Page 53 of Wild Wolf Betrothal

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Lucy

Ahuge bouquet of red roses were on the counter when Lucy got to work the next morning.

Clara smiled and said, “The delivery guy brought them right after I got here.”

Lucy rolled her eyes when she looked at the tag.

With each delicate petal and gentle fragrance, this bouquet carries the essence of my feelings for you. In every blossom, I see the reflection of your captivating smile and tenderness in your eyes. These flowers convey the depths of my affection which grows stronger with each passing day.

“He’s poetic and romantic if nothing else,” Clara said.

“Ugh. I know,” Lucy said. “He’s a great guy, even if he doesn’t know that my favorite flowers are carnations.”

“I guess guys just think that every woman loves roses. Besides, red roses are the language of love.”

Lucy hung her head, her chin touching her chest and sighed.

“So, what is Dean like?”

“He’s a great guy,” Lucy said. “I’ve known him my entire life. He has a great sense of humor, is extremely smart, and is a good man. He will make a terrific alpha because he genuinely cares about the people in his clan as well as the people in the world around him. We were in town once, and he saw a guy digging in the trash can for food. He took the man to a restaurant for food. He gave the manager of the restaurant a hundred dollars and told him to give the man food any time he came in.”

“He does sound like a great guy.”

“Dean has always been like that. He stuck up for the kids getting bullied. If he saw someone in school who didn’t seem to have any friends, Dean became their friend. He was the quarterback for the football team and hugely popular, but he never let that go to his head. He took one of the unpopular girls to prom because she didn’t have anyone to go with. She was actually very pretty once she put an effort into it.”

“Wow.”

“He got straight A’s in school, respected the teachers, and always did great at everything he tried. He hasn’t changed at all.”

“Dean sounds damned near perfect. He’s also exceedingly handsome.”

Lucy sighed heavily and said, “He is. He’s amazing.”

“Buuutttt…”

“But I don’t feel anything romantic toward him. I love him dearly, as a brother and as a good friend. There are no sparks of any kind, not even a spark from static electricity.”

“That isn’t something that you can grow. It’s either there or it isn’t,” Clara said.

“Exactly. I’ve been trying to get Dean to understand that, but he just won’t listen. He’ll make some lucky woman a great mate someday. It just isn’t going to be me,” Lucy said.

“I hope he does find that lucky lady. It sounds like he is someone who deserves happiness.”

“Me, too. It would be quite convenient for me if he would find her sooner rather than later.”

“Things just don’t seem to work that way, do they?” Clara asked.

“Nope.”

Clara looked up and groaned softly. Alexis was at the door.

“Good morning,” she said to Clara. “I hope you’re having a good day.”

“I am. I hope you are.”

Alexis turned her attention to Lucy and asked, “How do you like Ivy Springs?”

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