And what had been the deal with the laundry? He could have sworn he’d smelled Shannon’s scent coming from the clothes, but why were they at Melony’s, and why would she be doing Shannon’s laundry? He figured the incident with the cat had sparked but a momentary lapse into anger born of her love for Puss. Her current mood, he was sure, was due to whatever Shannon was up to.
He found he wanted to ask her what had happened, wanted to comfort her, listen to her and assure her, but he didn’t quite know how to do so. As they walked on a path through the trees toward the Learning Center, she remained silent. Strangely enough, he found he wanted to hear her voice, even knowing that once she started talking, she’d probably ask him questions he didn’t want to answer. But most of all, he wanted to brighten her mood and make her smile.
He did the only thing he could think of to distract her from whatever was bothering her and started telling her about the trees and plants in the area.
“White spruce.”
Melony stopped when Lorent spoke and turned toward him. “Excuse me?”
“This is a white spruce. It’s an evergreen and can grow up to sixty feet tall.” Lorent laid his hand on the wide trunk of the huge tree he stood next to.
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“Oh.” She blinked as if clearing her head. She gazed up to where the top of the tree stretched toward the sky. “It is beautiful. I was admiring one last night while the moonlight glimmered through its branches.”
Yeah, he remembered and wondered what she’d think if he told her he’d been admiring her while she’d been admiring that tree. Would she think him a perv? Probably. Women didn’t tend to like men who stalked them, although had he found her sneaking a look at him, well, that wouldn’t feel creepy at all. It would turn him on to know that she’d been covertly ogling him. Hell, it would turn him on if she openly ogled him.
“If you liked that, wait until you see the moonlight on a quaking aspen.
The underside of its leaves shimmer silver in the wind. When there’s a light breeze and a full moon, it’s an amazing sight. Of course, you’ll have to wait until spring to see its leaves again.”
Melony pursed her lips and nibbled the bottom one with her teeth, watching him in silent contemplation. “What are some of the other trees here?”
Now that was a question he didn’t mind answering. “I won’t name them all, but some of the more abundant ones are red maple, tamarack, bur oak, and arborvitae. The arborvitae attract deer.” She continued to watch him as they slowly walked along the path. “If you had gotten here in September, I could have shown you the yellow flowers of the witch hazel and white flowers of the edible elderberry. The cranberry bush also has white flowers, and bears bright red fruit that the birds love to feed on. Those three are shrubs, though, not trees.”
She followed him as he searched through the plants. When he found what he was looking for, he turned around and motioned for her to come closer. He pointed to a wilted-looking bush. “This is wolfberry. They flower white in the summer, but in September and November, ripened seeds fall from it and attract wildlife. There isn’t much left of it because it’s late in the year.”
Melony looked around cautiously. “What kind of wildlife?”
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Lorent shrugged. “Just the norm—deer, fox, raccoon, opossum, rabbits, and the occasional black bear, elk, coyotes, and my favorite, wolves, to name a few.”
She swallowed hard. “W-Wolves?”
“No need to be afraid. They won’t bother us.” Good thing he hadn’t told her about the bobcats, mountain lions, and snakes. When he looked at her concerned face, he decided he wouldn’t tell her either, at least not for a while.
“You are extremely knowledgeable of the environment, Lorent. I haven’t met many men that have bothered taking the time to learn about trees and plants. It’s refreshing.” Her eyes twinkled.
“When I first came to Sanctuary, learning about the local fauna and flora proved a welcome distraction from, um, things, and it quickly turned into a hobby that I enjoy.”
What he didn’t tell her was that learning about the trees and plants had been a way for him to escape when things started closing in on him. Once he was deep in the woods, the beauty of nature calmed him. It had been the next logical and natural step for him to delve deeper into the thing that gave him comfort. He was no expert by any means, but knew the basics about most of the indigenous species in the area.
She took a step closer to him, and the urge to reach out to her proved too much. He ran one finger down her cheek and nearly groaned. She did feel as soft as she looked, and her chocolate eyes sparkled at him.
“I hope to learn more from you. The forest is quite fascinating.” Her lids drooped, and she leaned into his touch.
Startled by her positive reaction, common sense finally bit him in the ass.
He jerked his hand away and continued up the path.
“Sorry.”
“Wait.” She hurried after him.
He kept walking until her small hand closed over his forearm, and he halted.
“What are you sorry for?”
“I had no right to touch you, Melony. I was out of line.” He stared at the ground, not wanting to meet her eyes, not wanting to see agreement in them.
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Lycan Christmas
S. K. Yule
“Lorent?” When he still didn’t look at
