He should have told her not to bring anything. Mom prided herself in providing everything a guest might want or need, and for Annabeth to bring food to Sunday night dinner might be taken as an implied criticism…
He braced himself for—well, he wasn't sure what.
But Mom only smiled warmly and accepted the proffered box. "Why, thank you! That's very thoughtful of you, and I can't wait to serve it."
Dane's mother was very nice, Annabeth decided as he led her inside the beautiful Victorian ranch house. She had been nervous about meeting Elle and really wanted to make a good impression.
So far, so good.
The front door had a semicircular antique stained glass panel set above the doorframe, and a wide wooden staircase curved in a crescent up to the second story. The wall of the foyer was covered with framed photographs ranging from Victorian daguerreotypes in silvery grays and blacks to more recent color photos.
"Our family has owned this ranch since 1870," Elle said proudly when Annabeth slowed down to look at the photos. "We were among the first settlers in the area."
The matriarch of the Swanson family was a tall woman with frosted blonde hair and hazel eyes and an air of good-natured common sense. Annabeth had liked her at first sight.
Elle pointed at a more recent photo, which showed a handsome, broad-shouldered man who looked like an older version of Dane, sitting on a patch of grass under a tree with four little dark-haired boys clustered around him. "And that's Dane on his tenth birthday, with his brothers and his late father."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Annabeth said.
Elle smiled sadly. "I still miss him, but Dane and his brothers really keep things running smoothly around here these days."
"Only because you do most of the paperwork," Dane protested. "And that's the hardest part."
Elle glanced at Annabeth and answered her unasked question. "It was a car accident. We think the other driver either fell asleep at the wheel or had some kind of medical event like a heart attack or stroke. No way to tell, afterwards—it was a head-on collision, and both cars were nearly destroyed."
"Oh, that's awful," Annabeth said, responding to the old pain coloring Elle's voice.
On impulse, she leaned forward and gave Elle a hug, which the other woman returned.
When they drew apart, Elle smiled at her. "I’m so glad Dane invited you to join us here tonight. And I think dinner is nearly ready, if you'd like to come along."
Dinner was served in the formal dining room with its antique wallpaper and molded plaster ceilings. The food was delicious, a prime rib from the ranch's cattle that melted in Annabeth's mouth, served with crisp seasoned oven fries and steamed snap peas fresh from the ranch's vegetable garden.
To Annabeth's surprise, she and Elle were the only women seated at the big mahogany table. She had already met all of Dane's brothers, except for Thor, who lived in Denver and usually only visited home a few times a year.
She liked them and was pretty sure they liked her, too, if their good-natured teasing at the bakery was anything to go by.
"Dane tells me you moved here from San Francisco," Elle said to Annabeth, amidst the busy clinking of silverware against plates as the brothers ate with gusto. "What made you decide to come all the way out here?"
"My boss at Cacao Cakes—that's where I worked when I still lived in California—was Maggie Ornelas," Annabeth replied, trying to decide whether she should mention Roger, or not.
She glanced around the table at the four big men and decided not.
"Well, some personal stuff happened, and I decided to make a fresh start. Maggie told me that someone in her hometown was retiring and that he had listed his bakery for sale at a really good price. I decided that it was the opportunity of a lifetime and took the plunge."
"The Ornelas family are good people," Elle said. "I remember Maggie from when she was a little girl. And we all like Manny—he's done a lot for the town."
"He was the first person I met in Bearpaw Ridge, and he's been really nice and really helpful," Annabeth said.
"So you're planning to stay in Bearpaw Ridge, then?" Elle asked.
Her tone was casual, but Annabeth saw her gaze flick sideways to Dane, who was seated next to Annabeth.
The subtext was clear: Are you planning to leave my boy? Are you going to break his heart?
Annabeth nodded, eager to reassure Elle—and Dane, too, if he was worried.
"I really like it here," she said. "And the bakery is doing pretty well so far. Everyone I've met so far has been incredibly nice, and I've never lived in a place where no one locked their houses or their cars." She added, feeling shy, "I haven't broken the habit of locking up yet, but I hope to one day."
Elle's smile this time was pure relief. "I'm glad to hear that, Annabeth. I've lived here all my life, except for the four years when I was away at university in Seattle. Back then, I couldn't wait to come home again."
Ashton, Dane's youngest brother, who was long, lanky, and eighteen and the owner of a successful video game startup that he ran out of his house on the ranch, grinned at Annabeth. "I was wondering why you locked your car when you arrived just now."
Annabeth felt her face grow hot as she realized how that might look like she didn't trust the Swansons.
"Force of habit," she explained, feeling self-conscious. "I don't even remember doing it."
"Not," Ashton said, as he served himself a second helping of the prime rib, "that it would stop any of us from getting into your car if we really wanted to. All we'd have to do is tear the door off. Grrr!" He made a swiping motion, like a grizzly bear hooking a salmon.
"Ash!" Dane said, angrily, as Annabeth stared at Ashton, trying to figure out if he was serious. "Not funny."
"Ashton," said Elle in a Mom Voice.
Ashton winced under the weight of Elle's stern look and flushed.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I forgot. I, uh, was only joking. I wouldn't wreck your car, Annabeth. Honest!"
But Annabeth couldn't help but remember how easily both Dane and Kayla had been able to lift her huge Hobart floor mixer.
Maybe the Swanson family are X-men or something, she thought. That would explain a lot of things about them.
"I spoke to Dr. Bolton, and he says we can start administering the blackleg vaccine to the calves next week," Dane said into the awkward silence.
Following Dane's cue, the dinner conversation turned to ranching topics, which Annabeth found interesting if completely alien. All of the Swansons answered her questions cheerfully enough, though, and the rest of the meal passed pleasantly.
They finished eating, then cleared the dishes from the table in preparation for serving dessert.
Annabeth rose to help in the communal cleanup, carrying a stack of dishes through a set of swinging doors into the kitchen.
It was a big, old-fashioned room that took up most of the rear of the ranch house. It had been carefully modernized, keeping the original Victorian cabinetry and layout while updating with modern appliances. It smelled of brewing coffee now.
"This tart looks wonderful!" exclaimed Elle, carefully removing it from the box. She admired the jewel-like confection of glazed strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and kiwifruit arranged on top of a layer of vanilla custard. "It's almost too pretty to cut."
"I hope you like it," Annabeth said. "And thank you so much for inviting me to dinner. It was delicious, and I really appreciate it."
Elle smiled warmly at her. "I hope you'll come again next Sunday," she said. "It's a ranch tradition that we all dine together on Sunday nights, no matter how busy the week has been."
"I'd really like that," Annabeth told her, feeling a warm glow in her chest at the invitation. She hoped that it meant that Dane's mother liked her. "Can I bring dessert again?"
"We still have an hour or so of daylight left. Would you be interested in a mini-tour of the ranch?" Dane asked, after Annabeth's tart had been redu
ced to a few crumbs and smears of berry juice.
"I'd love to," Annabeth said, to Dane's relief. She glanced down at her strappy sandals. "But I'm not sure I can do a lot of walking in these."
"No problem," Dane assured her, glad of a chance to get her alone. "We'll use one of the trucks. It's a little far for an after-dinner stroll, anyway."
"And there's a great place to view the sunset up on the hill," Mom added, sipping her coffee.
Dane was relieved that dinner had gone so well and that Mom seemed to have taken a liking to Annabeth. But he was going to kick Ash's butt later on for nearly spilling the family secret…
Keeping an eye on the sky and the sun's progress to the horizon, Dane drove Annabeth on a quick circuit of the ranch's main acreage.
They started at the hay and alfalfa fields in the rich bottomlands next to the river, then drove up into the drier sagebrush and grass-covered hills that comprised most of the ranch's lands. He pointed out the BLM lands on the forested heights of the mountains that framed the valley, and he explained that the Grizzly Creek Ranch had grazing allotments there, driving the cattle up into the higher altitudes to forage during the summer months and then rounding them up again in the autumn using ATVs and horses.
"So you guys really are cowboys," Annabeth exclaimed. "That's cool!"
Dane grinned at her. "I've even got the hat and boots to prove it," he teased. "If you ever want to learn to ride a horse, let me know."
As they bumped along the ranch's network of dirt roads, Dane occasionally slowed or stopped his truck to point out the local wildlife: a flock of sandhill cranes, tall and graceful, feeding in a pasture, and a small herd of pronghorn does bounding though the sagebrush, accompanied by their long-legged fawns.
Annabeth's delight in the sights warmed him. She might be a city girl, born and bred, but she genuinely seemed to love living here. Good.
He didn't want her to ever return to California. She belonged here, with him. He wanted her to love this land as much as he did.
Dane managed to make it to the top of the hill in time for a spectacular sunset, the brilliant oranges and deep cinnamon shades a lingering remnant of the wildfire that still smoldered nearby, though it was fully contained now and being carefully monitored by BLM.
"Wow," breathed Annabeth, her expression rapturous as she gazed through the windshield.
Dane had put his arm around her shoulders when he parked the truck, and she cuddled close to him.
"It's a nice view, isn't it?" he asked. "You can see nearly all of our ranch from up here." He took a breath. "Annabeth, when Mom asked you about your future plans earlier, I was really glad to hear that you're planning to stay in Bearpaw Ridge."
"I am. Like I told your mom, I really like it here. And I don't really miss California," she said, but added dryly, "though my opinion might change once I have to deal with snow."
Okay. This is where I tell her that the Swansons are bear shifters.
He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, preparing to confess.
But what emerged was, "I know we haven't known each other for very long, but…will you marry me?"
Annabeth turned her head to stare at him, her beautiful blue eyes wide with surprise. "You want to marry me? Me?" she said, her voice rising to a funny squeak.
"Yes, you. And only you," Dane said, his arm tightening around her shoulders. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we met. And when we're together…it just feels right."
"It does," she agreed and reached to interlace her fingers through his.
"I want to be with you, Annabeth Jones. I want to share a bed with you every night, wake up with you every morning." He chuckled. "And since we both have to get up at God-awful hours, I want to have breakfast with you every day. And I want to see what our kids might look like."
Annabeth was silent, but she was squeezing his hand hard enough that his fingers were starting to go numb.
"I, uh, don't have a ring or anything, but if you say yes, I'll buy you a real nice one," he added, knowing he was babbling now.
She smiled and turned her head to kiss him. "It's crazy, but I've fallen head over heels in love with you." Then she sobered and raised her free hand to caress his cheek. "If I marry you, can I keep working at my bakery? Or would you expect me to move out to the ranch?"
"Of course you can stay at the bakery! Hell, the people in town would lynch me if they thought I was responsible for closing you down," he said, laughing.
He felt giddy with elation. She's going to say yes!
"I'll just move to town, and we'll rent a house or something. I can drive to the ranch—it's not like it's very far from town. I'll have to stay at the ranch full-time during calving and during the fall roundup, but that's only a few weeks out of the year. I'd be with you the rest of the time."
Annabeth smiled and kissed him again. She made it last a good, long, sweet time.
When she drew back, Dane saw her eyes were bright with unshed tears. "Yes, I'll marry you, Dane."
He whooped and gathered her up for another kiss. As he devoured her lips, his bear rumbled in silent approval at his success in securing their mate.
"I love you," said Dane. "Let's go back to the house and tell my family. I know they'll be thrilled."
As he drove back down the bumpy, twisting ridge road, Dane remembered that he still hadn't managed to tell Annabeth about being a bear shifter.
And now, more than ever, he knew he needed to.
Just not tonight.
He wanted to soak in this feeling of happy triumph for just a while longer, before his beautiful fiancée learned the whole truth about the Swanson clan…and the other shifters living in Bearpaw Ridge.
Chapter 15 – Enraged
"Oh, wow, that's great!" Kayla said, grinning, when Annabeth shared her news at work first thing the next morning. "Have you set a date yet?"
"Sort of," Annabeth replied.
After the dinner at the ranch and celebratory glasses of champagne all around, she and Dane had returned to her apartment, where he had spent the rest of the night making enthusiastic love to her.
When they parted before dawn, she had floated down the stairs to the bakery in a cloud of happiness.
She knew she should be having second thoughts about committing herself to a man she had met only a few weeks ago, but Dane was The One. She was absolutely sure of it.
And she couldn't wait to marry him. In between bouts of lovemaking last night, they had discussed the best time for their wedding.
"We're thinking about early September, maybe right after Labor Day weekend," Annabeth continued. "Dane says the weather is still generally sunny and warm for an outdoor wedding BBQ. The summer tourists will be gone, and things at the bakery will quiet down until hunting season starts. And we'll be able to take a short honeymoon before the autumn roundup of the ranch's cattle begins."
"I'm so excited for you! We've all been worried about Dane since Tanya—" Kayla stopped, apparently spotting Annabeth's confusion. "Wait, Dane hasn't talked to you about Tanya? Has he told you about, uh, anything?"
Tanya? Who the hell is Tanya? An ex? Dane had never mentioned her.
Annabeth shook her head. "I figured that as long as he wasn't married or wanted by the Feds, I'd just let him tell me on his schedule. But I have to admit," she added, "the mystery is starting to drive me crazy."
Kayla shook her head. "You're not the only one," she muttered. "Jeez, I'm going to smack Dane the next time I see him."
Annabeth laughed. "Don't damage my fiancé, okay? I've seen how strong you are."
Inspiration struck as she looked at her assistant, who was dressed in jeans and a tight pink T-shirt this morning, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. "Hey, Kayla, I don't know when you're planning to head off to vet school, but if you're still around in early September…would you like to be my bridesmaid? I'm going to call my mom and Maggie tonight with the news and ask Maggie if she'll be my maid of honor, but I'd really like to hav
e you in the wedding as well."
"I'd love to," Kayla said instantly. "That'd be great! Oh, Annabeth, I'm so happy for you!"
And she gave Annabeth a bruising hug before Annabeth went to start rolling out the first batch of cinnamon rolls.
"And I'll tell Dane he needs to talk to you!" Kayla called after her, just before the coffee grinder roared to life.
The rest of day passed quickly. There was always a lot to do at the bakery, though Annabeth found herself staring off into space more than once, her current task temporarily forgotten as she made and discarded plans for her wedding.
Her new wedding.
Funny how she had almost forgotten that the date for her canceled wedding to Roger was only a week away. So much had happened in the past few weeks, and her life was so different now.
Uneasiness stirred at the thought of Roger and the sapphire pendant tucked away in a drawer upstairs.
Late in the afternoon, Annabeth heard the bell tinkle from the front of the bakery.
Kayla's shift had ended a while ago, and she had already gone home for the day, so Annabeth called, "Just a moment!" and washed her hands before she went to the front counter to help her customer.
She stopped dead when she reached the register and saw the tall blond man in the expensive suit standing there.
Shock traveled through her, and she felt like someone had flung a bucket of ice water over her. Her heart began to pound crazily.
"Hello, Bethie," the newcomer said with that lopsided smile that she had found attractive, once upon a time
Roger.
Roger had found her.
She hadn't gotten away from him after all.
Panicked, Annabeth looked around and noticed that there weren't any customers in the café area. She was on her own.
"What do you want?" she asked and was surprised to hear how calm her voice sounded.
"What do I want?" Roger asked, looking incredulous. "I want you to come home, Bethie. We're supposed to get married next week."
"What? We broke up! I moved to another state so that you'd get the message."
Annabeth took a deep breath. Her hands were shaking. Her knees were shaking. And her heart was pounding so hard that she was surprised Roger couldn't hear it.
Heat: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 1) Page 12
