The red motorbike took the long bends with practised verve. The country road snuggled up against the gentle hills, whose meadows swayed with long, golden blades of grass in the late afternoon light. They stretched from Meadow Junction to the Echo Mountains, where they eventually merged with the foothills of the mountains. The machine purred like a big cat, and Nate felt the wind on his face and the sweat under his helmet. It had been a hot day, and more heat radiated from the asphalt and the tank. But there was already the big red gate that pointed the way to Wild Sage Acres. He turned into the gravel driveway and let it roll out. Wild Sage Acres had many residents, some with two legs and many with four, and you never knew who was in the yard. As if in confirmation of this thought, Madame Ellie, the tabby barn cat, was perched on the hood of the discarded tractor, watching the flock of brown chickens scratching in the yard. Snoot, the black dog, was lying on the porch and jumped up when she saw Nate on the motorbike. Madam Ellie then disappeared like lightning into the dimness of the barn. Nate grinned. Finally home. "Well Snoot, you're not usually such a scarer of cats, are you?"

He patted the tail-wagging dog on the head and peered into the barn, but Eddie was nowhere to be seen. A glance at the fleet showed that the workshop flatbed truck was missing - perhaps it had gone on a short-term customer visit. He pushed the motorbike over to the others, hung his helmet over the handlebars and then walked across the yard to the old farmhouse. He felt like his jeans were sticking to his thighs. The porch roof already greeted him with friendly shade, and behind the thick oak door, a pleasant coolness welcomed him. Snoot squeezed past him into the dim hallway and lay panting on the cold tiled floor. Nate first went to his room and put on shorts and a fresh T-shirt. That was better already. Then he walked barefoot to the kitchen and got a cold lemonade from the fridge. Ah, that felt good after the warm ride. Snoot had followed him, and he filled her bowl with fresh water, which she eagerly slurped up. "It's pretty hot today, and you with your thick fur..." He patted the dog on the back. A glance out of the kitchen window showed that not only humans and animals needed cooling, the entire vegetable garden was slightly wilted in the sun. "Oh-oh, I think Eddie forgot to water it this morning."

Nate opened the door to the back porch and stepped down the worn wooden steps into the garden, with Snoot close behind him. He looked at the dog and, even though he knew she wouldn't answer, he asked her: "Have you been alone all day? You're not usually clingy like that." For a moment, he took the time to scratch her behind the ear, and she leaned on him with her full weight. "Good girl, and now come on, we have to water the plants."

He pulled the garden hose from under the veranda and turned on the tap. Cold water splashed, and Snoot barked enthusiastically. With a swish, he sprayed her a little, wet fur was certainly pleasant in this heat. The sun was already low, he could water without worrying that the wet leaves would burn. He methodically went through the garden, bed by bed, watering the dry soil generously. Eddie must have really forgotten to water in the morning. Soon it smelled of wet earth and wet greenery. Finally, every bed was taken care of, and he turned the nozzle to a narrower jet. "Hey, Snoot!" The dog was thrilled to be allowed to play with the water, but Nate was worried that she had overheated and hadn't drunk enough. Where was Eddie?

Together with a wet Snoot, he went around the house and yard, then fetched the kitchen scraps to lure the chickens into their coop. Snoot did her best to guide her feathered friends in the right direction. Chickie eventually had enough and fluttered onto Snoot's back, causing her to freeze. Nate had to laugh heartily at first, then he shooed the chicken away and into the enclosure, where he then distributed the food. After he had closed the door properly, he turned back to the house. Snoot lay down on the porch again, waiting for her master to arrive. Nate knew she wouldn't get into any mischief and headed for the shower to finally wash off the sweat and dust of the day. He had sweated through another T-shirt - again.

When he came back to his room, he found the shirt Adelie had slept in still lying on his bed. He had given it to her because she had spontaneously decided to stay. It still carried the delicate scent of her body, and without further ado, he put it on.

Snoot barked. Snoot didn't usually bark, so he decided to check what was going on. She was standing on the porch, wagging her tail and staring down the driveway, and he could hear an engine humming. But it wasn't Eddie's workshop truck, oh no. It was much too loud for that. He grinned and leaned against the porch post as a heavy, black sports car rolled into the yard. The engine died and suddenly the chirping of crickets was three times as loud. The door opened and the most beautiful sight he could imagine on this evening emerged from the black car: Adelie. She was wearing a loose-fitting, knee-length dress made of an expensive shimmering yellow fabric, and was just putting her sunglasses into her chestnut brown curls. Snoot was jumping around her.

"Snoot, sweetie, it's okay, it's okay." Adelie cuddled the excited dog. Then she leaned into her car, an action that allowed Nate an unobstructed view of her long, shapely legs, and pulled out a brown paper bag. He stepped down the steps and greeted her.

"Hello beautiful woman, to what do I owe the unexpected honour of your presence? I thought you had a student council meeting."

She approached him, dangling the paper bag in one hand, and kissed him in greeting. Adelie always smelled good, today delicately of jasmine and vanilla. "I thought we had a meeting too, but the air conditioning in the college building had a different opinion. Total failure. Meeting postponed. I thought I'd come by and bring food from the Golden Lotus."

He pulled her close again and leaned his forehead against hers. "My angel. My angel who brings me something to eat - you're heaven sent. I came home to a thirsty dog, a dried-up vegetable garden and chickens running free... I had to restore order here first. I have no idea where Eddie is."

"It's past seven, that's really strange." She hooked her arm around his and together they walked to the house. The now pleasant evening air allowed for dinner on the kitchen veranda without melting, and they were sitting with a glass of wine, watching the moon rise, when Eddie's car eventually pulled into the yard. A visibly exhausted man finally stood in the kitchen door.

"Eddie!" Adelie, with her feminine intuition, had immediately jumped up and pulled up a chair. "Sit down. Would you like something to eat? We still have plenty of roast Peking duck with hoisin sauce, steamed dumplings with vegetable and meat filling, and mango pudding left over."

Eddie sank into the armchair and Nate got him a glass of cold water. "Where have you been, man, you look exhausted."

He took a gulp and then said, "Adelie, I'd love to have something to eat, I've been on the road since 10 o'clock this morning. One of the conveyors in the mines near Birchwood Grove had malfunctioned and needed urgent repair, and I was the only available mechanic for miles around. The one who was actually responsible for it just went on home leave yesterday."

Adelie filled him a plate with the tasty leftovers, and Nate told him about his work around the house and yard. Eddie ate and drank and smiled. "It's a pleasure to know that you're helping out here, Nate. Really. You're the best lodger anyone could ask for."