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B adger stared at his wife. “What the hell, Kat? I’m definitely not letting you work with anybody I want to keep local.”

She smiled at him. “You already bitch and complain because you want to find more work for these men. You don’t want any of them to suffer without enough to keep them going—even if it’s not money that they actually need.”

“Everybody needs self-esteem. Everybody needs to know that they’re useful and that they still have something to offer this world,” he declared.

Gently she touched the corner of his mouth and nodded. “I know, and that’s only one of the many reasons I love you.”

“Only one of the reasons?” he repeated, waggling his eyebrows. “Tell me more.”

She burst out laughing and said, “No, I think your ego is doing just fine.”

“You’re the one who’s doing just fine,” he replied. “It’s freaking unbelievable how on target you always are. It is uncanny.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said. “Yet I’m so happy for Trey and Missy—and Silas and Schooner. And I’m happy that this crazy situation has a happy ending.”

“What about Keith, the woman’s son? Do you think he’ll get over it?”

“I don’t know,” Kat admitted. “It depends on how the community handles it. Keith may just sell his home and move away, but, then again, maybe he’ll learn to fish,” she teased, with a knowing smile.

Badger sighed. “Are we done now?”

At that, she laughed. “Do you really think we’re done?”

“No, not likely,” he muttered, “but you could consider it.”

“No, we have two more files here, and then, chances are, we’re done. At least that’s all we have for now. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

“Two more files,” Badger muttered, shaking his head. “I can’t even imagine. Are you thinking you’ll go for the goal?”

“Of course I’ll go for the goal,” she declared. “Two more. That’s not much of a challenge, is it?”

“Sure it is. Where is this one?”

“Cowboy country.”

“What do you mean, cowboy country?”

“The War Dog was going with a group who does pack trips, trail riding, and the like.”

“And?”

“The War Dog went missing on the trail.”

He frowned at her. “And we’re supposed to track him down? Will you also track down the bear that took him down?”

She smiled up at him. “We do know one cowboy. He’s a bit of a renegade, but I thought maybe somebody who used to do both horseback riding and training dogs might be okay to go to Texas.”

“Oh, don’t tell me,” Badger grumbled. “Austin is bound for Austin?”

She burst out laughing. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. At least he would fly into Austin, and, from there, it’s out in the backwoods, about sixty-odd miles into the middle of nowhere to a big cattle ranch. The sister of the owner has a side gig with a pack string and trail-riding tours. Her son and her daughter run it with her.”

Badger just nodded, as he watched Kat go deep in thought. He asked, “And?”

“There’s no and ,” she said, batting her eyelids at him. “No and s at all.”

“What’s the dog’s name?”

She laughed. “You won’t believe it.”

“Probably not. What’s the name?”

“Cowboy. They call him Cowboy.”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” he muttered, with a moan.

She nodded and laughed. “But he’s also a well-loved member of the team.”

“And the War Department contacted you?”

“They contacted the War Department, thinking they were in trouble because they lost the dog,” she explained. “So, in that way, this is already unusual because they fessed up. Hey, we don’t know what happened, but it could be something bad . We just don’t know much, and now the War Department wants us to look into it.”

“That is all just too far-fetched.”

“It is far-fetched, so let’s just say they don’t think there’s any point looking into it, but I don’t feel the same way.” When Badger frowned at her, Kat shrugged. “I think he deserves a chance.”

“Cowboy or Austin?”

She smiled. “Let’s just say,… Austin was named Austin for a reason.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “So, don’t keep me in suspense. Does Austin know this ranching family already or something?”

“Or something,” she said.

“You’ll have to talk to him and see if he’s willing to go.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure he’s willing to go.”

“And why is that?” Badger asked.

“Because that daughter who runs the side company… is also his estranged wife. It’s apparently a marriage that’s not working, but they haven’t gotten the paperwork done yet.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that something is still there and needs to be worked out,” she stated.

“Have you talked to Austin? What if he doesn’t want to go?”

She nodded. “He’s already on his way.”