Mountain Wolf's Courage (Daddy Wolves 0f The Wild Series Book 4)

by Serena Meadows

  For most of the morning, it was easy to ignore Trevor, who’d come out of the barn just as they were leaving and took up a place at the end of the line far from her. Jordan was leading the ride, and she’d already started to like the woman, who didn’t look as tough as she was and had a way about her that instantly put her at ease. She’d heard some gossip about the woman and her romance with her husband Drew, but hadn’t really paid much attention since she hated gossip., but now she was a little curious.

  When they stopped for a break, it wasn’t long before Trevor found her sitting alone on a rock. “Can I join you?” he asked but didn’t wait for her to answer.

  He was sitting close enough that she could smell his spicy cologne and feel the heat radiating from his body, and she couldn’t stop herself from sighing with pleasure when her body filled with warmth. She knew that Trevor was looking at her, felt her cheeks begin to pinken, and tried to think of something to say.

  “It really is beautiful up here,” she finally said, forcing herself not to look at him, afraid of what she might see in his eyes.

  To her relief, he looked away at the mountains around them. “I grew up in the mountains, but they were nothing like these, more like hills,” he said. “What about you? Is this your first time in the mountains?”

  Sarah was so surprised by his question it took her a second to answer. “I’ve been skiing a few times back east, but that’s about it,” she said. “I’ve always been happiest sticking close to home.”

  “This feels more like home to me than the city does, but I didn’t realize that until we got here,” Trevor said. “I miss the freedom of living out here. It can get pretty cramped in the city when you’re a wolf shifter; not very many places where you won’t be seen.”

  “Then why live there?” she asked, realizing that she felt that same freedom here. “I mean, I get what you mean about freedom out here; it’s so quiet and peaceful.”

  Trevor shrugged. “That’s where my wife wanted to live, and she always got her way, so we lived in the city,” he said. “It’s amazing what you’ll put up with when you think you’re in love.”

  “What do you mean think you’re in love?” Sarah asked, unable to stop herself.

  Trevor opened his mouth to answer, but Jordan’s voice interrupted him. “Okay, break time is over, we’ll head back down to the barn now, and you’ll all get a lesson on grooming your horse.”

  “Guess I’d better go,” Trevor said. “See you at the barn.”

  Sarah watched him walk to his horse, wondering why he’d suddenly revealed so much about himself to her, but not sorry he had. Her anger at the way he’d kissed her the night before had vanished, replaced by something she couldn’t exactly name, but that felt amazingly like hope.

  Chapter Eleven

  ***Trevor***

  As soon as he got to the barn, Trevor unsaddled his horse and quickly groomed it, then turned it loose into the pasture. He avoided the class Drew was teaching about grooming, as well as Jordan, who was in the tack room, and slipped away. His talk with Sarah that morning had left him rattled and a little shocked that he’d so easily confided as much as he had in her. Worse, if Jordan hadn’t called an end to the break, he’d have told her more, and he wasn’t looking for that kind of intimacy.

  But that left him with the question of what he was looking for, and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t have a clue. He was attracted to Sarah, but she was a very attractive woman, with her green eyes and blonde hair, and a body that would ignite any man’s passions. The only problem was that there was more to it than just a physical attraction.

  Just her scent had made his body begin to stir, but then he’d felt a wave of comfort wash over him. It had left him breathless for a second, and the next thing he’d known, he’d been pouring his heart out to her, talking about things he never talked about. It was the second time that day that he’d opened up a part of himself he’d closed off years ago and he felt slightly out of control.

  Talking to Gabe about his childhood had opened many doors and a few wounds that he now realized had never healed. He was glad that his grandfather hadn’t lived to see him turn his back on the only life he’d ever known, but he still felt like he owed him an apology. His grandmother probably would have shaken her head and said something wise about love, then immediately forgiven him.

  Thinking about them made him realize that it was time to change his life, that it was time to put Claudia’s memory to rest and to find a way to free himself of Richard. Of course, the only way to do that was to give the man the key to Serendipity, and he was beginning to wonder if that was really such a good idea.

  As the first seeds of doubt began to grow in his mind, he tried to push them away, determined to make Gabe his first priority, but the magic of Serendipity was beginning to work on him. He spent the afternoon shopping, unpacking, and tidying up the cabin, happy for at least few hours to lose himself in the mundane. Sarah was never far from his mind, and several times that afternoon, he found himself staring out the window thinking about her, wondering what she was doing.

  When Gabe finally made it home only an hour before the barbeque was scheduled to start, he didn’t even scold him, just sent him off to the shower. His son gave him a strange look, then disappeared into the bathroom for the next forty-five minutes.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” he said when he came out.

  Trevor had to keep himself from smiling with he saw the little pieces of wadded up toilet paper sticking to his son’s cheeks. “You know, if you’d asked, I would have helped you shave,” he said, trying to keep his face serious.

  Gabe turned pink, then said, “I thought I could do it by myself. Alex said it was easy.”

  Trevor tipped Gabe’s face up and gently picked the bloody tissue off his face. “Next time, I’ll help,” he said. “Go wash your face, and then we’ll go.”

  The barbeque was already in full force when they got there. Tables piled high with food were lined up next to a barbeque pit that held an entire pig spinning on a spit over the flames. A dance floor had been laid off to one side, and the fire pit was piled high with wood, just waiting for a flame to ignite it. Tables had been shoved into any empty space, and some people were sitting on the ground on blankets.

  “Do all these people work here?” Gabe asked, looking around the milling crowd.

  “I don’t think so; I think there’s lots of family and friends here tonight. From what Jake said, this barbeque is a big deal,” Trevor said, searching the crowd for Sarah.

  Just then, Gabe’s friend Alex came running up. “What happened?” he asked, looking at Gabe’s face. “Did you do it?”

  Gabe looked up at him. “Umm, can I go with the guys until it’s time to eat?” he asked, clearly embarrassed.

  “Go on, but find me when they ring the dinner bell,” Trevor said, knowing he wasn’t going to see much of his son that night.

  He watched Gabe and his friends walk away, pointing to their faces and making wild gestures with their hands, and couldn’t help but smile. It was nice that his son had made friends so easily, but he missed the little boy who would have wanted to be with him. Pushing the moment of sadness away, he turned his attention back to finding Sarah in the crowd of people.

  When he finally spotted her in the last place he’d expected to find her, he hesitated a second before heading for the food tables where she was clearly hiding. It was difficult to see her behind the row of women who were hovering over the food, chasing away anyone who tried to steal a quick sample.

  She was wearing an apron that reached almost to her knees, and with a scarf tied around her head, for a moment he thought she looked like a little girl playing house. A sudden vision of her holding a little girl that looked like them popped in his head, and he hesitated shocked at what he was seeing. But then Sarah saw him; a smile spread across her face, and the vision faded, leaving only a hazy feeling of happiness.

  ***Sarah***

  Sarah didn’t think she’d
ever be glad to see Trevor, but she was, and the smile that spread across her face couldn’t have been more real. Marley’s little plan to keep her safe from the roving men at the barbeque had been a good one, but she was about to lose her mind stuck there with the women who’d volunteered to oversee the food. It wasn’t that they weren’t nice; they’d been nothing but understanding. It was the constant questions and life coaching that were wearing her out.

  She felt a bit ridiculous in the apron that reached to her knees and the scarf they’d tied around her head that kept slipping down her face, so she couldn’t get too mad at Trevor’s look of amusement. Instead, she shoved the scarf back up on her head and straightened the apron like she’d planned to wear them all along.

  “Well, aren’t you all dressed up tonight,” Trevor said when he walked up.

  The women took one look at Trevor and closed ranks around her. “Sarah, be a dear and go inside and get my purse for me, will you please?” one of the women asked.

  Sarah looked over at her, then back at Trevor, who was now blocked by a row of women, and shrugged. “Sure, I’ll be right back.”

  Trevor started to follow her, but one of the women stopped him. “She’ll be right back. Why don’t you tell us who you are? I don’t think we’ve met.”

  She heard him groan right before she walked into the dining hall and wondered if he’d be there when she got back or if he’d run away like she wanted to. But when she came out of the lodge, he was still there, and from the look of things, he’d charmed the women, who were all smiles.

  “Here’s your purse, Stephanie,” she said, then had to repeat herself.

  The women all looked over at her, and there were several giggles from the crowd. “Oh, thank you, Sarah,” the woman said, then took the purse from her and set it down on the ground.

  “I was just explaining to Stephanie and the other girls that you agreed to have dinner with me tonight,” Trevor said, trying not to laugh when the scarf fell over her face again.

  Sarah shoved the scarf back up and asked. “I did?” then saw the look on Trevor’s face and said. “I did.”

  “I’m hoping they’ll be okay without your help, but if they really need you, I guess I can eat alone,” he said, then sighed loudly.

  There was some quiet discussion between the women, then Stephanie said, “I suppose we can handle things here without Sarah, but you take good care of her, young man.”

  “I promise I won’t let her out of my sight,” he said, bowing to them.

  There were a few giggles and a couple of sighs from the ladies, then Stephanie pulled the scarf off her head and untied the apron. “Off with you then; he seems like a nice young man.”

  Sarah quickly smoothed her hair down, then pulled the apron over her head. “Are you sure you don’t need me?”

  “No, and I don’t think you need us any more either,” Stephanie said, then winked at her. “Have fun. He’s a real looker.”

  When they were far enough away and she knew they couldn’t hear her, she pulled him out of the crowd under a tree asked, “What did you say to them?”

  Trevor looked over at her and grinned. “I’m not giving away my secrets that easily.”

  “And what would it take to get you to share your secrets? I thought they were going to turn me into one of them any second,” she teased back. “A girl has to know how to protect herself.”

  “Hmm, I’ll have to think about that, but it might involve your lips and mine,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “But then again, you looked pretty cute in that apron and scarf.”

  Sarah slapped him, then blushed. “I felt as silly as I looked,” she said.

  “No, you looked beautiful, like you always do,” he said, then lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her palm.

  Sarah felt herself blushing, and even though she’d heard those same words so many times before, they touched her differently coming from Trevor. “Thank you for rescuing me,” she said.

  “I’ll always come to your rescue, Sarah,” he said, his eyes locked on hers.

  “I think I might like that,” she said, suddenly desperate to feel his arms around her.

  As if he’d read her mind, he reached out and pulled her to him, wrapped his arms around her, and lowered his mouth to hers. When his lips touched hers, pleasure raced through her in delicious waves, and she gasped, opening her mouth to his tongue. It was the absolute wrong place to let him kiss her that way, but she was powerless to stop him given the passion that erupted between them.

  The loud clanging of the huge dinner bell being rung made them jump apart, and for a few seconds, they just stood staring at each other, their chests rising and falling. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, but it seems like I can’t stop myself when I’m around you,” Trevor finally said.

  Sarah looked around them and saw no one was watching them, then decided that life was too short not to take a risk now and then. “That’s okay,” she said, a teasing grin on her face. “I didn’t mind it too much.”

  Chapter Twelve

  ***Trevor***

  Trevor could only stare at Sarah for a second, his body responding to the teasing look in her eyes. “We can’t have that. I think I’d better try again,” he said, then pulled her into his arms before he lost his nerve.

  When his mouth came down on hers this time, her arms came snaking up his chest and around his neck. He pulled her closer and dipped his tongue into her mouth, a thrill racing through him when she moaned deep in her throat and smashed her body up against his.

  But the dinner bell rang again, and he had to let her go much sooner than he would have liked, but this time when they parted, her eyes were full of desire. Feeling the anticipation of conquest running through his blood, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He hadn’t felt this kind of passion in years, and suddenly he didn’t feel quite as old as he had just a few hours ago.

  Ending the kiss had been even harder this time, but he knew deep down that there would be more to come. “We should go get something to eat,” he said when they’d both had some time to recover from the kiss.

  Almost as soon as they stepped away from the tree, Gabe and his friends came running up, and he could tell from the look on his son’s face that he’d seen something he didn’t like. “The dinner bell rang like fifteen minutes ago; where have you been?” Gabe demanded, giving Sarah a dirty look.

  “It’s only been a few minutes, and I’ve been right here with Sarah waiting for you,” Trevor said, feeling a little guilty at his white lie. “You remember Sarah, don’t you?”

  “Hi, Sarah,” Gabe said, the unpleasant look still on his face.

  Sarah glance over at Trevor, then said, “How was your ride this afternoon? I wish I learned as fast as you do. I think I might be hopeless when it comes to horses. Maybe when you have some time, you can give me some pointers.”

  Trevor held his breath as the emotions played across his son’s face. “I guess we could talk about it at dinner,” he finally said.

  They’d all eaten their fill and the band was just beginning to tune up when Gabe finally ran out of things to tell Sarah and disappeared to find his friends. “Well, it’s my turn to ask you what your secret is,” Trevor said when Gabe was gone.

  Sarah smiled at him. “A girl has to have a few secrets,” she said.

  “Does that mean that there’s nothing that will convince you to share them?” he asked.

  “Hmm, I’ll have to get back to you on that one. I’d just as soon not have any more ruffled feathers tonight,” she said, looking across the party to where Gabe was talking excitedly to his friends.

  “Then I’ll have to settle for dancing with you,” he said, pulling her to her feet.

  She tried to pull away from him. “I don’t really know how to dance. I had a couple of bad experiences, and I’ve never danced with anyone since then,” she said.

  “We men really are a bunch of asses, aren’t we?” he asked, still pulling her t
oward the dance floor. “Don’t worry. I promise not to touch you anywhere that will have people whispering about us, even though I want to.”

  She let him pull her through the crowd, onto the dance floor, and into his arms, aware the whole time that people were watching them. “Why is everyone watching us?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know, but they’ll stop soon,” he said, spinning her around the dance floor.

  She only stumbled once before she caught onto the steps, and soon, they were floating around the floor, oblivious to the world around them. “For someone who can’t dance, you’re doing a pretty good job,” he said, looking down at her.

  “It’s easy with you. I know you’re not going to let your hand slide down to my butt or arm accidently slip so you can feel my breast,” she said, then wished she hadn’t. “I’m sorry, pretend I didn’t say that.”

  “I’m glad you trust me because I was raised to respect women. As much as I’d like to do those things, I won’t,” Trevor said.

  “Is it okay if I tell you that sometimes I want you to?” she whispered, looking anywhere but at him.

  He put his finger under her chin and tipped it up until she was looking at him. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, but I think we should take this slow,” he said. “I’d like to kiss you about a million more times.”

  Sarah’s face turned an attractive shade of pink, and he wanted to kiss her right then. And when she said, “That would be okay with me too,” he couldn’t stop himself from following his instincts.

  Not far away, Marley sat back in her chair, a satisfied look on her face, and smiled over at Jake, who was sitting next to her watching Sarah and Trevor. “I told you it would happen,” she said.