a horse ride, and you stayed with my friends?”
“Yeah, I ’member.” Rex wiped his tears with the back of his sleeve.
Theo picked him up. “Lila, could you call Judd and tell him we found Rex?” He tossed her his phone.
As Lila held the phone, selecting Judd’s name from Theo’s contact list with still-shaking hands, Theo spoke softly to Rex, telling him it would be okay and he knew the way home.
Rex sniffled, his top lip wobbling as he nodded, all traces of his earlier persona melted down to just a scared, tiny five-year-old.
“I got him,” Lila said. She handed Theo his phone. “He’s meeting us at the house.”
A sleeping hound dog met Theo, Lila, and Rex inside the front door as they entered the old farmhouse, a blast of heat from the fire inside thawing them out.
“What’s his name?” Lila asked, when Rex wriggled down from Theo’s arms to hug his pet.
“His name’s Winston,” Rex said.
Winston raised his head, his ears perking up at his name. When nothing else happened, he put his snout back onto his paws and exhaled loudly, completely oblivious to everything that had just gone on.
“Oh, my baby!” Trudy cried, as she rushed toward them from the back of the house with Judd on her heels.
“He was chasing deer,” Theo said, ruffling Rex’s hair.
“The farm is so busy right now that we can hardly keep up. Rex is always helping, but I wish he didn’t have to work with us all day. Rex, honey, you never follow those animals into the woods, okay? Even if you get bored. You find us.” Trudy’s eyes glistened with emotion as she pulled her son into an enormous embrace. Judd wrapped his large arms around his little family.
“Thank you,” Judd said, his emotion causing his words to break as he said them.
“It’s no problem,” Theo said. “Hey, if you’re busy tomorrow, I don’t mind taking Rex for the day. Lila and I can take him out somewhere fun.” He gave Lila a small smile of solidarity.
“You can drop him by my cabin in the morning if you want to,” Lila added.
Rex lit up as though it was Christmas morning. “Can I, Mama?”
“Of course,” Trudy said.
Then Rex gave Theo a big hug. “Thank you for saving me,” he said.
“You’re welcome.” Theo gave him a squeeze right back.
Lila was overcome watching the two of them, knowing that this night could’ve turned out so differently were it not for Theo’s quick thinking. He’d been a hero in every way tonight, and from the look in Rex’s eyes, the little boy thought so too.
Lila patted the empty spot on the sofa in the cabin. She’d asked Theo to come back with her, her nerves still a wreck after the whole ordeal. Now she struggled to keep her eyes open, the events of the night getting the better of her. Exhausted, she rested her head on Theo’s shoulder, noticing how his chest was rising and falling steadily, and when she pulled her eyes away from it to look up at him, he offered her a brooding smile. “I’ll go so you can get to bed,” he whispered, getting up, but she stopped him.
“Stay just a little longer,” she said. Resting her elbow on the back of the couch, she leaned on her hand. She was barely able to stay awake. She’d just close her eyes for a second…
She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she’d drifted off, but she felt Theo slip his arms around her, pulling her gently toward him where she rested in the crook of his arm. She was so comfortable that she dared not open her eyes to ruin the moment. Then, just as she was starting to drift away again, she heard Theo whisper something to her, evidently thinking she was fast asleep.
“My last name is Perry,” he said, barely making a sound with his words. “Theo Perry.”
Thirteen
There was a loud pulse across the room, causing Lila to swim out of her sleep. She was increasingly aware of how comfortable she was, and the tranquility of the silence between each ping. Her body was heavy with the absolute calmness she felt in that moment, and she had to force herself to keep from slipping back into dreamland. Finally, she opened her eyes, only to realize that she and Theo were still cuddled up together on the sofa. Her head rested on his chest, his arm draped over her, his steady breathing coming to an abrupt stop under her