Sworn to Protect

Author

Shirlee McCoy

Reads

15.1K

Chapters

Author

Shirlee McCoy

Reads

15.1K

Chapters

😊 Low Spice

EPILOGUE

Graduation day came just like it always did with the K-9 Command Unit. Only this one was different—a redo of the graduation that should have taken place ten months ago. Katie had been preparing for a couple weeks. Not for the ceremony itself, but for the memories that would come with it.

It seemed like a lifetime ago since her alarm had gone off, and she had gotten out of bed, queasy with morning sickness, wishing she could stay in bed. She had taken the day off work so that she could be there when Jordan congratulated the team for graduating another successful pool of puppy candidates.

He had already been heading out the door when she had dragged herself out of bed, and when he had kissed her goodbye, she had had no idea it would be for the last time.

Even now, that broke her heart a little.

Even with all of the joy having Jordyn Rose and Tony in her life brought, her eyes burned with tears when she remembered waving goodbye to Jordan as he walked down the steps.

“I still miss you, Jordan,” she said, lifting the wedding photo that sat on the end table in the living room. She had thought about moving it after she and Tony had begun dating, but when she had mentioned that to him, he had kissed her tenderly and told her that he had loved Jordan, too.

She knew it was true.

“We both miss you,” she murmured, setting the photo down next to the one Tony had taken at the hospital. She had come to love the exhaustion in her face and the triumph there. She didn’t look anything like the defeated woman who had been afraid she could not raise a child on her own. She looked strong and peaceful and joyous.

It had taken a while, but she finally felt that way, too.

Her path had led her through dark tunnels, but God had proved that there was always light waiting on the other side.

She hoped she would remember that when the next heartache happened.

And, it would.

There were no guarantees in life.

She understood that. Just like she understood that there would always be another celebration, another moment to enjoy, another reason to smile.

She was learning to be present in the moment, to enjoy each day and to embrace the miraculous moments in the midst of the ordinary. The sunrises and sunsets. The snow-laden branches of the towering evergreens. The first sweet call of the songbirds in spring.

The soft cooing of a baby waking to greet the day.

She glanced at the baby monitor and smiled as Jordyn Rose made herself known.

“Here I come, sweet girl,” she said, hurrying to the nursery and lifting her from the crib.

Katie had already showered and dressed. She had read her Bible and had her quiet time. All she needed to do was change Jordyn Rose, feed her and grab the already-packed diaper bag, and she would be ready to ride to the graduation ceremony with Ivy and Alexander.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp.

Alexander had called her the previous evening to be sure she remembered. This would be Carter’s last official day on the force, and Noah planned to give him an award for exemplary service.

She glanced at the clock.

Quarter past eight.

Forty-five minutes to feed and change the baby.

“Easy as pie,” Katie said as she settled into the old rocking chair with her daughter.

Jordyn Rose still had chubby cheeks and a rosebud mouth. Her eyes had turned the same dark blue as Katie’s, but her hair color had deepened. It was a rich chocolate brown, the fine thatch of hair she had been born with already growing into a shaggy mop of wild curls.

She was a beautiful baby, but it was her happy-go-lucky personality that always made Katie smile.

“You are a lot like your father, you know that?” she said, as Jordyn Rose sighed contentedly, milk dribbling from her mouth.

Katie should have known better than to get ready before she fed the baby. She was learning quickly that messes happen, and they happen more when you have an infant.

“I am going to be a royal wreck before we even leave the house,” she said, glancing at the clock.

“Come on, sweetheart. You need to eat up. We are going to see the puppies today. Grammy and Poppop are coming with us, and your uncles and Tony will be there. Come on. Let’s get you burped. We still have plenty of time.”

But, of course, when she had said that, she had not been counting on spit-up, or another diaper change.

She also had not counted on a lost baby shoe or a missing pacifier. By the time she finally managed to get them both dressed to semidecent standards, someone was knocking on the door.

“Hold on,” she called breathlessly as she balanced Jordyn Rose in one arm and scooped the diaper bag off the floor.

She managed to open the door and nearly stumbled into her father-in-law, who was waiting on the landing.

“Whoa there, kiddo. We don’t want to start the day with a wild ride down the stairs.” He smiled as he steadied her, his eyes so much like Jordan’s, she couldn’t help smiling in return.

“It has been a bit of a rocky start to the day.”

“Well, it is about to get a whole lot better. Hand me the bag and the kid, and let’s get this show on the road.”

“I can carry—”

“Are you going to deny me the pleasure of helping my favorite upstairs neighbor?”

“When you put it that way, I guess not,” she said, laughing as she handed him the bag and the baby.

“You look lovely, Katie. Make sure you tell my wife I told you so.”

“Did she put you up to it?”

“No. She simply commented that every man in her life knows how to give out a compliment. Except me. Apparently, she was the one who taught the skill to our sons and to Tony.”

“They are all very good at it.”

“Because they are all very good men. It is a nice thing to get to my age, look at your children, and know the values you tried to model and instill made a difference in their lives. I only wish...” He shook his head and headed down the stairs.

“That Jordan were here?” she guessed, knowing this day was as hard on the Jamesons as it was on her.

“What else would I want? I have a wonderful wife, great sons, beautiful young women who love them. I have two darling granddaughters. Life is good, but I will never stop missing Jordan.”

“Until we see him again,” she said quietly.

He glanced over his shoulder and offered a sad smile. “Until then.”

“Are you two going to lollygag all morning?” Ivy called through the open window of the couple’s Cadillac. “You know how bad traffic can be. If we don’t get moving, we’ll be late.”

“Then we’d better hurry,” Alexander said with a laugh as he opened the back door and put Jordyn in the car seat. Minutes later, they were on the way, weaving through morning traffic as they made their way to the canine-training center. It wasn’t far, but traffic made it a long ride. By the time they arrived, the ceremony was almost ready to begin.

“We had better hurry,” Ivy said, grabbing the diaper bag from the trunk. “It will be awkward if the chief’s family walks in late.”

They hurried across the parking lot, entered the auditorium and took their seats near the front. It didn’t take long for the ceremony to begin. Noah gave a speech that honored Jordan and the legacy he had left behind—a strong K-9 Command Unit devoted to the community and to justice. In honor of his memory, a German shepherd puppy that had been deemed suitable for training was being named Jordy in keeping with the tradition of naming police dogs after fallen officers.

Surprised and touched, Katie wiped tears from her eyes as Noah put a collar bearing the name Jordy around the rambunctious dog’s neck.

“Jordan would approve, don’t you think?” Tony said, sliding into the seat beside her.

“I thought you were behind the stage with the graduates?” she whispered, leaning her head against his shoulder, loving the feel of his warmth against her cheek.

“I was relieved of my duty. Apparently, there has been a sudden change in the program. Noah asked all the K-9 officers to sit in the audience during this part.”

“A sudden change?”

The last time the program had changed, it had been because Jordan hadn’t shown up. Two days later, his body had been found.

She shuddered, pulled her jacket a little closer and hugged Jordyn Rose a little tighter. She had every reason to be thankful for the life she had and for the second chances God had granted her. The day Martin’s body had been recovered from the river, she had known she could move forward without fear, but sometimes she still felt haunted by the memories of all that had happened.

“A change doesn’t have to be a negative thing,” Tony reminded her.

“I know. It’s just...”

“A lot of bad memories.” He squeezed her hand, winding his fingers through hers and smiling as Jordyn Rose cooed.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Want to sit with me?” He lifted Jordyn Rose gently, settling her into the crook of his arm.

Seeing them together filled Katie’s heart in a way she never would have imagined could be possible. Even after heartache, love could grow. She knew that now. Understood just how surely God had been guiding her path through the tragedy of losing Jordan and the terror of being stalked by Martin.

Tony must have sensed her gaze.

He met her eyes and smiled, that simple sweet gesture filling her heart to overflowing.

“I love you,” he mouthed.

“I love you, too,” she responded and felt the joy of that to the depth of her soul.

When Noah finally placed the last K-9 police collar on the last graduating candidate, the crowd erupted with applause. The well-trained dogs stood near their handlers, tails wagging, tongues out. They would be put to good use in the community—searching for the missing, sniffing out explosives, finding drugs and offering closure to families by locating bodies of those long missing. There were German shepherds, Malinois, Labs and retrievers. A basset hound bayed happily as he trotted across the stage.

Jordyn Rose was wide-eyed and alert, her dark blue eyes focused on the dogs.

“I think you have a budding K-9 handler there,” Alexander whispered as the last graduate crossed the stage.

“Maybe,” she responded.

If that was the path God guided her daughter to, she wouldn’t try to stop it.

Go wherever He leads.

That was what Jordan had always said, and that was what Katie planned to tell Jordyn Rose when she was old enough to understand.

Noah approached the podium again, with an unfamiliar young man beside him.

“Ladies and gentlemen and fellow dog lovers, as many of you know, our precinct has had a season of mourning. We lost Chief Jordan Jameson in a senseless act of violence. The day he was murdered, his K-9 partner, Snapper, disappeared. We spent countless hours searching for him. There were several possible sightings, but we were never able to verify them. Not long ago, one of our officers saw Snapper on the adoption website of a local shelter, but by the time we contacted them, and despite the fact that Snapper was microchipped, he had already been adopted out. Since then, we have made several attempts to contact his current owner, but we were unable to reach him. I’m going to be honest, I had just about given up hope of finding my brother’s dog.”

Noah stopped and took several deep breaths, obviously trying to control his emotion. “Two days ago, I received a call from Mr. Charles Williams. He has been on an in-field study trip with New York University. Charles is working on his PhD in botany. He was studying the flora of the Grand Canyon and just recently returned home. Before he left, he went to the local shelter and adopted a canine friend to bring along. Charles, can you bring him out for us?”

The young man walked backstage and reappeared a moment later with a beautiful German shepherd.

“Snapper!” Katie cried, jumping to her feet.

The dog’s ears twitched, and he sniffed the air, and then, as if he finally understood he was home, he broke rank, jumping from the stage and barreling toward her.

She stepped out into the aisle to meet him, kneeling down to accept his doggy kisses. She didn’t realize she was crying until Snapper nudged her cheek and pawed her shoulder.

“I am so happy you’re back,” she said as she looked into his dark, intelligent eyes.

“He looks great,” Carter said, kneeling beside her and scratching Snapper’s head. Zach joined them, running his hands down the dog’s flanks and shaking his head.

“You wouldn’t know he had ever been away from training.”

“I know everyone is excited,” Noah said above the din of the crowd’s surprise. “But, if you could all settle down for a few moments, Charles has something he wants to say.”

The young man stepped up to the podium, clearing his throat and adjusting the collar of his white dress shirt. He looked around the room, and his gaze found and settled on Katie.

“I had no idea of any of this when I adopted Roosevelt. Sorry, I mean Snapper. I named him Roosevelt after Theodore Roosevelt, but you don’t need to know that.”

The crowd laughed, and the young man continued, his gaze still focused on Katie. “What I would like you to know is that I had no idea Snapper was microchipped or that he was missing from the NYC K-9 Command Unit. I didn’t know that his handler had been killed or that he had a family who missed him. I would also like you to know this—Snapper is everything a service dog should be. He’s obedient, smart and driven. He is also loyal. He was always a good boy, but from the day I brought him home until the day I learned who he really was, I had the feeling that my buddy had better things to do with his time than lie around in the shade while I collected plant samples. So, as much as it pains me to do this, I’ve brought Snapper back home to you today. I hope he will have many more years of service to the community. Mrs. Jameson, please accept my deepest condolences for the death of your husband and my heartfelt thanks for sharing Chief Jameson’s K-9 partner with me for these past weeks. I’m going to miss you, buddy,” he said, not even trying to hide his tears.

Katie was crying again, and she didn’t think there were many dry eyes in the audience. This was a beautiful end to a heart-wrenching story, and she was unbelievably grateful for it.

Noah concluded the ceremony by giving Carter an award for outstanding public service. The audience gave him a standing ovation as he walked stiffly from the stage. All these months later, he still had pain from the gunshot wound he had received in the line of duty, but soon he would be taking over the running of Griffin’s Diner full-time. With his fiancée, Rachelle, by his side, and his daughter, Ellie, cheering him on, Katie had the feeling he would be just fine.

“You look happy,” Tony whispered, his lips brushing her ear.

She shivered, turning so that they were looking into each other’s eyes. “I have a lot to be thankful for.”

“I think we all do,” he said.

“Katie!” Ivy cried, throwing an arm around her shoulders. “What a blessing that Snapper is back.” She crouched to pet the German shepherd, and he seemed to sigh contentedly.

“It really is.”

“I guess he can retire now,” Alexander said, taking Jordyn Rose from Tony’s arms and tickling her under her chin.

She giggled and Snapper got to his feet, padding over to sniff her feet.

“See this little one?” Alexander knelt in front of Snapper. “She’s Jordan’s baby. What do you think of that?”

The baby and dog stared at each other.

Snapper nuzzled Jordyn Rose’s cheek, huffed against her belly and then settled down again.

“He really is a great dog,” Tony said. “Jordan always said he was the best German shepherd he had ever worked with.”

“He did.” Noah joined them, his fiancée, Lani, by his side.

“He is only five,” Katie said, remembering all of the time Jordan and Snapper had spent training together. Hours and hours of work for what should have been eight to ten years of service.

“He’ll have a good home with you,” Noah said, but there was something in his voice that let her know he had been thinking what she had: Snapper was too young and too good to retire.

“Or, he can be assigned a new partner until he is old enough to retire, and then we can decide where he should live when he is an old man.” Katie scratched Snapper’s snout, and his tail thumped rhythmically.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Reed said, joining the small crowd of K-9 handlers, his wife, Abigail, and her emotional-support dog, Jet, beside him.

“Who do you think could handle him?” Luke Hathaway asked, his arm slung around his new wife, Sophie.

“If you want my opinion,” Finn Gallagher said, “Lani is the perfect choice.”

“Me?” Lani looked shocked, her eyes wide as she studied the faces of the other members of the K-9 team. Her time on the team had been limited, but she would always be part of the family they had become. If not for her relationship with Noah, she would have continued to be part of the team. They all knew and accepted that.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Finn’s wife, Eva, said, her guide dog, Cocoa, beside her. “Not that I know much, but Finn keeps telling me what a great asset you were to the team. And, since you’ll be working for another K-9 unit soon, why not be paired with Snapper?”

Soon the entire team was discussing the idea of Lani working with Snapper. Only Noah remained quiet. He probably felt that his relationship with Lani would make his opinion seem biased.

“I think,” Tony interrupted, “Katie should make the decision. She has spent more time with Snapper than any of us.”

The group went silent, all eyes fixed on Katie.

She looked at each of the men and women who had known and loved Jordan, and she thought about how much he had loved all of them. This was what he would want—the dog he had worked with so diligently being passed on to a fledgling handler. Both of them working together to serve the community he had loved.

“I think Lani and Snapper will make a good team,” she said, her throat suddenly tight, her eyes burning.

Making the decision felt like turning the last page of a wonderful story—beautiful and sad, all at the same time.

“Are you sure?” Lani asked. “It’s obvious he is bonded with you, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to allow him to keep working.”

“It’s what Jordan would want. It is what I want. So, yes, I’m sure. And, I do like that he’ll stay in the family.”

“I can’t tell you how much this means to me,” Lani said, pulling her in for a long hug.

“You know what would mean a lot to me?” Gavin Sutherland asked. “Going into the reception area and eating something. I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m starving.”

The group began walking away, but Katie stayed where she was, watching them leave, listening to their laughter. Near the doorway to the reception area, Ivy and Alexander were entertaining Ellie and Jordyn Rose. Noah and Lani were walking hand in hand, with their heads bent together. Carter and Rachelle were standing face-to-face, talking quietly as they looked into each other’s eyes. Zach and Violet were just a few feet away, laughing quietly about something.

Katie couldn’t help thinking that despite how their lives had been devastated, they had all found their joy again.

“What are you thinking?” Tony asked, his hands settling on her waist as he turned her so they were facing each other.

“Life. About how one season can bring sorrow and another joy. About family and how happy I am to be part of this one. Maybe even about love and how nice it is to see so many people find it.”

“You know what I’ve been thinking?” He kissed her gently, his lips barely dancing across hers.

“That they probably have chocolate cake at the reception, and that’s your favorite?”

He chuckled. “No. I’ve been thinking about life, too. About how one season brings loss and another abundance. About family and how much it means to be part of one. About love and how easy the word is to say when I’m with you. And, I’ve been thinking about forever and how wonderful it would be to spend it with you.”

“Tony,” she began, but she wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. She didn’t know if she could say anything that would be as beautiful as the words he had just spoken to her.

“I know this is a tough day, Katie. For all of us. And, I know that nothing can change that, but one thing I learned from losing Jordan is that now is never too soon to say what needs to be said.”

He reached into his pocket, and her heart stopped. Her breath caught. The world seemed to stand still. He pulled out a small velvet box, and his hand shook just a little as he opened it.

“I never knew what home was until I met you. I never understood what it meant to belong until I looked into your eyes. I don’t think I ever felt love until I sat in the hospital room with you and watched you hold your newborn daughter. I can’t imagine walking through life without you by my side, and I can’t imagine growing old with anyone but you. I love you, Katie. Will you marry me?”

She wanted to say yes. She did. But, the word stuck in her throat as tears flooded her eyes.

She reached for Tony, felt his arms close around her.

“It’s okay to cry,” he whispered against her ear. “It’s okay to mourn what you lost.”

“I know,” she said, burying her face in the warmth of his chest. “But, I don’t want to cry for what I’ve lost. I want to rejoice in what I have.”

She stepped back, wiping tears from her eyes.

“When I lost Jordan, I closed myself off to love. I convinced myself that I would never meet someone who could melt the ice around my heart. I wasn’t looking for love, Tony. I didn’t even want it with you.”

“Is that a yes?” someone asked, and she realized that the team had returned and was surrounding them, a wall of love created by people who knew the weight of Katie’s sorrow and the depth of her loss. She didn’t see judgment in any of their eyes; she saw joy.

“Yes, it is,” she replied, levering up on her toes and kissing Tony with all of the passion and love she had to offer.

This second chance at happiness was a precious gift, and she wouldn’t squander it. She wouldn’t forget how miraculous each breath was, how beautiful each moment.

His arms slipped around her, and he pulled her close, his warmth reminding her of every bright sunrise after every long, dark night.

“Congratulations!” More than a dozen voices shouted in unison, the loudness of it scaring Jordyn Rose. She let out a high-pitched cry.

Katie pulled back, still looking into Tony’s dark eyes as she took the baby from Alexander’s arms. “I love you, Tony. Don’t ever forget it.”

He smiled, his lips skimming her forehead as he wiped a few tears from Jordyn Rose’s face. When he finished, he lifted Katie’s left hand and slid the ring on her finger.

She lifted her hand, surprised by the simple beauty of the stunning diamond solitaire, a small pink diamond nestled beside it. “It’s beautiful, Tony.”

“A diamond for each of my girls,” he responded, lifting Jordyn Rose from Katie’s arms and then taking her hand.

“Ready?” he asked, and she smiled.

“To eat?”

“To step into the future together.”

“You know what?” she responded, pulling him a step closer. “I am.”

If you enjoyed this series, look for True Blue K-9 Unit Christmas by Laura Scott and Maggie K. Black.

Keep reading for an excerpt from Soldier’s Christmas Secrets by Laura Scott.