Midlife Wolf Captured My Heart (Fated To The Wolf #7)

20. Dakota

20

Dakota

“ W as it good for you?” He grinned.

“You are a very talented man. I know what you could do if you decide to quit traipsing around the world. I could make a ton from you if you decided to work as a gigolo.”

Dakota laughed. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah. I’ll be your madam. I’ll set all your appointments and collect payments upfront. If you want, I’ll even drive you to your appointments and pick you up afterward so that you feel safe.”

“Hmm. It almost sounds like you’ve been thinking about this.”

“No, it just occurred to me. I spontaneously come up with some pretty good ideas sometimes. I figure a thousand an hour, five gigs a night. You get thirty percent.”

“Thirty, but I’d be doing all the work,” Dakota protested.

“All you have to do is look good. Women will be all over you. A little lickety lick and poundy pound is all there is to it.”

Dakota laughed loudly. “Wow. All I can say is wow.”

“I know, right. Pretty awesome idea, isn’t it?”

In mock seriousness, Dakota said, “I appreciate your kind offer to further my career choices. However, I must respectfully decline your offer.”

“Party pooper.”

She put her hand on his chest and looked him in the eye. “I was wondering if you would like to stay the night.”

He smiled at her. Dakota knew that he would like nothing more in this world than to hold this beautiful red-headed woman all night long. “That’s an offer I can accept. However, unless you’re the one who is going to sleep on the wet spot, I suggest we change the sheets.”

“You’re the big man who protects the princess. Aren’t you supposed to endure the discomfort to take care of his princess?”

“Not tonight, Princess. This old man needs to sleep in comfort. Rest is important for older people.”

Laughing, she swung her legs out of the bed. She turned on the shower and dove in, cleaning up. She tossed him a towel when she got out. “You’re turn. There’s soap and a washcloth in the shower.”

He quickly washed up. Dakota closed his eyes as the water poured over him. He leaned against the cool tiles and thought about how much he cared for Sadie. Groaning, he wished that he could talk her into going with him. However, he understood that her need to stay was as strong as his need to go.

Sadie already had the sheets changed when he came back out. They lay on the bed and he pulled her into his arms. The fan blew a breeze over them. He loved the contrast of the cool air and the body heat they produced. She pulled a sheet and blanket over them and she snuggled against him, her head tucked beneath his chin.

“I love you,” Sadie whispered as she fell asleep.

He kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too.”

They got up early the next morning since Sadie had to go to work. He made coffee and she warmed up the leftovers from the night before.

“I have an afterschool professional development meeting today. Then, we have a clan meeting. I don’t know how late I’ll be.”

“We have a pack meeting this evening as well. I suspect it’s about the hunters. They could just send an email, but I understand the gravity of the situation and that he wants to emphasize what is going on.”

“That’s my guess. I’m just not sure we’ll have time to hang out tonight once everything is said and done.”

He was disappointed but nodded. “Probably not. Maybe tomorrow.”

They quickly ate and took care of the dishes. He leaned against the counter and smiled at her as she put her computer in her bag and got ready for school. Sadie stopped what she was doing, walked over to him, and wrapped her arms around him. She laid her head on his chest and sighed. Dakota hugged her tightly.

Those same words that they whispered in the darkness threatened to spill out of his mouth, but he bit his tongue. Nothing good could come from telling her that he loved her in the light of day. It wouldn’t change anything.

“I have to go. Dakota, I…” She smiled and shook her head. After a brief kiss, they went to their vehicles and went their separate ways.

He worked on the collage until lunch. “She’ll love it.” On the back, he wrote, “To Sadie, with love. Dakota.”

“I guess I’ll either have to find a large gift bag or some wrapping. I’ll give this to her right before I leave. It’ll be something to remember me by.” He said this but knew she wouldn’t need anything tangible to remember him.

His stomach started to rebel. Sandwiches just didn’t sound good and he had to go out, anyway, so he went to Howlers’. He took his computer, deciding it would be a working lunch.

Although it was busy, as usual, he managed to snag a table in the back. The waitress took his order and then Dakota opened his computer. He had most of his book outlined. In the next week or so, he was going to have to really think about heading up to Montana. He wanted to get pictures of wolves in the different seasons. Although he had a few of them in late fall, he wanted more. Then, of course, he would need some for winter. Wolves were great for adapting to the cold mountain winters.

Dakota was so focused on his work that he didn’t notice the two men approaching his table until one of them cleared his throat. Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with Sadie’s father and brother. The looks on their faces and their tense posture told Dakota that they weren’t members of his fan club. He gestured for them to sit and closed his laptop.

Sadie’s father, James, spoke first. “We need to talk about Sadie.”

Keeping his expression neutral, Dakota asked, “What about her?”

Eric leaned forward with his jaw clenched. “We don’t want you hanging around with her anymore. You’re the same age as her father and it’s just wrong.”

“On top of that, you aren’t going to stick around. You’ll be gone soon enough, leaving Sadie with a broken heart. We can’t allow that.”

Dakota felt a flicker of anger ignite inside of him. The words “We can’t allow that” as though Sadie was a child instead of an adult woman irritated him.

“With all due respect, Sadie is a grown woman. She is capable of making her own decisions about who she chooses to spend time with. Sadie and I have talked about our future plans and she knows that I’m going to leave soon. She is also well aware that I’m twenty years older than she is.”

Eric’s eyes flashed and he slammed his fist on the table. “Listen to me. If you hurt Sadie, I swear that I’ll destroy you. You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

Dakota met Eric’s gaze, not bowing to the threat. “I understand your concern for your sister. However, as I said, Sadie knows exactly who I am and what my life is like. I’ve never lied to her or made any promises I can’t keep.”

He ran his fingers through his hair. “I care for Sadie, too. More than I expected to. However, I’ve always been honest about my lifestyle and plans. We’ve talked about it several times. She’s not a naive, young girl you need to protect. She’s a strong, intelligent woman who knows her own mind.”

“Just remember what I said,” Eric said, and the two of them left the table.

Dakota felt the eyes of the other people in the place on him. He met their looks and they turned away.

“People really need to mind their own damned business,” he muttered quietly to himself.

The waitress brought his steak, potatoes, and green beans and smiled at him apologetically. “I waited until they left.”

“I appreciate it.”

He thought about Sadie as he ate. Dakota knew that he wasn’t doing anything wrong, although he felt as though he was. He reminded himself of what he had told Eric and James. Sadie was a grown, intelligent woman. She knew the deal and she made her own choices. Still, the echo of guilt nagged him in the back of his mind.

Dakota focused on his work the rest of the afternoon, debating about whether he should bother going to the pack meeting. He wasn’t going to stay very much longer in Angel’s Creek and he already had an idea about what the meeting was about.

“What the hell. I’m here. I’ll play nice with the others. If nothing else, being seen is good for publicity.”

He shook his head, realizing that the sentiment sounded slightly narcissistic. Whether it was or not, it was reality. The majority of the money he earned these days went to help the animals since he had a couple million in bank accounts that would take care of him nicely when he did decide to retire.

Zac looked very grim when he took his place at the podium. He raised his hand and started the meeting without the usual niceties. “The hunters are likely in Nightshade Wolf Shifter Pack territory. Although the scouts have not laid eyes on them, Dakota may have had an encounter with three hunters a few days ago. There are signs of camping in remote areas. As mentioned in my email, they are trying to target alphas. When in other territories, they would hold shifters hostage and say they would only be released if the alphas came for them. Of course, they were killed along with the alphas when their demands were met. They will kill anyone, even children.”

A collective gasp sounded and people started whispering to each other. Zac held up his hand again. “We’re not telling you not to shift. We are saying that you should be very vigilant. Look for cameras, drones, and the presence of others. Never shift alone. We are working with the bear shifter and dragon shifter clans to patrol the area to keep a lookout for them.”

Sebastian Garner, Talia’s mate, who owned a security and investigative company, stepped up to the plate. All of my people who aren’t on assignment are out and about as well. We haven’t seen anyone in our territory, but two of our people found two hunters, in the process of terrorizing shifters, just outside of our territory. Those hunters have been disposed of. However, we’re sure that the two men weren’t working alone. As Zac said, be vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.”

Zac ended the meeting. Although he was sure that Matthias was giving the same warning to the bear shifter clan, he knew that Sadie thought she was being safe. Of course, nothing short of duct-taping her to a chair would keep her from doing what she wanted – and even that might not work.

Dakota headed home and ordered a pizza. He was so focused on his work that he almost forgot about Sadie – almost.

Sadie texted him. Just wanted to let you know that I miss you and I’m thinking of you. Hugs and kisses.

He smiled and replied. Ditto.

For a few minutes, he thought about whether he should tell her about his encounter with James and Eric and then decided not to. She had been extremely upset when her ex confronted him. Dakota didn’t want to be the source of conflict with her family.

He was just about to go to bed that night when his phone rang. He didn’t recognize the number. “This is Dakota Higgins.”

“Hello, Dakota,” a thickly accented voice said. “This is Eknath Basak. I am in charge of the conservation area that protects the cloud leopards.”

His heart skipped a beat. He had been petitioning for years to have the chance to photograph the endangered animals that lived in a protected area. He had to sign a billion forms promising that he would not disturb the animals in any way or put them at any risk.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m pleased to tell you that your petition has been granted. You will have two weeks to take your photographs.” The man gave him the time frame.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He hung up the phone and sighed. Dakota would have to leave in one week. That wasn’t nearly enough time with Sadie. He knew that he would miss her a lot, but it might be better this way.