Page 26 of Ava
“He seems stressed.”
“Yeah, it’s either this prepper shit, or his newborn is keeping him and his wife up at night.” She grinned when Ava snorted a laugh.
“Give me those files on the other women, and whatever you have on these preppers.”
Morgan handed her the files, then stopped her before she opened the first one. “Before you begin, can you read these?” She handed her another folder, and Ava opened them and read them. She nodded when she read the last one.
“Sounds good to me, I’d contact you at the first opportunity I had if I had received one of these when I was still in. But, you know my situation, I was carried out in the arms of a SEAL, and spent the next three weeks in the hospital, and the next year and a half trying to convince the Brass that I was good to go.”
“And no offense to you, but I’m sort of glad they let you go, now you’re here with me.”
“Thank you.” Ava nodded, and opened the first file before her. She took her time and committed the files to memory. That’s what she liked about herself, she had an awesome memory, and if these women answered Morgan’s letter, then she would feel like she knew them before they even started.
Both women worked for the next several hours, until Morgan called attention to Ava, and told her it was time to head back to the house. “We might get there in time to help Dolly with the cooking.”
She grinned when Ava laughed. “I don’t mind cooking, I hate the cleaning up.”
“If you want to know a secret, then be in the kitchen by five thirty, the boys, especially the J’s arrive around five forty-five.”
“Thanks for the tip.” Ava grinned and grabbed one of each of the county maps to take with her. When Morgan didn’t say anything, she knew it was okay.
CHAPTER12
Justin walkedin the back door of Wyatt’s home and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ava standing there with a coffee cup in her hand.
“I thought you didn’t drink coffee,” he blurted out, and sucked in his breath at her grin.
“I don’t. This is for you. Black with one sugar, right?”
“Right.” He frowned and took the cup from her. After one sip, he nodded and grinned. “What are you cooking?”
“Sausage patties, and I was thinking of pancakes.”
“Sounds good, do you need any help?”
“If you want to take over cooking the sausage, I can start on the pancake batter, and where’s that griddle you used yesterday?” She watched as he went to a cupboard and removed the griddle and placed it on the stove. In no time she had the pancake batter mixed and was putting her first cake on the hot pan.
“Where’s the box?” Justin asked.
“What box?”
“For the pancake mix?”
“Oh, I didn’t use it. I had this recipe memorized. It was my mother’s. She died when I was ten, and it seems like the only thing I have left of hers.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She waved it off, then continued to make the round discs. She smiled as the others started joining them, and then looked at Justin, and giggled when Wyatt sat at the table, put his forehead on it, and rolled his head around. Justin leaned over and whispered.
“He’s not a morning person.”
“I heard that, and no, I’m not.” Morgan entered just then, humming and he lifted his head long enough to glare at her. She laughed as she fixed them both a cup of coffee. “What’s that fabulous smell?” Wyatt picked up his head to drink the coffee and sniffed the air like a hungry dog.
“Pancakes and sausage.”
“I’ll be back.” He jumped to his feet and hurried to the back room.
After he left, she looked at Dolly, Morgan, the two A’s, and the other two J’s. “Where did he go?”
