“Four hours, and my brain cells are firing just fine.” He squeezed her hand gently, then let go so they could eat. As if he hadn’t just proposed, he went on. “After we pick up Abernathy, I’d like to drop by Pete’s house to let him know he and Mikey are safe. Oh, and there’s an award ceremony next week that I hope you’ll attend with me. The brass is giving Abernathy a medal of honor for being wounded in the line of duty.”
“So soon?”
“I guess. I thought they’d wait until the K-9 graduation ceremony, but that won’t be for six months.” He shrugged. “Guess they didn’t want to wait that long.”
“Okay.” Her head was spinning with all the plans Finn was making. Had she imagined his proposal? During a prayer, no less? Goofy man.
They finished their breakfast in under twenty minutes. Finn filled two cups of coffee in to-go mugs and led the way outside to his K-9 SUV. She kept Cocoa with her as she slid in beside Finn.
The trip to the vet didn’t take long. When they walked in, she thought for sure she could hear Abernathy barking.
“Calm down,” the assistant said, bringing Abernathy out from the back. The poor yellow Lab was wearing the cone of shame and obviously didn’t like it. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Finn took Abernathy’s leash and dropped to one knee, giving the animal a good rub. “Sorry about the cone, but hopefully those sutures will heal up fast. We’ll get rid of that thing as soon as possible, okay?”
Abernathy stared up at him with mournful brown eyes, as if to ask, Why not now?
“You’re a brave boy.” Eva scratched him behind the ears. “I bet Mikey will be happy to see you. And Cocoa, too.”
“Next stop, Pete’s,” Finn agreed.
Eva couldn’t deny feeling a bit apprehensive about seeing her brother-in-law again. So much had happened in the short time since she’d left him and Mikey. Logically she knew that Pete didn’t hold a grudge against her for Mikey being in danger; at the same time, she knew their relationship might be strained for a while.
Still, she adored Mikey and knew Pete would need help, more so now that Malina was gone.
She prayed that Pete would find solace in God.
Finn parked in Pete’s driveway, then went around to the back to let Abernathy out. The K-9 still looked unhappy about the cone, but he didn’t try to get it off. Eva carried Cocoa. As they approached the front door, she heard voices from the backyard.
“Pete? Mikey?” she called as she leaned over to the fence. There was a door with a latch on it leading to the backyard. “It’s Eva and Finn. We have Abernathy and Cocoa.”
“Cocoa?” Mikey’s excited voice made her grin. “I wanna see Cocoa!”
“Come on in,” Pete called.
Eva lifted the latch and opened the gate. They went into the small backyard to find Pete and Mikey sitting near the turtle-shaped sandbox.
“Cocoa!” Mikey was excited to see the puppy. “You found him!”
“Sure did.” She met Pete’s gaze and gave a brief nod. “Cocoa is safe now. And so are we.”
“We locked all the bad guys in jail,” Finn added.
“What happened to Abernathy?” Pete’s gaze was troubled.
“Grazed, and then kicked, but he’ll be okay.” She was glad Finn didn’t go into details with Mr. Big Ears listening. “I wanted to let you know personally that you’re safe.”
“The package?” Pete asked.
Eva glanced at Finn, who shrugged. “We may never know what happened to it. But the guys in jail know that we don’t have it, so I don’t think there’s a reason to worry. The rest of the operation is going down as we speak.”
Pete’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t say anything.
Cocoa jumped into the sandbox with Mikey, making the little boy giggle. “I love Cocoa,” he announced.
The puppy began digging in the corner of the sandbox farthest from the house. Curious, Eva went over to see what Cocoa had found. When she saw a hint of plastic, she knew.
The package.
“Finn! Come quick!”
Finn was beside her in an instant. “What in the world?” He knelt down, easing Cocoa aside to finish uncovering the package.