If I said that I wasn't a little bit anxious, I would be lying. All-day the thought of having Hunter over to my house has been at the corner of my mind, and now that the final bell has rung to signify the end of the school day, my stomach does a cartwheel. It isn't like I've never had a boy over to my house before, but for some reason, it feels different from Hunter. I don't want to screw it up, and more than once I have an excuse to cancel our plans cross my mind in order to avoid doing just that. But when I meet him in the hallway at our lockers, the lie I was going to use skips my mind and I find myself matching Hunter's huge, child-like smile when our eyes meet. You would think that he has never been over to a friend' sss house before with how excited he obviously is.

Jeff tosses a glance from beside me as I pack the day's homework into my bag, looking past me to momentarily lock eyes with Hunter. "Do you have any plans after school?" He looks suspicious, but it doesn't show in his voice.

"Sort of." I respond, careful to avoid saying outright that Hunter needs help with his calculus, remembering the embarrassment he felt in telling me, and how he didn't want to go to Jeff for help.

Jeff leans over to look around me and down the hallway again, narrowing his mossy eyes in suspicion at the happy expression he finds on Hunter's face. "Huh. Anything interesting?"

"Normal stuff, really. Just doing some homework and I might order in." It isn't really a lie, per-se.

"By yourself? That hardly sounds like plans to me." His accusing voice is starting to annoy me, and I feel myself bristle a little. It's none of his business, so why is he acting weird about my plans?

Beginning to feel awkward with this conversation, I shut my locker in a way of ending it. "Yeah, well I'm a boring person," I don't bother trying to hide the ice in my tone. "I've got to get going. I'll see you tomorrow." I say before tossing a careless wave over my shoulder and walking away. I don't really understand why I feel the need to keep my plans with Hunter from Jeff as if it's something to hide at all. There is nothing wrong with two friends hanging out and doing schoolwork together after school. Everyone at school already knows we're on good terms.

I wait for Hunter to gather all of his things before we head towards the parking lot, all the while I blatantly avoid Jeff's glances at us. Hunter notices, I think, but he doesn't say anything. When he has all of his things, he turns to me and takes me by surprise when he reaches up and boldly tucks a strand of hair behind my ear.

I slap his hand away, holding strongly to my resolve. "Hey." I glare at him in warning, but he just smiles and holds his hands up in mock surrender, typical, childish grin on his face.

"Sorry," He laughs, but I catch the way he glances behind me at Jeff, his cerulean eyes taking on a harder, darker tone for a second as he does. But then he grins down at me again and sweeps his hand out for me to begin walking ahead of him. "Let's go, Princess."

I try to ignore the strange, subtle exchange between Jeff and Hunter as I drive home, glancing in my rear-view every few minutes to make sure the Idiot's black Ford is still following. It's hard to tell with the glare of the late afternoon sun on his windshield, but I think he is on the phone with someone for the majority of the ride back. I try not to think about who he might be talking to as I focus my attention back on the road.

When we pull into my driveway, Hunter parks behind me and we meet with our things at the front of my truck. "Before we go in," I start, glancing at the side door. "I have a dog. She's huge and is probably going to jump on you, but she isn't savage or anything, so she won't bite." Or so I hope. It's been a while since anyone other than me, mom or dad have been around April since we rarely have anyone over to our house. I think that if he's with me, that she should be alright with Hunter coming in, though. I've probably had hints of his scent clinging to me for the past week or so, anyway, so I hope that she won't freak at meeting him.

Hunter doesn't look surprised and nods his head, adjusting his shoulder strap. "Roger that. Now bracing myself for bear hugs." He smiles like a dork and salutes me.

With that laid out, I lead the way to the door as we crunch through the snow, fishing my keys from my coat pocket. I unlock the door and look back at Hunter, an eyebrow raised to question his readiness.

"Release the hound." He commands with a nod, and I open the door.

April, who was waiting patiently by the door, as usual, starts for me but stops short when she sees Hunter. She lowers her head and begins to growl at him. Her hackles begin to rise, so I step into her line of vision and squat, put my hands on either side of her head.

I look my dog in the eyes and tell her in a clear, solid voice, "No."

April whines and reluctantly backs away from the door, melting into my shadow. She stays glued to my side, head lowered in line with her shoulders, eyes wary. She obviously doesn't trust him, which I didn't expect her to do right off the bat, anyway.

Hunter eyes her and cautiously steps inside after we pass him. "She listens to you really well."

"Yeah, of course, she does. She's a good dog," I say, taking my backpack off and setting it on the kitchen island. "You can set your stuff down, she isn't going to move from my side."

"She seems to know who the Alpha is." Hunter musses, moving slowly. He doesn't turn his back to April as he slides his pack off and sets it next to mine. When goes to shrugs his coat off, I pause him with a hand.

"I have to go back out and feed my horse. You can come with me if you want." I mostly hope he comes out because I don't want him to stay inside by himself. It isn't like I don't trust him not to steal, but I don't want mom or dad to get back early and come home to a stranger roaming around their house. If that happens, Hunter's chances of getting shot at are a lot slimmer if he's with me.

Hunter finally looks away from April long enough to observe the inside of my house. He looks impressed at how my mom designed it, craning his neck to marvel at the vaulted ceilings. "Sure, Princess. You've got yourself a nice setup over here."

"Thanks, my mom does all of the interior decorating," I say, turning to the closet near the door to find my barn jacket. "Though it can't compare to your place." I shrug off my school coat and hang it up in the closet, replacing it with my more comfortable one. I hope Hunter doesn't note the white hairs that dapple the black material and the strong horse smell that comes from it. Maybe I should wash it later.

"Well, it really belongs to Uncle Don, but thank you."

I turn to look at him over my shoulder, pulling my hair out of the coat collar and securing it into a ponytail, trying to match a face to the name. I think he means Donovan Edan, the man who hired my mother. I vaguely remember his face, but I was so captivated by the beauty of the estate that I didn't pay much attention to him. "Do you mean Mr. Eden?"

Hunter looks at April, and squats, extending a hand towards her. She stays put right beside me, her head hung low as she watches him warily. "Yeah. We aren't actually related, but we may as well be since I was raised around him. My dad is his right-hand man, so they're pretty much like brothers."

"That must be nice, living with your family," I say, pulling on my Muck boots. "I don't see mine much, anymore."

I avoid looking at Hunter, not wanting to see his expression at the sad undertones in my voice. Instead, I pull a pair of my dad's boots from inside of the closet. "Here, you should put these on," I say, eyeing up his spotless Timbs. "They're my dad's so they might be a little bit. Sorry."

It looks like he's been watching me the whole time, which I try not to feel nervous about. Instead of his usual, goofy smile, though, he looks serious, almost troubled. He looks like an actor from a movie poster, tragically sad and unbearably handsome. Not like himself, at all.

I shouldn't have said anything about my family.

When I step back to let him come to the dirty footwear, he seems to snap out of it and offers a smile. "Thanks, I couldn't bear it if mine got horse dung on them."

"No problem. Want a coat, too?"

Hunter slips his shoes off and sets them neatly next to mine before pulling on dad's boots. He pulls at his hoodie and looks down at it, then back to me with a smirk. "Nah, thanks, Princess. I'd hate for your dad to come home to find me wearing all of his clothes."

Once he's ready, I let April out with us so she can use the bathroom and keep us company. "So, do you like horses?" I asked offhandedly, watching Hunter close the door behind himself.

April had reluctantly trotted a few yards away before squatting, keeping her gaze on Hunter as she pees. Oddly, he maintains eye contact until she finishes and comes back to my side.

Freaking weirdo, who watches a dog pee?

"I guess, I never really thought about it before," he pauses before changing the subject. "So, your mom's a lawyer," Hunter says, trailing behind me as I lead the way to the barn. "But what does your dad do?"

Hunter stays on my side opposite to April, gazing out over the yard and scanning the tree line on either side of us. He keeps his hands in his pockets, though I doubt that he's doing it because he's cold since he doesn't seem to get cold, really. The thought makes me shiver and pull the hood of my jacket up over my beanie.

"My dad is the owner of a chain of logging companies," I reply, glancing down in April. She seems a little more tense than usual and doesn't trot up to the barn ahead of me. I hope she feels alright, I think as I reach to give her a reassuring pat her on the head. "He just opened a new mill here, and he likes to be pretty hands-on with his work, so he's gone a lot, too."

"I see," Hunter says, glancing sideways at me. I noticed that he slowed his pace to match mine because he definitely would have reached the barn by now, otherwise. Though the snow is piled high, he glides through it without a problem, while I trudge through with burning thighs. What does this guy eat? Did fuel inject protein bars? I huff and stop in front of the big sliding door, turning to look over my shoulder. I don't know why I did it with Hunter here, and I don't know why I feel disappointed when I see the white landscape is barren of a certain black wolf.

Hunter furrows his brow and follows my gaze, but I've already turned back around and begun heaving the barn door open. I could swear that he smiles when he turns to face the barn again, but I don't look at him to see it, afraid that he might try to mock me. Instead, he doesn't say anything about it.

April squeezes inside before me, and lopes over to Jaxon's stall, tail wagging as she goes to greet her friend. This seems to draw Hunter's attention inside, and he wanders in, eyes falling into Jaxon.

"Woah, so this is your horse?" He says, voice loud, like an excited child seeing his friend's expensive toys for the first time.

Jaxon raises his head at Hunter's voice, and both he and April turn their attention to him. Jax rolls an eye and flicks an ear back, showing his unease.

I can't help but smile with pride. "Yep, this is my main man. His name's Jaxon."

Hunter looks like he'd love to rush over to the stall, but he hesitates as if wondering if he really should. Does he think Jax will bite him? When I turn to walk down the aisle, Hunter follows behind me slowly.

April steps aside as I unlatch the stall and push my way in to grab the frozen water bucket off of its hook. I hold it out to Hunter. "Will you knock the ice out of this? I need to climb up into the loft and toss some hay down for him. I should really go out and find a bucket heater, so his water doesn't always freeze."

As I hand the frigid bucket over the stall door to Hunter, I notice that I'll have to clean out Jaxon's stall, as well. Instead of latching the door behind me, I loop a hand through Jax's baby blue halter and lead him out, bringing him to the cross ties to sit while I clean.

Hunter's eyes widen when Jaxon emerges, his eyes taking the horse in from hoof to head. " Woah, " he explains in awe, clutching the bucket to his chest like a little kid and backing several steps. "He's humongous. How do you climb on him?"

"Practice, " I say, clipping Jaxon's halter to the leads and patting dust from his coat. "I usually jump, but sometimes I need a stool. Do you want to pet him?"

Hunter swallows, looking nervously at Jaxon, then at the bucket in his hands. "I'm okay, I'll knock this out for you."

I watch him such beneath the ties to get to the exit, his eyes never leaving Jaxon as he keeps a wide birth. He takes the bucket outside, probably in fear of startling Jaxon with the banging.

Jaxon flares his nostrils, taking in the foreign scent as Hunter passes, turning his head to watch him with caution, but not fear.

"I'll be back, " Hunter calls before closing the door behind him.

I frown, shaking my head a little. "That was weird. Does he think you're going to bite him?" I ask Jaxon, who snorts in response.

I shrug and go to the back of the bard to retrieve a wheelbarrow and wheel it to the open stall to begin heaving lumps of waste into the barrow. Once I'm done with that, I move the waste to the side and decide to add another bag of wood shavings to the pile, since there are some spots where the rubber mat at the bottom of the floor is visible. Hunter doesn't return until after I have Jaxon back in his stall with an ice-free water bucket.

He comes to stand beside me, keeping one eye on Jaxon and the other on April, who lays in front of the empty stall across from us. "There's a farm supply store just little ways out of town. I can show you sometime, they probably have something to keep the bucket warmer."

"That would be cool, " I say, taking the bucket from him and filling it up at the spigot nearby. Once I place it into the stall for Jaxon, I head towards the latter that leads to the hayloft.

I feel the latter move beneath me and look back to see Hunter mounting with me.

I raise an eyebrow. "You want to come up? There's nothing but dust and mice up here." I warn him.

Hunter shrugs and continues to follow me up. "Anything you can do, I can help with, Princess."

I roll my eyes even though he can't see, and he helps me dismantle half of a hay bale to toss over the edge of the loft and down below.

"These are heavy, " he comments, gesturing to the other full bales in the corner. "You do this by yourself every day?"

Noticing the dwindling supply, I make a mental note to text my dad about it later so Jaxon doesn't run out of hay.
"Twice a day, " I correct, heading for the latter to climb back down with Hunter at my heels.

"Youre something else, you know that?" He comments, sounding impressed. I can't imagine why it isn't as though it's hard work to take care of one horse. I've been doing it for so long that it's just become a routine. "I kind of see you in a different light now."

I hop down from the latter, the shock from the landing rushing painfully up my cold legs. "If you say so, " I comment, stomping warmth back into my feet. It sounds weird coming from Hunter. "Let's go back in and have some hot chocolate or something."

After we get back inside and shed out outdoor attire, I gesture for Hunter to sit at the breakfast bar while I start making our drinks. I'm aware of his eyes on me as I move around the kitchen, but pretend not to notice.

"Can I help?" He asks, making me meet his gaze. I'm not surprised to see his usual smile on his lips, though it's much smaller than usual, more thoughtful.

I stand in my toes to reach for a pair of mugs from one of the cupboards. "You can get our homework from our bags. We'll get started with that when I'm done with the hot cocoa."

Hunter raises his brow as if he forgot about actually studying. "Yes, Princess."

When the water in the kettle starts to boil, I pour it into the mugs and reach for the glass jar of the cocoa mix that sits in one of the cupboards and measures out two spoonfuls for each cup. Some of the powder falls off of the spoon and onto my leg, which I haven't noticed until now is covered in horsehair.

I screw the lid back onto the jar and push it back into its place. "I'm going to go change real quick, I'll be right back. You can have your cocoa now, just make sure to stir it, " I tall Hunter, nodding at the mugs on the counter.

He looks up from where he is digging in his backpack for the papers I requested earlier, a brow raised. "Oh, sure thing. Hurry back, you know I'm dying to get started with this, " he jokes, waving one of the printed sheets of paper.

I roll my eyes and jog up the steps, feeling a small smile creep onto my lips as I go. April follows me, still sticking close with the stranger in the house. As I slip my clothes off and toss them in the nearby hamper, she gives me baleful eyes, as if wishing that Hunter would leave.

I pull a clean hoodie over my head and go to where she lays on the bed, kissing her forehead. "Don't be like that, he's really a good guy, " I promise her. She heaves a sigh but presses her wet nose to my cheek as if understanding.

I slip into a fresh pair of leggings and fix my hair into a sloppy bun before jogging back down the stairs. I don't find Hunter at the breakfast bar as I left him, though he has moved both of our mugs beside the homework that he laid neatly in front of each stool.

Furrowing my brow, April and I round the corner to search the living room for the missing boy. The light that pours in from the window is bright, casting the room in a bluish, cold light.

April growls softly as I notice Hunter standing by one of the windows, typing out a message on the screen of his phone with a frown on his face.

He looks up upon hearing April, tucking his phone back into the pocket of his jeans. "Hey, sorry. I thought I heard a noise outside so I came to look." His smile is back, making me want to believe his innocence.

"Sure, " I say, sticking my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. "No one said that you couldn't look around, anyway."

He nods, looking around the room approvingly. "I know, I just don't want you to think I'm being creepy, Princess. Let's get started with studying, my dad wants me home by 9."

"Okay, sure, " I say, turning to head back to the kitchen. I find it unlikely that he actually has a curfew, but I don't argue. Who was he texting? Not like I care.

Noticing that April hasn't moved, I turn back to look at her. She stands still, staring out the window where Hunter stands. I think that she's looking at him at first, but he has his attention at the same place as her. It almost feels like the growl that she makes is coming from him, too.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, peeking around him to try and find what has their attention. I don't see anything except for snow-covered trees. Maybe there was a squirrel or something?

Hunter turns back to me, the smile still in place. "Nothing to worry about. Let's go, the drinks might get cold."

I shrug a shoulder and follow him back to the kitchen. Either he's acting weird lately, or maybe I just don't know him well enough to tell if this is normal for him. Either way, I try not to think about who he was texting or what he was looking outside of the window.