and caretaker while he stayed in a small cabin behind his childhood home. He would sometimes eat dinner with his sister and discuss business. The place was really too big even for the both of them, but they hadn’t wanted to sell the house they’d grown up in after their parents died, which was one of the reasons he’d wanted to be involved in search and rescue. It had been the cold, not the plane crash, that had killed them before they could be found. “No, I’m taking Ella and Robbie for a hamburger at Stella’s Café.”
“I love Stella’s. I’d join you, but I’m half-asleep right now.”
“See you later, sis.” His stomach rumbling, he quickened his pace.
The sight of Ella looking out his windshield—as if she belonged there—spurred his pulse rate. He’d avoided getting too close to others since he’d come home, except for a few he’d known all his life like Thomas, Jesse and his sister. But even with them, he couldn’t reveal the horrors he’d endured. His body had healed, but his heart still felt ripped in two. He’d closed part of himself off in order to survive for those three months as a captive.
He climbed into his cab and twisted around to look at Robbie. “You okay back there with Buddy?”
The boy smiled from ear to ear. “Yup.”
Josiah started his truck just as the forecasted rain finally started falling. Twenty minutes later, when he pulled into the parking lot of Stella’s Café, the small storm was already clearing up. When he switched off his engine, he looked at Ella, her head leaning against the window, her eyes closed. Then he peered in the backseat. Robbie, curled against Buddy, slept, too. He hated to wake them up. But before he could do anything, his dog lifted his head and barked a couple of times.
Ella shot up straight in her seat while Robbie groaned, laid his hand on Buddy and petted him. The sight of both of them shifted something deep inside Josiah.
“That wasn’t exactly how I planned to wake you up, but it was effective.”
Ella laughed. “That it was.”
Robbie stretched and pushed himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. “We’re here?”
“Yes, but if you two want, I can get it to go.”
Ella shook her head. “No, burgers are best eaten right away, especially the fries.”
Within five minutes, Robbie sat across from Josiah while Ella was in the seat next to him.
Robbie glanced around, his eyes lighting up when he saw a couple of video games lining one wall. “Can I play?”
“Just until our food arrives.” Ella dug into her purse and gave her son some quarters.
When he left, Josiah knew this might be the only time Robbie wasn’t around to hear the news Thomas had told him about Casey Foster. Dread twisted his gut just thinking Foster had been in the park near the boys. “Thomas has a lead on a man he suspects scared the children.”
She clasped her hands tightly together on the table. “Someone with a record?”
“Yes. His name is Casey Foster. The police have been sent to pick him up. Michael identified a photo Thomas showed him.”
“Good. I don’t want him frightening any other children at the camp.”
“Speaking of the camp, how did it go with the director?” The second the question was out of his mouth, he wanted to snatch it back. He didn’t usually pry into other people’s lives, especially someone who was an acquaintance—well, a little more than an acquaintance, especially after today. Search and rescue operations tended to bring people closer. But when that happened, he felt too vulnerable and often needed to step away.
“I’m pulling Robbie out of the camp. It’s no longer a safe environment. Mr. Waters assured me the counselor who failed to watch the boys would be fired, but I can’t take that chance again. Of course, I’m going to have to find other arrangements for Robbie until school starts. I’ll talk with David tomorrow. I might have to take a few days off while I look.”
“That camp has a good reputation.”
“I know. I wanted Robbie to learn about Alaska, some survival tips and how to take care of himself. It was a bonus that a couple of his friends were going to the camp, too. I’ll call Michael’s and Travis’s parents to see what they’re going to do. Child care is a big issue, especially when I don’t have any family here.”
“Where are you from?”
Ella averted her gaze for a few seconds before answering, “Back east.”
A shutter fell over her expression, and her eyes darkened. He could tell when someone didn’t want to continue a thread of conversation, and he was definitely getting vibes on that score. What was she hiding? The question aroused his curiosity, which wasn’t a good thing. He needed to step away before she became more than a casual friend, someone he worked with from time to time.
Ella stood. “I see the waitress coming. I’m going to get Robbie.”
The older lady placed their burgers and fries on the table as Robbie hurried back to his seat.
“This smells great.” The young boy popped a fry into his mouth.
“Where’s your mom?”
“She went to the restroom.”
As though she needed to step back. Interesting. More and more Ella reminded him of himself. He knew why he was reluctant to become emotionally close to a person. What was her reason?
“How long have you had Buddy?” Robbie asked before taking a big bite of his burger.
“Eighteen months, since I left the Marines.” Buddy had entered his life as a service dog because he’d been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Out of the corner of his eye, Josiah caught sight of Ella returning to the table.
“How long has Buddy been a search and rescue dog?”
“I started training Buddy a year ago.” Buddy had helped him so much, Josiah wanted to help others with his German shepherd.
Ella slipped into her chair, her expression closed. “Is the burger good?” she asked her son.
“Great. Mr. Witherspoon did good choosing this place. We need to come back here.”
“Call me Josiah. Mr. Witherspoon makes me sound old.”
Finally she looked at him. Again he couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
“Is that okay with you?” Josiah drenched his fries with ketchup.
She nodded, then began eating. If it hadn’t been for Robbie, the tension at the table could have been cut with a hunting knife. More questions filled Josiah’s mind. Did this have to do with the reason she was a single parent? A bad marriage? Did her husband die?
Stop! Don’t go there.
“Who was the first person you rescued?” Robbie asked, pulling Josiah away from his thoughts about Ella.
“It
