She cocked her head and looked at him, looking deeper than his big muscles, and his dirty blond hair, and his too-handsome face. Caleb would not look out of place on one of those calendars where male models tried to look as if they really did an honest day’s work on a ranch or a sawmill. Past that, into his blue-gray eyes, she saw a man of honor. A man whom she could trust, not because they were mates, but because that was the kind of man he was, with everyone.
“I understand. And I think it’s better that way, for sure. The only thing I want to ask you…” This was tougher to say out loud than it was in her head. “I don’t want you to tell him we’re mates.”
“Zoe, I’m not so sure that’s a thing we can keep from him.”
“He doesn’t have to know. Does he? If Dylan hasn’t said anything, would it be too hard to keep this between us?”
“I don’t want this to come back and bite either of us.”
“I know.” She put her face in her hands, and took a deep breath. “I don’t want Tony to get hurt. But I know for sure, if you tell him you are my mate, he will not open up to you. He’ll probably refuse to work with you point blank, because he’ll think you are spying on him.”
Caleb looked out of the window for a second, and then back at Zoe, and said, “OK. For now, but as soon as the time is right, he has to know.”
“OK. And I promise, if he gets upset when he finds out, I’ll tell him I made you swear to me and the mate bond wouldn’t let you tell him.”
“Is that a thing?” he asked. “With the mate bond?”
“I have no idea.” She looked thoughtful. “But if you want to test it, I could make you swear not to tell anyone. Ever.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, his movement so fast she didn’t have time to move out of the way. “As long as you don’t make me promise to forget about the whole thing, then I don’t care how much of a secret you want me to keep it.”
“Thank you, Caleb.”
“If you have dinner with me tonight, I can give you a full briefing.”
His offer of dinner caught her off guard. “I thought you said you wouldn’t share Tony’s secrets?”
“I won’t, but that doesn’t mean I can’t discuss where his problems lie. Without specifics.” He raised his eyebrow. “I’m trying to dangle a carrot in front of you. Please take it.”
“And if I don’t?” she asked, wondering if he was going to try and bribe her into going on a date with him.
“And if you don’t… then I guess I’ll keep asking until you say yes. Wear you down one day at a time.” His face clouded. “Although that is not much of a threat, I’m only here in Bear Bluff for five days.”
“What?” Her voice came out as if she were an overexcited schoolgirl. It surprised them both, leaving Caleb looking pleased with himself.
“Five days.” He held his hand up, fingers spread wide as if to emphasize the point.
“Why only five days?” she asked, knowing she was giving herself away by letting him know it mattered.
“If you have dinner with me, I’ll tell you all about it.” He grinned. “Now, that is bribery, or at least coercion. It’s up to you.” He got out of the car, ducking down to look at her one more time. “Do I get an answer?”
“Yes.”
“Yes to dinner, or yes to an answer?” he asked.
“Dinner.” She started up the car, and began to drive away while he still held the door. Quickly slamming it shut, she could hear him laughing, a sound that would ring in her ears all day while she tried to figure out how to sort this whole mess out.
***
Zoe drove home, only stopping off in Bear Bluff to buy a pastry and a coffee, before going back to the small house she rented. It was a temporary home for her and Tony while she figured out where their future lay, but having met Caleb, that answer was not going to be so easy to find.
She hadn’t let her brother know she had only signed a very short lease on the house. The move here had been for Tony’s sake, and if he screwed up, she didn’t want to be left with a long lease on a house she didn’t want to live in. Bear Bluff was nice, well, it was more than nice, but it was full of bears.
And she was a prey animal. Was that something she should have told Caleb straightaway? That he might want to eat her for his dinner tonight if she shifted in front of his bear?
She pulled up in front of the house and switched off the engine, hoping the Internet would behave itself today; she had a lot of work to do. One thing she loved about graphic design was the choice of working at home, or in an office. She always chose home. She liked the peace and quiet of it, surrounding herself with objects she loved to pick up and explore with her hands, in the hope they would inspire her to create beautiful designs for her clients.
As she unlocked the front door and went inside, she checked her phone to see if she had missed a text from Caleb updating on her on how he was getting on with her brother. Nothing. However, thoughts of her man left her wishing she could explore his body with her hands. All those smooth contours, just waiting for her hands to caress them, and stroke them.
Already he was influencing her thoughts. Was she wrong to try and fight it? She had known all her life she would one day find a mate, if she was lucky. But she had also grown up having to look after her brother, and he had to be her priority. Tony had been so fortunate the sheriff of her hometown, Merry Wood, on the edge of the Mistletoe Mountain Range, had heard about what Dylan was trying to accomplish with young offenders, and contacted the sheriff of Bear Bluff.
She placed her pastry and coffee on her desk, then she opened her laptop, determined to do some work. It would be a good way to distract herself from her silent phone, which her eyes kept straying toward.
“He’ll call if he has some news,” she told herself.
With that, she bit into her pastry, sighing at the little bit of heaven that was melting in her mouth. She was sure Caleb would show her more than a little bit of heaven.
“Not helping,” she told her inner voice, which was where the thought originated.
A giggling filled her head, and she had to smile. Her inner beast was quirky; her dad often said she was only one step south of being a resident of Mistletoe Mountain.
Picking up her coffee, she took a sip, and nearly sprayed it over her keyboard when her phone finally buzzed to life. It was a call from Caleb: she only hoped it was good news.
Chapter Five – Caleb
Caleb was taking the opportunity to call Zoe, while Tony was loading the truck with the timber they needed.
“Hi,” he said when she answered the phone, sounding breathless. He wanted to ask her if she’d been running or if she was simply excited to hear his voice. Either question would have left him sounding like a jerk.
“How are things? How’s Tony?” Zoe asked quickly.
“I’ve spoken to Dylan. He didn’t mention to Tony we were mates. He only told Tony we were looking for him. I then spoke to Jordan, who’s in charge of the program, who said it was OK for Tony to work with me for a few days.” He watched the young man who would someday be his brother-in-law as Tony loaded the truck. He didn’t shirk the job; now that he was here, Tony worked hard, as if trying to prove himself, which intrigued Caleb. “What trouble did he get into, before you moved to Bear Bluff?”
“He stole some stuff from a store, on more than one occasion. Not in our hometown. He was at college, and he got in with the wrong crowd. Long story, but I think he was trying to prove himself.”
“Prove himself? Interesting. Look, I’ll update you later. I want to get to know him, see if I can find out what is going on in his head.” Caleb turned away from Tony and moved so he was out of earshot. “He came in and apologized to Dylan. Said he overslept. Dylan understandably gave him both barrels; he’s on his last warning. I am going to do everything I can to help him, but I can’t work miracles. There’s nothing I can do if he is just blowing hot air up Dylan’s ass… Sorry.”
“I’ve heard worse. But I get your
meaning.” Her voice caught in her throat. “When we moved here, he said he would behave, that he was happy to make a fresh start. What I don’t understand is why it’s gone wrong so quickly.”
“Wrong friends, wrong place, anything can kick off a whole world of shit.” He thought for a moment. “Declan got him this job, right?”
“Yes, he coordinated with the sheriff of Merry Wood.”
“Is that where you come from?” Caleb asked, storing this small piece of knowledge away in the small trunk in his brain labeled Zoe.
“Yes,” she answered. “My family have lived there for generations.”
“Does that mean you’ll be wanting to move back there one day?” Caleb asked, wondering if his move back to Bear Bluff, and his parents, was going to be temporary after all.
She hesitated, and he rocked backwards and forwards on his heels, waiting for her answer. “Not necessarily.” She sighed. “It’s complicated.”
“So tell me all about it over dinner.”
“I’m sorry, Caleb, I might have to put that off. I want to try to get Tony to stay in tonight.”
“Listen, he’s going to go out whether you are there or not. So why not give him the benefit of the doubt? We’ll go and have dinner, and you’ll be back before midnight.”
“Why, do you turn into a frog or a pumpkin after midnight?” she asked.
“No, but if I have to come to work again tomorrow, then I need my beauty sleep.”
“If you have to come to work? You’ll carry on working there, for Tony?” she asked.
“For you. Please, have dinner with me,” he begged.
Smooth, his bear said in his head.
I know, Caleb agreed.
“OK,” she said quickly, as if daring herself to agree to go on a date with him.
“I will pick you up at seven, and now I’m going to hang up before you talk yourself out of it.”
“Goodbye, Caleb,” she said.
“I’ll see you at seven,” he confirmed and then hung up, realizing he had no idea where she lived. Maybe he’d have to give Tony a ride home to find out.
His phone buzzed. It was a text from Zoe, and he smiled as he read it, their thoughts must be linked in some way. It read: Don’t come to the house, I’ll meet you at the yard. I’ll leave my car there.
He replied: What, no kisses oxox
You’re not on my kiss list, came back her answer, which made him chuckle.
“All loaded,” Tony’s voice behind him made him start. Did Caleb look as nervous as he felt? It was like being caught red-handed with your paws in the honey pot.
“Great. Let’s get going. Dylan wants me to replace the handrail on a property he’s renovating. Do you have lunch or anything to eat?”
“No,” Tony shook his head. “I didn’t have enough time to make any.”
“Despite getting here so late,” Dylan said, coming out of the office. He must have seen them getting ready to leave.
“Stop off in town and pick something up.” He took some cash out of his pocket and handed it to Tony.
“I can’t take it,” Tony said, holding his hand up to refuse the money.
“Yes, you can. If it makes you feel better, I’ll deduct it from your first paycheck. But you’ll take it and buy yourself some food. First thing you have to learn is to take care of yourself.” Dylan’s gaze rested on Tony’s face and the black eye. “Second is to walk away from a fight.”
Tony’s hand went to the bruise, his fingers touching it lightly. “Sometimes that’s hard to do.”
“I know, Tony, but sometimes the right decisions are hard; doesn’t mean we don’t have to make them.” Dylan passed him the money and Tony took it.
“Thanks.” Tony put it in his pocket, and stood patiently while Dylan went over their job instructions and the directions to the house one last time.
“I’ve got it,” Caleb said to Dylan, swinging himself into the driver’s seat of the truck. “We need to discuss my pay when I get back.”
“I thought you were doing it for lurvvve,” Dylan said, grinning, and then his face dropped as Caleb drove off, shaking his head and glaring at him.
“That man.” Caleb sighed.
“You don’t like him?” Tony asked, sounding surprised.
“No. I like him.” Caleb assessed his feelings for Dylan. “He’s just good at getting his own way.”
“I guess that’s why he’s a millionaire.”
“I guess it is, Tony.” They were heading toward Bear Bluff; he knew exactly where they could grab some lunch to take with them. “So how do you like it here? You’re new to Bear Bluff, aren’t you?”
“Moved here with my sister. Dylan offered me a job.” Tony sat and watched the houses as they passed by.
“And you’ve settled in?” Caleb asked.
“In some ways.” Tony turned his attention to Caleb. “Have you always lived here? You are a bear, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Caleb answered, which led him to a question he hadn’t asked Zoe yet. “And you are?”
Tony shook his head and looked out of the window. “I’m your dinner.”
Caleb snorted. “What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m a stupid rabbit.”
Caleb only just managed to keep the truck on the road. “A rabbit.”
“Yes, laugh, everyone else does.”
“Arhh, so that explains the black eye. Been trying to defend your honor?” Caleb asked.
“No.” Tony put his fingers up to the bruise once more. “No family honor to defend. We’re all stinking rabbits.” He folded his arms across his chest, just as Zoe had this morning. “I couldn’t have been born something cool like a bear or a lion. No, I had to be a small, cute bunny.”
Caleb roared with laughter. “Kid, there is nothing wrong with being a rabbit.”
“Seriously, you would trade… that body, for this? I’m a wimp.”
“Everyone is a wimp at your age. Even those poor humans who have no idea we exist. Can you imagine the people in this world who would give anything to be a shifter? Even one with a fluffy bobtail.”
Caleb pulled up outside of the diner. They could get some lunch to go, and he could go to the hardware store to pick up the specialist tools he needed. His tools were back at his house in the city. It would take him a few days to pack it all up and bring it here.
“I would rather not have another side than be a stupid bunny rabbit.”
“Tony. Is this why you got in trouble? Because of what you are?” Caleb asked.
Tony turned away and shrugged. “No one understands.”
“Man, you’re a teenager, no one understands a teenager; it doesn’t matter if you’re a bear or a bunny. But that will change. And when it does change, you want to make sure you are the best person you can be. Make the most of your life, wherever that road leads.”
Tony turned to look at Caleb. “You’re just saying that. Look at you, I bet women fall over themselves to date you.”
Caleb laughed and smacked Tony on the shoulder. “Is that what this is all about? Well, let me tell you, I’ve had my fair share of girls. And it meant nothing. You know why?”
“No.” Tony shook his head.
“Because they weren’t the one. You know, the one, my true mate. And that is what makes you so special and unique.” Caleb thought of Zoe, and of the way he felt for her. “One day you’re going to meet that one person who is meant to be with you.”
“And she’ll be happy that I’m a bunny rabbit?” Tony scoffed.
“She will if the rumors are true,” Caleb said, opening his door and getting out, knowing they had to get on with the work they’d been assigned, but grateful he seemed to have figured out Tony’s problem so soon.
“What rumors?” Tony asked, opening his door and climbing out.
Caleb came around and clapped Tony on the back. “You’ve heard the saying, fuck like rabbits? Has to have some basis in truth. I’m telling you, Tony, give yourself a few more years, and you�
��ll fill out. You might never be as handsome as me,” Caleb joked, with a grin. “But you will do just fine.”
Chapter Six – Zoe
“What did you say to him?” Zoe asked accusingly as she got out of the car and walked over to Caleb, who was already at the yard, leaning up against his car waiting for her.
“We had a man-to-man talk,” Caleb said evasively.
“About what?” she asked, unsure of how he could have accomplished in one day that she and her parents had been unable to accomplish in months.
“That is one of those things that will remain private between me and Tony,” Caleb said.
Zoe wondered if there was a way to get him to talk, and she was sure there was, but she didn’t want to break him. She found his loyalty kind of sweet, even if he was withholding information she would love to know.
“He came home and apologized.” She walked up to Caleb, and said, “For the first time in forever, we actually sat down together and talked like brother and sister. He told me about the handrail—and I thought you were the professional.”
“I am,” he insisted. “But my head wasn’t in the game. I’ve just met my mate, remember?”
“How can I forget?” she asked, moving so close to him, she could feel the heat of his body. Could he feel the heat emanating from her? Did he know how much she had been looking forward to their date, even though she told herself nothing would happen, other than dinner and small talk.
“Shall we go? Or else I am going to drag you into one of the warehouses and make love to you.”
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I thought we could head over to Bear Creek, grab some food…” He must have read her guilty expression. “You’ve eaten?”
“I had dinner with Tony. We actually made it together, so technically it’s your fault.”
He shook his head. “I’ve eaten too. I got home to find my mom was having a good day and had made a roast dinner.” He patted his toned stomach. “I’m stuffed.”
“So we might as well go home now,” she said, taking a step away from him. He was quick, impossibly quick, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her back to him.
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