by Jenny Hale
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 cheek. They both shot up quickly.
“That’s probably Trudy and Rex, texting,” she said, running her fingers through her disheveled hair.
Theo stood, blinking as if to clear his focus, his breathing still deep and relaxed as his body coped with the jolt of waking so quickly. He yawned, stretching his arms, and then straightening his wrinkled shirt before walking over to get his phone. “Yeah, it’s Rex,” he said with a sleepy grin as he returned a text. “He’s excited to go out with us today.”
“I’ll jump in the shower,” she said, glad for the diversion so they wouldn’t have to figure out how to interact with each other in this intimate situation. “Want to run home, and then come back and pick me up when you’re ready?”
“Yes,” he said, pulling the keys out of his pocket. “I’ll bring you a coffee.”
“You will?” she asked, unable to hide her delight over the gesture.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “Back in a bit.”
Lila fluffed the pillows on the sofa, smoothing out the dip in the cushions where she and Theo had awakened this morning, when Theo came in, carrying a to-go cup of coffee in each hand.
“For you,” he said, handing hers over.
Lila took it gratefully. She’d jumped straight into the shower after Theo had left. They’d gotten up so late that now it was after lunchtime, and all she’d had was a couple of pieces of leftover bacon she had in the fridge. She sat down in the chair across from Theo to wait for Trudy and Rex, basking in the slip of time she had to take in the lights of the Christmas tree and drink her coffee. She took a long, slow sip, her gaze landing on Theo.
“Is this… an almond milk latte?” she asked.
Theo laughed. “It came in a selection of milks I ordered,” he said. “I didn’t order it especially.” He’d never admit it; she knew that much.
“Of course,” she said, biting back her happiness.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock. Lila went to stand up, but Theo motioned for her to stay and relax.
“I’ll get the door,” he told her.
As Theo came in with Trudy and Rex, Lila set her coffee on the side table and stood up to greet them.
“How’s your leg?” Theo asked.
“Good,” Rex answered, giving him a high-five.
“I think it was just a twist,” Trudy said. “He was running around the house this morning—the best sight ever.” She played with the collar on his coat affectionately. “Thank you for taking him out for a bit today.”
“Of course,” Theo replied, and Trudy headed out, giving them a goodbye wave over her shoulder. “It’s after lunchtime already. Wanna get something to eat?”
Rex’s eyes lit up. “Yes, sir! I’m starvin’. Can we go to Arnold’s?”
Lila sent Theo a questioning look.
“Arnold’s is a local hamburger joint in town,” Theo explained.
“You know what it’s famous for?” Rex asked, beginning to bounce with excitement. “Horseshoe throwin’.”
“Horseshoe throwing?” she repeated, to be sure she’d heard him correctly. “A hamburger place with horseshoes?”
“But not just any kind,” Rex said. “They’re real heavy and you’ve gotta throw ’em through this bull’s-eye hole in the wall.”
A tiny smirk formed at the edges of Theo’s mouth. “We should get Lila to throw some of those horseshoes. She loves stuff like that.”
“Really?” Rex assessed Lila, looking her up and down.
“Yeah—horseshoes, mountain climbing… she’s real outdoorsy.”
Lila cut her eyes at Theo playfully. Then she squatted down by Rex. “I’d like to play horseshoes with you,” she said. “Will you show me how?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Rex said with a huge grin.
Arnold’s was nestled into one of the hillsides just above town, jutting out of it like a wild rock. It had a stone front with chocolate brown clapboard sides, and a stout chimney that sat in the center of the old tin roof. An old 1950s neon sign outlined in Christmas greenery flashed its name out front, and an icy river rushed past them to the side of the restaurant. Theo pulled the truck into the gravel parking lot and came to a stop.
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“Have you ever been bull ridin’, Miss Lila?” Rex asked. “There’s one at the fair. You oughta do it.” Rex had been talking a mile a minute all the way to the restaurant.
“There’s a bull at the Christmas fair?” Lila asked.
“A mechanical one,” Theo explained, cutting the engine. “They put a Christmas wreath around the horns.” He rolled his eyes for Lila’s benefit, before addressing Rex. “You know, Lila and I are going to the fair tonight.” He grinned deviously at her over Rex’s head, and she knew he was already thinking of trying to get her on that thing. But it didn’t matter to her one bit, because he’d just said he was going to the fair. She never thought she’d hear him say those words.
They hopped out of the truck and headed inside. A wave of heat from the giant stone fireplace in the center of the large space and the charcoal smell of the grill engulfed Lila. She paced across the cement floor, stopping when Rex bent down to try to pry out one of the old coins embedded in it throughout.
“You won’t ever be able to get one of those to come out,” a portly man with ruddy cheeks and a kind smile said to Rex, as he walked over to them. “He tries every time he comes in…” He clapped Theo on the back. “Nice to see you again, sir.”
Theo nodded hello.
The man turned back to Rex and Lila. “Glad you could get this guy out of his little coffee shop. Sometimes I think he sniffs too many coffee beans because no matter how hard I try, I can’t get him in here. And who wouldn’t want to come?” He waved a chubby arm around the establishment, and Lila took in the wall of flat-screen televisions, the chandeliers made of antlers hanging from rafters constructed with smooth logs that reached up to the center of the stone chimney, and the enormous fresh Fraser fir tree full of rustic ornaments in the corner.
The man leaned in toward Lila as if he had a secret to tell. “We have Wednesday night football here, and we’re just itching to get some new blood into our fantasy football pools, but this one won’t budge. I was thrilled when I heard he’d moved into town, but then he stayed inside that coffee shop and never came out.” He held out his hand. “Buddy Bennett.”
Lila shook his hand. Then he reached down and offered one to Rex, who was still trying to get the coin out of the floor. The little boy refocused and shook Buddy’s hand.
“Rex, have you ever heard the story of how those coins got into the floor?”
“No, sir,” Rex said, still picking at one of them.
“The gold belt snakes through this part of Tennessee all the way to North Carolina,” Buddy told them. “When the first owner built the original floor, he whittled out little divots in the wood to house the coins he’d found in a watering hole on the property. But kiddos like you, Rex—and I’m guessing thieves in the night as well—picked them out, so many, many years later, they were laid in concrete and glossed over with a sealer. Those coins were from the gold rush of the 1800s.”
“Oh?” Lila peered down at the coins.
“Back in 1831, I think it was, people emptied their old coins into the watering hole that sat on the property to make room in their pouches for the gold they were fixin’ to find. But when they got to pannin’ in the river, they discovered there wasn’t enough gold in there to make any of them rich, so they moved on to other places. You can still see flecks of that gold on a low day in the river outside.”
Rex’s eyes grew big. “Can we try to get some?”
Buddy laughed, his belly heaving like old St. Nicholas. “I reckon you can, but you might want to wait until the warmer months if you’d like to keep your fingers. It’s so cold in the shade that frostbite’ll take ’em right off.” He reached over and grabbed a handful of menus from the hostess station. “Where’d you like to sit today—your choice.”
“We wanna throw horseshoes,” Rex told him excitedly.
A big smile split Buddy’s flushed face. “You do, do ya? Well, I’ll give you the table next to the horseshoe toss. Come on to the back with me.” He started toward a small hallway on the side of the main dining area as they all followed. “How many are throwin’?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Three!” Rex said excitedly. “We’re gonna show Lila how to do it, aren’t we, Theo?”
Theo bit back a smile.
“All right,” Buddy told them, as they reached a table next to an enormous horseshoe pit. It had old burlap bags at the bottom to soften the fall of the horseshoes, and instead of a stake in the ground for a game of horseshoes, there was a hole in the wall. “Here are your menus. I’ll grab you some horseshoes.”
They all took a seat as Buddy grabbed an armful of horseshoes and brought them over, hanging them on a hook at the side of their table.
“I have a suggestion,” Theo said. “We should all get Mountain Burgers.”
Lila scanned her menu for a description but couldn’t spot it. “What’s a mountain burger?”
Theo beamed conspiratorially at Rex, who giggled. “It’s a secret, off-menu burger, and I promise, you’ll love it.” Rex snickered again. “And if you can eat it all, you get a little trophy with a real gold nugget on top.”
“It’s gigantic!” Rex said with a laugh.
“Shh,” Theo told him, his finger over his smiling lips. “Let’s let her get one and see.”
“Fine,” she said, ready to take the challenge. “We can all have Mountain Burgers.”
“Did I hear you say you are all getting the Mountain Burger?” Buddy asked, stepping up to their table.
“Yes, sir!” Rex said, his eyes nearly squinting shut with his enormous grin.
“All right! Two adult Mountain Burgers and one kiddie Mountain Burger, coming up. What will you have to drink?”
“I’ll have a glass of iced tea,” Lila said.
Buddy clasped his hands together. “Perfect. And you, Theo?”
“I’ll do the same.”
“Excellent,” Buddy said.
“Milk for me, please,” Rex told him.
“Got it. Enjoy the horseshoes.” Buddy headed off to the kitchen.
Theo stood up and pulled the horseshoes from their spot on the side of the table, handing one to Lila and one to Rex. “Think you can do this?” he asked Lila, as he deftly spun the horseshoe around his finger.
“Of course,” she said, faking confidence. Lila held hers with both hands, the weight of the thing substantial. She dared not be careless with it. It would certainly hurt if she dropped it on her foot or something, which wasn’t out of the question. She stepped up to the pit and Theo came up behind her.
“You want to hold it like this.” He took her hand, making her work to hide her smile, and set the horseshoe in her palm, closing her fingers around it. “Then it’s kind of like bowling, but you really have to give it a good toss when you let it go, to make it sail far enough to get it into the hole. Want me to show you how?”
“I think I’ve got it,” she said.
“You sure? You might want me to show you.”
“I can do it.” She didn’t really know if she could, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.
Lila stared at the hole, swinging her arm a few times, getting her aim. On the third swing she let go with a heave, closing her eyes as the horseshoe left her fingers. When she didn’t hear the thud of it hitting the floor, she opened them and slapped her hand over her mouth as the horseshoe went into the hole. Bull’s-eye!
“Dang! Lila got it in first try!” Rex jumped around, slapping his leg with his free hand.
Theo stared at Lila wide-eyed. “How did you do that?”
She had absolutely no idea. Beginner’s luck, she guessed. “Skill,” she said instead, with a smirk.
“Theo, you go next,” Rex said. “You have to show her up.”
Theo laughed, stepping up to the spot and holding out his hand while squinting one eye to focus on his shot. “I’m a champion at this,” he said.
“You’re all talk,” Lila teased, making Rex throw his head back in amusement.
Theo’s arm swung back and then forward, the horseshoe sailing from his hand and landing with a thud on the bags, short of his mark. His mouth hung open. “Hang on a minute. What?” He went into the pit and retrieved his horseshoe, inspecting it. “I need another one,” he said. “There must be something wrong with this one.”
Lila couldn’t help the laugh that escaped from her lips.
Theo went over to the table and replaced his horseshoe with another while Rex took his spot, lining up for a smaller hole in the wall under theirs, obviously made for kids. He sunk it in the hole on his first shot.
“Yeah!” Rex danced around.
“Nice shot, Rex!” Lila took a second horseshoe. After a couple of practice swings, when she had her momentum, she let it go, and into the hole it went. “This is surprisingly easy,” she said.
Theo took his new horseshoe up to the line and spent a minute strategizing. Then he tossed it. It bounced off the wall a few inches from the hole and landed on the bags. “Is this some kind of prank?” he asked.
Lila and Rex both doubled over in hysterics.
“Seriously, are you all giving me some kind of weird horseshoes?” He examined it again, making Lila and Rex hoot with laughter. He stuck his arm into the hole in the wall and pulled a horseshoe out. “I’m using Lila’s next time.”
“Suit yourself,” she said.
Rex got another one in his hole and high-fived Lila.
Lila went up to the line. “Think I can get three out of three?” she asked Rex.
“Yes, ma’am!” Rex said with his hands on his little knees, poised to watch her throw.
Sending hers into the air, Lila got it right in the hole. “Theo’s turn!” she said, offering him her flirtiest grin. This was the most fun she’d had in ages.
Theo stepped up to his spot, his game face on. He released his final horseshoe, and they all watched as it made a perfect line for the bull’s-eye. But when it reached its target, one side of it was just short and it bounced out, hitting the floor.