Page 50 of Mountain Defender

They lift their heads, eyeballing Gage as they consider the odds of a treat being given.

“Later,” Gage tells them. Then he holds his hands up in what I call theno-treats-jazz-handsgesture. “I might have something special for you guys for later. If you behave.”

“That reminds me,” he adds as I shut the door behind me. “I talked to Max. He said Charlie and Bandit are all settled in. And he just bought the materials to start on the fence, so they should have free run of the backyard by next week.”

“Oh, that’s great! I was a little worried, with Charlie being new, that he might not adjust to a different environment that quickly.”

Gage puts his hand on my back while we walk down the front steps. “From what Max said, they’re both doing really well.” Once we get to the path, his fingers lace between mine. “I know hesaidhe’s just fostering them, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up adopting them instead.”

Some of the tension banded around my chest releases. I know all the dogs are being cared for—Enzo and Winter are fostering one, Lark and Knox another, and the rest have been placed with temporary homes until it’s safe to reopen the shelter—but I’ve been most worried about newcomer Charlie and Bandit, who’s been hard to adopt out because of the expensive speciality food he needs for his allergies.

“I know I said it before, but thank you for helping get all the dogs placed. Maybe some of the other foster families will end up adopting, too.”

Gage glances over at me. “It wasn’t just me. All the guys helped. So did Lark and Winter.”

“Maybe so, but it was your idea to look for foster homes. And really, I should have thought about doing that ages ago, at least with the dogs who are more socialized. I guess I just…”

Trailing off, I leave the rest of my thought unsaid. But the truth of it is, I didn’t feel comfortable reaching out to people I didn’t know, doing community outreach to find foster families and additional fundraising. I was happy paying for everything on my own and dealing with people from the relative safety of my own property.

Although it wasn’t that safe, was it?

And maybe I was cheating the dogs by not venturing out of my comfort zone.

Maybe I was cheating myself.

“Well, they’re all taken care of now. And it’s one less thing for you to worry about.” Gage slows as we approach a path branching off from the dirt road. He angles his chin in its direction. “We’re just going to head this way for a bit.”

I glance at the path heading into the woods. It’s neatly-groomed, the small shrubs and wild grasses trimmed back on either side and the soil packed down with faint rake lines still drawn into it. The surrounding trees provide a welcome shade from the midday sun overhead, and the cheerful chittering of birds offers a welcome invitation to venture within.

“Where are we going?” I ask. “Just for a walk?”

“Sort of.” Gage drops my hand to loop his arm around my waist. Just like the last time, I do the same. Could I really hold Gage up if he fell, given his size compared to mine? Maybe. Possibly. But I’d try my best.

Gage smiles as he looks over at me, pleasure tinging his cheeks pink. Then he kisses my cheek. “Thanks, Ror,” he says quietly, his breath a whisper against my skin.

After a moment’s silence, he adds, “I thought we could walk past my favorite spot. And then I have a surprise a little further in.”

“Okay.” Happiness bubbles up in my chest. “I can’t wait.”

For the next few minutes, we walk along the path, talking about easy things like the weather and playingWorld of Warcraft—which we’re tentatively planning to do this weekend—and the latest updates I’ve gotten from Isla about little Dove, who’s now two months old and absolutely adorable.

It feels good, being with Gage like this. Like how it’s always been, but… better. Because now we’re touching. Not just a brush of a finger while I hand something to him or the accidental bump against his hip, but something different. Intentional. Affectionate.

I know it’s only been maybe ten minutes into our first official date, but already my worries are a distant memory.

Whenever Gage looks over at me, it’s not in judgment, but appreciation. Every so often, he’ll lean down to press another kiss to my hair. And he’s so protective—steering me around small branches and rocks, waving away bugs that dare come near me, and his gaze sweeping the woods around us, searching for any possible threat.

“This is what convinced me I’d like living here,” Gage says. “Walking through the woods. I wasn’t sure in the beginning. Back at my old place up in Glover, I could walk for an hour without coming across anyone. Here… I know ten acres sounds like a lot, but with three cabins, Enzo’s house, HQ, and the store, things are closer than you’d think.”

“I know what you mean.” Although where we are now, tucked back into the thick of the woods, feels pretty isolated. “My house is on five acres, and I thought that sounded so big before I moved there. Then I realized I could walk to my closest neighbor in less than ten minutes.”

He nods. “Yeah. I mean, in the woods, it feels more private. And Knox did a great job choosing the best locations for the cabins, so they all have their own space. I would have stayed here, regardless, because I really wanted to be close to the team. But then I took my first walk through here and I knew it would be okay.”

“Because of your favorite spot?”

“Partly. And partly because it’s just so quiet here.” A blue jay’s loud call breaks through the relative silence, and Gage chuckles. “Most of the time.”

“That’s one of the reasons I decided to live here.” I smile at the bright splash of red as a cardinal bursts from a tree up ahead. “I visited a few different properties when I was looking to buy. One outside Bennington, another near Saint Johnsbury. And theone here, of course. The others were fine, but I didn’t get the same feel from them. Like I was living in nature.”

---