Page 82 of Caught in the Crossfire

That was the truth. Their first four-legged baby would arrive at the shop at 7:00 a.m. Nicole glanced at the clock on the wall and winced. Great. That meant the alarm would go off in four hours. Two gallons of coffee, and she’d be able to function at peak efficiency. Maybe.

Dawn groaned. “Our first customer is Titan.”

Linc looked from her to Nicole and back. “Who’s Titan?”

“He’s a gorgeous American Husky. Titan has the sweetest personality but takes forever to groom.”

“Why?”

“He has beautiful, thick fur. No matter how many times we brush him, we collect a pile of fur, and he takes a long time to dry. He’s not a fan of the dryer, either. We’ll be wrestling him for an hour or longer.”

“He’s one half of a bonded pair,” Nicole added.

“Another Husky?” Mason asked.

“A gray cat named Elmo. He and Titan always come in together.”

“Why is that a problem?”

“Elmo hates both of us. We’ll be sporting scratches inside of fifteen minutes.”

Linc grinned. “Wish you had a camera in the workroom. I’d love to watch the show.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you were within striking distance of Elmo’s claws.” Dawn sighed. “Come on, Nic. If we don’t get some sleep, we won’t be able to outwit that stubborn feline.”

Mason chuckled. “I’ll have hot coffee waiting for you both.”

“I better get a good morning kiss, too,” Nicole groused.

“Deal.” He nudged her toward the hallway.

Nicole followed her friend to the end of the hall where the guest rooms were located. Five minutes later, she slid under the covers again and willed herself to return to sleep. Following a restless hour of fruitless tossing and turning, Nicole gave up. She trudged to the security room.

Mason spun around for the second time that night and stood. “Problem?”

“Can’t sleep. I’m too wound up, and I keep wondering what’s happening with Ivan.”

“Go make your favorite tea. I’ll text Josh to see what he knows.”

Nicole beamed at him. “Thanks.” She found chamomile mint tea in the pantry. After nuking water and dumping a tea bag into the steaming liquid, she carried the mug into the security room and curled up on the love seat at the side of the room. “Did Josh respond?”

“Ethan and Rod are questioning Ivan now. Ethan said he’d contact us later today.”

The ball of ice in her stomach began to melt. Good. At least Ivan wouldn’t cause more trouble tonight. She had a feeling that the two policemen would keep him busy for hours.

Once she finished her drink, Mason tucked a quilt around her and brushed strands of her hair away from her cheek. “Rest. I’ll be right here.”

Nicole snuggled under the blanket and soon drifted off to sleep. She woke later to the sound of two men speaking in low tones. She peeked at the window. Still dark. Linc must be getting ready to leave for PSI. She hoped he functioned a lot better than she would today with the interrupted night of rest.

Soon, the front door opened, then closed again, and Mason returned to the security room with a mug of coffee clutched in his hand.

“Hi,” she murmured.

“It’s four o’clock. You have another two hours to sleep.”

“Linc is doing PT with the trainees today?”

“Josh insists that the trainers keep in shape and work out with the trainees at least three days a week. Durango or Bravo go up against them in PT every day.”

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