“Do you have any pets at your mom or dad’s house?”

Tyler tore up some more bread for the animal and dropped them to the floor. “No. My grandma had a dog but he died. And my mom says dogs make messes.”

“Well, they can if they’re not trained properly.” Elisa gazed at him for a moment. “Maybe you and your dad could take care of him. It could be something the two of you can do together.” When Tyler didn’t answer her, she said, “Just ask your dad when he gets here. In the meantime, why don’t we give this guy a name?”

The mutt had polished off the last of the bread and lowered himself to the floor. Tyler cradled the dog’s head in his lap. The boy had already formed a bond with the animal.

“How about Brinkley?”

“Brinkley?” Elisa asked, testing the name out.

Tyler’s face lit up with a grin. “Yeah, that was the name of my grandma’s dog, and I always liked it. And this one looks like a Brinkley.”

She ran her hand over the dog’s coarse, matted fur. “Brinkley it is, then.”

First she found this great guy, who had a great kid to go along with him. Now a dog? Maybe next she could throw a white picket fence in front of her house.

Actually it wasn’t a bad idea.


Over the next few hours, after taking Tyler with her to purchase dog food, they took turns feeding the dog and showing it the affection it craved. Brinkley didn’t move around very well, due to a slight limp in his back leg. However, he was pleased with the bed she’d made for him out of old blankets. After turning in half a dozen circles, Brinkley settled himself in the blankets and slipped right to sleep. The dog’s sleepy whines made Tyler laugh.

“How are you coming on that homework?” Elisa asked Tyler.

The boy didn’t lift his head from his task. “I’m almost done.”

Just as quickly as Brinkley started snoring, he snapped out of his slumber and whipped his head up off the floor. Damn, the dog may have been sickly, but his senses were sure still intact. His two small, scraggly ears lifted, then he pushed himself up on all fours and limped toward the front door.

“What’s he doing?” Tyler asked.

Elisa shook her head and watched as Brinkley stopped at the door and cocked his ears.

“I think he hears something,” the boy said.

Then the dog let out a quick yip, then another. The two high-pitched barks were followed by enthusiastic tail wagging. The kind that wiggled the entire dog’s body.

“See, he’s a good guard dog,” Tyler said as he ran from the table to the door.

Elisa grinned, even though Brinkley’s actions were the opposite of guarding. “I wouldn’t really call what he’s doing guarding.”

“Yeah, but he let you know someone’s here. See?” Tyler opened the front door, when Elisa had no clue anyone had been standing there. “It’s Dad.”

Well, then. Wasn’t this just all awkward with them staring at each other, with Tyler in between them, having no clue what was going on. Dammit, she hadn’t even had a moment to prepare herself, or even check her hair. She’d tossed it up in haste that morning and now probably looked like a bad version of an updo.

He, on the other hand… now that was a whole other story. Nothing ever looked sloppy or out of place on Brody McDermott. Even after working ten-plus hours and grease stains on his shirt, the man still managed to pull off GQ with little effort.

Immediately Elisa’s heartbeat picked up to unnatural speeds, and a wave of goose bumps rippled along her skin. His stormy gray eyes zeroed in on her, as though remembering their rendezvous on the couch. Of course she remembered. How could she have thought about anything else?

She forced her eyes to remain above his waist, out of respect for Tyler, even though she so badly wanted to check out that marvelous muscle he’d masterfully used on her. Brody didn’t go to such lengths to hide his appraisal. His attention briefly dropped to her breasts, which tingled in the wake of his scrutiny. Her brain conjured up images of his hands on them, pinching and squeezing, followed by his mouth. Her traitorous nipples grew hard just thinking about it.

“You’re blushing,” Brody stated when he came to a stop in front of her.

Elisa couldn’t hide her reaction, nor did she want to. “You have a strange effect on me.” His Old Spice aroma enveloped her in a haze of delicious sexuality. When they’d lain together, the same scent had rubbed off on her, and she’d been reluctant to wash it off in the shower.

The tips of Brody’s fingers brushed along her jaw. Elisa waited with baited breath for him to kiss her, to place those masterful lips on hers and send her to another planet.

But he didn’t. He just gazed down at her as if trying to memorize her features. Something dark passed over his eyes. Regret, maybe? Did he regret making love to her three days ago?

“Hey, buddy.” Brody directed his attention to Tyler and brushed past Elisa.

The encounter left her feeling much colder than she’d felt a few days ago. Something had changed, and she meant to get to the bottom of it.

“Did you finish your homework?” he asked his son.

Tyler gathered his papers and tucked them away in his backpack. “Yeah, I just finished.”

“Great, are you ready to go?”

Tyler nodded, and Elisa stood by idly while Brody all but ignored her. The gesture was like a knife through her heart.

“Uh, what the hell is that?” Brody asked.

Elisa followed his gaze to Brinkley sleeping on the floor. “That’s a dog,” she answered.

His brow wrinkled with incredulity. “Says who?”

“Dad, we found him.” Tyler practically vibrated with excitement.

“Well, what’s wrong with him?”

Tyler sat down next to the dog. “What do you mean, what’s wrong with him?”

“I think he’s been abused or in a really bad fight,” Elisa answered. “And he’s seriously malnourished.”

Brody gazed at the dog and Tyler rubbing his hand in circles over the animal’s head. He shot Elisa a glance. “Are you keeping him?”

She tried not to allow herself to fall under the spell of his penetrating stare. “I’m not sure. Tyler’s already formed a bond with him.” She paused for a second. “I was thinking you and Tyler could take care of him. It could be something the two of you could do together.”

Brody’s brows pulled together. “You mean like take him home? I can’t possibly do that.”

“Dad, why not?” Tyler demanded.

“Because no one’s home during the day. And we don’t know anything about this dog. It could have rabies for all we know.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “He doesn’t have rabies.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he’s not foaming at the mouth.” The boy was silent for a moment while he petted the dog with soft strokes. “Mom would let me have him,” he muttered.

“Mom’s not here,” Brody said through gritted teeth.

Tyler didn’t respond right away. Then he glanced at his father. “I wish she was.”

The muscles in Brody’s jaw clenched, and he jammed his hands in his pants pockets. Elisa placed a comforting palm on his shoulder, which was hard and tense. Hearing things like that had to tear his heart up. He hadn’t said as much, but Elisa knew how much guilt Brody carried around for spending so much time at work. The rift between him and the boy was a palpable thing he didn’t know how to fix.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to cause a problem.”

He glanced at her, his eyes like a dangerous stormy night, as though accusing her of meddling where it wasn’t her business. She dropped her hand from his shoulder and took a step back from him. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had kissed her and made love to her so tenderly, who’d looked at her as though the words “I love you” were on the tip of his tongue. But how could he love her? They’d only known each other for a few weeks, and there were so many things, secrets, they’d yet to share with each other.

“I’ll tell you what,” Elisa said, trying to break the ice. “Why don’t I keep Brinkley here, and you can stop by and take care of him for me?”

Tyler shot a glance at his father, as if giving him one more chance to change his mind. Brody didn’t relent. He just stood beside her, utterly and maddeningly still, like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

Then he spoke, and his voice was harder than it had been a moment ago. “Let’s go. It’s late.”

Tyler expelled a long breath, gave Brinkley one last stroke, and dragged himself off the floor. He shuffled slowly to the table where his backpack sat. Brody waited in silence, his eyes tracking his son’s every move. Tyler headed for the door, and Brody directed his thunderous eyes at Elisa. She stood her ground, fully expecting him to reprimand her for causing a problem.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Elisa’s heart almost punched right through her chest when the palm of his hand cupped her cheek. The warmth of his skin heated her entire face. His hand was so large and masculine and felt like absolute heaven touching her. Her eyes dropped closed when he pressed a soft kiss on her cheek. Then he whispered in her ear, “It’s not you.”

He left the good-bye at that and walked out her front door.

THIRTEEN

I WISH SHE WAS.

Tyler’s softly muttered words tumbled over in Brody’s brain like some God-forsaken rerun he couldn’t get out of his head. Over and over, the whole way home, then as he stood under the hot spray of the shower. They were there, haunting him along with his son’s downcast eyes, as though he couldn’t bring himself to look at his father. Brody knew the feeling. There were times when he could barely stand to look at himself in the mirror. Not being able to look at himself he could take. But Tyler not being able to look at him? The thought made Brody feel like a suicidal maniac.