Page 38 of What a Wolf's Heart Decides

Benjamin glanced at her, his smile at the ready. “Don’t worry about Bard. I promise his bark is far worse than his bite.”

It was an unusual thing to say about an Alpha. Typically, their barks and their bites were equally bad. “Will he really be gone until evening?”

“Oh yeah. When he’s working it’s like he dropped off the face of the earth. He pulls some really long shifts. Usually twelve or fourteen hours.”

Shifts? She opened her mouth to ask what he meant, when he gestured ahead.

“There’s Elder Lake.”

She followed the direction he pointed. At first, she saw nothing but trees and mountains. Then they crested a small hill and buildings came into view.

Benjamin gave her a look. “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it.”

But she barely heard him. She was too transfixed by the town. It was like a Swiss village—or at least what she imagined a Swiss village looked like. A cluster of brightly painted shops bordered either side of the road, their windows painted with old-fashioned letters that said things like “apothecary” and “general store.” The mountains soared behind everything, the snow stretching down the sides toward town. Sunlight sparkled over the white, striking tiny diamonds in the frost.

“Do you like it?” Benjamin asked.

She returned his smile. “It’s adorable. Why is it called Elder Lake?”

“The area is known for its blue elderberry shrubs. They grow wild in the Cascades.”

True to his word, they passed through most of the town in a handful of blinks. Just when she thought he might keep following the road straight up the mountain, he stopped in front of a quaint building with dark blue clapboard and a broad white porch. A sign in the window advertised “fresh-baked cookies—$12 for two dozen.”

She looked at Benjamin. “Your mom’s cafe?”

“She’s famous for her elderberry jam. Whatever you do, don’t ask her about it. She’ll give you a lecture on jam-making through the ages.”

Haley laughed. “I’m not sure how much I’d learn. I wasn’t a very good student.”

He offered her a soft smile. “I don’t believe it. From what I can tell, your mind is just as beautiful as the rest of you.”

Time seemed to freeze for a second. Was he hitting on her?

Duh. Of course he was. Awkwardness descended. Unsure what to say, she jerked a thumb toward the cafe, and her voice came out a lot higher than she intended when she asked, “Should we go in?”

He stared a second, then cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. Come on.” He flashed her a smile and got out of the car.

A groan rose in her chest. She imagined herself describing the last few seconds to Lizette. “And then, when the really nice, hot guy called me beautiful, I suggested we hoof it into his mom’s bakery posthaste.”

Cursing her lameness, she left the car just as Ben appeared, his gloved hand extended.

Her heart sped up. She was perfectly capable of getting out of the car on her own. Maybe, in a salute to all the feminists that came before her, she should have rolled her eyes at the outdated gesture.

But she didn’t. Instead, a curious haze descended—and things seemed to unfold in slow motion. She found herself putting her hand in his and letting him help her from the car, his glove warm and smooth against her palm. He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led her to the brick sidewalk. To anyone watching, they probably seemed like a devoted couple.

The thought brought her up short, and she stopped.

Ben stopped, too, concern on his face. “You okay?”

“Yeah. It’s just . . .” She looked up and down the street. There were a couple of trucks and one SUV parked in front of some shops, but no sign of any residents.

She turned to Benjamin. “Where are all the people?”

“You mean werewolves.” He glanced around, then turned his gaze on her, a hint of amusement in his eyes. “We’re not exactly known for being extroverts.”

She supposed it was true enough, although not all wolves were solitary. “Still, how do the shops survive with no customers?”

“People come into town when they need something. Everyone knows everyone, so most business owners just leave their doors unlocked and locals can stop by whenever.”

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