Page 52 of Kian

“Come on, Lobo. If I lose you out here, you won’t be the only male without any balls,” Kian joked, though there was a hint of worry in his voice. Finally, he heard barking and saw Lobo bounding toward him.

“You scared me half to death, boy,” Kian scolded playfully as the dog sat at his feet. “You know how much trouble I’d be in if I left without you? Gretchen would never let me hear the end of it.” With a smile, Kian mounted his ATV and motioned for Lobo to run. “Let’s go.”

As he drove through the snowy landscape, Kian kept a watchful eye on Lobo. When they arrived back at the cabin, he stopped and dismounted before stomping off the snow from his boots and entering the cabin.

“Oh, you’re back sooner than I expected,” Gretchen remarked from her spot in front of an easel, her gaze fixed on Kian.

“Yeah, I found the bullet lodged in a tree and I need to dig it out. Do you happen to have a pocket knife? Mine is probably with my other gear.”

“Yes, I do. It’s in my coat pocket. I always leave it there so I don’t forget.”

Kian rummaged through Gretchen’s coat pockets until he found the knife, then headed back toward the door.

“I’ll be quick. I’m leaving Lobo here this time.”

“Why?” Gretchen asked.

“Why what?”

“You’re stalling, Agent Doyle. Why are you leaving Lobo here this time?”

“Because he wandered off for a few minutes and I freaked out.”

Kian watched as Gretchen looked at Lobo, who refused to make eye contact with her, and Kian couldn’t help but grin at the dog’s guilty behavior.

“He knows he’s in trouble,” Gretchen said with a laugh.

“Not as much as I would have been if I didn’t bring him back,” Kian replied with a chuckle. “I need a small plastic baggie and some gloves, if you have any.”

“I have some rubber gloves that I use when I clean my paint brushes. They might be a bit small, but you can try them.”

“As long as they cover my fingers, they’ll do. I don’t want to leave any prints on the bullet.”

“Sure thing. They’re in that box over there.”

Kian walked toward where she had pointed and grabbed a pair of gloves from the box before finding a couple sandwich baggies to take with him, just in case he found more than one casing. After stuffing everything into his pockets, he leaned in and gave Gretchen a gentle kiss on the lips.

“I won’t be gone long,” he promised.

After touching her cheek, Kian left the cabin and made his way toward the ATV. As he rode back toward where he had found the bullet, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he would soon have to tell Gretchen that he was leaving in just two days.

He wasn’t happy about leaving her behind, but the thought of going home and being reunited with his family and friends brought him a sense of joy. Despite only being in the Clifton office for a short time, Kian had grown close to the agents he worked with and knew they were worried about him. Being a livestock agent was far from safe, there were risks involved and some agents had lost their lives in the line of duty. But Kian was determined to find the men responsible for this, whether it was through working with the local sheriff or on his own.

With a heavy heart, Kian knew that he couldn’t stay here much longer. He had to get back out there and do what he had to do and help bring those men to justice.

****

Gretchen stepped back to admire her completed painting, a beautiful depiction of the snowy cabin with smoke gently rising from its chimney. She couldn’t help but think she could smell the scent of wood burning.

“You’re probably smelling the actual smoke coming from the chimney,” she scolded herself as she took off her smock.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of an ATV approaching. He had been gone for quite some time this trip. Gretchen couldn’t help but feel anxious about what would happen when he eventually left.

“Stop being so negative,” she lectured herself. “He promised he’d come back and you have to trust him.”

As she washed her hands at the sink, she watched as Kian parked the ATV in the shed and emerge a few minutes later. After closing the doors, he trudged through the snow and up the steps, stomping his feet to remove any remaining snow.

When she heard him on the porch, she took a deep breath and sighed. She had to act like she was fine, but she knew it was not going to be easy.

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