Kyron, page 4
“I can,” he replied, “but it might be a little confusing.” He quickly told her what little he knew.
“But, after two months, it seems like a long shot,” she noted, staring at him.
“I know. I know, but I’ll still do my best and give it a shot because, well, … it’s an animal in need.”
“And you’ve always been animal crazy,” Sandra added.
“Maybe I should have become a vet,” he teased.
“Then you wouldn’t have all these problems with your family,” she joked brightly.
He just glared at her.
She winced. “Okay, no more digs.”
“That’ll be good if you actually mean it,” he replied, with a gentle note of warning.
Immediately her smile fell away, and she nodded. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair.”
He shrugged and returned to discussing the animal. “So, I have to start with animal control, the old owner, or anybody in the neighborhood, to see if I can track where it might have gone or find out if anybody has seen it.” He raised his voice a bit to get his brother’s attention. “Hey, Allen, you guys haven’t had any police calls about a big dog loose anywhere, or a missing Malinois?” he asked.
“A missing what?” his brother asked.
Kyron pulled out his phone and brought up a picture of it.
“Oh, a German shepherd. Why didn’t you just say so?” He chuckled.
“Because it’s not one, and there’s a fair bit of difference between them, but I get, for you, that probably won’t make much difference.” Kyron sighed. “Her name is Bethesda Lui II or some godforsaken thing like that, but she’s commonly known as Beth.”
“Interesting, I would have called her Lilly,” Sandra said softly, as she looked at the picture. “Poor girl.”
“Yeah, even more of a poor girl, she’s also missing a leg,” he added, “so we’re already kindred spirits.”
“And what will you do with her, if you find her?” his brother asked.
“Depends entirely on what I find, where I find her, and what kind of condition she’s in.”
“And is this like …” he hesitated, then continued. “Is this like a job, job?”
“Oh, you mean versus charity work or volunteer work?” Kyron asked in a mocking tone.
His brother glared at him. “It’s not exactly an easy question to ask.”
“You mean, because, in your mind, I’m not really employable?”
Immediately Sandra jumped up. “Okay, we’re not going there. That will never be a topic that will go well here.”
“No, it sure won’t.” Kyron looked over at his brother. “For the record, it’s a job but not for money. They’re covering all the expenses, which is why I’m totally okay going to a hotel,” he said, with a warning glance. His brother backed off immediately, as he looked over at his wife, who was staring at the two brothers with worry in her eyes.
“We’re fine,” Allen told her. “We’re still brothers. Brothers fight, you know.”
“You are still brothers,” she agreed, “and, if you guys would actually give yourselves half a chance, you would remember the good things about it.”
At that, Allen’s lips twitched. “It’s really not that bad between us.”
“And it’s really not that good,” she snapped in return.
Kyron didn’t say anything because there wasn’t a whole lot either of them could say. Between the brothers was a lot of time, distance, and maybe some jealousy and hard feelings, but maybe she was right, and it was time to get past it. At least with Allen, Kyron saw some hope for reconciliation. His parents? No way. At that, Kyron sighed. “We are fine,” he told her. “Time has a way of dulling some of that old stuff.”
“Some of that old stuff maybe,” she agreed, “but there has also been a lot of pain and jealousy, and that’s something that I hold your parents responsible for.”
“Doesn’t matter if you do or not because they never will,” Kyron stated quietly. “That part of my life won’t ever get any easier.”
She frowned but managed to stay quiet, which he appreciated. She looked back at his phone, but he didn’t have the picture up anymore. “You can check with the rescues and the SPCA.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the plan. I need to get a vehicle. I had planned to pick one up at the airport, but Allen got there first.”
“Good,” she said, with a note of satisfaction. “I did send him early, just in case.”
Kyron looked over at her and smiled. Then Sandra and Allen retrieved breakfast from the oven and placed it on the dining room table. “I guess I can catch an Uber up to the rental place after we eat.”
“If you call them,” she mentioned, “they’d probably deliver it to you.”
“Right,” he agreed, “that would make life easier.” It would probably increase his expenses though. “It’s not very far from here, is it?”
“No,” his brother said. “I can drop you off on the way, if you like.”
“Perfect.” He dug into pancakes. He smiled as he looked over at his sister-in-law. “Excellent, as always.”
She flushed with pleasure and smiled. “Make sure you get home for dinner, Kyron. Besides the home-cooked meal, we’ll want to hear about any progress you’ve made.”
“If there is any,” Allen remarked.
Kyron looked over at him and smirked. “Always the pessimist, huh?”
Allen shrugged. “In this case, realist would be more accurate. Two months is a long time.”
“It is, but it’s not impossible. I have to try at least.”
“You always did have a soft spot for the animals,” his brother noted.
“And I hope I always will,” he replied quietly. “There’s not a whole lot in life that I care about as much as animals.” At that came an odd silence. He looked over at the two of them and asked, “What?”
Sandra looked at her husband, who just shrugged and looked back at him again.
“Now what?” Kyron asked, his heart sinking.
Sandra added, “I just wondered how you felt about Millicent.”
“Who?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Look. I haven’t seen or heard from her since I left town, so I don’t have any feelings either way.” He looked at her closer. “Why are you bringing that up?”
“She’s divorced and single again.”
“That’s nice,” he replied. “Now hear this. I am not interested, so do not in any way attempt to hook me up, with her or anybody else, got it?” A note of warning was in his tone. “I’ll find someone when I’m ready, and it won’t be her. I don’t go backward in life. I go forward.”
Sandra nodded immediately. “Got it. I was just wondering.”
“Don’t bother, and stop trying to find a way to make me stay.”
“Hey,” she said, “we love you, and we want you here.”
“That’s nice,” he murmured, “but that won’t be the way to make it happen.” She frowned at him, and he frowned right back.
She chuckled. “Gawd, Kyron, I’d forgotten how determined you always are to go your own way.”
“How could you possibly have forgotten that?” he teased. “It’s part of my charm.”
At that, his brother got up from the table. “I’m leaving in five or so.”
“Got it,” Kyron noted, looking over at Sandra. “I’ll see you after a while.”
“Are you coming right back?”
“No. I’ll drive around a bit and familiarize myself with some of the details about town these days,” he explained. “Who knows? I might still have a few friends here.”
“I’m sure you do,” she agreed. “You didn’t lose everybody just because you left.”
“You’d be surprised. Millicent cost me a lot, and, because of everything that happened with my brother and my parents, it felt like I lost everybody. So I have no idea if anybody is here for me or not,” he added, yet in a cheerful voice.
“You don’t really care, do you?”
“Well, let’s just say that I can’t let stuff like that get in my way,” he muttered. “I’ve got bigger fish to fry in my life right now, and I can’t let myself be dragged down by old drama. I’m not overly concerned about reconnecting with anybody.”
She stared at him, frowning. “I don’t know what it’s like to have been as alone as you sound,” she murmured.
He looked at her affectionately. “Nope, and that’s because you are a wonderful caring person, and nobody would do anything to hurt you, so you’ll never be alone.” With that, he got up and headed out the front door with his brother. Once they were in the vehicle, Allen shrugged. “Thank you. For being nice to her and all.”
“She’s easy to be nice to,” he replied. “She’ll be a great mom because she’s a real sweetheart, always has been.”
“Yeah, she is. But she is also the kind of person who always wants to heal the world.”
“And I get that.” Kyron groaned quietly. “But I won’t be a party to any of her attempts to broker a deal to try and get me to stay.”
“Are you really that against living here?”
“I’m not sure I’m against it at all,” he clarified, staring at his brother. “I just don’t want to be railroaded by some underhanded attempts to make me stay that are not in the best interests of me and my happiness and my healing.” He shrugged. “If it happens, it happens, and that’s a whole different story. But don’t force it on me. If it doesn’t happen naturally, honestly, truthfully, then I don’t want any part of it.”
“Right, but if it would have happened naturally, then it wouldn’t be anything odd, would it?”
Kyron shrugged. “I’m not even sure what to say to that, so I’ll just stay out of it.”
His brother laughed. “Just keep treating her as if she’s made out of bone china, and we’ll be fine.”
“I can do that,” Kyron stated, “as long as she also remembers and respects my space.”
At that, his brother sighed. “And that, as you know, is much harder.”
“I do know,” he confirmed, “which is why I suggested that I stay at a hotel.”
“And that won’t work for her,” Allen replied quietly, “because she really cares, and it has broken her heart all this time you’ve been away from us.”
Kyron shrugged. “That was sweet of her and sorry if that caused you a problem, but believe me. Nobody else still living gave a shit.”
And, with that, came complete silence, until they reached the rental office, where Kyron hopped out and waved. “Thanks for the lift.” Then he closed the door firmly in his brother’s face.
Chapter 3
“I called the city again.”
Miranda stiffened in outrage, as she looked over at her smirking neighbor, his head sticking over the old worn fence. Crazy Old Man Macintyre was another main reason for getting out of here. But anyone in her situation knew, when money was tight, selling real estate wasn’t a whole lot of help if you had to buy again. And, in her case, buy larger. Not a larger house but a larger property.
“They will ignore you like the last dozen times.” She knew she shouldn’t even respond to him, but it was hard not to. He seemed to be on a personal mission to make her life miserable. In many ways he was succeeding.
The snort of disgust was his only answer.
She shooed the dogs inside. Even as she stood inside the small entranceway, she peered through the window, relieved when her neighbor disappeared back into his house.
“Not sure what we’ll do about him,” she murmured to the dogs, “but, wow, we need to do something.” Selling was a last resort. It was hard to consider the logistics, the packing, just the sheer number of animals to move. … All of it was a daunting prospect. Yet her bizarre neighbor … was a compelling argument on the plus column to getting out of here. Sometimes he seemed normal and ignored her; then he went through bouts of being an asshole. Since the lost dog scenario, he’d stayed in the asshole department.
She wiped her face, then seeing it was safe, knew she should head out now to check on the barn cats. She left several bales of hay in the shed for them to stay warm but would need more with the coming winter. She grabbed a bag of cat food and an older jug of milk, slipped on her boots, and, with the dogs once again swarming around her feet, headed outside again. After that, she checked on the larger animals in the field next to hers. She leased the land from the homeowner, but, with the property prices shooting up, he’d been rumbling about selling as well.
A rumble that struck fear in her heart. Without his acreage, she’d be in trouble. Horses, a llama, a goat, … they all needed room. And that was something she didn’t have enough of.
When her phone rang, she pulled it out, checked her screen ID. Not recognizing the number, she hesitated. Giving Brownie one last brush, she stepped away from the big chestnut gelding and answered, “Hello?”
“This is Riteway Trucking. I have a delivery for a Miranda Galloway.”
“Uhm, okay. I’m Miranda. What is the delivery?”
“I’m actually outside your house, if your address is …” And he shuffled some papers, then read off her address.
“Well, that’s my address,” she noted. “I’m in the backyard. I’ll be there in a second.”
She quickly raced to the house, then leaving the dogs inside, she stepped out on the front veranda and stopped. Yes, a delivery truck was right there, but it was huge and had a pet company logo on the side. Surely that couldn’t be bad news?
Hopeful, she walked toward the driver, who was opening up the large door at the back of the semi.
“You Miranda?”
“I am. What do you have for me?”
“A pallet of dog food.”
She stared at him in shock. “A pallet? A whole pallet?”
He nodded. “Yes.” He brought out a large ramp and proceeded to move the pallet to the end of her driveway. When he was done, he held out his clipboard. “Sign anywhere.”
Ecstatic, she quickly signed the paperwork and stared at the gift of an entire winter’s worth of food for the dogs—likely way more. Her phone buzzed a few moments later with a text.
Did you get the delivery?
She smiled, as she finally connected the dots. The text was from Tom, the rep who had been at the vet clinic last week. They’d had a long conversation about what she was doing, and Tom had even been there, when Doug, the vet and her boss, had handed over yet another stray puppy for her to take home.
I got it! Thank you so much, she texted back. She got a thumbs-up in return. To think nice people were out there and, with a phone call, could make something like this happen filled her with joy. And made up for the guys like her crotchety neighbor, who even now glared at her from his living room window.
This delivery would piss him right off. Almost as much as it was a gold mine to her. And she didn’t trust him not to do something to destroy all this. She tilted her head back and studied the weather, realizing she had bigger and more pressing things to worry about. These bags couldn’t get wet. Even a tarp thrown across them wouldn’t be enough. First, she had to find a place to store them; then she had to move them. If worse came to worst, she’d stack it all in her living room, if she had to. But better she only move these once.
Groaning, and knowing she had to move fast, she headed out to the back of her house, looking for storage options.
With the freedom of a rental truck, Kyron drove around town, reacquainting himself with some of his favorite old haunts. He’d grown up here and had learned to both ski and snowboard here. Most people chose one or the other, never both. But his father had been a snowboarder and his mother a skier, and, unlike his brother, Kyron had chosen to learn both skills. And now, as he looked down at his legs, while he sat at the coffee shop, he wondered about the common sense of trying to do either. He knew it was possible because others had done it. He just didn’t know how feasible it was for him. When he looked up again, he saw a familiar face standing in front of him. He just stared. “Seriously, Miles?”
At that, his friend’s face broke into a well-recognized grin, and Kyron stood and was immediately engulfed in a hug.
Miles shook his head. “I saw you sitting here, and I did a double take, thinking, no, there’s no way, but, damn, just look at you. You look good.” He laughed.
“That’s because you’re only seeing the surface,” Kyron replied. “As a matter of fact, I’m a bit of a wreck.”
At that, Miles turned somber, and he nodded. “I heard about the leg, man.”
“Yeah, it kind of sucks.”
“You know that …” he began, then stopped and shrugged. “I’m sure you’ve got all kinds of adaptations and whatnot happening in your world,” he noted, “so I certainly won’t interfere. I just want to say that I’m really glad that you survived.”
“Me too.” Kyron smiled. “I’m still adjusting to the leg though.”
“I’m sure you are,” he agreed. “It can’t be easy at all.”
“Maybe, I don’t know. I’m not sure it’s all that hard though either. Like I said, I’m still working on it.”
At that, his friend nodded. “I don’t know if you’re interested, but anytime you want to try to get up the mountain—”
Kyron smiled. “See? Things like that automatically come up. Let’s go up the mountain, and then you stop and think, Oh, shit, can he even go up the mountain? I mean, I can obviously go up the mountain, but can I board or ski?”
Miles grimaced. “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable.”
“I know, and I get that it’s something everybody has to get used to,” he replied easily.
“Do you remember Jeff?”
Kyron stopped and thought about it and nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
“He’s in town,” Miles replied. Then he hesitated a minute, before adding, “I’m not trying to overstep my boundaries or anything here, but Jeff is also missing a leg.”
Kyron stared at his friend. “What? What happened to him?”
“Skiing accident,” Miles replied.
“Jesus.”
“I know, but he still snowboards,” Miles confirmed. “So I don’t know if you’re looking for any tips on how to get back into something like that or if you even care at this point”—he shrugged—“but you may want to hit him up and see how he does it.”
