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The next day, Balto went into Nome to speak with the doctor. The old man had mentioned, in passing, a need for more frequent deliveries that the mail team just couldn't keep up with any more. Morning found the wolfdog seated in the doctor's office, discussing the specifics. It would be a part-time job delivering medicine to far-flung homes and those too tired or weak to come to the hospital. In Balto's mind, it also gave him a reason not to dawdle anywhere he didn't want to be. The doctor was not one to stand on hero worship, but there was a depth to his smile, and though the old man tried to stay focused he couldn't help but glance back at the shelf behind his desk, where antitoxin was well-stocked. Before an hour had passed, Balto shook the man's hand, promising to check in each morning when the doctor arrived and again before he went home. The pay wouldn't be as much as the sled team could offer, that fact was stressed, but Balto found it more than fair. The doctor had rounds to do, but he would have the next day's medicine ready for him that afternoon. Mentally checking one item off his list, he left the hospital for Nome proper. The butcher and the grocer were his next stops.

Barely an hour later, he found himself wishing he already had an excuse to leave. A few of the single females of Nome, mostly huskies, had decided to walk with him as he left the grocer; the butcher would have his cuts ready by just after lunchtime. The main street was busy enough that their little gaggle didn't stand out, but he wondered whether there was somewhere else they ought to be. He was just in the middle of explaining his fight with the bear when Jenna rounded a corner ahead of them. He brightened and waved.

"It was actually Jenna who got the bear off of me," he continued, indicating the red-and-cream husky with a small flourish.

As one, the trio of girls turned to her, and he watched her ears flatten as a sheepish smile crossed her face.

"You did?" one of them ventured.

Jenna nodded. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"No big deal?" another gasped. "You fought a bear!"

"And the bear won," Jenna replied seriously, "until it went into the river with Balto."

The ladies turned back to Balto. "You never said you fought the bear in the river!"

With the ladies distracted, Jenna smiled at Balto over their shoulders and brushed past, pausing just long enough to squeeze him on the shoulder. "See you later, hero."

Balto wanted to follow her, but she was heading toward the hospital and he needed to have a word with Kaltag. So, he kept on toward the sled team's barn and barracks with the ladies finding new energy in a part of the story he'd hardly told to anyone. He tried to be polite but his mind kept wandering back to Jenna; more than once one of the girls had to call his name to get his attention. By the time he arrived, at least one of them seemed to be losing interest.

Finding the team relaxing, Balto introduced them to the three ladies just as Kaltag poked his head out of a side room.

"Well, fancy seeing you here. You reconsider the lead dog spot?"

"Nope," Balto replied, ducking away from his followers. "It's all yours. I'm making short runs for the doctor."

Kaltag caught the wolfdog's concern and gestured into the side room. "Excuse us, ladies. Boys, maybe a tour of the place?" Shutting the door, he continued to Balto, "Well, he can't keep you busy all the time."

"No, but I don't need to be busy all the time," Balto replied as Kaltag shut the door behind him, "and it wouldn't be fair to you or the team if I just stepped into the lead harness. It's yours. You earned it just as much as I did. Anyone who made that run could be a lead dog."

The side room turned out to be a lounge with a scattering of chairs and couches butted up against a small kitchen.

Kaltag just shook his head. "Well, let me at least get you something to eat. We got some good stew Nikki made on the stove."

Over lunch, Kaltag joked that even if the whole team was spoken for, they'd just as quickly all be single again if Balto showed the slightest interest in dating, and all at the same time, too. Balto shook his head and waved it away, but said nothing, and his silence was all it took to prompt Kaltag's next question.

"So, you're looking to stay closer to Nome now? Not looking to be gone for days at a time?"

"Yeah, I think that would be nice."

"Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain lady being in town, would it?"

Balto coughed and struggled to swallow his spoonful of stew. "What makes you say that?"

"Oh nothing, just the fact that you waltzed in here with three lovely gals on your elbow and left them with the team without a second thought."

"They've been following me, I needed a break."

Kaltag raised his brow and downed the last of his stew. "One of them probably would have dragged you in here if I hadn't stuck my head out." Balto began to protest, but the tan chinook laughed. "Don't get me wrong, you've got muscle enough that she couldn't really drag you. Stopped the other six of us from going down into that crevasse." He paused. "Still don't understand how you manged that. But it's not about strength here. A pretty girl looks at you and bats her eyes, you won't say no."

Balto frowned and shook his head, his tone darkening briefly. "Don't be so sure."

Kaltag's ears flicked back and he put out a hand. "Then you're a better dog than me," he chuckled. "Guess I was right about that girl in town, huh?"

Scowl vanishing, Balto blinked at Kaltag's satisfied grin. "I guess so."

"Anyone I know?" The chinook's temporary smugness was replaced by genuine curiosity.

"Is there anyone in town that you don't know?"

"Probably not."

"Then you'll just have to figure it out on your own."

Peeking out into the main area of the barn and seeing the team and ladies busily discussing something, he slipped out the front door and back into Nome. Initially, he thought to track Jenna down and see if she might want to take a walk together, but the town was busier in the early afternoon, and her fading scent was quickly overwhelmed by dozens of others as people went about their business. With a little time to kill, he stopped by the boiler room and glanced inside, but her distinct red fur was nowhere to be seen amids a circle of chatting females passing snacks and pitchers around. Just as he was about to move on, the high drawling voice of the only afghan hound he knew reached his keen ears. He was pretty sure she was one of Jenna's friends.

"Don't worry yourselves too much, dearies. It's not that you aren't enticing, it's that he already has someone."

Balto inched closer, straining to hear, as another voice joined in. "And being the fine upstanding dog he is, he can't be seen to have any interest in anyone else." Well, at least they didn't think he was being rude.

Someone else spoke up, but Balto couldn't quite catch what was said.

"That's simple enough, dearies," Sylvie continued. "She strolled into town the other night with Balto. He walked her home and they shared a very lovely moment before he left. I heard it all from a very reliable source."

"Best to let things play out and if he's still single at the end of it, then may the best girl win."

There was a general murmur after that, but Balto was already on his way back to the hospital, puzzling. He would have sworn that no one was about the night before when he and Jenna walked back into Nome together, but he'd admittedly been distracted. Even his wolfish nose couldn't catch everything, especially with Jenna so close. Even after hours in the spring, she still smelled of cedar and vanilla. Of course, there didn't have to be someone else involved with Sylvie being Jenna's close friend. He imagined Jenna and Sylvie chatting over coffee in Rosie's kitchen before the young girl came downstairs for her lessons. The phrase 'very lovely moment' made him grin like an idiot. Maybe he wasn't barking up the wrong tree after all.

The old doctor was happy to see him again, and they talked briefly about a few runs Balto would need to make in the coming weeks. Thankfully, after tomorrow's run there wasn't a pressing need until a week after. That done the wolfdog stopped at the carpenter's shop. Mr. Johansson was in the middle of finishing a short shelf, but even Balto's untrained eye could tell the boards had not been cut for that design. Glancing around he spotted two small coffins where not a month earlier he'd seen a dozen. The memory made his ears droop. The carpenter followed his gaze and they both were quiet a moment.

"It could have been very bad," the man said finally, turning to Balto. "But thanks to you it wasn't."

Balto began to shake his head, but the man strode up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't go passing off what you did to the rest. It was you that went and found them, so it's you we have to thank." He gestured to the cobbled-together shelf. "I've never been happier to tear up something I made and turn it into something else."

That evening, he was waiting with a lantern and basket when Jenna arrived at the edge of the trail leading up to the spring. Again, he insisted on carrying both baskets while she led the way with her lantern. When she looked at him funny, he shrugged.

"You could probably lead me up there with your eyes closed," she huffed. "I don't need you to humor me."

"I'm not humoring you, Jenna," he replied. "Yes, I know the way, but that makes me less liable to pay attention, more likely to let my mind wander. Even this close to Nome, we need to be on the lookout for any trouble, so I trust your eyes." His voice lost its cheery tone for a moment. "It was you who spotted me after I went through the ice, after all."

Jenna nodded. "Luck. Or maybe something more."

"Well, whatever it was, or is, I'd say we had it in spades."

She looked back at him with a smirk. "Except for the bear attack."

"Yes, except for that."

"And my dislocated shoulder," she continued, rolling the offending joint as she kept walking.

"Sure, it would have been a much more pleasant walk with you along." He tried not to think about how Steele might have acted with her around.

"And you falling in the river."

"Is that really separate from the bear attack?" he laughed. "I don't think I would have fallen in without it."

"And Steele fighting you," she growled, almost to herself. "What a glory hound."

He sighed. "I don't know if we could have expected better."

"And the team getting lost on the way back."

"There wasn't much we could do about that."

"And you falling off that cliff."

Balto gulped. He'd purposefully left that part out. "Well, it wasn't fun, sure, but-"

"And the whole team nearly falling into that crevasse."

He hadn't told her about that either, but he wasn't sure she was even talking to him any more.

"Not to mention nearly being buried in an avalanche!" She released a branch she'd been holding and a flurry of snow whipped up in the air, coming down to coat them like fresh powder.

"Well, we didn't fall down the crevasse," he replied gently, shaking his head for effect, "and we didn't get buried in the avalanche."

Jenna stopped and turned to face him. "But what if you had?"

For a long moment, they stared at each other.

Balto sighed, ears drooping. "Honestly, I try not to think about it."

Jenna's anxious anger seemed to fade away, and she nodded, turning back to the trail. "Me too."

A few short minutes later, they arrived at the springs. Balto set the lanterns in easy reach of the same pool they'd used yesterday and the baskets between them. Jenna had brought fresh biscuits, kept warm in layers of blankets, while he'd brought venison jerky and pickled herring. To cap it all, Jenna produced a jar of strawberry preserves thin enough in consistency that it could drank. The combination of salty and sweet was delectable.

Dinner finished, Jenna wasted no time in shedding her coat and the leggings she'd worn over her suit. Balto grinned, seeing the same blue one-piece from yesterday, though he couldn't say he was pleased that both her shoulder straps looked to be securely tied. He managed to muzzle himself before a lolling tongue could draw her eye, but his tail had other ideas. Despite the uncooperative appendage, he shed his coat and shirt, leaving only his plain green shorts-suit. before they both slipped into the spring. Overhead, the evening sky was quickly filling with stars. For a while, they lay back against the pool's edge, still sitting where they had the previous day, and gazed up at the sky. One or the other would point out a particularly bright star, or a constellation they thought they'd picked out. Before long, though, Jenna cleared her throat.

"I wasn't entirely honest with you yesterday Balto." He started to reply, but she held up her hand. "And I'm afraid I haven't been very forthcoming today. I'm sure you figured out why on our walk up."

He nodded, not quite able to look her in the eye. "My journey back with the sled team."

"Yes. I went and talked to the team about it this morning." She paused and looked up, but Balto only nodded. "Kaltag told me about your fight with Steele, and the dirty tricks he used when he realized you weren't going to leave without the medicine. Nikki told me about the marks Steele made in the trees to get the team lost again."

Balto sighed. "I don't like him, but I really think he was only trying to get me lost."

"At the expense of the team, the medicine and every sick person in Nome!" Jenna snapped back. "If everyone had known that, he wouldn't have just been banished."

"It's the very reason he was banished," Balto soothed. "A lot of people thought he should have been strung up, but Doc just cast him out. He didn't try to kill them, he just acted thoughtlessly when there was no room for error or delay."

"Stupidly and pigheadedly, you mean," Jenna fumed, crossing her arms. "He deserved worse."

"I'd say he got the worse option. He knows he could have been a hero, but chose to throw it away in a fit of anger. And he'll have to live with that for the rest of his life."

Jenna was quiet for a minute, still staring off into the forest. "You know, at first I was so furious at him because his stupid pride could have killed Rosie." She stood up and took a step toward him, only her waist and up visible. "Now I'm almost more furious that he could have killed you." She looked at him with eyes suddenly brimming with tears. "He almost threw you off a cliff himself, and then you fell anyways trying to grab the medicine. Nikki said you had it in your hands when the cliff gave way beneath you." She cupped her hand over her mouth as tears streaked down her cheeks.

He lurched to his feet with arms open, and she melted in his embrace, nuzzling against his cheek. Slowly, he guided her back with him and they sank back down into his seat in the spring. Somehow, Jenna wound up sitting sideways in his lap. She sniffled and leaned against him, arms wrapped around his neck. He tried to think of what to say, but settled for just holding her and running one hand down her arm. After a short while, she spoke up, her voice low.

"Star told me how you hauled the medicine back up that cliff, all by yourself."

Balto managed a chuckle. "He's been known to exaggerate."

Jenna shook her head. "No, Kaltag's the one who exaggerates, or at least says the same thing three different ways. Nikki's serious, but brief. But Star, no, he's just the simple, unvarnished truth." She looked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me any of that when you came back?"

"I didn't want to worry you over nothing," he replied, his tone calm and almost pleading.

"But I didn't know the whole story, Balto, and I want to." She leaned her head back to look him in the eye. "I don't want you to ever feel like you can't tell me the whole truth, however bad it may be."

He thought for a long moment and nodded, expression serious. "Then from now on, I'll tell you the whole story."

"No lies, no omissions?" she prodded.

"Never again. I promise."

She smiled brightly and gave him a peck on the cheek, then nestled herself under his chin. For a few long minutes, they sat there enjoying each other's company.

"Balto," she said quietly, "do you fancy me?"

He supposed he should have expected the question, but he hadn't. The thought of dodging entered his mind, but he remembered his promise and with a small chuckle he replied. "I believe I fancied you since I first saw you after that race for the team to get the antitoxin. You were the only one I heard cheering me."

"I think that was when I began to fancy you, too. Especially after the way Steele treated you. It just seemed so terribly unfair."

He nodded, then a smile crossed his face as looked out at the forest. "You know, I heard an interesting rumor passing by the boiler room today."

"Oh?" Her tone was inquisitive, but he could see her smiling against his chest.

"Yes, it seems I walked a lovely lady home the other night and shared a very tender moment with her before we went our separate ways. Sylvie said she'd heard from a very reliable source." He looked down to find her looking up at him. "So I think it's only fair of me to ask you the same question."

"I think by now you know the answer to that." Jenna leaned up and kissed him. "And if that doesn't convince you, I don't know what will." She curled up in his lap again. "Besides, I had to tell someone, and why not sweep away some of the other bits of gossip at the same time?"

"Other bits?" That sounded ominous.

Jenna laughed at his expression and told him what she'd heard since the team had gotten back. Balto was rarely around to hear them, but she was, and the tales were as wild as they were contradictory. He was celibate, he was picky, he was putting on a show, he was still getting used to fame, he'd had enough of fame. Someone even started a rumor that he truly was just a polite, kind, friendly dog that was happy to be left alone. By the end of her short tale, they were both laughing.

"And you didn't want to give your own input to Sylvie?" Jenna said, giving his shoulder a playful shove.

"No, not at all, I had an appointment with the doctor to pick up the supplies I'm running tomorrow."

Jenna's ears went flat. "The what?"

Quickly, he explained his new, part-time job as best he could.

"But an overnight stay hardly seems like part-time work," Jenna protested.

"It's only so I won't be coming home in the middle of the night. They have a bed ready for me, and I'll get a nice breakfast in the morning, then I'll be home by midday."

Jenna nodded, not quite meeting his gaze, then craned her neck with a grimace. "Would you mind if I moved a bit? I think my shoulder's acting up again."

He nodded and rested his arm on the pool's edge. He expected her to move back to her side of the pool, considering the bad news, or at least settle in next to him. Instead, she planted her feet on either side of him and settled quickly down in his lap, grinning mischievously.

"Jen, I..." he began, but she placed a finger on his lips.

"Do you love me?" she asked gently, removing her finger and resting her hands on his shoulders.

He swallowed, managing a small smile. "I think I've loved you since that night under the hospital. The trick with the bottles." His ears went flat, but he wouldn't look away from her. "I thought you looked so beautiful in the glow of the lights."

Jenna's cheeks flushed, and she leaned closer, her nose nearly touching his. "That was when I really saw you in a different light. I don't know what I saw before, but something changed that night." Her smile faded slightly. "I knew I loved you when Steele showed me my bandanna, and said you'd fallen to your death." She sucked in a shaky breath. "I thought I was going to endure the worst pain I'd ever felt twice, losing you and then losing Rosie." She bared her teeth in a grin and gave a sobbing chuckle. "Then you came back, and with the medicine too! I don't think I've ever been so happy."

Cupping his face in both hands, she pressed her lips to his. His arms came up to wrap around her, stroking up and down her back. Letting one of her hands hold the back of his head, she moved her whole body against his, and a low growl rumbled in his throat. They kept at it with hardly a word, only pausing long enough to take a breath. Finally, Jenna drew back, panting over a broad smile.

"I didn't know what to do with those feelings, thought maybe one of the other girls would woo you. I feel ridiculous for ever thinking that." Her ears drooped. "But now you're going away."

"Only for a day," he soothed. "It won't be long."

"Still, it's going to feel that way." She nuzzled under his chin and rested there a bit. "I suppose we ought to leave if you're going to be ready to make the run tomorrow."

He didn't want to admit she was right, but his body apparently had other ideas. He yawned, and she chuckled softly, drawing back to stand and climb out of the pool.

"If you don't mind showing me the way up again, I'd like to change out of this wet thing."

Jenna seemed to walk faster than usual on the way up the long incline, but he supposed it was the cold. She was still wet almost from head to toe. As they neared the cave, he offered to light a fire, but she waved the idea away. Dry clothes would be sufficient. So, he hung the lantern on its hook and with a nod stepped around the mouth of cave. He didn't have long to wait this time. Over the cascade of the waterfall, he thought he heard Jenna say something. When he called around the corner, she didn't reply. He wished he'd been listening more carefully, and shuffled closer to the cave entrance.

"Is everything all right?" he called. "Jenna, are you decent?"

"Could you come in for a moment?"

Furrowing his brow, he rounded the corner expecting a fading lantern or a wayward bat. Instead the cave was well-lit in flickering orange and there were no bats to be seen. Jenna stood facing him in the middle of the cave just a few feet away, but rather than a dress or the coat he expected to see he found her still wearing the blue swimming suit from the spring. Only, wearing it was perhaps an exaggeration, as both the shoulder straps had been undone, baring her breasts. He'd guessed at their size with no small help from her well-fit suit, but this was something he hadn't dared to dream would happen. They were heavy, dipping low with nipples perked in the cool night air. The white fur of her neck expanded to cover her chest and what little of her stomach he could see. His scrambling mind fastened on that and began to wonder if that same white fur continued across her stomach and lower. His nose twitched at the faint scent of vanilla. Then his heart took over and he swallowed hard, trying not to pant at the sight.

Shock number two, she made no effort to shield herself, instead clasping her hands behind her back with a smile. Between her tail slowly wagging and her half-perked ears he sensed apprehension certainly, but something else as well. He breathed her name so softly that for an instant he was sure he'd imagined it, but his feet carried him toward her and her hands came out to gently take hold of his and draw him closer. At arm's length, she placed them on her shoulders and let her hands slide down his arms to hold his sides. He dipped his muzzle to look her in the eye, still not quite believing his luck. He opened his muzzle to speak, but all he could manage was a smile.

"Nothing I don't want you to see," she said, gently pulling him against her. "Remember?"

Finally finding his voice, Balto began squeezing and massaging her shoulders again. He cocked an eyebrow as something slipped into place in his mind. "And your little slip yesterday?"

"Wasn't an accident." The grin she gave him was infectious, and when he bared his teeth he felt her quiver, seeming to catch her breath. "Was I terribly obvious?"

"Not quite, I'm just terribly thick sometimes."

A timely squeeze on her sore shoulder had her pressing against him, and he saw her tongue slide across her lip for an instant. "Mmm, maybe not in the way you think." His own breath caught when he felt her hand slide between them to brush against the growing bulge between his legs. "I was hoping this might get a rise out of you."

"You have no idea," he growled, leaning down to press his lips to hers. As her hand rubbed against him, he let his slide down to her chest. Her breasts were more than a handful, and he began to squeeze and stroke around them.

It was Jenna that broke the kiss with a soft laugh. "I wonder if paws are the only big thing that runs in your family."

Balto closed his eyes and hissed out a breath as her fingers traced his length through the fabric of his suit.

"Tempted as I am to find out, I suppose we really should be on our way."

Barely opening his eyes, Balto captured her in another kiss as his fingers squeezed gently on both nipples. The little squeak she made into his mouth was enough to set his tail wagging. "If that's what you want," he murmured earnestly. "We wouldn't want to worry Rosie and her folks. And you're probably right about me needing rest."

"Mmm, much more of that and you'll bring me to my knees." Another slow stroke along his length, and even through the suit he felt her brush the tip. "Though even that has its appeal just now."

Summoning every ounce of restraint, Balto brought his arms down to her sides and kissed her forehead. "You're tired, I can hear it in your voice. We can meet here again when I'm back the day after tomorrow."A whine escaped her muzzle, and for an instant he nearly swept her up into his arms.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

A short while later, they were walking back into Nome, Jenna nestled against his side. She'd managed a smile as they left the springs, but he knew she was probably annoyed with him. He'd insisted on stepping back outside the cave, but not before sticking his head out under the frigid waterfall. She'd laughed at him shaking his fur dry then, so she couldn't really be mad. They arrived at Rosie's house to find a light on in the kitchen again. Jenna set her basket and lantern aside to pull him close to her.

"If we ever get back at a decent hour, you should come in and say hello to everyone." Her voice was earnest as she caressed his cheek. "Rosie adores you, you know. Someone got it in her head that there should be a statue of you, and she keeps pestering her parents for someone to write to."

Balto chuckled. "Maybe I could take you on one of my runs, and Rosie too if her parents don't mind."

Jenna's eyes went as wide as her smile. "Would you?" she whispered. "Oh she'd love it!"

"So long as the supplies get where they're needed, I don't expect the doctor will mind."

Jenna beamed and kissed him deeply, both hands cupping his face. "I won't say a word. You can surprise her yourself."

Brushing the side of her neck with his thumb, he grinned. "Deal."

"I suppose I won't see you tomorrow morning?" she murmured between soft kisses.

"I'll be up early to get a good start, but I'll blow you a kiss as I go by."

At that, Jenna stopped and touched her nose to his. "Then you're going to have to give me something to remember tonight."

She seized him by the collar and with one quick step pulled him with her against the side of the house. Before he had time to look surprised she pressed her lips to his, hard. A moment later, he reciprocated, angling his muzzle to the side to interlock their mouths. One of his hands wrapped around her waist and the other cupped the back of her head. Meanwhile hers slipped into his coat to wrap around his waist and pull him against her. Instinctively, he followed her guide and moved his hips against hers, eliciting a long moan into his mouth. Feeling his member stiffening, he drew back and looked her in the eyes as they drew quick, shallow breaths.

"I should probably go in," she breathed, cheeks flushed, ears flat.

"Quickly," he said with a nod, though his drooping tail told the truth.

She embraced him tightly, brushing her muzzle against his neck. "Another moment won't hurt."

Something moved in the corner of his vision, and he turned his head in time to see a small face in the kitchen window. Rosie's candlelit features were unmistakable, just as her widening smile was the instant before she met his gaze. Seeing her expression fall, and realizing Jenna hadn't noticed, he subtly put a finger to his lips and winked. A tiny smile returned to Rosie's face and she vanished.

"Get home safe, big guy," Jenna whispered with a peck on the lips. "I'll be waiting."

Balto nodded, stepping back. She gathered her basket and lantern and slipped inside. Just before the door closed, she looked back at him, and he could swear she licked her lips. The image would stay with him through the walk home and into the night.