Chapter 54: My Lover's Mate
Noel Hastings loved the feel of the breeze on her cheeks whenever she walked through the woods, enjoying the unbeaten paths of Bull Creek as they explored their surroundings. The wind tugged at her skirt, caressing other parts of her body she left exposed to the elements, like her legs and the upper roundness of her breasts as they pushed out of her low-cut top. She relished in the crunch of the fallen leaves under her feet as she walked, the snap of tiny branches along the trail. Birds flittered from tree to tree, following them on their journey as squirrels chittered away, playing a game of tag among the oaks and pines that stood like sentinels guarding the quiet sanctuary. Noel even spotted a small otter scurrying across the dirt road and back into the brush that covered the landscape.