The Chosen Child

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Now Eric’s face went pale. “He didn’t know what I was going to do. I swear.”

“Okay. We’ll see. Should I call the sheriff’s office or would you like to?”

Eric swallowed visibly. “The sheriff?”

“Sure. I’ll want to make sure everything is done by the book when you and Dustin are arrested on your separate charges.” He frowned. “Did your mother know anything about this?”

“Leave my mom out of this,” Eric said. “She likes cats. She’s the one who started feeding the stupid mother cat in the first place. If she hadn’t, it never would’ve had those dumb kittens under our porch.”

“If I were you,” Cody spoke each word quietly, distinctly, “I’d go home and tell your parents to call me. We’ll talk about what happened here, and see what you can do to make amends. Maybe you can volunteer at the animal shelter.”

“Man, don’t tell my parents.” Eric slumped in defeat, raking one hand through his short-cropped hair. “They’ll kill me.”

“You mean like you were going to kill those kittens? I doubt it. However, it’s up to you. I can talk to your folks or I can call the sheriff. What’s it gonna be?”

Eric scowled at him. “That isn’t fair.” He shot a glare in the direction in which Dustin had disappeared. “Dustin’s a little troublemaker. Everyone at school knows that.”

“Uh-huh. You’re probably right. I guess the best thing to do, then, is have you both arrested.” Cody patted his pockets. “I don’t have my handcuffs on me. But you’ll come along peacefully, won’t you?”

“Wait.” Eric held up his hands defensively. “I don’t see any reason to press charges against Dustin. He didn’t hurt me that bad.”

Cody noted the beginnings of a shiner puffing beneath the kid’s eye. He refused to feel petty for the amount of satisfaction he felt. Eric deserved what Dustin had dished out.

“I’m glad to hear it. Actually, never mind the phone call. Just tell your parents I’ll come over and talk to them later.” He gave Eric a final piercing stare. “I hope they’ll be home.”

Cody called out to Max to heel, with the German word that rhymed with moose. “Fuss.” The big dog rushed forward, and Eric took a step back, eyes wide.

But Max was well-trained and, though retired, kept sharp by the practice search-and-find exercises Cody and Jordan performed with him on a regular basis. The dog fell into place at Cody’s side without so much as another glance in Eric’s direction.

Cody headed back toward the pickup truck, still feeling bad about having misjudged Dustin.

NIKKI ROSE from the couch at the knock on the screen door. She’d seen a minivan pull in earlier and, when she’d looked out the window, realized it must have been Dustin’s foster parents, dropping him off. She wondered why Cody hadn’t mentioned that the boy was coming out today and felt annoyed that he’d already fallen into a pattern of doing things without her.

She made her way to the door and smiled at the sight of the boy standing on the porch. “Dusty? Is that really you?” She held the screen open and he stepped inside. He’d grown and changed so much. It never ceased to amaze and delight her, watching each year’s group of kindergartners mature into bigger children, preteens and finally teenagers.

He squirmed. “It’s Dustin. Hey, Mrs. Somers. How’re you?”

“I’m okay.” Her gaze fell on the pillowcase he held out in front of him like a trick-or-treat bag. “What have you got there?”

“Kittens.”

“What?” She listened, horrified, as he explained the incident with Eric Vanderhurst. Belatedly, she noticed that Dustin’s lower lip had a small cut on it. Otherwise, she saw no marks on him. Apparently Cody had stopped the fight before it got out of hand.

A small part of her was sorry. The part that wanted to throttle Eric Vanderhurst herself. “I can’t believe people can be so cruel.” She reached inside the pillowcase and pulled a tiny silver-gray tabby kitten from inside. It hissed and spat at her, making her chuckle in spite of the sad situation. “Look how cute they are. Already full of spit and vinegar.” Cradling the kitten against her chest, she reached for another, this one orange.

Dustin gently extracted the third and fourth kittens—a calico and a black one. “I wanted to throw Eric in that horse tank.”

“I’ll bet you did. I don’t normally condone violence, but when it comes to animal cruelty…well, hold me back.”

He frowned. “I wonder where their mother is.”

“Did Eric say?”

Dustin lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “I didn’t give him much of a chance.”

“I see. Where’s Cody?”

“Talking to Vanderhurst.” He smirked. “I bet he’s giving him he—” He broke off. “Giving him what for.”

“I’m sure he is.” Her heart gave a little jump. More than likely, Cody would come back to the house when he was finished with Eric. “Well, maybe he’ll know more about the situation. In the meantime, we need to get these poor little kittens someplace safe and secure.” She knelt on the living room carpet near the couch and gently placed the kittens on the rug before reaching for some throw pillows to make a little wall around the tiny cats. “I’ll be right back.”

Moments later, she returned with a laundry basket lined with towels and a heating pad, an extra towel draped over her arm. In a corner of the room, she placed the heating pad on the rug and plugged it in, then put the towel over it, followed by the laundry basket, positioning half of it over the electric pad. Then she put the kittens in the basket. “This way they can move off the heated area if they get too warm.”

Dustin reached to stroke the kittens with one index finger. “How will they eat if we don’t find their mother?”

“They do look hungry.” Nikki pondered. “I’ll go to the feed store and see if they have some pet nursing bottles and a milk substitute. Can you keep an eye on the kittens while I’m gone?”

He shrugged. “I guess so.”

Telling herself she wasn’t avoiding Cody, that the kittens needed immediate care, Nikki gathered her purse and headed for the door. “I’ll be right back. When Cody comes to the house, tell him where I went, will you?”

“Yeah, okay.”

Nikki paused briefly in the doorway, studying Dustin’s face. He focused intently on the kittens, his jaw set in determination. It was easy to see he wanted them to live as much as she did. His gaze softened as he watched the babies moving around, and he smiled and began to talk in a low voice to them. Reassuring. So different from the boy Cody had described, who had wanted to join a gang and who seemed to look for trouble. This time, trouble had found him, and he’d been right to stop it.

Nikki turned and headed out the door. She felt partial to Dustin because he’d been one of her kindergarten kids.

The only kids she had now. The only kids she’d ever have.

She could and would learn to live with that.

CODY WATCHED as Nikki and Dustin took turns feeding the kittens in pairs. The little buggers had taken surprisingly well to the two doll-sized, pet nursing bottles Nikki had bought and soon fell asleep in a multi-colored pile of cotton-soft fur, curled into the towel above the heating pad, their tiny eyes closed, their paws tucked into various positions of comfort.

And he saw that Nikki used the kittens so she wouldn’t have to look at him as he sat on the edge of the couch near the basket. Every time she avoided his gaze, it wrenched his heart.

He damned sure wasn’t about to sit here and take the old cold shoulder routine.

Cody stood. “Come on, Dustin. We’d better get back out and finish up that section of fence before Frank and Sylvia get here.”

Dustin protested at having to leave the kittens, but followed him back to the truck. Inside, he gave Cody the same silent treatment Nikki had, obviously still ticked off at the way Cody had jumped all over him earlier.

They reached the section of fence where they’d left off, and the two worked in stubborn silence. After some time in the hot sun, Cody realized they hadn’t refilled the canteen. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t even remembered to pick it up back at the pump by the horse tank. Unable to stand the silence another minute, he looked at Dustin. “Guess we never did get our canteen filled, huh?”

“Nope.” Dustin stared straight ahead, mechanically hammering a fence staple into place.

“I suppose it’s still by the water tank?”

“I’ll get it.” Huffily, Dustin dropped the hammer to the ground and spun to go.

“Hold up a minute.”

“What?” Dustin slumped his shoulders in a show of impatience and gave Cody a look that said he had his attention under duress.

Cody stood with one hand on his hip. “I’m sorry I came down on you for fighting with Eric. I didn’t realize what was happening.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Dustin turned away.

“Dustin.” Cody spoke firmly, and Dustin sighed and scowled at him. “It does matter. I had no right to jump to conclusions that way.” His lips turned upward. “You did good, partner.”

“I told you,” Dustin said gruffly, blushing. “I’m not a cowboy, partner.”

Cody watched him walk away. The little brat.

No wonder no one wanted to adopt him.

WHEN THE THOMPSONS came to pick Dustin up, Nikki went out to meet them. Now that she’d gotten reacquainted with Dustin, she was curious about Frank and Sylvia. They were delighted to meet Dustin’s former teacher, and she liked them right away. Sylvia was friendly and easy to talk to, and Frank was chatty and had a great laugh.

When the couple went in search of Dustin, Nikki returned to the house. She sat in the corner, watching the kittens sleep, knowing Cody would likely not come back to the house with Dustin gone, unless it was to get the rest of his clothes. Maybe he would simply wait to get them another time, when Nikki wasn’t home. Should she leave for a while? Maybe go to Jana’s house, or to the mall to kill a little time.

She and Jana had been good friends since high school, even before she and Cody had started dating in Nikki’s junior year, Cody’s senior. Jana had been extremely supportive during Nikki’s attempts to have a baby, but still, she missed Amanda, who wasn’t just her sister. She was her best friend. Devastated when Amanda moved to Tennessee, it had been hard to say goodbye to her all over again after their three-week visit.

Nikki was startled by the sound of Cody’s footsteps on the porch. The screen creaked open and he stepped inside, his gaze immediately finding hers. “So, what do you think of Dustin?”

Relieved he wasn’t going to pick up where their earlier conversation had ended, Nikki managed a smile. “He’s a kid with potential.”

“I hope you’re right. With his attitude, I’m beginning to wonder.”

“Attitude? He was gentle with the kittens.”

“That’s not exactly typical of his behavior.” Cody shook his head. “Dustin’s not easy to get close to.”

“Can you blame him? He’s been through a lot, from what little I’ve heard.”

“I’ve been hoping that working on the ranch will give him the chance to open up. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger.”

Nikki’s chest constricted as she studied Cody’s face. It was easy to see how caring a person he was. He’d always had a deep-seated desire to help others. It was a large part of why he’d become a police officer in the first place. So why couldn’t he reach out and help her—help himself—through this trying time in their marriage?

“Speaking of heart-to-heart talks,” Cody said, “I’ve put off calling Amanda long enough. Do you think she might be home now?”

Nikki glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. It was almost four-thirty, two hours later in eastern Tennessee. “She should be. Unless she’s gone out somewhere with Ian.” She moved toward the door. “I’ll give you a little privacy.”

Their eyes met before she stepped outside.

“Thanks,” he said quietly.

“Sure. I’ll be right out here if…if Amanda wants to talk to me.” If you need me.

Without another word, she closed the door behind her.

“HELLO?” Amanda’s voice came across the line, and Cody’s mouth went dry. How much did she know about their failing marriage? Probably everything. Nikki had always confided in her sister.

“Amanda, it’s Cody.” He took a deep breath. “Nikki told me you got engaged. Congratulations.” He knew he should congratulate her on her pregnancy as well, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. The words clogged in his throat like backed-up sewage. He tried to swallow as Amanda spoke.

“Thank you.” Her tone seemed hesitant, as though she wasn’t sure whether to trust his sincerity.

He felt ashamed of himself. “I mean that, Amanda. And I want you to know how sorry I am for the way I acted toward you after the accident. I said some horrible things, and that was wrong. I didn’t mean them.”

“I know you didn’t.” The familiar warmth was back in her voice, just like that. Cody admired his sister-in-law so much for her ability to forgive and forget. He wished he could forgive Anna’s killer so easily. But black thoughts overwhelmed him at the thought, and he had to force himself to focus on what Amanda was saying. “It’s all right, Cody. I don’t want you to give it another thought. Just be good to yourself. Be happy.” She hesitated. “Nikki seems to be doing better.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t want to get into his marriage. Didn’t want to listen to any lectures on why he should save it. “Speaking of which, she’d like to say hello. Hang on and I’ll get her.”

He bid Amanda a quick goodbye and laid down the phone. Going out to the porch to get Nikki, he was stopped by her beauty as she stood in profile, leaning against the rail, looking out at the distant mountains.

She turned to face him, saying nothing, and he knew she was waiting. Waiting to see how things had turned out between him and Amanda.

“We’re okay,” he said. “We made peace with one another.”

“So, do you feel better?”

She was really asking if talking to Amanda had helped him put the accident behind him. He struggled not to be irritated.

“I feel better about the way things are between me and your sister, yes.” He looked her in the eye. “But I still want to catch the bastard who murdered our daughter.” He gestured over his shoulder. “Amanda’s still on the phone. She wants to talk to you.”

The hurt and anger in Nikki’s expression nearly undid him. He saw something else there—bitterness and frustration. All the same things he was feeling.

“I’m going over to the Vanderhursts to talk to them about Eric. I’ll be back later to get my stuff.” He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Nikki staring after him. He could feel her gaze on his back, and wished for the millionth time he could somehow make things right between them.

The sound of the screen door, creaking open, then closing again as she went inside the house reached him as he neared his pickup truck. Then the sharp click of the door as she shut it firmly behind her. Not exactly slamming it, but still sending a message to Cody.

He climbed into his pickup truck and slammed the door shut. He hated this. Hated what his life had become.

And he used that hatred to fuel his anger and his need for justice. He would find Anna’s killer, whether or not Nikki understood.

CHAPTER FIVE

NIKKI STOOD in the hallway outside the door of what was to have been Anna’s room, knowing she’d put off the inevitable long enough. In the five days since her last conversation with Cody, after he’d spoken with Amanda, she had looked for anything and everything to keep her mind off Cody’s harsh words and the fact that they now lived in separate houses. Restoring the nursery to a guest room would help keep her busy.