Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

“No thanks.”

“Why not?”

Dustin gave a snort, giving him another pitying look. “Tate’ll call. It’ll be a while. He only screws up every three or four years.”

“A Porter turning down cold, hard cash just to see squirrels get killed? I don’t believe it.” Knox snorted back at him.

“You’ll see. It’s like the fucking Fourth of July when those fuckers run up that pole.”

“I still don’t care. I have my ace in the hole to get that weed.” Knox opened the passenger side door for him to get inside.

“What? You going to do a raid?”

“No, I don’t want to confiscate it. The brothers and I will smoke it.”

“Then you ain’t got a chance in hell of getting that weed.”

“I’ve got more than a chance. I’ll offer to buy it from Greer,” Knox said, shutting him inside the car.

Damn, Tate would be furious at him for mentioning the bad weed. Knox was right, though; if Greer was offered cold, hard cash versus watching suicidal squirrels, cash would win every time.

32

“I need to potty.”

Jessie glanced up from the coloring sheet that Presley was attempting to make a G on and wasn’t quite successful. “Go ahead.”

The squirming little boy dropped his pencil onto his worksheet and hurried away from the half-circle worktable.

Jessie scooted her wheeled chair to Lola, watching her make the letter on her page. “Good job, Lola,” Jessie complimented.

The little girl gave her such a proud smile that Jessie wanted to hug her.

When she returned to the daycare this morning, she hadn’t known if she was strong enough mentally and emotionally, wishing she had given herself the additional week she originally told Holt she would take.

She had arrived early, texting Bliss to make sure that they arrived together. She wasn’t ready to be on her own without support, afraid of her reaction if a father brought his child in. The few times she had gone out after her kidnapping, Dustin had kept her close, and she had felt his presence like an invisible shield protecting her.

Bliss was there when she arrived, so she walked into an already lit room.

When the children started arriving, Jessie was overwhelmed with emotions as their faces lit up when they saw her opening the door for them.

Everything was going well until Presley’s father brought him inside. He had enrolled Presley when he had moved back to Treepoint after moving away sixteen years ago. He returned with his two children when his widowed sister had become too ill to care for her own two children. Jessie had cared for his niece and nephew before they reached school age and had been heartbroken that Abby was so sick. The vivacious mother had been her go-to when she needed a parent volunteer.

Divorced and handsome, Owen had created a stir when he returned to town, setting the single women into a tizzy. So far, though, he hadn’t dated or developed any interest in any of them.

When Jessie saw him getting out of his truck, her nerves had frayed, freezing her in place instead of going out to greet him at the door.

She had been getting ready to panic that she couldn’t do it when she felt a reassuring hand on her back.

“I’ve got this,” Bliss had said. “Lola is trying to convince the entire reading group to read the unicorn book again.”

Jessie had nodded, forcing herself to move as she gave Bliss a shaky smile. “Thank you.”

Each time a father was about to come through the door, Jessie found Bliss by her side, taking over the greeting.

Once all the children had arrived, Jessie found herself able to relax and enjoy her time back with the children.

After the children had fallen asleep for their naptime, Jessie threw herself down on a chair behind her desk, seeing Bliss and Kailor give her amused glances as they brought chairs over to eat their lunch.

“I forgot how busy they keep you.” Jessie laughed, reaching for an apple.

“That’s why I quit going to the gym after I started working here,” Kailor said, opening her lunch bag.

From where Jessie sat, she saw the flashing lights of police cars whizzing past the front plate glass window.

“Thank God Knox didn’t turn the sirens on. I think I might have cried if he had woken Presley up. His father might be a knockout”—Kailor fanned herself at the mention of Owen—“but his son is a handful.”

“His wife needs her head examined for divorcing him just because he wanted to move back to Treepoint and help Abby. She didn’t even fight him over visitation. She lets Owen have them during the school year and takes them during the summers.”

Jessie ate her apple, listening to Kailor moon over Owen. She had missed the easy rapport she shared with the women. They were more friends than co-workers, and Jessie felt guilty she cut them out during her recovery.