“I don’t know what else to do, Simon. He keeps going at this rate and he’s going to get his ass kicked out of school. Then I’m going to kick his ass for that.”
Rip Walls pushed a hand through his shaggy hair and cracked his neck as he sat in the parking lot of the school where he was supposed to meet his son’s teacher.
His cousin Simon Frederick cleared his throat on the other end. “Have they given you any options or suggestions?”
“Yes, the latest one was stay home and be there for him.” He clenched his fist. “Because I love being away from him.”
“Come out here and work for Brotherhood Protectors. I know Hank would be thrilled to have another dog handler on staff.”
He turned his gaze to land on his Giant Schnauzer Abel. The dog rested without a care in the world in the back of the large SUV, well aware if he were needed, the call would come. Right now, he slept, uncaring about the nerves pouring through Rip. Abel wasn’t a dog who reacted to every single response his own body gave out but looked for certain cues.
Stressing over his son’s impending expelling…apparently wasn’t one of them.
“Maybe I will. You sure he’d be okay with me?”
“You’re prior military and law enforcement. Yes, he will be. I’ll put a bug in his ear, so think about it. This may be the change you need, to get away from the memories there.”
The wind swirled the snow around outside the Yukon and he nodded. “I will. I have to jet, so I’m not tardy for the meeting with the principal.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Simon joked. “I know how you were in school.”
He joined in, grateful to have something to smile about. “Thanks. I’ll let you know how this goes.”
“Good. I’ll look forward to your call.”
Seconds later, he was alone with his own wayward thoughts. Another glance to Abel and he opened the door. “I’ll be back, boy.”
Abel yawned and flopped over on his side. This was their vehicle, not work, so the dog remained so much more relaxed.
Zipping up his bomber jacket, he hurried through the increasing snow. “So much for spring,” he muttered, yanking open the school door.
Twenty minutes later, he walked down the hall to a different part of the school where the principal told him his son would be waiting for him. Steps echoing as he moved through the building, he stutter-stepped when a low, husky lilting laugh emerged from one room and wound around him. It set parts of him afire that had been dead for years.
“Are you for real, Ms. Schneider?”
“I am, Mr. Walls. That was the first time I was kicked out of school.”
Who is this woman and why is she talking to my son about her first time being kicked out?
“So it happened more than once?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I was kicked out of three more schools after that. And it wasn’t worth it. I didn’t like school and I wanted to be anywhere but where I was, but not having that, not having the friends and learning, I was even more miserable.”
“Did they tell you to talk to me?”
“No. I don’t work that way, Mr. Walls. You’d know that if you ever took music. I’m a straight shooter kind of teacher. May I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
Rip could hear the reluctance in his son’s tone. His cop mind automatically went to his son being seen as a suspect and being questioned without his permission or without him there. He began to step in the room to stop the interrogation when she spoke again.
“I see you outside at recess sometimes, listening to your headphones. What kind of music do you have in your playlists?”
“You’ll laugh at me.”
“Never. I love music and I’m always on the lookout for new artists to try. Simply wondering if you have any suggestions for me.”
“I don’t like heavy metal, like my shirt may suggest. I have people telling me what I should listen to, who the hottest bands are and all of that.”
She grunted. “What do you like?”
Rip found himself falling under the sway of her lilting voice, ready to tell her what kind of music he enjoyed as well. Which quite honestly, wasn’t something he listened to much at all.
“I like classical. It calms my mind.”
“I completely understand that. Bach does that for me. I’m not into Beethoven, I like some but not all. Who do you like to listen to?”
“Chopin and Tchaikovsky are two of my favorites.”
“One of my all time favorites is Puccini and Nessun Dorma. The depth of emotion that I feel when it plays, can’t be measured. But I do love some of those lesser known composers as well. Soundtracks and well, pretty much anything. It touches me and I never have to explain why I like it. And you shouldn’t have to either. So if you love classical or even heavy metal. Don’t ever let anyone try to make you feel less, because of that choice. Music is subjective and you need to nurse the sound that moves you.”
“I wish my father felt that way. He doesn’t seem to think that music is important.”
Rip blinked and desperately thought to a time he would have ever told his son this.
“Well, if you ever have to wait for him again, you are most welcome to come hang out in here and we can listen to whatever you want.”
“Thank you, Ms. Schneider.”
Rip cleared his throat and knocked on the doorframe before entering the room. It was good-sized, like most music rooms he’d been in. So there weren’t that many, but he had been in a few in his day. “Ian?”
His son shot too his feet, expression sullen and defensive as if he knew he was in trouble for making his father come down and have a talk with the principal.
“Wait in the car.”
“Hi, Mr. Walls. I’m Ms. Schneider, the music teacher.”
She slipped between him and his son, drawing his eyes to her.
It wasn’t just her voice that killed him. She was beautiful. A heart-shaped face dipped in toffee. Her black hair was pulled up and away from her face, allowing him to see the shape even better. Sparkling brown eyes met his.
It took him a moment to realize she was holding out her hand to him. He gripped it before she could pull it away and remove the opportunity to touch her.
He shoved his lust for her into a box and slammed the lid on it before planting his size thirteen steel-toed boot on the entire thing, determined to ignore the trouble, waiting for him.
“Ma’am,” he said. He didn’t want to release her but did and loved the slight flush her skin took on as she clasped her hands in front of her.
Snapping his focus back to his son, he jerked his head toward him.
Ian shouldered his bag then with a final look to Ms. Schneider, headed out of the room while his shoulders drooped as if he carried the entire weight of the world on them.
“May I have a word with you, Mr. Walls?”
“About?”
She cocked an eyebrow at his sharp tone before she scowled at him. “Never mind. I can tell you’re too busy for anything else. Have a good day.” She whirled around and went back to the desk in the corner.
“What?”
“I said good day.”
Hell, if she’d stomped her foot and pointed at the doorway he wouldn’t have been surprised. He allowed himself a moment to trail his gaze over her curves. She was a woman you would know you were holding, not all straight angles but curves and softness. The way her skirt hugged her ass, he was momentarily jealous.
“Good day, Ms. Schneider.” He walked out of the room before he did something stupid like kiss the woman, just to see if that shine on her lips tasted of something fruity. Or if it was just clear and he was able to taste her.
A thought that took his mind down a road he really didn’t need it heading down.
Ian waited just around the corner, the defiance and anger in his expression set his own on edge.
“You and I need to have a talk,” he told his son.
“Whatever,” the boy said and struck off down the hall, leaving him to follow.
Things had been so much easier when Janet had been alive. The home life had been better. Everything had. Right up until the day that drunk driver took her from them both and sent them into this vortex he’d been unable to find a way out of at this point.
No words were exchanged as he drove them back to the three-bedroom two bath ranch they had in town. Rip had plenty of things he wanted to say but each time, he noticed Ian’s earphones were in and he left him alone.
There would be plenty of time for them to talk when they got home.
αβ
A month later…
Caitlyn Schneider stretched and inhaled deeply as she looked around at the wilderness. She loved it out here. This was her Easter weekend and she always spent it hiking along the Appalachian Trail. It was the memory of her father who’d taught her to love the outdoors as he had. While he’d been alive, they never went a year without spending some time along the trail. As he got old and sicker, the walks grew shorter and shorter, but they never skipped.
Sometimes, she hit areas she’d gone on before but this time, she was taking her full time and moving along it a bit more. No tent, she intended to stay in the shelters built by volunteers along the route.
Spring was her time, as it made her feel alive. And closest to him.
Adjusting her pack straps, she began walking, destination already in mind. She figured if she pushed hard, it would take her about four hours to get there. It was bright and early in the morning and she had no intention of pushing hard.
One earbud in, she settled into her stride. She paused to take pictures of the new growth and just enjoy the majesty that in her eyes couldn’t be matched.
Taking her time, she made it to the shelter in the early afternoon. Some rain clouds were rolling in and she felt grateful she hadn’t taken much more time than she had to get here. She moved from the trees to the shelter and gazed up at the Roan Highlands that she’d be heading for tomorrow.
The shelter was actually an old barn that had been retrofitted to be a waystation. It could comfortably fit twenty people, but as it was so early, right now, she was the only one here. She would prefer to keep it that way. She climbed into the second floor and shrugged out of her pack before rolling her shoulders.
Bending at the waist, she plucked her canteen from its hook and enjoyed a nice refreshing drink. As she was returning it to its place, the sky opened up and the rain began. For a few moments, she stood there staring out at the difference in the landscape.
She couldn’t even see up to where she’d been looking previously as the clouds were so low and dark between her and there. The weather shifted and she rubbed her arms before digging back into her bag for her jacket.
Right now, she was ready for a fire to be built to help combat the chill and dampness in the air. It was still spring and for all she knew, it could be snowing by night. However, the forecast had been for rain, not snow.
We all know that meteorologists are never wrong. She snorted and went back down to the main floor to put a fire together in the fire pit.
As she sat on a large cut log, near the warmth and enjoying a sandwich, she lifted her head when a deep bark reverberated through the rainy afternoon. She didn’t move but she maintained a bit more awareness. Many people hiked with their animals and for the most part, she hadn’t had any issue with anyone’s pet thus far.
The bark came again and her belly knotted up. What the hell kind of dog makes a bark that deep? I’m beginning to question my decision to stay here and not seek shelter up a bit higher.
Like he was part of the low hanging cloud himself, a black streak shot into the barn area, shook himself off, and found a place for himself on the other side of the fire from her.
She stared at him and gulped. Christ he’s huge. Caitlyn wasn’t a huge fan of dogs and hadn’t a clue what kind this massive beast was, but so long as he kept to his side of the fire, she could handle it.
I can, right? Sure, I can.
The pep talk wasn’t quite enough.
The canine yawned and she bit back a whimper at the sight of those huge white teeth gleaming in the flickering light. His ears were erect and the beard covering his muzzle didn’t detract from the feeling that he could rip her in two if he so desired.
“Abel? Damn it boy, I told you to wait for me.”
The dog looked out into the streaming rain and shook his head.
She stifled a chuckle, he may not have spoken English, but she got his meaning perfectly clear. He wasn’t an idiot and wasn’t about to hang out in the weather when he could get out of it.
A man stepped from the darkness into her area and she gasped before she could control it. This wasn’t a stranger. Well, they weren’t friends, but she knew him. Rip Walls. Father to Ian Walls who went to her school.
He slammed her with his intense green gaze. She may not be able to see the color of his eyes right now, but she hadn’t forgotten how intense they were when he’d been in her classroom that day to pick up his son.
“You,” he said. “What are you doing out here?”
She bristled. So condescending. So arrogant.
So hot.
Okay, she didn’t need comments like that from her brain.
“I was enjoying the fire here with Abel. He and I were happy and dry.”
Rip shook his head and she couldn’t tear her gaze away. He took off his own pack and pulled out a towel to get rid of the extra moisture with, then draped it over a hook on the wall to let it dry.
“You and Abel?”
She popped another piece of her sandwich into her mouth and tried not to squeal as Abel rose and walked to her side where he sat and stared at her. “Yes. Me and Abel.”
He crossed his arms. “That so?”
“Absolutely. We were just about to eat. Well, I was about to share with him.”
“That I’d love to see.”
She shrugged and tore off a piece of bread and turkey before offering it to the set of massive jaws so close to her. If I die, it will be my fault.
Abel stretched out and took it from her hand as if she’d been kissed by a rose petal. No teeth, no snapping. She was beyond impressed.
“Really Abel?” Rip grumbled.
“He likes turkey.”
The man glared at the two of them. “He’s not supposed to take food from strangers.”
Cutting her gaze to the dog who’d somehow managed to scoot closer still, she shrugged and reached out to put her hand along his muscled neck, fingers brushing along the wiry coat.
“Figures, both my son and my dog will ignore me for you.”
“Ian is still out there?”
“No, he’s with his grandparents for the weekend.”
“At least, you didn’t leave him out there alone.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She scratched at Abel’s neck smiling when he lay back beside her and yet, she still had easy access to him. It didn’t hurt that Rip’s expression was like he’d just licked an old rotten egg.
“Nothing. You going to stand there all night and try to appear imposing? Or are you going to be a civil human and sit around the fire? I’m here to enjoy myself, not fight about what you may or may not think I meant.”
He rolled a log near and snapped his fingers scowling even more when Abel just leaned into her touch, a low doggy groan of contentment escaping him.
She held her tongue as he sat and stretched out those long muscled legs before him.
“What are you doing out here?”
She stared at him over the fire and this time saw nothing but raw curiosity in his gaze. “I come out every year to the trail and get some time in. My father used to bring me. Kind of my way to remember him and still be close.”
He rested his elbows on his knees. “And you were happy to spend the time with him?”
“The first year, I was upset as we were heading out here, but then once I got here…” She shrugged. “…something changed. I fell in love with it. As the years went on, I looked forward to it. It was our time. No one else was allowed to come along on the trip. Sure, there were times when we met up with some others but we always had three days just the two of us.” She bunched her fingers in Abel’s coat. “Now I would give anything to have him back for one more trip.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Don’t be, he’s been gone for seven years now, and he lived a full life.” She ate another bite of her sandwich. “What are you doing out here?”
“We were training.”
“Were?” She cocked her head to the side. “And training for what?” She could feel his gaze boring into her from across the fire pit and she fought the urge to shift her weight on the log.
“Endurance and obedience.”
“And you come all the way out here? Can’t you jog in town?”
He scuffed his foot along the dirt floor and leaned forward. “Something huge planned in here later?”
She popped in the last bite of her sandwich after allowing Abel to have a small bit more and pushed to her feet.
“Back bowing sex.”
Caitlyn moved to the front of the shelter and stared out into the downpour that had increased with its intensity. The chill had also gone up but she’d needed a moment away from the heat of not only the fire but also the man sharing it with her.
Rolling her bottom lip in her teeth, she briskly rubbed her arms a few times then began to turn back when Abel was at her side, his large powerful body blocking her from stepping outside, had she the desire.
“Come here, Caitlyn.”
Command laced Rip’s statement and she realized she’d obeyed without hesitation when she stood at his side.
Damn it. I’m not a child he can order around.
Moments later, five people entered the area and she understood. He was a cop and figured she needed protection. She may disagree, as the shelters were safe places, at least, as far as she’d experienced.
“Evening,” the lead man said while dropping his bag out of the way, and moving toward the fire pit.
“Hi,” she replied.
“What are you two doing out here? Heading up or down?”
Abel moved and lay beside them.
Caitlyn shifted her weight and opened her mouth to answer.
Suddenly, Rip slid his hand around her waist, long fingers lingering on her ass, before he gripped her flesh and drew her closer to him.
His fingertips skimming along her hip promptly shot heat through her and eliminated any rational thought she may have had percolating in her mind.