Page 25 of No Bones About It

Sean occasionally called all hands on deck for demolition or basic construction needs. Today, the six of them were building a bridge over a creek to expand the walking trails extending from the town’s park, which sat across the road from Phail General. Troy’s lady, Piper, had dozens of ideas for helping improve the town, and this was a big one. She wanted the town to have a central gathering place, along with built-in activities for all ages.

Garrett had been into Phail proper a few times, mostly to pick up groceries from Phail Phoods or to pick up cinnamon buns from the No Fail Diner. The town was barely a speck on the map, but it was filled with great food and even better people.

The walking and jogging path meandered through Phail Way Park and into the woods behind it. At every water crossing, Piper wanted to include a bridge and at least one bench along with a stand holding a plaque that held Phail Fun Facts.

These included all kinds of things. Local history. Animal facts. Riddles and puns. Photos from the past. Quizzes. “How does Piper’s head contain all these things?”

Troy laughed as he nailed in a board. “Her brain is constantly creating. She makes connections like no one I’ve ever met before.”

His buddy’s happy smile almost had Garrett making a joke about his obvious feelings for Piper, but he wasn’t opening that topic. Not when his own feelings for Kimi were exploding with every day that passed. The woman was addictive.

Of course, even thinking about Kimi brought up the topic. Arrow passed Garrett another board. “You seem to have made a pretty strong connection of your own, Scooby.”

He played dumb. “What are you talking about?”

Marcus grinned at him. “Nice try. You and Kimi are getting along well. Spending a lot of time together.”

He nodded and put the board into place before picking up his nail gun. “She’s great with the animals. All the horses like her.”

He ignored the laughter from his friends. They knew him too damn well. He might as well ask a question that had been bugging him. But he couldn’t phrase it without letting out his suspicions. Before he could figure out how to phrase it, Slick spoke up. “Have you been able to catch that stray Nina named Olaf?”

The stab of grief when he talked about dogs came, but its edge was dulled. By Olaf. By his horses. By Kimi. “He’s taking food from a bowl, but he hasn’t let me touch him yet.”

Heath sighed. “Nina worries about him. She thinks he was attacked by other dogs or wolves or something.”

“Probably dogs. To me, it looks like Olaf was part of a dog-fighting ring somewhere. Probably got thrown away because his injury prevented him from fighting again.”

Marcus growled. “I’d like to catch those assholes and get them locked up.”

Garrett studied the deputy. “You think they’re somewhere close by?”

Arrow shrugged. “Not in our immediate area, but those rings are all over the country. All kinds of gangs and mob money are involved. It’sbig business, and they set up in rural areas with lots of woods where they won’t draw too much attention.”

Garrett swore, and Marcus nodded. “Scum who treat animals like that don’t deserve to breathe free air.”

He totally agreed. If Olaf had been dumped from one, how had he ended up here? Was there a ring close by that Marcus didn’t know about? Was that where Kimi had disappeared those couple of nights?

A shiver of dread ran up his spine. She wasn’t stupid and wouldn’t walk into a compound to set the dogs free, but if she were investigating, she was treading on dangerous ground.

Kimi was passionate about animal welfare, and he knew she’d bought Onigis from a disreputable trainer to keep the mare safe. She had plans to go back to buy another soon, but she’d said they wouldn’t sell anything to her if they recognized her, so she was biding her time.

He’d figured she might be investigating the horse training facility at night, which was dangerous enough. If she was looking into people running the dog fighting rings, that was a different level of danger.

After they’d finished the bridge, they headed to the Saloon for a beer and some food. When they grabbed a table, Sean disappeared into the back. Probably to sneak in a few kisses with his Branna. Garrett was surrounded by sloppy-in-love friends, and he kept picturing himself in the group with Kimi at his side.

When Falcon returned, he and Branna both worked behind the bar for a few minutes. Then Branna let out a whistle to get everyone’s attention. “You all arrived on a good day. We’re introducing the latest brew from Phail Brewery. Today, we’re giving you a taste of a blonde ale that’s a perfect fit for Italian cuisine.” She grinned, held up a glass, and tipped it toward Sean. “It’s also a perfect fit for a certain Italian I know. Here’s to Falcon Blonde Ale. First round is on the house.”

Cheers erupted in the bar, and soon, everyone held a draft glass. As one, they all lifted their glasses. “To Falcon.”

Sean grinned and took the first sip. “Perfect. And the only Blonde I’ll ever need.”

Everyone laughed as Branna, a vibrant redhead, gave him a mock glare. Then Sean set down the beer, picked Brannaright off the floor, and kissed her until she wrapped her arms and legs around him, laughing.

Yep. Garrett wanted that.

After they’d eaten, he headed home and parked behind his house. The house he’d barely spent time in, although he’d managed to sleep in his bed a few nights. Alone. He wanted to share that bed with Kimi sooner rather than later.

They’d taken things slowly, but he wanted to see where the relationship went. Which surprised the hell out of him. He hadn’t thought he wanted a relationship with any woman. He’d had enough loss in his life, and loving someone meant taking a risk of losing that person again.

---