Chapter 11
He watched as Kayla disappeared down the path to her cabin. If George hadn’t joined in on their walk, Mitch would’ve had a chance to outright ask Kayla if she’d seen anything suspicious, or if anyone came looking for her. Was this Colin guy smart enough to show up at the ranch with a fake family? Probably not. And the Marshals would see that coming.
But George did invite himself on their walk, so Mitch didn’t get to check in with Kayla at all.
George. What a guy. “A real man is like a horse.”
Mitch snorted. Right. It took everything he had not to burst out laughing when George said that. He wanted to ask him, “How many of these ranch horses are living out in the open fields? Aren’t they all technically employees here? Is that also a metaphor for your life as a real man?”
He thought that Kayla would at least roll her eyes at George’s statement, but when he looked at her, she was staring off into the sky. It seemed that she found this braggart charming. Mitch didn’t know why, but he just didn’t like the guy. He had a fake sort of charm that set Mitch’s teeth on edge – it reminded him of his dad.
Plus, George was being overly forward with Oliver; even though Oliver was growling at him, he barged in and started petting him. That really annoyed Mitch.
Kayla wasn’t sure how to handle Oliver yet, and Mitch didn’t blame her. It was her first dog and she was just getting used to everything. She had Oliver’s best interest at heart, and Mitch respected her for that. But George acted like an outright fool by ignoring all of Oliver’s warnings. He was lucky he wasn’t bitten.
Mitch got back to his place and parked his truck. He sat and absorbed the silence for a moment. It would be a few days before he could see Kayla again, and he couldn’t count on her to be his only friend. It was about time that he started to make some friends of his own. Once Kayla went back to her regular life, there would be absolutely no one in town that he knew. He needed to put down roots here, because this beautiful place was his future.
A solution sort of fell into his lap the next day when he went to the hardware store. He got into a conversation with an older guy who was gathering materials to build a wheelchair ramp for his wife.
“Our old house was all set up for her, but we lost it in the tornado,” he told Mitch.
“Wait a minute,” said Mitch. “Are you John Singer?”
“The one and only,” he replied.
Mitch laughed. “I saw that there’s a fundraiser for you and your wife coming up – a square dance, I think? After the tornado hit your house?”
“Yeah,” said John. “That’s something our church set up for us. I appreciate what they’re trying to do. I just don’t know how we’ll ever be able to rebuild our home.”
“Where are you staying now?”
“We’re up with my cousin, but I hate to trespass on his hospitality any longer. I can’t believe it, but the insurance had some loophole where we got almost nothing for our house.”
Mitch shifted uncomfortably. “Yeah, I sell the stuff and I don’t always understand how it works.”
John sighed. “Maybe you can find us new insurance that’ll help next time.”
“I’d be happy to look into it,” said Mitch. “But how about today I help you build that ramp?”
“No,” John said waving a hand, “I don’t want to trouble you.”
Mitch insisted. “It’ll take you three times as long by yourself, and I’ve got nothing to do today.”
It took the rest of the day to design and build a wheelchair safe ramp. While he was working, he got a text from Kayla asking if he wanted to go fishing later that week.
“We could do that,” he responded. “Or I could introduce you to my new friend John Singer – the guy who lost his house in that tornado.”
She responded instantly. “What? Are you serious? I would love to meet him, I have some ideas about how to help him and his wife.”
“John said that they’re all ears.”
Later that week, Kayla showed up at Mitch’s front door, Oliver in tow.
“Come on in,” he said. “I’ve got something to show you.”
Oliver didn’t need to be asked twice – Kayla unclipped his leash and he bolted through the door.
“Oh my goodness,” she said. “I’m sorry. I can keep him on the leash so he doesn’t damage anything.”
Mitch shrugged. “There’s nothing that he can really damage here that isn’t already damaged.”
She stopped and looked around the room. “Uh…did the FBI tell the Marshals to punish you?”
“For what?”
“I mean, compared to where I get to stay, this place is – no offense – a dump.”
As badly as he wanted to laugh, Mitch was able to keep a straight face. “It is?”
“No, I mean,” she said hurriedly, “it’s just that, well, I assume that you’re used to living with a certain standard, and this place doesn’t seem to be up to that kind of standard.”
Mitch stared at her for a moment. A certain kind of standard? Did she think that he was rich or something?
Before he could respond, she started talking again. “It’s just different than what I imagined. For you.”
“For me?” Mitch said with a bemused smile.
“You know what I mean!” Kayla said.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Did the Marshals or FBI tell you anything about how I ended up here?”
She frowned. “To be honest, it was all kind of a blur.”
Mitch’s stare was unbroken. “I’m not in witness protection because of something that I did.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So why are you in witness protection then?”
Oliver came trotting into the room and hopped onto Mitch’s couch. Kayla motioned for him to get down, but Mitch waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, as you can see it’s not a nice couch.”
“It’s a nice couch,” she said unconvincingly.
“You really are a terrible liar,” Mitch said with a laugh. “It’s okay. It came with the place. And it’s a long story, but I’m in witness protection because my dad stole a lot of money from a lot of innocent people over the years, and I’m testifying against him.”
Kayla’s eyes grew wide. “Against your own father? Was he a bank robber?”
Mitch sighed. “No, not exactly a bank robber. Like I said, it’s a long story.”
Kayla crossed her arms. “You’re not testifying in exchange for – your know, your own deal to stay out of jail?”
Mitch laughed. “I was never going to go to jail, no. Though I guess you could say that no one is completely innocent. When I was younger, like 17 or 18, I wanted to impress my dad and help him with his business. I handled all of the computer stuff for him, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that what he was doing was pretty shady. After I left, though, he found new ways to scam even more people. And one day when the FBI came knocking on my door, I knew that I had to give them as much information as I could.”
“That’s crazy. I can’t believe that this is your real life!”
“Me too. And I can never go back to my old life. I’ll always be a target.”
Kayla took a seat on the couch next to Oliver and played with his ears. “They said that your dad stole billions of dollars?”
“He did.”
“How?”
Mitch looked up at the ceiling. “I’m not exactly sure, he did a lot of different things. Insider trading. Dressed up pyramid schemes. He ran a call center that targeted older people, getting them to make bad investments with his company. They drained people’s savings, convinced them to cash in their retirement. That kind of thing.”
Oliver leaned into Kayla, seemingly fully relaxed. “Wow. What did you do after you stopped working for him?”
Just then, the doorbell rang. Oliver leapt from the couch to bark at the door. Kayla hurried over to reattach Oliver’s leash. She dragged him back into the living room, but he was not deterred in
his barking.
Mitch opened the front door and welcomed John and Vera Singer into the house. Mitch was grateful that for all of the flaws that his house had, it was at least able to accommodate Vera’s wheelchair.
Vera wheeled herself in first, stopping short of Oliver. “Aren’t you just the most ferocious little guy?” she said in a high voice.
Oliver immediately stopped barking, his ears perking up. Kayla gave him enough leash to go over and sniff her.
“You’re just a little sweetie, yes you are!” Vera continued. Oliver scooted closer to her, almost begging to be petted.
Kayla relaxed his leash a bit more. “I’m sorry about all the barking, I’m still working on his manners.”
“Oh that’s nothing,” said Vera with a smile. “Our last dog was a German Shepherd. He could scare away anyone with his bark.”
Kayla smiled and stood up. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. My name is Kayla Smith and I heard about what happened to your home. I’m a journalist, and I’d like to help you in any way that I can.”
Mitch shot Kayla a look. Did she have to include the journalist part?
John stepped forward and shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you Kayla, I’m John.”
Oliver let out a low grumble and Kayla shushed him.
“Oh, you better backup John!” said Vera. “I don’t think he likes you!”
John put his hands up as though he was surrendering. “I understand, he has to protect his lady. I feel the same way about my lady.”
Mitch smiled. He liked John pretty much the moment that he met him, but little comments like that made his like for him grow even more. Mitch wanted to love someone one day the way John loved Vera – totally and unconditionally.
“How about everyone comes into the living room,” said Mitch, “and have something to drink?”
Kayla went into the kitchen with Mitch to help him with making tea and coffee. Oliver anxiously followed Kayla, as was his custom.
“Aren’t they just the cutest?” she said in a hushed voice.
Mitch smiled. “They are. I just wanted to check, though,” he said, dropping his voice. “You know that you’re not a real journalist, right?”
“Listen buddy, I’m just trying to fully commit to this life.” Kayla stared at him for a second before a laugh escaped her mouth. “Okay, I know, but I still feel like I could help them. I had to give them some kind of credentials!”
Mitch smiled. She didn’t filter what was in her head before it came out of her mouth. It was the opposite of how he lived his life, but somehow it was growing on him. “You’re right. I won’t say a word.”
They returned to the living room and settled in to hear the full story of the day the tornado hit. From the way John told the story, it seemed that they were lucky to escape with their lives. Vera insisted that it wasn’t quite so dramatic, though she admitted that the loss was devastating to them both.
“Our house wasn’t fancy,” she said. “But it was home. And I could get around in my wheelchair without any problems – John widened all the doors for me and put handles wherever I needed them.”
“Like I told Mitch,” added John, “the insurance company won’t pay for hardly anything. So now, we’re stuck living off of the good graces of others. We both worked our whole lives, we paid the insurance all those years. It’s not that we want something for nothing.”
“Of course not!” said Kayla. “This is an outrage!”
“I looked into it from the insurance side,” Mitch said, “and unfortunately I don’t think that they are going to budge.”
John frowned. “I figured as much.”
“Forget the insurance company,” said Kayla, leaning forward. “I have a better idea. You guys ever heard of a website called GoFundMe?”
Vera and John looked at each other, then back at Kayla. “Can’t say that we have. We don’t have a computer.”
“Well,” she said excitedly, “it’s a great online community where you can raise money for any cause.”
Vera cocked her head to the side. “Why would anyone give money to us? I’m not even sure that I want to ask folks for money.”
“You don’t have to ask. That’s my job,” said Kayla. “Listen, I think that you both deserve a safe home. All I’m proposing is that we share your story and anyone who agrees can donate a little bit.”
Vera and John looked at each other. This time John spoke. “I don’t know about that.”
“How is this any different than selling square dance tickets to raise money?” said Kayla. “Except with this, we might actually have the chance to raise enough money to get you back in a suitable home. A home of your own.”
For a moment, Mitch wished that he had accepted his dad’s money just so he could help these nice people get a safe place to live. He couldn’t bring that up at this moment, obviously, so he kept it to himself.
Finally, Vera spoke. “Well, if that’s what you do for a living – tell people’s stories – and you think that ours is worth telling, I don’t see why not.”
Kayla squealed with delight. “You won’t regret it! If I can show people how lovely both of you are, I’m sure that we’ll have no problem raising some money.”
John wagged a finger at her. “Now young lady, you won’t get anywhere in this world with flattery.”
Kayla laughed. “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”
The Singers left after another hour, and after seeing them off, Mitch felt that he needed to ask Kayla some questions.
“Do you really think that you can pull this off?”
Kayla pursed her lips and paused for a moment. “I don’t know, honestly. But I have to try.”
“That’s good enough for me,” said Mitch. “You can count me in.”
“Great! I need to find a decent camera that we can use for taking pictures and videos.”
Mitch nodded. “I can take care of that.”
She bit her lip. “And I’ll need a decent computer to edit it all together…”
Mitch pointed to the other room. “I have one here. They gave one to me so I can, you know, pretend to sell insurance.”
“How’s that going for you?” she asked with a smile.
“Just terrific.”
She laughed. “Mitch, I think we are going to make a beautiful team.”
The thought of working with her thrilled him. “I think you’re right.”
Chapter 12
Over the next few days, Kayla spent a lot of time with the Singers. She wanted to get a good idea of their history before the square dance so she could complete the fundraising video. That way, she could share the completed website and video with everyone who attended the square dance, and they could help get the word out.
In talking with the Singers, she learned that John was a veteran and worked as a plumber until his back gave out, and Vera worked as a nurse’s aide until a car accident left her paralyzed.
“I always wanted to have children,” Vera confided. “But we were not so blessed. Do you have any children?”
Kayla shook her head. “No. Hopefully one day.”
“Are you married?”
“Nope, not yet,” Kayla replied. She felt like she was back in an exam room with one of her patients. Older women were always the most concerned with her love life.
When these comments first started during her training, she would get a bit annoyed. She wanted to say, “Listen! I’m not thinking about boys! I’m thinking about the best way to treat your diabetes!” But now it never annoyed her; she found their concern sweet. She was starting to get concerned herself, really.
“Do you have your eye on anybody?”
“No,” Kayla airily said as George flashed through her mind. “Right now Oliver has my full attention.”
Vera was undeterred. “How do you know Mitch? John said that he’s pretty good with his hands. He’s not bad looking, either.”
Kayla suppressed a smile. “We’re just friends. If that. To be honest, I d
on’t think he’s my biggest fan.”
Vera smiled knowingly. “Why not? You’re young and smart! And you’re so elegantly tall and beautiful.”
Kayla laughed. “You’re starting to sound like my mother. Though she tells me that I’m too tall for the aggressive personality that I have. She says that I scare the guys away with being as big as they are, and then on top of that, I’m too pushy.”
“Pushy is good,” said Vera matter of factly. “A woman needs to be pushy to get through this life.”
“That’s exactly how I see it.”
She always blamed her habit of scaring suitors away on being almost six feet tall, but Kayla knew there was more to it than that. She couldn’t help being pushy, though. She got a lot of ideas, and she liked to make things happen. Kayla was never one to sit around and wait for someone to help her. And her newest goal was getting the Singers a suitable home.
She made sure to interview some people in town in addition to some of the Singers’ friends and family.
All of this traveling and meeting new people was good for Oliver – a challenge, but a good challenge. Naturally, he grumbled and complained whenever a man got too close to him, but overall Kayla was impressed with how well he behaved.
She also worked on putting him in his crate every day with treats so that he learned it was a nice place to be, and not a place that he should start whining and howling as soon as she told him to go inside. He didn’t have any more incidents in the cabin, but she still felt awful about the chair that he damaged. She didn’t have the heart to tell Isabelle about it yet.
After getting all of the footage that she needed, she spent two full days at Mitch’s place to edit the Singers’ video and then another day to set up the fundraiser online. As she worked on the computer, Mitch either tinkered around the house, fixing things, or bribed Oliver’s affection with treats.
Oliver refused to let Kayla out of his sight; Mitch started calling him “Agent Oliver,” joking that he was on special order from the FBI to protect Kayla. For much of the time while she worked, Oliver sat nearby on the floor having a conversation (or argument through dog grumbles) with Mitch.
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