Lone Wolf (Wilde Brothers Ranch #6)- Scarlett Grove Page 0,26

the chance to be with your fated mate, no one can stop you from doing that. Even if that is your final choice, you still need help through this challenging time. And I would encourage you to come back to see me throughout the rest of your pregnancy.”

“I'll think about it,” Annie said, heading for the door. She had not expected to be confronted like that. And all she wanted to do was get away as fast as she could.

Out on the snowy sidewalk, the doctor’s words played through her mind. Shifter relationships had profound meaning. Who was to say what was profound and what was meaningful? Was it the doctor? Was it Dylan? Or was it herself? She wasn't going to let anyone else tell her how to live her life. She didn't want to be with Dylan—or anyone else, for that matter. And it was her choice. But as she walked away from the building, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe the doctor was right.

14

“How did it go?” Shane asked as Dylan walked through the front door.

“About as well as I should have expected,” he said, sitting down at the kitchen table with his brother.

“You want to talk about it?”

“She's pregnant.”

“Wow,” Shane said. “I didn't see that coming. What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea. I don't know what I can do. She was going to give the baby up for adoption. Then she offered her to me. I suppose I should be grateful that she didn't give my daughter away to someone else.”

“Wow, Dylan. I'm so sorry.”

“Let's not talk about it anymore. Tell me about your book.”

“It seems a little irrelevant with everything that you're going through.”

“Nonsense. I want to help.”

“Well, I'm stuck on this part right here.”

Dylan lost himself in the pages of his brother’s novel, reading with the critical eye of an editor and reader. He left notes in the margins, suggesting changes to the plot, characterization, and scene structure. Shane was a talented writer, but Dylan could see where things had gone awry. Luckily, thrillers were Dylan's specialty.

By the time he finished reading, he had almost forgotten about the tragedy of his life. Montana arrived in the late afternoon with a bag of groceries, and Shane started dinner.

“I finished reading your pages,” Dylan said as they sat down at the table for dinner.

“What did you think?”

“I think you have the start of an excellent novel. But there are just a few things that I wrote down for you to consider.”

Shane read over Dylan's notes while they ate dinner. Then he looked up at his brother with wide eyes. “These suggestions are exactly what I needed. You’re saving me months of work and frustration. I don't know how I can possibly thank you.”

“What are brothers for?”

“I'd love to keep working with you on this.”

“I never thought about editing before. But I feel like I've got a real knack for it.”

“You definitely do,” Shane said, looking down at Dylan's notes as if they were saving his life.

Compared to his work on the ranch, helping his brother with his book was profoundly relaxing, and something he would do for free. But as they sat at the table for dinner, Shane kept telling Dylan how helpful it was and how much he owed him for his insights.

“We can figure that all out later,” Dylan said. “I enjoy the opportunity to even work with you on this.”

They spent the rest of the evening talking about ideas for the book and how to fix some of the inherent plot holes in the book’s concept. Montana went to bed early, and the brothers stayed up late into the night. It was so exciting and fun that Dylan nearly forgot why he’d come to Denver in the first place.

As he was collapsing into bed in the wee hours of morning, the reality of his situation came roaring back. He was going to be a father. His fated mate had rejected him. And there was no way that she was going to allow him into her life. It felt like the cruelest joke that fate could ever play on anyone.

15

Annie's phone rang, and she looked down to see Marcy's number on the caller ID. She squeezed her eyes closed. She'd been avoiding her friends since she'd started to show. And now that she was coming to the end of her pregnancy, she wouldn't be able to hide it any longer. The baby bump had become more like a baby mound,