Page 39 of Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart

“I never could figure out what Sadie saw in him. He was a big talker even way back when. They were a few years behind me, but you know how it is in this town – everyone knows everyone and their business.”

“Well, you know what they say: There’s no accounting for taste. Although, I would have to say that her taste has greatly improved – at least recently.”

Sean laughed. “Enjoy your lunch, my friend.”

“Hang on a second. I brought you something.” Dakota handed the bag of books to Sean. “Light bedtime reading.”

“Thanks. This is awesome.”

Dakota quickly finished his lunch, threw some cash on the counter, and left. He’d had his quota of drama for one year.

17

Sadie

Sadie had spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad ready when he arrived. “The spaghetti sauce is different than a lot of people’s spaghetti. I use Ro-Tel and jalapenos in the sauce. Not enough to make a person cry, but enough to give it a little spice.”

“I like spicy. Obviously, you’re one of my favorite people.”

She grinned and finished setting the food on the table.

“I met Billy today.”

The smile faded from her face. “Oh, no. What happened?”

Dakota told her about his encounter atHowlers’.Sadie could feel the heat flooding her face. Suddenly, she lost her appetite.

“I am so sorry.”

He reached over and patted her hand. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You haven’t done anything wrong, and you certainly can’t control other people’s actions. He embarrassed himself.”

“I guess, but I really want to go beat him up or something.”

Dakota laughed. “I think that I would love to watch that. Unfortunately, I don’t want to spend money on bail. I have other causes. I also don’t want to have to visit you in jail.”

“I’m pretty sure that no one would fault me. But that is the sucky thing about being a grown-up. You have to act like one. I can’t challenge him to meet me on the playground after school.”

“Would you have thrashed him if you were in high school and he pulled a stunt like that?”

She sighed. “No, but I would have wanted to. I would have used my rather large vocabulary to make him feel like an inchworm in front of all of our classmates.”

“Words are more powerful than violence. Lesson learned throughout history.”

“True enough.”

They ate in silence for a little bit and then Dakota put down his fork and looked at Sadie. “You know, I’ve been thinking. Maybe you should come with me on one of my trips.”

Sadie’s heart skipped a beat. “Really?”

“Why not? You might even discover that you’re a nomad at heart. There’s so much of the world out there. I’d love to show you some of it.”

For a moment, Sadie allowed herself to imagine it. It would be incredible to travel to different places in the world that she had only read about and watch Dakota work his magic with his camera. The idea was exciting, but the images faded almost as soon as they formed, replaced with the familiar comfort of Angel’s Creek.

“Going for a short while might be interesting. But my heart will always be here in Angel’s Creek. This is my home.”

She saw a flicker of disappointment cross Dakota’s face. “I understand. Angel’s Creek is special. You’re lucky to feel so connected and have those deep roots.”

He picked up his fork and started eating again. She stared at her plate, twirling the noodles around the tines. The idea of a long-distance relationship popped up in her mind again. Maybethey could make it work. He could come back when he wasn’t on one of his trips.

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