Page 31 of A Lady's Heart
Chapter Seven
Joy and frustration whirled in Mandy’s gut.
Justin had been nothing but carefully attentive, giving her the space that she’d demanded. She had nothing at all to complain about in his behavior.
So why did she feel all tangled up inside?
Some of her confusion made sense. She hadn’t come to any answers regarding her family situation. Her email remained unanswered, and until her family on the island made contact, her hands were tied. And someone out there had broken into her home, and she still didn’t know who.
But the good things weregood—and as she peeked around the outdoor-equipment shop, a warm thrill of anticipation shoved all her concerns aside.
The wolf shifter who greeted them was a handsome man with dark hair and a layer of scruff on his chin. “Hi. I’m Caden—I’ve been waiting for you. Everything is laid out. Safety helmet, winter gear. If you need any different sizes we’ve got them in the back. Come with me.”
Justin nodded his approval, grabbing both their piles of supplies off the counter and following her into the back room where a row of lockers stood for them to store their belongings. On the opposite wall they’d opened the shop doors, two huge garage doors letting in the cool air and offering an amazing view of the scenery.
Mandy slipped on the snowsuit, but her gaze kept returning to the horizon. It was impossible to stop smiling. “I take it we’re going out on that beautiful snowy ridge.”
“There’s plenty of time before sunset. Caden here is going to be our guide. He and his brother Cole are a couple of the best backcountry men I know,” Justin offered.
“Compliment willingly accepted,” Caden teased. “I’m still charging you full price. Your boss can afford it.”
Justin made a rude noise. “My boss owns your ass, and you know it.”
“Nothing of the kind.” The proclamation spouted from an identical face to Caden’s as the second wolf entered the room. “Caden’smateowns his ass. The rest of us just borrow it so we can kick it every now and then.”
The brothers pounded each other on the shoulders good-naturedly before turning to help Justin and Mandy pull on the rest of their winter gear.
When all four of them were dressed, they marched into the yard behind the shop where row upon row of skidoos were lined up. Three machines had been brought forward for them to use, two large and one smaller. Although using those words to describe the sleds were understatements—ginormousandextra-largewere probably more accurate.
Now that they were actually there, Mandy felt a stir of anxiety at what she was about to attempt.
Caden leaned down to look her in the eye. “What’s wrong?”
She answered honestly. “I like the idea of sledding, but I’m going to guess these are pretty powerful machines.”
It was too hard to admit she wasn’t confident she’d be able to control them. Struck too close to Justin’s comment about her being tiny.
Only Caden patted her on the shoulder. “You can control big, powerful beasts better than you know.”
A snicker escaped in the background, and she glanced to her right to see Justin glaring at Cole. She turned her face away quickly, hiding her smile before Justin could see.
Caden explained where to find the controls, Mandy nodding as she laid her hands on the grips and tried to commit it to memory. “Excuse me if I drive like a two-year-old.”
“Nah, you’ll do great. We’ve got a special training method, as long as you and Justin are okay with it.” The wolf turned to the bear who had just settled onto one of the oversized sleds. “I know you guys don’t do mates and such, but I don’t want to get on the wrong side of a pissed-off bear. Are you okay if I ride along with Mandy for the first while to show her the ropes?”
Justin’s forehead furled instantly, then his gaze darted back and forth between the wolf and Mandy before he spoke. “Up to Mandy.”
A skip of satisfaction warmed her inside. That wasn’t what he had wanted to say—she knew that—but it was the right answer.
It was also silly. She turned to face the wolf, raising a brow. “Considering your mate would rip your ears off if you did anything untoward, of course I’m okay with it.”
Cole snickered again. Justin looked uncomfortable for a moment as if he’d just realized how foolish his magnanimous gesture was.
With a laugh Caden was behind her, his lithe wolf body tucked against her as he placed his hands on top of hers on the controls. “Well played, my lady,” he murmured. “Let’s get you comfortable driving, shall we?”
She moved her hands with his as he reminded her of the commands quietly a second before making the motion. Instantly they were out the gate and shooting up the snowy road to a trail behind the shop that led to the outskirts of town and into the wilderness.
At the beginning, Mandy had to concentrate so hard on driving she was barely aware of their surroundings. She was barely aware ofanythingbut the controls, and Caden’s continued instruction.
