Hell, no. Darlene. She could help this make sense. On the third ring, I groaned.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Loud barks jerked me out of the haze of confusion, their incessant sounds indicating either a visitor or some issue.
Four rings.
More barking.
Six rings and the voicemail clicking in.
Incessant barking.
Shit. “Darlene. I only have a second. I found some really odd things in my father’s office that might be clues to what happened.”
Ellie May ran into the room, her barking insane. There was no doubt she was warning me about something.
I spit out the name and didn’t even waste the time to say goodbye, tossing the phone and running behind the pup.
Given I’d left the door open with only the screen door blocking their exit from the house, I dropped the file and rushed into the living room.
The dogs continued to go nuts, but as soon as I reached the front door, they began to calm down.
Maybe I was making something out of nothing, but my instinct was working overtime.
“What are you barking at?” I half expected there to be a sudden emergency client, but as soon as I made my way to the front door, I groaned, thankful I wasn’t faced with something horrible.
I did what I could to calm down, even laughing nervously.
“Jesus, the two of you scared me to death.”
All three horses were out of the corral standing right in front of the porch. No wonder the dogs had gone nuts. While they didn’t normally make their way all the way to the house on their great escape attempts, there was a first time for everything.
They needed to be secured and at this point, I could do nothing else. I’d hurry up and get ready so I could talk to Darlene in person.
“Well, I guess our hero contractor needs to brush up on his skills a little, huh, babies? I’ll be right back after I get them a little dinner and make certain they’re secure inside the barn.” I rubbed behind their ears before heading outside.
As usual, the horses greeted me fondly and I nuzzled them for a little while, enjoying the warm late afternoon sun.
“Come on, guys. Let’s get you some chow,” I told them, patting Thor on the muzzle, glancing at the house before I headed toward the barn.
What was my father’s ghost trying to tell me?
I constantly scanned the property as I headed to the barn. There was nothing else out of the ordinary, every sound quiet and peaceful.
Once inside, I took my time moving them toward their stalls. I even brushed Thor for a few minutes.
“What do you think, buddy? Is Rory, Viper, Locke the one?” Rory. Viper suited him much better.
It brought out the barbarian in him, which he certainly had in the bedroom.
A giggle presented itself and Thor snorted in response. When he pawed the ground, I took that as a yes.
“I’m glad you like him. He’s quite the hardhead, but I think I can bring him around.” Of course, I might need a whip to do it.
Thor eyed me as he used to do when I’d share all my problems with him. I was so glad he was still alive.
“Alright, baby boy. Time for a little food and Mommy is going to get ready and go dancing.”
