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“I’m ready too,” his nephew said cheerfully as he shoved on a beanie.

After attaching the leash to Kodiak’s harness, Wes hooked his arm through his mother’s and they headed outside, Tyler leading the way.

He held tightly to his mother’s arm as they made their way down the sidewalk and around the corner. It was mild enough that he didn’t expect any ice, but one never knew. The last thing his mom needed was a broken hip to go with her neurological issues.

The late-November air was crisp and lovely. A few neighbors had turned on their Christmas lights, the cheerful colors lighting up the evening as Tyler’s chatter filled the silence.

Wes did love living in Portland and felt like the work he did there was important. But again he had the thought that no matter how far he ran, Shelter Springs would always be home.

His mother lifted her face to the sky, inhaling deeply. It was a scent that Wes remembered well from his childhood—earthy and musty from the mingled scents of fallen leaves, woodsmoke from someone’s fireplace and Lake Haven only a few blocks away.

“Home,” Susie said, smiling with contentment.

If he needed any other proof that his mother was happy here in Shelter Springs, her delight in their walk would have confirmed it.

“Can I hold Kodi’s leash?” his nephew asked.

He frowned and tried to choose his words carefully. “Kodi’s not a pet, remember? He’s a trained police dog, and he’s very strong. You can hold his leash for a minute, and then I’ll take it back, okay? I don’t want him to hurt you by tugging too hard. He’s very well trained, but he’s also injured, and that could make his behavior unpredictable.”

His nephew nodded and took the dog’s leash. With Wes carefully monitoring the situation, Tyler walked happily half a block before he handed the leash back to Wes. “Here you go.”

They had turned down another street to walk around the block and before he quite realized, they were on his grandfather’s street, with Hannah’s house just ahead.

He hadn’t come this way on purpose, Wes told himself. In fact, he hadn’t really been paying attention to where they walked, he had been so busy making sure his mother didn’t fall, Tyler stayed out of the street and Kodi didn’t become overtired.

They heard the sound of laughter as they neared her house and he saw Hannah and the children out front, stringing Christmas lights along the low picket fence that ringed her property.

Carter spotted them first. “Hi! Hey, look. It’s that police guy and his dog.”

Hannah looked up, her expression momentarily shocked.

Tyler waved energetically. “Hey. Hi, Carter. He’s in my class,” he said to Wes.

Both Carter and his older sister greeted them and came over to say hello.

“Is this where you live?” Tyler asked the other little boy. “It’s not very far from my house. You should come to my house and play!”

“It’s not really where I live. I’m just staying here right now.”

“Cool.” Tyler seemed unaffected by any of the subtle nuances involved in the situation.

“Hey there, Ty. How are you?” Hannah asked.

“Hi, Hannah.”

“Hannah,” his mother said, giving a particularly sweet smile. “I love you, Hannah.”

Hannah smiled at her. “And I love you, Susie. It’s so good to see you. Happy Thanksgiving.”

“We had turkey,” Susie said. “And pie. It was good.”

“We did too,” Carter said, then his smile faded. “And then our mom had to go so now we’re staying here.”

“We’re decorating for Christmas,” Riley said. “We already put up a Christmas tree and everything.”

“Lucky!” Tyler exclaimed. “My mom said we can’t put up our tree till tomorrow. She said we have to wait because there’s not room until after Thanksgiving.”

“Ours is really pretty. Do you want to see?” Riley asked.