Page 4 of Trevor

The dogs were clumsy.But so adorable.When he asked Dad if he was going to take one, he said he had enough on his plate right now with Debra.He didn’t sound any more thrilled with the girl than his mom had.Trevor decided right then that he was going to dig deeper into the girl’s life and find out firstly what was wrong with her and secondly why it was so important to keep her hidden away.

Something very telling was that not one of the puppies would go near her.Blackie, the pup that seemed to be in charge of the others, just stared at the young girl and barked.In doggie language, he was sure that he told his little family that they were to avoid her.Having a dog, just a little one to avoid someone, told him that he couldn’t put off any longer what he should have done by now.See what the fuck was her issue.

When he got home that night, after walking the dogs around the yard, Trevor decided that he was going to have to move into something bigger than the one-bedroom condo.They didn’t have any kind of rules as to having pets, but he couldn’t see that they’d be able to run around as much as they might need to when they got older.

Deciding that he didn’t want a mansion like the others had but something with a couple of bedrooms and a nice yard.It was the yard that he wanted most.Something that was his and his alone.He realized that he was sick to death of sharing the space with about fifty other people.

That night, after the pups settled down, he got on the computer to have a look around.Nothing on Debra as yet.He’d do that later but to find him a home.As he was sitting on the floor, where he did his best work, he thought, the pups came over to him and cuddled up on his lap.He found himself so relaxed with them snoring gently by him that he was going to go to bed.

Something was up with the girl.He didn’t know what, but he was going to find it, and if it turned out badly, anything that made her a threat to his family, he was going to make sure that she was never found.That was his job, after all.

Chapter 1

Trevor was in the yard watching his puppies playing in the snow when Jenson pulled into his driveway.He had a hard time remembering if he had a meeting with him or not today when he hugged him like he’d not seen in just yesterday.

“We’re having dinner tonight with the family.Please tell me that you’re going to be there.”He said that he was and asked him what they were having.“I don’t know yet.Mom said she had it all taken care of, so that’s all I know.I’m thinking that it’s going to be take away rather than cooking.They’re loving living in their new home.I know that I’m happy that our house is finally finished now, and we don’t have contractors all around us.”

“I’m supposed to look at a few houses today.I’m not thrilled about it, to be honest.I hate the fact that I have to do this when I have other things to do but I do need a bigger place with my own yard.I want my own yard more than I do a house, you understand?”Jenson told him that he understood perfectly.“No offense, but what are you doing here?Aren’t you supposed to be in DC for meetings and crap?”

“They ended the secession early today.I couldn’t stand to not be at home for another minute so I hitched a ride with one of the men coming to talk to Clay.He’s been doing some upgrades to the equipment that is in the NASA offices.Did he tell you that he got a bonus for getting something taken care of in space?I only half listen to him sometimes.I should pay more attention, but I get something stuck in my head and I can’t understand what he’s telling me.Jade knows, of course, but I tune them out when they’re together.They’d never have a conversation with me around asking them to explain things to me.Even though I’m an engineer, I have trouble…my job is taking more time from me than I thought it would.”Trevor asked him if it was that serious.“No.Yes.I’m not sure.I want to be with my wife.When I started out with this congress thing, I didn’t have her in my life.Now?Well, all I can think about is how much I miss her and our son.”

“You’re in charge, aren’t you?I mean, can’t you say when you’re going to leave or stay?”Jenson told him that it didn’t work like that.“I guess I can understand why you’d need to be hanging around there a great deal.It’s something that you’ve always wanted.Has that changed for you?”

“Yes and no.I love what I’m doing, but like I said, I miss Jade and our kid.He’s getting to the point where he’s not sleeping all the time.Last night, he rolled over by himself, and both Jade and I laughed until we cried, scaring Benson until he was upset.”

Taking the puppies in the house, he put them in the cage that he’d purchased for them when he’d lost one of them in the condo.He’d not really been lost, but he’d been so far under the bed sleeping that he’d not found him for a while, and it had terrified him that the little sucker had gotten out.Changing his clothing for something better, Jenson said he’d go with him to look at the houses.He was really glad for the company.

“This first house is supposed to make me realize how much I don’t want a small house.I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.I’ve been living in a two-bedroom condo since I was eighteen years old.”They pulled into the driveway, neither of them getting out.“This house is supposed to have three bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen.I don’t know that even one of my pups could live in that it’s so small.”

The two of them talked about how much he was looking for in a house.While he didn’t want a huge assed house like they had, he didn’t want to be tripping all over himself either by having the puppies, soon to be two overgrown dogs making him fall all the time.

The second house wasn’t something that he wanted either.First of all, it was too close to the school, and he thought that he’d never have any peace.He did want to live closer to his parents butdidn’t want to have to time things so he’d not hear kids screaming all the time.

“You don’t like kids?”He told his brother that he liked them just fine when they were someone else’s.“That’s just not right.All of the women want to have several children, and you just want to be the favorite uncle who has money to burn on them.I see how you are.”

“I’m sure that there might be a person out there for me.I’m very sure of it.But I’m in no hurry to settle down and be domesticated.I have the puppies, who I think are growing bigger daily, and I’m fine with that for now.”Jenson called him a fool.“Perhaps I am, but like I said, I’m not going to rush into anything at the moment.Besides, she’d have to love dogs, as I’m not going to be getting rid of them.I love the little suckers.”

“Sap.”The next house was something along the size of his parents’ home.The one that they took after giving Clay the manor home.Getting out of the car to have a look around, he was dismayed to find that the snow they’d had last night hadn’t done a thing in hiding the work that needed to be done to the yard.It was not just overgrown with weeds about two feet tall, but there were things in the yard, things he didn’t have names for, that made him think of a haunted house rather than one that he wanted to spend his golden years in.“This is all the yard that you get.Right in front of the house.I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have a nice big yard around my house with the pool.”

“You’re right about the yard.I don’t think that I’d even want this place if it was perfect inside without a back yard.And the front one is in need of too much work to consider buying it.”

They moved on after about ten minutes of trying to get to the front porch.There weren’t any more homes on his list, and he was really disappointed in the realtor on that, but they saw several for sale signs, and they didn’t feel cheated out of what they’d seen.They stopped at the next house on a whim.As soon as they cleared the trees in the front yard, Jenson whistled.This was a forever home, just not for him, he told his brother.

There were two people in the yard when they pulled up the drive.They were shoveling the driveway and talking.Asking them if they wanted to see the house, Trevor was almost afraid to see it.If he fell in love with it, he was going to forever blame Jenson as he told the couple that they’d love to see the house.

“I know you.You’re…let me think.That’s it.You’re my congressman.”Jenson shook hands with the couple and told them that he was still getting used to his new title.“I bet you are.I saw your wife in town a couple of days ago.My goodness, that little boy of yours sure does take after you, doesn’t he?”

“He looks more like his mom, I think.But thank you for thinking that.No one notices me when they’re around.”They all laughed and Trevor shook their hands next.“My brother is looking for himself a forever home.He’s got himself a couple of puppies that he’s looking for a nice big yard too.”

As soon as they got into the house, his brother took over talking to the couple and he made his way around the house.Christ, it needed nothing done to it as far as he could see.It was perfect.But for him?He still wasn’t sure.He made his way to the back of the house through the kitchen.It, too, looked perfect to his eyes, and he saw the back yard.

Going out of the house and onto the large deck devoid of furniture this time of year, he looked at the expanse of the yard.He could raise all ten of the puppies that Gracie had found and not have to worry about them being overcrowded.There were trees in the fenced-in yard, three down the middle and four on each side, that gave the yard a very nice, shaded area.The couple, he’d never caught their name, had had a garden back there that looked like it had done well for them.There were still three large pumpkins in the place that he could see sitting on the wrap-around porch for the holidays.

Going back into the house, Trevor looked for flaws in his…the home.As far as he could see, it was ready to move in without so much as a dusting to make it better.He wanted to tell the couple to leave so that he could have it to sleep in tonight.But he’d learned from going to auctions that you never showed your hand when dealing with sales.He found them in the living room, with Jenson asking them questions about what they thought needed improvements in the town.

“Did you find the yard to your liking, Mr.Strong?”He asked them to call him Trevor.“All right.I know that the back yard is a bit much, but I’m betting that you’ll find a way to fill it out with thosepuppies you have.”

He had to bite his lip so that he’d not beg them to let him move in as soon as this afternoon.Sitting with the couple, he asked questions about the house.He thought he was doing well until their doorbell rang and it was another person wanting to see the house.Trevor looked at his brother.

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