“A snack sounds good. I think I missed dinner.”
“Come over. We have a refrigerator full of food.”
There was a long pause before she spoke. “I was just heading home from work. I’ve got Robo with me.”
“Bring him along. You’re working late.”
Her breath released in a soft sigh, and when she spoke, she sounded tired. Or sad. Maybe both. “I need to talk to you anyway. It would be better in person.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“It’s not good. I’m headed your way. Be there in a couple minutes.”
“I’ll meet you out front.”
Cole went through the living room with the intention of turning on the porch light, but as he passed through, Bruno caught his eye. The Doberman had been stretched out on a dog cushion, sound asleep until Cole entered the room. Then he rolled to his chest and raised his beautifully sculpted head, with its long thin nose and mahogany markings. He pricked his black ears and stared at Cole, fully alert and waiting to see what his next move should be. Cole liked that about him—he didn’t miss much and was always on guard, yet he’d fit into the family seamlessly.
“Let’s go outside, Bruno.” Cole flipped on the porch light and opened the front door.
Bruno scrambled to his feet and followed him onto the porch, going down the steps and ranging around the yard’s perimeter at a trot. Cole figured he’d better let Bruno and Robo greet each other out here instead of inside, where their exuberant play would awaken the entire household. It interested him how the three big dogs—Belle, Bruno, and Robo—had instantly formed a pack; possibly because they were all young and had been well socialized as pups. Belle played the alpha role, while Bruno and Robo acted like two buffoons, racing each other and wrestling around in the grass as Belle looked on in disdain or, even more likely, completely ignored them.
Headlights pierced the darkness at the end of the lane and headed his way. Bruno alerted and stood like a statue at the edge of the yard, chuffing out a low bark and growling deep in his chest.
“It’s okay.” Cole moved down the steps and stood beside him. “That’s just Mattie and Robo coming.”
Maybe it was the magic word, “Robo,” that made the difference, because Bruno stopped growling, though he remained at attention at the edge of the yard. As Mattie’s SUV drew up and parked, he trotted in circles around it, obviously pleased by the arrival of these night visitors.
While Mattie set the brake on the car and turned off the engine, the porch light illuminated her vehicle enough to see Robo’s dark silhouette moving back and forth in his compartment as he tried to keep track of his friend. Cole couldn’t help but smile, both at the dogs and at his own eagerness to see Mattie. He felt like trotting out to her vehicle and circling around it in glee with Bruno.
But as soon as she got out of her SUV, he could see that something was wrong. Though the light from the porch was dim here at the edge of the yard, it lit the expression on her face enough to see that it was set in a tight, grim frown.
She’s come here with bad news. Again.
As predicted, Robo and Bruno raced around the yard while Mattie walked toward him, her manner subdued. “Hi,” she said.
“It’s good to see you, Mattie.” He found himself moving toward her with open arms, and she walked into his hug like it was the most natural thing in the world. But something had changed in the past few months. She felt slight in his arms, fragile. Nothing of the solid strength he was used to.
When she pulled away, he took a step back to examine her face, and alarm rattled him deep inside. Mattie looked beyond tired. Fatigue etched lines around her eyes, and they sent him back to the day Olivia had left him. She’d worn the same soul-weary expression.
“You’ve had a bad day,” Cole said, taking her arm and leading her toward the porch. “Let’s go inside and get you some food.”
“I’m not sure I can eat yet.” Mattie allowed him to guide her up onto the porch before stopping. “Let’s let the dogs play for a few minutes while I tell you what’s happened. You need to know.”
Robo and Bruno growled in play as they chased each other around the yard.
“What is it?”
“Do you know the Banks family?”
Cole thought for a few moments. “No, can’t say as I do.”
Mattie breathed a sigh; it sounded like one of relief. “We found their daughter this evening, Candace Banks, dead up on Smoker’s Hill.”
“Good grief, Mattie!”
“It’s going to be announced at school tomorrow. I wanted you and the kids to hear it from me, because I think one of her brothers might be Sophie’s age or close to it. She probably knows him. Might even know Candace.”
Cole felt a blow to his midsection. His girls were just beginning to recover from their losses this past year, and now this. “Do you know yet how she died?”
“We don’t. Autopsy in the morning.”
Cole could tell she was torn up about it. He slipped an arm around her, pulling her against his side to offer comfort. She was shorter than he, and she tipped her head to rest it against his chest as she stood in the shelter of his arm.
“I’ll ask Sophie in the morning if she knows Candace or her brother and then take it from there. I appreciate you giving me a heads-up.”
He felt her nod before she moved away.
“Maybe I’d better take Robo home now,” she said. “He missed his dinner.”
“And you said you did too. Are you still feeding him the same food as the last time he ate here?”
“Yeah, haven’t changed it.”
“I’ve got food for both of you then. Come inside.” Cole moved toward the door.
Mattie hesitated, but then she followed. “All right.” She turned and spoke to Robo in a quiet but firm tone. “Robo, come.”
Robo trotted her way with Bruno galumphing along behind.
“These guys turn into clowns when they’re together,” Cole observed, trying to lighten Mattie’s mood and knowing that a reference to the dogs was probably his best bet.
And he was right. She smiled. His heart felt instantly lighter too.
“They do. They’re like a couple of boys let out of school,” she said.
“Okay, boys. Settle down,” Cole said to the dogs. “Everyone’s asleep inside,” he said to Mattie.
“Robo, heel,” she said, and Robo fell into line, making Bruno settle down too.
They all filed into the house in an orderly fashion, with Cole leading them into the kitchen. He headed to the pantry, where the dog food was kept, and began to fill an extra dog bowl with food. “Go ahead and look in the fridge, Mattie. Anything is fair game.”
After Cole set out food for Robo, Bruno went to his own dish to clean up what he’d left there earlier. Mattie had taken out leftover chicken from dinner, some potato salad, and a green Jell-O concoction that had pineapple and little marshmallows in it. Cole went to the cabinet to get dishes.
“Bruno and I already ate, but it looks like we’re both going to eat again to keep you two company.”
Mattie smiled at him, and he could see that the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. He also noticed the gray shadows that circled them.
“Better than eating alone,” she said. “Mama T always said that little piggies eat better when there are more at the trough.”
After filling their plates and sitting down at the table, they both dug in, eating in silence for a few moments. She seemed to have an appetite, and he was glad to see it.
After she’d had a chance to eat most of her food, he spoke. “We’ve missed you.”
She looked down at her plate instead of at him. “Same here. How are the girls doing?”