Mick and the rest of the deputies joined Ralphie and Mrs. Peters, all of them smiling at the joyful reunion. She thanked them profusely for their help, still holding Ralphie tightly until he told her she was squeezing the air out of him. After putting him down, but taking a firm hold of his hand, she offered coffee to everyone. The deputies declined, saying they had to get back to work. Mick accepted as he wanted to talk to the boy.
Once inside, Mrs. Peters hurried to the kitchen to make the coffee while Mick and Ralphie sat on the sofa in the living room.
“Are you mad at me, Sheriff Greene?” the boy asked a bit fearfully when Mick frowned at him.
“I’m not happy you ran away and made everyone worry about you,” Mick replied. “You know it was a very stupid thing to do. You could have gott
