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I laughed as I bent down and hugged Bear around the neck. He licked my cheek excitedly and I fed him a bite of my muffin. I looked up at Jeremy who was watching us like he still wasn’t sure if he should laugh or try to pull the beast away from me.

“Relax, he’s a big old softy,” I assured him, still running my fingers through Bear’s thick mane. Jeremy knelt down beside me and reached his hand out, palm up so Bear could sniff his hand. Bear had never met a stranger he didn’t like though and he didn’t hesitate to begin licking the side of Jeremy’s face.

“Aww! You are a nice boy, aren’t you?” Jeremy cooed as Bear rolled over. I smiled as Jeremy scratched the dog’s belly. Bear was obviously in heaven as his tongue lolled out to the side.

Jeremy darted a glance my way. “Is there something wrong with his jaw?”

“Yeah,” I said, watching Bear enjoy the attention. “He was born with it like that. The vet told his family that his lower jaw would never grow with the rest of him and that he should be put down or else he’d starve. They couldn’t stand to do it, so they brought him to Edith who hand-fed him until he did, in fact, learn to eat on his own.”

“Wow! You’re a lucky guy then, Bear,” he said gently. “How did they know to call Edith?”

I shrugged my shoulders at him. “Everyone around here knows that Edith can’t turn away any animal who needs her. She takes in all kinds of strays and animals like Bear who no one else knows what to do with. She nurses them back to health and either finds good homes for them or keeps the ones no one wants,” I explained.

“Edith is a pretty amazing woman, isn’t she?” he said warmly.

“Yeah, she’s amazing,” I agreed.

We watched as Bear got up and took off after a butterfly, then we turned to each other. The earlier tension I’d felt from him seemed to have disappeared and warmth spread through my belly as he smiled at me.

“So, you never answered my question,” I said as we walked around the side of the cabin and stopped at the little shed Edith had so I could grab a couple of hammers and nails.

“What question was that?” Jeremy asked.

“If you really made those muffins,” I reminded him.

“Yeah, I did. My mom loved to bake, said it relaxed her when she was stressed.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “Come to think of it, we always had something freshly baked lying around the house. I wonder if raising me stressed her out?”

“I bet you got into plenty of trouble growing up,” I laughed, picturing a young, red-headed Jeremy in my mind.

“Yeah, I saw my fair share of the principal’s office,” he admitted with a laugh. “Anyway, I liked hanging out with my mom and since she was always baking, I’d help her out. She was one of those cool moms who really listened instead of nagging all the time, you know?”

“She sounds great,” I said wistfully. I could barely remember my mother at all, and the memories I did have of her were clouded by the pain and grief and fear that had consumed my childhood.

“She was,” Jeremy said wistfully. I turned my head to look at him and I could see the pain in his eyes. “I lost her about three years ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. I started to reach for him, but then let my hand drop back to my side as I thought better of it.

We slowed down as we reached the fence line and began making our way around the perimeter, looking for any gaps or broken areas. It was hot out, but the trees along the fence line made it feel much cooler. We took our time, talking as we made repairs. Our conversation moved to lighter topics and I was relieved to see Jeremy’s smile return.

As usual, I enjoyed my time with him. He was a great guy with an intelligent view of the world and a sharp wit. I’d always done well in school and had wanted to go to college, but then life got in the way. It felt good to use my mind as the two of us debated political and religious views. I hadn’t had anyone that challenged me the way Jeremy did, and I looked forward to it each day.

“Look! There’s deer out there,” Jeremy said, pointing to the woods in front of us.

“Yeah. They’re the reason the fence is here,” I told him.

“You mean they stay here all the time? Like pets?” he asked, his forehead scrunching up adorably.

“Sort of,” I chuckled. “See how they’re all limping?”

Jeremy tilted his head as he observed the deer moving around then looked back at me, his eyes wide. “They only have three legs!”

I folded my arms and leaned them on the top rail of the fence, resting my chin on them. “Yeah, it’s sad really. The deer like to bed down in the tall grass along the highway and sometimes they can’t get out of the way of the state mowers in time,” I explained. “That’s what happened to these little guys, so the local vet called Edith and asked if she could keep them here. She set up this fenced-in area where they could grow until they were fully healed and could be released back into the wild.”

“That’s so sad, but it’s also really awesome of Edith to take care of them like that,” Jeremy said.

“Some people think she’s crazy for taking in all these animals when she already has so many other things to do. But Edith is one of those rare and wonderful people that never turns away anything that needs her. It makes no difference to her whether it’s the two-legged, four-legged or in this case, three-legged variety. I’m grateful too, because when I needed a job and a place to stay, she took me in, no questions asked. I guess in some respects, I’m no different from her other strays,” I said quietly.

Jeremy remained silent and I looked over my shoulder at him. I figured he was still watching the deer, but he was staring at me instead. The look in his eyes was thoughtful, as if he were trying to work something out in his mind, but there was also a tenderness there that had me wishing I could turn around and bury my face in his chest.

“I’m glad you found her, then,” he said sincerely. “But don’t sell yourself short; you’re no stray.” My heart hammered in my chest as Jeremy’s gaze dropped to my lips and held there.

“We ugh…we better finish fixing the fence,” I stammered.

I turned away, but not before I saw the sexy smirk that lifted the corner of Jeremy’s lips. The man had a way of scrambling my brain. I spent the rest of the morning forcing myself to focus on my work, so I wouldn’t do something stupid like hammer my thumb…or grab him and slam my lips on his.

When we were finished with the fence, we ate lunch together at a picnic table down by the edge of the lake, which had become our routine. As usual, the banter between me and Jeremy kept us laughing all throughout our meal. Occasionally, I would catch him looking at me with that same, almost hungry look in his eyes as before, and I’d try to pretend I hadn’t noticed. But then, my eyes would wander to him when he wasn’t looking, and I’d notice the way his skin had turned a warm golden color from working outdoors, or the way the muscles in his arms bunched beneath the sleeve of his T-shirt as he moved.

He really was gorgeous, but even more than that, he was a good and kind man. It was exhilarating and scary all at the same time to finally have someone who I considered a friend. My life hadn’t exactly allowed for much in the way of friendships. I’d always carried too many secrets, had too many skeletons in my closet to be able to let anyone get too close, but somehow, Jeremy had wormed his way in.

He had told me a lot about himself already and I was starting to feel guilty for not sharing anything personal with him. Luckily, it didn’t seem to have bothered Jeremy—yet. He seemed to understand that I wasn’t fully comfortable with talking about myself. Eventually though, I knew I’d have to start opening up, or risk losing the only friend I’d ever had.

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