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He found the quirkiness of Destiny charming, including the fact that some of its citizens actually believed in the existence of dragons. Starting tomorrow was a weeklong event that celebrated that fact. People from around the world attended Dragon Week.
Sheriff Jason Wolfe had deputized almost everyone in town for Dragon Week to ensure public safety, but especially to watch out for Belle.
The town had an enemy still on the loose that had kept everyone on high alert—Kip Lunceford, a killer who was battling leukemia. Kip had declared war on Destiny and vowed to kidnap Belle Blue, wife of Shane and Corey. Turned out that Belle was a bone marrow donor match for Lunceford.
Jaris wasn’t surprised that the sheriff hadn’t asked him and Chance to take badges. What good can two blind guys do to keep the peace? He reached to the nightstand and touched his pistol, which he was never without. He hadn’t fired it since losing his sight. That would be dangerous given his blindness. He missed the gun range back in Chicago, a place he visited at least twice a week. Back then he’d been quite the shot.
I guess I have my own quirks to deal with—a blind man carrying a gun. Actually, it’s pretty funny when I think about it.
He could hear Sugar and Annie licking each other. It was clear to him that dogs, like humans, had friendships. The perfect example was right at his feet. The bond that existed between Annie and Sugar was unbreakable, just like his friendship with Chance.
He reached down and patted both of the dogs on their heads. “Chance, we better get up and get moving. We need to head down to the kennels before Kaylyn does. We don’t want to be late. You know how she is about her schedules.”
They both laughed and headed off to get dressed.
* * * *
The March breeze, which was unusually warm for this time of year, felt good on Chance’s skin. He stood by the fence with Annie, waiting for Kaylyn to arrive.
Jaris was in the yard with Sugar at his side. The former detective was as solid as they came. Honest. Loyal. Dedicated. A true-blue friend.
Working with Jaris had been the catalyst to all that had happened to Chance the past year. Destiny was home to both of them now.
Jaris and Lyle were directing the boys on how to get the other four dogs in their harnesses.
Lyle was shy and extremely quiet most of the time, but whenever he was around the dogs, the guy was in his element.
The remote training was one of the most important lessons for the canines. Service dogs had to be able to get help when their master was down. This was a big test for Rex, King, Blue, and Rosie.
He heard Jaris and Lyle walk over to him. “Are the four dogs ready for their test?”
“They are,” Lyle answered. “I need to go check on Sammie.”
Sammie was a Labrador retriever who was due to deliver pups any day. The litter would be the newest class of canines in Kaylyn’s school. There were another eight dogs that were at various stages of training that Lyle kept tabs on.
“Go ahead, Lyle,” he said, knowing the guy was anxious to check on Sammie. “We’ve got this.”
“Thanks, fellas.” Lyle left.
“I hope the boss lady isn’t late,” Jaris teased. “Her coffee will be cold.”
“It’s in a thermos, Jaris. You know that.” Like he did every morning, Chance had coffee ready for Kaylyn. “Plus, she won’t be late and you know it. Kaylyn is as punctual as a Swiss clock.” Chance lifted his wrist and punched the button on his watch.
The digital voice announced, “The time is 6:56 a.m.”
Jaris laughed. “Four minutes. I don’t hear her truck, do you?”
“No, but I have no doubt she’ll be here on time.” Back when Silver Spoon Bridge had still been under construction and everyone had to use the ferryboats to get in and out of town, Kaylyn hadn’t been late a single morning. Now that the bridge was fully operational, she was normally early.
Jaris placed his hand on his shoulder. “Still glad I convinced you to move here?”
“Every day.” His life had taken a big change when he’d agreed to relocate to Destiny with Jaris to help Kaylyn with her dog training school. It felt like it was the best decision he’d made in a very long time.
Jaris had come to Denver after being shot and losing his sight. Jaris was a hero. Everyone in Destiny said so, including Kaylyn. Jaris had been the best student he’d ever had, which was saying something since the man had been twenty-nine years old the day he’d arrived at Chance’s doorstep. Children typically took to the training better than adults. Jaris was the exception. He was like a sponge, taking in everything, learning to rely on his other senses to adapt t
o the world around him. But it wasn’t just how impressed Chance had been with Jaris’s abilities that had bonded them together like brothers.
Jaris was the only student Chance had ever taught—and he’d taught many—who had taken the time to ask him about his own personal struggles with blindness. It had never felt like a struggle to Chance, just a reality he’d always known.
