His bear finally nudged him, and everything clicked into place. Logan’s life as he knew it was over. He had to find a way to forge a new life, one that would make Cassie and his family top priority.
Logan turned back to his work and calmly went through the motions, knowing this was possibly going to be the last presentation he ever made here in the bank he loved so much.
Chapter Thirteen – Cassie
Deflated, she took her coffee and went to into his living room. It was minimalistic in so many ways, everything neat and tidy, and no personal effects out. Only in his small office, which was more of an alcove, were there pictures of his family, his mom and dad and his brothers all crowded around, laughing and joking with him. As she looked, she smiled, and wondered if this was what their life would be like, or would it be stark and bland like his living room?
These two rooms showed the two sides of Logan, but there was only one side she wanted. Money and material things didn’t mean too much to her. She had grown up on the side of a mountain, her dad working to keep everyone safe, bears and other shifters, along with humans. But he had always found the time to do stuff with his kids, swimming in mountain streams so cold they took your breath away and made your legs go numb.
And picnicking on high peaks, having climbed up there as a bear, with the picnic basket strapped to his back. She smiled, recalling those memories: they were what made her who she was. And a small trickle of homesickness began to spill out of her heart. She felt alone for the first time since she had left, which was ridiculous, because she had found her mate; she should feel complete.
The phone rang, and she went to look at who it was on the caller ID. It flashed up, Logan cell. She picked it up. “Hello.”
“Hi, Cassie, look, the meeting is delayed. I’m going to be longer than I thought.” He sounded anxious.
“OK, take your time. I’ll see you later.”
“Are you sure? Please, help yourself to whatever you want, watch TV, there’s bound to be something you like on cable.”
“I’ll amuse myself, don’t worry.”
“OK. If you’re sure.”
“I am.” She hung up, and then felt tears prick her eyes. She loved him, she wanted him, but she could not see this being her life. Going to the window, she looked out to see the sun shining, and the mountains called her home.
Gathering up her things, she checked her purse to see if she had enough money for bus fare, and then she wrote a note, telling Logan where she had gone. Then she left, navigating the stairs and then the busy roads, having to stop and ask several people the way to the bus depot.
Once there, she was told which bus to take, and only when the bus pulled off, did she relax. This city was not for her. She needed the wide-open places and so did their child, but how was she ever supposed to convince Logan of that, Logan who had made the decision to leave Bear Bluff and forge his own life in the city?
It would be different if she had a job, something to offer him, a way to support them, but she didn’t. To him, moving back to Bear Bluff would seem unreasonable. But he could commute, surely.
All of these arguments roamed through her head. By the time she met up with him later, if he came to see her, after she had run out on him like this, she wanted to have a coherent plan in place as to what they would do.
Cassie got off the bus before it reached Bear Bluff, and thanked the driver. Then she headed toward the lower slopes of the foothills, and walked, walked as a human until her feet ached, and she was sure she had torn her dress, but she needed the time to clear her head.
When at last she reached her home, she let herself in to be cocooned by the welcoming smell of Rhianna’s baking. “Oh, here she is,” her best friend said, turning to see Cassie in the kitchen doorway. “No need to ask where you’ve been.”
But as Cassie felt her face crumple, Rhianna dumped her baking tray on the side and hurried to hug her friend, letting her cry, before she asked what was wrong.
“He went to work.”
“Oh honey, on a Saturday. At least he brought you home.”
“I had to take the bus.”
“What? He dumped you!”
“No, he told me to stay in his apartment, and help myself to whatever I want. But that’s not the life I want, not the life I dreamed of. I know we moved here because home was too quiet, but the city will suffocate me.”
“If you tell him, he’ll understand.”
“But he moved there because he felt stifled by Bear Bluff.”
“Then you will have to find a compromise. You’re meant to be together, so there has to be one.”
Cassie sat down on one of the kitchen stools, while Rhianna cut her a large piece of cake and made her a cup of tea. “Here, this will cheer you up. Apple and cinnamon.”
“Thanks,” Cassie sniffed. “And what about you?”
“What about me?” Rhianna asked, sitting next to her and tucking into her own slice of cake.
“Well, where will you live?”
“I was talking to my boss today—I went in for the morning baking— and she said the apartment over the shop would be empty in a month or so, and I was welcome to it.” She put a hand on Cassie’s shoulder. “So don’t worry about me. This is about you and your happiness.”
“Well, I’m going to get changed into something more comfortable, and then I’m going to have one more slice of your cake.” She got up, hugged Rhianna, and went out of the room, saying, “I’ll figure it out, I’m just overwhelmed, it all happened so fast. This mating bond sounds like an easy option, but in some ways it’s not.”
As she headed to her room, she wondered if the dating website was such a good idea; she also knew that as things stood, Cassie and Logan were not exactly the best advertisement for Internet dating either.
Eventually, she came back to the kitchen, having showered, and washed her hair, wearing loose pants and a T-shirt. Helping Rhianna tidy up, she managed to feel normal again, pushing her thoughts about Logan to the back of her mind. Until there was a knock at the door. Her senses instantly seemed to know who was there, and she said to Rhianna, “I’ll answer it.”
“Are you sure? And look, if you want to talk, I’ll make myself scarce.”
“No, I’d like to go for a walk, show him what he’s missing being shut in the city.”
Opening the front door, seeing him standing there, took her breath away. “Here, these are for you, to say I’m sorry.” He thrust a bunch of roses at her, their scent heavenly.
“Thank you,” she said. “You don’t have to look as if you are going to your own funeral.” She went to him and kissed his cheek. “But I think we need to talk.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Wait here.” She went back inside and put the flowers in water, not wanting him to come in, in case Rhianna said something to him to make matters worse.
“Everything OK? Oh, he bought you flowers, so he gets brownie points for that.” Rhianna looked carefully at Cassie. “But they don’t mean you have to let this go.”
“I know, Rhianna.” She hugged her friend, and then left, calling, “Bye.”
Her heart was racing as she reached Logan, and she slipped into his waiting arms. “Sorry I ran out on you.”
“It’s OK. Really, I understand. I shouldn’t have left, but up until now, work has been my priority.” He sighed and then kissed her, making her body come alive, and she knew whatever happened, they would get through it together.
“It would be so much easier if we had met and got to know each other. But we’re like two strangers, trying to make our lives fit together,” she said as he released her and she took his hand, leading him toward the Bluff.
“This is exciting, though, and unusual, but we have to find a way for our lives to fit together.”
“Do you think we can? We seem to be opposites.”
“Then we change.”
“The thing is, Logan, there is no way I can live in the city.” There, she had said it.
“No way at all?” he asked, and her heart dropped in her chest, weighing her down.
She shook her head. “No.”
“Well, we’ll have to look at alternatives. Because I don’t want to commute.”
She felt even more miserable. And she was just about to tell him there had to be some compromise from him, when his phone rang. Her anger bubbled up inside her when he looked at it, and then answered, listening for a moment before saying, “I’ll be right there.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, she was about to let him have it. After all he had said, his work had called and now he was going to leave her again! Yet instead he looked up, slightly dazed, and said, “That was Taylor. Melanie is having her baby.”
“Now?” Cassie said excitedly.
“As we speak.” He looked at her and asked earnestly, “I know we are in the middle of something, but do you mind?”
She smiled widely. “Of course not, as long as I can come too.”
Chapter Fourteen – Logan
They raced to the hospital. There they met up with what seemed like half of Bear Bluff, including all of Logan’s family, all waiting for the birth of a new shifter baby.
“Mom, Dad, this is Cassie.” Logan introduced her to his parents, making her feel nervous, and thrilled.
“I hope you and Logan will be happy,” his mom said. “Well, I know you will be.”
“I hope so,” Cassie said, and Logan tightened his arm around her shoulders, squeezing gently.
“Of course you will, and just think, it might be you next: a baby on the way, us all here waiting nervously.”
“It would be nice, but Logan doesn’t live in Bear Bluff, so I guess when we have kids they’ll be born in the city.” She didn’t mean her voice to sound quite so sad.
“I don’t live here yet,” Logan said quietly.
His mom looked up at Logan, sharing Cassie’s hope, “Are you thinking of moving back here? You know it would be wonderful if you did. But it’s up to you two, of course.” She looked from Logan to Cassie and then added, “You two should talk about this together.”
Cassie didn’t speak while his mom moved off to talk to Stu, one of Logan’s other brothers. But once they were alone, she said, “Do you mean it?”
“I’ll have to give it a lot of thought, and plan out exactly what we are going to do, but yes. I always had my eye on being a partner in the company where I work, but I can’t see that happening, not when we could have a young family in the near future.”
“So you are going to leave your job?” Cassie asked, hope in her voice, but also fear. She wasn’t earning enough to support them, and it might take Logan some time to find a new job.
“Yes, or ask if I can work from home, it would mean a pay cut, and maybe I would have to travel into the city once a week. But after today, seeing my boss, I know if I carry on as I am, and aim for a partnership, I’m going to be expected there more and more. The hours will just be antisocial, which was fine until I met you.”
He put his arms around her and pulled her close.
“Are you disappointed? That we met now?” she said.
“No, never. My work filled a gap in my life. That gap is now filled by you and the family I hope we will be blessed with soon. Seeing Melanie waiting for Taylor last night, and then having to leave you this morning, it set my priorities in order.”
“I’m so pleased.” She kissed him. “But what if they won’t let you work from home?”
“I have a chunk of cash saved up, and I thought that maybe we could go into business together. You know that website you designed for Fated and Mated is great; you have a flair for design, so I thought I could manage the business side of it, while you worked on the designs.”
“But I don’t have any clients.”
“I know a lot of people in business. I can drum some up, and then word of mouth will help your reputation spread and grow.”
“Don’t you have it all planned out!” She looked happy, and he knew then he had done the right thing. He didn’t want to be the kind of husband, or father, who was never at home.
“I want us to be happy, Cassie. And this seems like the right thing to do. When we have a child, I want him, or her, to grow up surrounded by family, and with Melanie and Taylor having their first child now, our child will have a cousin to romp around with.”
“We have to conceive a child first,” she said.
Logan whispered in her ear, “I’m all for practicing as much as you want.”
She blushed, wondering if anyone else had heard, but when she looked up, Taylor was coming toward them and everyone’s attention was on him.
“Well?” his mom asked, and they all crowded round.
“A baby boy.” He looked shocked, especially when everyone tried to congratulate him at once.
“Are they both OK?” Logan asked.
“Yes, both are fine, give us a couple of minutes and you can all come in and say hello. Dr. Ben says you need to be quick, though, so Melanie can get some rest.” He beamed and Logan felt a small pang of longing; he wished it was him and Cassie having their first child, but they had to get married first. Which reminded him.
“Cassie, before we go in, I have something for you.” He held her back as the others walked toward the room where Melanie and the baby were. Then he went down on one knee and said, “Cassie, will you marry me?”
She gasped. “So soon!”
“I didn’t think there was any point waiting, not to propose anyway. I want you to be my wife, even if we have to wait a while before the wedding.”
“Of course the answer is yes.” He pushed the ring onto her finger, and then stood up, kissing her lips, and holding her close, part of him scared she would disappear again. She had no idea how shocked he had been to get back from the office to find her gone. His immediate thought was that he had blown his chances with her, a thing his bear set him straight on.
But he knew, as his bear had tried to tell him, that they needed to work out a way of being together, and it hadn’t taken much for him to understand that.
Anyway, in truth he and his bear had missed Bear Bluff more than they would ever admit to his family. Maybe he had been too pigheaded to come home. Now though, he had an excuse, in the form of his lovely mate, whom he would follow anywhere in this world—or the next.
Chapter Fifteen – Cassie
“I’m so nervous,” Cassie said as she smoothed the skirt of her dress down.
“Don’t be, you look amazing.” Rhianna went around her, checking everything was in place.
“It suits you perfectly,” Melanie said, “Now, I’m going to go to the church and tell that man of yours you are on your way. And check Taylor is looking after the baby.”
“Ok, and thank you so much, Melanie. The dress is beautiful.” Cassie looked down at the delicate detail on the bodice of her dress that flattered her figure, and then spun around, just to feel the full skirt swish around her, making her feel like a fairy-tale princess.
“You are welcome, Cassie, I can’t wait for you to be an official member of the family.” She gave Cassie a careful hug and then left.
Cassie took a deep breath, and let it go. Then she said, “I don’t think I’d feel so bad if it was just family and friends, but with the extra photographer, and I’m sure I heard Marjorie mention something about a film crew, I’m scared. What if I trip over and it ends up on one of those video sites where everyone can laugh at me again and again.”
“Not happening. Now put a smile on your face, and sell Fated and Mated. The more people who look at the site, the more people will join, and you will be famous as the person who put the whole thing together and made it work.”
“I hope so, I could do with some more clients. I’m only happy Bear Brides has given us such a good deal, and Chloe has outdone herself with the wedding planning. I don’t know how I would have fit it all in between the house move and setting up websites for the new clients Logan found for me.”
“It’s al
l turned out beautifully,” Rhianna said.
“Especially the cake.” Cassie took hold of Rhianna’s hand to stop her fussing. “Thank you. It’s amazing, I never knew you had such a delicate hand.”
“Yes, it’s not often you could call me delicate, is it?” she said, and then her eyes went misty, and she turned to look away.
“What’s wrong?” Cassie asked.
“I’m just so pleased for you, but promise me that even when you are an old married woman with ten cubs running around, you won’t forget me and sometimes we’ll run over the mountains together like we did when we were younger.”
Cassie pulled her into a tight hug, not caring if her dress got crumpled and said, “You know I’ll always run with you. Those memories are some of my happiest, the way we used to chase my brothers and frighten off anything they were hunting.”
“Yes, I’m pleased they all came. Someone else is minding the mountain for a few days, I guess.”
“They drafted in a couple of old retired rangers, not that I think they complained, but even so, my dad and brothers probably can’t wait to get back. Jay and Tad hate to let things slip.”
In truth, Cassie had been so very pleased when her whole family could come to the wedding, especially since it was kind of short notice, but a wedding was a wedding, and her brothers had probably turned up just so they could fill Logan in on just what a handful his new wife was. She had always gone out of her way to annoy her brothers at every opportunity.
Isn’t that what sisters were for? However, they all knew they could count on each other, and loved each other so much.
“OK. You can’t put this off any longer,” Rhianna said.
Cassie breathed deeply. “I’m OK now. I want to marry Logan more than anything, so let’s go.”
They went downstairs arm in arm, to find her dad waiting for her, alongside Marjorie. “How do I look?”
“Perfect,” her dad said, choked up at the sight of her. “Logan is a lucky man.”
“Don’t worry,” Rhianna told him. “We’ve made sure he knows it, haven’t we, Marjorie?”
Fated and Mated - Love at First Site Page 6