Free Justice for All by Olivia Hardin

contact with any of the hens. Finally he squinted and asked, “Where’s Ralph?”
    “Humph,” his mother fussed. “He’s not allowed in the house right now. He rolled around in something God-awful and stinks to high heaven. You can go see him out in the shed.”
    He kissed her forehead again and fled the room as fast as he could.
    When he got to the shed and opened the door, Ralph nearly knocked him to the ground. His mother hadn’t been exaggerating. Ralph had gotten into something absolutely rancid. Doing his best to breathe only through his mouth, he dropped back onto the ground and nuzzled his beloved beagle around the ears.
    “Miss me, boy? I missed you, too. Believe me, I’d take you home if I thought you wouldn’t hate the city. You’re a country boy, Ralph.”
    The brown and white dog licked at Van’s face and whined as if in pain. The two rolled around in the dirt and grass until Ralph finally calmed down enough that he could get back onto his feet.
    “C’mon, boy. It’s time to bathe some of this funk off you.”

 
    Van rolled over in bed and felt a cold, wet nose nuzzle into his neck. He reached a hand up from under the blankets and scratched Ralph behind the ear. In return, the dog licked his arm and then groaned with a huge stretch as Van scooting up to a sitting position.
    “Merry Christmas, boy.”
    Out of habit, Van reached for the nightstand and grabbed his smartphone, flicking through emails. He could smell the beginnings of breakfast from beyond his room, and his stomach rumbled in reaction. He knew when he walked into the kitchen, Aunt Betty would hand him a glass of orange juice before he even had the chance to say good morning.
    The thought of juice made his mind naturally revert to Kay. The easiness of that evening together was something he couldn’t seem to get out of his mind. He wasn’t one to give in to daydreaming but he wondered what things would be like if they were a couple. Would she help him strategize his regular Diplomacy games before bed? Would she sit at the bar and sip at her coffee while he made her breakfast?
    And if his thoughts of casual intimacy weren’t enough, thoughts of what he wanted to do to her in the bedroom had his body immediately reacting. He reached down to adjust himself, then scrolled through his phone to find her number.
    Before he could think better of it and stop himself, he texted her a simple Merry Christmas , then hopped out of bed to hit the bathroom. When he returned, there was a message from her that left him grinning.
    Merry Christmas. Are the hens making you breakfast? Just about to get dressed for church here.
    His lips tugged up into an even bigger smile. I can smell breakfast right now. I’ll make my appearance shortly in the kitchen to see what’s cooking.
    Slipping into a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, he grabbed at the phone a little too quickly when he heard the next notification.
    I hope you, the hens, and the roosters and all of your family have a very nice holiday, Van. Thanks again for the other night.
    And even in a text message, she could turn him speechless. Not that he couldn’t think of anything to respond, it was just that nothing he could say would be appropriate to his way of thinking. Everything that came to mind would only lead her on … and lead him on for that matter.
    Van stood still at the foot of his bed, phone held out in front of him. Ralph wiggled up, slithering on his belly. When he looked down at the dog, Ralph’s ears shifted back, and he cocked his head to the side.
    “Yeah, boy, I know. I know…”
    Then he whistled and flicked his wrist to motion Ralph down and dropped the phone into his pocket before heading for the kitchen.
     
    ~oOo~
     
    Kay stared at her cell phone a few moments and willed Van to make a reply. Silence screamed back at her. With a groan at her own silliness, she tossed the phone into the freshly made bed and started getting dressed. When a notification sounded, she practically