Mind Games

“Who wouldn’t?” Thea agreed when Ty took a book from the shelf.

She sat on the bed so Bray could see the pictures and follow along.

Less than ten pages in, Ty reached over. “He’s out.” He tucked the covers, skimmed a hand over Bray’s hair. “He had a big day.”

After taking the book, setting it aside, he took her hand. “Let’s go downstairs. I’ll start a fire. I’m getting pretty good at it. We can have some wine, raid Bray’s candy stash. Maybe a little later, you’ll show me some ninja moves.”

“I do have some.”

“Yeah, I saw that once already, with a real sword. Time for an encore.”

She didn’t dream of a storm that night, but of standing at her window—closed tight, locked tight—and watching one build over the hills she loved.

Lightning flashed in the distance, and the mutter of thunder followed.

In the dream, she shivered.

She woke with a mild headache, and rose to let Bunk out, to step out herself to let the brisk autumn air clear it away. She’d promised Bray another round of pancakes, and had stocked Ty’s house with what she needed.

At home in his kitchen now, she put the coffee on, lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper for the bacon. With the headache gone, she hummed to herself.

She wondered if she could talk Ty into taking Bray on a Saturday morning hike. The fall morning just called out for one.

They could circle around, come down the trail behind her grandmother’s, pay a visit there.

Too pretty to spend a Saturday inside, to her mind. She could go up, feed the chickens, get her boots, then—

The arms that came around her from behind made her jump, then laugh.

“Who doesn’t love coming into the kitchen on a Saturday morning and finding a beautiful woman making breakfast, and the coffee waiting?”

“I promised pancakes.”

“Yeah, you did.” After kissing the side of her neck, Ty went straight for the coffee. “And since the first time you did, Bray says the boxed mix is yuck.”

“I wouldn’t say yuck, but compared?”

Ty gulped coffee. “He hasn’t yet refused frozen pizza, but I fear that day may come. Thankfully tots are still on the approved list.”

“I bet I can make them from scratch.”

He looked sincerely aggrieved. “Please don’t. Seriously. I’ve got to have some fallback here.”

He leaned back against the counter. “I know you’re doing that dinner party thing, coming up on that. But how about an adult dinner neither of us have to cook? If Lucy would take Bray again. We’re going on six months without a single traditional date.”

“We’re not really traditional people.”

“Aren’t you, Thea?”

She glanced over. “I guess, in some ways.”

“I guess in some ways, so am I. And in that traditional way, I’d like to take you out to dinner.”

“Daddy.”

“Hey, pal,” he said, but his eyes stayed on Thea’s.

“I can’t find Grave Digger.”