Page 10 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Bear

Leto barked again as if in agreement. Tentatively, Melissa put out a hand and stroked her fur. Leto’s tail wagged appreciatively.

“Your tasks will be walking, feeding, bathing her, and keeping her company. She can be a handful, but I’m sure you’ve dealt with much more.” Dale smiled again. “You can start work tomorrow morning. In the meantime, why don’t I bring you some coffee? We can get to know each other better.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Her gaze immediately drifted to the jagged scar on his face, and she found herself wondering whether to ask about it.

Better not to lead with that, she told herself. You just met him.

He gestured for her to take a seat, then disappeared from the living room. Leto stared at her for a moment before following her owner. Alone, Melissa sat down on a nearby couch and looked around. The living room was rather cozy, brown curtains fluttering gently in the breeze from an open window. Her attention was instantly drawn to the photos on the walls. Dale stood in one of them, grinning as he held up a large fish.

In another was a much younger version of him—at least, from what she could tell—dressed in military garb and shaking hands with someone else. Melissa lowered her gaze, hanging just below the photo were medals.

So he is ex-military, she thought. I was right.

She continued looking around the living room, taking in the details. It was better furnished than hers. And from the look of things, Dale was a man who took proper care of himself. She suspected working for him would be a breeze. At least he was one of the few she’d interacted with in Sylva who hadn’t left her with a gnawing in the pit of her stomach.

Ever since she left Green Sanctuary yesterday, she found herself wondering whether moving to this small town had been such a great idea. She still had friends in Colorado, not to mention family in Maine. And now that she knew where her ex-fiancé was, she could easily make sure she was anywhere but here. With her skills, she’d have no difficulty getting a job anywhere.

Heck, she could move to some other town in Downing. Everland and Minos were less than five miles away. She could sell her house, move, and look for a job vacancy. Or, better still, she could try opening her own clinic.

So why the hell was she still in Sylva?

You know why, said a voice in her head.

Melissa ignored it.

I’ll figure everything out soon, she told herself with a sigh, turning her gaze toward the kitchen.

A white door near a corner of the room instantly caught her eye. It blended so perfectly with the wall, she might have missed it if she hadn’t been staring right at it. The door was slightly open, and through the crack she thought she could make out something gleaming.

Before she knew it, she was on her feet, her pulse racing as her curiosity grew. Whatever was in that room seemed more interesting than what was in the living room. It briefly occurred to her that it was probably rude to wander around without permission, even if Dale had already welcomed her into his home. She ignored the thought, nearing the door. Maybe if she just—

“Hope you don’t mind your coffee black.” Dale’s voice reached her before she could get to the door. She turned just in time to see him appear from the kitchen with a couple of steaming mugs. He handed one to her, pausing to shut the door before going to take a seat on a couch by the window.

Feeling his gaze on her, Melissa sat down as well. She lifted her coffee to her lips. It was a little too hot for her liking, but otherwise not bad.

“Thanks,” she said. Hoping he didn’t already consider her rude for attempting to snoop around, she gestured to the photos on the walls. “So...you were in the military?”

He nodded. “Ten years. Barely made it out with all my limbs intact. It wasn’t too bad, but I’m glad that part of my life’s over with.”

“I guess that makes us both vets.”

It was her attempt at humor, but Dale didn’t even crack a smile. He took a long sip from his mug, and in the silence, Melissa tried to hide her awkwardness. Leto appeared by her side, eyeing her for a few seconds before stepping over to her owner.

“What about now?” she said. “What do you do?”

“I’m a collector,” was his reply.

“That sounds interesting. What do you collect? Artifacts?”

“Trophies.”

She glanced at the medals on the wall, frowning in puzzlement. Before she could ask anything further, he went on.

“I moved here a couple of months ago. Looks like I’m not the only one who thought to come here. How long have you been a vet?”

Melissa shrugged. “Just a little over three years. I’m good at looking after animals.” Had she mentioned that already? “I went back to college almost a decade ago; figured I’d change occupations.”

He nodded slowly. “Sometimes a change of occupation’s just what we need. Or a change of scenery. Is that why you moved to Sylva?”