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Not bothering to close my door, I rush to my room and toss on the first pieces of clothing I pull from my floor before jogging the distance to her cabin. She’s waiting on the porch for me, tapping her foot with irritation, arms crossed over her ample breasts. She’s so damn attractive. No. You’re supposed to stay away.
Sorry, Dad. Not gonna be possible.
“Did you say my dog is in your house?” I ask, panting lightly from the short run. “By the way, I’m Jeremy.”
“Well, I’m annoyed,” she grumps once again, not giving me her name. Gesturing for me to follow her into the small house.
“Nice to meet you, annoyed,” I try again for levity. What the hell crawled up her ass?
We hasten through the living area, and into the back hall where the two bedrooms are located. And with each step my confusion grows. How did Blue even get in here? He has the run of our land and can come and go from my house as he pleases, but this cabin doesn’t have a dog door. And my new neighbor lady doesn’t seem like the open-door type.
All becomes clear a moment later when we enter the smaller of the two bedrooms. Sitting amongst an enormous pile of stuffed animals piled high on a queen-sized bed is the adorable boy from yesterday. He’s awake and showing each toy to my dog, who is lying on his belly atop the Jurassic Park comforter.
Blue gazes at the boy lovingly, listening with rapt attention as he talks about the Godzilla stuffy.
“This one Santa brought me for Christmas last year,” he says happily, smiling up at his mom as she enters the room. The second he catches sight of me behind her, his cherubic little face falls, turning pale. To my horror, tears well in his eyes, and the need to fix it immediately sets in. Sensing his new best friend’s tension, Blue lumbers over to sit beside him, fixing me with a woeful gaze. He places a paw on the little boy’s hand, then drops his head to lie on Theo’s shoulder.
“See, your dog’s here in my son’s room. I don’t know how he got in, but he won’t leave,” she huffs, flinging her arms toward the bed. “I tried pulling him off the bed, but he’s like a boulder. And then he growled at me.”
“That’s because he doesn’t want to leave Mom,” the kid pouts, wrapping his arms around Blue and hugging him close. “I want to keep him. He knocked on my window last night and when I opened it he jumped in. Isn’t that cool?”
Well, I guess that answers one question. Though why Blue would feel like he has to sleep with this little boy is beyond me. A seed of worry takes root in my mind, and I can’t help but wonder if they need help. He’s always been an extremely intuitive dog, and there’s no denying his strange attachment to these people. Ya, he loves kids, but not in such an obsessive way. Twisting my head to the side, I observe his body language, the protective way he’s guarding the kid. Is the mom abusing him?
“Theo, he’s not our dog to keep,” she says, sitting gently on the bed and running her fingers through his hair lovingly.
“Because you and Dad would never get me a dog even though I asked and asked,” he shouts, hugging Blue even tighter. My dog flops over him, nuzzling his big, wet nose on the boy’s cheek as though he is promising to stay.
Annoyed’s gaze flickers to mine, then quickly away, before she swallows hard. Seeing her embarrassment at my presence during this awkward moment, I wade in, hoping to ease the tension.
“Well, Theo, unfortunately, you can’t keep Blue. I need him because he helps me do pretty much everything. He has all kinds of jobs on the ranch and he’s also a hero. Blue’s trained in search and rescue, so he finds people who get lost,” I say, moving further into the room.
“He saves people?” the boy asks, stroking Blue’s ears before shooting his mother a snide look. “See, he’s not a dangerous dog. He’s a hero dog, Mom. He can protect us.”
Protect them from what? My neighbor is staring at her son in horror. But I know it’s not my place to ask right now. Ignoring the slip, I plow on as if I didn’t hear it.
“He is,” I explain. “See, he’s actually a breed of dog called a Bluetick Coonhound, and they have a great sense of smell. So, if someone gets lost, it’s up to me and Blue to help find them.”
Theo pets Blue as he digests the information, a little furrow to his all too serious brow as he tries to think of a way to still keep my dog. The cogs are turning in his head, but I recognize the part of him that is clearly lonely and in need of a friend. My heart goes out to him though, with six brothers, I’ve never been lonely a day in my life.
“You can’t keep him, but we could work on his training together. If your mom is okay with it,” I offer, glancing at the woman in question. She clasps her hands in front of her chest, and my words prompt her to bring her thumb to her mouth, chewing on the nail and giving away her anxiety.
“Yes!” Theo crows, pumping his fist in the air. “I can tell all my new friends about it if Mom ever lets me go to school!”
If she lets him go to school? Yeah, something is sure going on here. This duo is a puzzle that I’m eager to solve. But for now, I think a retreat is in order. And maybe a bit of research.
“Sounds good. I’ll check with your Mom, and we can set up a time.” Whistling for Blue, I breathe out a sigh of relief when he leaps from the bed and comes directly to my side. Reaching down, I stroke his soft, smooth head and he leans into me.
Nodding at Annoyed, I hightail it out of there like my ass is on fire.
Chapter Four
The tinkling bell overhead alerts the entire SAR Team to my presence when I enter New Moon Bakery. I smile in greeting, happy to see my teammates. The last month has been busy with rescue after rescue, plus all the work at the ranch since my parents’ retirement, and I’m looking forward to having a bit of time to just catch up with them. Drew, our team leader, comes out of the back room with a pretty pink gloss smeared across his lips, and I chuckle.
“Having fun, Boss Man?” I throw out, teasing the surly bear. He loves me; I just know it.
He glowers at me before smirking back, “Jealous, pretty boy?”
“Nope, one day Tilly will come to her senses and dump your cranky ass. Then she can have all of this,” I joke, gesturing to myself just as the beauty in question comes around the corner, fixing her long, shiny brown hair and adjusting her top. She looks around her bakery quizzically before her eyes land on Blue. Knowing just what he’s doing, the brilliant beast hits her with his saddest stare.
