She smiled wanly at Charlie and did not even respond to Tee Dee’s exuberant greeting with real enthusiasm. The puppy settled down quickly as if he sensed something was wrong, curling up on the seat between Mari and Charlie. Dusty kept a steadying arm around her shoulders all the way out to the site. She seemed content to rest against him.
Not until Mari was settled on the couch with water and a soda within easy reach did Dusty even think about trying to catch up with the architects. Even then, he hated to leave her alone, but when Charlie volunteered to check in with her every half hour or so, he decided he’d better get back to work.
As soon as he stepped out of the motor home, Dusty picked up his phone and called Will Braden. Although Will was officially just in charge of the surveyors
