CHAPTERTHREE
Sara chose a long, flowing maxi dress and a pair of strappy sandals to wear to the scenting ceremony. She left her curly dark hair free to bounce around her face and on her shoulders. She selected a pair of large hoop earrings and several bangle-type bracelets, then she applied a small amount of makeup to take away the appearance of having just crawled out of bed. She completed her look with a nude lip gloss and sighed, knowing this was as good as it was going to get.
Sara arrived at the scenting ceremony, and she could feel the excitement in the air. It reminded her of the many solstice events she’d been a part of in the past, which made her wonder how her new coven celebrated. If they weren’t all that fun, then at least she could count on a good time at the Wolfe’s, based on what she was seeing so far.
The gathering certainly had that kind of naturalist vibe that Sara liked, with all the torches set up and lanterns hanging from chains that were draped over the tree branches that surrounded the area. While everyone hung out around the Wolfe’s home at the moment, she saw the path that went into the field, where an unlit bonfire stood. And then, beyond that, was the forest.
She immediately found Barbara and met her husband, Tristan. But she didn’t want to be a bother since, clearly, Barbara had many guests to greet. So Sara walked around the party, introducing herself to people here and there and enjoying the warm welcome everyone gave her.
Then, her eyes landed on a man who piqued her interest.
Damn, he’s hot.The man had eyes of a bright icy blue that she could easily get lost in. His jaw had the perfect hard angles that ran to his nice full lips that looked as if they were just waiting to be kissed. Short but messy hair framed his incredibly handsome face. And his smile … it warmed everything inside of her.
The man actually walked over to her.
“Rhett Parker,” he said, holding his hand out. His deep timber was like music to her ears. His smile was even more fantastic close-up. Her heart fluttered when Rhett kissed the top of her hand in greeting. For the first time in her life, Sara thought she might swoon. She had no idea that type of charisma was still alive and kicking in the modern male species.
“Oh, hello. I’m Sara.” Her voice sounded huskier than it ever had. She had no idea what was up with that. Not wanting to get caught drooling over another woman’s man, she quickly asked, “Are you here with your wife?”
He shook his head. “No wife. No girlfriend, either.”
“Kids?” I asked, assuming he was here to watch them.
“Nope.”
“Oh.” Confusion set in. “Are you here to find a mate? I thought this was just for younger wolves mating.”
“You say that like you think older wolves might not want mates,” he said, though he in no way looked offended.
“I just figured you’d all have found them by now.” Really, she’d kind of started to believe that she was the only mid-lifer still single, but that was silly. Of course, there were plenty of them out in the world … she just hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting them.
“The world is a big place, and sometimes we focus on other things than love,” Rhett said, his voice almost growling in the sexiest way over the word love. “Setting up a business, in my case.”
“What do you do for business?” Sara asked, seizing the opportunity to continue the discussion with the hot, available man.
“Home building. Construction,” he said, seeming pleased that she cared enough to ask.
Her heart did a strange flutter thing the second he turned that sexy smile on her. She had to admit, he was something else when it came to the looks and charm department. It was almost as if he had been pulled from the pages of one of her steamy romance novels and placed directly in front of her. Maybe she should have put a little more time and effort into her appearance, after all.
“And you? Do you work or partake in hobbies, maybe?” Rhett asked.
“I work,” Sara said quickly. “I actually just took over a bed and breakfast not too far from Blue Creek.”
It was the answer she gave non-paranormals, leaving out the part about it being a for witches B&B and definitely leaving out the part about her being a mentor for younger witches.
Rhett opened his mouth to comment on that when a petite, very attractive blonde woman who looked to be in her thirties pranced over, putting her hand on Rhett’s arm. “I can’t believe my eyes. What brings you to this mating ceremony, Rhett? It’s been so long.”
“It sure has. Have you met Sara?” Rhett smoothly removed the woman’s hand from his arm and gestured.
The woman barely spared Sara a glance. “So, what are you doing after the event.”
“I think I’ll be busy,” he replied. Now the woman slowly turned her head toward Sara, looking her up and down with a sneer.
“Well, okay then.” The woman shrugged and walked away.
“You have admirers,” Sara assessed. “I’m not surprised.”
“Oh, Janell is one of those ‘just because we’re not mates doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time’ girls. I’m sure she’s hoping I’m leaving alone at the end of the night and looking for company.”