Rocky Mountain Reunion. Tina Radcliffe

left and smiled. “That old barn is on the property line to the left.”

      “No fence?”

      She scoffed. “Would you fence in this beauty? We don’t have any close neighbors on this side of the road, except an occasional family of deer, so why bother?”

      “Good point,” he said, suddenly frowning in thought.

      When he shifted his stance Anne glanced down at his walking boot. “How’s the ankle?”

      “Annoying.”

      “Then I imagine it would be a waste of time for me to mention you should be taking it easy for the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours until the swelling goes down.”

      “You would be correct.”

      Anne resisted a smile. Stubborn. That hadn’t changed, either.

      Stanley’s whining became urgent and this time his tugs on the leash were accompanied by low groans of impatience. “Okay to let him run? He can barely stand being on this leash.”

      “I don’t blame him. Of course. Let him have some fun.”

      Matt held both crutches with one hand and knelt to release the leash. Immediately, Stanley shot forward, nearly knocking Matt off his feet. The crutches dropped to the ground and he pitched forward.

      Anne grabbed the tail of Matt’s shirt, yanking him back from a certain fate with the ground, as he, too, struggled for his balance.

      “Whoa. Thanks,” he said as he righted himself.

      When she picked the crutches up from the ground and handed them to him their hands brushed. She nodded, her face warming at the brief touch.

      For minutes they both stared quietly at Stanley, a diversion from the awkwardness of the moment. The Lab raced down to the woods, then ran in circles, barking as he chased a bird that soared across the clear blue summer sky overhead.

      “That’s one happy dog,” Anne commented.

      “We’re renting a house in town with only a small patch of grass.”

      “I wish we had a dog to take advantage of this yard.”

      “Why don’t you?” he asked. “There are plenty of animals waiting to be rescued and loved at local shelters. That’s where we got Stanley.”

      “It’s not that simple. I have a challenging work schedule. I’m constantly on call to back up my team.”