The Soldier's Surprise Family Page 6

  Rio looked up, his face becoming animated as his gaze darted between the adults. That had gotten his attention.

  “She was taken to the pound.”

  “What do we need to do to pick her up?” He looked at Rio. “Do you want to get your dog?”

  His son didn’t answer but jumped from the chair and pulled the diaper bag off the table.

  “I’m not sure you—”

  “It’s my son’s dog. We can pick her up on our way home. The dog helped protect the kids.” It should have been him standing between his son and the violent mess of Viviana’s life. “We’re not leaving her in the pound.”

  With the strap over Rio’s shoulder, the bag dragged on the floor as he headed to the door. He stopped and stared at them. An expression too stern for a five-year-old hardened his face.

  “I’ll call the shelter and let them know you’ll be claiming the dog.”

  “Thank you.” Joining Rio, Garrett reached for the bag. “I’ll take this. We have new car seats for you both in my truck.”

  Anjelica adjusted Pilar on her left hip and held her free hand out to Rio. His son glared at her and pressed his back against the wall.

  “Rio, walk with us. Por favor.” She kept her hand out and waited with a smile on her face.

  Garrett held the door open. “If you want to come with us to get the dog, you’ll need to hold her hand.” After a silent moment, the small hand slipped into Anjelica’s. With a heavy rock in the pit of his stomach, Garrett followed his new family to his truck.

  Surreal was the only word he could think of as Anjelica smiled at him over her shoulder. She carried his daughter on one hip while holding his son’s hand. His children. What was he going to do now?

  Chapter Four

  Garrett checked his rearview mirror again. They were still there, secure in their seats. He couldn’t see Pilar. Her car seat faced backward, right behind him. With the blanket Anjelica had packed over his head, Rio sat on the opposite side of the truck. Seeing himself in the boy was still a bit bizarre, and the kid had some strange behaviors.

  He chuckled. There were times he wanted to hide under a superhero blanket, too.

  Between the car seats, a big spotted Catahoula cow dog stretched out. Her head rested on Rio’s arm. Her white coat with large black spots was covered in gray and brown smaller specks. She was a beautiful dog.

  The unrestrained joy at the reunion between boy and dog tugged at his heart. Even now, the big dog hardly took her focus off her boy. Engraved on her dog tags was the name Selena.

  Memories of Viviana and him listening to the late artist flooded his mind. It had been one of their go-to albums whenever life got too hard. Viviana would dance and sing along to “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” until he laughed. She would sing in Spanish at the top of her lungs, trying to get him to sing along. They would finish by slow dancing to “I Could Fall in Love.”

  Had she chosen that name because of the connection to him, or was he reading too much into a dog’s name?

  Now the dog eyed him with a suspicious glare, but then again, he might have been reading his own insecurities in the mixed blue and brown eyes.

  It was clear she would hold out judgment on him. He could hear her say she’d trust him for now, but mess with her little humans and his life was over. He owed this Selena an extra treat. Life had gotten harder for his son than it had ever been for him. He’d had a charmed childhood compared to his son’s.

  Instinct told him he had a son who suffered from PTSD. If a preschooler could suffer from post-traumatic stress, he would think seeing your mother killed would do it. No telling how many fights he had witnessed or heard. The real question was, could he provide the kid with the help he needed so he wouldn’t be scarred for life?

  “So are you going to share?” Anjelica crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

  His eyebrows knotted. “Share what?”

  “I want to know what you found funny. I could use a chuckle, too, but you’re all grim and serious again. So I guess it’s over.”

  With a nod to the backseat, he turned onto the country road that would take them to Anjelica’s home. His home. “Just thinking that disappearing under a superhero blanket sounds like a good coping strategy to me.”

  Garrett hit the brakes harder than planned, pitching everyone forward. Rio’s blanket fell. As the little boy grabbed it with one arm, he reached for his sister with the other.

  Cars, trucks and a church van filled every area a vehicle could park around Anjelica’s house. He saw Pastor John and a couple of teen boys carrying a soggy mattress from the side of the garage. Two baby goats played with a couple of laughing kids along the side of the house.

  He slowly pulled up to the gate. The De La Cruz twins, Adrian and George, waved at him from a truck loaded with debris that now carried his bed, too. The quiet property he had started to think of as home had been invaded. Music played somewhere in the backyard.

  Yesterday, while he helped with a couple of water rescues, only Anjelica’s father, a couple of brothers, Adrian and George, along with Pastor John, had shown up to help repair the roof. As the sun started to peek over the hills, they’d all shown up again, plus Sheriff Torres. Now it looked as if the whole county was hanging out on Anjelica’s little farm.

  The plan had been to move the kid’s furniture into his apartment while they went to pick up Rio and Pilar.

  “Oh, Garrett. I’m so sorry. I knew my dad and brothers had called in a few friends to help with the apartment, but I didn’t know they would invite the whole town.”

  “What’s going on?” Scanning the property, he frowned. He wasn’t sure he understood what had occurred since he left.

  “Well, I called Mom about getting some of the things you needed that I didn’t have, and, well...that means she called Aunt Maggie, who in turn called the family and church members.”

  She looked at him with apprehension on her face. “They want to help. Between getting the kids here, cleaning out the apartment and setting up for them, we didn’t have time to get it all done. I wanted to have everything ready. So...um, I called.”

  “She called church members?” His stomach flopped a bit. While he was in Kerrville picking up his new family, the whole town had learned what a screw-up he was. “I’m not much into people knowing my business.”

  Her eyes softened. Leaning across the console, she touched his arm. Warmth seeped through his shirtsleeve. “It’s not like that. They really want to help. I mean, don’t get me wrong.” A soft chuckle broke the tension in the cab. “In Clear Water, the story is across the county before you finish telling it.” She patted him on the arm. “But this way, we tell them what we want them to know and they’re not making up crazy stories.”

  Knuckles tight on the steering wheel, he watched people come and go between the house and garage. “The story is crazy.”

  His jaw popped a couple of times. With a shift of his gaze, he looked at the backseat. Rio had pulled the blanket back over his head and the dog rested on his leg.

  “I don’t want people looking at the kids as if something is wrong with them.”

  What he really wanted to do was hit something. He needed to do something physical, to shake this restlessness off his skin.

  One call and she had a whole town at her doorstep. Anjelica’s family, most of whom he didn’t know, were helping without asking why. His mother hadn’t even returned his calls yet.

  Envy was not a pretty emotion. He glanced at the people moving around the house.

  He wasn’t sure why he wanted to talk to his mother so badly, anyway. Gina would remind him of all the ways he’d messed up again. If she refused to help him, he would have to rely on Anjelica and her family even more. Acid burned his stomach.

  Some of the women standing on the porch waved when they noticed them parke
d on the road outside the gate. He didn’t have a great deal of experience with families other than Viviana’s. Hers always involved drama. He hated drama.

  Yeah, he really needed to go for a run before he exploded, but he didn’t have time. The days of going for a long run whenever he wanted no longer existed.

  He hadn’t been this edgy since he first returned from Afghanistan. He rubbed his palm over his eyes. “I can’t keep using you and your family to help me with my problems.”

  With a cute tilt to her head, she smiled. “Are we back to that? At the very least, this will give you enough time to find the perfect place to make into your permanent home, if that is still what you want.” She glanced behind them and checked the sleeping Pilar.

  Lowering her voice, Anjelica kept her focus on the baby. “Garrett, you don’t want to be moving the kids from house to house, just making do. They need stability.”

  As he eased the truck into the driveway, his jaw started to hurt from biting down. With a deep breath, he forced each muscle to relax.

  His instinct yelled not to take their help, or maybe it was pride. Sometimes the difference between the two was hard to find. Pride might come at too high a price if it cost the kids’ well-being.

  A soft touch pulled him out of his thoughts and brought his full attention back to her. The warmth of her touch went through his shirtsleeve.

  With one click of a button, she rolled down the window. The sun’s reflection exposed gold-red splashes in her hair he hadn’t noticed before now.

  He turned away from Anjelica and scanned the green valley surrounded by hills coming alive with spring growth. In her world, family always helped when needed.

  “I’m sorry,” she said again.

  He snorted. “For your family or my mistakes? Not your problem, but your family is here to help. You’re right. We couldn’t have gotten it all accomplished in such a short time. The faster I can have the kids settled in the apartment, the better. We need to thank them for their help.”

  “Garrett, it’s not your mistake the way things played out.”

  With the Tahoe in Park, he gritted his teeth. He hated crowds. They couldn’t be comfortable for the kids, either. Adrian De La Cruz waved at them as he drove his work truck full of debris off the property.

  “I appreciate the help, but I’m thinking this will be overwhelming for the kids, especially Rio.”

  “You’re right.” She glanced at the backseat again. “I’ll have Mom clear out the house and send everyone that’s not working on the apartment home. I know they want to welcome your new little ones. We’re just used to hanging out with each other.” She leaned in and squeezed his hand. “Everything gets turned into a party with them, but they’ll understand.”

  He wished someone could explain it to him because he sure didn’t understand any of this.

  Checking on the kids again, he saw a small hand poking out from the blanket. Rio patted the dog, even though he hid. Wanting to hide from the world, he understood.

  How was he supposed to help these kids when he was on the verge of losing it himself? The cabin in the woods overlooking the river would have kept everyone away, but now the world knocked on his door in the form of two innocent babes.

  Garrett rotated his grip around the steering wheel, twisting the braided leather.

  “Garrett, are you ready?”

  No, but there wasn’t much choice. “Yeah, you get Rio. He seems more at ease with you. I’ll carry Pilar.”

  “I can go ahead while you wait in the truck and clear them out.”

  “No, the kids need normal, and for you this is normal. We need to thank them for everything they’ve done for us.” Normal? He would follow her lead because he had no clue. He did know it wasn’t normal to scan for snipers or explosive traps. He had to tell himself that these were the Ortegas, and they weren’t going to harm the kids.

  Pushing his lungs to their limit, he stepped out of his SUV and onto the unsteady ground of a new world.

  “Do they show up unannounced often?” He moved to the passenger door behind him and opened it. In his truck, a baby who now belonged to him slept.

  From the open door on the opposite side, standing next to the covered Rio, Anjelica smiled at him. “To them, family just shows up when needed. They do seem to have adopted you.” She grinned. “Really, I’m so sorry. The concept of personal space is foreign to them, especially when they have a mission.”

  “Mission?” With a gentle unsure touch, he removed the straps of the car seat.

  “Oh, Garrett, I’m sorry to tell you, but you and your new family just became mission number one.”

  His head came up fast and he hit his head on the edge of the door frame. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Spots danced behind his eyelids.

  “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “Great, now I’ll have a headache.”

  “Relax.” She winked at him. “I promise most of the time they’re harmless. They’ll clear out fast.” She nodded to the little boy, who was pretending to disappear. She tugged at the blanket. “Rio, this is your new home. There are some people that want to welcome you, but they won’t be staying. They just want to say hi.” The blanket hung over her shoulder, but Rio kept his eyes closed. He had Selena’s long leash in a tight grip.

  A crowd had gathered on the front porch. Everyone had huge smiles on their faces as they waited.

  He looked at Anjelica as she made her way to his side. With her free hand, she squeezed his arm. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in and ask them to leave?

  “It’s going to be okay.” Maybe if he said it enough, he would believe it.

  With a sigh, he picked up the sleeping Pilar. The strangeness of holding her was already giving way to a peaceful wonder. Her lax body molded to his hard frame, her soft cheek pressed against his shoulder.

  Trust and love given without asking. He took in the smell of baby shampoo in the thick curls of her dark hair.

  The easy acceptance that made her feel safe enough in his arms to sleep scared him a bit. Picking up the diaper bag from the floorboard, he glanced at his son. The now-familiar glare worried him. How was he going to make this work if his own son hated him? Had he scowled at his father the same way?

  He tried to pretend they were not being watched by a bunch of people he didn’t know.

  With his free hand, he reached for his son to reassure him they were in this together.

  Rio jerked his shoulder out of Garrett’s touch and turned his head away from him.

  Anjelica patted Rio’s back. “Come on—let’s go check out your new room. My mom and Buela, along with a bunch of cousins and friends, are waiting to say hi.”

  The little boy leaned back and took in all the people standing on the porch. He narrowed his eyes and then looked back at Anjelica. She gave him an encouraging smile, then turned it on Garrett. “You’ll both be fine, and Rio will learn to trust you. Just give him time.”

  The not trusting was a survival skill his son had unfortunately had to develop. The kid had a great deal to get over before he would trust Garrett.

  “I know you have an abuelita. I have one, too. We call her Buela.” She nodded. “She wants to meet you and Pilar. My mom and cousins, too. Everyone here is very nice.”

  He pulled back and made a whimpering sound. The dog gave a low rumble of a growl.

  “This is too much for him.” Maybe he should tell everyone to leave now.

  The front door opened, and the screen door banged shut. From the side of the house, Bumper came running, followed by leaping and kicking baby goats. She started barking and dancing around Anjelica. A cold sweat coated Garrett’s skin and his breathing became labored. At the end of the leash, the Catahoula’s hair stood along her spine as a low growl rumbled from her throat.

 
“Bumper! Stop it.” Anjelica picked up Rio and balanced him on her hip, then scooped up the energetic dog with her free arm. “Shh, be nice. Rio, this is Bumper.” Bumper stretched her neck out and licked Rio’s ear. The little boy giggled. Selena reared up on her back legs with her front paws on Rio’s leg. She pushed her nose between her boy and the fluffball of a dog.

  Tension tightened Garrett’s muscles. A dogfight could break out with Rio and Anjelica stuck in the middle, and he had Pilar in his arms. He wouldn’t be able to react fast enough if he needed to.

  Bumper barked and Selena’s tail wagged as Anjelica patted her on the head. She chuckled. “Look, Rio, they’re already friends.” She made eye contact with Garrett. Her eyes gleamed. “This is a good sign. Everything’s going to be all right.” She smiled at Rio. “Ready to see your new home?”

  He leaned over and checked out the people on the porch again. Looking up at Anjelica, he gave her a solemn look and a slight nod. Garrett had not been able to get any response from the boy—well, unless glares counted.

  God, I know I haven’t talked to You much, but it seems I really need some guidance with this little guy.

  With Rio on one hip, Anjelica released Bumper to the ground and took Selena’s leash from Rio.

  This is it. Garrett followed her again. She waved at the women on the porch. That seemed to be the permission they needed to swarm. Before he blinked, they were surrounded.

  He couldn’t keep an eye on all of them at once. Someone touched his shoulder from behind. He jerked around. Pilar lifted her head and gave a soft cry.

  Breathe, Garrett. Breathe nice and easy. No one here is trying to harm the kids. You are in Anjelica’s front yard.

  Anjelica’s mother led the pack. “We hear congratulations are in order. What a shock, right? So we are throwing you a surprise baby shower and home-warming party all at once.” All the women laughed.

  He worked to keep the panic off his face; he could play it cool. Something must have slipped, though, because Anjelica looked at him with concern. He tried to smile and reassure her he was fine, but it felt a little forced.