North Dakota

by Becca Fanning

  The Baby Shift: North Dakota

  Shifter Babies of America 1

  Becca Fanning

  Copyright © 2019 by Becca Fanning

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Epilogue

  Also by Becca Fanning

  Chapter 1

  The snow-capped businesses in downtown Gray Creek usually meant two things: first, Christmas wreaths were springing up on doors to shops, and second, shoppers were following right along with them.

  Ginger propped the door to her bakery open with one hand while she used the other one to cradle her phone against her ear.

  “It’s got to be twelve cakes,” a frantic voice said on the other line. Cynthia, a frazzled lawyer and frequent customer, had apparently received the news that another slew of family members were coming into town. “Twelve, is that okay, Ginger?”

  “Of course,” Ginger replied smoothly as she hauled the heavy tote bag on her arm through the doorway and locked the door behind her. The shiny metal clock above the storefront counter said that it was precisely six in the morning. Too early for Gray Creek’s most popular baker to be taking calls, but holiday season changed her hours from sunrise to sunset. “Twelve cakes,” she repeated, scrawling a hurried note on a post-it when she made it behind the counter. It joined a pile of other similar notes next to the cash register. Cynthia thanked her and hung up.

  With a sigh, Ginger let herself collapse partially onto the register and regarded the notes with a weary eye. Somehow, someway, her town’s population hadn’t grown much and yet the demand for holiday pies and sweet had skyrocketed. She’d had to bring on two additional assistants for the holiday season.

  She left her things at the front, the early morning light beginning to peak on the distant horizon, and retreated to the kitchen. The coffee pot was her first priority. She loaded the machine up with the strongest grounds she could find. The shiny metal surface of the kitchen gleamed as she waited for the machine to stir to life. She always prided herself on keeping an impeccable working space and prompt orders.

  The phone rang out. She grabbed it and took down two more orders for holiday meat pies. The coffee pot slowly filled up. By the time that her first assistant, a sweet college student named Vanessa strolled in, Ginger was already pouring two cups for them.

  “Thanks, boss!” Vanessa said as she grabbed the milk from the fridge and sugar cubes. “What’s it like today?”

  “Busy,” Ginger said and chewed her lip, glancing at the stack of new notes next to the register. Vanessa nodded.

  “I’ll add this to the spreadsheet for today!” the young woman chirped. It was hard to believe that Ginger was only eight years older than Vanessa. She wondered how she’d had that much energy at six-thirty in the morning. While Vanessa began compiling things on the computer, Ginger threw on her apron and headed to the back.

  In the metallic doors of the three industrial fridges, she caught her reflection. Her medium auburn hair was thrown up hastily with a clip. Her everyday makeup was the absolute basics of powder, muted eye makeup, and a cranberry lip cream for the winter. She smoothed the apron over her sweater and jeans, admiring her curves for a brief moment. Working in a bakery and running all over town had kept her in shape. A brief memory of her ex-fiancé crossed her mind, his habit of making off-cuff remarks about the weight Ginger had gained since graduating college.

  She scowled. “Cheating bastard,” she muttered.

  “What was that?” Vanessa asked happily.

  “Nothing, Vanessa,” Ginger called back in a falsely chipper tone. She didn’t want to wreck the girl’s opinion on love. Not every man was destined for infidelity...right? She frowned and set about grabbing materials from the fridge. Her engagement ended three years ago after Ginger caught Jason with a co-worker that he’d sworn was just a friend in bed.

  There’d been no dates since then. At first, Ginger threw herself into work. Her bakery was just beginning back then. Now, it was thriving. Jason had moved away after the co-worker dumped him. Everyone knew what had happened, but the citizens of Gray Creek had a way of making sure to never talk about it to Ginger. Instead, the grandmas from the local church often sidled up with their purchases to the register and casually dropped the names of the eligible bachelors in town.

  Ginger rolled her eyes and began collecting metal bowls from the cabinets. She knew all of the bachelors in town and she wasn’t interested. Her nights were lonely, but her growing bank account kept her comforted. She grabbed a kitchen towel and threw it over her shoulder.

  “The delivery man’s here,” Vanessa called from the front. “Shall I run and meet him?”

  “Sure thing,” Ginger said and grabbed the wireless store phone from the front while her employee trotted out the front door. Of course, the phone rang as soon as Vanessa went to greet the courier. With a sigh, Ginger put on her best happy voice and answered the phone.

  “You’ve reached The Creek Bakery,” she called out. There was a pause and the sound of a husky breath. Something about it made her skin tingle.

  “Do you do breakfast?” a deep voice asked. Chills sprang up and down her spine. She folded her arms around herself.

  “Yes, I’ve got biscuit sandwiches with sausage and egg. We can also switch out the sausage for bacon,” she informed the stranger and glanced at the glass cabinet with the current offerings. “I should have my usual thirty today.”

  “Can you make twenty extra?” he asked. She blinked.

  “Twenty? Are you feeding an army?” She tried to will the agitation out of her voice. Breakfast was her most popular time. Vanessa popped back in and caught Ginger’s tone. She raised her eyebrows as she approached with a stack of boxes.

  The man laughed. It was so rich that it tickled her ears, but it did nothing to stop the growing frustration in Ginger. “They’re all for me, I’m afraid.” He paused and then suddenly in a softer voice muttered, “I can pay extra.”

  She inhaled swiftly. “I’ll make extra, but I expect you to be here before nine or I can’t guarantee that the local football team won’t be here before you with a sudden appetite. Thank you.” She clicked the phone off. Vanessa’s wide eyes greeted her.

  “Calling in for twenty breakfast sandwiches for yourself?” she asked her young employee while shaking her head. “I’ll make them, but I bet you ten dollars that it’s a stupid prank.”

  “Didn’t you recognize the voice?” Vanessa asked. “You know everyone in Gray Creek.”

  Ginger resisted a shiver. “That was the funny thing...it was definitely not anyone I’ve ever met before.”

  “Did he sound handsome?” Vanessa asked with a naughty grin. Ginger rolled her eyes and let out a barking laugh.

  “How handsome could a breakfast sandwich glutton be?” she asked with a wink. When she saw the clock, she cursed under her breath. “You’re on phone duty so I can get everything done!”

  “You got it, boss!”

  They set about their work. Ginger turned on the local radio station and let Christmas tunes fill the entire business. She hummed along, completely forgetting the thrill from the strange voice on the phone. While she worked, she completed the extra twenty sandwiches as requested, but she clicked her tongue in disbelief while she did it. As if someone could really eat all this by himself!


  Vanessa opened the storefront at eight o’clock and soon a steady stream of customers were coming to order their croissants, kolaches, and breakfast sandwiches. Ginger greeted her regulars, mostly local shop owners getting ready for their own days and stressed mothers running errands.

  She was boxing up a birthday cake when she overhead Vanessa talking to Daphne, the owner of the antique shop next door.

  “I know he has the eyes,” Daphne cooed as she leaned in closer while Vanessa handed back change. “But, he’s gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous. I told him about this place, so expect a visit. He’s a travelling carpenter.”

  Ginger was pulled away from the eavesdropping when her timer went off. She rushed to the back to pull out a tray of blueberry muffins. It was nearing nine when she finally caught her breath and the morning rush had died down. She smirked.

  “So much for our breakfast sandwich lover,” she said bitterly and turned away from the counter. Vanessa was updating their current orders for the day when the bell chimed. Ginger didn’t bother turning around.

  “Hello,” said a deep voice. Her ears perked up. That voice!

  “H-h-hi, sir.” Vanessa’s voice was unusually choppy. Ginger pulled herself up with a straight back and made a point to stare at the clock.

  “Nine exactly,” she called out, refusing to turn. “How nice of you to let them all get cold.”

  Vanessa coughed. “Miss Ginger, it’s okay. He’s here now...”

  Ginger said nothing and made herself another cup of coffee. She could feel the man behind her, a rising of his energy. It was amused and this sent an irritating throb to her head.

  “I ran into some trouble,” he said with an amused grunt. “I hope you’ll understand. I brought cash.”

  She placed her hand on her hip and turned around. “I’ll get this one, Vanessa.” The girl stepped away with a squeak. Ginger still refused to look up from the register. She stabbed the numbers into the system and read out the total. “Thirty dollars and sixty cents.”

  A strong hand slid two twenty-dollar bills over the counter. “You can keep the change.”

  Now, she looked up. These were not the hands of an ordinary man. They were too strong, too capable. Her breath caught in her throat as her gaze rose to meet golden glittering eyes.

  “You...you...you’re...” she couldn’t manage to get the sentence out of her mouth. Vanessa had placed the sandwiches in a white paper bag and they were sitting on the counter. He made to reach for them and she didn’t stop him.

  He was handsome, more handsome than any man that had ever come through Gray Creek. His dark brown tousled hair was combed back to reveal a strong sharp face that had certainly seen adventure in life. His frame towered over her, but his strength was cut and defined. She could see the shape of sinewy muscles underneath the athletic sweater he was wearing. It hurt to look at him, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

  “I didn’t know,” she managed. How could she have guessed that a Shifter would walk into her town? And a gorgeous one at that?

  “Miss Daphne mentioned that she’d recommended us to him,” Vanessa offered weakly from the back and then promptly drew the curtain to the kitchen area. Ginger was alone with the gorgeous stranger.

  “I’m sorry if my sudden request disturbed your busy work schedule,” he said with a half-grin, although the sincerity of his tone surprised her. A blush came over her face.

  “I was rude,” she admitted and looked down towards the cash with red cheeks. “You’ll have to excuse me. This is my busiest time and...well, it’s not every day that I get a call like yours. I thought it was a prank from someone.”

  “Most men don’t have my appetite,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Desire sparked within her chest. She looked up from beneath her lashes, admiring his broad arms. She’d never met a Shifter, only seen them in pictures and on the news. They kept to themselves. He glanced at one of the open tables. “I’d like to eat here though if you don’t mind.”

  “Whatever you want,” she muttered and pressed a cold hand against her face. She placed the money in the drawer. “I’ll have Vanessa send you a complimentary coffee.” She disappeared into the back, trying to will her beating heart to stop thundering against her rib cage.

  Chapter 2

  Jack never intended to stumble into Gray Creek, but things never seemed to unfold calmly in life for him. He caught his wolfish face in the gas station mirror, lean and worn. The cashier nearly peed herself when he bought a candy bar and she saw his eyes. He pressed a hand against his nose, trying to suppress the oncoming headache. It’d been a long trek from his clan’s hideaway in Alaska. He splashed some cold water on his face. Too long. His stomach growled when he got back into the truck. Seven burger wrappers sat in the passenger seat.

  He ate like a wolf even when he was in human form. He tore open the candy bar and scarfed it down, thinking of the first time he and his brother, Connor, had realized that their appetites were different from the kids at school. Their mother had attempted to socialize them more than other Shifter children, an experiment that ended in elementary school. Connor was two years younger than Jack, more prone to turning into a wolf to snap at other kids for fun. He wasn’t bad, just a bit wild. Jack scowled.

  When Connor disappeared, their clan was worried...but worries weren’t enough to justify a Shifter leaving his clan. So, Jack hadn’t told anyone where he was going when he got wind that Connor had made his way to North Dakota to settle a score with a rival.

  “Dumbass,” Jack muttered to the steering wheel. He turned on the radio and let it blast heavy rock music. He discarded the candy wrapper among the burger trash. It was two hours until Gray Creek and the sky was already dark. Rumor had it that his brother was holed up in a cabin on the outskirts of this dinky town, waiting for his chance to strike....if he hadn’t already. Connor had always been quick to anger. It hadn’t taken much. A rival clan from South Dakota had a brush with their kin years ago. Their young alpha in training had called Connor a weak puppy. Rumors and trash talk travelled easily among clans. Now, his brother had stirred up some trouble with a clan from North Dakota, too. Someone had probably talked badly about him. Insults weren’t uncommon among Shifter clans.

  Except his younger brother had been stupid enough to seek a response. Jack pulled out of the gas station, the lights disappearing in his rear-view mirror. His stomach growled, but he’d have to wait the few hours.

  The diner was the first thing he saw when he rolled into town. “OPEN LATE” was advertised in neon letters. The hostess sat him down next to a woman at the bar. He kept his eyes low, but the woman had already seen the gold color in his gaze.

  “Oh, Gray Creek has never had a Shifter before!” the old woman purred. The cook behind the kitchen window turned green with a worried frown. Jack smirked. Usually older broads were more afraid than this.

  “Just passing through for a few weeks,” he told her. The waitress delivered his five plates, loaded with food. He caught his neighbor’s impressed eye. “Dinner’s okay for me, but breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Know any good places?”

  She leaned back to give him a megawatt smile. “Well, actually, I do.”

  ——

  Jack was used to headstrong women. His mother had been the most stubborn in the pack before she passed away. Maybe that’s why the redhead sent a grin to his face, one that he was sure appeared more wicked than he intended.

  She’d disappeared behind the curtain while the other woman, a small brunette, came to bring him his coffee.

  “Thanks,” he told her. “Your boss okay?”

  The young woman nodded, her lips pressed together. She glanced at the curtain. “It’s the busy season.”

  “She mentioned that,” he said and took a gulp of the hot coffee. “Can you tell her that I’ll be back tomorrow? I’d like the same order if possible.” The woman nodded and scampered off behind the curtain. His hearing could pick up the shrill reply from the bakery owner.
>
  Ginger, was it? That’s what her name tag had said. The woman from the diner had told him about her place. The best place in town for breakfast. He thought about the way Ginger’s butt had looked in those dark jeans as she retreated away from him. An animalistic urge grew inside him. He cleared his throat and began to eat quickly.

  “Are you here for work?” the brunette piped up from the counter. He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard her return. “Ginger says the order will be fine for tomorrow.”

  He scratched the stubble on his jaw. “Yes, in town for work. I’m a carpenter. I’m actually looking for a little road off the beaten path. Do you know a little area called Midnight Street? I can’t find it on my GPS at all.”

  The woman’s mouth dropped open. She sent a pointed glance back at the curtain. “I-yes-well, actually...It’s a backwoods road.” She scooted around the counter and came over with a napkin and pen. A mischievous joy seemed to simmer beneath the woman’s expression. “You need to follow Main St. down to the fork in the road as you leave town heading South. Take a left at the fork and then keep going until you spot an old abandoned red barn. Turn down that street. There used to be a street sign, but it was knocked down forever ago and nobody’s bothered to put it back up.”

  “Any idea who lives out there?” he asked as she slid the napkin towards him.

  “Some characters,” she answered slyly. “There’s two cottages about half a mile apart and then a rental down at the very end, but hardly anyone rents during the winter.”

  He nodded. “Thanks,” he said. “I’ll be back tomorrow. The name is Jack Wellington, by the way. If you want to tell your boss.”

  Chapter 3

  Ginger balanced her piping bag of frosting in one hand. Outside, she heard the sound of tires rolling up the gravel drive. Mailman, she thought as she aimed the chocolate frosting at a vanilla cupcake. He was the only one besides her close family who even knew that her home was tucked back in the forest like this.