Page 89 of Fallen Creed

“Would you like one of these?”

She looked surprised.

“They taste like cardboard,” Creed told her, “but they’re pretty good nutrition-wise.”

“Okay.”

He stayed at the counter and tossed one over to her. She caught it in one hand, but was still watching him. He stirred Grace’s food and put the collapsible bowl down for her before he started to unwrap his protein bar. Libby was still staring at him.

“Why would you do that?” she finally asked.

“Do what?” He took a bite but kept his eyes on the trailer door and Grace.

“Give me one of your last bits of food?”

“You shared your soup with me.”

She shook her head like she still couldn’t quite believe him, then she peeled back the wrapper.

“There’s a first aid kit under the sink,” she told him. “Nothing fancy, but it has alcohol, bandages, and some Tylenol.”

“Tylenol.”

“Pain, fever,” she said. “You’re kinda sweaty, and it’s not hot in here.”

He stayed leaning against the counter, suddenly afraid he’d lose his balance. Ever since he’d stood up from his place at the table, he could feel the floor tilting. He thought it might actually be the wind rocking the trailer. But once outside, he noticed the wind had died down considerably and the snow-covered ground made him dizzy.

“Here,” she said, getting up. “Lay down. I’ll get it. Looks like you need to clean it again.”

“How do you know all this stuff?”

“Living with a nurse for six months, I suppose.”

Before he could move, she squeezed in next to him to retrieve the kit from the cabinet. Grace looked up, hesitating at her bowl, only half of the food eaten.

“Go ahead and finish, girl.”

“You really love that dog,” Libby said, handing him the kit, then sitting at the table to get out of his way.

“Her previous owner dumped her at the end of my driveway. She was skin and bones, but I could tell she’d recently delivered a litter of puppies.”

“They took her away from her puppies?”

Creed noticed a flicker of emotion.

“Puppies are cute,” he said. “Some people keep them or give them away. Or tie them up in a burlap bag and dump them in the river.”

Her eyes went wide before she caught herself and said, “Now you’re just trying to shock me.”

“I wish it weren’t true.” He didn’t like to think about it, but that was exactly where he’d found Jason’s dog, Scout—in a burlap bag with his siblings. Instead, he told her, “I rescued her, and she’s rescued me over and over again. Grace and I have been through a lot together.”

“Really? While finding missing people?”

“Let’s see. Last spring, a tornado picked up our Jeep and flung it a few miles.”

“I didn’t realize search and rescue could be dangerous.”

“You mean other than getting stabbed?”