Page 65 of Whispers of You
The smallest flicker of something flared to life in my chest—something that felt a lot like hope.
“Hey, man,” Jude called as he walked up. “Glad you decided to come.”
I grinned as I looked around at the familiar setup taking shape and breathed in the mountain air. “Me, too.”
“All right, everyone, gather around,” my dad called. “Who’s going to play our victim today?”
“Not Jude,” Grae quipped. “I had to carry his oversized butt last practice. My back hurt for a week.”
Jude grinned at her. “I could be a lightweight compared to who you might have to carry one of these days.”
Dad frowned at Grae. “He’s right about that. You’ve got extra snacks and your Glucagon kit, right?”
The humor that had been dancing on Grae’s face fled. “I have done this a time or two before.”
“I volunteer Nash for victim,” I cut in before the conversation could devolve.
Nash sent me a withering glare. “Gee, thanks.”
Dad nodded. “Put these under your shirt to get your scent on them. We’ll give them to the dogs.”
“You’re gonna pay for this, Holt,” Nash growled.
Jude choked on a laugh. “Let’s give him a fun injury, Nathan. Broken tailbone maybe?”
Nash chased after Jude, trying to give him a good swift kick. “I’ll show you a broken tailbone.”
I glanced at Grae, hoping for a flicker of a smile, but she stared at the ground. “G.”
She looked up and shook her head. “I’m good. I’m gonna go check my pack.”
Crap. Grae never took kindly to someone challenging her ability to care for herself just because she had type 1 diabetes. But for those of us who had been there when we almost lost her, it was hard not to check and double-check that she had everything she needed.
Shadow let out a little whine, and I tipped my head down. “Need a potty break?”
She panted, and I led her into the forest a couple of steps so she could do her business. As I came back out of the trees, I caught sight of Roan, leaning against a pine, present with the group but not a part of it.
I started over to him. “Hey.”
Roan nodded but didn’t say a word. His eyes warmed a fraction as he took in Shadow, though. Dropping to a crouch, he tapped the ground in front of him, and she came right over. Roan gave her a good scratch behind the ears. “Going to train her for SAR?”
“Gonna see if she can pick up the basics.”
He dipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small treat, offering it to her. “She’ll do good with a job. A purpose.”
“I think so, too. It has to get lonely out at the cabin while Wren’s at work.”
Roan nodded, but I knew he didn’t agree. My second eldest brother lived for solitude. While we all knew where he lived, I didn’t think he’d invited any of us out there. And it wasn’t exactly easy to access even if he had.
“How’s Fish and Wildlife treating you?”
He glanced over at me, a flicker of annoyance passing over his features at being forced into polite conversation. “Good.”
That was it, a single-word answer.
“You should come over to Wren’s. We can all have dinner, or you and I can go on a hike.” I had to try. It was why I was here. But in so many ways, it would be hardest with Roan. His wounds from a decade ago compounded his aloofness.
“Yeah, when work calms down.”
