In the shed behind the kennels, Jed lined up stainless steel bowls and filled them with kibble. He gave each dog a bowl of food and fresh water, then did a quick cleaning of the cages. Following him, Honey wagged and sniffed at each kennel door. Bear, the young chocolate lab in the first cage, was the next up-and-comer. Smart, willing, energy to spare. Jed had already received several very nice offers for the dog, but he had to have one dog in competition at all times. Plus, Bear was going to make a fine stud. This fall would be Bear’s year.

There’d be no more field trials for Honey.

Jed patted Bear on the head and secured the door. Too many kennels sat empty and dark. If he wasn’t going to breed Honey, he should invest in another bitch, but the future just didn’t feel bright enough to plan very far ahead.

Full dark had fallen on the clearing by the time he crossed to the house. A brown package sat on his porch. He carried it inside, pulled his folding knife from his pocket, and slit the tape securing the end. He sat down at his desk. Inside a nest of packing peanuts sat a black box with a large white button. Honey rested her head next to the box as if she knew it was for her.

He fed Honey in the kitchen before heading for the shower. He stepped under the spray and turned his back to the pulsing water. The long, ugly scar that wrapped around his midsection was too tender for direct contact. Jed put his head under the cascading water. How much of a chance did he have of convincing Mandy he was a man, not just a friend? His fingers strayed to the puckered skin on his abdomen. He didn’t feel like much of a man, not when picking up a ladder felt like he was trying to lift a Chevy.

He turned off the shower and toweled off. Wait. He froze. There was one thing he could do for Mandy. Something that might convince her that what he felt for her was beyond brotherly affection.

He could find Nathan. Ha! If only his ruined body would hold up to the task, Jed could put an end to this whole thing. But Nathan’s knife had rendered Jed useless, emasculated him as surely as if the cut had been eight inches lower.

The memory of lying cold on the pavement, blood flowing out of his body like a hung deer, wasn’t the only thing that haunted Jed. Right after he’d stabbed Jed, Nathan had declared Mandy as his own. The cops could claim he was long gone till they ran out of wind. But Jed knew the truth. He wrapped the towel around his waist and went into the adjoining bedroom.

Finding Nathan for her wasn’t possible. Not for Jed.