Page 46 of Wild Hearts

"Have a look around and let me know if you have any questions." I grabbed Walker's hand and pulled him closer to the framed artwork on the makeshift wall of the booth. "If you're looking to add some color to your cabin, these would be perfect."

"I hadn't even thought about anything like this."

"There are a few larger options that would be great for the space above your fireplace. What about this one? It looks like the mountain where your family's property is located."

Walker leaned in close and read the inscription. "It's called Wilde's Mountain."

I clasped my hands together. "You have to get it. It's perfect for you."

Walker chuckled and squeezed my hand. "Sonya, can we get this one?"

She stood up and smiled. "Of course. I'll wrap it and have it delivered to your place. Are you staying in the lodge?"

"In one of the cabins."

"This will look lovely in a cabin," Sonya said as she wrote up the invoice.

"Your work is absolutely gorgeous. Are you just selling locally?" I asked her.

Sonya nodded. "For now.

I could see these selling anywhere. "They're great for locals and tourists."

"I enjoy painting scenery, and we have so much to choose from here." Sonya waved a hand at the mountain range that surrounded the town.

We perused the rest of the pictures, and Walker paused at one with horses running through a snow-covered landscape. "This is different than the others."

"She usually does landscapes." I wandered over to Sonya who was just finishing wrapping Walker's picture in brown paper.

"I can drop this off sometime this week if you want to write your number here." Sonya handed Walker a Post-it.

While he grabbed a pen and filled out his information, I asked, "We like the picture with horses."

Sonya blushed. "I wasn't sure about putting that one out. It's different than my other work."

"It's absolutely gorgeous. You can see the power of the animals and the beauty of the landscape. It's so wild and free," I gushed.

Sonya smiled. "That's the name of it."

I laughed with her. "Wild and Free? How perfect."

Walker lowered the pad of paper and handed her a credit card. "Can you wrap up the horses? I want to give it to my daughter."

"She'll love it," Sonya said as she swiped his card, then handed it back to him. "I'll drop both off later this week."

We wandered into the crowd.

"I want to give the painting of the horses to Dakota. Do youthink she'll like it? It reminded me of her. She's wild and free and so strong."

"Oh, my gosh. I love that, and she will too." My eyes burned with unshed tears. Walker never failed to surprise me with his love and adoration for his daughter.

"I want to show her everything. Maybe I can be the one to teach her how to ski. Xander already said he wants to give her ski lessons, but I want to be the one who teaches her those things."

I wrapped a hand around his arm. "You can be. I'm sure Xander will understand."

He looked down at me, his expression so vulnerable. "I'm slowly finding my way."

He was the best dad. He'd risen to the occasion as soon as he found out about Dakota. I think he would have been upset if the DNA test had come back as not a match.

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