reached down and patted the dog’s broad head. “No other dog will ever work as well as you do,” he said soothingly. “I don’t care who says otherwise.”
“Can Titus go with us?”
“Not this time, honey. You know Miss Opal’s cats don’t like to play with him.”
The scowl returned. Nevertheless, the child had her sandals on when Ryder returned wearing his boots.
He held out his hand. “Ready?”
“No.” Lily tossed her blond curls, dropped to her knees and hugged Titus’s furry neck, placed a kiss on the top of his nose, then jumped to her feet. “Okay. Now I am.”
The poignancy of the scene almost choked him up. So did the trusting way she grasped his fingers. Losing Melanie had nearly broken him—would have—if he hadn’t had Lily. Every day that passed he loved her more. And every time he went out on a call he prayed even harder for her continued well-being.
Yes, he could have sent her away when Carrie Dunleavy’s crime spree was uncovered. But that would have meant trusting his little girl to someone else’s care 24/7 and he simply could not do that. No one’s vigilance could be as sufficient as his because nobody could possible love Lily as much as he did. Nobody.
He’d die before he’d let anything happen to her.
* * *
Sophie wondered who in the crowd of officers combing her backyard was going give the all clear. Rookie Ellen Foxcroft was probably at the hospital visiting her comatose mother, Marian, but Shane Weston, Whitney Godwin, James Harrison and Tristan McKeller had responded. They’d done most of the actual work while Eddie Harmon and Dennis Marlton, the old-timers, had stood back and relaxed, occasionally barking an order or chuckling when one of the novices found and dealt with another snake.
“Typical,” she muttered, preparing to call out to either Eddie or Dennis and insist that one of them release her to go back to the house. Before she could, they both straightened and began to feign being busy. That could mean only one thing. The chief was here.
To Sophie’s amazement, the sight of Ryder’s six-foot-two, athletic self brought instant relief and more than a touch of joy. He looked just as good out of uniform, in jeans and a T-shirt, as he always did with his badge on. She waved. “Over here!”
Though he paused to speak with Shane and then James, he didn’t tarry long. Sweeping the beam of a flashlight ahead of him to double-check his path, he came directly to her.
“You okay?”
“I am now,” she replied, having to restrain herself from leaping into his arms like a scared kid. “Thankfully my neighbors heard me shooting and reported trouble. It’s been a very long evening.”
“So they tell me. Why aren’t you and that mutt in the house?”
“Because nobody has given us the all clear.” Scowling, she eyed the part of the yard she could see from her perch. “How bad was it? I heard enough shooting and shouting to last me for the rest of my life.”
A smile quirked at the corners of Ryder’s mouth. “Fortunately, that will be a long time thanks to my officers.” He held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll get you to the house.”
“I’d rather you carried Phoenix, just in case,” Sophie told him. “What if they missed one?”
“Carried him?”
“Yes.” She tried not to smile. “Please?”
Ryder handed her his flashlight and arched a brow. “If he bites me, we send him back where he came from tomorrow. Deal?”
That wasn’t fair. She hadn’t had enough time to fully assess the dog’s quirks. Still, he was eventually going to have to work with the chief and had performed amiably in his initial placement so she nodded. “Okay. Go for it.”
One of the important aspects of Phoenix’s training regimen was going to be reinforcing his ability to adapt to many situations. This would be a good test. She snapped her fingers to get his attention, looked directly into his eyes and held up her hand, palm out. “Phoenix. Stay.”
Although he flinched and tensed when Ryder slipped his arms under him and lifted, he didn’t struggle. Sophie wanted to cheer.
Instead, she dropped to stand beside man and dog, pointed the light toward the house and led the way back to her porch. It was impossible to miss seeing a portion of the carnage as they passed, and its portent made her shiver.
So did the nagging feeling that someone had been watching her while she’d been trapped on the tabletop.
Ryder was spitting dog hair when he bent to lower the Aussie to the kitchen floor. To make matters worse, Phoenix turned in the blink of an eye and gave his cheek a slurp.
Sophie laughed. “Guess he won’t be going back tomorrow.”
“Guess not.” Brushing off his civilian clothes, Ryder made a sour face. “Shedding all over me has never been a problem with Titus.”
“How often do you carry him?” she asked, still chuckling. “He weighs a ton.”
“I could still lift him if I needed to.” Judging by the way the head trainer was eyeing his flexed biceps she wasn’t going to argue. Flattered but slightly embarrassed, he changed the subject. “Let’s talk about this call.”
“Coffee first?” Sophie was already on her way to the counter so he nodded. “Sure.”
“How about the others?”
“I told Weston to inform them they were free to return to the station. I’ll send a team out at first light to clean up and make sure any possible stragglers are gone.”
“Thank you.”
Watching her fill two mugs with hot coffee he hoped she could carry them without spilling, since her hands were shaking so badly. “Want some help?”
“No. I’ve got it. Have a seat. There’s sugar and creamer if you want.”
“Black is fine.” It didn’t escape Ryder’s notice that the new dog had made itself at home beneath the kitchen table and was sniffing his boots. For an animal that was supposed to be painfully shy, it seemed pretty mellow.
“Looks like you’ve made a friend,” Sophie remarked as she joined him and slid one of the mugs across the table.
“Apparently. All I had to do was rescue him.”
“And me. Thank you again.”
“You’re safe in here.”
He saw her suppress a tremor as she replied, “For now.”
He eyed the slick floor, checking shadows beneath the edge of the lower cabinets and next to the stove and refrigerator to be certain they were clear. “Do you want me to inspect the house for you?”
Sophie shook her head. “That won’t be necessary. The rookies already checked. Phoenix will sense any new danger. He’s the one who alerted me about the yard.”
“Then why in the world did you go out?”
As he watched, she lowered her gaze and began to pick at a nonexistent spot on the tabletop. That was enough to open Ryder’s eyes for the second time that day.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for raising my voice, Sophie. I was just worried.”
“I know.” She breathed a noisy sigh. “It’s been a rough evening and I put your dog in danger by not being vigilant enough. You’re entitled to be upset.”
Reaching for one of her trembling hands he grasped it gently. “Who said anything about the dog?”
The small kitchen seemed to shrink until all Sophie was conscious of was the strong man seated across from her. He was just