Page 18 of Smoky Mountain K-9

Carter opened the rear door and let Maverick out. The dog trotted to the interior door, ready to get his dinner and rest. Grasping the doorknob, Carter let them inside. Maverick ran in, toenails clicking on the hard floor. At a more sedate pace, he followed. Setting his phone on the counter, he went to the dog’s kennel to get his bowl. He’d feed Mav, then go change clothes and gather up the things he bought to make dinner for Mara.

Dumping two scoops of dry dog food into Maverick’s bowl, he added some supplements and a couple spoonfuls of wet dog food and stirred it all together. Maverick barked, eager for Carter to put the bowl down.

“Hang on, bud. It’s coming.” Holding the spoon out, he let the dog lick it, then put the utensil in the sink. Maverick ran to his kennel and sat, waiting. Carter put the bowl in the corner and left him to go change.

Taking off his utility belt, he stowed his gun in the safe in his nightstand, then headed for his bathroom. He turned on the shower and stripped out of his clothes, stepping into the hot spray to wash off the yuck of the day.

Not wanting to linger, he was in and out in five minutes. After drying off, he wandered into his closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Digging in his dresser, his hand closed around a pair of socks at the same moment he heard his phone trill from the kitchen. Maverick barked.

He hurried from his bedroom and picked up the device a moment before it would have rolled to voicemail. Ben’s name flashed on the screen, and Carter bit back a groan. He hoped whatever reason his boss was calling didn’t involve him coming back into work.

Answering it, he put it to his ear. “Townsend.”

“Hey, Carter. I know you’re off now, but there’s been a shooting at Cullen Tate’s house.”

Instantly on alert, Carter’s muscles tightened. “What? Are he and Piper all right?”

“Not sure, exactly. I don’t have all the details yet. Just that it was Gustavo Herrera, and that Cullen was shot. I need you and Mav at the scene to help search.”

Disappointment flooded Carter’s belly that he wouldn’t get to see Mara tonight, but he knew he couldn’t say no to something like this. Nor would he want to. “Yeah. Give me a few minutes. I just changed out of my uniform. Can you text me the address?”

“Yep. I’ll see you there.”

The phone clicked as Ben hung up. Clenching his teeth, Carter blew a harsh breath through his nose, then glanced at Maverick, who sat at his feet, ears forward. “Ready to go back to work, boy?”

The dog barked once. Carter’s mouth tipped up, and he shook his head. At least one of them was eager to go traipsing through the cold night.

He glanced at his phone, debating giving Mara a call. It would be nice to hear her voice. She didn’t know he’d planned to come over, though. If he called, it’d just to be to deliver bad news. If he didn’t call, she’d never know.

Growling, he shoved his phone into his pocket and spun on his heel to go change. No use upsetting her.

Nine

Maverick barked as Carter put his cruiser in park and got out. Opening the rear door, he hooked a leash to the dog’s collar and led him into the equestrian center. He had an update for Mara about her car. It would have been quicker and simpler to call, but he wanted to see her. Especially after his plans to surprise her were dashed last night. They’d only texted a few times since she left his house Saturday evening, and it was now Thursday.

He was surprised at how much he’d missed her this week. Relationships weren’t his thing. He wasn’t a monk, but women were few and far between for him. They asked too many questions—wanted too many details about his past. Ones he didn’t want to give.

But with Mara, it didn’t matter how much he told himself she would eventually ask those questions; he couldn’t keep her out of his mind. Even as busy as he’d been, she was never far from his thoughts. When things got slow, he found himself wondering if she was having a good day. Those were the times he usually sent her a text asking her how her day was.

And it didn’t matter that his self-preservation instincts told him to keep his distance. That she would make him open up about things best left buried. He simply couldn’t stay away. She pulled him to her. Beckoned him with her fiery red hair, crystalline blue eyes, and pretty smile.

He wasn’t going to lie, though. He was kind of glad work intervened with his plans yesterday. Sure, it would have been great to see her and spend time with her. But once he had a chance to think about it, his nerves crept in. She had him all tangled up inside, and he wasn’t ready to unravel it all just yet. The part of him that wanted to keep his past under lock and key did a little happy dance at the change of plans, even if his body—and to be honest, his heart—did not.

Now, though, he was too tired to resist her pull. He and Maverick spent hours searching for evidence around Dr. Tate’s house late into the night. Carter managed about three hours of sleep before he had to get up for his regular shift. Exhausted didn’t begin to cover how he felt. His eyes never lost their grittiness today. Even Maverick felt the grind of the last twenty-four hours. There’d been much less barking in the car today as the dog snoozed between calls. Carter wished he could do the same.

Stepping inside, he pasted a smile on his face for the woman manning the check-in desk, Pam White.

“Well, Deputy Townsend. What brings you in?”

“I came to see Mara. Is she free?”

Pam smiled, a twinkle in her eyes. “Let me find out.” She lifted the phone and punched some buttons, holding her smile as she asked Mara if she had time for a visitor. Hanging up, she pointed to the hallway to her right. “She’s free for a few more minutes. You can go on back.”

“Thanks.” With a quick smile, he headed down the hall to Mara’s office and rapped his knuckles on the open door.

She glanced up and smiled. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

Maverick whined, and Carter released him. The dog ran to her side, thrusting his snout under her hand.