“That’s all I need. McCord?”
“Hell, yes. We’re in.”
“There’s your answer. Call him tonight. We want it.”
Webb’s grin was a combination of relief, satisfaction, and anticipation. “You got it.”
Meg’s phone beeped from her back pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the message, relief washing over her like a wave.
“Who’s that?” Cara asked.
“It’s Brian. They’re home with Lacey now and they just got back from an appointment with their own vet. He’s very happy with Lacey’s progress. He says she’s going to need physiotherapy, but he doesn’t see any reason why she can’t come back to the team given some recovery time.”
“That’s a relief,” said McCord.
“You have no idea.”
They spent the next twenty minutes strolling around the house, making plans and virtually placing furniture. Leaving Cara and the men in the kitchen discussing paint colors, Meg wandered upstairs, slowly moving through the rooms, imagining how she and Webb would fill them.
Webb found her standing in the master bedroom, gazing out the window, her lower lip caught between her teeth. “Hey.”
Meg turned to find him standing in the doorway, feeling slightly uncertain as he studied her.
“I turned around and you were gone.” He crossed the room to her and tipped her chin up with one finger so he could see into her eyes. “You look pensive. If you’re not sure about the house . . .”
“No, I’m sure about that. It’s just . . .”
When she paused for too long, he prodded her. “Just what?”
“It just made me look at where I am. Where we are.”
“I think we’re somewhere solid.”
“I agree.” She looked down the hallway, toward the two other bedrooms. “But looking at that empty space . . .”
“Ah.”
She could see the understanding in his eyes, knew she didn’t have to say more. But she owed him that. “We’ve talked occasionally about kids. I know you want them.”
“And you do, too. But us moving into this place isn’t supposed to put any pressure on you.” When she turned her face away from him, he pulled her in, forcing her to either look up at him or spend the entire conversation staring at his throat. “I’m serious about that. I understand what you do, and how important that is to you. More than that, I understand that the dangers of your job and being pregnant are the kind of combination that could take you off the team.”
“I’m thirty-three. I can’t wait forever if we’re really going to do this.”
“I’m not suggesting you do. But I am saying it doesn’t have to be this year. Or the next, or the one after that. I know part of what weighs on you is Hawk. How many more work years does he have in him?”
“He’s four. Maybe another four or five years at most? It’s not like he’s a drug sniffer at the airport. His job is physical and he’s in top shape, but it’s hard for older dogs. At a certain point, they can become a detriment to the search. I’ll never put him in that position.”
“So then maybe we wait. Wait while he’s still in his prime and you’re loving being out there with him. Okay, maybe not out there, you guys did that in spades in this case, but out on a case with him. And maybe as he ages, you find a different type of work for him, and that’s when you can step back from the dangerous work yourself and start looking at options. There are no hard and fast rules, Meg. We set our own schedule and we do it our way.”
She stared up at him for a moment, studying him, looking for any sign that he was placating her, and finding nothing. “You’d be okay with that?”
“Of course. What you’re weighing, it’s the same thing for the women at the firehouse. The guys, their wives get pregnant and they take some time off around the time of the birth, but that’s about it. The women don’t have that option. There’s a life inside them that could be developmentally damaged by the toxins in the smoke, or by the mother’s raised body temperature if she spends too long in the seat of the fire. Every call is an extra risk for them as a result. Some move to light duty to keep them off active calls as soon as they know. Some stay active until they get bigger and the pregnancy becomes a risk to them or other team members. But they don’t have the option of just taking a few weeks off simply because of the physical nature of the job. It’s the same with you, and in some ways worse. There’s no office component to your job where you can sit and put your feet up through a pregnancy. You have a tough, physical, occasionally dangerous profession. It would be better not to bring a child along for that ride. It’s not forever. It’s just for now and for however long you need it to be. And we can revisit those plans at any time.” He looked over her head to scan the bedroom. “In the meantime, I think committing to live together, to buying this house together, are all the plans we need for now.” McCord’s booming laugh rang from down below, earning an eye roll from Webb. “Getting used to living next to McCord will be challenge enough. Let’s not drag an innocent child into it. That would be mean.”
That pulled a chuckle from her. “You know, you put up with an awful lot from me. Trying for months to find a place for us, making concessions for my dog, adjusting your timelines for our future.”
He gave her a cocky smile. “What can I say? I’m a prince. Now, what do you say we go join those crazy kids downstairs?”
“That sounds like a great plan.” Linking fingers with him, she led him toward the stairs. “You know, Hawk is going to love this place. Lots of space inside, that big combined backyard, and there are two parks within only a few blocks. He’s going to be happy here.”
“We’re all going to be happy here. It took a little while to find it, but this place is definitely worth the wait. And I can’t wait to see McCord out front shoveling the sidewalk. I’ll trade cutting the grass for that any day. Just imagine him out there in a blizzard, shivering with a shovel, and Cody bouncing around, knocking down snowdrifts as fast as he can build them. I can’t wait to see that.”
Laughing, they walked downstairs and into their new future.
Acknowledgments
This may be the fifth book in the FBI K-9s series, but every book has different research needs, and I was once again lucky to receive assistance from some extremely knowledgeable and helpful individuals.
This book would not have existed without Shane Van-devalk. From his initial story suggestion of a compound bowhunter with a penchant for disappearing into the woods after taking a life, to his assistance with hunting and wilderness scenarios, and finally to title brainstorming sessions resulting in one of his titles being selected for the novel, Shane, you’ve been invaluable! Many thanks for your continuing contributions.
Captain Lisa Giblin was once again my window into the world of firefighters. With her assistance, I was able to craft a realistic life-and-death scenario leading to the accident that would put Webb on leave for a short period of time, but not end his career or his life. She also ensured all my firefighting language and details were correct during that pivotal scene. In a little taste of real life, Meg listening in on Webb’s active scene was taken directly from Lisa’s life as a firefighter where her husband, Chief Dave Giblin, would follow her active scenes when she was on duty.
Isaac Cowan of Bass Pro Shops in Niagara-on-the-Lake was kind enough to share his expertise when I was looking for detailed information on bowhunting. He provided all the information I needed on archery equipment and technique, as well as hunting strategy. He was a great sport and didn’t even flinch when I said, “I’m an author and I need to pretend to kill someone with a compound bow.” He just jumped in with both feet. Thank you, Isaac!
Scott Fiedler, part of the TVA’s Public Relations Department, was kind enough to put me in touch with Scott Walker PE PG, a TVA Dam Safety Engineer, when I was delving into research on Ocoee Dam #2 and the historic Ocoee Flume. Scott Walker kindly answered all my questions and provided extensive documentation on the construction and op
eration of the flume and its downstream powerhouse. Scott and Scott, please excuse any literary license taken with this amazing piece of local history.
Thanks as always to our critique team—Lisa Giblin, Jenny Lindstrom, Jessica Newton, Rick Newton, and Sharon Taylor—who graciously found time to squeeze multiple reads into a short time period already full with work lives and family crises, and who nevertheless provided insightful and thoughtful ways to strengthen the novel. Your efforts are always very much appreciated!
My agent, Nicole Resciniti, is always only a text, e-mail, or phone call away, and is ever ready to answer any question or provide any assistance I need. I’m so glad you’re by my side.
Grateful thanks to my editor, Esi Sogah at Kensington, for her astute guidance from the beginning of this project through all its various stages. Once again, it’s been a pleasure working with you in this next adventure in the series!
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