Page 14 of Scent of Evil (Sullivan K9 Search and Rescue #7)

The simple statement spoke to the depth of his character.

And it also made her wonder just how the Sullivan ranch was funded.

By donations? It was hard to imagine how nine siblings and nine dogs, along with the horses and everything else that went into running a ranch, could function on mere donations.

Other than some of the wealthy people living in Jackson Hole, she couldn’t imagine the hardworking ranchers donating enough to make a difference.

“Although if you’d like, we do accept donations of dog food.” His voice was tinged with humor. “You have no idea how many bags of dog food we go through in a month. We have 9 full grown dogs and two puppies.”

“I honestly can’t even imagine.” A hundred pounds? A thousand? She nodded slowly. “Okay, bags of dog food it is.”

“One bag is the going rate and more than enough.” He fed more sticks into the fire, then stood. He reached over to snag the bridle from the ground near the saddles. “Stay here with Stone and Ginny. I’m going to check on the horses.”

She watched him head out toward the field, his flashlight bobbing in the night, and wished she was ten years younger.

* * *

Justin hadn’t necessarily needed to check on the horses, but if he’d stayed next to Raine for much longer, he’d have given in to the temptation to kiss her. And likely got himself smacked for the effort.

Raine was beautiful and smart and single.

But that didn’t mean she was interested in him.

Besides, he didn’t know where she lived.

US marshals covered a wide territory. They’d jumped into action so quickly in their mission to rescue Ginny that he didn’t honestly know that much about Raine on a personal level.

Other than she’d divorced her cheating ex.

He and his twin brother Joel had made a pact to stay single, but that hadn’t lasted long when Joel met Trina and her adopted son, Ben.

His brother was a goner, just like his older siblings who’d gotten hitched this past year.

Maybe seeing Joel so besotted with his fiancée and her son had made him keenly aware of his lonely life, but that didn’t mean he was looking to settle down.

Did it? No, of course not.

He preferred animals over people, but somehow he found it easy to talk to Raine.

Why, he wasn’t sure. He turned the flashlight off when he realized dawn was just beginning to break over the horizon.

He stood near a tree for a moment, watching as the horses grazed in the meadow. He was glad they’d gotten some rest.

Clucking his tongue, he headed toward Blaze. The horse lifted his head and let out a neigh as Justin approached. The horse crossed over to join him, nudging him as if searching for a carrot. Normally, Justin would have treats available.

“Sorry, big guy, you’ll have to wait until we get home.

” He stroked the horse, then turned to see Timber was making his way toward them.

He quickly slid the bridle over Blaze’s long nose and tightened the strap.

Blaze shook his head for a moment, then settled down.

“Good boy. Let’s get you guys to the creek for a drink of water, hmm? ”

The trek didn’t take too long, and once the horses had their fill, he led them back toward the camp.

Stone jumped up from the fire, looking happy to see him.

Ginny and Raine were missing, the blankets folded neatly off to the side, but he heard the muffled sound of their voices in the woods as they no doubt made good use of their moments of privacy.

He had only taken one bridle with him, knowing Timber would follow Blaze without one.

But now that he was back, he picked up the second bridle to slide it onto Timber.

When that was done, he fished in the saddle bag for the last two protein bars.

He and Raine would split one, giving Ginny the other.

Good thing he had plenty of dog food for Stone.

They needed water, so he hauled the two empty bottles back to the creek.

The water looked clear, likely melted snow coming down from the mountaintops, but he figured they’d boil it over what was left of the fire just to make sure.

The last thing he wanted was for Ginny to suffer another upset stomach.

When he returned, Raine must have read his mind because she had the camping pot sitting in the fire. She smiled up at him. “I was hoping you’d bring water.”

“You read my mind.” He emptied the bottles into the pan. She added the last of their kindling to heat the water.

“Too bad we don’t have coffee.” She sighed wistfully.

“Sorry about that.” He produced the two protein bars. “At least we have breakfast.”

“Great.” She took one of the bars and handed it to Ginny.

“What about you?” Ginny protested.

“There’s another one for us to share.” Justin unwrapped and broke the bar in half. “See? We’re fine. Besides, I’m sure the search party heading out this morning will bring more food along.”

That seemed to cheer them both up.

While they waited for the water to boil, he filled Stone’s bowls with food and water from the creek. Like the horses, his K9 was accustomed to creek water and wouldn’t notice the difference.

“Go get it, boy.” He gave Stone the hand signal that he could eat.

“Why do you make him wait?” Ginny asked with a frown. She wore the blanket like a cloak to keep warm. “He’s such a good boy.”

“He is. It’s not a punishment. We train the dogs to only eat when we allow it, to keep them safe.

” At her skeptical look, he continued. “A few months ago, someone planted poisoned dog food to hurt my sister’s dog, Denali.

The dog didn’t eat the food, so the K9 was fine, but can you imagine if we hadn’t trained them to wait for us to give permission? ”

Ginny’s eyes widened in horror. “That’s terrible.”

“Yep. Don’t worry, our dogs know they’re loved.” He ran his hand over Stone’s soft fur. “We take good care of them.”

“Still, it must be hard on Stone when he has to search all the time.” Ginny gazed at Stone with pure adoration. “Maybe he shouldn’t have to work so hard.”

“Our K9s are trained to consider searches a game. They get rewarded for a job well done,” he explained patiently. “Trust me, they love playing search.”

As he said the word, Stone looked up from his breakfast, his ears pricked forward.

“See?” He grinned and petted Stone again. “Not now, boy. Maybe later, okay?”

Stone stared at him for a moment, then went back to eating. Labs in general ate fast, but none as fast as Trevor’s Red Fox English lab, Archie. That dog had all the others beat by a mile.

When the water had boiled for a few seconds, Raine used the blanket as a hot pad to remove the pot from what was left of the flames, allowing it to cool. While they waited, he stood and reached for the two saddle blankets.

He threw one over Timber, the other over Blaze. While he saddled the horses, Raine kicked dirt over the fire, dousing the flames.

After filling the water bottles, he stored the pan and other equipment in the saddle bags.

He slid his weapon into his belt holster, just in case.

It didn’t take long for them to break camp.

He decided Stone had gotten enough rest that the K9 wouldn’t need to ride with him.

He could take Ginny, but regardless of which horse carried two people, they’d have to walk down the mountain.

No trotting or cantering to make up time.

He glanced at Raine, who eyed Timber with a resigned expression. “Would it be easier for you if Ginny rode with me?”

“No, it doesn’t matter one way or the other.” Raine grimaced. “I’ll still be saddle sore regardless.”

Since that was true, he let it go. Timber could easily handle the two of them. “Okay. I’ll give Ginny a leg up first, then you.”

“Can I keep the blanket?” Ginny asked. When he nodded, she tied the ends around her neck before she stepped into his hands to vault into the saddle. “What’s his name? Timber?” Ginny rearranged the blanket and then reached for the reins. “He’s a sweet horse.”

“Yep, and my mount is Blaze.” He was glad the girl seemed to be feeling better. He lightly grasped her hand, turning it to peer at the open wound. He frowned when he noticed the gash was red and puffy. He hoped they’d get back to Buffalo before it caused any problems.

His younger brother Trevor had done a brief stint as an EMT prior to their opening their search and rescue services. He’d have packed a first aid kit. Something Justin wished he’d done prior to heading out yesterday.

Never again , he thought as he scanned their camp one last time before offering his laced hands to Raine. She stepped into them and landed hard behind Ginny. Her pained expression indicated she was still sore, but then she smiled as if determined to get through the discomfort.

She was amazing. He swung up onto Blaze, then gave Stone a nod as the dog stared up at him. “We’re heading home, boy.” He double-checked his GPS and compass to validate they were on the right path, then clucked at Blaze and nudged him with his heels. “Stay with us, okay?”

Stone loped alongside the horses, happily sniffing the ground as they walked. He and Blaze took the lead, and it felt good to be back on the move, especially as the sun brightened the horizon.

Even if Trevor and others didn’t head out as early as they had, Justin knew it shouldn’t take more than a few hours or so to reach Ginny’s home.

Barring any unforeseen complications.

The moose had scared him into thinking Decker had found them. Justin hoped Decker was far away, but the fact was the guy had been on foot and may not have gotten very far from where the path diverged from wrecked ATV. Stone had indicated Decker had gone one way, Ginny the other.

He glanced over his shoulder, glad to see Ginny and Raine were riding Timber with a relaxed posture. He offered an encouraging smile, before scanning their surroundings.

Stone would let them know if they were heading for trouble.

“I would rather ride my own horse,” Ginny said with a sigh. “This saddle feels too small.”

He turned to look at her. “Do you get to ride often?”

“Just sometimes.” Ginny shrugged. “I groom the horses and clean stalls at the Lucky Charm farm, which isn’t far from our house.

They have four horses, so it takes a lot to keep the stalls clean.

Horses make a lot of manure.” Ginny laughed.

“But I only work every other weekend because my mom is so strict and because I had to do a project for school.”

“Your mother isn’t strict, you’re only eleven,” Raine pointed out dryly. “There are laws about how many hours a kid your age can work.”

“I know that.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “But I like horses, so it’s not really work. Kinda how Stone views searching as a game. I would help out for free, but Ms. Nancy insists on paying me.” Ginny was silent for a moment, before she added, “Your horses are great, Justin. Do you have others?”

“Yep, four total.” He couldn’t help but smile. “Blaze, Timber, Scout, and Stella. I wouldn’t mind having more, but we’ve been so busy with SAR missions that we don’t have enough time to ride as it is.”

“Way cool that you have four horses.” There was a hint of envy in Ginny’s tone.

When he glanced back at them, he could see the wry expression on Raine’s face.

She obviously didn’t love horses as much as Ginny did.

He was about to offer Ginny the chance to visit him on the Sullivan ranch when he caught himself.

For one thing, Buffalo wasn’t that close to the ranch, and really, he’d prefer Ginny and Raine come for a visit.

Which wasn’t even remotely a possibility until Decker was caught and arrested. And even then, he doubted Raine would have any interest in coming for a visit, especially if it included a horseback ride.

Giving himself a mental shake, he once again scanned their surroundings. The early morning hour was still chilly, but the sun would warm them up soon.

Justin checked his coordinates frequently, unwilling to make the rookie mistake of getting lost. When they were about thirty minutes into their trip, Stone abruptly veered off the trail, darting through the brush.

He was about to call out to his dog when he heard the K9 give a sharp bark. His alert!

Pulling back on the reins, he brought Blaze to a stop and quickly dismounted. Pulling his weapon, he moved cautiously toward the brush Stone had gone through.

“What’s going on?” Ginny asked fearfully.

“Shh, it’s okay. We’re fine.” Raine’s voice was calm, but he heard the thud of her feet hitting the ground as she slid off Timber.

He wanted to wave her back, but he felt certain Stone had alerted on Decker’s scent. Had the escaped convict been there that morning? Or was Stone alerting on a scent from the previous afternoon?

As Justin pushed through the brush with as much stealth as he could manage, he prepared himself for the worst-case scenario.

That he’d find Decker hiding in there, holding a gun on his K9.