Page 120 of Daybreak

“Open house is Saturday, and if it suits her, I already have my first renter. Wendy Jennings, the young nurse who caught the bouquet at our wedding,” she said.

“That’s amazing,” Gunner said. “And you know how that goes. The first one is the seed that starts the garden growing. I predict you’ll have it fully rented within months. Will they have restrictions to agree with?”

She nodded. “The usual. No drugs. No pets. Consideration toward your neighbors next door. Rent will come out with automatic withdrawal like the rest of the world. If they don’t have a job and a bank account, then they need a motel, not an apartment.”

* * *

By Saturday, the town was buzzing about the open house at Hollyberry Apartments.

Wendy Jennings was waiting for the doors to open and was the first one through the door. Gunner volunteered to handle security and was a silent presence as people walked inside. Holly was on the ground floor leading tours, and Trudy Dillon was on the top floor doing the same.

The moment Wendy learned the rent was within her budget, she chose the downstairs apartment at the south end of the building, facing east. She picked up an application and went home to fill it out. There was no required deposit, which was huge. Now she had to wait and see if her application was accepted. By the time the event was over, five other people had asked for applications.

It was a huge success.

Holly Kingston was in business.

Gunner was proud of her but was beginning to feel at loose ends. He was going to have to come up with some other projects just to stay busy.

* * *

There were business owners in Crossroads who had another plan in mind for Gunner. The problem was going to be convincing him. Most of them were doubtful, considering he had no need to work, but others disagreed.

They had everything figured out, and what they could contribute to the project to make it happen. There was nothing left to do but confront him, but finding the opportune time wasn’t as simple as it seemed. They all wanted to be present when they asked him, and their own jobs and free time were out of sync with the plan.

* * *

Every day, Gunner went to the Tumbleweed to help his dad get ready to open, while Holly was in her office checking out credit scores and references for potential renters.

It was nearing noon. The last customer in the bar had gone home only a few minutes earlier, and Gunner was getting ready to get his dad’s lunch when he heard a dog bark. Stray dogs in Crossroads weren’t a thing. Dogs were either in someone’s backyard or were little house dogs that got carried everywhere.

He turned around toward the front entrance and saw a big yellow dog at the door and a little boy covered in blood standing beside him.

“Dad! What the hell?” he said and bolted toward the door with Jacob at his heels.

The moment he stepped out on the porch, he could see the child was in shock. He touched the dog to make sure he’d let him close, and when the dog accepted his presence, he knelt in front of the boy.

“Hey, buddy, is this your dog?”

He nodded. “Buster.”

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Sam.”

“Sam, there’s a lot of blood on you. Where are you hurt?” Gunner asked.

“Mommy’s hurt. Her’s a’bleedin’,” Sam said.

“A wreck. It must be close by,” Jacob said. “I’ll take the boy and call Reddick.”

Gunner picked up the little boy. “Hey, Sam, this is my daddy. His name is Jacob. I’m going to look for your mommy. Can you show me where to go look?”

The little boy pointed east, which explained why they’d stopped here. The bar was the first building at the edge of town.

“Tell Reddick,” Gunner said and handed him to Jacob. “I’m about to see if Buster has any bloodhound in him.”

Jacob went back inside with the child as Gunner walked off the porch.