Free A Heart Not Easily Broken (The Butterfly Memoirs) by M. J. Kane

of his eyes.
    I held his hand and walked over to a goat in the pen.
    “This is Delilah. She’s very friendly and won’t bite.”
    His eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
    “I promise it’s okay. Start petting her here.” I demonstrated by running my hand over her rump. “Don’t pull her tail though. When you’re ready, you can rub here.” I ran my hand over her back.
    Cody joined in with his free hand, hesitant at first, while gripping my hand tightly. He relaxed and an excited smile spread across his face.
    His sister, on the other hand, stood with her arms crossed refusing to touch the animal. “Touching is for babies.”
     “You know, you’re right. Why don’t you try this?” I released Cody’s hand and pulled hay from the trough. To her delight, Delilah ate from my hand. “What’s your name?”
    “Hannah.”
    I squatted down. “Here, Hannah, hold it steady so she’ll come to you.”
    Hannah followed my instructions, but her hand trembled. Delilah turned to consume it.
    “Wow,” Hannah said in a small voice.
    “Uncle Brian, Uncle Brian, look at me!” Cody yelled, jumping with excitement.
    I laughed at his enthusiasm and followed his line of sight. My mouth fell open in surprise.
    Brian walked toward me with a confident swag. “Looks like we meet again.” He stood with his hands in his pockets and a sexy half-smile on his face. A red t-shirt, shorts, and sandals fit him perfectly. “What are the chances?” 
    Even though he’d cleaned up nice the evening we went out, he was just as attractive now. I wiped my hands on my pants and stood. “Uncle Brian, huh?”
    “Yeah, these are my sister Lisa’s kids. They wanted to come to the zoo. Their parents needed a day to themselves so,” he shrugged, “I volunteered.”
    Giggles erupted from the kids as they exchanged glances but stopped when he cleared his throat.
    “Really.” For some reason I found that excuse hard to believe. “Cody, keep rubbing her that way. You’ll be fine.” I grabbed my shovel and moved toward a newly released pile of dung as I shot him a look over my shoulder.
    Brian followed closely, wrinkling his nose. “Wow, this looks fun.”
    “Shoveling crap? It comes in all forms.” I threw the dung into a pile.
    “Ouch,” he chuckled. “Okay, the truth is I hoped to run into you.”
    I faced him, stabbed the shovel into the ground, and leaned on it. “It’s a big place, Brian. Your chances were slim. I’m usually behind the scenes.”
    “Guess today was my lucky day.”
    When it came to finding me, Brian never seemed to run out of luck.
    I couldn’t help but smile. “Okay,” I shook my head. “Now what?”
    “What are you doing tomorrow?”
    I sighed. “Brian, I’m not going out with you.”
    “I didn’t ask you out. I just want to know what you have planned.” He tried his best to be charming and innocent at the same time.
    “Am I supposed to believe that?” I forced my smile to stay hidden.
    “I swear my intentions are pure. If you’re free, I’m going to the amusement park at the Pier. It would be fun to ride the Ferris wheel, grab a funnel cake…talk while watching the tide come in. It’ll be nothing more than just two friends meeting to hang out.”
    I eyed him skeptically. “And it wouldn’t be considered a date?”
    “Not if we meet there.”
    “We did that last week, and you considered it a date.”
    “That was at night. This is during the day.”
    I laughed at his reasoning. He seemed to make a habit of making things work to his advantage.
    “It sounds nice, but I don’t think so. I’ve got studying to do.”
    Even though school wasn’t starting for two months, I had borrowed books to read. Between my friends talking me into going out, spending the evening with Brian, and work, I hadn’t studied in days.
    The glow in Brian’s eyes fizzled. And great, now I felt guilty. Though he seemed disappointed, his smile remained genuine.
    “That’s too bad. Well, if you change your mind,