"Is this Fields' Pedigrees?" she asked politely.

The young man's eyes were resting uncontrollably on her abnormally large firm breasts, which were insufficiently hidden by the jacket of her lime green pantsuit. It was a few embarrassing seconds before he answered, "Yes… yes, it is. I'm Matt Fields."

Stella was somewhat taken aback. You're Matt Fields? she repeated to herself. The man on the phone sounded young, but not this young! The dark-haired man who had just introduced himself couldn't be over twenty-one, if that! He was wearing a casual "Keep on Truckin'" t-shirt and a pair of cut-off jeans, and his manner suggested a man who was barely out of his teens, still retaining the boyish exuberance of his adolescence.

He smiled as he came nearer the gorgeous woman. "You must be Mrs. Burnside, the lady who called," he said. "The dogs are out back, if you'll follow me…"

Stella followed the magnificently muscular young man out to the back of the lovely old house. The huge, dirt yard was partitioned into three separate areas, each complete with a running area and individual dog-houses for the animals in that section. Matt immediately led the fantastic-looking divorcee past a pair of beautiful Samoyeds and a family of three slender elegant Afghans to the largest area of the yard which was populated by German Shepherds of all sizes and descriptions.

"You said you wanted a guard dog?" Matt asked, when they had stopped by the gate in the fence.

"That's right," Stella nodded. "Since my husband left me, my daughter and I have had to move into an apartment, and, well, we just don't feel safe, all alone there," she confided, eyeing the handsome young man sideways. God, he sure was good-looking. Stella wondered how her daughter Jacqueline would take to a gorgeous guy like Matt Fields. It just might be worth it to invite him over for dinner or something, just to give it a try.