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“We already went out for a walk,” Shane said. “I fed him and gave him water, too, but I thought he might like a little bacon or maybe some eggs. I don’t know if he’s allowed human food.”
Shane blurred in front of me, but I stared at him anyway. Then I blinked and tears fell.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “Where did you get his leash? And his food?”
He turned toward me, a big smile on his face. But that smile crumbled when he took one look at me. He set down the tongs and turned toward me.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “I’m a bad dog mom.”
It probably sounded over the top to him, but I loved this dog, and the thought of ever letting him down killed me.
Shane moved the pan off the stove and walked over to me, putting a hand on either arm. Then he looked me in the eye and said, “I snuck out while the two of you were sleeping and got all the rest of the stuff from your car. The roads are clearing up, so I’ll call for a tow truck to pull your car out of the ditch. I’d pull it out of the ditch myself but it’s a little too stuck for my hitch.”
I smiled. “Thank you for all you’ve done for us. And thank you so much for taking care of Max.”
“That little guy loves the snow,” Shane said. “He almost got lost in it. Have you thought about getting him a coat? Or maybe a sweater?”
“He has a sweater in my suitcase.” I looked down at Max’s little face. “Did Mr. Shane take good care of you?”
“I’m going to take care of both of you,” he said. “If you let me.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could get a word out, a knocking sound cut through the silence in the cabin, startling all of us. Shane stepped back to the stove and turned off the burner.
“I’ll be right back to finish this up,” he said.
I stood awkwardly in the kitchen for a second, then followed. I wasn’t wearing underwear, so whoever was visiting this time of morning would just have to deal with it.
“Bo!” Shane called out.
I let out a sigh of relief. It was just my friend’s fiancé. But when I stepped into the room, two men were standing just inside the closed front door. I held Max in front of my chest, hoping they wouldn’t notice I wore no bra.
“Do you know Meredith?” Shane asked.
Both guys were handsome with kind faces, but they couldn’t hold a candle to Shane. Not in my view, anyway. I’d never met Bo before, so I couldn’t say which one was which.
But suddenly, one of the guys stepped forward. “You’re my fiancée’s college friend,” Bo said, smiling. “And this must be Max.”
“Your ring bearer,” I said with a nod.
“I just stopped by to see if Shane needed a lift up the mountain,” Bo said. “This is Maverick, my buddy, and?—”
“His sister’s boyfriend,” Maverick said.
His eyes seemed to light up as he said those words. He looked like a man in love. I couldn’t help but be a little envious of Bo’s sister.
“I’m going to be driving people up the mountain today,” Bo said. “Shane here has offered to help out.”
“They’ve moved the wedding to tomorrow,” Shane explained to me. “But the roads are still covered. It’s going to be…a job.”
And unsafe.
My chest clenched at the thought of Shane out there on slick streets, surrounded by steep drop-offs. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.
“First, let’s get you and Max packed up,” Shane said. “I want to make sure you’re safe at the wedding cabin before we start rescuing other people.”
Fifteen minutes later, Shane, Max, and I were alone again. Bo and Maverick had headed down to help out someone who was stranded near the town grocery store. Max stayed close by my side, as always, watching me with concerned eyes as I packed up our belongings and set them next to the garage door. Shane loaded them into his truck, then came back in to find Max and I standing near the stove, where the half-finished bacon still sat.
