Page 64 of Hunting the Truth
“I know this is hard on you. I miss our cabin too. It’s hard on both of us.”
Josh stepped out of his vehicle and Maya did the same. She had a small duffel bag with her only belongings. Everything else had burned or been destroyed by the water the firemen used to put out the blaze. She’d need to go shopping in Fort Collins soon and at least buy some essentials. She didn’t want to wear her high school clothes all the time. She should also probably get another teddy bear for Juniper. Although Juniper might just rip a new one up.
“You talking to Juniper?” Josh asked.
“I am. Better get used to it,” Maya said. “We have some pretty good conversations.”
He laughed and said, “Deputy Wilson had an extra dog crate. I had him drop it by before he headed up to watch the crime scene, which may have added to the speed of the gossip. Anyway, I may have never lived with a Malinois, but I have an idea of what it might be like so I asked him if we could borrow it.”
“I’ll see how she does,” Maya said. “The crate may not be bad. I grabbed her bed from the office, but the stuffing is coming out from the holes she chewed. I need to duct tape it some more and probably buy her a new one.”
“Stuffing coming out doesn’t bother me,” Josh said. “Let’s get you two inside.”
She went to Juniper’s door and let her out. She hadn’t been over to Josh’s place in a while. Because Maya’s cabin was set up for Juniper, they usually hung out at her place.
Maya awkwardly climbed the steps with Juniper by her side.What am I thinking? Is staying here really a good idea? I’m here now, so I better figure it out. I can always stay at the hotel or my office again if this isn’t working out.
She and Juniper stepped inside. The house was about one hundred years old, and Josh had been redoing it on his own in his spare time. He’d started with the major things that older houses needed like updating the plumbing, but Maya hadn’t seen it in a while.
He’d redone the floors and finished the sunroom that overlooked some mountain peaks to the west. The kitchen now had new appliances and Josh had painted the cabinets. There were sliding barn doors that were open, revealing the living room. He’d mounted a television on the wall but hadn’t gotten around to getting furniture. There was a camping chair in the middle of the living room with a TV tray next to it. Josh came up behind her and followed her gaze.
“I have another camping chair, but you may want to hang out in the sunroom. That furniture is much better. I’m going to get a love seat or couch with my next paycheck. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize,” Maya said. “Camping chairs make great furniture. I mean, they were my porch furniture at the cabin, and I had no plans on upgrading.”
“I do admit, I’m looking forward to getting some more furniture soon. I’d like to be comfortable watching the Chicago Bears.”
Maya nodded, her bag still slung over her shoulder. “The place looks great. I haven’t seen it in a while. You’ve done an amazing job.”
“Thanks, I feel good about it. Gave me a feeling of accomplishment along with keeping me out of trouble.”
“You? Get into trouble? I thought that was just me,” Maya said.
“True, I think you outdo me.”
“Thanks,” she said, with a laugh. Unfortunately, she knew he was probably right.
“If you want, you can put your bag on the guest bed. I have towels in there and the crate for Juniper. I’ll go out and grab her dog bed. We can put it in the sunroom and maybe she’ll like it there when she’s out with you. The backyard fencing is pretty solid. Deer were coming in and eating the trees, so I made the fencing higher. I think it’ll work for Juniper, but that’s your call. I have some steaks and potatoes too. Thought I’d throw them on the grill.”
“That all sounds fantastic,” Maya said, grateful that they didn’t need to leave again to get dinner. “Thanks for letting us crash here.”
“Of course,” Josh said, reaching out and touching Maya’s cheek. “I’m glad you’re here.”
She smiled and Josh put his hand back down. Juniper stared up at them and whined. Maya swore the dog rolled her eyes. Juniper loved Josh, but Maya didn’t know what she would think about living with him—especially if Juniper thought Josh was getting between her and Maya. This could get interesting.
She and Juniper made their way down the hall to the guest bedroom. Maya put her bag on the bed and took one of the towels. She needed to freshen up. She put Juniper in the crate and took a quick shower before changing into the only other clothes she had with her. After she pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, she let Juniper out.
Maya figured they could check out the yard and see if the fence would hold Juniper. For a while she probably wouldn’t let her out unsupervised. Juniper was good at digging and finding ways to escape. She didn’t want to call Todd and explain that Juniper had gone missing while she was staying with the local deputy sheriff. That would only bring on more complications.
They headed out of their room and found Josh out back cooking on the grill on the porch. Maya let Juniper out in the yard to explore and then stood near Josh so they could visit while she kept an eye on her dog.
“I just received an email in regards to the murder of the cops and judge,” Josh said. “I haven’t looked at the files attached yet. If you want to get on my phone and look at them, go for it. Just don’t tell anyone I let you do that.”
“More secrets to keep,” Maya joked as she picked up his phone. Josh gave her his pass code and she opened the emails. Juniper was running around the yard, exploring and sniffing. She flushed a couple birds out of some bushes, but luckily didn’t catch them.
“I was thinking about getting a bird feeder, but maybe with Juniper here, I’ll wait,” Josh said.
“Probably not a bad idea. And the black bears are still out right now anyway. They’re getting closer to hibernating and would probably love to snack on bird food.”
