Page 57 of Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart

“They are.”

Sadie stared at the pictures and then turned the frame around and read what he wrote. “To Sadie: With Love, Dakota.”

After carefully setting the framed collage on the couch, she threw her arms around him. “I absolutely love it. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. Time to start the steaks.”

After dinner, they sat together on his back deck. “Dakota, there is something I need to talk to you about.”

“I need to talk to you as well.”

“You go first,” Sadie insisted.

Dakota took a deep breath. These were going to be the hardest words he had ever said in his life. His heart thudded and his breath caught in his throat.”

“I got a call about a week ago from a man who operates a conservation in Bhutan. The region is a protected forest, and I’ve been filling out paperwork and petitions for the last few years, asking for permission to get access to the reserve and photograph the cloud records.”

His hands started to shake and he turned to look at Sadie. Her face paled and there was a hint of tears in her eyes. She knew what was coming next.

“It’s the chance of a lifetime. I can’t turn it down.”

Her voice caught and he knew she was on the verge of tears. “When are you leaving?”

“The day after tomorrow, about four in the morning.”

“When will you be back?” Her voice was small.

“I won’t be. After I get done in Bhutan, I’m going to Montana to shoot the wolves up there. It’s best this way. My soul won’t let me settle down in Angel’s Creek and yours won’t let you leave. Then there’s our age difference.” He paused and took a huge breath. “It’s better if we go our separate ways. I know that I’ll always cherish the memories of our time together. You are an incredible woman and you deserve to find love with a man your age.”

“You’re the only man I could ever…” She stood up without finishing her sentence. Sadie looked at him with a lost and lonely expression.

“What were you going to tell me?”

She shook her head, the tears streaming down her face. “It’s not important.”

Sadie brushed a kiss across his lips, briefly touched his cheek, and rushed through the house, out the front door, to her car. He wanted to go after her but decided to let her go.

Dakota sat on the couch, hard, and ran his fingers through his hair. He growled and howled loudly. She took his heart with her when she left.

25

Sadie

Sadie drove home blinded by tears, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were white. She knew that it was coming. Prior knowledge didn’t take away the pain in her heart that threatened to rip her soul in half. Dakota had become such an important part of her life in such a short amount of time.

She pulled into her driveway and sat there sobbing for several minutes. Her chest hurt and she struggled to breathe as the reality of Dakota’s leaving hit her full force. Sadie knew it would be painful when he left, but she hadn’t expected it to be this excruciating.

Her sobs subsided to hiccups. She put her hand on her still flat stomach. The tiny life growing inside of her was a secret she had chosen to keep from Dakota. There was no way in the world that she could do anything to force him to stay in Angel’s Creek when his heart wasn’t in it.

“We’ll be okay, Little One.” She wiped away her tears with her other hand. “Your daddy needs to follow his dreams. He might not be here physically, but he’ll be a part of who you are and who you become. He’s a good man who would love youso very much if he knew. I just couldn’t force him to choose between his heart and his soul – his love for us or his need to be free.”

Sadie knew, deep in her heart, that if she had told Dakota about the baby and begged him to stay, he probably would have. Over time, though, his duty to them would have turned to resentment, poisoning any love they had for each other, and affecting their baby.

“I’ll give myself tonight to be sad. I’m allowed. Tomorrow, though, I have to get myself together. You’ll be here in five months or less and I have a lot to do. I’ll get Talia and the other women to help me clean out the guest room and turn it into a nursery. Mom will fall in love with you.”

She got out of the car and slowly walked up the steps to her front door. She told herself that the baby would be a reminder of the beautiful time she and Dakota had together.

Sadie let herself inside the house, put in the code for the alarm, and dropped her purse on the table in the foyer. After setting the alarm, she went into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of water, and plopped down on the couch without bothering to turn on any lights.

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