Walton (The K9 Files #26)

Chapter 2

L ater on that evening, now at home, Chelsea wondered at her offer out of the blue. She meant it, and she had intended to get back to her brother’s lodge at some point but definitely didn’t want to go alone. It wasn’t exactly the place for her, though she knew that she was safe from any unwanted male attention just because it was her brother’s place. Yet a hunting lodge and armed men killing animals wasn’t a place she expected to feel all that comfortable. Rick had been bugging her to visit for a long time, so this would be a perfect excuse. Yet Walton still had to know if it was the right animal. And, even if it was the right dog, what would they do about it?

She sighed as she headed up for a shower, contemplating this situation, which was definitely on the strange side. But she did have several days off coming up, which she took on an annual basis, and she hadn’t made any plans yet. In fact, she hadn’t even had a clue what she wanted to do with her time off. Holidays were one of those things that she tended to spend at home doing nothing, which was even more depressing. She could make a trip down south to visit some old friends, but her not making plans was almost like she’d known something else would come up because she had deliberately left her calendar free.

When Walton called her about 11:00 p.m., he greeted her, saying, “Sorry for the late call.”

“It’s okay. I’m just getting ready for bed.”

“I was afraid you might be asleep already.”

“No, not yet,” she murmured. “What’s up?”

“I ended up texting your brother, asking for a bit more information on the guy and whatnot, so he sent the dog’s photo directly to me. I’ve confirmed with Kat and Badger that it does appear to be the War Dog that I’m looking for.”

“Oh, so does that mean you need to go, or you don’t know yet?”

“I explained the little bit that your brother had shared, and Kat’s not too impressed with the War Dog’s current situation. The dog was supposed to be with a retired veteran, as a companion dog.”

“Ah, I wonder if maybe the original adopter died or something, and the dog was handed off.”

“That’s possible, but it also means that this particular War Dog wasn’t necessarily vetted for this adoption. Kat and Badger are also worried that something murky was in the original application process to begin with.”

“Meaning, the guy might have lied?”

Such a note of disgust filled her tone that both her and Walton laughed. “Yeah, and, as we know, people do lie all the time.”

“You’re not kidding,” she grumbled. “So what’s the answer?”

“I’ll go take a look to ensure the dog’s okay.”

“Yet you know that, if this guy does have the dog, and the situation isn’t okay, you’ll have a hell of a fight taking it away from him. These hunters are heavily armed.”

Walton sighed. “I also got the names of your brother’s guests,” he added, “and that raised some alarms as well.”

“Why?”

“Because… Kat ran a quick background check on all of them, and this one guy from Mississippi raises red flags.”

Chelsea had to wonder how they could run a quick check on somebody that fast.

“The guy’s a sleazeball, and he’s been questioned for a shooting back there.”

“A shooting, of a human?” Her heart sank as she thought about it. “That means,… no, I don’t even know what that means.”

“Neither do I, but believe me. It makes my hair stand on end.”

“Sure, but that’s got nothing to do with the War Dog, right? It’s not as if he used the dog to kill somebody, right?”

“True. This guy died by gunshot. However, if this Chad guy is already in a police database, he could be a repeat offender.”

“If so, can he even legally have a gun? What about any consequences of violating his bail or probation or whatever? What hits me the most is, if he’s a current suspect, why would the cops allow him to just up and leave Mississippi and come all the way out here to Alaska?”

“He had friends here and wanted to get out of town, presumably how he came in contact with the War Dog. Apparently the hunting trip holiday had been planned for a while, and the authorities knew where he would be so without any reason to charge him, had nothing against his leaving.”

“Interesting,” she murmured. “I guess, just because he’s being questioned, it doesn’t mean the cops can prove he did it. He’s just an active suspect.”

“Still, makes him a viable candidate. Kat phoned the department and explained what the issue was. They said that Chad’s got a penchant for violence, so they’re keeping an eye on him. In the meantime, they don’t have any other evidence, so they’re more or less just biding their time.”

“That sucks,” she said. “Did they say who died?”

“Yeah, someone from their group of friends.”

“Friends up there hunting with Chad now?”

“More of the same group, only they all stayed there while this guy ‘moved’ up here for a few months knowing the hunting trip was still going ahead and wanting to get away for a bit,” Walton confirmed. “It seems they all were in the same group and are also under suspicion.”

“I don’t know what you make of it, but that sounds dodgy as hell,” she muttered.

“So, I am going up to your brother’s place, but I don’t think you should come with me.”

She stiffened and glared at the phone. “Now hang on a minute.”

“Did you hear what I just said about their tendency for violence?”

“Yeah, I heard you, but I also heard you say that they were under suspicion.… That’s not the same thing as being guilty.”

“True, but I don’t want to knowingly bring you into a scenario that potentially could get ugly.”

“And yet it’s my brother’s place. So, if it’ll get ugly, he’ll be right there in the middle of it.”

“Yes, that’s true, but I don’t know what else might happen.… Still, I can’t stop you from going.”

“No, you can’t,” she snapped, cutting him off. “And remember that, because of me, you are even looking to go in the first place.”

“Yes, but I don’t want you to feel as if you have to go now, just because you made the offer earlier. You didn’t have all the facts beforehand.”

“Let’s get something clear,” she explained. “I have five days off work, and I have to take them soon. I’ve wanted to go to my brother’s for a while now, but I didn’t really want to go alone. This seems to be the perfect opportunity.”

“It also could turn into a perfect mess,” Walton pointed out. “And I might have to leave soon after finding the dog.”

“We’ll deal with that later. Look. I’ll tell my brother that I’m coming with you and that we’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Really?” he asked, with a note of amusement. “Are you always this take-chargey ?”

“You should know that already,” she replied, “since I’ve been dealing with you constantly.”

“You have, but not in the last six or eight weeks.”

“Maybe not,” she conceded, “but that’s because you’re at the point where you don’t need me to babysit you.”

“No, I certainly don’t need babysitting,” he snapped.

She laughed. “Oh, this will be a great trip. You can pick me up at seven.”

“Make it six,” he replied, ending the call.

And, with that, she glared at the phone. Yet she was oddly excited. Not about meeting a group of armed men under suspicion for murder, but about going on a road trip with Walton. She felt great.

She’d considered the idea of contacting him so many times, yet it never really seemed appropriate. She also wanted to ensure that he was feeling better and getting over his injuries before she reached out in a more personal way. Yet she was waiting for him to check in with her, which made no sense because she generally wasn’t somebody who would wait.

Shrugging, she sent her brother a quick text, asking if there was room for two more. He called her. “Are you coming with Walton?”

“Ah, you already know he’s coming?”

“Yep, I sure do,” Rick replied. “It’s kind of a weird thing.”

“I know, but his going to visit you is one of the reasons I wanted to come,” she explained.

“He did tell me that these guys are under suspicion, but they weren’t charged, at least not right now,” he pointed out.

“To be honest, all kinds of things could have happened, and those guys may not have any idea what was going on. They might be completely innocent.”

“Maybe,” Rick conceded, “but it’s rough up here already, as you well know.”

“Of course it is. I’m not looking to be babysat,” she muttered into the phone. “You’ve been hassling me to come up for a long time, and now here I’m coming, and all you’re doing is trying to chase me away.”

He laughed. “Sis, I’ll never chase you away. If you do come, I want you to be safe.”

“Now you sound like Walton. He’s trying to talk me out of it too, but how unsafe can it be?” she retorted. “I mean, I’ve got you looking after me. Plus, Walton will be there every step of the way too.”

And, with that, she quickly ended the call, packed, and, in almost no time, had her bag at the front door. She was hoping Walton wouldn’t pull one over on her and leave her behind. She would have something to say about that and would contact her brother. Yet she also knew that she could do little to stop Walton from leaving her here.

Early that next morning, with everything checked out again before she was good to go, she stepped out onto the front step, just to see Walton pulling up. She waved at him as she carried her bag down. “Good timing,” she greeted him cheerfully. He nodded, got out, and helped her with her bag. “I forgot you had this big truck. This will be perfect for going up there.”

“Same truck I’ve always had,” he said, with a note of humor. “Got it when I was in high school. I keep it in the garage most of the time and just bring it out when it’s the right tool for the job. I’ve always kept my vehicles in the best condition I can.”

“Unlike a lot of guys,” she noted, with an eye roll, “who treat their trucks like crap.”

“Hey, I understand what a blessing a well-oiled machine is,” he shared, “and I fight the lack of it every day.”

Realizing what he meant on a personal level, she nodded. “The good news is that you’re still fighting, and the human body is pretty miraculous, and that’s all good.”

“Is it?” he asked, with a note of humor. “Sometimes it feels as if I might still be fighting, but I already lost the war.”

“Maybe, and maybe the war was something you needed to lose,” she replied, knowing that he probably wouldn’t understand—or wouldn’t want to understand. Still, she was unable to help herself from poking and prodding a little bit more. When he looked over at her, she shrugged. “Sometimes people fight to the extent that they’re just blinded to what the reality is.”

“And yet, if you give in to the reality,” he pointed out, “you’ll never change it.”

She smiled. “I think it’s a compromise between the two that needs to happen,” she murmured. “I’ve seen too many guys completely deny where they are at, and then they go out and do way too much, sometimes making things way worse.”

“Of course,” he admitted. “That’s human nature.”

“Is it?” she muttered. “And here I thought it was just… men ’s nature.” He burst out laughing at that, and she grinned broadly. “I do like the sound of your laughter,” she said impulsively. When he stared at her, she shrugged, then climbed into the passenger seat. “Sorry, apparently that was the wrong thing to say.”

Walton shook his head. “No, it wasn’t wrong at all. I haven’t heard the sound of my own laughter a whole lot recently either,” he murmured, his voice deep.

“And yet you’ve been getting so much better.”

“I have,” he agreed, with a smile, as he settled in the driver’s seat.

So much better that he was obviously considering his work options coming up. She knew about his ambitions. “How’s the wood carving going for you?”

“It’s starting to make a little bit of money,” he shared, with a wry look in her direction, “but it could be a little tough to make a living off of.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she noted. “Maybe you just need some publicity, some marketing, and that might be something I could help you with.” When he frowned at her, she shrugged. “I always find myself getting bored.”

“ Bored ,” he repeated. “You already work full-time.”

“I know, but I used to work full-time as well as take care of my sick father, and now he’s gone.” Her voice caught in the back of her throat.

“Right. Now that he’s gone, it’s hard to fill that hole in your time, isn’t it?”

“It’s brutal,” she agreed. “Obviously a little publicity work wouldn’t be a permanent thing. It just might be a bit of a challenge to see if I can make something happen for you.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Walton replied, with a shrug. “It’s not as if anybody knows who or what I am and what I do.”

“They just need to see your carvings. Your stuff is fantastic,” she said, while frowning at him.

“Even so, it’s still hard to do any mass production with hand carvings by a sole artist.”

“Which is why you don’t want anything that requires that level of production,” she scolded. “Your stuff is one of a kind, and plenty of people out there would be willing to pay for it and would appreciate the time involved in creating such a piece. We just need to find them.”

He smiled. “Hey, look, if you can find people willing to pay for my pieces, it will make me a very happy man. It’s just that simple.”

She laughed. “Maybe while we’re driving, we could discuss a marketing plan then. How many pieces do you have done?”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. I don’t know how many of them are sellable.”

“They’re all sellable,” she declared.

He rolled his eyes. “I am getting better as I go along.”

“We all do,” she stated, grinning at him. “This trip will be fun.”

“Says you,” he muttered. “I’m not at all sure I’m fully prepared for it.”

“No, maybe not,” she said, “but that’s okay.”

“How come you’re not helping your brother with his marketing stuff?”

“I was, but then he got married, and Julie took it over.”

“Ah, was that an issue between you two?”

“No, not at all. Back then our father was pretty ill, and I didn’t have time for marketing for Rick anyway.”

“That makes sense. Does he come back home for the winter?”

“Yeah, but then, as he gets bookings, he has to go back out again. Rick’s always back and forth. Plus, he’s also on call a lot. As you may know, he’s got the volunteer fire department gig too here at home,” she pointed out, rolling her eyes. “We keep pretty busy.”

“Yet here you are, still looking to get busier.”

She thought about it for a long moment, then nodded. “Yeah, but I can stand to be a little bit busier.”

“As long as it’s just a little bit because I can’t pay you,” he warned.

“I didn’t ask for payment,” she declared, staring at him.

“I know, but most people prefer to get paid for their time. It’s a thing.”

“Yeah, I get it, but, on this deal, I don’t even know if I can make anything happen.”

“But didn’t you help your brother get out the message on his hunting lodge?”

“Yep, I sure did, and then I taught his wife, Julie, what to do to carry it on.”

“Good, so maybe you do know something about it.”

Recognizing that he was teasing, Chelsea laughed. “More than I used to anyway. I cut my teeth on my brother’s business, and I really had no clue what I was doing, but I learned fast because he needed customers. It’s hard to maintain a business up here in the wilds if you don’t have a steady clientele.”

“Everybody needs regulars,” Walton agreed, “but, along with the regulars, you also need paying customers.”

“That was half the problem, as Rick was dropping the prices to entice people in. Then, when they would come, he was putting on quite the spread, trying to keep them, which cost him quite a bit. Meanwhile, he was barely putting food on his own table. It’s been hard to find a balance.”

“Yeah, finding the balance is the key to most things, I would think.”

“It is,” she agreed, “so we can work on some of that with you too.”

“If you want to, sure. I won’t say no to the help.”

“Good, because I wouldn’t let you stop me.” Again he burst out laughing, and she grinned. “I think that’ll be my job these next few days. Making you laugh as much as possible.”

“Good Lord,” he muttered, as he stared at her. “It’s nice to know that some laughter is in my world again, but I was getting there just fine.”

“You were,” she agreed, with a shrug, “but sometimes you just need a little bit of encouragement.”

“A little bit, but if you’re planning on making me laugh all weekend, I won’t get any work done.”

She asked him, “What work do you think you’ll do up there?”

“Why don’t you tell me,” he said, “and we’ll see if we’re on the same page.”

“You’ll check out if the dog is really the right War Dog. Then presumably, knowing you, you’ll confirm that the dog is in good shape,” she stated.

“Good shape and living a good life,” he added, with a nod.

“Do you really think that is part of the parameters that Kat is asking of you?”

“Too damn bad if it’s not,” he stated, “because I could no more leave an animal to be abused than I could a person. It’s just not in me. And, by the way, it’s not in Kat either, and Badger even more so.”

“Ah, got it. But if it’s this guy’s animal…”

“Then he should have proof that it’s his animal, shouldn’t he?”

“ Hmm , I guess the government has quite a selection process for these adoptions, don’t they?”

“They sure do,” he noted, with a smile. “So the sooner we get there and see who these guys are, the better.”

“But …”

“But what?”

“I just don’t want to cause my brother any hardship. Rick has had his fair share of problems, and I don’t want to dump any others on him.”

“Of course not,” Walton agreed. “He shouldn’t suffer any hardship. These guys on the cops’ radar?… Remember that they haven’t been charged. They were just questioned in regard to a murder.”

“Of one of their own friends,” she pointed out.

“Yep, I got more details sent my way this morning and looked it over when I got up.”

“Interesting,” she noted, “so the cops are looking at the entire group?”

“They were all together at the time, and a fight broke out between them. The fight was broken up, then everybody headed home. This Rudy guy was found on the wayside, outside of his vehicle. He’d been shot.”

“Oh, ouch, that fight scene right beforehand makes it that much more difficult for these guys.”

“Makes it much more of a challenge to walk away from them as suspects,” he added.

“And the thing is,” Chelsea added, “with everybody up at Rick’s retreat, for all you know, they were all in on Rudy’s death.”

He stared at her, then shook his head. “Not likely. If too many people know, too many can rat out the others.”

“Okay, so maybe not likely,” she conceded, as she thought about it. “Yet, if they all know each other and have been friends for a long time, you can bet they have a pretty good idea what happened.”

“I would think the police have that in mind too,” he pointed out.

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean the local authorities in Alaska or in Mississippi have the manpower or the capacity to follow these guys all the time.”

“I don’t imagine they do,” Walton agreed, with a nod.

Chelsea sighed. “On the other hand, the Mississippi cops didn’t stop this group from going on a hunting trip in Alaska? Weren’t they told to stay in touch? So, when the guys told the cops about the hunting trip, the cops were fine with it?”

“Supposedly,” Walton replied.

“Yeah, they’re fine with it, until somebody else turns up dead,” she muttered.

He took his gaze off the road to glance at her. “Why would you say that?” he asked, studying her intently.

She shook her head. “If somebody does know what happened with Rudy, and a falling out among thieves happened once, there could easily be a second falling out. I just hope no one else turns up dead.”

Walton frowned. Chelsea had brought up an interesting point. “It sounds as if you’ve made a study of crime somewhere along the line.”

She shrugged. “I guess I’m kind of a crime buff,” she confessed, “but that doesn’t make me too weird, does it?”

“No, I find it interesting, given your profession.”

“I think that’s what sent me searching for answers. I see so many people after accidents, but sometimes they’re not accidents, but intentional injuries. It makes me wonder what goes on with humanity that they would do such things to each other.”

“Ah, that makes sense in a way too.”

She shrugged. “We don’t always know how to respond to a lot of things in life, and certainly an awful lot happens that doesn’t make any sense,” she acknowledged, with a wry smile. “This is definitely the kind of thing that never makes any sense. At least not to me.”

“Of course not,” he murmured. “When you think about it, so much about human nature leaves us guessing. Consider all the mass shootings, family annihilators, greed killings, serial killers, human trafficking, and all the rest. People do so many unthinkable things to each other that you wonder what they were thinking.”

“Not only what were they thinking, but some of the injuries that they leave on their victims who survive are just awful,” she noted. “I’m working with several patients, and what they’ve gone through is just… brutal.”

He glanced at her again from the driver’s seat and nodded. “I can’t imagine thinking like a murderer or an abuser.”

“Right.” Chelsea shook her head. “Nobody ever does, unless they’re involved somehow. For me, as a physiotherapist, I’m obviously dealing with the after-effects. We’ve got one guy we’re treating now, and his brother killed everybody in the family. When it came around to my patient, his brother just shot him up. He didn’t kill him, so he’s dealing with part of his face now missing. Plus, his shoulder muscles were just chopped to ribbons. It all seemed to be without any rhyme or reason.”

“So, this was somebody who really angered him?”

“I guess. It’s one of the cases that sent me trying to understand basic human behavior. Obviously we take some psychology courses in my line of work, but, even with a good education, you don’t really understand until you are faced with some of these atrocities. All too frequently, we never reach an understanding of that kind of evil.”

“That’s true.” And they launched into a much deeper discussion. Thankfully that conversation morphed back into marketing his carvings, which was a relief. Before he realized it, they were taking the turnoff to the lodge.

Following the deep, dark roads into the forest, he smiled. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve been up here.”

“Have you ever been here before, to Rick’s lodge?”

“No, nothing in this particular area, but I have been in lots of similar places nearby,” he replied, with a smile. “Something is very freeing about it.”

“I always found it kind of… I guess I’ll have to find the right word. For some it’s freeing , but, for me? Being out in the wild with no civilization around, it’s… claustrophobic .” When he stared at her, she shrugged. It made no sense to others, but, for her, it was clear. She was pretty sure it was all connected to the fact that she had no cell phone service or any reliable mode of communication in the area. She would be totally cut off here.

“I was pretty young the last time I was at the lodge, which is another reason my brother has been trying hard to get me to come back,” she explained, all with a smile. “I found myself troubled by the fact that I couldn’t contact anybody, couldn’t reach out, and, instead of it being freeing, it was limiting and honestly frightening.”

“Which explains the claustrophobia,” Walton noted, with a shrug. “Interesting how we’re all so different.” It took another good twenty minutes of backroad driving before they finally pulled up to the lodge. He looked at it and nodded. “Wow, it seems Rick has done pretty well for himself.”

She smiled. “I did say I was doing the marketing.”

He burst out laughing. “If this is part of your portfolio that you wanted to show me, then you’re more than welcome to do what you can for my humble little carving operation.”

She grinned. “Thank you, and I’ll be happy to. It will be a new challenge, and I could do well with a challenge.” She hopped out of the truck, then walked around to the back and pulled out their bags. She put them down as the double front doors opened, and two dogs bounded out, barking like crazy until they saw her, and then they were all over her, looking for loving cuddles. “Look at this,” she muttered, chuckling, “if it isn’t Tweedledum and Tweedledee.”

“How do you tell them apart?” Walton asked, eyeing the two large red Irish setters.

“I can’t,” she replied. “That’s why I call them that.”

“You mean, that’s not their names?”

“No, that’s not their names,” snapped a woman with an exasperated tone standing in the doorway. “They have perfectly good names that Chelsea continually refuses to use.” She then burst out laughing.

Chelsea pointed out, “Then they should be easy to tell apart, which they aren’t, assuming they even know their names, which they don’t.”

“Thank you. That is true, but Chelsea’s never managed to tell them apart since they were little.” The woman came down the steps and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Julie, Rick’s wife.”

He shook her hand and smiled at her. “I feel as if I know you from high school.”

She groaned. “That’s the problem with being a local,” she stated. “Everybody knows you from a long time ago, even if it’s things you would just as soon they don’t remember.”

He noted, “I have only the gentlest of memories.”

She burst out laughing. “Thank you for that much,” she murmured. She grinned at Chelsea. “Look what it finally took to get you back here.”

“But, hey, I’m here.” Chelsea sighed. “Though there are no guarantees I’m staying, mind you. How are the bugs?” she asked Julie, with a wince.

“Heavy. They always are. Especially in the evenings when outside, but they’re not that bad once you’re inside.”

“Right, I’m pretty sure my brother lied to me about that last time too.”

Julie laughed. “Come on in.”

As they walked up the front steps, the two dogs followed happily. Walton smiled at them. “Social dogs.”

“You need that kind here,” Julie explained. “You also need dogs capable of handling themselves because we do get the wildlife here too.”

“Sure, but nothing can handle all the wildlife,” he stated, looking at her.

“True, and that’s what I meant about the dogs handling themselves. They need to know when it’s time to run and to not pick a fight they don’t need to be picking. Plus, they stick together. These two do love to be outside, so they only come home to eat and sleep. You should be impressed that they were here to meet you,” Julie said. “Let me show you to your rooms, and then you can come on down for coffee. Rick should be in shortly. He took the hunting group to scout some areas that might be good for them.”

Walton nodded. “Good enough.” As they walked upstairs to the rooms, he was surprised and yet somehow not surprised that their rooms were connecting. As Julie left them to their own devices, Walton looked over at Chelsea, with an eyebrow raised.

She shrugged. “Sorry. I told them that I was coming up with you. It just didn’t occur to me—”

“You did come up with me. I wasn’t expecting this type of personal service, however.”

She snorted. “No, and don’t count on getting it again either,” she muttered, “because, when it comes to me, it’s hit and miss with them.”

“But I don’t want Rick to get the impression that we’re together.”

“Hence, the door between us, I think.”

“Good,” he replied, with a smirk. “The last thing I want is your brother all over me about my intentions .”

She burst out laughing. “If he does go down that pathway, you send him to me. We had quite the argument when he married Julie because I dared to ask questions, which he didn’t appreciate.”

“Of course not,” he said, “you were the little sister.”

“Yeah, but I was asking because of our father,” she explained, with a wry smile. “Believe me that the translation from Papa to younger sister didn’t go well.”

Walton was still grinning when he entered the huge dining room area, where off to the side was the coffeepot. “As long as I get free coffee, I’m good,” he muttered. Then he hesitated and asked Chelsea, “Did you have a special pricing deal with your brother?”

“I don’t have to pay,” she shared. “I’ll talk to him about yours.”

“It’s fine,” Walton said, with a wave of his hand. “I can pay.”

“Is this paid for by your people or the government?”

He frowned at that and shrugged. “I’m not sure it is. This is a volunteer gig, and I think my expenses are paid, to a limit. Kat asked me for a favor, and I just agreed and didn’t ask any further questions, so I have no idea.”

“Of course you would do a volunteer thing,” she replied, staring at him.

“Anyway, that arrangement is for me to deal with,” he declared, with a bright smile, “and don’t you worry. I’ve got money.”

“I know, but this stuff is expensive.”

He shrugged. “I’m certainly not asking your brother for charity.”

“No, of course you aren’t.” She glared at him. “You wouldn’t.”

“No, I wouldn’t,” he confirmed, returning the glare.

“Come on, you two. Now I know you’re together,” Julie interceded, with a smile. “Nothing quite gets our goat than the significant other person in our world.”

“Yeah, let’s put that to rest once and for all. We’re not together -together,” Chelsea pointed out.

Julie nodded. “I can see that. You haven’t quite gotten that far yet, but there’s still hope.” She looked at Walton sideways. “Chelsea has told us a fair bit about you.”

“Oh, great , thanks.” Chelsea raised both hands in frustration. “As if I really wanted him to know that.”

Julie burst out laughing. “Oh, this will be fun, and your brother will rag on you nonstop. You had to be expecting that.”

“He can just knock it off before he starts,” Chelsea stated. “He runs me way too ragged as it is.”

“Ha,” Rick greeted them, as he walked into the room, his arms opened wide, giving his baby sister a big hug. “I don’t run you ragged at all. By rights, I should be giving you shit and raking this guy over the coals already.” He walked over and shook Walton’s hand. “Nice to see you.”

He nodded. “Likewise.”

They studied each other, and Rick nodded. “You were a couple years behind me in school, as I recall.”

“Probably,” he agreed easily. “I was a year ahead of Chelsea.”

“Ah.” Rick gave a knowing nod in her direction.

She glared at him. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Nothing,” he said, with an innocent smile.

She groaned and added, “Okay, you guys need to knock it off. You are making me uncomfortable. We’re not together -together.”

“Right. I heard that,” Rick noted, “but, from the sounds of it, you’re well on the way.” Rick gave her another big hug and then nudged her a little closer to Walton. “I would prefer that you not bring up anything about the court case,” he told them. “I understand these men are here to have a bonding experience after the death of their friend, especially now that an investigation and a legal matter have put a lot of pressure on their relationship.”

“Something like losing one of their group would do that,” Chelsea stated.

“Exactly, so they’re here for fun and games, not necessarily any stressful things, so I don’t really want you messing it up.” He glanced back at Walton. “What are you supposed to do if the dog isn’t his?”

“One thing’s for certain. The dog isn’t his, and I can tell you that right now. The War Dog had been cleared and adopted by an older retired veteran the government is trying to get a hold of right now. They are already working on trying to confirm who picked up the War Dog from his legal owner.”

“What if the dog took off, or he handed him off?”

“That’s what I’m here to find out. I’m still getting a handle on what the legal situation is, but, from what I know at this moment, the government is very strict about the adopters of these dogs and has a contractual right to reclaim the dog if the proper owner is not with the War Dog. However, first I have to confirm that the dog is well cared for.”

Rick nodded. “That could prove to be a bit of a problem.”

“Why is that?”

“This guy doesn’t let anybody get too close to the dog, but he does joke around a lot with the dog.”

“Interesting, and what is he joking about?”

“It’s an ongoing running joke,” Rick noted, his voice low.

Julie’s face pinched, as she leaned forward. “It’s really nasty, what they keep talking about doing. Rick tells me to ignore it, and that it’s just men being men ,” she shared, with a shrug. “But if that’s men being men, I don’t want any part of it.”

“Exactly, but the dog should also be smart enough to get himself out of trouble, if he can,” Rick pointed out. “We do have quite a few grizzlies up here. I don’t know what is going on in this guy’s head, but—”

“Do you like him?” Walton asked Rick, and, at his hesitation, Walton nodded. “You don’t.… That’s good to know.”

“It’s not good to know,” Rick countered, with a worried look. “They’re paying guests, and that’s what I care about.”

“Not me,” Julie snapped. “That’s not the kind of paying guests we want, and it’s certainly not what we want our lodge to be known for.”

“No, of course not,” Walton agreed, looking over at her. “So, we just have to ensure it doesn’t mar your reputation.”

“If it’s not his dog,… I would be more than happy for you to take it away,” Julie stated, calming visibly.

“You don’t like him either,” Walton noted.

“No, I don’t.” She turned, then looked at Chelsea. “It’ll be interesting to see if you do.”

“If you don’t, chances are I won’t either,” Chelsea replied.

Rick raised a hand, attracting their attention. “Hey, hey, hey, what’s this? Women power? You at least could give the men a chance.”

Chelsea looked over at him and shrugged. “Women are fairly instinctive when it comes to these things. Thus, if Julie doesn’t like him, chances are it’s already decided.”

“That’s not fair,” Rick pointed out.

“I don’t really care,” Chelsea muttered, then glanced around. “Didn’t somebody offer me coffee?” She heard footsteps coming through the front door, with lots of raucous laughter.

The laughter stilled slightly as the group of four men came inside. The one who was clearly the head of the group studied the newcomers, nodded with a smirk, then turned his back on them. It was an acknowledgment and then a dismissal, also a chance for these men to adjust to the fact that they were no longer alone at the lodge.

“Right, we didn’t rent the whole lodge, did we?” one of the men pointed out, causing more raucous laughter. “Glad to see some other people here.” It was a very casual remark, yet he was clearly less than happy to have the company.

Smiling, Chelsea turned to him. “Hi, we’ll be here for a few days. We enjoy the great outdoors at its best whenever we get the chance.”

“So, you’re not hunting?” asked one of the men.

She shook her head. “No thanks. I’m not into killing animals, if I don’t need to.”

“You like to eat them though, don’t you?” he asked, his whole attitude needlessly aggressive.

“Absolutely,” she replied, clearly unfazed. “I eat meat, but that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily prepared to go out and shoot it myself. It’s all about personal priorities.”

“Of course,” Walton agreed. This was a conflict he had come across many times over the years, and he understood both sides. If he needed to hunt for food for his survival, he could do it without a single qualm, but he also understood that it was not what Chelsea wanted to face right now. Wanting to change the tone in the room, he looked to Julie. “Did you say you had some coffee on?”

“Yep, it’s over here.” And she led the way to a sideboard that had a large pot of coffee sitting at the ready.

“Make sure you save some,” one of the men called out. “I could really use a cup.”

Chelsea smiled at him. “Not a problem.”

“Yeah, the little women need to make the coffee while the men go out and hunt so they can eat,” the same man added in a more belligerent tone.

Chelsea replied, “I’m a guest here too.”

Walton watched as her back stiffened, and he looked over at Rick, who was probably wondering what kind of headache he had opened himself up to. He neared Rick and murmured, “This could be a fun few days.”

Rick glanced at him sharply and whispered, “Let’s hope so. It’s a business for me.”

“Understood.” Walton turned to Chelsea, who was pouring coffee, yet her back remained noticeably rigid, a sure sign that she was more than irritated. “You may want to remind your sister of that.”

Rick groaned. “ Yeah . That horse is already out of the barn. When she’s pissed off and worked up, it’s beyond a lost cause.”

Walton chuckled. “In that case, let the fireworks begin.”