The Expendable Dutton

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Amelia pulled to a stop outside the tattoo parlor and was relieved to see Yang and Christmas ready to go but she was puzzled as to why Tool was all packed up too.

"Tool? You coming with?"

"Of course I am darlin'. I've gotta feeling that you're going to need a fourth person with ya." Amelia smiled softly as she jerked her head towards the back of the truck for them to place their bags.

"Put your bags in the bed. Who wants to start the drive there?" Amelia asked as she hoped out of the driver's seat and leaned back against her truck as she waited for the three.

"I'll start driving. Where're we going?" Lee asked as he came around and moved to open the driver door.

"Montana is where we're going."

"Huh. Montana it is." Yang got in the back with Amelia, shooting her a glance at the two large dogs that were sitting on the floor of the back seat. Tool got in the front passenger seat. They started driving, Lee having the GPS up on the truck to make sure they didn't get lost.

"So, darlin', who are these beautiful beasties?" Tool asked, twisting around and making eye contact with her and giving scratches to Tia. Winston was laying over Amelia's feet and hadn't moved anything besides his eyes after they had started driving.

"That is Tia and this is Winston. The others I left at home."

"Others?" Yang asked.

"Yep, I have nine dogs, five of which are rescued puppies."

"And you have horses, if I'm remembering your last phone call right?" Christmas asked.

"Yep, I have a small ranch with five horses that I use to teach riding and barrel racing with."

"So you know animals pretty well?" Yang asked.

Amelia snorted.

"I should hope so. I grew up on a cattle ranch, had to have picked up a few things there, right?"

Tool whistled.

"I never woulda guessed that! What made you decide to join the military then?"

Amelia shrugged. "One of my brothers had joined so I followed his footsteps. He went home afterwards and I found you all and I stayed."

Silence fell over them as Tia laid down, tucking her head beside Winston.

"For what it's worth, can't imagine the team without ya," Christmas rasped. Amelia met his eyes and grinned.

"I know, without me you definitely would've been killed."

That caused Tool and Yang to laugh as Christmas began to protest. Amelia just kept grinning as she relaxed as well as she could against the backseat. Yeah, these guys and the rest of the Expendables were hers.

Three stops later and 19 hours later, Amelia was now driving on familiar roads. It was almost dark out. Lee and Yang were in the back with Tool still in the passenger seat.

Amelia called Beth.

"Hello?"

"Have they left yet?" Amelia didn't beat around the bush, Beth is the same way.

"They just did."

"Damn, I'm about thirty minutes away from the house. Which pasture was the fence cut at?"

"Pasture 14."

"Okay, I'm starting to see the beginning of our property. How pissed do you think Daddy will be if I drive through it all?"