by Lisa Oliver
Cam can be trusted. Fergus knew that soul deep but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still worried about how his mate would take his confession.
I should talk to my momma first. It’s not only my secret to tell. Fergus even pulled out his phone to do exactly that, but as soon as the phone was in his hand, he knew he wouldn’t be making the call. The only time his momma was free to talk was Saturday mornings. For twenty-five minutes. The length of time it took for the washing machine to finish it’s cycle, the noise of the machine meaning she could slip away and wouldn’t be overheard. To call at any other time could put his momma in grave danger.
The kitchen started to smell of the delicious creations Fergus was pulling out of the oven. Fergus was moving like an automaton, his years of training cell deep, allowing him to move around the kitchen, creating the goods that would stock his cabinets. Platter after platter, Fergus actually jumped when the shop bell rang. He was busy filling the cabinets in the shop.
“It’s only me,” Sarah said brightly as she pulled her key out of the front door, a hulking wolf standing behind her. “Is it okay if Pierce comes in, only I promised him you made the most amazing egg muffins for breakfast and we slept in and didn’t have time for breakfast.”
Fergus’s smile was automatic. Young Sarah looked very fetching with her bright rosy cheeks and the hint of beard rash around her chin. “I heard you’d found your mate, sweet Sarah. I’m surprised to see you here at all, but come in, come in. You should know your mate is always welcome. But as you can see, I’m swamped and the bar wants a regular lunch order as well, so…”
“I’ll make us breakfast then get started,” Sarah said, surprising Fergus by coming over and hugging him tight. Even the wolf’s growl didn’t seem to upset her. “I’m so glad you weren’t permanently hurt by flying out the window.”
“I’m fine, sweetness, and it’s all thanks to you.” Fergus patted her on the shoulder. “You did exactly the right thing and isn’t it romantic? Running into the bar to speak to my mate, and your mate is right there.”
“I know.” Sarah squealed and while Fergus didn’t mind the noise, Pierce winced. “My mom always told me wolves could be so bossy, but Pierce isn’t like that at all.”
Fergus chuckled while Pierce looked up at the ceiling, his cheeks going a dark red. “I’m sure your mate is a wonderful man who has been bowled over by your Sensationalism. Now, I need to cook. You need to eat.” He glanced up at the clock above the door shocked to see it was after six. “We have construction workers due in twenty-three minutes, and if you don’t want to miss out…”
“We’ll hurry.” Sarah dashed into the kitchen, presumably to get some plates.
Pierce lingered and Fergus tilted his head slightly, his smile still fixed. “Are you a local,” he asked quietly, “or do I have to find a replacement for my Sensational Sarah?”
“I come from all over. I own a trucking company. I’m happy to stay with her,” Pierce had a low voice with a rumble indicative of his kind. “It’s just, you know, people talk at the bar and well, I’ll just come out and ask. Is this town safe?”
“Very,” Fergus said firmly. “Look, I haven’t been here very long myself, and I haven’t even been to my mate’s bar yet, but for the most part the people who live here are hardworking and they care about their neighbors. Ra, the tiger is a decent mayor, and Rocky and Mal run the sheriff’s office like a well-oiled machine.”
“But you had intruders in your home; Sarah said so. Is she safe working here?” Pierce pointed at the floor.
Leaning against the door frame between the kitchen and shop front, Fergus ran a hand through his hair. “I know I don’t look like much, but if sweet Sarah was ever in any danger at all, I would shift and let my bulk smash this place to bits to keep her safe. What happened over the weekend was an anomaly, nothing to do with this place. The intruders were from out of town and a onetime thing.”
Pierce had the grace to look shame faced. “My apologies. I wasn’t doubting your abilities. This being mated is all new to me. I haven’t got a clue what I’m going to do if I have to do a long-haul run. Sarah loves her job.”
“And I love having her here, but if you need to be gone for more than an overnight, then take her too. Mopey wee rabbits, even cute ones, are not good for business.” Fergus smiled to show he was teasing. He pushed himself off the door frame. “Seriously, though, just keep me updated. Sarah has been training her brother Tommy to work here, and if I have to employ more people to cover for her when she’s with you, I’m sure Sarah has other relatives looking for part time work. If she doesn’t, Mrs. Hooper will know someone.”
“That’s good of you, man. I truly appreciate it.” Pierce did look relieved. He looked around, noticing the people already crowded by the front door. “I might as well help out while I’m here. Did you want me to take the till while Sarah’s making breakfast for us? I got a crash course on Cam’s on Saturday.”
“Go for it. All the buttons are marked,” Fergus grinned. “But put a smile on. We serve sweetness, light, and fluffy rainbows in this store.”
“Smile. Right.” Pierce showed his teeth. He really was a good-looking man, for a wolf. Of course, Fergus’s tastes ran to shaved bar owners. Sighing as he thought of his mate, Fergus went back to his ovens. He still had the bar lunch orders to finish. Maybe I can deliver them myself this time, and that thought did perk up his mood.
/~/~/~/~/
Cam was in a mood. He’d heard his mate get up and go to work before the sparrows were awake, but as he’d been hard on Fergus’s body during the prior twenty-four hours, he didn’t let on he was awake, and in fact snored steadily until he heard the front door close. But the bed felt big and decidedly lonely with no Fergus in it and Cam struggled to get back to sleep.
His overly active mind didn’t help. Cam had a lot to think about. There was Fergus’s admission he had secrets to share from Saturday night for a start. Fergus hadn’t said anything further about it, even though Cam gave him ample opportunity to talk. The lack of sharing was understandable in a way – it wasn’t as though the two men knew each other that well. But it still niggled at him like an aching tooth. None of his research had shown any red flags on his mate at all.
But there was a more immediate problem. The fact they were both business owners. Businesses, that were quite literally like night and day. There had been times when the bar was busy with a celebrating group when Cam was only getting home at three in the morning; the same time Fergus went to work. Most nights he was home by midnight, but Cam needed to sleep just like anyone else, so it wasn’t as though he could keep Fergus company in the mornings. And the bar opened at eleven sharp seven days a week.
Selling their businesses for either of them wasn’t an option, at least not yet. Fergus’s business was only new and from all accounts he was very good at it. Cam couldn’t take that away from him. He could sell the bar, or at least appoint a manager to take over the bulk of the day to day. But then Cam tried to imagine himself in an apron, putting pastries and breads in bags and winced just thinking about it. It would drive me nuts in a week. Merging the businesses wasn’t feasible either. Fergus needed the maximum exposure his shop front offered him, and his business catered more to family members, whereas Cam’s bar was strictly an adult establishment.
With no answers in sight, and precious little sleep, Cam snarled when he saw Dave Hooper and his friends clustered around the bar’s front doors. “I would’ve thought mating would have put you in a better mood,” Dave said cheekily as he sauntered in before Cam got the doors fully open.
“Fat lot of good my mating does me, when my mate’s business is three blocks down on main street and I’m stuck here listening to you guys gossip.” Cam finished latching the doors back and cast a glance down the road. A woman and two small kids were just coming out of Fergus’s shop. She was clutching paper bags as if they were gold, the kids jumping up with grabby hands trying to get at them.
We’ll work it out. We
have to. Cam stomped into the bar. He could pour drinks in his sleep and it wasn’t as though Dave and his cronies ever ordered anything different unless they’d come into some unexpected money. Cam had learned to call Mrs. Hooper if that ever happened.
Pierce’s two friends from Saturday came in, looking for a drink and food. Letting them know the food was on its way, the two men were happy to take the bottled drinks they ordered, wandering over to the pool tables getting set up to play. The little pool shark Roger came in, but he took one look at the wolves by the pool tables and scurried out the door again. That was unusual enough to spark Cam’s interest, but he figured Roger had probably conned the wrong wolves.
Rocky strolled in ten minutes later, wearing his full uniform, his thumbs tucked into his belt. Cam watched as Rocky scanned the customers, nodding at Dave and his friends before sauntering over to the bar counter. “Rocky.” Cam held up a bottle.
Looking around, including over his shoulder at the open door, Rocky leaned over the counter. “Is it here yet?” He whispered.
Cam didn’t have a clue what the wolf was talking about, but he leaned over the opposite side of the counter. “Is what here? You’re acting like you’re doing a drug deal, badly I might add.”
“The food.” Rocky mouthed fiercely.
“Oh,” Cam stood upright again, “If you mean the food from Fergus’s bakery…”
“Shush. Shush,” Rocky whispered urgently, his eyes darting towards the door. “Mal doesn’t know I’m here.”
It was rare to see one wolf without the other and that was enough to keep Cam intrigued. “Rocky,” he said quietly, leaning so no one else could hear them. “You could walk up to the bakery yourself. It’s just up by Mrs. Hooper’s store. You must have seen it.”
“I know where the store is,” Rocky hissed. “I just can’t be seen going in there. Apparently, Mal thinks I ate the whole box of the eclairs he bought for the guys at the office, and he said I was getting fat. Me. Fat. Can you believe it?”
Having witnessed Rocky’s appetite on Saturday, Cam could definitely believe the eating side of things. “So how did you manage to sneak out?”
“I told Mal, seeing as he thought I was getting fat, I was going to walk patrols this morning. I’ve been walking around for the last hour waiting for you to open.”
“You could have saved your feet. The food doesn’t get here until…, oh, here it is now.” Cam’s heart sank when he saw Sarah trotting in, with Pierce her faithful shadow bogged down by bakery boxes.
“Sorry if we’re a bit late,” Sarah sang out with her usual good cheer, directing Pierce through to the kitchen area. “We’ll put these on platters for you to sell as you need them. Poor Fergus wanted to come himself but he was just leaving when that Mrs. Laramie from the big house at the edge of town came in, spouting on about some huge customized cake she is demanding Fergus make for her daughter’s wedding this Saturday. I hated seeing how his lovely smile wobbled.”
Cam knew how Fergus felt. Every cell in his body was demanding he go up to the bakery and kiss his mate until his smile returned. But that wasn’t professional, and it definitely wouldn’t help Fergus’s reputation if he burst in and interrupted a custom client session.
“He’s missing you.” Sarah stood up on tiptoes so she could lean over the bar. “He’s trying to hide it, but he’s not feeling as fabulous as he usually is.”
“I know the feeling, sweetie.” Cam rubbed his chest. He hadn’t realized how much he hoped Fergus would come until he didn’t. “But your boss has got a new business, and I know it’s really important to him for it to do well.”
“He says he has to,” Sarah said and then she looked over, seeing Rocky stuffing his face. “Mr. Rocky,” she called out loudly, “I hope you’re paying for all of those eclairs. There were eight of them on that platter when I left the bakery and there’s none left now.”
“Shush,” Everyone in the bar all said in concert.
Rocky’s face went bright red, his mouth still full of the last of the eclairs. Swallowing hard, he brushed off his mouth and the front of his shirt. “I was never here,” he said haughtily, putting some money on the counter. “I was never here, and I’ll arrest you all if anyone says otherwise.”
Laughter followed the sheriff out of the bar, and after serving Dave and his friends, and selling some of the baked goods to Pierce’s friends, Sarah and her shadow left, trotting back up to the bakery. Cam’s heart went with them. Tomorrow will be different because Darwin will be working, he told himself, trying to give himself a pep talk. Because, honestly, just knowing it would be hours until he saw his Fergus again was enough to make him think of putting a for sale sign on the bar doors.
Chapter Thirteen
One week rolled into two, and while Cam and Fergus had fallen into a sort of routine, it wasn’t enough, and the strain was starting to show on both of them. Fergus had tried staying up and keeping Cam company in the bar in the evenings, but when he fell asleep slumped over the bar counter for the second time, Cam sent him home.
The mornings were no better. Cam tried coming in around eight a couple of mornings, but Fergus was so busy they couldn’t even share a kiss, so Cam agreed to Fergus’s suggestion that he get more sleep. Of course, that meant he was ravishing Fergus’s sleep-filled body when he finally got home at nights, which Fergus never complained about, but the rings under his eyes deepened.
The only awake time they got together was when Fergus closed the store midafternoon and headed down to the bar to spend a few hours before going home. But as he locked up his shop on the Thursday of the second week, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to do that. He missed Cam with every inch of his tattered soul, but he was so tired. Finding his regular fabulousness took every ounce of energy he had.
But it was his only chance to see Cam awake and besides, Fergus went passed the bar, to get to his house. He tried, he really tried, but as he trudged down the slight hill to where the bar sat at the bottom of the main road, he could barely muster a smile for passer’s by.
It didn’t help, when Fergus went into the bar and saw the place was busy. Some kind of construction crew, he guessed as he recognized the clothing and some of the faces that waited for him to open in the morning. The new sheriff’s office was being built after a bomb incident, and it seemed the mayor’s office hadn’t stinted on workers. His heart sunk as his chances of having a stolen minute with Cam disintegrated.
“Fergus, come and join us,” one of his regular customers called out, waving his glass of beer and barely missing hitting the head of his one of his friends.
“Maybe later.” Fergus smiled and waved, but he was scanning the bar area, looking for Cam. Nicky and Darwin were working the bar, but Fergus couldn’t see Cam anywhere.
“He’s in the office,” Darwin said, pouring drinks and palming money as fast as it was coming. “A couple of official looking guys have been in there over an hour giving strict orders they were not to be disturbed. They don’t live around here.”
Fergus froze. No one knows where I am and even if they did… I didn’t do anything wrong. But that didn’t stop his heart from pounding double time, and he struggled to breathe normally. “I won’t disturb him then,” Fergus waved toward the door. “Tell him I came in, would you? I’ll… er… I’ll see him when he gets home.” If he even considers my place home. It’s not as though we’ve had a chance to talk about anything.
Without waiting for a reply, he strode out of the bar, and headed for home. He wasn’t running, but he was definitely power walking. It’s coming. I know it’s coming. I just don’t have any idea what this will do to my fragile mating. Fergus just wanted to cry with the unfairness of it all.
/~/~/~/~/
“It doesn’t matter how many times you keep asking me the same damn questions, my answers aren’t going to change.” Cam was keeping his temper but barely. It was gone three. Fergus would have been in already; been told he was busy yet a-fucking-gain and had probably headed home. The anxi
ety in his stomach had nothing to do with missing lunch. Fergus was upset, and that was upsetting him.
“We’ve told you we have reason to believe Fergus Franklin Ferdinand is a person of interest in a number of matters.” Cannel, one of the two council guards who’d interrupted Cam’s lunch rush said. “As his mate, there must be more you’re not telling us. You’ve been mated twelve, thirteen days now, more than enough time to share histories.”
“We’re busy. I work this bar, he works in his bakery, and there’s a whole lot of stuff you’re not telling me. I don’t understand how someone with a squeaky-clean history can be of interest to the council guard. Has he personally committed a crime, or been a party to one?”
Cannel and his off-sider Brown shared glances and then Cannel shook his head. “No, he’s not responsible for any crimes or a party to one that we’re aware of, which is why we haven’t gone to him personally. The council doesn’t deliberately ruin a person’s reputation unless we have good reason to.”
Cam snorted but kept his opinions to himself. He was well aware of how the council guards operated. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with generating small town gossip about me.”
The two men ignored his pointed comment. “You just implied you checked his history before you mated him. Why would you do that to a fated mate?” Brown asked.
“Call me paranoid. He was new in town and I’ve had enough problems with people trying to stab me in the back, well before he came along.”
More exchanged glances. Brown leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees. If he was aiming for coming across as non-threatening and ‘we’re all friends here’, he’d underestimated the power of Cam’s bullshit meter. “Look, you’ve been with the guy now for over a week. Is there anything that strikes you as hinky about him? You can tell us. We keep confidences. Shit man, you were in the service, you know how these things work.”
