“Listen Dad, no one here knows. No one knows Nellie is my niece and not my daughter. I enrolled her in a private school here as Riley Nelson Brandt, not Riley Nelson Tucker. I told you this already. I used some of my contacts to have her name changed on her school records before sending them here, and I have made certain her old paper files have been destroyed. The computer files were destroyed after the files were sent here with the name change. I have taken care of it. She is safe as she can be. I know they are looking for her and won’t stop until they find her, but I have made it harder for them; and therefor, bought us some time to implement a plan to take them out when they do come.”

“I’m sorry, Derek, I just want to make certain she can’t be traced there, especially since the news let it leak that she was in the house when Cara and Joseph were murdered.”

“I have done all that I can do Dad. You know that if someone is smart enough to find her here that I can take care of that too. It’s not like my career choice was a bank teller. I think my military and special forces training give me a pretty good edge over the average low-life criminal. You know I have the skills and enough artillery here to obliterate any threat that comes our way. Nellie is safer here than anywhere. They will come, Dad, and I am ready for them.”

“I just don’t know Derek.”

“Listen, Dad, unless you have a better fucking idea, this is what I am doing. As much as I want to, I can’t go kill every drug dealer in Phoenix. I have to stay clear of it for Nellie. We have to let the police do their jobs. My job now is to keep Nellie safe and try to help her learn to adjust to her new life.”

“Won’t the people there have questions? Won’t they wonder why you don’t leave after a while like you usually do? Won’t they wonder about Nellie?”

“Maybe, Dad. For years, the people around here have thought that this is a vacation home for me. They think I’m a hunting guide. They just thought the game was animals of the four-legged kind. They would never imagine that I am a military sniper. I have put out the word that I am going to take a season off from hunting and live here. I told them my sister passed away and that I am now Nellie’s guardian. The close neighbors have all met Nellie before when she, Cara, and Joseph came here to vacation with me. No one appears to be questioning anything.”

“Alright, Son. The two of you have been there for almost three months. Is it safe for me to come visit my grand-daughter now?”

“Give me a day or two to make arrangements for you. You may have to make a few plane changes, just in case anyone is watching you. I will call you back soon to give you your itinerary.”

“Okay. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”

“Later, Dad.”

He is going to fucking drive me nuts. I have told him the same thing over, and over, and over, again. I know he loves Nellie, just as I do, but you’d think he’d have some confidence in my abilities by now. I’ve gone into war zones and taken out terrorists for crying out loud. I build and dismantle bombs. I’m one of the best snipers our country has. That should mean something to the old man. But no, he still treats me like a kid just out of high school. Maybe I deserve it. After all, I am talking to myself and ranting on like a teenager!

If I am going to talk to myself maybe it should be productive. Nellie. Her teacher wants to meet for a conference tomorrow morning. I can picture it now, “Mr. Brandt you are awful at parenting. Can you even do third grade math? It’s really not that hard if you apply yourself.” She probably has grey hair and wears brown polyester suits and walks around with a ruler in her hand. Well, I am trying. It’s a learning situation for me as well as Nellie. We will make it work. I feel awful for her. I know she misses her parents. She won’t talk about them too much with me yet. We complete her homework with about as little conversation as she can. She always loved visiting me here before. Hopefully, someday she will learn to like it as much as she used to.

That must be Ned whose feet I hear crunching the gravel with every footstep outside of the house. I hope he never tries to sneak up on anyone as heavy footed as he is. And there he goes knocking, with the door wide open, when I’ve told him a dozen times to just come on in.

“Mr. Brandt.”

“Hey Ned, I keep telling you to just come in, you don’t have to knock.”

“I know Mr. Brandt, I mean Derek. I just think I need to announce my entry somehow instead of just walking in.”

“Then holler out. You know I can hear you approaching anyway.”

“Okay. I’m here!”

“Ah, see. That wasn’t so hard, now was it? What’s up?” Ned has a look on his face like he has what he thinks is a great idea but not so sure I am going to go for it. I can’t wait to hear this one.

“Lacey and I were thinking that maybe you should get Nellie a pet. She’s been here a while now and she needs something to do besides karate and homework.”

I wasn’t expecting that one. “True. I have never been a pet owner with all my traveling. Could be nice to have a pet. What kind of pet are you thinking about?” Uh oh, he’s fighting back a grin. This could get interesting.

“A goat.”

“A goat!”

“Yes, a goat. Goats are loving. The right goat for Nellie will follow her around and give her plenty of love and entertainment. And goats can be left for a couple days without worry in case you and Nellie need to go somewhere and I am not available. A goat would be perfect.”

“Lacey thinks a goat is better than a dog?” I can’t imagine Ned’s wife going for a goat.

“She does. She said goats are just as friendly and loving and she likes that goats stay outside and can be left alone for a couple days with food and water in a trough,” Ned explains with almost too much exuberance.

“Well, okay. Good points. Do I sense that you are going somewhere?”

“You know that every now and then Lacey and I like to go on short trips to explore other places. You and Nellie are getting along good now so you can do without us for little bits here and there.”

“I would be a wreck! You know I can’t cook! I will poison the child for sure,” I say in fear of them leaving me to care for Nellie by myself.

“Lacey is willing to prepare meals ahead of time and you know that my foreman duties can be on hold for a few days. It’s not like the house isn’t in tip-top condition and the few cows you have out there will survive on grass and grain. You will be fine. A couple days without Lacey and I around will be good for you two. It will force you to talk. You know Nellie is starting to talk to Lacey more. She misses her parents terribly. She needs to connect with you again. You two were always so close. You need to get that back.”

“I know. I think the grieving is keeping us from talking about it. We need to get it out and work through it. Her parents are gone. My sister is gone. We both loved Cara so much. I want to squeeze the life out of the men who took her from us. I will too, when I find out who they are. They made a big mistake and it will cost them with agony. So, when do you want to take the first one of these little trips?” I ask.

“Three weeks from now. We will prepare Nellie mentally and prepare some essential things for you two, like food and clean laundry and such. I wouldn’t want the two of you to starve while we are away!”

“I’d eat beef jerky, you old fart.” Ned always takes my ribbing him in stride.

“Ha. I bet you would. Nellie might get tired of it though.” Ned fires right back.

“Yea, she probably would. It’s time to go pick her up. I wonder if I can get a laugh out of her today.” I say.

“Just tell her you are going to cook dinner for her!” Ned laughs out loud as he heads toward the door.

“All joking aside, thank you for letting Nellie have dinner with you two tonight. I need to have a serious talk with Amanda. It might not go too well.” Amanda is going to be such a headache when I tell her she has to go back to Denver; she has been fun, but I have always been honest with her that we would never be more than friends with benefits. We met during one of my guiding trips to Denver and have enjoyed each other’s company fairly frequently since.

“Well, good luck with that one,” Ned grimaces. “At least the three of us will be having a good dinner.”

I don’t know what I would do without Ned and Lacey. They have been my friends for years. I hired them about fifteen years ago to live on and tend to the property while I was away on my trips. They were friends of Dad’s. They wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was a perfect situation for all of us. Nellie adores them. They are family and family is what she needs even more of now.

I wish I was married, had someone who likes having fun, yet with a sweet motherly family disposition, to help Nellie and me with this transition. Amanda is almost none of that. Amanda is adult fun only. I have enjoyed her company for quite a while; but it’s time to call it quits. For Nellie. And for me.

“Amanda, I am NOT going to marry you. EVER. We came to dinner to discuss this reasonably. I told you not to follow me here. It’s over for us. We are a thing of the past. You need to move on.”

“But Derek, we are perfect together. We have fun doing things together. You make me laugh. We have great sex together. I have at least one incredible orgasm every time we get together. It’s magical.”

“Great sex does not make us marriage material.”

“You need me. I can be the perfect wife for you and a perfect mommy too. I can take the kid shopping and teach her all the things a little girl should know.”

“At the risk of repeating myself again, we are not getting married. Our relationship is over. I am sending you back to your home in Denver. You are not to come back here. I don’t need a wife and I don’t need the likes of you to be a ‘mommy’ for my niece. Would you teach her to pick out clothes fit for a hooker? Would you teach her to swear? Would you teach her to tease men? Would you tell her to use her body to get what she wants?”

“It worked on you! You have enjoyed my sweet body parts more times than I can count! You will never find a girl that will marry you with that fuck them and shuck them attitude you have.”

“If you were smart you would stop this and leave. There are plenty of men out there that will find you attractive for your specific virtues and enjoy your company. You are only embarrassing yourself. Pleading is not becoming. And, when the right girl comes along I won’t have that attitude you are talking about.”

“Excuse me, Sir, some of the guests have complained that your conversation is too loud and making them uncomfortable. Would you mind taking it elsewhere?” The hostess tries to say this quietly.

“Fine. I apologize. Let’s go Amanda. These people deserve to enjoy their dinner without hearing us.” I ask the waiter to take my credit card and meet me at the front so that I can sign the bill and get the card back. I gently take Amanda’s arm to guide her to the front of the restaurant.

“Look Derek, everyone is looking at us! You did this! Get your hand off my arm! You’re an asshole.”

“It appears I am. Move it!” I say with just a tiny bit of force.