Page 33 of Refurbished

He gave me a soft smile, then leaned in and kissed me. It was gentle and filled with emotion. “You are a special man. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.” My heart fluttered, and I had a lump in my throat. There wasn’t going to be a way I could respond to that. When he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a hug, I nodded my head against his chest.

I hadn’t been looking, but I was really glad I found him.

Chapter sixteen

EION

We got the sow settled in the barn. I would keep her tranquilized for the next few days. The burns she suffered were going to be painful, and I didn’t want that to translate to her babies. From what I could tell, she had two cubs baking, and she would give birth in the next few weeks. The fire must have driven her from her den. Winter fires were rare, but rangers believed it had been arson, resulting in this sweet girl's snout, ears, paws, and neck being burned and blistered. As I looked at her, I could feel heat rise up my neck, and my shoulders tensed. This was why I didn’t get close to people, because a lot of them sucked.

Not Angus, though. He was pure and kind.

It surprised me how much I liked him. After our talk this afternoon, I realized that Trey never affected me the way Angus did. All I wanted to do was be near him, get to know him better, spend time doing nothing, and I really wanted to touch him more—all the touching. Barnaby came over and circled my legs. No doubt he had felt me get angry.

“You okay?” Angus stuck his head over the door.

“Good enough.”

When we got back, Angus offered to feed everyone he knew how to, which included the residents of the small nursery. I realized we’d have more cubs that would need care, and I’d had to keep them in here. For the hundredth time, I wished we had a nursery that could handle bigger animals. I pet the bear a few more times. She would be fine until morning, but I knew I would come out and check on her throughout the night. I did what I could for her wounds. It would be a tough road, but she would survive.

With this new bear, I might need to allocate more land for them. The good news was that her cubs might be good candidates to return to the wild. I guess we would see. Angus needed to give them names. I smiled to myself. It was nice that he was always there in my thoughts, but it was too soon to accept him as a permanent fixture. Angus didn’t leave after I answered his question. He stood there and continued to look at me like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. “I don’t buy it. You can tell me what has you looking like that.”

I sighed. He would think I was a bad person for my thoughts. It was better for him to leave now than when I got attached to him—that’s funny since I was already very attached. “It makes me mad that this gorgeous bear was injured. Her life and the life of her cubs were put at risk when she was driven from her den. She would have given birth safely and raised them in the forest. If I could get my hands on whoever did this. I’m angry.”

Angus closed the gap between us, which was the opposite of the response I’d expected. He pulled me close. “I get it. People are terrible, and I hate that she paid the price. Honestly, I would be right there next to you. Were you able to help her?”

His answer made my heart do strange things, like I wanted to cling to him and tell him how amazing that made him. He understood me, and he cared about the animals that came to us. “We’d kick their asses.”

“Yes, we would.” He kissed me gently.

“She will be okay. I will have to tend to her burns. Her paws will need ointment a few times a day, and the burns on her body have been cleaned, and a few small cuts stitched up. She will be giving birth in the next few weeks. I think her cubs are healthy.”

His hands stayed on my hips. He gave me a soft smile. “That’s good news.”

I couldn’t help but kiss him again. “You’re right. It is good news. We will make her feel comfortable and safe. Maybe we can put her cubs back in the wild. If not, they will find a home here, or at another sanctuary.”

“It’s getting late. I fed Bethany, the alpaca, and the sheep. I would like to meet Orlando, then go feed Atlas and the raccoons while you feed the cubs. Then I need to head home.”

Hearing him say he would leave after the day we had together rubbed me the wrong way. It felt like we should never be separated again, but that wasn’t realistic. How could I be so attached to him already? “You are welcome to spend the night.”

He looked at me, clearly pleased with the suggestion. I surprised myself by having him spend a second night at my place. “I’d like that.”

“Come meet Orlando. Don’t believe anything he says, especially if it sounds like a secret he was supposed to keep.”

“Oh, so I should bribe him to know you better.”

“I hope he isn’t that easy.” Together, we walked to the enclosure next to the deer. Orlando and Annabelle liked being near each other because they were raised together. As soon as we were next to the fence, Orlando leaned over, his lips tugged my hair, then he tried to get into my shirt pocket. “Stop, you menace.” I rubbed his head. “This is my friend Angus. He is nice, so no biting.”

Angus gave me a look. He stood far enough away that there was no way Orlando could reach him. I had created a platform so the giraffe could stand upright and eat. I made up his food and grabbed Angus’s hand. “Come up with me, and you can pet his neck. He doesn’t usually bite, but to be honest, I don’t let people near him.”

“I’m honored?”

“Remember, he was the second animal to join the Sanctuary after Annabelle. It was the three of us for a few years while we all healed. Orlando is special to me.” I hoped I didn’t sound defensive, because I was trying to show him how much I trusted him by letting him meet one of my best buddies.

“Then I genuinely am honored. Thank you.”

He got it. I watched as he petted Orlando’s long neck. The giraffe stopped eating and looked up, stretching his neck out to show he wanted more scritches. “He likes you.” I could see him smile even though he tried to be cool. It seemed all the animals liked Angus, which mattered a lot to me.

An hour later, I found Angus sitting in front of Bethany like he had the first day he was here. I could hear him talking to her. “I hope you can help her feel at home when you two are put together. She is going to need a friend.” It was obvious he discussed the new bear with her. The man was incredibly sweet, a gentle spirit I wanted to claim as mine forever.