Mind Games

“What you got? A fox, a rabbit? No chasing the wildlife unless they’re after the chickens or the garden. We’ve talked about that.”

His tail switched as she rounded the corner. She spotted the big SUV in front of Miss Leona’s, and the man, the little boy. The boy let out a squeal, started running just as Bunk let out a delighted woof and did the same.

She heard the man call out: “Braydon, stop!” but it didn’t do him much good. He charged after the boy, had him scooped up by the time she’d snapped at Bunk to stop and sit—and succeeded.

“Daddy, doggie! Daddy, doggie!”

“He’s harmless.” But Thea got a grip on Bunk’s collar as he trembled with joy because she felt the fear pumping off the man for the boy. “He loves kids.”

“For breakfast?”

She started to laugh, then when the boy tried to dive free of his father’s arms, she got her first real look at Miss Leona’s great-grandson.

The sixteen-year-old girl inside her would have let out a squeal to rival the little boy’s if she hadn’t managed to hold it in.

Code Red might have disbanded nearly five years before, but she knew Tyler Brennan’s face.

And here he stood, a little boy in his arms, on the side of the road, about a quarter mile from her house. Hair she’d always thought of as top-shelf bourbon fell in disordered waves. His face, chiseled, just gorgeous, wore a two- or three-day stubble. At the moment those long green eyes aimed straight at Bunk with deep suspicion.

Thea did her best to quell the teenager bouncing and babbling inside her.

“Bunk’s as gentle as he is big.” It helped her behave herself to focus on the boy, a miniature version of his father. “Maybe you’d like to say, ‘Hi, Bunk,’ and wave.”

“Hi, Bunk!” The little boy waved enthusiastically. “Hi, Bunk. Want to play, Daddy!”

“Say hi, Bunk.”

At Thea’s words, the dog lifted his right paw, waved it in the air. His eyes shined with love under the rust-colored markings, and if a dog could grin, Bunk grinned.

“I know his size is intimidating,” Thea began.

“You think?”

“His heart’s just as big. I’m Thea Fox. I live back up the lane a bit. Bunk loved visiting Miss Leona.”

Ty’s attention shifted from the dog to the woman. “You’re Thea. Granny talked about you and your family. I appreciate, a lot, everything you did for her.”

“We loved her,” Thea said simply. “She didn’t talk a lot about her family, but I know how much it meant to her you called every week, and arranged for her to spend Christmas with the rest of you up north.”

“I couldn’t make it to the funeral. Bray was sick, and couldn’t travel. Then…” He looked back at the house, trailed off. “Anyway. I’m Tyler Brennan, her great-grandson.”

“I know. I might as well say it. I’m a big fan of Code Red. My grandmother took me and two good friends to your concert in Louisville for my sixteenth birthday.”

“I thought you looked familiar.” He smiled, and the tiny dimple at the right corner of his mouth came out with it.

The teenage girl inside all but fainted.

“Well, when y’all did ‘Ever Yours,’ I knew you sang it to me. Bunk,” she said quietly when he edged closer.

“Doggie. Daddy, please!”

“Me first. You ride.”

Braydon agilely climbed around to ride his father’s back. “I really need this hand,” he said, but held it out for Bunk to sniff.

Skipping the sniff part of the introduction, Bunk angled so Ty’s hand lay on top of his head, then pressed against it until that hand rubbed.

“Okay, pal, you be gentle.”