He stood, and hugged her tightly. “Speak to him. He seems like a good man. Tell him how you feel.”
“I thought you didn’t like him.”
“Alli pointed out that he was protecting you by lying. So I think he must be alright, to do something like that.”
She laughed. “Don’t go overboard.”
“One step at a time, Melanie. One step at a time.” He walked to the door, and then turned and paused. “I know why I might appear not to like him, and it’s not his fault. It’s only that I hate the idea of losing you. It wouldn’t matter how good a man he was, I would feel some resentment towards him. I love you, Melanie. Alli and Callum love you too. Never forget that. This will always be your home.”
“Thank you, Kian,” she said, holding her tears inside as she watched him walk up the stairs to bed.
Despite her own tiredness, she sat back down and watched the embers glowing in the grate. For a long time she sat and tried to puzzle her way through the situation, but she could see no way around it. Not unless she could ask Taylor to move to Bear Creek. When she eventually went to bed, she knew she would wait until after dinner with his family tomorrow and then broach the subject
Chapter Eighteen – Taylor
“He’s still not back?” Taylor said to Cooper as he entered the office.
“Nope, no word from him. He must be stuck in Cougar Ridge. I guess the ladies there will be pleased to see him.”
“I’m not looking forward to being on the receiving end of his bad mood when he gets back,” Taylor said, feeling even guiltier now for not coming into work yesterday.
“Don’t worry. You know Trent, he’ll have made the best of it.” Cooper looked out at the snow. “Starting to melt. But I think for now we should sit tight. Wait until the boss gets back. I would hate to send you out on a delivery and find he would rather you had stayed grounded.”
“Grounded? I’m not a kid.”
“Not in that way. Keeping the trucks grounded. That’s safest for now.” Cooper threw him a broom. “You can go sweep the warehouse instead. Then clean the insides of the windows.”
“Great. More sweeping,” Taylor said, but he didn’t mind; it kept him busy and this way it meant he wouldn’t be late for dinner with his family and Melanie. It also gave him an opportunity to let his mind wander. Daydreaming was not practical when you had a big truck under your control, but a broom, that didn’t take much thought to use.
***
“Well, son, I guess you might as well go on home. I thought we would have heard from Trent by now, but no such luck.”
“You don’t think we should phone the sheriff? Ask Dermot if he’s had news of an accident?”
“If Dermot had heard anything, he would have told us.” Cooper finished his coffee and set the cup down on the desk. Then he sat up. “I think I hear the truck.”
Taylor followed Cooper outside, and there, sure enough, was Trent, steering the big truck into the yard. Next to him sat a woman, beautiful, with long red hair and bright green eyes.
“Well, look at that. If I’m not mistaken the boss has brought his mate back with him. Must be something in the water.” Cooper grinned, and waited by Taylor’s side for their boss to get out of the truck.
“Nice to see you turned up for work today, Taylor,” Trent joked.
“Yeah, sorry about that. Something came up.” Taylor relaxed; his boss was in a great mood.
“I think we can put it all down to fate. I’m guessing your mate came into your life too?”
“Sure did. Found her in a ditch. Her car went off the road, over in Bear Creek.”
“I found mine in the back of the truck.” He turned and beckoned the young woman over; she looked suspiciously at him and Cooper. “This is Willow. She is a panther and my mate. So, Taylor, if you had turned up for work, she would have slipped through my fingers.”
“Then you owe me one?” asked Taylor.
“Don’t push your luck,” Trent said.
“Hi, Willow,” Taylor said.
“Hello, Taylor.” Willow gave him a small wave.
Taylor grinned at his boss, who looked happier than he had ever seen him. “You do know how many broken hearts there are going to be in Bear Bluff, Trent?”
“Oh, yes. But I couldn’t be happier. As you probably know.”
“Oh, I know,” Taylor said. “She’s coming over to meet my family tonight.”
“Then why don’t you get on home. I have some things to catch up on, and then we are off home too.” Trent took Willow’s hand and headed to the office. “Don’t be late tomorrow, Taylor. The snow is melting; we have a lot to catch up on.”
“I won’t.” Taylor left work, going home to shower and then to buy his mom some flowers. He knew how nervous she was at having Melanie over for dinner. He only hoped it all went smoothly. And that Melanie liked his family. He also hoped she would like his apartment. It would seem cramped after the big farmhouse.
He would need to save every bit of spare cash now to try to buy them a family home. Becoming a mate had huge responsibilities, as he was just beginning to realise.
Chapter Nineteen – Melanie
“Are you sure I haven’t overdressed?” she asked Taylor for the fifth time. She had agonised over what to wear, eventually settling on a long, flattering skirt, and a pretty top, which she paired with an embroidered cardigan.
“No, you look beautiful.”
“Underdressed?”
He laughed. “No, you look perfect.”
She took a long nervous breath and let it go; they had arrived at his parents’ house. He came around and helped her out; all she wanted to do was stay in his truck and hide. Although she liked the idea of a big family, it had dawned on her that she had no real experience of how to interact with so many people. With people who all knew each other, she felt like a complete outsider.
“My mom is even more nervous, if that makes you feel any better.”
“Really?” Melanie asked.
“Oh, yes. So let’s put you both out of your misery.” He opened the door without knocking and went in. Voices could be heard from a room to their right, but he led her straight through to the kitchen, where the wonderful small of roast chicken met her.
“Oh, you’re here.” A woman who looked relatively young turned and hugged Taylor.
“Hi, Mom, this is Melanie.”
“Hello, Melanie. Welcome to our home and our family. Dinner is nearly ready.”
“Hello.” Melanie couldn’t understand how Taylor’s mom could look so young, but then she remembered how a bear’s aging process slowed down once they got to eighteen. She made a mental note to ask Taylor how old he was later.
“Taylor, get Melanie a drink. She might need it. Now I have to finish up here, but I think you are going to be introduced to the rest of the family. I have seven boys, so please forgive them. They are boisterous but well meaning.” She smiled in sympathy, making Melanie feel even more nervous.
“Come on, you’ll be fine.” Taylor poured her some white wine and then took her hand. They went to a sitting room, which was bursting at the seams with six young men and an older man, and one pretty young woman who looked up, her expression showing abject relief.
“Finally,” she said, coming over and kissing Melanie on both cheeks. “I was beginning to think I was going to be the only other woman in this family.”
“Ellie, this is Melanie.” He looked across to the six men who were busy debating some issue. Taylor pointed one out. “That is Rob, my eldest brother, and Ellie is unfortunately his mate.” Taylor winked at Ellie, who laughed.
“Brothers,” she said. “Always arguing, but always there for each other.”
“I don’t want to bombard you with names,” Taylor said. “I’ll call my dad over.”
Taylor’s dad was charming. “So nice to finally have another one off our hands,” he said, kissing Melanie’s cheek. “We are so pleased to welcome you to our family, Melanie. If you have any sisters
you might want to point in this direction, I wouldn’t mind off-loading a few of the others.”
She giggled at his exasperated face. “I’ll do my best.”
“Right, how do we go about the rest of them, Dad?”
“I have an idea.” His dad left the room, returning a few minutes later with some sticky labels. They proceeded to give nametags to all of the six brothers.
“Now, I trust you not to swap them around to confuse matters,” Taylor’s mom said when she came to tell them dinner was ready. “If you do, there will be no dessert.”
“She always bribes us with that threat,” Taylor said, helping Melanie to her seat.
“And remember our manners, please. We have a guest; this is not a free-for-all.” Taylor’s dad winked at Melanie; she was seated to the left of him. “Don’t worry. I’ll look after you.”
Despite his words, the food rapidly disappeared. Although the sons were very good at offering Melanie and Ellie, and of course their mom, the dishes first. “I raised them to be gentlemen,” Taylor’s mom said, to which there was a roar of laughter.
“Stu wouldn’t know how to be a gentleman if his life depended on it. He’s a cowboy.”
One of the brothers laughed and Stu growled at him. “At least I live outdoors, not in some stinking office.”
“It’s where the money is.” Melanie looked at the sticky names and saw that it was Logan who said that. And that was how the evening went. Most of them spoke to her, but she struggled to remember their names unless she could read the name labels. Overall, it left her feeling exhausted.
“Melanie, why don’t you give me and Ellie a hand doing the dishes?” Taylor’s mom said as they finished the meal.
“Oh, yes, sorry, how rude of me not to offer,” Melanie said, getting up quickly from her seat. Taylor took her hand and kissed it, then winked at her. She smiled back and then let him continue talking to his brother while she went into the welcome sanctuary of the kitchen.
“There. Isn’t that better?” Taylor’s mom said, shutting the door. “I have developed many coping mechanisms, but the dishes are always a good way to escape the boys.” She smiled good-naturedly.
Ellie went to a cupboard in the corner and began to set out coffee cups. “We can have coffee in here while they talk sport, or hunting. It usually ends up in an argument as to who caught the most fish on vacation when they were teenagers.” Ellie laughed. “I think it was me, but they would never accept that.”
“You’ve known Rob for years. Taylor said you were at school together.”
“Yes. We fought a lot. But then the dumb mating bond hit us.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “We spent lots of time making up.”
“Ellie is the closest I’ve ever come to having a daughter. She’s what keeps me sane sometimes,” Taylor’s mom said. “I can’t tell you how happy we are to have another member of the family who is a woman.”
The both seemed so welcoming, and soon they were talking easily. Melanie and Ellie washed and dried the dishes, while Taylor’s mom put everything away.
“Please call me Trish,” Taylor’s mom said.
“Trish, have you always lived in Bear Bluff?” Melanie asked, wondering how deep the family’s roots went.
“No. We moved here about fifty years ago. I was pregnant with Taylor. He came along unexpectedly. We were looking for some way to cope with so many young bear cubs, and this seemed like the best place.”
“You’re from Bear Creek, aren’t you, Melanie?”
“Yes. We moved there last year.”
“Do you like it? I’ve only visited there a handful of times. When we went to buy your wedding dress,” Trish said to Ellie.
“From Bear Brides? That’s where I work; my sister-in-law owns it.”
“That’s right. Beautiful dresses. Aren’t you lucky to work there? I would spend all day trying them on.”
“At least you’ll know where to find your perfect dress when you get married.”
Melanie agreed. “Yes, my sister-in-law has just had a baby, so I’m practically running the store now. I don’t know how I’m going to manage if I move to Bear Bluff, though.”
“Then ask Taylor to move over there,” Trish said.
Melanie looked surprised. “I thought he would hate to move away from here.”
“It’s hardly moving. Anyway, I expect the whole of Bear Bluff will be glad when one of the Munroe brothers leaves.”
Elli giggled. “They are infamous.”
Trish groaned. “Boys! I’m telling you, Melanie, if you have a girl, you’ll be the first in five generations. Ellie here already has two boys.”
“I’m not having anymore unless I can guarantee it’ll be a girl.”
They all laughed, and Melanie felt much happier knowing that his family wouldn’t resent her if she asked Taylor to move to Bear Creek. All she had to do was find the nerve to broach the subject with him. First, she was going to enjoy coffee and chocolates with the female half of her new family. While in the next room, it sounded like a fight had broken out.
“Boys,” Trish said, rolling her eyes.
Ellie and Melanie giggled and began to talk weddings.
Chapter Twenty – Taylor
“Was it as bad as you thought it would be?” he asked.
“No. They were all great. Although I can’t remember all of your brother’s names.”
“Don’t worry. They won’t mind. They are all chill. So they’ll find it funny.”
“I can’t imagine having such a big family.”
“Good, because I don’t think I would want that many cubs. I think my mom kept going in the hope that she would have a little girl. Never happened. That’s why she’s so glad she has Ellie and now you.”
“I hope she does like me.”
“Of course she does.” He kissed the top of her head, pulling her closer. They were walking back to his truck; he had his arm draped around her, his fingers stroking her arm. His touch seemed to penetrate straight through her clothes, his finger electrifying her body. The sensation fed back to his brain, and he longed to take her back to his apartment, but the journey back to Bear Creek was going to be slow on the icy roads, and he knew he couldn’t let Trent down, he had to be at work on time tomorrow.
“I’ll be glad when we don’t have to do this to-ing and fro-ing.” He opened the truck door and helped her in, kissing her passionately before he closed the door and went to his side, climbing in beside her.
“About that,” she said. He wasn’t quite prepared for what she said next. “When we are married, would you mind if we lived in Bear Creek? It’s just the store and everything. My brother, and Alli, and now the baby.” Silence, and then she started to babble to fill the awkward silence. “I know you’ve spent your life here, and I know you won’t want to leave. Oh, forget I asked. It was silly.”
“No, hey,” he said reaching over and squeezing her hand. “It’s not that I don’t want to. But I’ll have to see how much I can sell my apartment for and then we’ll have to look for a house. I don’t have much money, so we would have to live in town.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Look, Melanie, we have to be happy, I realise you are responsible for the store. And I can run over the mountain to work every day if I have to. It will keep me fit.” It wasn’t exactly how he had envisioned them living. But if leaving Bear Bluff was what they had to do, they would do it.
She laughed. “I think you are fit already.”
“You don’t know how much I want to pull over and make love to you right now, Melanie.”
“Yes, please.”
But he drove on; they both had work tomorrow. As they reached the farmhouse, he said, “Until we can sort out where to live in Bear Creek, will you move in with me, or at least have an overnight bag there so that when I feel like this you can stay?”
“Feel like what?” she asked, leaning over and running her hand along the length of his thigh, always moving it upwards, so that she could stroke
his already hard cock. Putting his hand on hers, he stopped her, although she could feel the tremors of desire passing through him.
“I’ll walk you to the door,” He leaped out and opened the truck door, kissing her passionately, before pulling away. “Damn, this is hard. Tomorrow, I’ll pick you up and we’ll go straight back to my house. I cannot abstain from you for another day.”
“Do you want to come in?” She stood looking at him, the hope in her eyes telling him she wanted him to say yes. However, he couldn’t do that. It would be awkward, because the lights were still on so Kian must still be up.
“No.” He took her in his arms, sighing as he kissed her, not with passion. Instead, it was a chaste kiss, one that he hoped conveyed all his longing and all of his self-control. “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight, Taylor. I can’t wait for tomorrow,” she said, her breath ragged.
“Nor can I.” He walked backward away from her, his eyes never leaving her as she slipped inside. Then he quietly said, “I love you.”
He went back to his truck. But before he had a chance to get in, a hand held the door to and Kian’s voice said, “Taylor, I need to speak to you.”
Chapter Twenty One – Melanie
Melanie looked down at her sore fingers. She had been trying to catch up on her sewing. Bear Brides had been particularly busy; everyone who had put off coming in while it had been snowing had descended on her today. Then there were all the well-wishers coming in to ask about Alli and Kian’s baby. The gifts were piling up on the counter. Once more, Alli realised just how much she liked it here. The kettle had been constantly on the boil, with clients, old and new, gathering to talk, drink tea, and eat cake. She groaned as she got up. Definitely too much cake.
“Hi there. Taxi for Melanie.”
“Funny.” She went to Taylor and kissed his cheek, happy to see him. “At least Kian said he would have the opportunity to pull my car out of the ditch today. I think he was going to take it straight to the body shop.”
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