Page 43 of Rabid

“Don’t make an old goat cry,” he muttered, placing his arm around her and squeezing. They sat like that for several moments.

“We need to talk,” he said. “I may know who this is.”

Willow pulled away and stared at him.

“One of the Hogg sons was never found,” he began. “There’s no one else it could be. You practically never leave here, and when you do, I’mwith you. You get stares from some of the men in town—”

Willow shook her head.

“Don’t give me that. It’s normal for a pretty girl to get looks. When the man’s too old, I give him a look of my own. But anyway, the Hogg kid is the culprit. I was a deputy, and I’m sorry it took me this long to figure it out. I bet he’s staying in one of the deserted homesteads. He’s probably not far from here. I’ll head out tonight and scout around.”

Willow panicked. “You can’t leave me here alone at night. We need to call the deputy back. It’s their job. They can look for him.”

“I wish it was that simple. They don’t care about the people out here and call us cedar rats. I’ve always hated that name. Sure, we have our share of weirdos, but we also have people like Roger, Louisa, and you. The name cedar rats is derogatory on purpose, but that’s the local cops for you. The force leaches humanity out of the best of us.”

He stopped for a moment, and she could tell he was thinking about a bad memory.

“Two years before I retired, a man beat up his wife. It was one of the few times I was with another deputy. It quickly became apparent, when interviewing the three women in the home, that something was off. The deputy with me asked belligerently, ‘Is this one of those plural wife situations?’ The three women froze and clammed up, refusing to say another word. If I hadn’t beenthere, the man wouldn’t have been arrested. Other deputies gave me flack for getting involved in their marital situation.

“I could care less that a man lived with three women, if he treated them well. Basically, none of my business. The consensus at the department was the women chose him and could live with their choice.”

He paused in his rant, sadness taking over his expression. “I allowed so many things to slide when I shouldn’t have. My maker will judge me accordingly.”

Dale had never even mentioned a belief in God, and it shook Willow for a moment. She leaned back into him, placing her arms around his shoulders, breathing in the scent of the aftershave he always wore.

“Your maker will see everything you’ve done for me. We have time to make up for our wrongs. If you move in here, we can watch over each other. I don’t know what I would have done after my grandmother died if it weren’t for you. Each day, I feel luckier than the day before.”

Willow took a long breath, her decision made. “If you go out tonight, I go with you.” Her voice held the same stubbornness as Joan’s.

Dale gave a huge, overly dramatic sigh. “Just like your grandmother. The apple don’t fall far from the tree.”

She didn’t know exactly what that meant,but she got the drift.

They ate breakfast, and when they finished, Dale went to the barn to tackle the graffiti. Willow cleaned the dishes, then straightened the small office so a bed would fit. She would need Dale’s help to move the desk out. It wasn’t exactly heavy, but it was bulky. Things would be safer once he moved inside the house. He was thinking short term, while Willow was determined he would live out his life with her.

She’d never had a true friend or a grandfather. Her dad’s parents disowned him after he attacked his father and put him in the hospital. Willow’s attorney contacted them before the trial. They never replied. Her grandmother was the only one who cared, and now there was Dale.

By the time she went outside, Dale had the first coat of paint covering the hate.

“After another coat, you won’t see it at all,” he told her.

“How is Daisy doing?” she asked.

“She’s limping, but the wound looks good. She may be milking it.”

Willow laughed. “I don’t blame her. The trap scared me half to death.”

He came off the ladder. “We’re going to find this guy and stop him. Louisa and Roger have watched the dogs before, and they won’t mind doing it again. I don’t want Max or Daisy running into another trap.”

“I’m ready whenever you are,” she said. “Are we scouting tonight?”

“No, tomorrow morning when the sun comes up is soon enough. I’ll call Roger and tell him we’ll put the dogs in his barn, so we don’t wake them.”

“I cleared out some things from the office. Can you help me move the desk?”

“You’re sure about this?” Dale looked skeptical.

“I’m sure. I’d like it to be a permanent arrangement. My cooking is better, and I can take over the meals.”

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