Tad

by Harmony Raines

  Josephine would understand, Tad replied. And Milly will, one day. When she’s a bear shifter and meets her mate.

  “Ice cream it is,” Tad agreed. “I have to go into town and collect a couple of sculptures. One from the newspaper offices. They are sending someone over to cover the opening of the craft barn.”

  “Ah, so you get to have your picture in the local paper.” Josephine eyed him up and down. “You might want to make sure you wear a clean shirt.”

  “What’s wrong with this shirt?” He looked down at his clothes. “Oh, I didn’t realize it was so stained.”

  “That’s because normally you don’t care. But you have a woman in your life now. You need to think about these things.” She brushed her hand across his shirt, which had faded paint stains in all the colors of the rainbow. “After we’ve eaten our ice cream, why don’t we go and buy a couple of new shirts and some slacks.”

  Tad sighed. “I never knew I needed a woman in my life until you came along.”

  Josephine smiled brightly. “And now you have another woman to keep you in order.”

  “Are you okay about that?” Tad asked, noting Josephine’s downturned mouth.

  “Yes. Yes, I am. I think it’ll be good for us all, and particularly for you, Tad.” She gave him a knowing smile. “Sometimes it’s okay to be a little selfish and think of yourself.”

  “Sometimes?” Tad asked and chuckled. “Thanks, Josephine.”

  “I know you are worried about Jake. But he’s a survivor, he’ll be okay.” They entered the kitchen and Josephine headed straight for the door leading to the hallway. “And I am certain fate would not be so cruel as to leave him alone forever when his brothers have their mates.”

  “You are always so positive.” Tad followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

  “It’s taken me a long time to get where I am today. A long time, Tad. But I’m so happy I could burst, and I want that for each of you.” She smiled a sappy smile as her eyes misted with tears. “I want it for the whole world. But I believe in fate, not miracles.”

  “You don’t think it’ll be a miracle for Jake to find a woman to put up with him?” Tad asked lightly.

  Josephine brushed the tears from her cheeks. “I think there is a very special woman out there for Jake. A woman who is strong and loyal and will know just how to handle him.”

  “Now that I would like to see.” Tad went to his room and opened his closet. “A clean shirt. There must be one in here somewhere.”

  After settling on the cleanest shirt he could find, Tad went downstairs where Milly and Josephine were waiting.

  “You look good.” Josephine gave him a thumbs-up and then inclined her head toward the door. “Try not to drop your ice cream down it.”

  “Haha, funny.” He looked down at his shirt dubiously. Maybe he should skip the ice cream.

  “Come on.” Josephine grabbed her car keys and they left the house. A couple of minutes later, Milly was secured in her car seat and they were driving to town. “I thought we should go shopping for clothes first.”

  “You mean so I don’t get sticky fingers all over the nice clean clothes?” Tad arched an eyebrow at Josephine.

  “I was thinking more of the state Milly will get herself into. But you might be right.” She glanced at him sideways. “Are you nervous?”

  “About what?” Tad asked.

  “Tomorrow. The big opening,” Josephine reminded him as they cruised along the mountain roads.

  Tad closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the scent of fresh pine and the damp earth. The mountain called to him, he would much rather disappear into the mountain for the day tomorrow than stand up in front of a crowd of strangers. But his mate needed him.

  “Terrified.” He gave a short laugh. “More of embarrassing myself in front of Heather than anyone else. I don’t much worry what people think of me since I already have a reputation for being a weird artist.” He made a face. “It adds to the mystery and allure of my work.”

  Josephine burst out laughing. “I haven’t known many artists, so I have nothing to compare you to. But I did not realize how flaky you are.”

  Tad leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands across his stomach. “I’m not that flaky. I know my responsibilities and I would drop what I am doing in an instant if I needed to go out and get a real job to support Heather and her family.”

  “I think you’ll do just fine,” Josephine said as they turned into the main street that ran through the center of Bear Creek. Stopping the car outside the diner, they got out and Tad grabbed Milly’s stroller from the trunk. Josephine expertly wrangled Milly into the stroller and strapped her in. “Right, let’s go and get you some new clothes.”

  “Thanks, Josephine. For everything.” He reached out and enveloped her in his arms. “I could not have a better sister-in-law.”

  Josephine hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder as she said, “You’re making me cry again, Tad.”

  “But they are good tears, right?” he asked.

  “Very good tears.” Breaking away from him, she scrubbed her cheeks and then said, “For a good man.”

  “I hope you still think that after the opening tomorrow.” He placed his hands on the stroller and pushed it along the sidewalk. Josephine walked by his side.

  Just as one day, Heather would walk by his side. If he made it through tomorrow. He desperately never wanted to let his mate down. Not once. Not ever.

  Chapter Ten – Heather

  “You look a little happier today.” Heather’s relief at seeing Zack’s smiling face was immense.

  “I got a gold star—for art.” He patted the gold star stuck to his T-shirt and puffed out his chest.

  “Zack is an artist like Grandma and Aunty Rosemary,” Bella said. Technically, Rosemary was their great-aunt, but the great had been dropped at Rosemary’s insistence that she was too young to be a great anything and always would be.

  “I made a collage,” Zack explained. “It was abstract, like the paintings by Picasso.”

  “Aren’t Grandma’s paintings abstract?” Bella asked.

  “They are.” Heather nodded as they reached the car.

  “So does this mean we can have ice cream again, to celebrate?” Zack asked with a wicked smile.

  “And to celebrate the craft barn opening,” Bella reminded her mom. “Everyone is talking about it at school. They are very excited that Carter Eden is coming.”

  “I hope they are coming for the art, too,” Heather said as she watched the children climb into the car and fasten their seatbelts.

  “They are,” Zack replied, although Heather wasn’t sure if he was saying that to make her happy. Of course, everyone would be happy to see a local celebrity.

  “And movies are art after all,” Bella said sagely.

  Heather burst out laughing. “Who told you that?”

  “Grandma when she was blubbing over one of those com roms,” Bella said. “Zack told her it was a stupid movie where the man and woman misunderstand each other and make themselves miserable.”

  “He’s not wrong. A lot of rom-coms are like that.” A lot of life was like it, too, but Bella and Zack didn’t need to know that. Not yet at least.

  Wouldn’t life be so much easier if people were automatically matched to the right person? The person who wouldn’t screw around and break your heart.

  “So ice cream?” Zack asked hopefully.

  “Okay, just because this is a special occasion with your gold star and the opening tomorrow.” Heather wiped her clammy hands on her jeans before she started the engine. Tomorrow. The opening was tomorrow. What if it all went wrong?

  She breathed in and out a couple of times before she drove toward Betsy’s diner. Ice cream was just what she needed to calm her nerves. Everything would be okay. She’d planned it all so meticulously.

  But then Rosemary broke her arm. She’d put her faith in a man she didn’t know as her star attraction. What if he let her down, too?
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  He wouldn’t. She’d seen the honesty in his eyes, he was not the kind of man who would mess her around. But still her heart raced, and her stomach lurched.

  But was that nerves or was that because she had a crush on Tad Harrison?

  She parked the car along the street by the diner and leaned forward, resting her head on the steering wheel. She did have a crush on him. There was no use denying it. But what she wasn’t about to do was jeopardize the opening tomorrow by acting on those feelings.

  Heather lifted her head and looked up. Her eyes widened. There he was. As if she’d conjured him from thin air, Tad Harrison was there along the street.

  With a woman.

  Her heart thumped in her chest so hard she thought it might burst out through her ribcage.

  Not just a woman, a woman and a baby. And now they were hugging. Closely. Tightly. Just as Heather had dreamed he’d hold her, and hug her.

  “Are we getting out for ice cream?” Zack asked from the back seat.

  “Ice cream.” Heather nodded. “Yes.” All she really wanted to do was run and hide. She’d been so stupid, thinking Tad wouldn’t have a woman in his life.

  But he’d insinuated he was interested in Heather. Hadn’t he? All that talk of opening the craft barn because she’d asked him to. As if she were important to him.

  “Mom? Are we getting out of the car?” Zack asked as he eyed the diner door, behind which lay never-ending scoops of ice cream.

  “Sorry, miles away.” Heather unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car. Opening the rear door nearest the sidewalk, she focused on the children, although she watched as Tad, his lady friend, and the baby all entered the men’s clothing store fifty feet down the street.

  Clothes shopping. The kind of thing a man does with a girlfriend. Or a wife. Not that Andy ever allowed Heather to go clothes shopping with him. He had his own tastes and would never bother to check if Heather liked what he was wearing.

  But he sure did have an opinion on Heather’s clothes. Too short, too long, too tight, too loose.

  She was free of all that, Heather reminded herself. And Tad didn’t owe her anything.

  “So what flavor are we having today?” Betsy asked, scoop in hand as they entered the diner.

  “Raspberry Fool,” Heather got her order in first since the flavor seemed most appropriate to her mood.

  “My personal favorite,” Betsy said with a grin as she scooped the pink-colored ice cream into a waffle cone.

  “Chocolate chip, please.” Zack licked his lips in anticipation and a huge wave of love swept over Heather. She loved her kids so much. Zack was so predictable, from the flavor of ice cream he chose to his favorite TV shows. One day he would surprise her and change, maybe even show off his artistic talents. However, if they stayed the same, day in day out, she would love that, too.

  As Bella ordered her ice cream, a tingling along Heather’s spine made her shiver. It was as if the ice from her ice cream had penetrated her skin and was traveling the full length of her spine.

  “Heather.” Tad’s voice was like a thousand volts hitting her in the chest. Her heart faltered, skipped a beat before it thundered like galloping horses across a wide-open plain.

  The effect he had on her was incredible. But it was just a crush and it would pass. All she had to do was get through this meeting, and tomorrow’s opening, and then he would go back to his sculptures and she would run the craft barn and they would likely never meet again. Or if they did, it would be in passing. She could do that. She could be polite.

  After all, she had good practice keeping her calm and playing the good wife, even when her marriage lay in tatters around her.

  “Tad.” Heather turned around with her Raspberry Fool ice cream in her hand. “Good to see you.” She smiled brightly, even though her cheeks flushed as pink as her raspberry-flavored ice cream.

  “Hi there, Tad. Josephine. And how is the adorable Milly?” Betsy spoke in a high voice as she waggled her fingers at the very gorgeous baby in Tad’s arms.

  “She’s doing really well,” Josephine said, eyeing Heather with curiosity.

  “I’d love a cuddle after everyone has their ice cream,” Betsy said eagerly.

  “Milly loves cuddles,” Josephine switched her attention to Tad who was staring at Heather as if in a daze. “Tad.”

  “Ugh.” Tad dragged his gaze away from Heather and looked at Josephine.

  “Betsy wanted a hug?” Josephine leaned forward and said, “Not from you.”

  A smile tugged at the corners of Heather’s lips. She liked Josephine. “Oh.” Heather’s raspberry ice cream dripped onto her fingers and she jerked like a puppet as she licked the liquid ice cream off her fingers and then ran her tongue around the edge between ice cream and cone.

  “That looks delicious,” Josephine said. “What flavor is it?”

  “Raspberry Fool,” Heather said quickly. “Why don’t I treat you all to ice cream, since Tad is opening the craft barn tomorrow?” She should just let Tad and Josephine go about their business.

  “Great idea.” Josephine shot Tad a questioning glance. “Don’t you think that’s a good idea, Tad?” She arched an eyebrow at him as she shook her head. “He’s just been clothes shopping. I think he’s in shock.”

  Tad sprang into life. “Ice cream, that sounds great. But my treat.” He fished in his pocket for his wallet and opened it up. “I insist.”

  Heather quickly flipped open her purse. “I’ve got it.”

  Josephine smothered a smile as she looked down at Bella and Zack. “What flavors do you guys have?”

  “Chocolate chip, it’s the best,” Zack said between licks.

  “Orange tutti-frutti,” Bella answered as she stuck her hand out toward Josephine. “I’m Bella.”

  “Good to meet you, Bella. My name is Josephine and this little girl is Milly.” She shook Milly’s tiny hand before inclining her head toward Tad. “And that is Tad.”

  “Tad is opening the craft barn since Aunty Rosemary can’t make it,” Heather reminded the kids. Bella and Zack nodded but were too interested in their ice cream to comment.

  “Here’s your ice cream, Josephine.” Betsy handed a vanilla cone to Josephine and a chocolate chip to Tad. “I’ll swap you.”

  Tad took his ice cream and leaned forward, relinquishing his grip on the baby who must be around a year old. “Thanks, Betsy.”

  “You are welcome. And when you two have argued out who is going to pay, Veronica over on the cash register will take your money.” Betsy jiggled the young child in her arms. “You are the sweetest little girl.”

  Heather couldn’t take her eyes off Milly. She really was a beautiful baby and Josephine was truly blessed to have conceived her later in life. Heather was well aware that once you reached the age of thirty, each year that passed hurt the chances of conception.

  “How old is she?” Heather asked, reaching out and taking hold of Milly’s tiny hand.

  “She’s umm. How old now, Josephine?” Tad asked absently.

  “Eleven months. And a half. I think we still count half months, don’t we?” Josephine looked from Tad to Heather and then down to the children. “Hey, kids, why don’t we go and find a seat by the window.”

  “Sure.” Bella turned away from the counter and followed Josephine to a table overlooking the main street.

  “If I’d known you had such a young child, I wouldn’t have imposed on you,” Heather said, letting go of Milly’s hand.

  “Mama beh,” Milly said, waving her hand at Josephine, who lifted her hand and waved right back.

  “Why not?” Tad asked, not taking any notice of the exchange between mother and daughter, instead, he turned his full attention on Heather.

  “Oh, there is Mrs. Daniels. Does your daddy mind if I go and show you off, Milly?” Betsy asked.

  “No, go ahead. You know how much Milly likes attention,” Tad said easily.

  As she walked past them, heading toward the diner doorway where a lady
dressed in running gear had just entered, Betsy cast a glance over Heather and Tad. “You two make a cute couple.”

  “I…” Heather shook her head and her forehead creased. “Why would she say that when Milly’s mom is just over there?” Confusion hit Heather.

  “What…?” Tad looked equally confused. In fact, he looked damn near shell-shocked. Then his expression cleared. “Oh, Milly isn’t our baby.”

  “She isn’t?” Heather should give Tad credit for dating a single mother. But flirting with another woman at the same time as dating a single mother was inexcusable.

  “Wait.” Tad slapped his forehead and then held up his hand to Heather as chocolate chip ice cream dribbled down his fingers. He licked it off quickly before saying, “I’m Milly’s adoptive dad. Well, one of them.”

  “One of them?” Heather was even more confused. And her ice cream was melting. She licked the edge of the cone before crossing to the counter and handing her cash to Veronica. Tad didn’t argue.

  “Yes. One of them.” He beckoned her away from Veronica who was listening to their conversation while pretending to not listen.

  “Care to explain?” Heather asked. “Oh, I get it, Josephine has been married to two other men and they are her adoptive dads, too.”

  “No. I am not…Josephine is married to my brother, Max.” He let the words out in a rush of breath as if he were unburdening himself of some great secret.

  “Your brother!” Heather spoke too loudly, and color rose in her cheeks until she resembled Strawberry Surprise ice cream rather than Raspberry Fool.

  She put her hand to her flaming cheeks, wishing she could shove her head in the ice cream cooler to cool off.

  “Why don’t we go and sit down.” He hooked his hand under her elbow and guided Heather toward the table next to the one Josephine and the children occupied. Tad pulled out a chair for her and she sat down, unable to meet his eyes. She was making a complete fool of herself. Over a man.

  What was wrong with her? She’d moved here to be free. Free of her old life. Free of men.

  But when she finally raised her eyes to look at Tad, she realized she didn’t want to be free. The relief of finding he wasn’t romantically involved with Josephine was overwhelming. She was very close to losing her heart to Tad Harrison.