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Hemsworth tilted his head as he looked at her. Confused by the different words. She kept her eyes on him and patted the top of the coop. “In the coop.”

Hemsworth moved around the edges of the flock, guiding them toward Jolie, and they moved easily into the Quack Mobile.

After she locked up the coop, she and Ford both praised him and gave him a rubdown along with the treat they’d brought along.

Ford smiled. “Looks like you’ve passed the Fox test and the herding test, Hemsworth.” He turned to Jolie. “You ready to tell Lorraine we’re keeping him?”

His use of the word ‘we’ had her lighting up. “I am. You?”

He nodded. “He’s a great dog. Not only for the ducks, but I like having him around. We always had at least one dog growing up. I’ve missed that.”

“It’s too late tonight, but I’ll call Lorraine with the good news in the morning.”

Ford ruffled the dog’s head. “Hear that, Hemsworth? You’ve got yourself a job and a family. What do you think about that?”

The dog appeared as happy as Jolie felt. The thought of the three of them as a family filled her with joy.

If only they didn’t have the worry about Cyril hanging over their heads, it would be the perfect night to tell Ford she was in love with him.

Ford won the round of Rock, Paper, Scissors over Knox, so he and Jolie took the first watch. She’d tried to have them divide the night into four chunks, with them each taking their own watch, but he and Annie had shot down that suggestion immediately. It was bad enough with them here with potential danger. Having them face it on their own? Not a chance.

Knox and Thea moved further back into the trees to set up a rest area. They’d found a few sleeping bags in the attic, and they’d brought a tarp to set on the ground beneath them.

It wouldn’t be like camping with a tent, but on short notice, it was a hell of a lot better than many of the places he’d spent the night overseas.

And he’d have Jolie with him, which meant the night was going to be stellar, anyway.

Not that they’d have sex tonight. Not with a threat hanging over them and the others close by. But he’d have her in his arms.

Was she ready for sex? That would wait for another night when there was no danger, and they had a comfortable bed so he could explore her fabulous body without worrying about her getting bruised by the rocks beneath them.

Yanking his focus back to the task at hand, Ford walked through the edge of the trees and bushes, deciding on the best place to observe both the pond and the trees beyond it.

They’d all changed into dark clothes without zippers that would catch the light. They wore dark ball caps that would add shadows to their faces.

He stopped in an area that wasn’t directly across the pond from where they’d found the ATV tracks. They’d be too easy to spot there.

This spot had several trees and bushes that would provide good cover. He stopped and put his mouth to Jolie’s ear. He doubted there was anyone nearby, but enjoyed feeling her reaction to his touch. “I’m going to do a quick scout in the woods. I know you want to come, but I know where the cameras are and I just want to see if anyone has played with them. It’ll be easier with just me.”

She frowned slightly, but nodded. “How long?”

“Give me twenty minutes. I shouldn’t be that long, but if I’m not back, text your brother.”

She nodded and checked the time on her phone. They’d all dimmed the lights on their devices, but she still turned her back to the pond and squatted down before she checked. Smart.

He kissed her, then turned to the woods.

It didn’t take long to see the cameras remained in place. Not surprising. The person didn’t have Cyril yet, so they wouldn’t take away the cameras until they had their prize.

Monitoring the time, he did a quick scout of the area. Nothing appeared changed. No signs of human activity. No sounds out of place.

When he returned, he found Jolie where he expected, which had him kissing her again. “No signs of anything having been changed. No signs of humans.”

They then settled in to wait.

For an untrained civilian, Jolie proved capable of staying still and silent for long stretches. Knowing her, it probably drove her nuts. She was a woman who liked to move, who liked to be accomplishing something all the time.

Maybe the idea that they were keeping her property safe helped her. Stakeouts were boring as hell.