wouldn’t have known they needed saving if you hadn’t charged out in front of my truck.”
“Oh.” Her sudden smile lit up her gentle beauty. “I guess I did do that.”
“Yes, you did.” Unable to resist her cheer, he grinned. “What I’m asking you about is why you do keep trespassing if you know you’re going to get in trouble?”
Not answering immediately, she gnawed at her chapped lower lip until a bit of skin began to peel. He had to flex his grip on the steering wheel to keep from pressing his thumb to the injury she seemed intent on creating. Though his question elicited fresh unease from her, the sour notes of her earlier panic were absent.
“I don’t know,” she answered finally as he slowed the truck to navigate the long dirt road toward his cabin. The dense profusion of trees blocked his view while the thick snow on the ground made for a bouncy ride. “I’m sure that’s not the answer anyone wants to hear, especially from some stray .”
The emphasis on the last word dragged his attention toward her again. A tiny frown knitted her brows together and her knuckles whitened. “Okay.” Maybe he should leave it alone and let her Alpha deal with her. The sane choice. The reasonable decision. “You do know you aren’t some mutt on the side of the road, right? Today’s actions aside.”
A shrug was her only response. Well, all right, then. Shaking his head, he experienced a twinge of relief as the cabin came into view. No smoke puffed from the chimney, but he’d take care of a fire as soon as he got his passengers inside. Chrystal stared out the window, a hint of misery coating her.
Clamping his jaw shut on the offer to keep their secret , he parked the truck before getting out to fetch the mama and her pup. Frankly, he’d rather face a fresh injury than see the sadness in Chrystal’s eyes. Protecting her isn’t my job, nor is keeping her secrets. The litany didn’t help. Turning her in might be the best thing for her—so why didn’t he want to do it?
A shower helped more than she imagined. Despite the warmth in the vehicle—and Dylan’s electric touch when he’d rubbed her hands—she’d still shivered even after he built a fire in the front room. He’d given her a nudge and a handful of clean clothes then sent her to wash. Why hadn’t he simply called to send her home again?
Because of the wolves, dummy. If they didn’t have the wolves, he probably would have driven her all the way to Three Rivers and dumped her on Luciana’s doorstep, and then she would have really been in trouble. Of course, if I hadn’t followed the wolf, I wouldn’t have needed to flag him down. She’d managed almost a whole week, concentrating on painting new homes and taking cooking lessons when she wasn’t working on her art.
Toweling off, Chrystal stared at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were still red and chapped from the cold wind. Her fingers were coated with cuts. The heated water warmed her all the way to the core, though. A whole week of not wandering , mostly because of the repeated snowstorms. If not for the sudden respite earlier in the day and her antsyness, she’d still be home.
And those wolves might have died… Tears clogged her throat, and she blinked rapidly. The mother had been so desperate, and the pup’s whining cut her to the core. The she-wolf would have done anything to save her pup—anything. A quiet knock on the door had her swiping at the moisture escaping from the corners of her eyes.
“Chrystal.” Dylan’s voice gentled to the same soft notes he’d complimented her with on saving the wolf. Closing her eyes, she basked in the illusion of acceptance. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, fighting the urge to sniffle and betray herself further. “I’ll be out in a moment, if you want to use the shower.”
“Uh huh.” Doubt seemed to echo in those two syllables and no light step warned her he’d taken her at her word. He hadn’t
“Oh.” Her sudden smile lit up her gentle beauty. “I guess I did do that.”
“Yes, you did.” Unable to resist her cheer, he grinned. “What I’m asking you about is why you do keep trespassing if you know you’re going to get in trouble?”
Not answering immediately, she gnawed at her chapped lower lip until a bit of skin began to peel. He had to flex his grip on the steering wheel to keep from pressing his thumb to the injury she seemed intent on creating. Though his question elicited fresh unease from her, the sour notes of her earlier panic were absent.
“I don’t know,” she answered finally as he slowed the truck to navigate the long dirt road toward his cabin. The dense profusion of trees blocked his view while the thick snow on the ground made for a bouncy ride. “I’m sure that’s not the answer anyone wants to hear, especially from some stray .”
The emphasis on the last word dragged his attention toward her again. A tiny frown knitted her brows together and her knuckles whitened. “Okay.” Maybe he should leave it alone and let her Alpha deal with her. The sane choice. The reasonable decision. “You do know you aren’t some mutt on the side of the road, right? Today’s actions aside.”
A shrug was her only response. Well, all right, then. Shaking his head, he experienced a twinge of relief as the cabin came into view. No smoke puffed from the chimney, but he’d take care of a fire as soon as he got his passengers inside. Chrystal stared out the window, a hint of misery coating her.
Clamping his jaw shut on the offer to keep their secret , he parked the truck before getting out to fetch the mama and her pup. Frankly, he’d rather face a fresh injury than see the sadness in Chrystal’s eyes. Protecting her isn’t my job, nor is keeping her secrets. The litany didn’t help. Turning her in might be the best thing for her—so why didn’t he want to do it?
A shower helped more than she imagined. Despite the warmth in the vehicle—and Dylan’s electric touch when he’d rubbed her hands—she’d still shivered even after he built a fire in the front room. He’d given her a nudge and a handful of clean clothes then sent her to wash. Why hadn’t he simply called to send her home again?
Because of the wolves, dummy. If they didn’t have the wolves, he probably would have driven her all the way to Three Rivers and dumped her on Luciana’s doorstep, and then she would have really been in trouble. Of course, if I hadn’t followed the wolf, I wouldn’t have needed to flag him down. She’d managed almost a whole week, concentrating on painting new homes and taking cooking lessons when she wasn’t working on her art.
Toweling off, Chrystal stared at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were still red and chapped from the cold wind. Her fingers were coated with cuts. The heated water warmed her all the way to the core, though. A whole week of not wandering , mostly because of the repeated snowstorms. If not for the sudden respite earlier in the day and her antsyness, she’d still be home.
And those wolves might have died… Tears clogged her throat, and she blinked rapidly. The mother had been so desperate, and the pup’s whining cut her to the core. The she-wolf would have done anything to save her pup—anything. A quiet knock on the door had her swiping at the moisture escaping from the corners of her eyes.
“Chrystal.” Dylan’s voice gentled to the same soft notes he’d complimented her with on saving the wolf. Closing her eyes, she basked in the illusion of acceptance. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, fighting the urge to sniffle and betray herself further. “I’ll be out in a moment, if you want to use the shower.”
“Uh huh.” Doubt seemed to echo in those two syllables and no light step warned her he’d taken her at her word. He hadn’t
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