Page 73 of S.O.S. Perk

“Sure,” she said, ducking her head and making her way toward the door.

Perk followed, grabbing both their coats on his way by the sofa where they were piled. “You might need this.” It had gotten really cold outside, as it was known to do in New England during December.

“Thanks,” she replied, taking it from him and slipping it on while he took care of his. They walked out the door together. “Which way?” She pointed at the barn in the distance.

“Around the back. The front door is pretty much for the gym only, and as you can see through the windows, all the lights are off. Out back, there’s a people door and a horse door, and Wiley keeps the horse quarters lit up until about eleven at night this time of year.”

“Eight hours of sleep for the residents?” Sloane guessed.

“That’s right. He says it reduces stress in the animals to have the length of their days be pretty much the same all year round. It also helps bring mares into heat earlier in the spring.”

“Oh. Is he breeding horses?”

“Not yet, but it’s something he wants to do. Apparently, he grew up in a horse breeding family out west, so he knows how that works.”

“Very cool,” Sloane said distractedly, but Perk detected a slight choking noise.

“Hey.” Perk stopped them before they reached the barn. “Are you okay?”

She sniffled. “Well, I pretty much just told your entire team how fucked up I am, but other than that…”

Perk couldn’t see her very well in the dark, but what he heard suggested she was on the verge of a good cry. He didn’t hesitate. He pulled Sloane into his arms.

She responded by snuggling up hard against him where he could feel sobs begin to wrack her body. His heart broke for her, and as the storm inside her picked up and raged, Perk soothed up and down her back, murmuring small words of comfort.

“It’ll be okay, Sloane. Not one of them will judge you. I promise.”

“I know, I know,” she managed to get out. “I’m crying because… I guess these are tears of relief. After years of doubting who I am because of people around me judging, I finally have…friends who like me for me.”

She eventually sniffed, wiping her face on the front of his coat.

“That’s right. You do. And Sloane, I l… I like you. A lot,” he strangled out. He’d almost said “love”, but now wasn’t the time. Sloane had just opened up pretty publicly about her insecurities, and she needed his support.Notsomething more she might internalize and worry about. “You are a very special person, Sloane. The team and I won’t be letting you forget that anytime soon.”

Sloane pulled away, and in the moonlight, he could see her tear-dampened eyes. “Thank you, Perk. I don’t know what I would have done without you being so tenacious.”

“Ruh, row,” he quipped. “Now I’m back to being a dog with a bone.”

She slapped him playfully on the chest. “Man’s best friend.”

“Woman’s best friend,” he countered, and after making a big show of using the sleeve of his jacket to mop her face, he bent and gently kissed her on her soft lips.

When he lifted away, she reached up and stroked his cheek.

“You’re really something, aren’t you?” she told him. “I’m so lucky you came into my life.”

Before Perk could do something stupid, like howl to the moon and declare his love, he needed to distract toward things that weren’t in any way deep. “I appreciate the sentiment. But it’s so damned cold out here, my balls are probably blue. Now, do you want to meet the horses, or what?”

Sloane was no fool. She’d immediately figure out he was trying to change the subject. “Of course. But we didn’t bring any carrots,” she pouted.

“No worries. Wiley keeps a small refrigerator in the barn with approved treats.”

Fifteen minutes later, after patting a lot of those soft noses he’d spoken aboutandhanding out bedtime snacks to the six horses in residence, Perk and Sloane leaned comfortably side by side on one of the stalls, watching a dark gray dun munch down her carrot.

“So have Del and Director Baskins decided what your next step will be?” Sloane asked.

Perk had just heard the extended plan from Del tonight when he’d come into the gym.

“Yeah. This week I’m going to stick close to Jeremy and do exactly what I’ve already been doing. Making him more comfortable with my presence. I’ll also try to be a little…friendlier with his mother, as distasteful as that sounds, to see if I can get her talking.”

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