“He didn’t mean to!” Maddie jumps in to defend Caleb. “It was a bad dream.”

Josie shakes her head stubbornly. “He hurt her.”

“Do you think he did it on purpose?” Matt asks her calmly.

Josie shrugs and folds her arms over her chest stubbornly.

“Answer my question, please.” Matt’s voice is authoritative and strong.

Typical cop.

“I don’t know,” she replies with a frown. “It was scary.”

“I’m sure it was, sweetheart,” Matt murmurs. “Do you know what nightmares are, Josie?”

“Bad dreams?”

“Yes, they’re really bad dreams.” He affirms.

“Remember not very long ago when you came crying into my room because you had a dream that you couldn’t find me, sweetie?” I ask her and watch her big brown eyes fill with tears.

“Yeah, I was really sad,” she sniffs.

“Caleb was having a really bad dream like that, honey, except he thought he was in danger. He thought someone was trying to hurt him.” Matt watches Josie in the rearview mirror closely.

“Who was trying to hurt him?”

“Bad people,” Matt replies. “He used to have to go to places that had bad people in them who wanted to hurt him and his friends, so he could help people who needed him.”

“So, that’s what he was dreaming about?” Josie asks with wide, tear-filled eyes.

“Yes, honey,” I reply and rub her leg with my palm.

“Oh,” she whispers and looks down. “But I was scared that he was hurting you.”

“Me too,” Maddie admits. “But he was scared too.”

“Damn,” Matt whispers under his breath and shakes his head. “I’m so sorry you all had to see that.”

“You wouldn’t hug him today,” Maddie accuses Josie.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I interrupt before a fight blows out of hand. “You can give him a hug tonight if you want.”

Josie just nods and looks down at her hands as Matt pulls into our driveway.

“Looks like I don’t need to stay long,” he murmurs, eyes trained on Caleb just about to climb out of his own car. “He’s home early.”

“Yeah, he is. I wasn’t expecting him home for another hour, at least.”

Matt parks behind him and the girls climb out of the car with their backpacks. Caleb looks over at us hesitantly, and then opens the back door of the car and whistles.

A big, beautiful dog bounds out of the car, much to the delight of my daughters who begin jumping up and down and clapping their hands, wide smiles across their faces.

“And, that’s my cue to leave.” Matt smiles over at me, nods at Caleb, and leaves us all standing in the driveway.

“Sit,” Caleb commands softly and the dog immediately sits at Caleb’s side, not moving, looking up at him for his next command.

“Who is this?” I ask with one eyebrow raised.

“This is Sergeant Bix.” Bix’s tail wags once at the sound of his name. “He’s a retired Navy SEAL and he needs a home for a few weeks while his handler is out on assignment.”

“Can we pet him?” Maddie asks, her and Josie’s bodies vibrating in anticipation. Bix glances longingly at my little girls and then back up at Caleb, waiting to be told what to do. “Please?”

“Sure,” Caleb smiles. “Go ahead,” he tells Bix, who happily jogs to the girls and they all collapse in a pile of elation, the girls rubbing him and talking to him as though they’ve known him for years.

“What happened to his eye?” Josie asks as she kisses his cheek. One of his eyes is permanently shut, like he’s always winking, and the ear on the same side is slightly deformed.

Caleb looks up at me with serious eyes. “Bix was a dog that sniffed around for things that might blow up.” He swallows and turns his gaze back to the dog. “He got injured while he was working and lost his eye and hurt his ear too, so he can’t work anymore.”

“Oh, poor Bix!” Maddie throws her arms around the dog and hugs him tightly. “Can he stay here, Mom?”

“This is sabotage,” I hiss at Caleb. “You can’t ask me if the most noble and adorable dog in the world can stay with us when my girls are already in love with him.”

“What kind of dog is he?” Josie asks and giggles as Bix gives her doggie kisses on her cheek.

“He’s a Belgian Shepherd. He’s been trained to be a working dog since he was three days old.”

“Wow!” Josie exclaims.

Caleb walks closer to me and drapes his arm across my shoulders.

“Taking on the responsibility of a dog is a lot right now, Caleb.”

“He’s the best trained dog you’ll ever meet, Legs. He’s fearless, obedient and one hundred percent professional.”

I glance over and bust out laughing to find Bix flat on his back, paws in the air, tongue hanging out of his smiling mouth and relishing in a good belly rub from two eager six-year-olds.

“Yes, I can see that he’s perfectly professional.”

“He has to stay, Mom,” Josie calls out. “He’s a hero, like Caleb!”

Caleb looks shell-shocked as he turns me to face him. “He’s an amazing dog, Bryn, and a helluva team member. It would make me feel better knowing he’s here. Nothing will get to them with Bix watching.”

“Sabotage,” I whisper and grudgingly smile at the girls as they giggle and roll on the driveway with the big, fluffy canine. “I guess he can stay.”

“Thank you, Mom!” Maddie calls out.

“Come,” Caleb commands and Bix immediately jumps up and leaves the girls behind to stand next to Caleb. “Say hello to Brynna.”

He barks once and smiles at me, that tongue flopping out again.

“Hello,” I murmur and pat his head and then give in and squat next to him and rub his face. “You’re a sweet boy, aren’t you?”

***

“But we aren’t tired,” Maddie protests as she yawns widely. Caleb throws a large dog bed on the floor between the girls’ beds and points to it. Bix immediately lays on the bed, watching us with one raised ear and both his eyebrows moving up and down as he looks side to side at each of the girls.

“Why can’t he sleep with us?” Josie asks and stares longingly at her new best friend.

“He sleeps on his own bed,” Caleb replies and sits at her side. “Hey, jellybean, I’m sorry you’re mad at me today. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day.” I sit at Maddie’s bedside and watch my daughter’s internal struggle as Caleb watches her closely.