Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33504 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33504 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“He did. I was so engrossed in the story, I didn’t look where I was going, and he pulled me out of harm’s way.”
“It was that moment he fell. He doesn’t like to admit it, because you were so young, but, you know, no one else has ever been able to hold a candle to you,” Blake said.
“Why did he say ... what he did?” Astrid asked. She didn’t want to get her hopes up. The truth was, she loved Lord more than anything. That hadn’t changed. He had hurt her, and she didn’t want to be taken for a fool, and she certainly didn’t want to be used.
“Because he’s Lord, and he’s a wolf and wolves are assholes,” Blake said. “Also, he’s lonely.” Blake held his hands out as he looked around the kitchen. “There are not many wolves without a pack. Lord doesn’t have a pack. He’s never been much of a people person. It makes me wonder how he has been able to survive all this time.” He let out a little whistle. “There is a lot about Lord that is different. The way he is with you, is just like any of the wolves we see back in town. You’re his mate, Astrid. You two have danced around each other long enough. I get that he hurt you, but trust me, he will do whatever it takes to make it up to you. That is the kind of man Lord is. Will you let him?”
Chapter Twelve
One Week Later
“You want to do what?” Blake asked.
“In town. You know for ... a late Valentine’s day.”
“Dude, we’re nearly in April. This is far from Valentine’s Day.”
“Then Easter,” Lord said.
Blake frowned at him.
“What?” Lord asked.
“You know, Astrid is kind of like you and has never been much of a people person, and I think something like this, you can do without the whole town looking on.”
Lord looked down at the ring he had purchased. He had already gotten her parents’ blessing, and he’d even met her two brothers on a rare trip to No Wolves Road. They were gone now, but her parents stopped by from time to time. He was getting used to their visits.
The snow had long since gone. The ranchers were back here, every day apart from Sunday.
Astrid continued to sleep in his bed every night. She still had her own room, and she refused to move her clothes into his closet. Lord wondered if she was aware of the change in her body. His woman was pregnant. There had been no menstrual cycle in the past couple of months. Also, her breasts were getting larger, and he saw the thickening of her waist. He loved the changes he saw, but he didn’t know if she was going to be as happy with them.
Lord loved her. He had nearly lost her, and since then, he had done everything he could to make it up to her. Lord was there for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He took her around the ranch as much as possible.
The snow had caused some damage. Fences needed to be repaired, along with some of the storage sheds fixed, and he had no choice but to also repair the roof on the ranch house. It was due for a change, but it was all work that had added up because of the snow.
Sundays were spent naked with Astrid. Where they didn’t have to worry about any of the ranchers stumbling upon them as they ran around completely naked.
“I want her to know that I want everyone to know she is the love of my life,” Lord said.
Blake’s mouth dropped open. “Wow.”
“What?”
“You really are open to all of this, aren’t you?”
“I love her and I want to be with her.”
Blake smiled at him. “And you don’t need the whole town staring at the two of you while you declare that. Trust me, I think that will freak her out more if you do that.”
Lord looked down at the ring. “Do you think she is going to like it?”
“She’s going to love it.” Blake stared at him. “You’re nervous, aren’t you?”
“I’m not nervous.”
Blake put his hands on his hips and didn’t look away.
“I’m not.”
“Every man when he proposes is scared.”
“He is?” Lord asked.
“Yeah, signals could be lost, and you can misread the whole situation. Trust me, we all know what this feels like. But I think you would be making a big mistake if you went the whole town route. You don’t see Astrid rushing off to every town event, do you?”
Now that he thought about it, she didn’t.
She was happy to stay around the ranch and not venture back into town. Astrid was the one who made excuses not to visit her parents all the time.
“I’m just trying to help,” Blake said, and tossed in the tools they had been using to fix the fence.