The only thing that had pulled him through.

  He breathed in deeply and sighed.

  How could he unpack and dismantle all the things he was feeling? How could he even begin to try and understand them? They were so intense and all so new, and it was frightening in a good way, but it also made him want to run.

  He was a dragon shifter… a powerful force. And the fact that he was so drawn to this woman, that he lusted after her, longed for her, and craved her in such an intense way, made him afraid not just for himself, but for her too.

  She was working for him now, and he didn’t want to be in a relationship. He didn’t want her to see all the trappings that came with having the wealth he did, the fact that he could never truly trust after what he had been through. He could feel in his bones that Amelia was different, she had an innocent and genuine soul. But he still had his reservations, and the fact that she was working for him made it all the more difficult. Even though it was also wonderful because he got to see her on a daily basis.

  He thought of her coming into his life. How he had almost knocked her down outside the B&B, and the way the fire inside him had ignited when he looked into her eyes. He had known then, in an instant, that she was going to be someone very important to him, and he had spent the rest of that day and night obsessing over her. Thinking about her, of who she was, of what she was doing in his little mountain town, and when he had gone back to the B&B the next day to check on business, he would be lying if he said he hadn’t been hoping to see her.

  And then he had seen her… and Maude had almost matchmaker-ed them on a professional level and suggested that Amelia could be a good fit as Nora’s nanny.

  And wow, was she a good fit.

  He had never seen his daughter take so well to another woman. She had loved her from the moment she had seen her, and the two of them had got along famously all night when Amelia had come for a trial run at the house. They had even completely lost track of time.

  But now he was conflicted.

  He had Nora to think about, not himself. And even though his dragon was stirring more than ever, and that his instincts had kicked into overdrive to want to protect Amelia, he had to be realistic.

  “You can’t pursue this,” he said to himself. “She’s working for you, and you can’t give into your urges.”

  The server arrived with his coffee and his shot of bourbon. He thanked him and then knocked the shot back before he sighed and felt the warmth spread through him. It was just what he needed.

  He looked out across the green and saw the golfers with their carts and caddy’s moving in the distance. He had a lot to be proud of, he and his family had done amazing things in this town. Sometimes, it was hard to process it all.

  When he saw Striker and some of his other brothers and pack members start to file into the club room, he shook out his shoulders and breathed in deep. They had a lot to discuss. Not least the fact that bikers had apparently been sniffing around because of the up and coming Oktoberfest, but also, the long-standing feud they had with a rival pack in town. The goddam bears. It may have been peaceful for many years now, but the tension always lingered, and of late, something seemed to have change.

  He felt, and all the dragons could sense, that there was an animosity growing, and it was time they discussed and assessed it properly. The town of Misty Vale may have appeared perfect, but there was a lot of deep secrets buried there, and a lot of tension flowing below the surface.

  He thought back to the rumors of The Grand Lodge, of what had apparently started it all, and it made his blood chill. So many secrets and lies… so many decades of bad feelings running between two families that had echoed out into the community. And now he and his brothers of the here and now were likely going to have to try and uncover it all, while also making sure the town didn’t erupt into a shit storm.

  The last thing he had time for was his fated mate turning up.

  What was he thinking getting all carried away with his longings? Dash Livingstone was going to have to lock his dragon away and try to fight what he knew was fate.

  Even if it destroyed him in the process.

  Chapter 7

  Amelia wandered along Main Street with a smile on her face and a feeling of hope in her heart. She was on her way to see Jane, the beautician, after a wonderful day in Misty Vale, settling herself into town life even more and really getting to know the place.

  She had gone into some of the stores along Main Street and had met some of the workers and owners, she had also found out a few interesting rumors about The Grand Lodge that was perched high up on the mountainside and looked down over them all. It had certainly been an interesting day to hear about the legends that clung to the place, about the fact that some of the residents believed there was treasure buried there, and that some of the older buildings, the lodge included, were haunted. She had even discovered that there were ghost tours in operation around town for the tourists and it was one of Misty Vale’s most well-loved attractions, along with a proper tourist center where they organized horseback ridings and hikes to some of the more scenic locations. With it coming into fall, it certainly looked like the ghost tours were going to be popular, especially with the upcoming Oktoberfest guaranteed to bring in a lot of tourists, and Amelia had realized that she had come to town at a particularly exciting time. Misty Vale was a buzzing hive of activity, and it was awesome to feel included and to have so much going on around her. When she thought back to the life she had been living only a week before, one that felt so stale and boring, one that wasn’t fulfilling her in anyway, she couldn’t believe that she had turned her life around so fast and was now looking forward to getting up in the mornings. It was awesome and she was loving every second.

  As she opened the door to Jane’s and stepped inside, she felt the warmth hit her and she couldn’t help but smile again. It had been such a long time since she had given herself any true thought or had been able to just make her own decisions when it came to the way she looked and how she wanted to present herself. She had always been told to do the right thing, to do as a man wanted, but this time it was all down to her. And she couldn’t wait to get started.

  “Hey there girl,” Jane buzzed as Amelia closed the door behind her and started to slip her jacket off from around her shoulders. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m really well,” Amelia smiled. “How are you? Have you had another busy day?”

  “Oh, it’s been hectic but I’m all good,” Jane grinned. “I’m just glad that business is booming, I can never complain.”

  “Totally,” Amelia said as she crossed the room and Jane took her jacket from her and showed her to a table set in front of a mirror.

  “What can I get you to drink?” Jane said. “Some places around here are a little tight when it comes to looking after their customers but I’m the total opposite, plus I have a nice bottle of wine chilling out back if you feel like unwinding?”

  “That sounds fantastic,” Amelia laughed. Her time in Misty Vale really did keep getting better and better.

  Jane brought her a nice cool glass of white wine, and she took a sip. She hadn’t been on a night out or anywhere near a bar in over a year, so this felt like she was truly letting her hair down and allowing herself to indulge.

  Jane smiled at her in the mirror and started to run her hands through Amelia’s hair, taking her fingertips all the way down to the bottom and scrutinizing the ends.

  “I know,” Amelia said with embarrassment. “It’s terrible.”

  “You can say that again,” Jane said playfully. “They’ve split more time than I can count. When was the last time you visited a hairdresser?”

  “I really can’t remember,” Amelia admitted. “It’s been far too long though, and I’m looking forward to making it right.”

  “Well, we can certainly do that, and you’ve come to the right place This is your night to pamper yourself senseless. Hair first, then nails and brows… what do you think?”

  “That sounds amazing,” Amelia said as she sighed down into the chair and took another sip of wine.

  “So, did you have a think about what you wanted to do?” Jane asked as she pulled up a seat and grabbed a color chart from on the side. She passed it to Amelia and let her attention be drawn to the amazing different shades of browns, blonds, reds, and even some more daring purples and blues.

  “I think I want to go a little lighter and richer,” she smiled. “I haven’t touched my hair in so long, I may as well freshen it up.”

  “Sounds good to me!” Jane said as she leaned forward and pointed to a honey blonde. “What do you think of this? It’ll mean we don’t need to use bleach, but it’ll warm your color up and keep the fairness?”

  “Perfect,” Amelia grinned.

  She relaxed back onto the chair and watched as Jane mixed the colors and started to apply them to her hair slowly. This was the perfect end to such a fabulous day, and she truly felt that in Jane she could make a friend.

  A couple of hours later, and Amelia was reborn. After her hair had been colored and they were waiting for it to take, Jane had led her over to the nail bar where Amelia had picked out a rich plum shade and had her nails manicured and nourished. After the color had been taken out of her hair and she had it cut so the ends were blunt and new, she watched as Jane dried it with a big roller brush and gave it lots of volume and bounce. When she saw herself in the mirror, she almost couldn’t believe how much better she looked. It was as if she faded out version of herself was long gone, and the old Amelia was finally staring back at her, with her eyes dazzling bright.

  “How come you left it so long?” Jane asked over the noise of the dryer as she finished the last few wet strands of hair.

  “If I’m honest I was in kind of a terrible relationship,” Amelia admitted. “I felt as if he controlled me and I lost all sense of who I was. And some issues I had with my mom only played into that too… she always told me I was the problem, that I had to make my man happy and wear the right clothes, have the right make-up and always make sure my hair was perfect. It all kind of sent me the other way. I tried for so long to keep up with all those expectations, but in the end, I didn’t know who I was anymore. I looked in the mirror and I saw a girl who was overdone, and I didn’t like it. I just wanted to be me… plain and simple. I didn’t want to have to wake up in the morning, jump straight in the shower and put on a full face of make-up and make sure my hair was immaculate. I wanted to just scrape back my hair somedays and worry about that later, if at all.”

  “Wow,” Jane said sadly. “That really sucks. I can’t believe your mom told you to do all that stuff.”

  “I know now it was wrong,” Amelia said. “But at the time I just thought I was the one who was crazy. Like why couldn’t I just be perfect and then my relationship would be too? But as time went on and I saw how he was and who he was becoming too, I knew it didn’t matter what I wore or how I looked, he was still going to walk all over me and I wasn’t going to get myself back.”

  “So, you left?” Jane asked.

  Amelia nodded.

  “I broke up with him and then I planned my escape from that place, it was time to start again. And when I found myself here, I didn’t know what to expect, but I just knew I wanted to find the old Amelia. To bring her back and to feel like myself again, and being here tonight with you and doing this, is really helping.”

  Jane rested her hand on Amelia’s shoulder and gave her a warm smile in the mirror, it was full of sympathy and understanding.

  “I’ve been with controlling men too,” Jane said. “And I know how tough it can be… So, I have to tell you that I think you’re incredibly brave and strong. You are doing amazing.”

  “Thank you,” Amelia said. “And thank you for this, for staying open so late for me and doing all of this. I feel incredible.”

  “And we still have eyebrows to go!” Jane laughed as she shut off the hairdryer. “I’m all done with your hair, so why don’t you jump over onto that seat on the other side of the room and we can thread them for you before we finish?”

  “Yes ma’am,” Amelia said as she rose to her feet and ran her hands through her fresh hair. It really did look amazing, and she saw the girl she used to be starting back at her. The girl from long before Toby, before she listened too much to her mom’s own insecurities, and the girl who had been focused on her career and her future.

  She would be her again, and as she sat down in the next chair ready for the final part of her pamper and makeover, Amelia knew that she was feeling better than she had done in some years.

  “You know,” Jane said as she tipped the chair back and started to study Amelia’s eyebrows. “You’re new in town, we should hit the bars one night so I can show you what this place is all about!”

  “I would love that,” Amelia grinned. “I can’t remember the last time I had a night out.”

  “Well, it’s always fun around here,” Jane laughed. “Any night of the week.”

  “I start my new job tomorrow so I may be a little busy for a week or so, but I would love to the moment I get some time off.”

  “A new job already, wow, you really are smashing it here in Misty Vale!” Jane beamed. “Where are you going to be working?”

  “I’m actually going to be a nanny for a little girl,” she said warmly. “I’m so looking forward to it, she’s an absolute dream.”

  “So cute,” Jane smiled. “And who are her mom and dad? I might know them, you tend to find that most of the women come through here at some point.”

  “Well, actually…” Amelia faltered, not knowing what to say, because she wasn’t sure what had happened to Nora’s mom. “I don’t know the mother… but the father is called Dash Livingstone.”

  It seemed the only way she could put it. It was clear that Dash was single, but for all she knew, the mom could still be around somewhere.

  She noticed the look on Jane’s face, it must have been similar to the dropped jaw look Amelia had been rocking when she walked into the Livingstone house the night before.

  “Dash Livingstone?” Jane asked, her eyes wild with excitement. “Wow… I mean, wow.”

  Amelia smiled but again, didn’t quite know what to say. She didn’t want to say anything, considering he was her new boss. And she had the feeling about him too… the one she couldn’t shake.

  “You know him then?” Amelia asked.

  “Oh yes,” Jane smiled. “I know him all right. Everyone in town does. He’s from a very powerful family. One of the original families that founded Misty Vale in fact.”

  This made Amelia even more nervous, but she kept her cool, trying not to act too interested. A founding family… it sounded like he had quite the reputation and a large dynasty. If everyone in town knew Dash, then it seemed even more crazy that he had found Amelia and plucked her from obscurity to be Nora’s nanny. But he had told her Nora hadn’t bonded with anyone he had interviewed, and she had to give herself credit where it was due, Amelia did have good experience and references.

  “All I can say is, once you’re in with the Livingstone’s, you’re in with Misty Vale royalty,” Jane continued. “You couldn’t have fallen more on your feet with a job. Let me tell you.”

  Misty Vale royalty.

  Now her head truly was spinning.

  Dash Livingstone was becoming more and more of an enigma by the second. And Amelia was determined to crack his code.

  Chapter 8

  Dash had watched how well Amelia and Nora were bonding every day when he returned from work and they were sat together on the couch in the living area of the kitchen. He usually found them reading Nora’s book that had been sent home by her teachers, or doing some math or art, occasionally they would be playing with toys if the work sent home had been completed and Amelia had already been looking into classes for Nora to begin in town. It was crazy how easily into a routine they seemed to have got in a short space of time. It had only been a few days, but already the girls had established a real connection, and it was clear they were settled into their new life with each other. It was working well, with Dash doing the morning routine as normal and getting Nora to school, Amelia would usually get the groceries on her way to collect her on the afternoon, take her anywhere she needed to go and then get her home for dinner and homework, a bath and sorted before Dash came home. The past couple of days, she had also started to make sure there was something waiting for Dash to eat too, and he couldn’t have been more grateful. It had been a long time since he had felt looked after by anyone, let alone a beautiful woman.

  It was doing things to his head, and his resolve that he had been so determined to keep was already starting to slip.

  Amelia was an incredible woman, and he felt lucky to have found her at just the right time.

  “She loves the idea of dancing,” Amelia had grinned when her and Dash were sitting up at the counter as dinner was cooking on the stove. “I mean, I know all little girls do, but she has mentioned it several times now.”

  Dash didn’t want to deny Nora anything, and to hear all of these inner desires coming through Amelia was fascinating. He knew that she wanted to explore other things way from the golf club and the kids’ activities they had there, but to hear she wanted to focus on dance specifically was lovely to know.

  “I’m happy for her to explore any avenue,” Dash said as he smiled at Amelia. “I can tell how much she is growing up with each passing day and it’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to be dragging her to business meetings after school all the time. She needs to be exploring her passions and finding out who she truly is.”

  Amelia had seemed to swoon a little when he said that. He had noticed immediately the blush spread across her chest and the way she had reached up and touched her neck.

  The truth was he was finding it harder and harder to keep his distance from her. She was a breath of fresh air when it came to the people he knew around Misty Vale, she kept it simple and didn’t complicate anything. She was her own person, she didn’t seem phased by his house or by who he was, and she certainly didn’t flirt or seem to want to throw herself at him. He was used to women using their good looks and their power to try and entice him, whereas Amelia was just a genuinely good soul. Someone who was looking after him and his daughter, while also being incredibly levelheaded. It was sending his inner dragon into a frenzy.