“It didn’t feel that way,” I say with a laugh.“Not at first.It was hard finding a job and apartment and all of that.”
“Then what happened?”
Our waitress comes back with our food and we pause our conversation while she sets it down.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” she says before she leaves.
Vera pops a fry in her mouth and chews, waiting for me to go on.
“That was when I opened my first hotel.I had saved for a few years and then finally qualified for a bank loan.It was a success and that started my career.”
I pick up my burger, but when I look up at her, she’s frozen, her whole body tense.
“Hotel?”She asks, her voice tight with some emotion that I can’t name.
“Yeah.I have a few hotels and resorts around the world.That’s actually why I’m here in Wolf Valley.I’m opening up a new resort here.”
“You!”She spits, leaping to her feet, and I drop my burger, staring at her in confusion.
“What?”
“You.You’re Fisher Collins.”
“Yeah,” I say, already not liking where this is going.
“Stay away from me,” she hisses, and with that, she spins on her heel and storms off.
“What?Vera!Wait!”I yell as I toss some money down on the table and rush after her.
By the time I catch up to her, she’s already in her car and backing out of the parking spot.I try to stop her, but she ignores me and practically peels out of the parking lot.
What the hell was that?What happened?What went wrong?
I need to fix this, whatever this is.
I need to get Vera to agree to go out with me again.I need to make her fall in love with me and agree to be mine.
Forever.
It’s going to be hard, but I’ve always loved a challenge.
I sigh as I head over to my own car and drive back to the motel to figure out my plan.
FOUR
Vera
I can’t believethat I went out with the enemy.I can’t believe I flirted with and had feelings for the person trying to buy the wolf sanctuary from me.
I got a call from one of Fisher Collins’s assistants a few times.They were trying to set up a time for him to come view the property.I told them it wasn’t for sale and hung up each time, but they were pretty insistent.I guess I should have known they would send someone out to talk to me in person eventually, but I can’t believe it was him.
I barely slept last night.I just kept replaying that date and meeting him over and over again in my head.I should have gotten his name before I agreed to go out with him.
“Come on then,” I call to the wolves as I start to head over to the training area.
I have a group of eight wolves with me right now.I usually do a few of these playful training sessions each day with groups of no more than eight wolves at once.It’s great mental stimulation for them, and it helps build a rapport between me and the pack.
We head into the training circle, and a few of the wolves jump up on the platforms built there or run up onto the bridge.I grab a riding crop and move to stand in the center.
