“DaDa, me free doggies.” The little girl giggled and the adults to grin.
“What did you say?” Curt asked.
“I free the doggies.” The child laughed as she rolled over the two dogs.
“You okay?” Connor asked Sophia from behind her.
Sophia nodded as she pointed to Kilo. “Yes, I saw it, it didn’t register that it came between us.”
“They’re pretty harmless.” The other boy grinned. “I can’t say they’re stupid, because they follow commands. They love to play. I’m Justin by the way.” He stuck out his hand toward Sophia. “I hope you don’t mind. Con’s told me about your fear of dogs.”
“That’s okay.” Sophia waved his concern away. She turned back, saw Curt shake his head, step forward, reach in to pick the little girl up. With her in his arms, he told her Butch and Sundance were in their room because of all the people there. “We talked about this, we love them, sometimes they get into trouble. That’s why they have to stay in their room.”
“Oh, they not bad?”
“No, they weren’t bad.” Curt sighed. He turned to the others. “This little doggie freer is Erica. Butch and Sundance are her partners in crime.” Dana burst out laughing. Taking her daughter from her husband, Curt called Butch and Sundance over. Heading toward the house, Curt stopped before Sophia. “I’m sorry if my dogs frightened you. I forgot until Kilo ran toward the barn. I had locked them in the house in their room. I guess I’ll have to put them in their cages.”
“Not because of me,” Sophia said in horror. “I’m sorry, don’t punish them because of me. I wouldn’t be able to stand it.” She shuddered. “I know I’m scared of dogs. I’m working through it.
“True, I can’t control these two barging up, sticking their head under your hand or in your lap. We’re still training them on that.”
“It should be fine. I’ll be on the look-out. Don’t penalize them because of me.”
“All right.” Curt shook his head as he looked at his dogs. Giving a stern lecture, he let them go. The two lumbered out after Dana and Erica.
People started to make their way out of the barn, Sophia paused, watched Connor and Justin began closing it up. She turned to the man beside Susan.
“Hello, I don’t know if I know you, I’m Sophia Swanson.”
“Hello, nice to meet you, I’m Neil Saunders. I work with Sean and Kilo.”
“Do you have a K-9?”
“No, Kilo’s the only one in the department,” Neil said, turning to Susan. “And you are?”
“Susan Phillips, I’m Sophia’s cousin, this is my son.” Susan indicated Connor as he came over. He threw his arm around his mother’s shoulders, sticking out his hand to Neil. Sophia looked at Sean out of the corner of her eye. The pre-teen and the grown man sized each other up.
Susan rolled her eyes walking out from under her son’s arm. “I’ve got things to do.” Susan said. Sophia joined her. Leaving the two young boys with the two older men. Neil sighed from beside Sean as he watched the women walk away. He didn’t say anything until the two younger boys left.
“What’s wrong with him?” Neil pointed to Connor, walking with a pronounced limp. Both Sean and Neil watched Justin adjust his step to accommodate Connor’s gait. They were quickly joined by others around their age. All walked slower to keep pace with Connor.
“Don’t know, some sort of birth defect. Her ex blamed her. The doctors don’t want to do any surgery until he stops growing, which won’t be until he is at least eighteen to twenty.”
“Is the asshole ex in her life? How can a man do that? Blame the mother for a birth defect? It’s disgusting. It’s no one’s fault.”
“I know that. You know that. I’m sure Susan knows it too.” Sean murmured.
“What’s up with the other one? Everyone left in a hurry as Kilo took off, we saw him standing between the woman and those two dogs. What’s up with that?”
Sean nodded as he turned to his co-worker. He didn’t know him enough to call him a good friend. At least not yet. “It’s not my story to tell. I’ve been told she has several scars from a previous dog attack. I haven’t seen them.” Sean paused, looked Neil dead in the eye, “Yet.”
“Is that your way of telling me to back off?” Neil laughed. “She’s a beautiful woman. I was thinking of asking her out. You nixed that idea. What about the other one? You have dibs on her?”
“No, we’ve gone out in the past. Susan’s a great woman, been a single mother since Connor was young. If you’re interested, ask her out.”
“Maybe I’ll hang out with her today, see if there are any fireworks.” Neil exhaled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “On another note, I want to say thank you, Sean.”
“Why?” He had started toward the end of the house, where the other people gathered. The tone of Neil’s voice caused Sean to frown.
“I thought you’d and I be good friends when I first started working for the department. When I came back from deployment, I wasn’t in my right mind. I haven’t been since I got home. I wanted to talk to you. I knew you were a Marine, and I wanted to know how you get through it.”
“It?”
“Re-living your deployment when you close your eyes.” Neil held up his hand to ward off Sean’s comments. “I knew my job might be on the line because of all the times I’ve called in. I’d have a rough night with nightmares and I’d call in. Last night, I went to talk to Phil. I was with him when your call for back-up came in.”
“I wondered why you showed up.” When Neil remained silent, Sean prompted. “What did Phil recommend?”
“He gave me a business card. Phil told me you had gone to these people to discuss me. At first, I was pissed. I thought how dare you go behind my back? Who the hell did you think you were? But then I realized you were looking out for me. You weren’t talking behind my back. You had my back. Like any good teammate would do. After I calmed down, I began talking with Phil. He encouraged me to call Dr. Ben Malcolm. You radioed for back-up. As I watched you deal with the Benson’s, I realized I want to be like you.
“After arriving home last night, I called Ben Malcolm. We talked for several hours. I went into his office this morning to talk.”
“And?”
“It’s going to take time. I know that. Ben is someone I can talk to. I’ll be seeing him a couple times a week until I can get control of the nightmares. I know it might never happen. We’re working on it.”
“If you need someone to talk to, I’ll be there for you. Even if you want to come over to hang out. Catch a game or a beer sometime, I won’t judge.”
“I know. I’m going to take you up on that, not now. Right now, I’m doing it on my own, with Ben’s help. We’ll see.”
“I’m happy for you.” Sean slapped Neil on the back and shook his hand. Afterward, they made their way up to the house. Standing around, talking with the others gathered there. Sean kept his eye out for Kilo. He spotted him over by the back door. When Sophia didn’t emerge, Kilo settled back down. When she did, Kilo sat on his haunches studying the woman, making sure he kept a safe distance from her.
Several hours later, Sophia stood next to the snack table, filling glasses with cider. She looked over when she heard Kilo from several feet away. He laid with his head on his paws, staring at her. Filling the glasses, Sophia had an idea. She looked around, saw Sean watching her. All day, either man or beast were never too far away from her.
Sophia crooked her finger at Sean, indicating he should come over to her. With a smirk, he excused himself from the group he stood with.
“You beckoned?”
“I did.” Sophia nodded as she drew in a deep breath and then released it. “Will you help me do something?”
“Sure, what do you need help with?”
“Introduce me to your dog.”
“Are you sure?” Sean had expected anything but that. Never in a million years had he expected Sophia to ask him to introduce her to Kilo. He studied the woman beside him. He took i
n her pale skin and large eyes, as she bit her lower lip. The cop in him noted she was nervous. The man wanted to take that lip with his mouth and nibble on it himself.
“Are you sure?”
“No, honestly, no, I’m not sure. He’s been within feet of me all day, it only seems fitting I get introduced to him. Shouldn’t a girl know her stalker?” She smirked. Sean smirked back.
“Do you think I should arrest him? Iowa has stalking laws. I’d have to arrest him to make the charges stick.”
Sophia shook her head, giggling. “No, if I’m going to get over my fear, I should be able to look it in the face. I’m not saying I’ll touch it or wrap my arms around it, or love it today. I’m sure that’ll come with time. I want to look at it without freaking out.”
“Don’t you think what happened earlier would be enough for today?”
“Earlier?”
“He stood between you and Butch and Sundance. He walked back and forth in front of you. He wasn’t snarling, he told the others to leave you alone. I’m sure you don’t know, but when you’re in the house, he lays outside the back door waiting for you.”
“I didn’t know, maybe it’s a good idea you introduce us.”
“How do you want to do this?”
“I don’t know. I’ll leave it up to you.”
Sean looked around, spotting an empty chair around the fire pit. He took Sophia by the hand. Leading her in that direction. Knowing Kilo would come, even if he kept his distance. God, he loved that dog.
Sean nodded to the other man sitting there. At his frown, Sean sat down in a chair, pulled Sophia into his lap and snuggled her against him. He looked over at Dr. Ben Malcolm. “It’s good you’re here, doctor, I know it’s not something we should do so soon. Sophia would like me to introduce her to Kilo.” At Ben’s frown, Sean pointed to his side. Ben’s eyes flared, seeing the large dog on Sean’s other side.
“Sophia?”
“I have to get over my fear sometime. I’m not going to touch it, I want to look in its eyes without becoming a blubbering, screaming idiot.”
“Him.” Sean smiled. When Sophia frowned at Sean, he smirked. “You call Kilo an ‘it.’ He’s him.”
“Sophia?” Dr. Malcolm asked quietly. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“No.” Sophia looked at him. “But I’m determined, let’s get it over with.” She drew in a deep breath and held it. The longer she held it, the tenser she became.
“Breathe.” Sean rubbed her back. She released it in a rush. He waited as she took several more. He used hand signals to Kilo, he sat on his haunches, and stared at Sophia from three feet away.
Sophia held her breath as she looked at the dog. Concentrating, she didn’t see Sean and Dr. Malcolm’s reactions. They both studied Sophia like she was a bug under a microscope, ready to jump in if she started to freak out.
Sophia stared at Kilo for several long minutes before she sighed, her breathing evened out. “He’s pretty.”
Sean chuckled, looking at the dog, “Hear that, Kilo, the lady says you’re pretty.”
“Did he roll his eyes at you?” Sophia asked in awe.
Sean grinned from ear to ear when he felt Sophia tense in his arms, he asked. “What is it?”
“Why is he trembling?”
“He wants to be petted.”
“Oh.” She jerked around to stare at Sean in shock. She jumped to her feet and ran around to the back of his chair. She made sure to keep Sean between her and Kilo. “Go ahead, I’ll watch from here.”
Sean shrugged and called Kilo over. He began rubbing him down, and Kilo’s whole body wiggled. Sophia watched in fascination as man and dog interacted. She’d never seen anything like it before.
“Are you okay?” Ben asked, watching Sophia. He took mental notes for their next therapy session.
“Yeah, I’ve never seen a man and dog interact like that before. In my experience, the man beats the dog, orders it to attack people or other dogs.”
“Did your ex name the dog he ordered to attack you?”
“No, unless you call Dawg a name, he spelled it D-A-W-G. One day I asked why he didn’t give Dawg a name. James, the original owner, said he wasn’t a pet, he didn’t deserve a real name.”
Sean and Ben exchanged looks. Continuing to keep an eye on her, Sean rubbed Kilo down. Sean called a halt to the rub down. Kilo shook his whole body before he settled down on the stones in front of his master. It took several minutes before Sophia came out from behind the chair.
On a weak laugh, Sophia said, “At least I didn’t scream.”
“There is that.” Sean smirked and pulled her onto his lap. He breathed easier when she didn’t resist.
10
Sophia watched as another tractor and wagon loaded with people, drove into the parking space next to the barn. Once it was stopped, the people were able to disembark. Sophia could tell by their expressions they’d had a good time on the hayride. Several laughed while discussing the different things that had happened. If the screams she’d heard were any indication of the scare factor, the haunted maze, along with the haunted house in the barn, was a complete success. Sophia herself didn’t care to experience it. Maybe if she hadn’t been afraid of dogs, it would be a different story. Sophia made sure warm and cold cups of cider, where available. She also had coffee, hot chocolate, and snacks.
Ever since the festivities had begun, Kilo stayed near her. She set out the cups of cider, spying his nose sticking out from beneath the tablecloth. He hadn’t started out there. It took a few hours for Kilo to slowly and methodically make his way to his current location. A couple of times, she’d dropped a crumb. She saw his nose and tongue come out to snatch it up. She didn’t want to give him too many people treats. Sophia made sure she limited what he ate. At one point, Sean had called Kilo over. Sophia watched as Sean and Kilo went for a walk. When they returned, Sean directed Kilo to a set of bowls. Sophia was able to see the dog eat. When he was done, he hurried back to Sophia and crawled beneath the table.
“Everything okay?” Sophia asked Sean. Standing next to her, grabbing a donut, along with a warm cider.
“Yes, I fed him and took him for a walk. Kilo should be good for another few hours. Is he okay being beneath the table?”
“Yes. I’ve dropped a couple of treats by mistake and he snatched them before I could get them. I hope it’s okay he ate people food.”
“A little, not a whole donut or snack.”
“No, I dropped about a quarter of a donut, a small piece of the Rice Krispie treats.”
“I’ll admit the rice treats are fabulous, I’ll have to get Dana to make me a batch.”
“Don’t bother; she won’t be able to help you.”
“Who made them?”
“I did. Before you start throwing out compliments, I don’t know how to cook. Susan told me what to do. The treats are the only thing I’ve ever cooked that wasn’t a bowl of cereal, a sandwich, or a microwavable meal.” Sophia said.
“They’re still good. I know it’s none of my business, but why haven’t you been to the barn yet? Or out on the hayrides?”
“It’s not like I don’t want to go, with my fear of dogs, you’ve seen how I reacted if I wasn’t expecting to see one. What if there’s a dog or another animal out in the maze? Or in the barn?”
“I didn’t realize, and there are dogs out there. The neighbors have some of their pets made up like zombies. I can see where you’d freak out because they jump on the wagon during the hayride. Pretty scary.” Sean stepped closer when Sophia shuddered. “Smart staying back here.”
Sophia nodded, taking comfort in his nearness. Together they watched the people getting off the wagon. Sean took a deep breath before blurting out.
“Go out with me.”
“When?” Sophia watched the children drag their parents toward the snack table.
“I’m off tomorrow, we could do a late afternoon, early evening.”
“Do you want to meet someplace, or would
you pick me up?”
“I can pick you up, I’ll leave Kilo home.”
Sophia grinned at his shock. “Pick me up at three.”
“Deal.” Sean gently took her shoulders in his hands, and brought Sophia to his chest for a hug. With his arms wrapped around her, he leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. Sean kept it gentle. When he heard Sophia moan, he straightened and left before it registered with Sophia what happened. From several yards away, Sean turned around and gave her a salute, along with a grin.
Sophia shook her head, looking down when she felt something on her shoe. Kilo was looking up at her. “Sorry, I have a date with your Daddy tomorrow.” Kilo looked like he understood before he went back under the table. Several dozen people came up then. Sophia listened to the kids laugh and brag about what they’d seen out in the corn maze or in the haunted barn.
By eleven, Sophia was exhausted and cold. She’d manned the snack table all night. The last tractor and wagon had arrived back at the barn twenty minutes ago. Looking over at the barn, Sophia saw several people directing the others out. When Sophia had arrived earlier that afternoon it had been in the upper sixties and she hadn’t brought her jacket.
Susan walked up then and looked at the table in front of Sophia.
“No more rice treats?”
“Nope, the last group finished them. This is the last of everything.”
“All of it?” Dana asked, approaching the table. She had a child of about ten with her. The girl had her arms wrapped around Dana. Sophia remembered it was her other daughter, Amanda. Sophia saw her exhaustion even with her black and red-streaked make-up still on. She had been in the corn maze scaring the people on the hayride. Curt picked her up, the little girl settled against his shoulder, within minutes she was sound asleep.
“Yes, I’d restock between the hayrides.” Sophia shivered. From a few feet away Sean saw her. Making sure she saw him he went behind her, wrapping his arms around her.
“Are you cold?”
“Yes.” She tried to rub her hands up and down her arms, but Sean’s were in the way. Sean rubbed her arms, walking her over to the dying embers in the fire. Curt and Dana’s oldest child, Ryan, had added wood to the fire. Sean settled in the same chair he’d been in earlier, bringing Sophia to his chest, making sure his arms were around her.
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