Haley shifted her weight and lay down on the bed beside her daughter. “I’ll wait here until you’re ready.”
A long moment passed. “Don’t you need to be downstairs?” Alicia asked as the sound of knocking reached them.
“Nope, I’m right here where I need to be.”
Another long pause stretched out, only punctuated by more noise from the kitchen. Haley wasn’t concerned, she had every confidence in Mason and his ability to handle her kitchen ceiling. More confidence than she had in her own ability to handle Alicia’s fears over Buck. Or her own fears.
“Things will change.” Alicia’s voice was small.
“They will,” Haley agreed. It was the truth. “But things always change. Not all the time for the worse.”
“I want you to be happy.” Alicia turned and looked at Haley.
“I am happy. Right now, I’m happy. That doesn’t mean that if I date someone I won’t be happy. It also doesn’t mean I need someone to make me happy. That’s all on me.” Haley brushed her daughter’s hair off her face where it was stuck to her tear-stained cheeks. “I want us all to be happy. No matter what happens, I am your mom. That will never ever change.”
Alicia put her arms around Haley and hugged her tight. “What if I don’t like him?”
Haley stroked her back, comforting her elder daughter just as she always had. “And what if you do?”
Alicia nodded and pulled back. “Do you want me to go and apologize?”
Haley shook her head. “Just go down and give him a chance. For me.”
Alicia nodded and slid off the bed. “I can do that.”
“That’s my girl.” Haley followed Alicia out of the room and waited while she washed her face with cold water and patted her hot cheeks dry.
“What’s wrong with Alicia?” Marie asked, coming out of her room. “And what’s all that banging?” She pulled her earbuds out of her ears and frowned as a loud crack came from under them.
“Mason and Rhett are here to look at the ceiling,” Haley began.
“And they brought a friend with them. His name is Buck, and he says he’s mom’s mate,” Alicia blurted out as she came out of the bathroom.
“Is that why you are crying?” Marie asked with concern.
Alicia nodded. “But I’m okay now.” The three of them had been through enough together that making fun of Alicia was not going to happen. Instead, Marie hugged her big sister and Alicia wrapped her arms around Marie.
“Do you think he’ll let us see his bear?” Marie asked excitedly.
Haley’s forehead creased. “He might not be a bear.”
Marie’s eyes widened. “Maybe he’s a horse and he’ll let us ride on his back.”
“That would be weird,” Alicia told Marie, but she smiled all the same. They all knew Marie was horse crazy. “But you could always ask him.”
“Shall we all go down and meet him properly? Together.” Haley shivered with anticipation. Alicia’s reaction had torn her away before she had chance to process the information that she had a man in her kitchen who said he was her mate.
She swallowed hard and her face paled. “It’ll be all right, Mom,” Alicia assured her as she took Haley’s hand.
“It’s scary,” Haley admitted.
“But a good scary.” Alicia fixed a smile on her face. “And you deserve to be happy.”
“We all deserve to be happy,” Haley agreed, hugging her two daughters close. They had shared what no mother and child should ever have to share. Running into the night with only the clothes on their backs, they had been forced to sleep on Tiana’s sofa for a couple of nights before using the tip money from The Mountain View Restaurant to pay for a hotel room until Harrison left their home and she moved back in with the girls.
Over the passing months, as the family home was sold, and her divorce finalized, they had learned to depend on each other and had forged a bond so deep nothing could break it, even a bear shifter.
If he was a bear.
Intrigued now, she let go of her daughters and went downstairs with them close behind. Pausing outside the kitchen door, she checked that Alicia and Marie were okay before entering the kitchen.
“Wow, you have been busy,” Haley said as she caught Buck’s eye, blushed and looked away.
“We’ve ripped out this section of the ceiling that needs replacing. It needs to dry out. In the meantime, don’t use the bathtub and we’ll come by in a couple of days to clean it up and reseal it.” Mason spoke confidently as he guided them through what needed to be done.
“No bath?” Marie asked.
“We can manage,” Haley told her.
“Or you can come up to our place,” Rhett offered. “Mom won’t mind if you come over for dinner and a shower tonight.”
“Good idea,” Mason said with a grin. “Instead of Rhett coming over here to look after Alicia and Marie this evening, why don’t you come over to us? It’s Friday night, no school tomorrow. By the end of the weekend we can have this all repaired.”
“That would be amazing!” Marie’s eyes went wide. “Could we set up a tent in your yard and camp out under the stars?”
Haley tilted her head to one side, aware she was blushing as she answered. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why?” Alicia asked. Despite her red blotchy face, she looked happy and excited and Haley didn’t want to take that away from her. Especially since they hadn’t had a vacation this year and this sounded like exactly that. “It would just be for a couple of nights. Until the ceiling is repaired.”
Haley’s embarrassment deepened. “How much is the repair going to cost?”
Mason glanced at Buck, who stepped forward, looking as flustered as Haley. It appeared he was struggling to keep a grip while she was so near to him. Tiana had talked openly about a shifter’s lack of self-control when they first find their mate.
“Most of the work will be ensuring the ceiling is completely dried out. As far as we can tell there is no permanent damage to the timbers.” He assessed the hole in the ceiling once more. “We’re really only talking a small amount of materials.”
“And your labor.” Haley’s face set firm, she didn’t want to be beholden to Buck on the outset of their relationship. Heat seeped through her treacherous body. She would love to be beholden to him anytime. He was one hell of a man, all hard-toned muscles and square jaw, but with soft brown eyes that spoke of deep emotions.
“Haley, let us do this for you,” Mason insisted kindly.
“I can’t, it’s a big job.” Embarrassed, Haley couldn’t look at Buck, even though she wanted to drink in every detail of his face.
“Come on, Haley,” Rhett said, coming to stand next to her. “If this was something you could do for us, would you charge us?”
“Rhett has a point,” Mason agreed.
“This is different.” If it was Tiana offering, it would be different. They’d known each other for years and lived through each other’s drama. But Haley had only known Mason for a few months. And Buck not even an hour.
“It’s no different, you are part of our family.” Rhett’s voice was firm and Haley realized she was beat. If she turned down the offer of help, it would seem as if she didn’t see Mason as part of that same family.
Haley rubbed her hand across her eyes. She was tired and on the verge of tears. “Thank you.” She swallowed her pride. As she had many times in the last few years. “I don’t like feeling as if I can’t cope,” she finally admitted, avoiding Buck’s gaze. She didn’t trust herself to look at him without open longing showing on her face.
Tiana said the mating bond worked both ways. Haley didn’t believe it until now. Until she’d come face to face with a mate of her own.
Now she got it. And she wanted to explore their relationship and see where it took them. Why couldn’t it be simple? Why couldn’t they have met under the stars instead of under her damaged ceiling?
“I’ll get some measurements,” Buck said and grabbed a mea
suring tape with his large, capable hands.
You can take my measurements anytime, she thought. “Coffee.” Some thoughts should stay in her head.
“Thanks,” Buck rasped, finding his voice at last.
“Well, that was awkward,” Alicia said, coming over to help her mom.
“Sorry.”
“You don’t owe me an apology.” Alicia had a point.
“Thanks.” Haley leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the top of the head. “Why don’t you get a box of cookies out of the cupboard.”
Alicia went to the cupboard and took out the cookies, while Haley poured four cups of coffee and set them down on a clean area of the counter. “Thanks for offering us a place to stay, Mason. There’s no way we can manage here.”
Buck looked up at the ceiling. “You’re lucky the water hasn’t gotten into the wiring. It’s not a huge repair job.”
“If you know what you’re doing,” Haley answered as she eyeballed what was left of her ceiling.
“Luckily, Buck does,” Rhett told her as he picked up his coffee and a cookie.
“What do you do, Buck?” Haley asked, hoping this didn’t sound as if she were interviewing for the position of her mate and father to her children.
“I’m a builder.” He accepted a mug of coffee. “Thanks.”
“Buck’s being modest,” Mason said. “He is in construction. We’re working on a joint project together on the other side of Bear Creek. We’re converting some warehouses into houses.”
“So, you’re going to be around for a while?” Marie asked, eating her fourth cookie.
“I am, yes.” Buck smiled warmly. “This is the first time I’ve been to Bear Creek. The mountains are amazing.”
“They are if you’re a bear,” Marie said, eying Buck closely as she waited for his reply.
“They are,” Buck agreed.
“And are you?” Alicia asked. “A bear.”
Buck nodded. “I am.” Marie sighed with disappointment. “You wanted me to be something else?” he asked.
“Marie was hoping you might be a horse,” Alicia told Buck.
“She’s always wanted to learn to ride,” Haley explained. “Which sounds weird. That she hoped you were…”
Buck laughed. “Sorry to disappoint you, Marie. You can ride my bear if you want.”
“Can I?” Her eyes lit up. “He wouldn’t mind?”
“No, he wouldn’t mind.” Buck drank his coffee, his eyes smiling as he watched Marie. “I’ll tell you something. When I was a child, I used to go horseback riding over at my uncle’s place. He lived way over past the River Run Mountains. I miss it. So maybe we could go horseback riding together some time. There must be somewhere that rents horses around here.”
“I’d like that so much,” Marie told Buck, almost bursting with excitement.
Haley knew she should warn Buck not to make promises he wasn’t going to keep. But she was certain that Buck wasn’t that kind of a man. Unlike Marie and Alicia’s father, who would win an award for the most broken promises a dad can make to his daughters.
As they drank coffee and got to know each other, Haley slowly began to relax. She wasn’t ready to let her defenses down just yet. But she was ready to give Buck a chance. After all, if Tiana was right, fate had decided they were a perfect match.
Surely that also meant he was a perfect match for her daughters.
A lump of emotion welled up inside Haley. Dare she hope that she might one day have a man she could trust? A man she could love and know he loved her in return and wouldn’t suddenly decide he hated family life and blamed Haley for that life.
As if a switch had flipped, Harrison had woken up one day and decided the sweet happy life they had built together was like living in hell. And if he was in hell, Haley and the girls should be there, too.
“Mom.” Alicia’s hand on her arm made her jump.
“Sorry.” She frowned and lifted her coffee cup to her lips. “I drifted away.”
As she raised her eyes to look at Buck, she saw concern on his face. Forcing herself to smile, she let herself relax. History would not repeat itself. She had to let go and move on. This was an opportunity to find happiness again.
But it was hard to let go of the past, even if every fiber of her being was attracted to the man in front of her. Was it possible that as well as fixing her ceiling, he might also find a way of fixing her fractured heart?
Chapter Four – Buck
Buck had heard Haley’s name mentioned a lot in conversations with Mason. She was one of Tiana’s best friends and had been a bridesmaid at her wedding. Or matron of honor, he could never figure out what the difference was and from where he was sitting, Haley did not look anything like a matron.
Oh no, she looked like a goddess.
His bear laughed. If you want to impress her, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.
Buck shook his head and ran his hand along the side of the bathtub where it met the wall, trying to figure out where the water was leaking through. “There.” He pointed, and Haley leaned forward.
“There’s nothing there.” She leaned closer and he inhaled her scent, which made his mouth water. Honey and jasmine, if he wasn’t mistaken.
Buck pushed on the tiles. “See how this one moves. The grout behind it isn’t doing its job and the water is seeping under it and down the side of the bathtub. It’s been a slow process, but eventually, the water wins.”
Haley stood up straight and folded her arms as if warding him off. “Are you sure, about me not paying you for your labor?”
Buck stood up. He towered above her, and he wanted to pull her into his strong arms and shield her from the world. “I don’t need the money.” He closed his eyes as his words reached his brain. “I don’t mean it like that.”
Haley put her hand up as if to stop him. “I know what you meant. I know how rich Mason is. Well, not exactly how rich he is…” She smiled at him, and he was thankful he hadn’t offended her. “It stands to reason he would have rich friends.”
“I’ve worked hard for what I have, Haley. Just as you’ve worked hard to provide a home for your children.” He stepped forward, closer to her now. “I envy you.”
She let out a short laugh. “You envy not having enough money to treat your kids to luxuries?”
“I envy you their love.” His words made her swallow hard.
“They are everything to me.” She lifted her eyes to meet his. “I don’t know what this is between us. But I need you to know how important my girls are to me.”
“I can see it.” He took a step back. “I don’t want to come between you. As a shifter…” He raked his hand through his hair. He’d never talked about being a shifter with anyone who wasn’t one before. It wasn’t the kind of thing you blurted out to the world.
“As a shifter, family is important to you.” Haley gave him a small smile. “Tiana told me what Mason said to her when she was worried about whether he’d accept Rhett.”
Buck nodded. “Your family is my family now.”
Haley looked down at the floor, it was covered in faded linoleum, and like the rest of the house it needed freshening up. He would offer to make this house a palace for her and her kids if he thought she wouldn’t be offended and turn him down.
“I…” She looked up at him, her eyes misting with tears. “I’m going to need a bit of time. My first husband wasn’t a nice man.”
Buck’s hand tightened into a fist. He couldn’t stand the thought of anyone hurting Haley, either physically or emotionally. “I’ve never aspired to be nice until now.”
She gave a short laugh and wiped her eyes. “I’ll settle for kind.”
“I’ll be nice and kind,” he offered magnanimously. “I’ll be whatever you need me to be.”
“You. I need you to be you. Not what you think I might want you to be.” She took a deep breath. “My ex-husband flipped. One day he went from being Mr. Nice-Guy to a monster. I don’t know if that monster was always in him an
d he kept him chained up, or if he changed. So I need you to be honest with me. Warts and all.”
“Warts and all.” He raised an eyebrow. “Although I don’t have any warts.”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
“You could inspect me, if you want.” He raised his arms to shoulder height and turned in a circle on the spot. When he faced her again she was laughing, which was a good sound. “What?” he asked. “You said you wanted to see the real me.”
“And you’re the kind of man who offers to show off his body to a woman he’s only just met?” Haley said in mock shock.
“No,” he said, his voice low. “I’m making that offer to my mate and she is definitely not just any woman.”
Haley swallowed hard, he was unnerving her. In a good way, he hoped. If he needed to slow down and go careful, he hoped she would tell him he was going too fast. If not, he was going to make it clear she was his and he was hers.
“We should go back downstairs.” She took a step backward and then another until her back was pressed up against the bathroom door. Without taking her eyes off Buck, she reached for the doorknob. He could see her hand trembling as she turned the knob and opened the door. “I think we should take a rain check on the wart hunt until we’re alone.” With that she turned around and left the bathroom.
Buck didn’t move, except for his face which spread into a wide grin. She likes me.
Someone has to, his bear replied.
Original, Buck told his bear.
I am one of a kind, his bear replied, with a huff.
That’s not what I meant, Buck said.
I know. I just wanted to keep your feet on the ground and your head small enough to fit through the doorway. His bear chuckled to himself as he turned around and walked off. I bet she’ll like me more.
I’m sure Alicia and Marie will, Buck told him as he gathered up his tools and went back downstairs.
Yes, thank you for volunteering me as a fairground ride, his bear closed his eyes, ending the conversation as Buck chuckled, aware his bear actually liked the idea of bonding with what he already thought of as his cubs.
His bear had always shared Buck’s sadness at never having kids of their own. But maybe that might change. He would never pressure Haley, and she might not want to have any more children, but she was such a good mom to her two daughters he hoped she might one day bear his child.
Builder Bear Page 3