Page 2 of Home Changes
“Thanks, that would be appreciated. He’s obedient but hasn’t been exposed to many children, and the old guy might get cranky.” Seth reached down and ruffled his scruff again. Gomer looked up, his tongue lolling to the side, and Seth laughed. “Such a goober.”
The woman laughed. “The best goober. You know I have a very good friend. Her name is Kate Wells. She’s a vet in a small town called Hollister. She used to work with MWDs as an Army vet. Her husband, Tegan, is a rancher up there.”
“Hollister?” Seth’s voice hit a register he didn’t know he could hit. Gomer was immediately on alert.
She cocked her head. “You know Hollister?”
“I’m going there. I grew up there. I know Tegan. He was a couple of years younger than me. If I recall right, he was a quiet guy.”
“That sounds like him.” The woman extended her hand. “My name is Blessing.” Seth took her hand and shook it. “Let’s get you back and settled.” She looked around. “You don’t have a bag?”
“Just my backpack. I flew in yesterday, and I’m flying out today.” His small pack held Gomer’s papers, a change of clothes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant, plus a bag of treats for Gomer. Traveling light was a thing.
“No laptop or business equipment?” Blessing asked as she walked him inside.
“Nope. Just retired and have some family obligations to pigeonhole before I start working again.”
Blessing stopped and looked at him. “You want to pigeonhole your dad?”
“What? How did you know I was talking about my dad?”
“It was either that or your mom, and I didn’t think anyone would say that about their mom.” Blessing cocked her head. “You know, his being so grumpy might not be his fault. You should get him checked out medically.”
“What?” It was the only word he seemed to know at the moment. Seth stopped and stared at the woman, who gave him a brilliant smile. “A good physical never hurt anyone, has it?” She turned andwalked away. Seth stared at her until she looked over her shoulder and said, “Are you coming?”
“Yeah.” He cleared his throat, and he and Gomer followed her into the back, where a vacant room had a couch and two chairs. He took the chair in the corner, instructed Gomer to lie down beside it, and took off his backpack. “This is fantastic. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll bring four more travelers back here, but they’ll all be military or recently separated and won’t cause a problem for you or Gomer.” She turned to walk away but stopped and looked back at him. “I’m glad you’re going home with him. You both need a permanent place to live.”
Seth frowned and started to respond that Hollister wasn’t his permanent home and never would be, but she’d walked out of the room. He glanced down at Gomer. “Did you get the woo-woo vibe?” Gomer rolled over on his side and groaned. Seth nodded. “Yeah, me, too.”
After wrapping the leash around his leg, he leaned back in the chair and stroked Gomer’s fur, letting the act soothe away the worry that had been constant since he’d seen his father. Alzheimer’s was a bitch of a disease. His father’s short-term memory was crap, and he was even more gruff and argumentativethan the deputy who’d called his sister had led them to believe.
About thirty minutes later, Blessing was back. “Seth, this is Tyler Marconi, recently retired from the Army. He’ll be on a flight north to Montana.”
“If it ever leaves,” Tyler said as he extended his hand toward Seth, putting Gomer immediately on alert.
“It’s okay, bud,” Seth said reassuringly to his dog as he took Tyler’s hand and shook it.
“He’s wearing an MWD harness,” Tyler said, pointing out the obvious.
Seth chuckled. “Yep. He’s going to South Dakota with me. He’s retired, too.”
Tyler smiled briefly and glanced at his phone.
“I’ll let you two settle and be back shortly,” Blessing said before leaving with a smile.
“Montana home for you?” Seth asked as Tyler sat down on the couch. Gomer sat up and stared at Tyler.
“Yeah. Is it okay to pet him?” He nodded toward Gomer.
“Sure. His name is Gomer,” Seth said, watching the interaction between the two of them. Tyler extended his hand for Gomer to smell, which he did.Then Tyler stroked his head, and Gomer’s mouth opened, his tongue lolling out.
Tyler smiled. “He’s beautiful.”
“And getting up there in age. He has some hip issues, but we’ll get him on some preventive supplements and maybe some meds to keep him healthy and comfortable.” He was going to look up Tegan’s wife as soon as he could.
Tyler glanced at his phone and dropped it on his lap, still petting Gomer.
