“It’s a nice place,” she said.
“That it is.”
“Certainly beats living in the hills.”
She sank into one of the sofas, stretching her arms back on either side of her. The home had belonged to a police officer who had been with the department for several years before she opted to leave for FEMA. She’d told Johnson that they could use it. Now he was using it as a bargaining chip, along with twenty-four other homes that he wanted to place new deputies in. “Do you want to stay?” he asked.
Alicia frowned. “Why would you ask that?”
“Just figured after all that’s happened, what you’ve learned about my family, my past, and Skye, that you might have your doubts.”
“About us?”
His eyebrows shot up. “Us? Is there an us?”
She got up and walked over to him and stood uncomfortably close, placing a hand on his arm.
“That depends. What do you want?”
A smile lurked at the corner of her mouth. God, she was beautiful.
While he hadn’t made a move on her, choosing to respect her space, he would have been lying to say that he didn’t have strong feelings. Had he brought her to Humboldt because of her similarity to Skye? Maybe. He liked to think it went beyond that. She was her own person. Unique. Special in her own way.
He glanced off to the hallway as Kane came in and looked up at him, tail wagging. He slalomed between them, rubbing his head against their legs.
“Did you teach him that?”
She smiled.
“Well, you certainly have convinced him,” Colby said before his smile faded and he wore a serious expression. “Tell me something. Dakota said you convinced the elders to help. I thought Elsu had.”
“Is that what he said?”
“So how?”
“I’m not sure.”
She seemed hesitant to tell him.
“C’mon. You must have some idea.”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just told them a story about a stranger. A man and a dog who risked their lives for that stranger when they didn’t need to.” She paused, her gaze meeting his. “I guess it must have struck a chord.”
Kane barked, and her eyes diverted to him.
He barked again.
“All right, all right, I’ll tell the truth,” she said to Kane. “Your dog convinced them.”
They laughed.
Kane barked again, his tail thumping the ground, looking all pleased with himself.
Colby brought a hand up to her face, studying her features. He leaned in about to plant a kiss on her when there was a knock at the door. “Hello, anyone home?”
“Don’t knock, you idiot, just go in.”
“It’s called manners, Zeke.”
“They don’t own the place,” Zeke said, nudging Dylan as they came around into the living room. Dylan’s arm was in a sling. It would take a while before it was fully healed. “Ooops, looks like we interrupted the stars aligning. My bad.” He turned to walk out.
“It’s fine,” Colby said.
Jessie and Nina appeared a few seconds after them. “Are they home?”
“Yeah, though you might want to shield your eyes,” Zeke said with a grin. Jessie strolled in looking much healthier than before. There was color in his cheeks. He was still sporting some gnarly bruises and scars but he looked a lot more like himself. Relaxed and at peace. He had an arm around Nina’s shoulders. Despite the loss of the baby, they weren’t going to let it deter them. Nina had opted to move in with Jessie and leave the Stricklands in the rearview mirror. After what they’d done to her, and their lack of support for Dan, he didn’t blame her. It was unfortunate.
“This is quite the place. Very posh,” Jessie said, his eyes roaming. “A little too posh for you, Colby. Are you taking it?”
“Haven’t decided yet.”
“Well if you don’t, I will,” Zeke said. “I could use a nice place to bring the ladies back to.”
“Ladies. Please. In your dreams,” Dylan added, sinking into a La-Z-Boy recliner and pulling the handle. His legs shot up. He closed his eyes, letting the sun bathe his face.
“Any food in the cupboards?” Zeke asked, wandering out.
“Man, do you ever stop eating?” Dylan said.
“I’ve got the munchies.”
Jessie lifted a finger. “Oh, hold on a second. I forgot something,” he added, walking back out and returning a moment later with a wrapped gift and handing it to Colby.
“What’s this?”
“A welcome home gift. I would have given it to you sooner, but you know, with everything that happened and all…”
Colby looked at it, curious, and gave it a shake.
“Go on, open it up.”
He tore off the wrapping to find a brown box. He opened it and found inside a smaller white box. It looked familiar. Colby smiled and gave Jessie a confused look. He motioned for him to open it. Colby cracked it open and his jaw dropped. “How did you…?”
“Nina knew about it. Hank was going to toss it out. She saved it. Figured you might want it.”
He looked at her. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
He lifted from the small box a gold chain with a heart on the end of it. It was a gift he’d give to Skye many moons ago. Engraved in the precious metal were the words: “Always and forever.” He glanced at Alicia and she offered a strained smile. “Thanks,” he said again before putting it back in the box and closing it. He appreciated having something that belonged to her.
Jessie patted him on the arm.
“Well look, brother, if you decide to stay here, let us know, we’ll give you a hand moving in.”
“Moving in what?”
“The beer.” He winked and took hold of Colby’s hand and brought him in close and patted his back. “Zeke. Dylan. Let’s leave these two in peace. I think they deserve some.”
Before leaving, Dylan made a parting comment.
