Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Milo

A storm did come, but the sky didn't bring rain. It brought snow.

"How did you know the weather was going to turn bad?" Milo asked. He shared his curiosity as openly as his gratitude. Someone up there in those dark and dreary skies had been looking out for Milo. They'd sent Shane to him.

Milo had never been one for religion, but he couldn't help but think of guardian angels at that moment.

Or guardian pooch.

Milo smiled over at Pumpkin and offered his empty hand for her to sniff. She did so gladly, even giving his palm an adoring lick. If the dog hadn't run up to him and led Shane his way, Milo would have been lost and trapped all alone in the cemetery.

Just the thought sent a shiver down Milo's spine.

He soothed himself by giving Pumpkin a pat on the head while he glanced over at Shane. Milo waited patiently for the other man's reply. Slow and steady and stubborn seemed to be Shane's way. He said little though when Milo glanced into those green eyes he saw a slew of unspoken thoughts and emotions.

It made Milo want to grab a shovel and start digging in the secret garden of Shane's mind.

"Felt it," Shane finally answered, "in my bones."

"Which one?"

The question seemed to take Shane aback. "My knee, mostly."

Milo watched the profile of Shane's face. That thick beard was hiding a kindly face. Milo hadn't noticed before when they'd been walking together, too distracted by how grumpy Shane had been, but now that they were sitting together he had time to properly take him in.

"You seem like a man prepared for anything." Milo was deeply curious about the older man. He couldn't exactly explain why, but something about Shane struck a chord in him.

Milo wanted to know everything there was to know about Shane.

Shane, predictably enough, had nothing to say to his observation. That was fine with Milo. He'd never had any problems carrying on a conversation by himself. Foster care had taught him how to keep his own company and amuse himself.

As the truck cut through the rocky roads, veering down steep hills and making sharp turns along the mountain, Milo chatted on.

And so too did the snow continue to fall.

The temperature dropped so quickly, he started to shiver. Milo wrapped his arms around himself to ward off the cold.

"It's more remote out here than I'd imagined, but that's not a bad thing. The peace and quiet will be good for me. I've lived in the city my whole life and I just…I had to get away from it all. What about you? Do you like how far away Hope Peak is from the rest of the world?"

"Yeah."

Milo waited. No more words came. "How long have you lived here?" he asked.

"Always."

Milo, ever undeterred, continued full speed ahead even with the scant syllables that Shane gave him. "Is your place in town or are you further out?"

"I'd tell you, but it won't mean nothing," Shane grunted. "Not to you."

"Try me," Milo encouraged as he reached out to give Pumpkin another quick scratch behind her ears. She was such a good dog. Milo was as happy to have met her as he was fortunate to have run into Shane.

"Fine," Shane sighed, "I'm at the end of Wildberry lane."

Shane only had eyes for the road as he drove, but Milo pinned his gaze solely on Shane. He didn't want to miss a second of Shane's reaction. "Nice to meet you, neighbor!"

There was a crack in Shane's stony demeanor as he shifted in his seat. A faint squint around the eyes. A brief twitch at the corner of his mouth. His fingers flexed tightly around the steering wheel and his thumb twitched. Twice.

Milo watched each small movement to try and understand Shane a little better. He was a difficult man to read, but Milo had always been an avid bookworm.

Pumpkin let out a little whine when Milo shivered again from the cold. She pawed at Milo's knee in sympathy while Shane showed none, but did do something to alleviate Milo's discomfort. He reached over to turn up the heat.

Milo saw how much Shane loved Pumpkin and how much she loved him in return. A man who cared for his dog like that couldn't be bad. Dogs, Milo had learned long ago, were the best judges of character.

Shane cleared his throat while Milo pressed his palms up against the heater.

"Look. This is rough country and you're gonna have to change how you live. Toughen up some and get smart. Learn the lay of the land, hell, buy yourself some maps. You can't go getting lost again like you did today. And buy a truck. Or at least get snow tires, goddamn."

Shane's voice cracked at the end. It was as if that little speech had worn out his voice. Or used up all his patience. Maybe both.

His words were harsh but Milo could sense the care behind them. Why else would Shane have bothered to save him? He was a mountain man, born and bred, and he might have lived a hard life, but he wasn't a hard man. Behind all those dismissive grunts and gruff talk was someone protecting a soft center.

"Thank you," Milo said. "I know that I've got a lot to learn and I'll need to do things differently, but I think it'll be worth it…it"s beautiful here."

Milo didn't look out the window as he said it.

He kept looking right at Shane.