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NICK
It had been three weeks since Bishop’s disappearance. No one in the shifter world, at least according to Reese’s contacts, had been able to find any traces of him. It was as if he’d vanished from the planet. I could only hope.
If Bishop ever decided to make an appearance again, we were ready for him. With Preston’s expertise, he didn’t have any problems taking over and was doing a great job as head of our security.
This morning marked a new beginning, and I was having a hard time containing my excitement. I drove my truck about a quarter mile from the lodge before parking it on the side of the road.
Mandy sat in the passenger seat, patiently clutching Bear. “Can I take this off now?” She fingered the edge of the fabric covering her eyes. She couldn’t see where I’d taken her because I’d insisted on blindfolding her before we left my cabin. Or I should say our cabin since she’d been living there with me since the night I’d claimed her.
“Don’t move. I’ll come around and get you. And no peeking,” I warned, slamming the door and rushing to her side of the vehicle.
I lifted Bear off her lap and set him on the ground, then turned to unsnap her belt and lift her off the seat. “I’ve got you.” I carefully set her on her feet, then placed my hand on her lower back and guided her forward. I led her to the edge of a large clearing. From this distance, I could see bits of the lodge through the trees. After a few more steps, I stopped and untied the material. “Okay, now you can look.”
She squinted, giving her eyes time to adjust to the bright sunlight.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“It’s beautiful...” She appeared confused. “Can you give me a hint on what I’m supposed to be looking for?”
“This is our new home.” The cabin was fine for now, but once the resort was fully functional, Reese and Berkley had agreed to let me build a larger home for Mandy.
She wrinkled her nose. “Are we being kicked out of the cabin? If we are, I can ask my dad if he’ll let us stay with him until we find another place.”
“Nobody is kicking us anywhere.” I took her hands. “This is where I plan to build our new house.”
“What? I...” She glanced at the area again as if seeing it through different eyes.
“Damn, I should have given you this first.” I fished a tiny black box out of my pocket. “As far as I’m concerned, you are my mate and we’ll always be together, but I wanted to make it official in your world.” I dropped down on one knee and popped the box open to display a golden band intricately carved with Celtic knots. Two wolves faced each other on either side of a brilliant topaz.
Mandy stared at the ring and hitched her breath.
“I wanted a stone that matched the blue in your eyes, but if you don’t like it, I...”
A tear trickled down her cheek. “It’s perfect.” She swiped at her face, then held out her hand so I could slip the ring on her finger. “And the answer is yes.”
“The answer?” I didn’t remember asking a question. Then I realized what she was talking about and said, “Oh.” I got to my feet and wrapped my arms around her waist. “Mandy Jenson, will you marry me?”
“Yes, yes, absolutely yes.” She threw her arms around my neck and gave me a passionate kiss.
“And now that Barb has agreed to be Roy’s new apprentice, there’s no reason you can’t go back to school and get your decorating degree. We can even build you an office in our new house if you want to start your own business.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?”
“Mandy, I love you. I’d do anything for you.”
She nipped my chin. “Does that include going back to the cabin and having some fun?”
“Of course.” I hoisted her over my shoulder, enjoying her giggles as I strolled back to the truck and set her inside.
She was my mate, my love, my future. Most of all, with Mandy, I finally had a place I wanted to call home. She’d been a temptation I couldn’t resist, and now that I had her, I was never letting her go.
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