“I came to tell you that Montgomery PD found Atkinson yesterday.”
“Really? Did he own up to paying Marshall to poison our calves?” Logan asked.
“Yep. Caved within seconds. He was hiding in some pit of a motel, almost ready to turn himself in. Says the reason he wanted to buy this place was because he wanted to turn it into a hunting and fishing retreat.”
“What?” Max stared at him in shock.
Jake shrugged. “So he says. Reckons the creek on your property is ideal, especially with the lake you have.”
“So that’s reason enough to poison our calves?” Logan snarled.
“That’s what he said. Anyway, he was practically begging not to go to jail. Offered to do anything to help his sentence. Including paying reparations to you guys.”
“Reparations? What reparations?” Max asked.
“Oh, about fifteen thousand dollars’ worth.”
“For three calves?” Logan gaped at him.
There was a twinkle in Jake’s eyes. “Yep. Seems like you might be able to add another wing to those stables.”
“Whoop!” Logan yelled, making the people close by turn and smile at him. Logan swung his arm around Max’s shoulders, who stood still with shock.
“Let’s go give Savannah the good news. We get to keep our home.”
Their home. His home was with Logan and Savannah. But this ranch, it was home too.
And damn that felt good.
Epilogue
Four months later
Savannah tightened her hand around Rosie’s lead. Sensing her fear, Rosie leaned in against her.
“We got this, girl.”
“If you need more time, we can wait a few days,” Logan called out from the porch. He walked to the open front door, holding the tablet out in front of him so Molly could see her.
“No, she’s okay,” Molly said. “You can do this, Savannah.”
Savannah nodded. She could do this. She could now open the door and look outside without a panic attack ensuing. It was time to try and step outside.
“Logan, move back and out of the way. Give her space,” Molly ordered.
Logan pulled a face at the tablet and Savannah had to turn away to hide her grin. Funny, the last thing she expected to be doing this morning was smiling.
“He’s making faces at me, isn’t he?” Molly complained.
Logan quickly stepped back out onto the porch.
“You okay, love?” Max asked from beside her. “I can walk with you.”
She shook her head. “I have Rosie. I can do this.”
“I know you can.” Max squeezed her shoulder. “You’re strong, and you’re tough. You look after her, Rosie.”
Rosie barked at him quietly as though she understood. The service dog had been a godsend. Savannah knew she wouldn’t have gotten this far without Rosie to help her.