Acquiring Trouble

Annie , was talking baby stuff with his sister, Paige. They were both looking very round as they finished up their seventh month of pregnancy. He couldn't wait to be an uncle. He’d s poil them rotten.
    "Son, how are you doing?"
    "I'm fine Dad." Miles nodded to his dad and took the beer he offered. His father, Jake, was a tall quiet man. His brown hair had started to gray. Most of his sons looked just like him.
    "I know you've taken your role as big brother seriously, but if there’s something bothering you, you know you can come to me, right."
    "Dad, nothing's bothering me." Miles turned to the sound of the front door opening and saw Katelyn Jacks and her family enter .
    "Well, just remember what I said." His father gave him a pat on the back before walking away.
    Miles watched as Katelyn , a former model dressed perfectly with her long blonde hair put up into a sleek ponytail , mad e the rounds . He worried that with her here he w ouldn't be able to talk to Marshall . He really liked the new veterinarian, but Marshall tended to have tun nel vision when she was around.
     
    After talking to Katelyn's father about a possible deal between his hotels and the farmers , Miles was feeling like his old self. This could be his second biggest account and would strengthen Family Farms for the war he was sure Top Producers would wage.
    Finally he saw his brother sneaking into the house. He excused himself from talking about the bust with Cole and intercepted Marshall before he g ot across the room to Katelyn. But, it was to no avail. Tunnel vision had set in . B etween Marshall's preoccupation with getting to Katelyn and their mother calling for dinner , Miles decided not to bother him . Clearly Marshall had other matters on his mind. Miles would just take care of it himself just like he'd taken care of everything and everyone else in his life… by himself.

 
Chapter Three
     
    Miles stopped his car at the gate to his property and stepped out to undo the chain. He checked the piece of clear tape he kept on it to see if it had been opened while he was gone. After scanning the horizon for movement and listening for out-of-place sounds, Miles returned to his car. Old habits from the war were hard to break.
    He had a medium - sized pond between the gate and the house filled with geese that honked if they were bothered. The geese lifted their heads and honked in welcome as he drove by. He checked the motion sensor that was hidden in the tree line to make sure the detectors were n’t obscured. A small red light was blinking so he stopped the car. That meant something had set it off.
    He opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a sniper rifle. He clipped on the night scope and started a systematic scan of his property. Through the green lens he saw a deer munching on the berry bush, a possum chilling in a tree, a dog sitting on his front porch, and a herd of cows munching on the grass... wait, a dog on his porch? He didn't have a dog. He was not a pet person.
    Miles finished his scan and determined the stray dog had set off the motion sensor. He drove up to the house and parked his car in the garage. Miles walked slowly toward the small dog trying to determine if it was friendly. The dog looked like a corgi mix with a really long tail. He had a gray face, black nose, tan hair with dark brown ears , and a white chest. His legs were short and stumpy. When Miles looked into the dog's sad brown eyes , all he could think about was this dog had an old soul. Something tugged at his heart strings when the dog sat up on his hind legs and waved at him.
    "I guess you expect me to let you into the house and take care of you, huh?" Miles smiled when the dog batted his big lashes and gave a little yip. "Okay, but only for tonight." The dog thumped his tail and followed him inside the house.
     
    Miles undressed and lay down in bed after checking all the door and window locks. He set the alarm, but turn ed off the mo tion sensor with the dog in the house .
    He shut his eyes and a pair of violet eyes danced before him as he drifted off to sleep. In his dream he was kissing Morgan again all those years ago. Then the shot rang out. Morgan's eyes widened as she fell to the ground. When he looked up he was no longer at the graduation party, he was in the mountains of Afghanistan.
     
    Afghanistan, six years ago…
     
    Morgan was gone and he was looking through his scope at his brother, Cade. He was behind a large rock with a shoulder rocket