The Grizzly Bear's Barista: A Howls Romance (The Shifters of Sanctuary Book 3)

by Kasey Belle

  “Speaking of Storm,” Ella piped up. “I’ve got to ask you something, Bow. I hope you have an answer because the mystery has been driving me crazy.”

  Bow couldn’t think of what it could be, but she agreed to try and help Ella solve her mystery. Whatever it was as long as the questions wasn’t How big is Storms glorious cock? Bow didn’t have a problem answering.

  “What is up with the Rice Krispies? Koda said Storm had like ten boxes of the stuff when he helped him move into the foreman’s cabin.”

  Nikki’s mouth dropped open and her eyes went comically wide. “Ten? Seriously? I mean he’s a big guy, but… seriously? Ten?”

  “Yep.” Ella made the p pop. “Ten, at least.”

  Bow slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter. Oh, this was priceless. Once she had herself somewhat under control, Bow told them what happened this morning. By the time she was done, they were all rolling with laughter. She would definitely share this conversation with Storm. She knew he’d get all pouty about how nobody understood him.

  “Oh. My. God,” Nikki said with a huge grin. “They’re like children. All of them.”

  Ella shook her head. “Worse. You can ground your children when they act like fools.”

  “Truth.” Nikki bumped fists with Ella. “Can you imagine our sweet Rainbow attempting to send giant bear and ex-SEAL Storm Brightman to his room without his Krispies?” Nikki snickered. Her friend perked up and turned her amused focus on Bow. “I just realized something, Bow.”

  “What?” Ella and Bow asked at the same time, both equally confused.

  “When you marry Storm, you’ll become… wait for it.” Nikki used her hands to do a little drum roll against her thighs. “Rainbow Brightman.”

  Ella and Nikki looked at each other and snickered. Then they fell over in a fit of giggles. Bow smiled even though she didn’t understand what they found so funny.

  Ella must have noticed the confusion on Bow’s face because she stopped laughing and stared at her in shock. “You know? Rainbow Brite?”

  Bow shrugged and shook her head. No, she didn’t know.

  “I keep forgetting you were raised on a commune. Sheltered from the man and shit.”

  Bow stuck her tongue out at them. “Har. Har. I wasn’t sheltered. I went to public school.”

  “Obviously none of the children there had a Rainbow Brite.”

  One of the things she loved most about her new friends was that they didn’t treat her different because of her unique upbringing. They’d make comments, but they were only teasing, never malicious. She fit in seamlessly with Ella and Nikki. It was a rare and welcome experience.

  Ella took out her phone, typed something in, then handed it to Bow.

  Bow blinked at the image on the screen. She tried to make sense of the doll with bright yellow hair wearing a rainbow dress staring back at her. “Holy. Crap.” A giggle escaped her. “I had no idea. I’m not sure if this is actually funny or wrong on so many levels.”

  “I used to have one of the original dolls when I was little,” Nikki said. “They revamped her. The original was so much better. I wished I had the doll for Casey.”

  Bow couldn’t take her eyes off the screen to acknowledge her friend’s little trip down memory lane. “I might have to talk with Storm about this,” she muttered to herself, but obviously loud enough for Ella and Nikki to hear. Her statement set her friends off into another round of laughter.

  Chapter 11

  Storm pushed open the door to the coffee shop. The little bell over the door chimed sounding as though it were welcoming him home rather than announcing his presence. He shook his head. He was getting soft in his old age.

  “Our mate is the cause. I’m not complaining? Are you?”

  “Nope.”

  Bow looked up from whatever she was doing behind the counter. Her face lit with a bright smile when she saw him. “Hey! I wasn’t expecting to see you until this evening.” She came from behind the counter and met him halfway.

  Storm took her mouth in a slow sensual kiss. Storm removed his lips from hers remembering where he was and pressed his forehead to Bow’s. “Damn.”

  “Yeah,” Bow sighed.

  Storm took a step back. He had to put a little distance between himself and his mate before he decided to say fuck it and take her against the pastry case. “To answer your question, I came for Stevie. If that’s okay.”

  “Of course, it is. You’re his father.”

  There went that melty thing his heart did when she said things like that.

  “He isn’t home from school yet. Nikki drops him off a little after three.”

  “I know. I figured I’d come a little early and entice you to join me for a cup of coffee and a few cupcakes. Maybe, you could also hold my hand and give me a smooch or two?”

  “You did, did you?” Bow pressed in and wound her arms around his neck. “I think perhaps I can arrange that. Megan ran to the bank for me, so I’ll have to help any customers that come in until she gets back, but other than that I’m all yours.”

  “Thank fuck for that.” He nibbled her lips. “Cupcakes. Now. Woman!” Storm laid a loud smack on her pert ass.

  “Meany.” Bow poked her lower lip out in a perfect pout and rubbed the area with her right palm. She did a good job of trying to pull off offended. It would have been more convincing if her eyes weren’t filled with lust.

  “Shut up. You like it.”

  Bow responded with a wink and sauntered off.

  At a quarter after three, Stevie came barreling through the door. His hair wasn’t nearly as neat as it was this morning, nor were his clothes as clean. The cub headed straight for the counter.

  “We’re over here,” Bow called to him.

  Steve skidded to a stop and turned. His lips curled into a wide smile. “Daddy?” He ran over and gave Storm a hug. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to pick you up. I wanted to take you shopping. We need to buy you some clothes for riding. Mr. Jim said you and Casey were starting lessons next week.”

  Stevie clapped and bounced on the balls of his feet. “Yes. I can’t wait. Mr. Jim said Lady Grey was ready for riders. Plus, she loves Casey, so she wouldn’t mind if we put her to work.”

  “Why don’t you have a snack before you go with Storm,” Bow suggested. “You can’t shop on an empty stomach.”

  Storm pulled into the parking that served both the western store and feed store. Stevie explained they were both owned by the same family. The husband along with two sons ran the feed store. The wife and a third son name Kyle ran the clothing store. Storm pulled the door open allowing Stevie to enter the store first.

  “Hi, Mrs. Chambers” Stevie waved at the older woman working on a display by the window.

  “Well hello there, Mr. Stevie.” She offered the boy a hug. She looked up and eyed Storm with suspicion. It didn’t bother him in the least. He was glad there were people in town looking out for his family. “Who do you have with you, young man?”

  “Storm. He’s my new dad. His last name is Brightman. Mine will be too when Storm marries my mommy. We love him.”

  Yep, there it went Storm’s heart melting into a puddle of goo at his feet.

  Mrs. Chamber’s shoulders relaxed, and she gave Storm a friendly smile. She held out her hand toward him. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Brightman”

  Storm took her hand and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, as well, Mrs. Chambers. Call me Storm.”

  “And you can call me Sheryl, dear. Are you the new hire at The Sanctuary? Ella mentioned they brought on another employee.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I sure am.”

  “Thank you for your service.”

  Storm never knew how to respond to that statement. He just nodded and smiled. It seemed the best course of action.

  “What are you here for today?”

  “We’re here for riding clothes,” Stevie responded with pride. “I’m starting lessons next week with Casey.”

&n
bsp; “Oh, how fun. You know where everything is right, Mr. Stevie?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “You let me know if you can’t find what you’re looking for.”

  “Okay.” He took Storm’s hand and tugged. “Come on, Dad. I’ll show you around.”

  By showing around, Stevie meant head straight for the back-right corner to the boots in the girl’s section. Storm shook his head. That didn’t sound right. Regardless of what the area it was labeled, Storm really shouldn’t refer to it as such. Clothes were just another way people expressed themselves. It shouldn’t matter what society-labeled section of the store they came from. Stevie was a boy who liked bright clothing. They weren’t girls clothes, they were Stevie’s clothes. If the clothes made him happy, they made Storm happy.

  His little boy oohed and aahed over the different style boots and patterns before selecting a purple pair with rhinestones and flowers embroidered into the leather. “These are perfect for riding.”

  Storm shook his head. “No, they aren’t. You need that brown pair.” He pointed to a pair of working boots on the bottom shelf.

  Stevie’s shoulders sagged, and face fell. “But… but they’re blah.”

  Storm hated that sad, defeated look in Stevie’s eyes. He didn’t mean the boy couldn’t buy the boots he wanted. They just weren’t practical for riding.

  He crouched down in front of Stevie and placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Hey. I don’t have a problem if you want those blinged out boots.”

  “You don’t? I know they’re expensive.” Stevie sniffed. He made his little boy cry. Kill him now.

  “No, little man, I don’t. Money isn’t an issue, okay? When I said you needed to get the brown boots, I didn’t explain myself properly. I know they aren’t your thing, but those boring boots are perfect for riding. They’re work boots. They can take a lot of abuse. Those pretty ones you want aren’t for riding. There for looking nice. I’ll make you a deal.”

  “What kind of deal?” Hope sprang into Stevie’s eyes.

  “You agree to wear the brown ones for riding even though you hate them, and I’ll buy you the ones you love for everyday wear.”

  “Really?” Stevie’s face brightened in an instant.

  “Really.”

  “Oh, thank you, Daddy.” The cub threw his arms around Storm’s neck and hugged him tight.

  “You’re welcome, son.” Storm wrapped his arms around Stevie and held him for a few moments saying a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening that he managed to fix what he inadvertently fucked up.

  Stevie leaned back so he could look at Storm. “Does it matter what kind of hat I get?”

  “No. Pick out a couple. Make sure one of them is straw though, okay? The color doesn’t matter.” He tapped the tip of Stevie’s nose with his finger. “Go on and grab a few. Then we’ll make our way over to the clothing section. You can try everything on at once.”

  Stevie whooped and ran off. Damn, he loved that kid.

  “Bad enough his mama is turning that boy into a faggot.” An angry nasty voice muttered behind him.

  Storm turned and was in front of the guy in two seconds. “What the fuck did you just say?”

  “Only the truth,” he sneered.

  “As your bigoted ass sees it.” Storm grabbed the front of the man’s filthy plaid shirt. He tried not to gag at the smell of stale beer breath. “You keep your mouth shut about my boy. You’re goddamn lucky he didn’t hear those hateful words you spewed, or you’d be picking your teeth up off the floor.” Storm’s words were cold and exact. He shoved him away. “I suggest you turn around and walk away. Now. My restraint will only last so long.”

  “Storm?” Mrs. Chambers stood at the end of the aisle eyeing him with concern. “Is everything alright?”

  He nodded his focus remained on the motherfucker in front of him. “It will be, Sheryl.”

  She harrumphed. “John?” Her eyes narrowed. “You aren’t causing problems in my store, are you? And with a veteran no less.”

  “Now Sheryl.” A smarmy smirk curled the man’s lips. “You know I’d never do that.”

  Sheryl wasn’t convinced. “Uh-huh. Sure, I do.” Her tone oozed contempt. Obviously, the woman was well acquainted with John’s flawed character. “Did you find the work pants you needed, John?”

  “I did.”

  “Good. Leave Storm to his shopping and come with me so I can get you checked out.”

  John stepped around him and Storm grabbed his arm. John’s attempts to jerk it out of Storm’s iron grasp were futile. He sent John a mean grin and dug his fingers into the man’s flesh between his bicep and bone not stopping until he whimpered in pain. Storm leaned in and snarled in a low voice, “I ever catch you near my boy or my woman, if you even utter their fucking names and I hear about it there won’t be enough left of you to bury. You feel me, motherfucker.”

  John grunted. Storm eased his grip allowing John to jerk his arm away and rushed to follow Mrs. Chambers to the register.

  Storm kept an eye on the man until he exited the store. He knew it wouldn’t be the last time he encountered the asshole. Men like him didn’t take kindly to being kicked down a peg or five. But, Storm had given John No-last-name fair warning, which at this point was all he could do. Until, he eventually had to kill the son of a bitch.

  “Come on, Dad,” Stevie ordered as he ran passed Storm with an armful of cowboy hats. “It’s time for clothes.”

  Storm shook his head and snickered. He grabbed both boot boxes and followed after his son.

  Chapter 12

  Since, Thursdays were slow at the shop, Bow used that day to mix dry ingredients in separate gallon Ziploc bags and label them for the following week. Between the different types of cookies, muffins, cupcakes, and brownies, she usually ended up with about a hundred or so bags. It was worth the extra cost. The pre-prep cut her baking time in half and at four-thirty in the morning. Those little plastic bags were worth their weight in gold.

  Bow labeled the bag for a new cranberry-lemon muffin recipe she wanted to try and set it aside. Her cellphone rang, and she quickly brushed the flower off her hands using her apron. Her heart beat faster when she saw the caller I.D. said it was the school. She swiped the screen. “Hello?”

  “Is this Rainbow Mason?”

  “It is.”

  “Ms. Mason this Kelly Lambert the nurse at Stevie’s school.”

  “Okay? Is he sick?”

  “No.” The woman paused for a moment ramping up Bow’s angst. “There’s been an accident.”

  “What?!”

  “Stevie fell on the playground. I believe his arm may be broken.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “No! Don’t come up here. I’ve already called the ambulance. They should be here any moment. Go straight to the emergency room.”

  Bow ended the call not bothering to say goodbye. She tore off her apron, grabbed her purse, barely remembering to lock up the store as she rushed out the door. She didn’t care that she’d left a mess in the kitchen or if she pissed off her customers for closing without notice. They’d get over it. Her son was hurt and needed her. It was all that mattered. Once she was in the car, she called Storm. The call went to voicemail, and she left a message. He was probably still in his meeting with the architect.

  She made it to the hospital just as the ambulance was pulling up. She pulled in front of it and parked along the curb. Bow jumped out of her car and ran to her son. “Stevie?”

  “Ma’am?” One of the EMTs held out his arm to stop her.

  “That’s my son.”

  The man offered her an apologetic smile and stepped back. “He’s going to be okay, ma’am.”

  “Mommy?” Stevie looked up at her with tears running down his cheeks. “My arm hurts.” He pointed to his right arm cradled against his chest.

  “I know baby.” She took his left hand. “The doctors will fix you up.”

  The automatic doors opened for them. The security gu
ard standing nearby stepped up. “Ma’am, you can’t leave your car there.”

  “I’ll move it once I know my son is okay or you can have it towed. I don’t give a fuck.” She rushed to catch up with the paramedics as they went through a set of double doors.

  Rainbow rung her hands as she waited for the orderly to bring Stevie back from x-ray. She should have insisted on going with him. She vacillated between worry and rage. Some little asshole had hurt her son. That shit was unforgivable. She wanted Jack Paulson’s head on a platter.

  The door burst open and Storm rushed into the room. Rainbow literally threw herself at him. He didn’t hesitate to catch her. Storm held her tight to his chest and she finally let out all her pent-up fear and anger. She clutched the front of his t-shirt with her fists and sobbed.

  Storm rubbed her back and told her everything would be okay. She wasn’t so sure. Her tears finally slowed until she only emitted the occasional sniffle.

  “Can you tell me what happened, Bow? Where is Stevie?”

  “They took him to x-ray. Stevie was climbing the jungle gym on the playground at school. One of those little shits who have been picking on him pushed him off. His arm is probably broken. The nurse said he fell. Can you believe that shit? Fell not pushed. Stevie said he told her he was pushed.”

  “What?” Storm snarled. His body vibrated with the same rage Rainbow felt. “He could have been killed.”

  Horror filled Rainbow, and she reared back with a gasp. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind.

  “Sorry, babe. I shouldn’t have said that. We don’t need to focus on the could haves and what ifs. Stevie is safe and receiving the care he needs.” He led her over to the chair by the empty bed. “Sit down before you fall down.” Storm gently pushed her into the hard-plastic seat. He squatted down in front of her and took both her hands in his. “Take a few breaths, cupcake.” Rainbow did, feeling marginally better when she was done. “Who’s watching the shop?”

  “No one. Today is Megan’s day off and Heather doesn’t come in until four. I left the minute I got the call from the school nurse. She told me to head straight here since she’d already called the ambulance. I followed her instructions even though it went against my inner pissed-off mama bear, no pun intended. I didn’t want to slow the paramedics down by interfering. I just left the shop like it was, locked the door, and hauled ass here. I’m pretty sure I broke every traffic rule ever invented.”