Page 62 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
June swallowed hard. “How would you feel if we did?”
There was a pause, and June held her breath.
“I’d like that,” Oli said finally. “Stanley knows a lot about animals. And he’s nice.” Another pause. “If you get married, could I get a special magnifying glass as a wedding present? One with a light on it like Charlie’s?”
June smothered a smile, relief washing through her. “Yes, I’m sure you can.”
“Out of the mouth of babes,” Barb said lightly. “All you need now is for Stanley to propose.”
Chapter Twenty-One – Stanley
Stanley couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. It was as if, just like his mom always warned him when he was a kid, the wind had shifted and left him with a smile permanently plastered there.
We have plenty to smile about,his bear said.
That we do,Stanley agreed.We surely are blessed where fate is concerned.
Fate has brought us the perfect mate,his bear agreed.
With a smile plastered on his face, Stanley moved from cage to cage, straightening water bowls and refilling feed containers. It was late afternoon, and soon he would see his mate again.
Hismate. It still hadn’t completely sunk in that he had met her at last.
He paused at the chinchilla’s enclosure, humming a half-remembered tune as he adjusted the dust bath.
“You’re looking especially fluffy today,” he murmured. The chinchilla flopped sideways into the dust, blinking at him with sleepy amusement. “Must be something in the air, eh?”
You sure are in a good mood today,his bear said.
I am in the best mood,Stanley said.
Picking the harvest at the vineyard had been wonderfulenough. Although it had taken every ounce of his self-control not to shift and run after her car as she drove away. But then, to get a phone call from June telling him Oli was okay with their relationship had been the perfect end to the day.
His fingers worked automatically while his mind wandered to more pleasant places. For the first time, he could picture his future in vivid detail. Not just vague hopes, but actual scenes. June in the kitchen of his cabin, with her hair loose around her face, her cheeks flushed from making love. Oli building fairy houses for the rabbits in the backyard. The two of them helping him renovate the old barn on his property into something meaningful.
Maybe that animal therapy center you talked about,his bear said.
A dream he’d barely admitted out loud. A future built on the land he loved, in the town that raised him. He hadn’t just imagined June and Oli fitting into his life, instead, he dreamed of building a whole new life around them.
He’d thought about it a lot since his conversation with June as they sipped wine after the harvest. But he was not sure she thought he was serious.
And neither did he at the time. But seeing the change in Oli over this last week or so had made him think of how animals could help people.
Plus, it would give the goats something to do,his bear said.
And Miam something to talk about,Stanley added.
When he saw June later, he’d broach the subject again and make sure she knew he was serious. That he was committed to the idea in the same way he was committed to her and Oli.
Well, perhaps not quite that committed,his bear said.
Stanley chuckled as the familiar chime of his phone cut through the quiet shop. Stanley fished it from his pocket, his heart doing that little skip it always did when he saw June’s name on the screen.
“Hey, you,” he answered, leaning against the counter.
“Hi, Stanley.” Something in her voice made him straighten. It was too careful, too measured. Not the warm tone he’d grown accustomed to.
“Everything okay?” he asked, suddenly alert.
