Page 14 of Warrick (Rocky Mountain Pack #1)

Warrick

Although my morning routine has changed, I actually am enjoying the quiet of the early mornings.

I have taken to jogging around the perimeter to listen to the forest as it wakes up.

There is something peaceful in those moments that I’ve never experienced before.

After a quick shower and getting dressed, I check the time to see that Aspen should get up to start her day, which gives me roughly thirty minutes to finish getting myself ready.

Thankfully, after we paid off the debt to the Ghost River Pack last week, things have been rather quiet around the pack lands.

I didn’t realize just how bad things had gotten with Orion as our pack Alpha until I watched it start to rebuild itself.

We haven’t seen or heard from the Ghost River pack since then, leaving only the opportunity to go up from here.

By far, my favorite part is seeing all the businesses really take off again, with fresh coats of paint, fresh signs going up, and the overall happiness you can feel from our members.

With Orion spending all of our money on the illegal activities with the Ghost River pack, it left the businesses struggling to make ends meet, let alone keep their store in tiptop condition.

Now that everything has settled down, it sure has made it where I can have the time to spend with my mate, something I am grateful for.

Baring my teeth to the mirror after brushing them, I do one last inspection to make sure I look the best for Aspen.

Shrugging on my jacket, I stuff my socked feet into my boots before grabbing my keys off the key hook.

The cold, sharp wind hits my face when I open the door.

Goddess, I can’t wait for the spring weather to get here.

Although I’m a wolf and I should like the cold, I really don’t.

I like the cool, fresh mornings of spring when the dew on the flowers enhances the smells as the sun warms the earth in the morning.

The path from my cabin into the central part of the pack is littered by clumps of snow along the edges, with a light dusting covering the pathway.

One quick glance at the sky tells me everything I need to know.

It won’t be long before we are hit with our second snowstorm of the season.

The muted gray clouds thickly cover the sky to where the sun will never be able to penetrate it today.

I’ll need to make sure that Aspen has everything that she needs: food, lumber, blankets, and salt for her sidewalk.

Mentally tallying a list of things that I need to grab from the store occupies my mind until I’ve almost made it to the coffee shop. Gail is standing outside of the coffee shop with a book in her hand and a warm smile on her face. What is this meddlesome woman up to today?

“Warrick, I was hoping to catch you this morning.” The woman knew she would bump into me here. She always plays it off like it was a coincidence.

“Were you now?” I say, with a teasing tone to my voice.

“Yes, well, I wanted to tell you all about this book that Aspen recommended. You remember? When I happened to come into the shop while you were there asking for your mate to be yours?” The twinkle in her eyes doesn’t go unnoticed.

My eyebrows drop and smash together in anger. “Yeah, I remember alright.”

Her hand gently taps on my shoulder before she says, “Now, dear, no need to get angry. We both know that approach wasn’t working and wouldn’t have led to anything productive.

I merely stopped it from becoming another reason she wouldn’t take you back.

Now, like I was saying about this book.” She lifts the book up between the both of us, pushing it towards my chest.

I grab the paperback from her and flip it around to face the correct way for me.

It’s an illustrated couple on the cover with the guy clearly angry at the girl and the girl clearly happy as she can be.

The title reads, “The Second Chance Makeup.” I look from the cover to Gail, who is staring at me like she expects some type of reaction.

The cover is cute and all, but I don’t get it.

Flipping it over, I read through the blurb of the book to see that it’s about two people who dated in high school only to break up when the guy makes a dumb decision.

Later, bumping into each other again as adults, the two decide to give it one more shot in hopes that maybe this time around would be better. Alright, I get it.

It doesn’t take much to figure out what she is trying to say here. The book that Aspen recommended looks suspiciously like our own story.

“I think you should read it, Warrick,” she says.

My hands drop to my side, pulling the book out of sight. “Gail, I don’t read books. I never could understand how people could spend hours reading them in the first place.”

She places her hand on my cheek. “Warrick, you have messed this up, and we all know that. But Aspen is a reader and, at heart, a hopeless romantic. If you want to understand her and how to win her over, maybe read a book she recommends.”

Sighing, I nod my head.

She continues, “Read this one first because I think you will see that there is hope for you both yet. It can happen and should happen.” The look on her face brokers no room for an argument.

“She also recommended this one to me.” Gail pulls another book out of her purse, and it’s another illustrated cover, but this time the couple is wrapped together, and even I can see the love flowing between them.

“I think if you really want to understand the kind of love that she is wanting, these two books would show you how to achieve that. Now, off you go. I kept you long enough. Poor girl is going to think you won’t be coming today with her coffee.

And after that stunt she pulled yesterday, you are really going to have to show her that you are here for the long run this time. ”

My mouth drops open. How does she know about that?

Literally, the only three people who know about it are the ones who were there.

Surely, they didn’t run off to tell people about it.

I watch Gail as she walks down the path toward You’re Bacon Me Crazy.

I don’t get how she knows so much stuff.

Shaking my head, I walk into the coffee shop to grab our morning coffees.

I decided yesterday that since I am going to make a daily trip to the coffee shop, I would take up drinking one myself.

Hazel shakes her head at me as I walk in.

“What?” I ask her.

“I really didn’t think you would keep this up this long already, but I support it. Don’t tell Aspen that I want you to succeed. Girl code and all that. But she deserves to have her dreams come true.”

“Dreams come true?” I ask, out of curiosity.

She shoos me with her hand. “Forget that I said anything.” She quickly turns around to make our coffees. At this point, she doesn’t even ask me what I’m ordering, since it will be the same answer each day.

I move along the countertop, following her as she makes the coffee. “You can’t start something like that without finishing it. If you know something that could help me, you have to tell me.”

Sighing, her shoulders drop as she turns around with the coffees. “Do you know how mad she will be with me if she finds out I told you anything to win her over?”

I mime zipping my lips. “My lips are sealed. She won’t hear it from me.” My hands are held up in front of me as I shrug my shoulders slightly.

After setting the coffees down on the countertop between us, she points her finger at me not far from my chest. “Warrick, so help the goddess if I find out that you told her I helped you, I will make your life a living hell.”

“Not a single word.”

“Fine. She has always dreamed that her mate would do some kind of grand gesture for their courting. You know how the male is supposed to show his mate what he can provide?” I nod my head, so she continues.

“She wanted hers to be some kind of over the top gesture. She never really elaborated or gave examples, just that she wanted the kind of love that she reads about in all those books.”

I slap down the two books that Gail handed me. “Love like these?” I ask as I point to the books.

Hazel shrugs her shoulders. “Beats me, Warrick. I don’t read those kinds of books. I am more into thrillers and murder mysteries. Not much romance happening in that.”

The stack of books and coffees sits between us on the counter. My finger traces along the couple in love on the cover. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I want this,” I say while tapping my finger on the cover.

Hazel places her hand on top of mine. “You can have it, too.” She smiles warmly at me.

With a curt nod, I grab the books and coffee to head over to Find Me Between the Pages. Thankfully, the coffee shop is only a couple of doors down and across the street from the bookshop. That cold air is becoming more painful as the day progresses.

I’m hoping that today will be a better day, but I don’t have much reason to believe it will. The bell chimes above my head when I walk through the door. The soft tunes of music are playing around the shop.

“Good morning, Warrick. Didn’t think you were coming when you didn’t show up before I opened the door this morning,” Aspen says with humor in her voice. Almost like she assumed her stunt yesterday would have pushed me away for good.

Walking over to where she is standing by one of the display tables, I lean in close and our chests almost brush against each other.

As I place her coffee down, I let my finger graze up her arm.

She lets out a soft gasp when I lean in by her ear and whisper, “You can’t get rid of me that easy.

Even when you are trying to make me jealous.

” My nose runs down her neck, inhaling her scent as I go.

Before she has a chance to say anything else, I lean back with a wink and head over to the lounge chairs.

Holding up the book over my shoulders, I give them a gentle shake. “Anyway, I have some reading to do. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll be over here in these comfy chairs reading my books.”

My coffee cup sits on the small table between the chairs as I plop myself down. After adjusting myself and propping my feet up on the footrest, I glance up to find Aspen still standing exactly where I left her with her mouth hanging open. Chuckling, I say, “You good over there?”

That seems to snap her out of it. She spins around, grabs her coffee, and heads to the back stock area.

I chuckle to myself because I believe I won this round.

Shifting until I find the most comfortable spot, I hold up both book choices, debating between which one I should start with.

The second chance one is really calling to me.

Maybe Gail was on to something with this suggestion.

Cracking the book open, I am already hooked on the first page. Of course, the guy is a football star, and she is the nerd nobody saw dating him. Letting out a snort, I know exactly why Gail wanted me to read this one. Could it be any more obvious?

It doesn’t take long for me to immerse myself in the story. I don’t even realize the time flying by until there is a soft clearing of a throat. I blink my eyes a few times before I look up. Standing in front of me is Aspen, with a humored look on her face.

“How’s the book going?” she asks.

Stuffing the receipt from coffee this morning into the book so I don’t lose my place, I say, “You know, all these years I’ve wondered what has kept you so invested in these stories and, I have to say, I get it now.”

“Really, one book changed your mind?” she asks with a note of curiosity.

Standing up from the chair, I gather all my stuff and wrap my jacket around me again.

“Yeah, it only took one chance to see that it’s worth it.

” I wink before I head out the door. Time to head out to grab those supplies before the storm.

Since I know she will be here all day, it won’t be hard to get into her cabin to put them there.

Smirking, I head down the sidewalk to the convenient store.