The dog didn’t even glance at Theo. His focus was locked on the girl, and he shot toward her, as straight as an arrow to a bull’s-eye. Visions of vulnerable flesh bitten and bleeding flashed in Theo’s mind, and he lunged after Viggy. His fingers brushed the harness strap across Viggy’s back, but the dog scooted out of reach, twisting around the little girl’s legs, stretching up to…lick her face? Giggling, the child crouched down to the dog’s level, using both hands to scratch his ruff.
It took a stunned moment for the dog’s action to sink in to Theo’s brain, for the lack of screams to register and the roar of blood in his ears to ease. The other kids, unaware of Theo’s earlier terror, circled around the girl and dog, reaching to pet Viggy, who rolled onto his back to get his belly scratched.
Theo took a few breaths, still feeling the rush of adrenaline coursing through him, burning away the numbness. His current state of alertness felt uncomfortable but also kind of, well, good. He closed his eyes for just a second, enjoying the flow of blood and the hard beat of his heart. It felt like his body was finally thawing after being frozen for a long time.
“What’s his name?” Reluctant warmth filled Jules’s voice. Theo’s heart rate increased a little more, and he frowned, his eyes snapping open.
Quit lusting after the squirrelly waitress, he told himself firmly. His body didn’t listen. “Viggy.”
“He’s your dog?” the little girl asked, smiling up at him from her place on the floor next to Viggy. “I’d like a horse, but a dog would be good, too. We can’t get one yet, though. Jules says we need to focus on keeping all of us alive before we add any dependents.”
An audible inhale from Jules caught Theo’s attention, and he looked at her sharply. What about the girl’s statement had upset Jules? Was it the implication that they didn’t have much money, or had Jules meant “survival” in its most immediate form—were their lives in danger? He examined her face closely, but Jules flushed and dropped her gaze to the dog.
“Is he?” The little girl urged, and Theo’s focus shifted to her again.
“He’s my…” He paused just a second. “He was my friend’s partner.”
The oldest boy looked up from his position crouched by Viggy’s head. He’d been scratching the dog’s upside-down ears, and his hand stilled as he spoke for the first time. “H-he’s a p-p-police dog?”
“Yes.” Viggy waved a paw, urging the teen to continue, and Theo gave an amused grunt. The blissed-out dog, sprawled on his back with his tongue hanging out, was a completely different animal than the stressed, unhappy creature he’d been since Don’s death. Theo felt a twinge of gratitude for the family who’d returned the dog to his previous self, even if it was only for a minute or two.
One of the twins regarded Viggy with interest. “Is he trained to find drugs, then? Or does he chase after the bad guys and take them down?”
For the second time in as many minutes, Theo felt the foreign urge to smile. He managed to contain it. “Explosives. And the second one. He’s a dual-purpose dog.”
“He sniffs out bombs? Awesome.”
Theo’s gaze slid to Jules, and he saw she was regarding him thoughtfully. “Did you need something?” she asked.
The question confused him at first, random answers bouncing around in his head. There were so many things he needed. He needed peace, he needed Viggy to get over Don’s death, he needed to get over Don’s death. Theo might even need Jules. He knew he wanted her. “What?”
“Why are you here?”
Feeling caught, he rubbed a hand over his mouth before answering. Even that extra couple of seconds didn’t give him time to think of a good excuse for his presence, so he just blurted out the truth. “I wanted to check on you.”
She flinched, and Theo grimaced. That hadn’t come out right.
“Your house is isolated,” he tried explaining, searching for the right words that would erase her hunted look. “You’re out here alone.” Great, now he was sounding like a psycho stalker. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I was…” He shifted uncomfortably. “I was worried.”
After regarding him in silence for a few awkward seconds, Jules smiled. The fearful, timid waitress he’d met at the diner was nowhere to be seen, and he found he couldn’t look away. The sight of Jules and the kids and a happy Viggy made his lungs tighten, and he forced his head to turn toward the stove again. The smoke had stopped, and it was time—past time—for Theo to go.
He opened his mouth to tell Viggy to heel, but he closed it again. The dog’s normal reaction was to ignore him and curl into a miserable ball, and a part of Theo—a rather huge part—didn’t want this family to think his dog was unhappy with him.
“We’d better go.” He focused on the younger girl. “Do you want to help bring Viggy outside?”
“Yes!” Her face lit, and she jumped to her feet. “C’mon, Viggy!” She ran out of the kitchen, the twins following. Theo watched as the dog bounded after the kids, his tail up and wagging hard. It was the first time in a long time he’d seen Viggy without his tail tucked between his legs.
“Thank you.” At the sound of Jules’s voice, Theo turned from the now-empty doorway. “For being so nice to them.”