Through the Autumn Air by Kelly Irvin

Author:Kelly Irvin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2018-08-14T07:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-ONE

The soft whine was the first clue something had changed. Ezekiel stood on the pieced rug inside his front door and listened. The whine faded away. He waited. Paws made a clickety-clack sound on the wooden floor. An animal had somehow weaseled its way into his home. Raccoon? No, something heavier. Bobcat. He swallowed a snort. That would be quite a shock for both of them. He edged toward the living room. A butterscotch, midsized dog loped down the hallway. Its tail whipped, its big ears flopped, its tongue hung from its mouth, slobber trailing in the air.

Its yip-yip held a note of joy at Ezekiel’s arrival even though they’d never met before. The dog seemed to have little control over its oversized paws as it skidded and landed at Ezekiel’s feet. He leaned over and addressed the stranger directly. “How did you get in here?”

The dog barked and jumped up on Ezekiel, paws reaching to his waist, nearly knocking him back. It was a he. Still a puppy despite his size. His fur smelled as if he’d rolled in roadkill. His breath stank even worse. “Down, down.”

He dropped into a sitting position, but his snout still smiled. Drool dripped on the floor. “So you’re smart. Gut boy. That doesn’t mean you can stay.”

“Oh good, you met the dog.” Burke came through the door behind Ezekiel. He wore a gray, long-sleeved T-shirt, baggy blue jeans, a New York Yankees baseball cap, and his usual ragged tennis shoes. Apparently he’d used his paycheck to buy himself some warmer clothes at the Walmart in Chillicothe. “I wanted to introduce you, but you got home earlier than I expected.”

Ezekiel moved out of his way. The dog followed. “Andrew came in. He insisted on taking over my shift. What is this dog doing in here?”

“You needed a dog. I thought I saw a fishing pole around here.” Burke strode past Ezekiel and headed toward the hall. The dog stayed with Ezekiel. “Kenneth and I are going fishing. Want to come?”

“He stinks. What makes you think I need a dog?”

“He smells like dog, but you can give him a bath later. It’s too quiet around here at night.”

“I like quiet. Why don’t you have a dog?”

“It’s too hard to travel with a dog.” Burke tugged two fishing poles from the storage closet at the end of the hall and returned. A satisfied grin stretched across his grizzled face. “Come on, let’s go fishing.”

Ezekiel took the pole. Force of habit. He never turned down the opportunity to fish. “Wouldn’t early morning be better?”

“Not for channel catfish.” A note of mock horror resonated in Burke’s voice. “Besides, it’s not about the fish.”

“Does Leah know? Kenneth isn’t allowed to go to the creek anymore without one of them.”

“I asked. She gave her blessing. I guess my lesson in fine cuisine convinced her.”

The chili had been a three-indigestion-tablet delight.

“He’s on his way down.” Burke headed for the door. “Bring your dog.”

“You brought him home.” Ezekiel followed him out to the porch.

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