Wide Open Spaces Read online

  “I would have liked to talk to my son,” she greets, glaring at me as I get close to her door.

  “You can call him, or I’ll tell him to come out when I go in.”

  “Such an asshole,” she hisses, shaking her head.

  “Is this why you came by?” I raise a brow, crossing my arms over my chest, wanting her to get the fuck on with it. The sooner she’s done, the sooner I can go in, have dinner with the kids, kick up my feet, and have a beer before I have to go to bed and get up early.

  “No, I wanted to apologize,” she snaps, and I roll my eyes skyward for a moment.

  “Fuck, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you coming here tossing out attitude was a form of apology.”

  “I shouldn’t have even come.”

  “Probably not,” I agree, and she throws her hands in the air, letting out a loud huff.

  “What do you want me to do, Zach? I can’t handle seeing you with her.”

  “Who I spend time with is none of your business, Tina. I didn’t invite you to come into town and track us down.”

  “You’re the father of my kids.”

  “And?”

  “And?” Her eyes widen. “You were in love with her! You were in love with her throughout our whole marriage.”

  “You knew how I felt about her when you took my cock, Tina. I never hid that shit from you.”

  “I hate you,” she hisses, and I shake my head, leaning in.

  “When I was with you, I was with you. I didn’t step out on you, didn’t stray, didn’t do shit but provide for you and our kids and try to make you happy. You never wanted to be happy. Didn’t even try to let shit go and make it work between us. You can sit here all day on your high horse and make it seem like I was the bad guy, but deep down, you know it wasn’t me who made shit sour between us.”

  “Whatever.” She looks away, knowing I’m right, but too fucking stubborn to admit it.

  “You fucked up today. You hurt two people who never did shit to you. You spewed venom about a situation you know jack shit about, and did that shit in front of not only strangers, but our kids, and a little boy who had no clue about Samuel. That is not okay with me.”

  “I see how it is,” she says, and her face contorts.

  “I’m glad you do,” I mutter, taking a step back. “From now on, we don’t speak unless it has something to do with Steven or Aubrey, and next time you come at me like you did today, you won’t walk away easily.”

  “Are you threatening me?” she asks in disbelief, her lips parted and her eyes widening.

  “Nope, just telling you how it’ll go down. You’re the mother of my kids, but that doesn’t mean I won’t have you arrested for putting your hands on me.”

  She stares blankly at the house, and says to herself, “Just when I think I couldn’t hate you any more than I already do, you prove me wrong.”

  “Do you want me to send Steven out, or do you want to call him?” I ask, done with talking to her. Done with her completely.

  “I’ll call him,” she hisses, then rolls up her window. She quickly puts her truck in reverse and speeds out of the driveway and down the street. Once she’s gone, I head inside the house and move toward the kitchen, where I hear Aubrey and Steven arguing.

  “I don’t want spaghetti. We had that two nights ago,” Steven gripes.

  Aubrey mutters something back that I don’t quite catch before continuing. “Well I want spaghetti.”

  “You’re not the only one eating, Bre.”

  “Dad!” Aubrey shouts, glaring at her brother as I walk through the doorway into the kitchen. “Do you want spaghetti?”

  “What I want is for you two not to argue over everything under the sun.” I go to the fridge, grab a beer, and twist the top off.

  “Okay, but do you want spaghetti?” she asks, and I fight back a smile as I turn to face her.

  “Hate to break it to you, but you’re outvoted. Choose something else.”

  “We need another girl around here,” she grumbles, looking between her brother and me. “How about baked ziti?”

  “Give it up, Bre. We’re not having pasta.”

  “Fine.” She hops up on the counter crossing her arms over her chest. “Then you can cook.”

  “Fine.” Steven rolls his eyes and goes to the fridge, pulling out a pound of ground beef, but stops when Aubrey asks, “What did Mom say?”

  Taking a swig from my beer, I lean back against the counter and look between the two of them. “Nothing for either of you to worry about.”

  “Do I have to go over to her house Friday?” Aubrey asks, the same question she’s been asking for the last month whenever her mom’s supposed to have them for the weekend.

  “Yes.”

  Her shoulders droop. “What if I don’t want to?”

  “Bre.” Steven shakes his head, tossing the ground beef on the counter glaring at his sister.

  “What? She’s never home when we’re there, so what’s the point of us going?”

  “Pardon?” I lower my beer from my lips and study each of them.

  “That’s not true, Bre.”

  Her hands ball into fist and her face turns red. “Yes, it is, Steven, but you wouldn’t know that, because when we’re at Mom’s, you’re out with your friends and I’m stuck at her house alone.”

  “Maybe you should make some friends,” he growls, but I’m done. So fucking done I feel fire course through my veins.

  “Steven, is your mom leaving you guys alone on the nights you’re at her house?” His eyes swing to me and he swallows. “Remember our talk outside, bud, before you answer that question.” I warn.

  “Sometimes,” he whispers, reading my tone.

  “All the time,” Aubrey puts in quietly.

  “How long has this been going on?”

  “Since the end of the school year,” Steven mutters, dropping his gaze from mine.

  “Yeah, since Thomas Kink came back into town.” Aubrey rolls her eyes and my body stills.

  “Thomas Kink?” I don’t know the guy well, but I do know of him. He’s always here during the summer and makes trips into town once a month in the winter. “Is your mom seeing him, Steven?” I ask, and his lips go between his teeth.

  “I don’t know. I think so.” He shrugs. “Why does it matter?”

  “It matters, because you guys are going on fourteen, not eighteen. Your mom knows you shouldn’t be left alone so she can go out with her boyfriend.”

  “You leave us when you go to work.”

  “When I leave, I ask May or Aaron to keep an eye out for you. I’m two blocks away and can swing by if something happens.”

  “Mom always tells us how to get ahold of her,” he defends.

  Bre pipes up at this. “Yeah, but remember last weekend when I called her? She didn’t even pick up or call me back after I left a message.”

  Jesus. What the fuck?

  “That was one time, Bre. Stop being so dramatic.”

  “I’ll stop being dramatic when you stop defending her!” she yells, hopping down from the counter. “I hate her.” Her hands ball into fists and her cheeks turn pink.

  “Aubrey,” I bark, and her eyes swing to me and light with fire.

  “I do, Dad. I hate her.”

  “Calm down,” I demand, seeing that she’s working herself up for a teenage tantrum.

  “I just don’t understand why I have to be there. Why it’s not my choice who I stay with. I don’t want to go to her house, I hate going to her house.”

  “That’s so fucked up, Bre!” Steven yells, and my head swings his way.

  “Watch your mouth.”

  “Mom lets him curse. Mom lets him do whatever he wants all the time,” Aubrey tattles, staring down her brother.

  “Both you, cut it. Now!” I snap, and their eyes come to me. “Until I know that you guys have supervision when you’re at your mothers, you’re not staying the night at her place anymore.”

  Slamming his hand down on the counter, Steven
growls, “That’s fu—jacked, Dad.”

  “No, what’s jacked is your mom leaving you two alone overnight while she’s out.”

  “That’s only happened a few times.”

  “It only takes once for something bad to happen, Steven.”

  “Town’s safe, Dad,” he continues, and I shake my head.

  “In the winter, the town is safe. During the summer, we have people from all over the world coming in to work the canneries, and boats dropping anchor for the night so the guys can get off for a few hours and let loose. Which normally means they drink too much and end up doing stupid shit that has them sobering up in a cell.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, bud. You think about it for a second and you’ll see I’m right. It’s not okay for her to give you free rein, and it’s definitely not okay for her to leave you or your sister alone overnight.”

  “I still want to see Mom.”

  “And you will. I’m not keeping you from her, but I need to make sure we’re on the same page before you have another night with her.”

  “Fine,” he mutters, and I look at my girl.

  “I know you and your mom don’t always see eye-to-eye, but she’s your mom. The only one you’ve got,” I tell her, and her lips press tightly together. I know she’s fighting back tears as she nods. “Now, what are we eating?”

  “Tacos,” Steven grumbles, and I lean back against the counter, taking another pull of beer, wishing like fuck I didn’t have to deal with Tina a-fuckin’-gain.

  Pulling in behind Arney, who’s already out of his truck waiting on me, I look toward the right and my vision goes red when I see the dog in question tied to a post, his fur matted and dirty, his bones showing through his thin coat. We were dispatched to the residence when one of the neighbors called to complain about the excessive barking outside. The asshole didn’t say shit about the obviously neglected animal. Shutting down my truck, I hop out to meet Arney halfway between our vehicles.

  “I checked with the neighbors. None of them seen the dog until today, but the barking’s been going on for a few days now.”

  “That dog’s been tied to that pole for more than a few days,” I mutter, looking around the neighborhood. Most of the trailers and houses here are rented cheap and only lived in during the summer, when men and women come in to work the harbor or canneries.

  “You and I know that,” he replies, heading to the cab of his truck. Once he opens the door and reaches in, he comes out with a bag of beef jerky. “Let’s try to get close and see how he does.”

  Lifting my chin, we walk across the dirt yard toward the dog. Even from a distance, I can see the rope around his neck has been there for a while and has started to imbed in his fur and skin. “Hey,” I call when I’m close, and notice the dog is not a boy, but a female who has obviously had a few litters of pups. Her tail starts to wag frantically and her head drops toward the ground like she’s ready to play.

  “I don’t think we need to call in Paul,” Arney states, referring to our local animal control guy who is also one of the best mechanics in town. Taking a chunk of jerky out of the bag in his hand he holds it out for the dog, and she immediately scarfs it down without chewing.

  “She’s friendly,” I say in agreement, petting the top of her head while using my free hand to inspect the rope. “You got your knife on you?”

  “Yep.” He pulls out his knife and hands it to me. I cut the rope near the pole, knowing the vet will have to take a look at her neck before removing it completely.

  “Do you know who’s living here?” I gesture to the house as I hand him the rope the dog’s attached to and take the two steps up to knock on the door.

  “Didn’t answer when I knocked earlier, and the house next door and across haven’t seen anyone in over a week.”

  I wait a minute to see if anyone comes to the door. When no one does, I step down from the small porch and take the rope back from him. “I’ll take her over to Lee then meet you back at the station.”

  “I’ll see if I can find out who’s been staying here.” He nods towards the house.

  Lifting my chin, I lead the dog to the back of my truck and lift her in then shut the gate behind her. Heading around to the cab I climb in before sending a call to dispatch, letting them know I’m going to drop off the dog and will be out of touch.

  “She’s gonna need surgery,” Lee says, stepping away from the dog on the table. “The rope is imbedded too deep for me to just cut out.”

  “I figured as much.” I run my hand over her head, scratching behind her ears.

  “I hate to say this, son,” he says quietly, moving toward me. “The cost of getting this dog healthy and into a good home isn’t something I can take on at this time.” Looking at the dog in question her brown eyes glance between Lee and me. Her head lowers to the table like she knows what’s being said. “I wish I could, but right now, I just can’t afford it. We lost a lot of our funding last year, and I’ve been coming out of pocket for awhile now.”

  “I’ll pay her bills. Just let me know the total when the time comes.”

  “Zach”—he shakes his head, slips off his glasses, and rubs between his eyes—“it’s not as simple as that, son. I’d still need to find her a home, and that’s not an easy task.”

  “I’ll take her home, when the time comes, and work on finding her a home myself.”

  “You know Steven and Aubrey aren’t going to let you get rid of her once she’s in your house.”

  He’s right about that. The kids have been asking for a dog since the moment they were able to string together a sentence, but Tina hated dogs, and I knew if we got one, I’d be the one taking care of it. I always said no in the past for that reason.

  “Then I guess it’s their lucky day.”

  He looks at me questioningly. “Are you sure you want to take her on? She needs a lot of care. I can give you a discount, but even with that, the cost will still be substantial.”

  “I can’t let her be put down,” I mutter. The cost may be a hit to my savings, but I’ll make it work.

  “What are you gonna call her?” he asks, smiling, and I look at the dog, her big brown body down flat out on the table, her head to her paws. Her eyes come to me, and her brows lift.

  “Penny,” I state, and her head comes off her paws and tilts to the side.

  “Penny it is.” Lee grins, clapping my shoulder. “I’ll be in touch after she gets out of surgery and let you know how she’s doing.

  “Appreciate it.” I give his shoulder a squeeze then give Penny a rub before leaving and heading out to my truck.

  “Tina, give me a call when you get this. We need to talk,” I say, leaving a voicemail as I pull into the station’s parking lot. I sent her a text this morning, telling her to contact me when she had a minute, but she didn’t call me back. I also called her at lunch, and she didn’t pick up then either. Now, she sent me to voicemail after two rings.

  Sighing, I drop my phone into the cup holder and shut down my truck, planning on just running in for a minute before heading back out to check on a few things through town.

  “Zach, you there?” Darla asks over the CB attached to my dash and I grab it holding down the button.

  “Just pulled into the lot. What’s up?” I take my hand off the handle of the door and wait for her reply.

  “Aubrey just called. She needs you at home.”

  I frown. “Did she say why?” The kids know that when I’m working, if they need anything, they go either across the street to May’s or Aaron’s house unless it’s an emergency.

  “Something about your neighbor and Louie,” she says, sounding confused.

  “Fuck. Send Paul to my place,” I bark, starting my truck back up and throwing it in reverse. I back out quickly then gun it out of the lot.

  As soon as I reach the street, I speed up until I’m in front of the house then slam on the brakes. Hopping out, the front door to my house opens, and Shelby, Hunter, Aubrey, and Steven all step
out onto the front porch. I notice Shelby’s dressed much the same as she was the other morning, wearing short sleep shorts, a tank top, and no shoes. Hunter is wearing a hoodie, a pair of sweats, and sneakers. Aubrey and Steven are still in their pajamas, which they would be, since the clock just hit nine and in the summer they don’t roll out of bed until after eleven most days.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Um,” Shelby mummers, looking like she doesn’t know what to say.

  “Louie is in their house,” Aubrey cuts in, and my eyes go to her.

  “Come again?”

  “Hunter didn’t know about Louie,” Shelby says quietly, wrapping her arms around herself. “He was out on my deck and didn’t shut the sliding door when he came in to eat breakfast.”

  “I did shut it,” Hunter defends, looking at his mom. “I shut it behind me.”

  “Louie’s in your house?” I repeat in disbelief.

  “Well, I don’t know for sure if it’s him, but a bear is in the house. He came into the kitchen when I was setting pancakes on the table. I didn’t stop to ask him his name. I just grabbed Hunter and ran for the door.”

  “Jesus.” I look next door, knowing that could have been bad, really fucking bad. Shaking my head, I look at Aubrey. “Gorgeous, take Shel inside and get her something to wear.”

  “Sure, Dad.”

  She smiles, as Shel mutters, “That’s okay. I’m okay.”

  “It’s not even sixty out, baby. You don’t even got shoes on.” Her eyes change ever so slightly before dropping to her bare feet, where she asks, “How are we going to get him out of the house?”

  “We’re not doing anything. You and the kids are gonna go settle in, while I wait for Paul to get here,” I say, and her eyes soften in a way that catches me off guard.

  “Who’s Paul?” Hunter asks, and my attention goes to him.

  “He’s a mechanic an—”

  “I don’t know much about bears, but I don’t think a mechanic will be able to do anything about getting one out of my house,” Shel says, cutting me off while her lips twitch and her eyes dance. She knows damn well who Paul is.