really well, and just when they thought he was done, he worked them some more. Addie had shown him during the last competition that if they went in prepared for the state competition, they would win the tri-county, and it had worked. Maybe if he pointed them in the direction of national cheer competitions they would do well at State. Always one step ahead…he was getting the idea that he had to be, at least with this group of teenagers.
When practice ended and the kids took off, he and Addie headed to Kayla’s house. “So when are you and mom going to make up?”
“Look, you don’t get to ask any questions here. I, on the other hand, have several questions that are going to be answered. Are you and Chase together?” he asked.
“That is way not fair. How about I answer a question and then you answer a question?” she said. “Chase asked me out, but I really like Tyler. Now your turn. Are you and my mom going to make up?”
“Tyler? The dipshit quarterback of your school’s football team? The one who couldn’t pull off enough wins to even get his team to the playoffs? The boy who thinks the rest of you guys are there to do his bidding and are beneath him? The kid whose biggest muscle is his mouth? Seriously? Chase could annihilate him with one arm behind his back!” Ronnie said.
Why was he rooting for Chase when nearly three hours ago he’d been ready to kill the little punk? Punk or not, Chase was a far cry better than Tyler. Tyler’s dad was the football coach and the only reason the little dweeb was the quarterback. If Ronnie were the coach, Tyler would play running back…if he was able to fix his attitude problems and make it off the bench.
“Chase is just a friend. Now answer my question or this conversation is over,” she replied.
He glanced at her and she crossed her arms over her chest in an imitation of him when he was serious. Damn kid. He was the adult here, the coach, the soldier—the one in charge!
“I’m not sure how to make this right with your mom, to be honest. How do you know about me and your mom anyway?” he asked. “Oh, and what exactly do you have in common with Tyler? I mean, if you went out with Chase you could talk about competition or stunts or about the other kids on the team. What would you talk about with Tyler? How to bow down and kiss his feet?”
“You could try kissing her. Mom is stretched pretty tight most of the time. Sometimes you have to do something a little crazy to get her attention,” she said. “As for Tyler, I don’t know what we would talk about, but he’s cute.”
Oh, he’d already kissed Kayla, and she was woman enough to get his undivided attention. Was it possible he hadn’t managed to get her complete focus in return?
“Well, if looks are all you are interested in, why don’t you date Sergeant Buck? He’s the best-looking ‘dawg’ I know,” Ronnie said with a laugh.
“Very funny. I hope stand-up comedy is your second or third career choice,” Addie said. Then after a few moments of silence she added, “Can you stay for dinner?”
“I’m afraid not. I need to find a new place for Sergeant Buck to stay. My b
uddy, Rusty, who normally keeps him, is out of town for the holidays. I can stay at Rusty’s place with Sergeant Buck, but I really need to either find an apartment that takes pets or see if I can find him a good home. He’s been staying with Rusty since before I met you and your mom. It’s time I figure out something permanent for him,” Ronnie said.
“No! You can’t get rid of Sergeant Buck! He’s like the good-luck charm for the team! We need him for State! Promise me you won’t get rid of him, Ronnie. We love him!”
The child then leaned over and laid her head next to Buck’s. The dog, as though agreeing with her, whined and licked Addie’s cheek. Then she looked up at Ronnie with her big brown eyes and said, “You also have to be our coach for the rest of the year. Please, Ronnie?”
Aw, hell. He could never say no to her.
Chapter Eleven
Kayla heard the sound of Ronnie’s truck in the driveway and stopped to check her appearance in the hallway mirror before continuing to the door. Peering through the curtains, she watched as Addie got out of the old truck and coaxed Sergeant Buck out, as well. A small thrill went through Kayla when she heard the truck shut off and saw Ronnie’s door open.
“Please, Ronnie? Just let me ask her,” she heard Addie say.
Kayla sat down on the couch to wait for whatever it was that Addie was about to ask her. When the door opened, Addie came inside leading Buck by his leash.
“Mom, Sergeant Buck needs a permanent home because Ronnie’s landlord won’t allow him at the apartment. Can he stay with us? Please, Mom. He did save Grandma’s life…please?” Addie begged.
“Addie,” Ronnie warned.
“Why don’t I take him out back to check out the yard while you guys work out a deal?” Addie said and then she led Buck down the hall toward the back door.
“I’m sorry, Kayla. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth about Buck,” he said.
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