“Where are we going?” Saffron forced the words out even though her breath caught in her throat. She was nervous.
Of course, she was nervous, a lot was riding on this meeting with Mac. The job was not hers. She might have proven herself today but that didn’t mean he would automatically employ her. And she might not take the job if the money wasn’t right.
Who was she kidding? She was on the verge of taking any job. If the money wasn’t enough, she would have to look for a second job to make up the shortfall. Something part-time when the tourist season started shouldn’t be that hard to find in a town like Bear Creek.
“To a local bar where they serve great food.” He smiled as if to reassure her. “It’s in no way romantic.”
“Oh, good.” She nodded. “No romance, that’s good. We don’t want to give people the wrong impression.” Her disappointment sounded in her voice and she ducked her head so he couldn’t see her confusion as he opened the passenger door for her.
“People in Bear Creek like to gossip. I was trying to spare you from being the center of that gossip.” He inhaled her scent as she climbed into the truck and a shiver of desire passed through her.
“That’s very thoughtful of you.” She settled herself in her seat and buckled the seatbelt, succeeding to clip it into place even though her hands shook.
“If you would rather go somewhere else…” Mac looked up at her and her heart literally skipped a beat. He was ruggedly handsome, with silver hair at his temples and laughter lines around his eyes and his mouth. His mouth. She sighed, wishing he was hers and she could lean forward and cup his face in her hands and kiss his full lips.
“No,” she said a little too loudly. “A bar is just perfect. You’re right, I don’t want to be the center of gossip. Especially when I hear you are the town’s most eligible bachelor.”
The lines around his mouth and eyes deepened as he grinned. “Kassia. Is that what she called me?”
“I am not obliged to tell you my sources,” Saffron teased. The tension in her body evaporated as Mac closed the door and walked around the front of the truck, his shoulders shaking as he laughed.
A man with a sense of humor. She was doomed.
“So, what else did Kassia say?” Mac asked as he hauled himself into the driver’s seat and buckled his seatbelt.
“Not much. If you have any secrets, she keeps them.” Saffron settled back in her seat as Mac steered the truck away from the house and along the street. She was surprised when he turned right and took the road out of town. “I thought the bar would be in town.”
Tension returned as Mac shook his head. “No, there’s a bar on the outskirts of town.” He looked directly at her as he added, “It’s called The Happy Bear Club.”
She forced herself to breathe evenly. “That’s a strange name for a bar.”
“It’s run by some friends of mine. They opened it up when they were all at a low point in their lives. Poured all their energy and time into making it a success.” Mac tore his gaze away from Saffron and focused on the road ahead.
“And are they happy now?” she asked quietly.
He nodded. “They all met their mates and settled down.”
“Mates?” Her heart hammered so hard she thought it would punch its way out of her rib cage.
“Yeah. Mates.” There was that direct look again. Did he know something? Had the boys said something to him?
“Do you have a mate?” Saffron asked before she could stop herself.
Mac’s expression clouded and he looked at her for a long moment before he answered. “I do.”
Saffron bit the inside of her cheek as the sudden realization hit her that Mac was implying she was his mate. “Mac…”
“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything.” He gave her a lopsided grin.
“I…” She put her hand over her mouth and half turned to look out of the window as her world imploded. Everything her sister had told her was true.
“Are you okay?” Mac asked as he turned off the road and into the parking lot of The Happy Bear Club.
“Yeah.” She gulped down her panic. “And no.” Tears streamed down her cheeks and her hands shook as she covered her face, trying to hide from him. She hated crying in front of anyone and she was certain the extra makeup she’d applied had run down her cheeks along with her tears.
“It’s okay,” Mac told her gently.
She nodded and breathed out hard. “I need this job.”
“It’s yours.” He gave her a sad smile and put his hand on the door. “Let’s go and eat. We can talk. If there’s anything I can help you with, I’m here for you. Even if it is just for a job.”
“Thanks.” Her hand shook as she opened the truck door and stepped down onto the ground. This wasn’t how she expected their evening to go. But finally, she felt as if she wasn’t in this alone.
Saffron grabbed hold of the side of the truck and put her head down as she forced breath into her lungs. If her suspicions about Mac were true then he was a shifter, a man who could turn into an animal in the blink of an eye.
And she was his mate. The person he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. Just like Nina and Evan. But Nina and Evan had been torn apart, their future together cut short.
“Are you okay?” Mac was by her side, his hand on her elbow as concern filled his face.
“Yeah, this is just a shock, that’s all.” Saffron forced herself upright. “I didn’t know, not really for sure.”
“You didn’t?” Mac asked, his frown deepening.
“No. Nina, my sister, spoke about it after her husband…her mate…died. But I never saw any proof and I didn’t know if it was something she made up because of the antidepressants she took. She’s been struggling to cope, as you can imagine.” Saffron’s thoughts weren’t straight and it felt as if she was talking gibberish.
“No, it’s not made up.” Mac looked across the parking lot as another vehicle entered but it parked on the other side of the bar, leaving them in peace.
But she wasn’t in peace. Peace had left her the moment her sister got the news that Evan had been killed, struck down in his prime, leaving behind a doting wife and two wonderful boys.
“I was never sure. But Nina begged me to bring the boys to Bear Creek. She begged me to help her find someone to help me teach them how to shift.” She covered her mouth with her hand. “They’re going to turn into bears.”
“Hey.” Mac reached out for her and she went to him, allowing him to envelop her in his arms and soothe away her fears. “It’s okay, this happens all the time in Bear Creek and the surrounding towns.” He gave a short laugh. “It happens all over the world, it’s just that shifters are more concentrated around here.”
Saffron nodded but held onto Mac as if her life depended on it. She’d taken a leap of faith when she finally decided to do as Nina asked, pull the boys from school and move here. Saffron had sacrificed everything because she’d promised her sister she’d do whatever it took to look after them all when Evan died.
“To you, it’s a normal thing. To me, it’s almost—alien.” She looked at him apologetically. “I don’t mean it like that.”
“I know. It is a shock. My brother Beck had to explain shifters to Kassia. It took her a while to get her head around it.” Mac pulled away from her, holding her at arm’s length. “Maybe once you know the good stuff about being a shifter…and about being the mate of a shifter…”
“We’re supposed to be together forever.” She waved her finger at him and then at herself. “I need to take this slow. One step at a time or else I might freak out. I came here for the boys. Nina and the boys are my sole focus right now, so the thought that I am going to wind up in a relationship is a shock.”
“I meant it when I said we can just take it as slow as you want.” He gave her a reassuring smile and his laughter lines deepened. There was something about Mac that made her believe him and believe in him. If he said he wasn’t going to rush her, she believed h
im.
But what if she said she wanted to walk away, would he let her go? Was it in his nature to release the thing he craved more than life itself?
Those were the words Nina had muttered as she lay in a state of delirium in the days after Evan was presumed to have died on the mountain. In the days when she swore Evan was out there somewhere still alive despite all the information saying the contrary. But with no body to bury Nina had fought against accepting what she considered to be unbelievable.
“Shall we go inside?” Saffron needed a drink and she needed something to eat. Because eating and drinking were normal. Unlike people sprouting hair and turning into animals like in some horror movie.
“Yeah, we can eat and talk. If you don’t want to talk about shifters or mates, then just pick something else and we’ll talk.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders and guided her toward the bar. With each step, she pressed herself closer to him, needing to feel the warmth of his body. He was real, he felt normal, he wasn’t a freak of nature.
Saffron’s cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment and guilt as she pushed that thought to one side. She’d never considered Evan a freak. He was one of the best people she’d ever met. Loyal and attentive to Nina, who he worshiped with love and affection. As for the boys, Evan was the best dad a child could ask for. He put them first, never once did he miss soccer practice or a baseball game because of work or a drunken hangover.
Saffron’s breath shuddered through her body. Was this a shifter trait or was it just how Evan was?
There were so many questions buzzing around in her head that she didn’t know which one to ask first. Or whether to ask any at all. What if she didn’t like the answers?
“Relax,” Mac breathed into her ear as he opened the bar door.
Saffron looked up at him and only then realized her fists were clenched at her sides and her nails had dug into her flesh. She shook out the tension in her hands and rolled her shoulders as she and Mac parted.
“No gossip?” She arched an eyebrow in question as she pulled away from Mac.
“No gossip.” He winked at her as he pulled open the door leading to the bar. “Ladies first.”
She nodded and stepped inside. The bar was warm and welcoming with a low level of noise that meant you could still hear the person next to you talk. Pity it wasn’t louder, then she’d have to sit very close to Mac, their thighs pressed together and their shoulders touching.
Saffron’s body exploded with heat, her nerve endings on fire. She was hooked on the shifter who was leading her into the bar. Hooked as if he were a drug.
“I need to freshen up.” She suddenly remembered her tear-stained face.
“Through there and to the right,” Mac pointed, and she slipped away, following his directions and the signs that were clearly displayed.
Out of the main bar area, the corridor was cool, and she welcomed the breeze that drifted in through an open window. On wobbly legs, she walked toward the door with the silhouette of a woman on it and pushed it open.
Going to the sink, she leaned on the basin and raised her eyes to look at her reflection. With a groan, she opened her purse and took out a makeup wipe. Wiping it under her eyes, she removed the worst of the damage before she blotted her cheeks, looking from side to side to check that she hadn’t missed any of the smears.
Next, she took out her mascara and reapplied it, followed by her lipstick. After washing her hands in cold water and drying them, she felt calmer and more in control. The shock of her discovery was wearing off and a sense of ease settled on her.
She’d come to Bear Creek to find answers and help the boys. Meeting Mac had taken her one step closer to success. Saffron was certain that if Mac was her mate, he would help her teach the boys everything they needed to know about the shifter world.
Along the way, he might also teach her about love. Was she ready to open her heart to him? Was she ready to open herself up to the same loss and pain she’d watched Nina live with each day after Evan died?
As she looked in the mirror, her answer was yes. But that answer came from her heart and Saffron needed to use her head if she was going to keep the boys here and keep them safe.
Chapter Seven – Mac
“Hard day at work, Mac?” Jake asked as he placed a bottle of honey beer on the counter.
“Something like that.” Mac glanced nervously toward the door out of which Saffron had walked. He was scared, scared she’d keep on walking out of the bar and out of his life.
She’s still there, in the lady’s room. I can sense her, his bear reassured him.
“Anything I can help you with?” Jake asked, studying his friend closely.
Mac snapped his attention back to Jake, whom he’d known for a few years now. Jake was one of the four men who owned The Happy Bear Club. He’d only recently met his mate and so would have some understanding of what Mac was going through. But Mac wasn’t ready to talk about it, not yet.
“No, I think I have it all under control.” Mac half turned as Saffron walked back into the bar.
“Oh, I see.” Jake followed Mac’s gaze. “So, it finally happened.”
Mac turned back to face Jake. “How do you…”
“I have a sixth sense for these things.” Jake laughed. “Not really, I’ve seen my friends meet their mates. I recognize the expression on your face.”
“Is it that obvious?” Mac asked and screwed up his features before straightening them out again. “I thought I had it under control.”
“Don’t we all, Mac. Don’t we all.” Jake looked across the bar as Saffron approached. “And what can I get your dinner date?”
“It’s not a date,” Saffron said quickly. “We’re here on business.”
“Sorry, my mistake,” Jake said good-naturedly.
“What would you like to drink?” Mac asked, his fingers wrapped around the cold bottle of beer while heat crept through his body. His whole self was focused on Saffron, it was as if she had her own gravitational field and he was caught in it.
What a nice, romantic thought, his bear said. You should share it with Saffron.
Mac smiled at his bear’s comment but didn’t share his romantic musings with his mate.
“I’d like a gin and tonic, please,” Saffron ordered her drink while Mac stared at her. Only when she shot him a questioning glance did he take a breath and turn back to face the bar. Lifting his bottle of beer, he took a long drink and let the cool, sweet goodness settle his nerves.
“I have a table for you. Shall I show you to it now?” Jake asked as he placed Saffron’s glass on the bar.
“Yes, please,” Mac answered. “If that’s okay with you, Saffron.”
“Perfect.” Saffron looked relieved as Jake came around the bar and grabbed a couple of menus for them.
“This way. There’s an alcove around here that gives you a little bit more privacy.” Jake threaded his way through the tables and then stopped next to a table that was tucked away from the view of the rest of the room. “In case your business is private.”
“Thanks, Jake.” Mac didn’t meet his friend’s eyes. Jake was having far too much fun.
“My pleasure.” Jake held the chair out for Saffron to sit down. “Here’s your menu. I’ll come back in a few minutes to take your order.”
“Thanks,” Saffron said and held the menu tightly as Jake walked away. “Does he know?”
Mac couldn’t lie to his mate. “I didn’t tell him. He guessed.” Mac ran his hand over his face. “I would be no good at poker.”
Saffron chuckled as she sipped her gin from an oversized glass. “This is just surreal.”
“Oh, it’s very real,” Mac told her. “All of it.”
“Yeah.” Her forehead furrowed. “I didn’t mean to dismiss this.”
“I know.” He nodded as he stared at her. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m having a problem believing it’s true as well.”
“You are?” Saffron placed her glass down on the coaster and then p
icked up her menu. “Why?”
“I’ve waited so long.” His expression saddened even though he felt incredibly happy. Incredibly blessed to have found his mate. “And now that you are here, I’m worried you are a figment of my imagination.”
“I am,” Saffron hissed and looked around the room. “Really, you are here alone, talking to yourself but everyone else either hasn’t noticed or is too polite to stare.”
Laughter bubbled up inside Mac, but he managed to contain it and take a sip of his beer. “You are a wicked woman, Saffron.”
“You have no idea,” she admitted. “After living with two teenage boys for a while, it gets to you eventually.”
“You must love them a lot to pick up your life and move even though you didn’t fully believe they were shifters.” Mac steered the conversation around to shifters but if Saffron didn’t want to talk about it, he’d drop it like a hot rock.
“I do love them. I’ve helped raise them since Evan died but even before that I was a part of their lives.” She gave a sad smile. “I figured there was a chance I might never have children of my own and Nina and Evan let me be a part of their family and share in their boys.”
Her voice choked and she placed a hand over her mouth. Mac reached across the table and covered her free hand with his. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded and composed herself. “Wes and Jonas have always known what they were. Evan and Nina were very open with the boys. I couldn’t believe that their parents had lied to them since birth, so I had to believe that they were shifters.” She looked down at their hands still touching across the table. “It’s hard not to feel betrayed.”
“By your sister?” Mac asked.
“It’s stupid and selfish…” Saffron looked up at him. “They shared so much with me, but they never shared that. They never told me that Evan was a shifter, they never showed me. It was only after Evan died and Nina got sick that she confided in me. It was like they didn’t trust me.”
Mac (Winter - Shifter Seasons Book 3) Page 5