Page 37 of What a Wolf's Heart Decides

And coming from this guy . . .

He seemed to catch himself. Then he broke into another bashful grin. “I’m such a dork. You’ve been through a lot, and I’m standing here like some jerk in a bar hitting on you.”

“You’re not a dork.” She bit her tongue before she could add “you’re really hot” or something equally stupid.

His eyes warmed. “Could this non-dork take you to lunch?” She must have frowned, because he spoke in a rush. “Just into town, where you can meet my mother. She owes you an explanation, and I think it’ll make more sense if you hear it from her.”

Whoa. Meet his mother? She was supposed to get on a plane and go back to New York today. “Bard—”

“Won’t know. Trust me, he’s tied up at work. He won’t be home for hours.” The grin broadened, and a twinkle appeared in his eye.

A twinkle, for crying out loud.

Any second now, a fairy godmother was going to pop out of the landscaping next to the porch and offer to make her a ball gown.

All at once, she remembered she was wearing pajamas—and her hair was a tangle of sleep-rumpled curls. How could he call her beautiful? Doubts crowded her mind, and old hurts welled up.

She took a step back.

Alarm flared in his gaze. “Wait! I didn’t mean to come on so strong.”

She put a hand on the door and shook her head. “It’s not that—”

“My mom runs a little cafe from our family’s bed and breakfast.” He spoke quickly, as if he worried she might shut the door in his face. “It’s the only restaurant in town, but the food is amazing. We serve a double stack of pancakes for brunch.”

Oh man. A Disney prince and a male who appreciated brunch? The last of her good sense started to crumble.

Then her stomach growled—a long, mournful groan that echoed around the porch.

A good-natured grin split his face. “Come on. You can’t tell me you’re not hungry.”

She couldn’t control her smile. The situation was too ridiculous. “I’m starving.”

“Then let me treat you to brunch. As a friend. It’s the least I can do after”—he shrugged, as if he was embarrassed but comfortable with it—“everything.”

Oh, she could like this guy. She really could.

He raised his eyebrows, his face hopeful.

It was her turn to shrug. “You had me at pancakes.”

7

Haley’s breath fogged the car window as she stared open-mouthed at the scenery outside. Mountains rose in every direction, the snowy peaks seeming to scrape the sky. More snow gathered on the thick evergreens that lined the roads, and there were glimpses of crisp-looking streams here and there between the trees.

It was Christmas card perfect—and a far cry from the dark, forbidding forest she’d glimpsed on the drive the night before.

Or maybe she’d just been too preoccupied with a certain irritable Alpha werewolf to appreciate the area’s natural beauty.

The car rounded a bend, throwing her body forward a little. She was so close to the window, her forehead bumped the glass.

A low chuckle sounded beside her. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

She turned to Benjamin, her cheeks heating as she rubbed her forehead. So much for good first impressions. She might as well lick the glass while she was at it. “Yeah. We have mountains in New York, but nothing like this.”

He smiled, taking the car around another curve with smooth precision, his big hands encased in leather driving gloves as he gripped the wheel. “If you’re interested, I can take you up some of the trails later. The views are spectacular.”

She bit her lip. “I think Bard expected me to stay in the house.” Even as she said it, her rebellious streak reared its head. Her time in Elder Lake was limited. As nice as Bard’s house was, she wanted to see more than the inside of it.

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