Page 86 of Wasted On You

The family was upset about the situation—they knew that colic could be dangerous for a horse—but they had a young colt to look after. With no time to locate a surrogate mare, Gary and his daughter had followed him back to his place and Mike Paul set them up with everything they’d need to feed the young colt until its mother responded to treatment and returned. It wasn’t a guarantee, colic could prove fatal, but he had hope.

By mid-afternoon the stray shepherd decided it was time to have her puppies and struggled with the first one. When all was said and done she’d delivered six in total, and all were healthy and nursing the way they should be. Mike Paul barely had time to have a shower and grab some food before he had to head back to Big Bend.

He picked up Trish and the baby along the way, and they met his parents exactly one minute before the church doors closed. He’d left Jacob back at the house, along with his cell phone, which was plugged into his laptop charging. There were messages from Ivy he hadn’t had a chance to read, and thinking about her did nothing to lighten his mood.

“Then we can figure us out.”

He was still pissed about that statement. And maybe he should let it go, but a part of him couldn’t do it.

He was grumpy. Tired. Confused. And he didn’t think the Three Wise Men were going to help all that much.

“You look like the Grinch.”

“What?” He scowled and glanced at his sister.

She shrugged. “Just saying. It’s Christmas Eve. Lighten up.”

His scowl deepened.

“Are you going to Benton’s after this?” she asked.

“Dunno.”

“What does that mean?” Trish made a face.

“Do I need to haul out a dictionary?”

“You could, but I’m pretty suredunnoisn’t in there.”

“Will you be quiet?” Their mother gave themthe look. “I swear it feels as if you two haven’t aged past ten.”

His mother had a point. He sighed and settled in for the remainder of the service. The pastor talked about love and faith and forgiveness, then some of the young children dressed up in costumes and reenacted the stable scene. By six o’clock, after some singing and more preaching, the service was over. Mike Paul got up and with a curt nod to some folks who clearly wanted to do more talking than he was planning on, he left.

Darkness had fallen and he pulled up his collar against the cold. It was a clear night, the stars were visible and there wasn’t a hint of snow. With nearly a full moon shining down, the Rockies were visible in the distance. It was the kind of night that made a man feel small.

“I wonder if it looked like this the night Jesus was born.” His mother came up alongside him.

“There’s no sky like this on the planet but here,” he replied.

“No, I don’t suppose there is.” His mother touched his arm. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good.” He glanced at his sister. “I need to head home and grab my cell and then I’m going to Benton’s. Do you want a ride?”

“It’s my first Christmas Eve with Belinda. I’m going to stay home and watchIt’s a Wonderful Lifeand eat caramel popcorn and candy canes and chocolate.” She kissed his cheek. “I’ll catch a ride with Mom and Dad.”

“See you tomorrow?” His mother asked.

“I’ll be there for breakfast.”

He said goodbye to his parents and hopped in his truck. As he drove back to his place he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. It ate at him, this unease, but he figured that thesomethingwas him and Ivy. He also figured it was time he did something about it. He was done playing nice. He’d already told her that he loved her. It was time to lay things on the line.

Mike Paul parked his truck and left it running. The house was dark, which should have triggered something, but he was so focused on his phone and Ivy that it didn’t hit. He jogged up the path, hopped onto the porch, and was surprised to find Weiner and Bun waiting for him. They were shaking from the cold, and annoyed with Jake, he opened the door and followed the dogs inside.

“Jacob?”

No one answered.

He flipped on the light switch, and it took about five seconds for his brain to interpret what his eyes were seeing. Chaos. Destruction. The place was trashed. He called out for the kid again and ran upstairs, where he grabbed his cell phone and immediately called the Sheriff’s office.

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