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Junction’s church bell served as a general alarm. In most towns, the church bells had been reconfigured to ring electronically, but the residents of Junction had chosen not to make the switch. In the pre-Turner days, they had felt that the “old-fashioned” bell gave their town a little extra charm.
This night, the bell sounded and residents were quick to gather in front of the church. When most of the town had arrived, Jon stepped to the front of the crowd. The wind had died down considerably, so everyone was able to hear him.
“We’ve had a breach in our security tonight. Thanks to Mason’s alertness, we think all the intruders have been stopped, but we need to make a thorough search of the town to be certain. We also need to figure out how they got in, so we won’t have a repeat performance. Let’s break up into groups of five and follow the grid pattern. Joshua and George will be in charge. As you form your groups, make sure you have at least two who are good shots. Also, keep an eye out for possible explanations as to how these Turners got past the patrols.”
When Jon finished speaking, George told Mason and Sydney that they had done their share and they should go have Doc check them out, adding that they could clean up at the clinic. The two reeking warriors gratefully accepted his offer and left.
Jason was already prepping a room for them when they arrived. He looked them over and then brought clean scrubs for them to change into after they showered.
Krissy headed home to check on the girls. Through all that had happened, Captain Jack hadn’t left her side.
After Mason and Sydney cleaned up, they decided to spend the rest of the night in the clinic. They found out later that night that three more Turners had been found and disposed of. To everyone’s relief, no townsfolk had been compromised.
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The following morning, Krissy, Sydney, Joshua, and the boys burned the two Turner bodies, washed down Krissy’s yard, and reinforced the fencing around the yard. By the time they were done, they had worked up quite an appetite, so they walked over to Vic’s for some lunch.
Despite the previous night’s ruckus, talk was easy around the table.
“I know we had a lot of excitement last night, but are we still having our get-together tonight?” Sydney inquired with some hesitation. At least that would give them something fun to look forward to, she thought.
“I’m up for it if everyone else is,” Krissy said.
About then, Jon, George, Aaron, and Jeremy came in, and Frances brought iced tea and sandwiches for everyone.
While they were eating, Jon pieced together what had happened.
“I talked with everyone on patrol on that side of town this morning. John Kenter and two others were supposed to be keeping watch last night, but it seems they got involved in a friendly card game and lost track of time. They answered the base calls but were playing cards instead of keeping watch. The Turners didn’t have a visual on them, and the wind last night was blowing away from the patrol, so no one picked on the smells. So … the patrollers were safe, but unfortunately their lack of attention placed everyone else at risk. Those Turners pretty much just waltzed right into town. Looks like we’re going to have to rethink our security patrols.”
All morning, Captain Jack had been nuzzling Christian’s hand and whining. Right about this time, he decided to up the whining a notch.
“Something’s going on with Captain,” Krissy said, looking a little concerned. “He usually wants something when he pesters someone like that.” She bent down and rubbed the dog’s head. “You tryin’ to tell us something, Jack?” They all raised an eyebrow when the dog looked at her and swung his head up and down. “What is it, boy? You want us to go somewhere?” Captain Jack immediately backed up and started wagging his tail.
“What do you make of it, Krissy?” Christian asked.
“Well, from past experience, I’ve found it good to give him his head. Let’s see where he goes,” she said. Since they were pretty much done anyway, they decided to see where this next adventure would take them. It was kind of exciting, and in a good way, since Captain Jack didn’t seem distressed.
Krissy, the boys, and Sydney made sure their guns were handy and followed Captain Jack out of Vic’s. Fred was walking past as they were exiting, and he decided to join them, thinking they might need a little extra protection. That was Fred, always watching over everyone.
Captain took them to the edge of town and on out into the desert hills that faced Junction on one side. Fifteen minutes or so into their hike they were beginning to think they were on a wild goose chase, but about that time Captain took off at a full run. The boys started to chase after him, but Sydney and Krissy called after them to wait up. After climbing up a good-sized hill they eventually caught up to Captain, who was waiting for them next to a wide hole, his tail wagging. What they found in the hole took them completely by surprise.
14 A Unique Find
“I’ll be,” Fred said with amusement. A Queensland Heeler was lying on her side while seven little pups romped around her. Everyone else, in unison, said, “Ohhh, how cute!” The pups and their mom were scrawny, but there were no signs of the virus in them.
Krissy laughed and shook her head. “So, this explains the missing chickens and rabbits I had cooked. I knew Captain was taking them, but I couldn’t figure out why. Guess he’s been feeding her so she could feed them.”
The lair was at a high enough elevation that Turners couldn’t climb up to get them, but before long the pups would be able to climb out of the ditch. That’s when the danger would come. The mother was surprisingly docile—probably because Captain Jack had brought these visitors to her. It was obvious that he had spent time with the Heeler. Some of the pups had coats the same rich golden color as his.
Krissy knelt near the mother and slowly held out her hand, palm facing the ground, to give her a chance to sniff and get used to Krissy’s scent, which was thoroughly mingled with Jack’s. Seeing that the mother didn’t appear to feel threatened, Krissy gently stroked her and spoke to her in a soft, low voice. After a few minutes, she reached out and picked up one of the pups, holding it up against her. All the while, Captain Jack proudly looked on.
Christian, watching the pups nipping at each other and pretending to fight, spoke up. “I’ve got a great idea! Let’s figure out a way to get these pups and their mother back to town.”
Without argument, Krissy, Christian, and Sydney went back to town for a truck. Once they had made a soft nest of blankets in the bed of the truck, they headed in the direction of the lair. On the way out of town, they saw Joshua talking to Jason. Christian told Joshua to round up Jon, George, Aaron, and Jeremy and be at Krissy’s house in an hour. All he would tell Joshua was that he had a great plan for security and he’d lay it out for everyone when they got back.
Joshua was very familiar with Christian’s creative nature, and his curiosity was piqued. He didn’t question Christian, though. Instead, he said, “I’m on it,” and after finishing his conversation with Jason, he turned to do Christian’s bidding.
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They loaded the dogs into the truck, puppies first and then the mother, and drove straight to Krissy’s house. The first thing Krissy did when they arrived was to make sure the dogs had enough to eat. Although the pups were still nursing, they had already learned to eat solid food, too. No wonder Captain Jack had finally asked for human help—that was a lot of mouths to feed!
Next, Krissy brought a round metal tub into the yard and enlisted everyone’s help in bathing the dogs. She had a homemade solution to kill the fleas, which she added to the soap. Wetting the pups in the tub one by one and then soaping them good, she handed them off to be rinsed and dried. To Sydney’s surprise, the mother let Krissy bathe her as well. Sydney thought she must have had a good master at one time.
Although Sydney had never been around dogs, she’d grown attached to Captain Jack, and she already adored his offspring. She just couldn’t get enough of hold
ing them. Fortunately for everyone else, there were plenty of pups to go around. Krissy made a comfortable spot for them in the kitchen and christened the mother dog “Aussie,” after her Australian roots. By the time Joshua and the other men got there, Aussie had settled in with her little ones, whose bellies were full, and heads were heavy with sleep.
Bursting with excitement, Christian met the men at the door and escorted them into the kitchen. Big guys or not, when they saw the pups, they melted into putty. As they stood and watched those furry little bodies nodding off to sleep, Christian put forth his idea.
“We seem to have a real problem with Turners breaking through the patrols. When I saw the pups today, I realized they could be just what we need. Mason mentioned how Captain Jack stood at the door growling last night. He knew there were bad ones out there before we did. With their sense of smell and the right training, these pups can warn the patrols when Turners are coming. We can breed more dogs to use here, and in Aftertown, too. The other plus,” he said, smiling, “is they’ll provide a lot of companionship.” He paused a moment and then asked, “Well, what do you think?”
The plan made perfect sense. Everyone agreed it was a great idea, especially since they had the start of a canine patrol already underway! The look of respect on the men’s faces after hearing Christian’s plan made Sydney’s heart swell with pride.
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That evening, the “date night” at Krissy’s turned into a party. Not too long after Jason, Leandra, and Joshua arrived, Aaron and Jeremy showed up. A little while later, Kim came over as well. She was planning on taking the girls home with her when the evening was over. Then Frances and Joy knocked on the front door about ten minutes later.
Even with all those adorable pups there to distract her, Krissy had prepared a wonderful dinner. As everyone ate, the conversation was lively and there was plenty of laughter. Leandra was obviously enjoying Jason’s attention, and it wasn’t hard to see where those two were headed.
Kim had a great sense of humor, and she hit it off with Jeremy and Aaron as she filled them in on her past. She told them about how she and her husband had decided to leave 90 Degrees before the military dusting occurred, since they weren’t so keen on breathing in something the military had conjured up. She described how they had wound up in Junction, and how horrified she had been to hear of the experiment’s outcome and what had happened to so many of the people she had known.
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The following morning Jeremy and Aaron announced that they would be returning to Aftertown later in the day. They were excited about introducing canine patrols there. Personally, Sydney thought they were mentally kicking themselves for not having thought of it themselves. It was so natural.
Their plan was to go out and scout for stray dogs, with the hope that once the strays had been fed and cared for, they’d become re-domesticated.
Although it was hard to see them go, knowing that they would be together again in about a month made the parting a little easier for Sydney, Joshua, and the boys. Joshua was committed to finishing up what he had started with Jon and George.
Meanwhile, news of the dogs spread throughout Junction. Not only was everyone excited about having better security, but the arrival of the pups also seemed to have injected new life into the town’s morale. Residents began looking for stray dogs to raise with Aussie’s litter so they could eventually be crossbred when they were old enough. Having a common goal for protection was motivating, and it worked like magic in bringing everyone together.
One afternoon, while relaxing for a bit at Krissy’s, the boys announced that they had all decided on names for the dogs they had been working with.
“What will they be, then?” Krissy asked.
“Well,” Mason said, his face lighting up, “my dog is Digger. There’s a guy I met in Aftertown who grew up in Australia. He said ‘digger’ is the word they use for a soldier. I thought it would be a great name, since Aussie is the one who brought them into this world and, he’s a soldier dog!”
“I named mine Queenie, because she acts like one,” said Christian.
“I named mine Ginger because of her color,” Austin said proudly.
Krissy was impressed and wholeheartedly agreed that they were great names.
With the pups formally named, the partnerships between the boys and their dogs were sealed. Although they were part of Junction’s canine posse, Krissy knew she could never separate them from the boys.
15 “I Take Thee …”
The next few weeks were calm, with only scattered Turner incidents here and there, all of them outside of town. Security and the patrols had been beefed up after the incident that night at Krissy’s house, and the town relaxed a bit as everyone went back to their routines.
One evening after dinner, Joshua and Sydney broke their news to the boys, and their reactions were exactly what Sydney had hoped for. Joshua and Sydney had decided by then that they wanted to wait until they were back in Aftertown to get married. The boys proceeded to spread the news around town, and Joshua told Aaron about their plans during one of their radio conversations, which somehow seemed to make it “official.”
Krissy generously gave Joshua and the boys rooms in her home, which made Sydney’s life close to perfect. Krissy, who loved entertaining and having company, also started hosting weekly get-togethers, inviting various friends, and Joshua and Sydney were always part of the gatherings. It gave them both the chance to really get to know the people who lived in Junction. Sydney thought Kissy also relished the fact that she was making it easy for Jason and Leandra to grow closer.
After years of being used as bait, Leandra was finally blossoming as she realized that this wonderful man liked her for who she was, and not for what he could get from her. It was no surprise to anyone when they announced at one of the get-togethers that they wanted to get married, although everyone was a little surprised when they said they wanted to have the wedding within a week!
Krissy jumped at the chance to plan the big event and offered to have it there at her home. Sydney wanted to help, figuring it would be good practice for when she planned her own wedding. The three of them sat at Krissy’s dining room table for at least three hours after everyone else left, working out the details; Jason had gone home, thinking it was better to leave the planning up to the women. His job was simply to show up on the wedding day, and he preferred it that way, as long as he left married to Leandra.
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With all the plans in place, everyone arrived at the church the following Thursday. Frances had displayed her gift for sewing when she presented a stunning dress for Leandra to wear on her wedding day. The gown was a soft cream color, and Frances had hand-stitched lace and beads into a beautiful floral design down the front of it. Leandra and Sydney were awestruck, since they had no idea that Frances had a talent like that. Turns out that in the pre-Turner days she’d supplemented her income by making clothes for customers who had heard of her and would stop by on the way to one of the resort communities. The dress Leandra wore was one of her masterpieces; it had been purchased but never picked up.
Leandra was so beautiful. She glowed as Joshua escorted her to the altar in the little church, where Jason waited to make her his bride. She wore her thick, dark hair down, with one side pulled back and adorned with a flower. George presided over the ceremony, which produced a lot of moist eyes in the crowd, and Sydney thought it was the loveliest thing she had ever witnessed.
The party afterward was the biggest celebration Junction had seen in years.
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The time had come for Sydney, Joshua, and the boys to make the trip back to Aftertown. Sydney’s anticipation for Jeremy and Savannah’s wedding was almost more than she could handle. This would be the second wedding she had ever witnessed, and Jeremy and Savannah had asked her and Joshua to stand up with them, along with Aaron and Jen.
Sydney and Joshua were hanging out in the living room waiting for the boys to f
inish packing when Krissy walked in.
“I have a going-away gift I’d like to give the boys, but I wanted to make sure that you were okay with it first,” she said, which piqued their curiosity.
“I’m sure anything you would give the boys would only do them good,” Joshua told her.
“Okay, then!” Krissy turned slightly and called over her shoulder into the other room, “It’s okay!” Jason popped around the corner, with Digger, Queenie, and Ginger completely tangling up his legs with their leashes.
Joshua and Sydney burst out laughing, not only at the sight of Jason trying to untangle the pups while they nipped at his heels, but also from the sheer joy they felt, knowing how excited boys would be.
Joshua called for the boys to come downstairs. They pounced on Jason as soon as they saw him, relieving him of his rambunctious load amid a lot of laughter. Mason, Christian, and Austin had spent almost every free hour they had at Krissy’s, playing with the pups and teaching them tricks. The pups’ mixed blood gave them the best traits of each breed, so they were very affectionate and quick to learn. The boys loved those pups, and they couldn’t believe Krissy was letting them take their favorites to have as their very own.
The hugs Krissy received from the boys left no doubt in her mind how much the gesture was appreciated.
After about ten minutes, Joshua started trying to calm things down.
“Are the three of you packed?” he asked.
“Yeah, we’re ready to go,” Mason said.
Joshua turned to Krissy. “Can we keep the leashes for them, so they don’t run off when we make stops or camp for the night?”
“You’re talking to me, Joshua! Of course you can have the leashes, and I’m finishing up packing a weeks’ worth of food to send with you. Stop back before you leave town and I’ll have it already to go.” Ever since the pups had come to live with Krissy, she had tried to make up for the rough start they’d had by preparing special food for them to make sure they got all the nutrients their growing bodies needed.
Turners | Book 3 | Junction Page 6