by Cindy Kirk
“Aunt Marigold.” One of the twins rushed past his mother and flung his arms around his aunt’s waist. “Mommy said you’d be here but I didn’t believe her.”
Prim shook her head, a bemused smile on her lips. “Gee, Callum, thanks.”
“I believed you, Mommy,” the second twin assured her.
Though the two were identical, something about Callum, the one who’d spoken first, told Cade the boy would need special watching.
“Why didn’t I know my nephews were in Cade’s troop?” Marigold pinned Katie Ruth with her gaze.
“They weren’t assigned to you and Cade until an hour ago.” Prim shot them a sheepish smile. “I asked Katie Ruth to do a little finagling and she was able to shift Callum and Connor in and move the other two boys to a different group.”
Cade thought of the names on his list. “Were the other parents okay with the last-minute change?”
“Actually, it worked out perfectly,” Katie Ruth told him. “The boys are friends and one of the dads was a last-minute add-on as a leader. The son and his friend wanted to be in his troop.”
“Fabulous.” Marigold fist-bumped her nephews. “Isn’t this great, Cade?”
Personally Cade thought it would have been even more wonderful if they’d switched out two girls for the twins. “Yeah. Great.”
Callum cast a suspicious glance at the tables and chairs. “Is this going to be like school?”
“I like school.” Connor, the other twin, smiled up at his aunt.
Callum rolled his eyes and pinned Cade with bright blue eyes in a freckled face. “Are we going camping?”
His brother’s swiveled. “We get to go camping?”
Cade shook his head. “Not tonight.”
“Tonight’s unit is on proper animal care,” Katie Ruth announced after glancing down at her clipboard.
“The group earns a merit badge each time we master a unit,” Marigold told the twins.
Cade was impressed. It appeared he wasn’t the only one who’d read the materials Katie Ruth had supplied. He only hoped being a troop leader wouldn’t have him pretending to be a dog before the meeting concluded. He’d thought about tracking down a dog or a cat earlier, but the day had been a busy one, and he’d forgotten.
“We may need to work on the citizenship in the community unit since we don’t have an animal lined up.” He shifted his gaze as a group of giggling girls and their parents filed through the door.
Although Cade hadn’t been in Good Hope all that long, he recognized all of the parents by face and was personally acquainted with David Chapin.
“Sheriff.”
Cade looked down at the twin tugging his sleeve. “Yes, Connor?”
“We have a dog if you need one.” The child glanced up at his mother. “We don’t live far. Mommy could call Daddy and have him bring Boris.”
Prim’s lips curved. The soft smile may have been from the polite way her son had offered or the fact that he now called his stepfather Daddy.
“Boris is very gentle and loving with children,” Prim assured Cade.
He was acquainted with the Russian wolfhound. While the animal was large and could be overenthusiastic at times, from what he’d observed, the dog was gentle and could be trusted around children. “If you don’t mind, that’d be great.”
Prim had already pulled out her phone to make the call before he finished. “I’ve got the minivan, so I’ll need to run home to transport him. I’ll ask Max to have him ready.”
“Hey, Cade.” David Chapin stepped forward when Prim rushed out. “Thanks for agreeing to do this. Brynn was crushed when we signed her up too late to get into a fall troop.”
“Should be a good time.” Cade decided Marigold wasn’t the only one who could be positive.
David’s brow arched. “Over at 6:30?”
Cade nodded. Ninety minutes. The way he saw it, a man could tolerate practically anything for an hour and a half. “That’s right.”
With the confirmation, David crouched down before his daughter, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who didn’t appear to resemble either of her parents. “You have fun, kiddo. I’ll be back to pick you up when the meeting is over.”
He gave Brynn a quick hug, then strolled out. For a second, the little girl looked as if she might cry. Then Marigold grasped one of her hands and began swinging it back and forth like a jump rope.
“We have a special guest on the way.” Even as Marigold swung Brynn’s hand, she singsonged the announcement to the entire troop.
A little girl with skin the color of café au lait and large brown eyes stepped forward. “Who is it?”
Another child, dressed in all pink, including fancy cowboy boots that glittered, twirled around. “Is it Santa Claus?”
“Geez, everyone knows Santa Claus only comes at Christmas,” Callum informed her.
The girl lifted her chin. “He’s Santa. He can come anytime he wants.”
Cade raked a hand through his hair. “It isn’t Santa.”
“Who is it then?” a child with two brown pigtails asked.
“Our special guest will be here any minute. You can see for yourself. In the meantime—” Marigold’s gaze scanned the group, and she flashed that irresistible smile. “It’s time for introductions.”
Once the introductions had been completed, Marigold glanced around the circle. As Cade seemed willing to let her take the lead, she rose to the challenge.
“While we wait for our guest of honor to arrive, let’s sit.” Marigold gestured to a large area rug boasting a turquoise cherry blossom pattern. “I can’t wait to tell you about all the fun things Sheriff Cade and I have planned.”
She nimbly stepped aside, avoiding the stampede to the rug.
The sound of high-pitched childish conversations and laughter as they sat in a semicircle on the rug brought warmth to Marigold’s heart. She loved kids but had spent precious little time with any—including her own nephews—since leaving Good Hope.
An upside to losing her job was, for the next few weeks, she’d be able to spend more time with Callum and Connor. Since Ami wasn’t due until May, it was unlikely she’d have the opportunity to rock Ami’s firstborn in her arms before heading out for bigger and better.
Cade moved to the rug but remained standing. Impatiently, Marigold motioned him down. He folded his lanky frame encased in blue jeans and a charcoal henley and confiscated the spot beside her.
Unlike his deputies, he didn’t wear a uniform. Cade had mentioned he’d gotten out of the habit once he’d gotten his detective’s shield. Even without the uniform, she’d have pegged him as a cop. His watchful eyes and keen gaze missed little.
Like when, seconds after taking his place on the rug, Callum gave his twin a hard shove, sending the other boy tumbling from the circle like an off-balanced Weeble. Laugher broke out around the circle as Connor scrambled to right himself. When his twin glared at him, Callum grinned.
Cade opened his mouth to speak, but Marigold shook her head slightly. She had this one. The look she fixed on her sister’s eldest son—by two minutes—was the same one she’d seen Prim and Max give him many times. “In this troop we keep our hands to ourselves. Pushing and shoving will not be tolerated. Understand?”
Callum gave a nod, then shifted his gaze to Brynn. Hooking his index fingers in the corners of his mouth, he stretched his lips wide in a crazy face and made her laugh.
Marigold met Cade’s gaze and lifted her shoulders. This was the first meeting. Push too hard or be too strict and they risked ruining the fun.
She’d made her point. If Callum continued to bump up against the rules, Marigold would speak to Prim after the meeting. She only wished her sister would hurry and get back with the dog.
There was no need to glance at her phone. Not with the large, round clock on the wall ticking off the minutes. If they were going to get through the unit, they would need to start now, with or without Boris. After introductions were completed, Marigold smiled at the group shifti
ng restlessly on the rug.
“I had so much fun when I was a Seedling. I learned new things and got to do a lot of really cool activities. Not to mention . . .” She paused for dramatic effect and made a great show of surveying the children in the circle. “Who likes pizza?”
Every hand in the circle shot up, including Cade’s.
Marigold lifted hers for a second, then lowered it. She put enthusiasm in her voice. “You’ll be excited to know that once our group is awarded ten merit badges, we get a pizza party.”
The girls clapped.
Callum and Connor made hooting noises normally only heard during ball games.
“Pizza is my favorite food,” Brynn announced.
“Mine, too,” Callum added, his gaze fixed on Brynn.
“Well, today, if you all pay attention and participate, we will get our first merit badge and be on our way to the ten we need for the pizza party.” She shifted her gaze to Cade. “Sheriff, would you like to review the seven major dog groups with our Seedlings?”
This time it was Marigold’s turn to sit back and listen as Cade gave an entertaining overview that kept the children’s attention. His examples of the way various dogs in each group barked had Marigold snorting back laughter.
“I bet many of you have a dog in your home, or maybe in your neighborhood. Who’d like to give me an example of a dog in your home or in the home of a neighbor or friend?” His voice was so persuasive and his smile so engaging, Marigold found herself searching her own brain for an example.
“We have a Dorkie.” The little girl with the pink cowboy boots spoke without raising her hand. Hannah had hair the color of fine champagne, big blue eyes, and a missing front tooth. Marigold thought Fin may have been in the same class as her mother. “His name is Chico.”
With that kind of name, Marigold would have expected a Chihuahua or perhaps a Mexican hairless. What the heck was a Dorkie? From the puzzled expression on Cade’s face, she wasn’t the only one confused. “I’m not familiar with the breed.”
The girl chewed her lower lip, thought for a second. “Mommy says he’s part weenie dog and part Yorkie.”
“A dachshund and Yorkshire terrier,” Marigold repeated for Cade’s benefit when the man still appeared baffled.
Brynn’s hand shot up. The girl waited until Cade acknowledged her with a nod before speaking.
“If it’s a terrier, it goes in the terrier group.” Brynn dropped her hand, her smile triumphant.
Lia, the girl with the gorgeous brown eyes, gave Brynn a high five.
“That’s correct.” Marigold beamed smiles. “A Yorkshire terrier falls into the terrier group.”
“What about the weenie dog?” Connor asked.
“That’s a good question, Connor.” Cade’s slow and deliberate response made Marigold believe he didn’t have a clue to the answer.
Marigold only knew the answer because she had a friend back in Chicago who owned a mini dachshund. When reading over the materials in preparation for tonight’s meeting, she’d thought of Hamlet.
“The ‘dachs’ part of the breed’s name means ‘badgers.’ And ‘hund’ means ‘dog.’ A dachshund, or weenie dog, is a ‘hound’ who likes to hunt badgers.” Marigold emphasized the word. If she gave the children any additional information she’d be offering up the answer on a silver platter.
“I’ve never seen a badger, but I think they’re like big rats.” Callum spoke with an air of authority. “I wanted to get a rat and call him Ratfink, but Mommy said, ‘No way, Jose.’”
Her nephew punctuated the pronouncement with a gesture often used by umpires to pronounce someone safe at base.
“Jose isn’t my name,” Callum clarified when a couple of the girls looked confused. “But that’s what she called me.”
“She did.” Connor gave a vigorous nod. “I heard her. She called him Jose.”
Marigold stifled a chuckle.
“I wouldn’t want a rat in my house,” Brynn declared in a loud voice and received nods of agreement from the other girls.
“I really want a pig,” a girl named Sabine blurted. “If I had one, I’d put dresses on her and call her Miss Piggy.”
The discussion appeared headed straight down the rabbit hole. With Marigold still wondering how they’d gotten so off course, Cade took the reins.
“Back to the question.” Amusement flickered in Cade’s gray eyes. “Knowing this hound was used for hunting, what category do we think fits?”
“Hound.” Lia spoke so softly Marigold doubted the others heard her.
“Lia has the answer.” She offered the girl an encouraging smile. “Speak loudly so the others can hear.”
“Hound.” This time Lia bellowed the answer, ensuring everyone in the entire building—and the next one over—heard her response.
“But that makes Chico a terrier and a hound.” Hannah’s brows pulled together. “How can that be?”
“Good question.” Cade shifted his gaze to Marigold. “Would you like to answer that for Hannah and the other Seedlings?”
“My aunt knows everything,” Callum boasted. “She’s really smart.”
“She cuts hair and makes it change color,” Connor asserted, offering her a smile.
“I get my hair cut at Golden Door Salon,” Brynn announced. “Miss Charlotte is the best in town.”
Callum pushed to his knees and his blue eyes flashed. “My aunt is better than creepy ol’ Miss Charlotte.”
“Boys. Girls. We need to stay on task.” Marigold clapped her hands, her heart slamming against her rib cage. How did teachers do this? Barely fifteen minutes in and she was ready for a break.
Shouldn’t Boris be here by now? Where was her sister and that blasted wolfhound anyway? Marigold was on the verge of sending out a sisterly SOS when the door eased open.
The children scrambled to their feet as the dog and Prim stepped inside.
“Seedlings. Please remain on the rug.” Marigold used every ounce of whatever teacher genes she’d gotten from her father and coupled the command with another firm look.
The dog was even bigger than Marigold remembered. But when her sister told him to sit, he did.
The appearance of the huge animal had the kids mesmerized. When Marigold saw the eager looks on their faces, she felt a surge of relief. She had no doubt the next hour was going to fly by.
She shot a look at Cade, and he gave her a thumbs-up.
Yep, she thought, we have this handled.
Chapter Ten
Marigold waited until the last Seedling had disappeared down the hall, chattering happily to their parents, before she collapsed into a metal folding chair. After the events of the past ninety minutes she had a far greater appreciation for what raising two boys alone had been like for her sister. “Children that age have entirely too much energy.”
Cade sat in the chair beside hers, an expression that could only be described as shell-shocked on his face. He expelled a breath, shook his head. “All I can say is thank God for Boris.”
“I agree.” Marigold scooped up a handful of the goldfish crackers Prim had brought back with her for a snack. “I really worried how he’d do, but being around the twins must have desensitized him to shrieking, high-pitched voices and spontaneous hugs.”
“I could use some pointers.” Cade offered a rueful smile.
“You were a real trooper, as was Boris.” Marigold rolled her shoulders to relieve a couple of knots that wanted to settle there. “Though I swear he had a pained expression on his face when the children took turns bandaging his paw.”
Cade rose to his feet to stand behind her chair. Before she knew what was happening, his hands were on her shoulders, massaging the knots with strong fingers.
Marigold wanted to weep with relief. Instead she emitted a soft moan.
“You saved the meeting from disaster.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”
“We make a good team. I just kept telling mys
elf that Katie Ruth wouldn’t have left us alone with the group if she wasn’t certain we could handle them.” Marigold didn’t want to think what might have happened if she and Cade hadn’t read through the materials prior to the meeting and been prepared. It had taken her a whole evening to read through it all, but the effort had paid off. “Future meetings should go okay as long as we follow the outlines.”
“I like the sound of ‘we.’” His fingers dug just a little deeper into the muscle.
Marigold knew she should remind him she was only helping out for a few weeks, but it wasn’t anything he didn’t already know. “The kids seem determined to earn those ten merit badges.”
“Who knew a pizza party could be such a motivator?” He chuckled, his tone a bit incredulous.
“We may have to start covering two units at a time, or meet more frequently, to get them caught up.”
“Works for me.”
“This works for me.” Marigold let her eyes close, just for a second, as he continued to knead.
“All the talk about pizza tonight has me in the mood for a slice.” Cade’s tone turned persuasive. “Interested?”
Marigold slowly opened her eyes.
“I thought we could pick one up and take it to your apartment,” he continued in a pleasant tone. “Or we can go out. Your choice.”
“Aren’t you agreeable.” She pushed to her feet and began straightening the room in an attempt to corral her wayward thoughts. They’d just made love that morning, yet she found herself wanting him again.
“I’m an agreeable kind of guy.” His hands settled on her shoulders, and he turned her around to face him.
She gazed up at him through lowered lashes, and the desire she saw reflected in those smoky depths had her pulse tripping. Anticipation fluttered through her. “Or we could head straight to my place and I could heat up the one I have in the freezer?”
He grinned and shot her a wink. “Even better.”
“Are you thinking we’d be dressed while we ate?” She arched a brow, keeping her voice casual and offhand. “Or not?”