“You said you felt a pull to come here when you were looking for a place to open?”
She bites her lip and breathes out, “Yeah. I still can’t explain it.”
I give her hands a squeeze and then we step out into the clearing, the one I love and visit when I need to think. Dakota gasps as she looks around. It’s beautiful here year-round, but I can’t wait to bring her in the spring and summer when the wildflowers are blooming.
“Wow. I bet this place is even better at night with the moon shining down,” there’s awe in her voice.
I stop and turn toward her fully. Surprise coats my words, “That’s my favorite time to come here.”
She gives me a knowing smile and admits, “It’s beautiful.”
I can’t look away from her, even though I’m where I feel most at peace. “You’rebeautiful,” I growl and watch as she blushes.
“Do you like being a park ranger?”
It’s not the most elegant change of subjects, but I let her get away with it because I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. I can feel how much she appreciates my compliment; my chest burns with the joy in her heart as it flares. It’s enough for me.
I nod and then pull her over to the edge of the clearing where there’s a fallen tree, one I’ve taken to using as a bench more than once. “I do. It’s all I ever wanted to do.” I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, taking in the fresh air with a hint of my mate’s scent mixed in. “I’ve always loved the woods here and I want to be able to help protect it. It always felt like a calling of sorts.”
“Must be nice to know what you want to do early on,” she whispers, a bit of her own regret hitting me.
My voice is gentle, “Paws Up wasn’t your dream?”
“It wasn’t not my dream.” She chuckles at herself and rolls her eyes. “I love doing it, don’t get me wrong, but no, I didn’t dream about selling pet treats as a little girl.”
“What did you dream of?”
Dakota’s shoulders slump and I wish I could take the question back. “I didn’t dream of much. I dreamt of happiness. A family. I wanted to find a little place in the world that made me feel whole and at peace.” She looks around the clearing, wistfulness in her voice, “A place like this, maybe.”
I reach over and grip her knee, giving it a squeeze. “I’m happy to share this place with you.”
Her eyes sparkle when she looks back at me and teases, “Not like I’d give you a chance now.”
I throw my head back and laugh, loving her sass. We sit side by side and take in our surroundings. I could sit like this with her forever, but I also can tell there’s something on my mate’s mind.
She shifts slightly on the log, and I almost ask her if she’s uncomfortable when she whispers, “Earlier you asked me why I left Denver and I wasn’t entirely truthful.”
I give her knee a squeeze. “I’m listening. I’ll always listen.”
When she looks up at me, the smile on her lips is sad and her eyes are filled with pain. It strikes me in the center of my chest, and I bite back my reaction. I want to chase it away and wrap my woman up in my arms, not letting anything hurt her.
“I was with this guy, Macneal. I knew he wasn’t a good guy and wasn’t good for me. I just,” she sighs, her voice small, “I don’t think I wanted to be alone.” My body tightens, fear filling me at what she’s about to say. “He became abusive. At first it was words, but then one time he put his hands on me. He threw me across a room and tried to choke me.” She shudders and a low growl rumbles from me. Her eyes snap up to mine and she covers my hand with hers. “I’m okay, Jace.”
“He hurt you,” the words are feral snarls.
“He did,” she admits, her shoulders falling. “I’m okay now though. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to look for a place to open the shop away from Denver. We broke up, but he was still obsessed.”
My protective instincts are riding me hard. The need to make sure she’s safe. The desire to eliminate the threat. I’ll never let anything happen to her.
She lays her head on my shoulder. “I haven’t heard from him since I moved, but I wanted to be honest with you about the things that are holding me back, even though I know you’re nothing like him. I’m just scared. So much of me is screaming to jump into this thing with you and part of me already has, but I’m still scared.”
I wrap an arm around her shoulders and tuck her into my side before kissing the top of her head. My voice is a soft rasp as I try and control the rage inside me. “I know you’re not ready to say it and that’s okay, but I want you to know, little mate, I love you.” She sucks in a sharp breath and tries to pull away from me, but I hold her against me. “I’ll protect you. Always.”
“I know,” she whispers and melts into my side.
We look out at the clearing, breathing the clean air and enjoying the silence. I hope she really does know because now that she’s mine, there’s nothing I won’t do for her.
CHAPTER 8