Page 5 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
Maybe Stanley made everyone feel that way. He’d certainly had an effect on Oli, too.
This was the most settled she’d seen her son all day. No pacing. No hand-flapping. No sharp breaths or clenched jaw. Just a quiet stillness.
As she stood there, June became aware of the late afternoon sun filtering through Mrs. Abernathy’s grape arbor, dappling the lawn with shifting gold and shadow. The mountain breeze ruffled Oli’s hair. Somewhere overhead, a bird sang its sweetest song.
To most people, it would be nothing, a fleeting moment in a stranger’s backyard, but to June, it felt like stepping into a pocket of calm. A rare and precious thing.
She turned slightly and found Stanley watching, too, his posture relaxed, hands hooked loosely on his hips.
Their eyes met. He gave a small, lopsided smile. Not wide, not flashy, but it did something to her.
She found herself smiling back, a wordless thank you in the curve of her lips.
For once, she didn’t feel like she was holding her life together with duct tape. The feeling was unfamiliar. Disorienting, even. But good.
“Well,” said Mrs. Abernathy, breaking the silence. “I’d have offered to catch the bunny myself, but these days I leave the sprinting to those without replacement hips.”
June smiled, letting herself be swept along by Mrs. Abernathy’s easy chatter and the crooked sunhat that bobbed every time she gestured. There was something solid about the woman’s presence, something that made June feel a little steadier on her feet.
Mrs. Abernathy’s attention flicked to Stanley, a sly glint sparking behind her glasses. “Don’t you look pleased with yourself. I bet your bear’s tail is wagging like a golden retriever.”
June’s smile faltered slightly. Bear? Tail wagging? What an odd thing to say.
Stanley cleared his throat, a flush creeping up his neck. “Mrs. Abernathy, I think you might be…”
“Mixing up my metaphors?” the older woman said with an arch of her brow.
“Something like that.” Then he chuckled lightly, but it sounded forced. “You know I like a happy ending,” he said, nodding toward the captured rabbit. “I’d hate to think of this little fella out here all alone at night. But I’ll get him settled at the store and then try to find his owners.”
“Oh yes, we all like a happy ending.” Mrs. Abernathy hummed, clearly amused.
June got the intense sense that she was missing something. That there was a secret message in Mrs. Abernathy’s words. A message that had caused Stanley to tense, as if he were afraid of what she might say next.
Goodness, she was reading too much into this sudden encounter with the handsome pet store owner and her Aunt Barb’s neighbor. Mrs. Abernathy obviously knew Stanley’s family well since she had taught them at school. It was possible that Mrs. Abernathy’s remarks were directed toward some childhood misdemeanor, which Stanley found highly embarrassing.
Yes. That was it. A shared memory. Nothing to do with June.
She surprised herself as a twinge of disappointment pierced her heart. Did she want there to be more to it than that?
Oli looked up from the crate, his brows tugged together in concern. “Will the rabbit be okay at the pet store?”
Stanley glanced at June before crouching to meet Oli at eye level. “I’ll take good care of him. He’ll have a cozy pen with fresh hay and water,” he said gently. “Some treats, too. And I’ll check on him myself while we wait to see if someone comes looking for him.”
Oli considered this with the same seriousness he applied to most things that mattered. “He might be scared.”
“He probably is,” Stanley agreed. “But animals usually calm down when they feel safe. And he’ll be safe. I’ll make sure of it.”
June watched the exchange, something unfamiliar tugging inside her chest. There was no baby voice, no fake cheerfulness in Stanley’s tone. He spoke to Oli the way she always wished more people would. Respectfully, calmly, like he understood her son didn’t need coddling, just patience and reassurance.
“You really know a lot about animals,” Oli said, his voice lifting.
“I’ve been running Bear Creek Pets for a long while,” Stanley replied. “I’ve met just about every kind of furry, feathered, or scaled friend you can imagine.”
Oli’s eyes lit up. “Do you have guinea pigs?”
“A few,” Stanley said with a smile. “And a bearded dragon named Clive.”
June raised an eyebrow. “Clive?”
