Tak caught up and turned me around. “Don’t be angry with me. I don’t want to spoil this day.”
“What’s so special about today?”
He looked down sheepishly and kicked at the dirt. “I was going to wait until after lunch and after we made love.”
I backed up against the tree. “It’s not too late.”
Tak flashed his teeth and looked like a wolf grinning. The smile faded, and he plucked a small leaf out of my hair. “I was never meant to love a woman.”
“That’s a silly thing to believe.”
He pointed at his tattoo. “My wolf was born with two faces. It raised a lot of concern within my tribe. The elders spoke of it as a bad omen—that I would never find a true mate because my spirit could only love her halfway. Maybe I should have heeded their warning. After the accident, I chose to ink my face to match my spirit wolf and accept my fate. No woman would ever want a man this way. Then I met you, and you loved both halves.”
I caressed his cheek. “How could I not love a man who left me on the side of the road with nothing but a sunshade?”
“And how could I not love a woman who laughs after we make love?”
His arm snaked around my waist, and despite our playful banter, neither of us smiled.
I glanced around. “Someone might catch us if we fool around again. This is private property.”
“You’re right.” He placed a chaste kiss to my lips. “I bought it from the Council.”
My heart quickened. “You bought this?”
“I wanted to give you proof that I’m staying. Telling you I love you isn’t enough. Making promises to your brother isn’t enough.” Tak bent down and scooped up a handful of dirt, showing it to me. “I want to plant roots with you. We can build a pack on this land, or we can relocate wherever you want to go. Maybe you just want to pass it down to our children and tell them the story about the day their father gave his mother a handful of dirt and promised her the future.”
He let the dirt fall into the palm of my hand.
“What about your tribe? Your father? I thought you’d want to live with them.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because they’re your people.”
Tak closed his fingers around my hand. “Youare my people. My father carved aside a piece of land for me, but that’s never been my destiny. That’s why the fates marked my wolf. I’ve always felt like an outsider, and maybe that’s why I made poor decisions in my youth. All that’s changed. I’m a better man than I once was, and I vow to protect you with my life. I sold that land back to the tribe to use the money here. Starting a pack will take time, but I want Lakota to be my second-in-command.”
I could hardly contain my exuberance. “Really?”
“Something clicked between us from the start,” he said. “I already asked, by the way. And he said yes. I haven’t figured out all the rules yet, but maybe we’ll do something nontraditional like the tribes.”
“What about my father? He’ll never approve of this. It’s too fast, and he barely knows you.”
“He already did.”
I blanched. “What? When?”
“At Howlers. Right after I spoke with Lakota.”
“I didn’t see him there.”
“You were in the back by the pool tables. I’m glad he slipped by you, or that would have ruined the surprise. That’s why today is about you, Hope. I wanted to give you all these gifts so you won’t have any doubts or fears that something will keep us apart.”
My heart was bursting with joy.
“I don’t have money to offer you, but I have this,” he said, gripping my closed hand filled with dirt.
“What makes you think I need money to be happy? We have Moonglow. Lakota has savings put aside, and he’s been taking some jobs in town.”
