“It’s getting late. How about we stack the dishes in the sink, and I’ll take care of them tomorrow. If you hurry and brush your teeth, Sophie, I’ll read you a short story.”
“Okay.” She jumped up from her chair with dishes in hand, dropped them off at the sink, and scurried up the stairs, pausing long enough to grab her suitcase. Belle and Bruno trailed after her. Stories always worked wonders for getting Sophie to bed.
But with Angela, things weren’t so easy. “Are you okay for now, Angie?”
Her frown told him she wasn’t. “It’s not that simple, Dad. You can’t brush off the way Mom treated us with a story.”
“I know. We’ve got more to talk about, but we can’t solve everything tonight. We’ll spend some time deciding what we want to do about all this over the next few days.”
“I know one thing for sure. I don’t want to go back to Denver to see Mom ever again.”
He wanted his kids to have a relationship with their mom. He couldn’t imagine letting Angela’s frustration and hurt keep her away from her mother forever. But for now, understanding might be more effective than argument. “It was rough, huh?”
“Sophie started crying the first night.” Angie’s anger seemed to melt and her eyes brimmed. “I didn’t know what to do. When she cried again last night, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Of course not. You did the right thing, sweetheart.” Cole reached out with an open palm, and she placed her hand in it. “You can always call me when you’re in a bind, whether it’s related to Mom or not.”
Jessie leaned forward. “And you can call me whenever you’re in Denver. I’m just a phone call away.”
Angie dashed a tear from her cheek. “I don’t want to be a baby about it.”
Jessie was quick to respond. “You’re not. It hurts to feel rejected.”
Cole could tell that Jessie’s words came from the heart, and he appreciated her support. “We’ll see how you feel about visiting Mom again after we’ve had more time to mull it over and talk about it. I know we won’t try an overnight visit again anytime soon. We’re all tired. Let’s get some sleep and see if things don’t look brighter in the morning.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, Jessie brushed a tear from her eye as she stood to clear her dishes before carrying her bag up the staircase. It made him wonder when she’d felt the rejection she’d mentioned. We all have our crosses to bear, he thought, we just don’t always know what the other guy’s are.
Troubled enough by the discussion to know that sleep wouldn’t come to him anytime soon, he decided to clean up the kitchen. As he loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, he thought of Mattie and the burdens she must bear. He hoped he could at least talk to her before this night ended.
FIFTEEN
It was approaching midnight when Mattie let Robo out of the station and headed to her vehicle. Brody had told her to go home to get some shut-eye while he waited for Sheriff McCoy to arrive. He would brief the sheriff tonight, and she should be ready at first light to go up to the crime scene.
She was loading Robo into their unit when her phone pinged with a text message from Cole that said, KIDS ARE HOME AND IN BED. ARE YOU STILL UP?
Her heart lifted at the thought of talking to him before bed, something she’d become accustomed to lately. She texted a YES, and her phone rang in her hand.
She answered it. “How are the kids doing?”
He sighed. “They’re still upset, but I hope they feel better after they’ve rested. They seem pretty tired.”
His words shot straight to her heart. She’d grown to love Cole’s kids as if they were her own. “I hope they feel better in the morning.”
He made a sound of agreement. “Where are you now?”
“Just leaving the station.”
“Do you need to eat? We’ve got lasagna.”
It was his way of tempting her to stop by, because he knew the typically empty state of her refrigerator. The thought of being with him tonight made her ache with longing, but he didn’t need to know that. “I haven’t eaten since noon, and the restaurants are closed. I’d love to come over.”
“See you soon.”
Mattie drove the mile to Cole’s house with Robo standing in his compartment, wagging his tail and looking out the windshield. He seemed to know the route as well as she did. As she parked beside the Prius near Cole’s front yard, Bruno rushed out to greet them. Cole was standing on the front porch, but he came down the steps and moved toward her car.
She opened the front door of Robo’s cage, and he bailed out, eager to play with Bruno. The two chased each other in joyous delight, roughhousing in the grass.
Cole took her in his arms, and she rested in his embrace for a few heartbeats before tilting her head back for his kiss. His warm lips on hers made her wonder what it would be like to come home to this every night after a hard day. After the kiss, Cole tucked her under his arm to walk with her up to the porch.
“Where’s Belle?”
“She’s in bed with Sophie.” The porch light revealed Cole’s smile. “I’m glad you could come over. I’ve missed you.”
“What have you heard from Garrett?”
“He’s resting comfortably.” Cole frowned. “His vision’s about the same. The rehab team will evaluate him tomorrow.”
She wished the news had been better. “I guess that’s the best we can hope for tonight.”
“It’s early yet. Things can still resolve.” He tightened the arm around her shoulders. “How is the burn on your arm?”
“It looked better this morning. I put on more ointment and a clean bandage. It’s going to be fine.”
Cole nodded, taking her hand as they climbed the porch steps. They turned and watched the dogs for a moment while the twosome ended their rambunctious greeting. “Does Robo need some food?”
“He’s all right. I fed him at the station.”
“I think we can take them into the house now without waking everyone.”
Mattie told Robo to heel, breaking him out of his play mode, and they led the dogs into the kitchen, where they checked on empty food bowls and lapped water before settling down. Cole heated a serving of lasagna while she helped herself to salad, and they sat at the table. After eating, she broke the news about Wilson Nichol’s death.
Cole looked astonished. “Good grief! What’s going on up there?”
“I wish I knew. But that’s not all.” She told him about hearing the mountain lion’s growl and the results of its predation.
“Geez, Mattie. You were alone when this happened?”
“I had Robo with me.”
“He wouldn’t fare well in a cougar attack.”
“His barking seemed to scare it off.”
“Thank goodness for that. It’s not right for you to go up into the high country without backup.”
She sent him a warning look. She knew he worried about her, but it wasn’t like Cole to tell her how to do her job. “We’re shorthanded this weekend, and Brody was needed at the station. Since it’s atypical cougar behavior, I wondered what you thought about the attack.”
Behind Cole, Angie appeared in the kitchen doorway, wearing shorts and a tank that she used for pajamas. “What attack?”
“Angie!” Delighted to see the girl, Mattie rose from her chair to give her a hug. “It’s good to see you. Sorry your trip didn’t work out.”