Reagan felt her cheeks heat further and she looked around, hoping no one heard that. “That was plenty physical,” she murmured. “This is just different, I guess. You’re just so buttoned-up all the time and wearing your fancy dress clothes. Don’t get me wrong, those are sexy as hell. But it’s also nice to see you a bit more laid-back. I just love seeing new sides to you.”

“You do, huh?”

“Yeah. I like seeing what’s important to you.”

“You’re important to me.”

“I was kind of hoping so,” she replied with a grin. “Calling me your girlfriend and everything.”

Jill bit her lip. “Yeah, sorry about that. Was that okay?”

“More than okay.” She tilted her head for a quick kiss. “So what’s next?”

“Follow me.”

For the next hour, they made their way through two aisles of dog cages, cleaning out the empty ones and replacing the bedding in the occupied ones. Reagan’s heart clenched each time Jill had to go in with a dog. She bent down and talked softly to each one, making sure they were comfortable before she swapped the bedding.

It wasn’t that it was surprising to see Jill like this, because it wasn’t. Reagan was seeing the sweet and patient side of Jill more and more lately. But she still felt an odd mix of emotions. On the one hand, she was incredibly honored that Jill was trusting her enough with this new view into her world, but on the other hand, she was sorry that no one else got to see this side of her and appreciate it, especially her family. Not that they’d even know how to appreciate something this precious.

Once Jill finished the last cage, she excused herself to talk to Stacey. While she was gone, Reagan took her time reading the info sheets hanging on the front of the cages. It was interesting and heartbreaking to see the circumstances that brought all of these dogs to the shelter.

Reagan turned as the door opened behind her. Jill held a blue leash in one hand and their jackets in the other. “I always finish my time here by walking at least one dog. Stacey said we can have Max today.”

They stopped in front of a cage that held a two-year-old beagle named Max. His brown ears flopped up and down as he hurried to the door to meet Jill. She whispered to him and introduced herself before opening the door and attaching the leash to his collar. After putting on their coats, they walked out the back door.

Reagan spent a few minutes looking around the large property. Several other people were walking dogs of their own. She was thankful it was a sunny day, the warmth of the sun covering up the chill in the air. Jill seemed content in her role of dog walker, giving praise to Max when he listened to her commands.