Read Online Craving a Hero: St. John Sibling Series, book 3 by Barbara Raffin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Barbara Raffin
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footprints disappeared, she didn't lose the trail. Pointing out broken twigs and bent branches, they tracked in silence.
"There's an excitement to this," he said in a lowered voice.
"Don't expect too much," she said in an equally quiet voice. "It's only rabbit poaching. Hardly big time."
Shortly, she stopped him again. "Smell that?"
He sniffed the air. "Smoke."
"Campfire, and this isn't a designated camping area."
"The offenses mount," he said.
She cocked her head at him. "And what was the fire danger designation yesterday?"
"High risk," he answered.
"Good boy."
"So you can get this poacher on making a campfire during a high risk fire danger as well?"
"Yup. Though, since we had a good soaking rain last night, I'll probably just give him a warning on that count…provided he doesn't give me any trouble. Giving them a break on something minor is good public relations."
When the trail dipped over an outcrop of rocks, she raised a finger to her lips and motioned him toward the rocks. At the top, on their bellies, they looked down on a campsite. It wasn't quite what he'd expected to find.
Beside an older car with a decrepit open trailer attached to it, a man worked the illegally gained rabbit carcass onto a stick while a woman sat beside the illegal campfire hugging a crying toddler with a hollow-eyed girl squatted beside her. He swore he heard Kelly curse before she motioned him back from the crest of the outcrop.
"They're just a hungry family," he said once they were beyond earshot.
She stared at the ground, frowning.
"That trailer looks like it's packed with all their belongings," Dane said. "And the little girl beside her mother—"
"I saw," Kelly snapped.
"You can't ticket them."
"He broke more than one law," she said, frowning.
"Can't you just make like you didn't see them? Pretend you didn't find the rabbit guts and snare?"
"Dammit, Dane. I'm law enforcement and the law in this case is clearly spelled out."
He frowned. "I don't know how you can do this job."
"If you can't handle the reality of it, stay here while I go down there."
"I'm coming with you."
"Then be quiet. Not a sound."
Much as he wanted to step on a twig or trip and send some rocks tumbling to warn the family, he respected Kelly too much to sabotage her. This was her job, her domain, her life. And sometimes reality sucked. He'd learned that a dozen times over in his years of growing up in Eastern Europe.
So he followed her, careful to avoid brittle sticks. Then, incredibly, she slipped, sending a cascade of small rocks clattering off the outcrop.
Dane glanced down into the campsite in time to see the man fling the skewered rabbit carcass under the car. Had Kelly also seen? Would she drag out the evidence and still nail the guy for poaching?
"Morning," she called. "How you folks doing?" she asked as they strode into the campsite.
"Fine," the man said, shoving his hands into his pockets. If they got a good look at them, Dane was sure they'd find dried blood.
The toddler whimpered and the mother looked up at them with wide eyes. Only the girl who couldn't be more than five years old rose and came toward them, hope in her eyes. He'd seen eyes like those before. He squatted and smiled at her. "What's your name, little lady?"
"Janey," she said, those big eyes looking at him as if he was some sort of hero come to rescue her and her family.
Behind him, Kelly was doing her CO thing. "Looks like you're doing some long distance traveling."
The man he assumed to be Janey's father nodded. "Headed to North Dakota. Heard there's work there."
"So they say," she said. "You folks Yoopers?"
Dane had observed her enough to know she was testing the guy to see if he knew the nickname for residents of the Upper Peninsula—the U.P.—testing to see if he was local.
"Nah. We come up from just below the bridge." The dad forced a short laugh. "What you folks up here call trolls."
"I'm Officer Jackson with the DNR and this fellow, Dane, is job
"There's an excitement to this," he said in a lowered voice.
"Don't expect too much," she said in an equally quiet voice. "It's only rabbit poaching. Hardly big time."
Shortly, she stopped him again. "Smell that?"
He sniffed the air. "Smoke."
"Campfire, and this isn't a designated camping area."
"The offenses mount," he said.
She cocked her head at him. "And what was the fire danger designation yesterday?"
"High risk," he answered.
"Good boy."
"So you can get this poacher on making a campfire during a high risk fire danger as well?"
"Yup. Though, since we had a good soaking rain last night, I'll probably just give him a warning on that count…provided he doesn't give me any trouble. Giving them a break on something minor is good public relations."
When the trail dipped over an outcrop of rocks, she raised a finger to her lips and motioned him toward the rocks. At the top, on their bellies, they looked down on a campsite. It wasn't quite what he'd expected to find.
Beside an older car with a decrepit open trailer attached to it, a man worked the illegally gained rabbit carcass onto a stick while a woman sat beside the illegal campfire hugging a crying toddler with a hollow-eyed girl squatted beside her. He swore he heard Kelly curse before she motioned him back from the crest of the outcrop.
"They're just a hungry family," he said once they were beyond earshot.
She stared at the ground, frowning.
"That trailer looks like it's packed with all their belongings," Dane said. "And the little girl beside her mother—"
"I saw," Kelly snapped.
"You can't ticket them."
"He broke more than one law," she said, frowning.
"Can't you just make like you didn't see them? Pretend you didn't find the rabbit guts and snare?"
"Dammit, Dane. I'm law enforcement and the law in this case is clearly spelled out."
He frowned. "I don't know how you can do this job."
"If you can't handle the reality of it, stay here while I go down there."
"I'm coming with you."
"Then be quiet. Not a sound."
Much as he wanted to step on a twig or trip and send some rocks tumbling to warn the family, he respected Kelly too much to sabotage her. This was her job, her domain, her life. And sometimes reality sucked. He'd learned that a dozen times over in his years of growing up in Eastern Europe.
So he followed her, careful to avoid brittle sticks. Then, incredibly, she slipped, sending a cascade of small rocks clattering off the outcrop.
Dane glanced down into the campsite in time to see the man fling the skewered rabbit carcass under the car. Had Kelly also seen? Would she drag out the evidence and still nail the guy for poaching?
"Morning," she called. "How you folks doing?" she asked as they strode into the campsite.
"Fine," the man said, shoving his hands into his pockets. If they got a good look at them, Dane was sure they'd find dried blood.
The toddler whimpered and the mother looked up at them with wide eyes. Only the girl who couldn't be more than five years old rose and came toward them, hope in her eyes. He'd seen eyes like those before. He squatted and smiled at her. "What's your name, little lady?"
"Janey," she said, those big eyes looking at him as if he was some sort of hero come to rescue her and her family.
Behind him, Kelly was doing her CO thing. "Looks like you're doing some long distance traveling."
The man he assumed to be Janey's father nodded. "Headed to North Dakota. Heard there's work there."
"So they say," she said. "You folks Yoopers?"
Dane had observed her enough to know she was testing the guy to see if he knew the nickname for residents of the Upper Peninsula—the U.P.—testing to see if he was local.
"Nah. We come up from just below the bridge." The dad forced a short laugh. "What you folks up here call trolls."
"I'm Officer Jackson with the DNR and this fellow, Dane, is job
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