traditional sense, Jasper thought, not sure if the news was good or bad.
He and Verity went inside and followed Renee into the family room. Koda eased in behind Jasper, as if not sure what to expect.
“Renee tells me you’re an author,” Verity said easily. “While I’m sure I’ve heard of you, I have to admit, I don’t read suspense novels. I prefer a little less violence and death.”
“Makes sense.” He wasn’t sure what to do. Stay standing? Sit down? Bolt?
He motioned to the sofa, then said, “Can I get you something?”
Renee ignored him. “Mom, could you talk to Koda, please?”
Her mother’s looked sharpened, but she nodded and sank to the floor, then called Koda over. The dog crossed to her before sitting in front of her. Their eyes met.
Jasper didn’t know what was about to happen. Renee wouldn’t look at him and from the tension he saw in her body, he knew she was on the edge.
He returned his attention back to Verity and Koda. They just stared at each other for a few seconds, then Koda whined and lay down while Verity stroked him. She nodded, as if she were getting information and wanted the dog to know she understood. Which wasn’t happening, he reminded himself. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t—
“He’s a sweet boy,” Verity said, looking at Jasper. “He belonged to an older woman who got very sick. Koda says she went away. I don’t know if that means they had to move her into a nursing home or if she died. She made her son promise to look after Koda, but instead he dumped him somewhere that frightened Koda. He was lonely and scared and starving when you found him.”
“Everyone knows how I found Koda,” Jasper said, trying not to sound disappointed in the badly done show. “The touch about the old lady is nice but—”
Renee glared at him. “Just listen,” she snapped.
Verity looked between them before continuing. “He still misses her, but thinks she would approve of you, Jasper. He wasn’t sure, at first. You almost didn’t keep him, but he’s glad you did. He likes living here. He likes the forest and the house and how you whistle for him when he’s gone too long exploring. You have nightmares and at first they frightened him. He would get on the bed to calm you. Now he knows you’re going to be okay. Sometimes he wakes you up so you stop screaming, but most of the time he only has to bump your arm to settle you. If he does wake you, he pretends he has to go out so you don’t know it’s really to help you.”
She paused and looked at Koda. “He says you work too much and should take more breaks and you need more people in your life.” She smiled at Renee. “He likes you and wishes you weren’t so scared of him. He would never hurt you.”
Jasper sank into a chair, unable to grasp what she’d told him. While she could make up a bunch of crap about Koda’s former owner, there was no way she could know about the nightmares or the fact that Jasper had almost not taken Koda or how much he worked or any of the rest of it. No one knew. No one except Koda himself.
No, he thought, shaking his head. It was a trick. It had to be. Only it wasn’t and with a certainty he couldn’t explain and that sure as hell didn’t make sense, he believed her. He believed her!
Holy crap—Verity could talk to animals.
He looked at Renee. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Really? Because I did tell you and you said I was lying. You thought I was insane.”
She was right. He’d gotten angry because he’d been disappointed. He’d thought she was playing him. But she hadn’t been. She’d been telling the truth and based on what he’d just heard, he had no choice but to believe her.
“I didn’t get it,” he admitted. “I mean I know you said the words, but this is incredible.”
He glanced at his dog, not sure what to say to him. “Is he happy?”
“He seems to be.”
All this time Koda’d been thinking those deep thoughts and Jasper hadn’t known. He returned his attention to Verity. “How does it work? Do you hear words or get impressions or what?”
“There are some words. The ones the animal knows. Koda knows his name. It was Buddy before, by the way, but he likes Koda. The rest