Page 36 of Wolf on the Wild Side

“Yeah, the earth gave way, and we ended up in the creek, but”—Kayla patted Nate on the shoulder—“he rescued me. If you ever get caught in a hailstorm and are swept away in a raging river, be sure Nate is with you.”

“Kayla Marie Wolff, you never even mentioned the two of you were hurt by the hail,” Roxie said, scolding.

Kayla smiled and hugged her sister. “We made it out just fine and watched a great movie afterward.”

“Okay, so I need to get back to that retirement party I’m in charge of catering, if you don’t need me,” Landon said.

“Yeah, go ahead,” Blake said.

Landon stalked off to one of the banquet halls.

“Hey, it’s lunchtime,” Nate said, as if he wanted to get Kayla out of hot water with her siblings. “Can I buy you lunch at the lodge, Kayla, if you’re free?”

“She’s free,” Roxie said, shaking her head. “Next time…”

“There won’t be a next time like that,” Kayla said. “Dinner, drinks, wine and popcorn and a movie, a run as wolves, sure, but no hailstorm issues.” Shetook Nate’s hand. “You know how this works. We own the restaurant, so the lunch is on me.”

“Even better.” He winked at her, and they headed off to the restaurant. “Sorry about mentioning the hailstorm, but I didn’t know what else to say when your sister asked how I was injured. Besides, my sister asked me first thing about my injury this morning at the office, and when I told her we took refuge next to the creek, she said the same thing as your brother. The truth would have come out.”

“You’re right. I’d mentioned it, but not that we were hurt.” She kissed his shoulder with affection. “You know you really didn’t have to come here and rescue me.”

“Yeah, I did. I would have hated myself if hadn’t shown up and you were harmed. How are your injuries from the hailstorm? I didn’t even think to ask you about them this morning.”

“Much better, thanks. Your face is healing nicely.”

“Yeah. And the rest of me too.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Nate opened the door to the restaurant for her. “All right, so what’s today’s special?”

“Lobster tails, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob.”

“That sounds good.”

Today was already perfectly special, she thought, because she had a hero of a wolf trying to rescue her again.

“Then we’ll go to Green Valley and look for a car for you. I already discussed it with Nicole, and she said she could manage since I was coming here to help out anyway.”

Kayla smiled. “Oh, yeah, perfect.”

Chapter 11

After having lunch at the lodge, Nate drove Kayla to see cars at some of the dealerships in Green Valley. He hadn’t bought a new car in several years. He loved haggling with car dealers and had done the same for his mom when she’d needed a new car and for Nicole too when she left the army. “What about this one?” Nate asked Kayla, while they looked at the cars at the first dealership she wanted to check out, thinking a minivan or hatchback would be useful.

He was peering in through one of the car windows when a salesman came out to sell them a vehicle. “We just want to look around on our own for a while. She’s not sure what she’d like to get this time around.”

“Yeah, sure, my name is Zan Jenkins. Just call on me if you need some help.”

“Sure thing.”

Once the salesman walked off, Kayla let out her breath, sounding relieved. “I hate high-pressure salesmen, so I’m glad you suggested that we just look on our own for now.”

“Yeah, me too. Okay, so what about this one?”Nate showed Kayla another hatchback and was reading all the items included with the package deal.

“I’d like to have a red car. Then I can see it in the snow.”

He smiled. He was thinking more in terms of style and use, not color. He started looking at a Honda Odyssey. Man, it had room to spare. Just perfect.

---