Wes ended up mud wrestling some girl who got so serious that Wes sprained his ankle trying to get away from her. Lexi would laugh until her sides hurt as they shared memories of growing up, and Austin especially liked telling stories she’d never heard about her big brother-like the time when they’d gone to Austin City Limits to check out the music festival. Lexi preferred spreading her oversized pillows across the floor so they could lie down, snack on cookies and chocolate milk, and talk about anything but. It was weathered, soft, and perfect for napping. Austin’s favorite piece of furniture was the brown leather sofa. A beautifully woven rug with a Native American motif covered the floor near the hearth, and most of the tables were ones she’d restored. Austin had hired her to restore the antique furniture, and it had been an ongoing project for the past three years. Ivy’s handiwork was visible throughout the cabin. Long beams led up to the ceiling, and the wood glowed like warm butterscotch when firelight reflected against it. A series of windows kept the kitchen brightly lit in the morning, while the opposite wall in the living room had no windows-only a stone fireplace that gave off a dark and cozy appeal at night. A long dining table separated the kitchen on the left from the living room on the right. The luminous orange light from within the cabin spilled onto the porch, and the heavy smell of smoke from the fireplace tainted the clean air.Īustin set his half-empty mug on the wooden table and glanced to his left at the spacious room. Sometimes there was no better healing magic than a fireplace, snow, heavy blankets, warm bodies, and miles of nothing but land.Ī bluish tint illuminated the snow from the polished gleam of the full moon against a dark sky. It was just the sort of bonding two wolves needed to get back on track. The guilt he carried was bone-deep, so Austin planned a winter trip to Colorado for them to share some cuddle time in a secluded cabin.

But beneath her armor dwelled a sensitive woman, denied the one thing her heart desired. She had soldiered through life like nobody’s business, conquering every battle that had come her way. Austin assumed she was yearning to start a family-something he wouldn’t agree to. He sipped his black coffee, admiring how magnificent Lexi was in human and in wolf form.Įarlier that year when Denver and Maizy coupled, Lexi had succumbed to a bout of depression.

It was dusk, and she’d been outside for over three hours. Lexi’s silver wolf pounced through the snowdrifts until all he could make out were the black tips of her ears atop her snow-white face. Austin blew the steam from his cup of coffee and gazed through the front window of their Colorado cabin.

One second dannika dark