Yoshiro sat on a wood stump while the kids chased after Salt and Pepa. No one noticed my approach.
“Okay, Jalen.” Yoshiro raised his hand. “Try now.”
Laughing, Jalen slowed his jog and clapped. “Salt! Pepa! Halt!”
The dogs ceased with running, pushing snow in front of them, turned, and froze.
Jalen pointed at them. “Salt! Pepa! Rap!”
Rap? Why type of command is that?
The dogs barked over and over, moving their heads from side to side.
“Oh my God.” Kia barreled over with laughter. “This is too much!”
Poppy rushed over to her brother and jumped up and down as if signaling him to do another command.
“Okay, Poppy. I will.” Jalen clapped. “Salt! Pepa!”
The dogs stopped barking and wagged their tails in anticipation.
Jalen raised both hands in the air. “Sing!”
The dogs howled over and over.
“I can’t!” Kia collapsed to the snowy ground and fell into a fit of laughter. “It’s too cute! I’m having a cuteness overload.”
I laughed.
Yoshiro turned to me. “You’re up?”
“And apparently your dogs can rap and sing.”
“Did we wake you?”
“No.” Smiling, I ran my fingers through my dreadlocks and walked over to him. “How long have you all been out here?”
“We must’ve came out, after lunch.”
“Lunch?”
“Yeah. Your sandwich is in the microwave. Kia made you one.”
“Oh.”
“Once we finished the sandwiches, we headed out for the dogs, Jalen put the blanket on you. Kia told everyone not to wake you.”
I couldn’t lie. I was a little uncomfortable with the kids just hanging around Yoshiro and not knowing him. Thankfully, all had gone well. The only danger appeared to be that they might pass out from laughing.
“Salt! Pepa!” Jalen clapped.
The dogs stopped howling.
Jalen gave them a wicked wag of his finger. “I’m going to get you.”
The dogs barked and raced away.
Jalen rushed after them.
“Wait!” Kia hurried up from the ground and rushed after them. “It’s my turn!”
Poppy lagged behind, but she was close to catching up.
My heart seized, when I realized they hadn’t planned on stopping anytime soon. They kept on rushing forward, well past the outline of the yard.
“Don’t worry,” Yoshiro said. “This is all mine. Eighty acres.”
“Damn.”
“No one’s out here, but us in my neighbor Sam in the back. He has a bunch of cows. Ten hogs that he uses for. . .unsavory purposes.”
“Unsavory purposes?”
“He works with a couple people in town. When they want to get rid of things, they bring them to Sam’s hogs.”
I didn’t get what he was saying.
Yoshiro continued, “Every now and then Sam’s cows stumble onto the property and graze. But that won’t happen now. He’ll have them in the barn.” Yoshiro pointed to the road. “And of course, no one’s driving right now.”
“Not at all.” I squinted to see the kids.
Their laughter echoed. I could barely hold on to their images. In this moment, they were farther than they had ever been from me in at least a year.
Am I being too relaxed? Should we still be on guard?
Yoshiro’s deep voice pulled me out of those thoughts. “You were exhausted.”
“I guess.” I yawned again like I hadn’t slept most of the day away. “I can’t believe I slept that long.”
“Do you usually get your eight hours?”
I laughed. “No.”
He nodded.
“Thanks for watching them.”
“In all fairness, I wasn’t. I was painting and Poppy came into the studio and asked if she could take the dogs outside. I told her that she could, but that her brother or sister should come. She grabbed them and then they went—”
“Wait a minute.” I blinked. “You meant Kia came in to ask?”
“No, Poppy. She’s the youngest?”
“Yes, but. . .” I glanced back at them.
They were still far off having a grand old time.
“What’s wrong, Ebony?”
“Poppy doesn’t talk.”
He grinned. “What?”
“She doesn’t.”
And then his face softened. “I’m surprised. She asked about the dogs. Asked if she could feed and brush their hair. I told her that I didn’t have a brush, so she asked if I had a comb and some bows. She’s pretty funny.”
Stunned, I widened my eyes. “Poppy said that? The youngest?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
“What do you mean she doesn’t talk?” he asked.
“She stopped saying anything around five. Now she’s eight.”
“So, around the time you started running?”
“Yeah. After. . .a big fight with Wyatt.”
“It wasn’t a fight.” Yoshiro frowned. “A fight is when two people are battling. He was being abusive.”
I nodded.
“She talked today with no problem.” Yoshiro stared off in their direction. “In all fairness, her words were all about the dogs. Salt and Pepa have taken a liking to her.”
I didn’t know how to react. On the one hand, I was happy that Poppy felt comfortable enough to speak to him. On the other, I was a little jealous. Why hadn’t she felt okay to talk to me? Did she blame me for everything?
Oh, stop it. Focus on the good.
“Dogs heal humans,” Yoshiro said. “That’s their thing.”
“It makes sense. The government gives service dogs to veterans with PTSD.”