“Good God, what’s happening around here?”
Mattie shrugged. “It’s hard to say. I doubt if this is related to last summer’s deaths.”
Cole had taken off the leather panniers and began to unsaddle his horse. “I’m lucky this fellow has been up here before. He seemed to know his way. When I started out, I could see the tapes that marked the trail. But once it got dark and started to snow, things got dicey.”
“How did you manage?”
“I had a flashlight, and Mountaineer stuck to the trail like a mountain goat. He stopped when he reached the cairn you built.”
“I built it where it would mark the place to leave the trail.”
“It did the job.” Cole was unpacking the panniers. “Here’s my kit. I never go hunting without one.”
He was holding a rectangular, leather case similar to one men use for travel. Sitting down on the log next to her, he unzipped it and started taking out his supplies. “I’ve got everything we need right here—lidocaine, antiseptic sponges, antibiotic cream, and skin staples. Okay, Robo, will you let me take a look?”
Mattie held Robo while Cole unwrapped the bandage. She reached for her flashlight and trained it on Robo’s shoulder. With a gentle touch, Cole inspected the wound as he frowned with concentration. Although the heavy bleeding had subsided, Mattie’s stomach lurched when she saw the gaping slash.
“This doesn’t look too bad,” Cole said, glancing at her. He gave her a smile of reassurance. “I mean, I know it looks terrible, but the muscle is still intact. It’s primarily a skin tear, and it shouldn’t slow him down much. He’s one lucky dog.”
Mattie felt such relief she couldn’t respond. She pressed her lips to the top of Robo’s head.
“I don’t have a muzzle, but I can fashion one out of your leash,” Cole said.
“He might be okay without it.”
“Yeah, maybe. But he’s still pretty pumped up, and I’ve learned not to take the chance.”
“All right.” Mattie reached to retrieve a leash from her utility belt. “Let me put it on him. Just tell me how to do it.”
“Wrap it around his muzzle, make a tie below his chin, take the ends back behind his ears and secure it there with another tie.”
Mattie murmured soothing words while she followed Cole’s instructions. Robo’s brow furrowed with his disapproval, but he allowed her to finish the process. She pulled him in for a hug and told him he was a good boy. When Cole took out a syringe to fill with the numbing medicine, she decided to look away, choosing instead to hold Robo close and rub his ears.
“A little sting,” Cole said as he began blocking the wound.
Robo flinched and then settled while the medicine took effect. At that point, Mattie watched the fire while Cole worked. When he finished, the gash on Robo’s shoulder had been cleaned and closed with a series of staples. The blood flow had all but stopped.
Cole leaned back to inspect his work. “When we get down to the truck tomorrow, I’ll start him on antibiotics.”
“Thank you.” It was hard to put into words how good it felt to know Robo was taken care of and he was going to be okay.
“I’m not going to put a bandage on it. It’s too far forward on his shoulder for him to irritate it, and I want to leave it where we can check it easily. It should heal just fine open to the air. But let’s cover it with gauze so you can apply the icepack for a few more minutes.”
While Mattie took care of Robo, Cole used one of his antiseptic sponges and some water to wash his hands.
“Are you hungry?”
“I guess I am. Robo might be, too.”
“I brought food for both of you.”
He turned back to the panniers, indicating the items. “There’s food, water, a tent, and some space-age blankets. I couldn’t fit sleeping bags in.”
“I won’t do much sleeping tonight anyway. A blanket sounds like exactly what I need.”
Cole set out containers of thick ham sandwiches, apple slices, baby carrots, bottles of water, and what appeared to be homemade brownies.
“You’ve brought a feast,” she said.
“Mrs. Gibbs made it.”
“That was nice of her.”
Cole came close to check Robo’s wound. “I think we can leave that alone for a while and check it later. It looks like it’s stopped bleeding.”
Mattie cleaned her hands with an antiseptic sponge that Cole gave her. She fed Robo a cup of the food that Cole had brought, but he didn’t seem interested. Considering what he’d been through, she wasn’t too surprised. She left it so that he could get to it if he should change his mind. She and Cole each selected a sandwich from the container and took seats on opposite ends of the log.
“I hope Mrs. Gibbs is going to work out,” he said. “It sure would make things easier at home if she did. But the girls seem to be giving her a tough time. Or at least Angie is, I should say. Sophie’s just following suit.”
Mattie chewed her sandwich, staring at the fire. She and Cole didn’t talk about their personal lives. She really didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t want to probe.
Cole seemed not to have any problem with the conversation. “Mrs. Gibbs had a talk with me this morning, and it’s been bothering me all day.”
“Oh?”
“She took the girls to see Leslie Hartman yesterday after school. I guess Angie was real quiet on the way home, and Mrs. Gibbs asked her what was wrong. Angie gave her some lip.”
“Maybe she didn’t want to talk about what was bothering her with someone she barely knows.”
“You’re probably right about that,” he said, taking a bite and pausing to chew. “What bothers me, though, is that Mrs. Gibbs suggested that Angie has had too much trauma in her life to handle lately.”
Mattie swallowed her food. “School counselor.”
“What?”
Since Mattie taught the antidrug program at Timber Creek High, she knew the faculty. “There’s a counselor at school you could talk to. Her name’s Mrs. Willis. Have you met her?”
“No, but I know who she is.”
“You could talk to her to get her opinion. She seems nice, and the kids like her. I bet she could help you decide what to do.” She was in this deep, she might as well go deeper; after all, this was Angie they were talking about. “Have you tried to talk to her about her feelings?”
He appeared to squirm in his seat. “I did. I tend to screw things up. I think I ended up telling her she needs to act more respectful toward Mrs. Gibbs or something like that.”
She smiled. “Sounds like a dad.”
“Does it?” He looked relieved. “That’s what I am. I’ll never be able to fill their mom’s shoes. Anyway, it’s hard for me to talk to her about how she feels right now. We all feel pretty torn up about things.”
“Maybe all of you could use some professional help.”
“Good Lord. I’m not sure I could go for that. I think we just need a little time.”
“Well, start with Angie then.”
“Yeah. I’ll think about it.”
The fire snapped. Mattie stretched her feet out toward it, welcoming the warmth that seeped into the soles of her boots as the snow fell peacefully around them.
“You told me you were raised in foster care. How did that happen? What happened to your parents?”
She studied his face, wondering what made him ask about her past. She rarely shared that part of herself.
“I’m sorry,” he said, giving her a searching look. “That might be something you don’t want to talk about. I didn’t think.”
“No, it’s okay. But why do you want to know?”
He scrutinized her. “I was thinking about my girls, how hard it is on them to be abandoned by their mom. It made me think of you being raised without either parent. It’s none of my business really.”