Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
She looked at him strangely. His words were puzzling and if she could figure out what he alluded to, then everything just might make sense to her.
“I don’t know about you, but my stomach is questioning what’s for supper,” he said.
Her body eased, though she hadn’t realized how much it had tensed, and her senses were no longer heightened. She was relieved, though, wasn’t she? The intensity of what she had felt with him was almost too much to grasp, too much to believe possible, and yet she couldn’t deny she had felt it and enjoyed it. She feared she might be in trouble.
Supper was more pleasant than she expected. They worked together like a couple long at ease with each other and sat at the kitchen table to enjoy supper and a wonderful conversation about wolves, not werewolves but wolves.
As supper came to an end, Tiernan said. “I was impressed with how well-versed you are about wolves, but I am even more impressed on your willingness to accept that some impressions of wolves are outdated and completely wrong. That you are willing to research and visit new theories, accepted or disproven, makes me admire you even more.”
“Conservationists cannot help, protect, or provide for species if they don’t come to understand their needs, their ways. It’s imperative for any species, even humans.” She chuckled. “Though humans are a far more complicated species.”
“On that I will agree,” Tiernan said, his head turning slightly as if he had heard something.
She reached out across the table and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “You should go to them. They need you. I wish I could go with you, but I understand why that wouldn’t be wise.”
He rested his hand over hers. “In time.” He stood and nodded at the dishes on the table. “Leave this, I will see to it later.”
She stood as well. “It’s no problem to see to, and when I’m done, I intend to make myself a pot of tea to take to my bedroom and enjoy before I go to bed.”
He came around the table to stand in front of her and ran his hand gently along her cheek. “And there is where I would like to be… but not until you’re ready.” He kissed her softly. “Sleep well, Olivia. I will see you in the morning.”
She rested her hand on the table after he left the room, his kiss, his touch, leaving her a bit weak-kneed, and she smiled. She never thought a kiss could make a person feel that way. It wasn’t real. It was only in prose written in books. He had just proven her wrong.
Olivia finished in the kitchen, and it took two trips between the pot of tea and her tote and stack of books to finally settle for the evening in her bedroom. She cast a glance out the window to see the snow still falling, though not as heavily. Still, there was enough snow on the ground to prevent travel and surprisingly she felt relieved. She didn’t want to leave yet. She had more to learn, more to understand about Tiernan. Strangely, any thought of leaving him left her feeling upset. And there was still the prospective job offer he had made her.
Then there was something he had said to her that she heard clearly in her head. Understand the wolf, Olivia, and you will understand me and come to realize so much more.
The puzzling mystery that could make sense of everything and secure her the job if she so decided. She knew wolves, understood them so well that at times she thought she was one of them, though she was never foolish enough to believe it was true. It simply helped her to understand them better, establish a camaraderie with them, have them trust her and she trust them. Though she never forgot that nature had provided them with what they needed, an instinctive fierceness necessary to their survival.
She let the heavy drape fall in place and was about to sit and enjoy her tea when she spotted a book on top of the dresser that had not been there when she left. The name on the spine—Saoirse Sullivan—was all that was necessary to know what type of book it was. Saoirse was a famed wildlife photographer. She captured the most captivating photos of wildlife ever seen. Olivia had read a few articles on Saoirse, an Irish Gaelic name pronounced Sorsha and meaning freedom, which fit the woman perfectly. She was known for her beauty and her free-spirited soul.
Olivia didn’t need to see the cover to know what it was about, and she smiled when she picked the book up and saw a gorgeous gray wolf on the cover and the title… The Wolves of MacMadadh Preserve. Excited she would get to see some of the wolves here, she took it to the chair to sit and peruse while enjoying her tea. She opened the book eager to meet the wolves and stared in shock at the words and signature written there.