Page 16 of No Man Left Behind

“I think my subconscious connected the dots. The men never mentioned the name of the town. Not that I remember, anyway. But I did remember them making jokes about failing. And Troy was always at the center of the jokes whether he was making the jokes or they were aimed at him.”

The men exchanged another glance before Jim spoke again. “That’s amazing. I’m so glad you’ve found some friends here. We can never have too many friends. They’re really good people. All of them.”

She nodded. They really were some of the best people she’d ever known.

Carl smiled. “Maybe you’ll stick around town longer now. I think you’ll fit in really well here.”

She smiled and wondered if these two tried to talk every guest into staying. And she wondered how many of them seriously considered it. She doubted she was the only one.

Chapter6

Behind The Scenes

Marcus forced himself to do paperwork and make some calls before he headed to the B&B. Arriving at six in the morning would have been obnoxious, so he forced himself to work for over three hours. Surely, after nine was an acceptable time. If it wasn’t, he knew Jim and Carl would kick him to the curb.

Feeling like a teen showing up at his crush’s home, Marcus rang the doorbell. The B&B had upped their security systems after a jerk had attacked Piper on the property. Now, guests had keys, but everyone else rang the bell. Troy had selected the alarm system, and Marcus had helped him install it. He liked knowing he was part of keeping his town safe in more ways than one.

It wasn’t long before Jim opened the door with a smile. “Deputy. What can we do for you this morning?”

Marcus refrained from rolling his eyes. He’d bet a bunch that Jim knew exactly why Marcus was at the B&B. And he’d bet even more that Jim was going to play the Dad card, even though he wasn’t Elina’s father.

Marcus raised an eyebrow, making Jim laugh. He waved him inside just as Carl shouted. “Shut the door.”

Marcus’s entire body tensed at the nerves in Carl’s voice. He hurried into the foyer, hand on his gun, but didn’t see a threat. Jim laughed behind him. “It’s okay. Kimi dropped off some animals for us to foster yesterday, and we keep losing kittens. We don’t want them to escape, but they’re quick.”

Sure enough, a tiny black kitten peeked out from under the couch and made a run for the closed door. Marcus scooped him up and brought him to eye level. “No jail breaks, bud. You’re safer inside.”

The ball of fluff waved its paws, then yawned and closed its eyes. Marcus brought the little guy to his chest, where he promptly fell asleep. “How many kittens did Kimi ask you to take?”

“Three, although it feels like twelve. They’re adorable, but they’re sneaky. Kimi said they’re in their holy terror stage, but they should settle fairly quickly. They’ve been living outdoors, so this is a big change for them.”

Carl walked in holding two kittens and looking like he’d already put in a long day. When he saw Marcus holding the other one, he sighed. “Thank you. I don’t think I’m young enough for kittens.”

Jim leaned down to kiss his husband’s head and then took the grey kitten. “I’ll take Jem. Marcus can keep Boo until Elina comes down. You keep Scout for now. They probably just need some attention.”

Carl nodded. “At least Finch isn’t as much trouble.”

Marcus grinned. “Has Nina been reading To Kill A Mockingbird?”

Jim shook his head with a smile. “Not that I know of. Elina thought of the names. When the group was dropped at Kimi’s, she was told Finch had curled himself around the kittens to protect them.”

“Good choice of names.”

“I’m glad you approve.”

The soft feminine voice had Marcus smiling as he looked up to see Elina descending the stairs with a smile of her own and a gangly Great Dane puppy at her side. He approved of a lot more than the animal names. The woman looked like perfection in a sunny dress with a jean jacket worn overtop and pink sneakers on her feet. He untangled his tongue. “Good morning. You look beautiful.”

Her skin flushed, and her smile widened. “Thank you. I see you’ve met Boo.”

He nodded and stroked the soft fur. “And Scout and Jem. This big guy is Finch?”

The dog eyed him warily, eyes moving from Marcus to the kitten and back. Marcus squatted down and held out the kitten gently. “I’m not going to hurt your little friend. He’s safe with me. Just like you’re safe with everyone here.”

The dog’s green eyes tracked to Boo, and then he leaned in to sniff him all over. Satisfied the kitten was okay, the Dane turned his attention to Marcus. He waited patiently while the dog sniffed him and then the cat again.

Then the dog leaned into Marcus with a happy sigh, nearly knocking him sideways. “You’re going to be a big monster, aren’t you? I bet you’re going to eat your weight in kibble. Or do you eat full-size moose already?”

The dog tilted his head and batted at Marcus’s hand in a request for pats. Laughing, he shifted the kitten to one hand and complied. It didn’t take long to discover Finch loved to have his chin scratched and his belly rubbed.

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