Renegade (Tin Star K9 Series Book 1) by Jodi Burnett (fastest ebook reader .txt) 📕

Moose Creek before.” Caitlyn took a bite of crisp salad soaked in tangy bleu cheese dressing.

Dylan scratched his chin. “I might’ve seen him at the bar. But I don’t know who he is. Maybe he’s new around here.”

Caitlyn clamped the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth. She hadn’t seen Wendy in months, and she had never seen the boyfriend before. But that didn’t mean anything. It struck her as strange that he was far more emotional than Wendy’s parents, though. She would have thought Wendy’s mother would be the one to break down. But who knew? Everyone responded differently to fear and grief. “Does anyone else think his response was a little dramatic?”

“There you go again.” Dylan looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. “Determining people’s motivations for them.”

“I’m not determining his motivation. Just wondering. His reaction seemed… overblown.” Caitlyn glanced at her father, but he kept his face pointed toward his dinner plate. She shifted her eyes to her mom. “What do you think, Mom?”

“I don’t know how I’d behave if you went missing, Caitlyn. But I know I’d be terribly upset.” Her mom reached over and patted her hand.

“Maybe the Gesslers just don’t want to display their feelings on the nightly news.” Dylan leaned back in his chair.

Caitlyn knit her brows together and thought about that. “You’re probably right, Dyl. But the boyfriend sure didn’t seem to have any problem with it.” Caitlyn finished her meal, chewing while she mulled over the newscast, her naturally inquisitive mind swirling with her observations. She wiped her mouth and set her napkin on her plate. “I wonder if they need volunteers to help search for her?”

“They didn’t say anything about searching for her.” Her mother reached for her husband’s plate and stacked it on her own. “Do you think they’ll put out a call?”

“Frankly, I’m surprised they haven’t done so already. If for some reason Wendy was out in the woods lost, or hurt, it would be best to find her right away.” Caitlyn held her hand out for Dylan’s plate. He handed it to her with a little more force than necessary, but Caitlyn chose to ignore him. “I think I’ll call the sheriff and see if they’re starting a search party. Renegade is training to track, and this would be an excellent opportunity for him to practice at a live event.”

Dylan draped his arm over the chair and leaned back. His eyes sparked with sarcasm. “I thought you said you wanted to help here at the ranch?”

“I did. I do want to help.”

“We have a tourist trail ride scheduled for tomorrow, and well… I was hoping maybe you’d lead it for me?”

A rush of warmth spread through Caitlyn’s chest, and a smile curled her lips. “I’d be happy to do that for you. Thanks, Dylan.”

Dylan nodded, her mother clasped her hands together, and held them to her chin. Hope brimmed in her eyes.

“What time do you want me to be here?”

“We should start tacking up the horses around nine.”

“Great!” This was the first concrete step Dylan had made toward reconciliation. Caitlyn wanted to take Renegade out and help search for Wendy, but she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity for healing her relationship with Dylan.

On her drive home, Renegade rested his chin in her lap, and Caitlyn stroked his head before dialing the Sheriff’s Office. The phone rang three times before someone answered it. “Deputy Colt Branson here, how can I help you?”

Caitlyn’s breath caught momentarily before she could find her words. For some reason, she hadn’t expected Colt to answer the phone on a Sunday evening, and her heart gave a kick. “Colt? It’s Caitlyn. Caitlyn Reed?”

There was a pause on the other end before Colt answered. “Hi Catie. How are you?”

“I’m fine. But I’m not calling about me. I was wondering if the sheriff is going to be running a search for Wendy Gessler? If so, I’d like to volunteer to help with my dog, Renegade.”

“Oh, yeah. Isn’t that the dog Logan helped you train?”

“Yes. I’m surprised you remembered.” Caitlyn’s pulse continued its jumpy acceleration.

He lowered his voice. “I remember everything.”

Caitlyn wasn’t sure what he meant by that, and she wasn’t going to ask. They had a lot of history together, but it was all in the past. She hadn’t seen Colt more than to wave at since she’d come home from college—the last time. “Okay, well, he’s a trained tracker, and we’d be happy to help.”

There was another long pause before Colt responded. “That’s great. I’ll let Sheriff Tackett know.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, Catie, are you busy tomorrow afternoon? Want to meet me for a drink?”

Now it was Caitlyn’s turn for a prolonged pause. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Colt and was confused with how they had left things. “I’m running a trail ride in the morning for Dylan, and after that, I hope to be joining the search for Wendy.”

“Maybe another time, then?” His voice dropped.

“Maybe.” She needed time to think about their relationship, but she could only deal with one problem at a time. For now, Caitlyn wanted to focus on fixing things with Dylan. And tomorrow’s trail ride was the first step.

“I’m going to keep asking, Catie, unless you tell me not to.”

A rebellious grin pulled at Caitlyn’s lips. “I’ll see you later, Colt.”

4

Caitlyn’s alarm went off an hour earlier than usual, and she slapped at her phone screen to turn off the noise. It was still dark as she pulled on her clothes and filled Renegade’s food and water dishes. She poured Lucky Charms into her own bowl and doused them with milk. She and her dog munched their breakfasts together—Caitlyn saving the sweet pastel marshmallows for last.

She hadn’t led a trail ride up into the hills above their ranch since before she went away to college and was looking forward to it. The activities Caitlyn loved more than all others were spending time with Renegade and riding for hours on