If it was them.
Chapter Sixteen
“Stay here,” Dale told Sadie before moving quietly to the front room where Ranger continued to bark. Quietly and quickly, Dale glanced out the corner of the window to see ESI SUVs in both Sadie’s and his dad’s driveways.
“Is it them?” she asked from the kitchen.
“Yes,” he replied, quieting Ranger.
Tesla jumped down from his perch at the back of the couch to step on the “Bad” button, then “Ranger”, followed by “Noise”.
Dale held back a grin. “I know, buddy. Sorry,” he said, bending down to pet the cat’s head before answering the door.
Mac, Cooper, and Dean walked in, arms laden with black equipment boxes, while RJ pulled up the rear carrying a large bakery box.
After the men stacked the equipment, they petted Ranger, then glanced at him, brows rising.
“Carter owes me twenty bucks,” RJ stated, grinning at Dale. “You didn’t sleep on the couch last night.”
“But it looks like Tesla slept on your shirt,” Cooper observed, reaching out to remove a long, gray piece of hair from Dale’s shoulder.
He frowned, lifting a closed fist as a universal stop gesture. “Shh. Sadie’s in the kitchen.”
Thankfully, it worked, because they all nodded and decided to slap his back on their way to the kitchen.
Within minutes, the men had exchanged greetings with Sadie, helped themselves to coffee, and surrounded the island.
RJ, always the jokester, was grinning from ear to ear as he set the large box on the counter. “Thought I’d bring some donutsfrom the bakery to go with that coffee. Can’t work on an empty stomach.”
“Liar.” Dean shook his head. “Our wives loaded the box and told you to bring it here.”
RJ swallowed a mouthful of donut and shrugged. “But I didn’t lie about me not working on an empty stomach.”
Sadie laughed, reaching into the box. “Those two know the way to my heart.”
And Sadie knew the way to Dale’s.
In the short expanse of time they’d spent together over the past few days, he’d let her right in as if she’d always resided there. He should have been alarmed, but he wasn’t. He was grateful she was single. The thought of going through life never knowing or experiencing their incredible connection was terrible.
Yeah, he was grateful as hell.
Dale grabbed a donut and took a bite. The familiar, sweet taste of the pastry brought back memories of simpler times in Harland County. “Regardless of whose idea it was, thanks for bringing them, RJ. You’ve saved the day.”
His buddy’s chest puffed out. “What can I say? It’s a gift.”
Cooper groaned and dropped his glazed donut onto a plate Sadie had provided everyone. “Ah, man, don’t feed his ego. The guy’s already having trouble walking through doors.”
Everyone laughed, including RJ.
For the next several minutes, the conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter and the kind of camaraderie that Dale had missed. Mac and Dean discussed the final touches for the security system. Ranger walked around the island, stopping every so often to set a paw on someone’s leg. Then, RJ, with his signature grin, decided to liven things up with a story.
“So, get this,” RJ began, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “We’re on this job a few weeks back, right? And Cooper decideshe’s going to take a shortcut through this field to catch the perp. Only, he didn’t check the weather report.”
Sadie raised an eyebrow, already smiling. “Let me guess—mud?”
“Mud doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Dean answered, a rare grin on his face.
“It was like fu—freaking quicksand,” Cooper grumbled, stuffing another donut into his mouth.
