“Did you make a schedule for that?” Elizabeth asked, voicing her suspicions.
“Well, kind of,” Suzie admitted. “But truthfully, we were turning people away, so many wanted to help.”
“They wanted to lend a hand to say thank you to Kit,” Karen told them. “He’s treated so many children at the hospital that he has touched most people’s lives here in town.”
“Now who is going to cry?” Suzie asked.
Karen wiped her cheek. “I’m so damn proud of that boy. And his brothers, of course. I don’t have a favorite,” she insisted.
“You raised him well,” Dean agreed. “I have met him at the hospital more times than I would care to remember. Kids should not be wrapped in bubble wrap, but sometimes I wish they were. If they’re not falling out of trees, they’re putting things where they do not belong.”
“And you have enjoyed every minute of it, from what Fiona has told me,” Suzie said.
“Guilty as charged. And I hope that I’ll always have room in my heart for children. Suzie, when the time comes, if you ever need a babysitter, I’m your man.” He grinned. “I always fostered older kids, but having Storm in the house has made me realize how much fun the little ones are.”
“You caught yourself a good man there, Elizabeth,” Karen stated as they all headed out toward the front of the house. “If he hadn’t been waiting for you, I’m sure he would’ve been snapped up years ago.”
“I’m sure he would,” Suzie said. “But he’s landed himself a good catch. Even if I do say so myself.” She linked arms with Elizabeth and guided them to her car.
“You are biased, Suzie,” Elizabeth chided, a little embarrassed that the attention was on her. “All I did was raise you.”
“You are the best mom in the world,” Suzie replied. “And that will never change.”
“I’ll speak to you later, when I know what I’m doing,” Elizabeth said as Suzie got in her car.
“You betcha.” Suzie grinned. “Behave yourselves. We have an early appointment for the dress fittings tomorrow.” She waved as she drove off down the street, leaving Elizabeth alone with a man she didn’t know, but who intended to spend the rest of his life with her.
Suzie had warned her Bear Creek was a unique place, but she had to admit, she was not sure anything could ever have prepared her for coming face to face with a man who said she was his mate.
Nothing at all.
Chapter Four – Dean
“Are you OK?” Dean asked, as he walked across to where she stood, watching Suzie’s car disappear into the distance.
“Yes,” Elizabeth said confidently, but her voice wavered.
“No pressure, just dinner,” Dean promised. Although he wanted more; he was struggling to keep his need for her contained, he’d waited so long, and somewhere, at some time, he had given up hope of ever finding his mate. He’d figured fate had a different path for him to follow. Now he knew he’d simply gone the long way around.
“Just dinner. I can do that.” She tried to sound self-assured, but he could see the panic in her eyes, he’d seen it in scared kids enough times to know. “Shall I follow you there?”
“You can, but it would be easier if we took your car.” He cracked a smile. “I walked here.”
“Oh, I assumed. Because of the rose bush…” She nodded. “Right. Here’s my car.” She led him to her old reliable Ford. “This is me.”
“OK, if ever you need any work done on it, I’m your man.” He tilted his head and smiled at her surprise. “What? Do you think I’m just a male nanny?”
“No. At least I didn’t think you were a nanny at all.” Elizabeth studied him. “You are a man of surprises.”
“Not really, I’m totally predictable, but I’ve learned a lot over the years. Sometimes it’s easier to relate to kids if you share an interest. Getting your hands dirty while you fix something is a great way to bond.”
Elizabeth opened the car door and got in. “Is that what planting the rose was all about?”
He chuckled. “No, that was because I wanted to do something for Suzie. And it is one of my favorite roses.” He got in the passenger seat, and immediately the enclosed space of the car made him intensely aware of her.
“Suzie admires you a great deal.” Elizabeth started the engine and pulled away from Karen’s house.
“And I admire her. And her mom.” Dean glanced across at Elizabeth, studying her expression. He’d met kids like her before. Kids who were reluctant to let people in. But she was his mate, and he had to find a way to get under her skin. He wanted her to want him as much as he wanted her.
What if that never happened?
Dean had a fleeting moment of terror. He could understand how Zak, one of his former foster kids, had felt when he realized Louise was his mate. Louise wasn’t a shifter, and he’d kept the truth from her at first, because he didn’t want to freak her out. Dean was lucky, Elizabeth at least knew about shifters. That didn’t mean she would blindly go along with the life fate had set out for them.
“I haven’t done anything special,” Elizabeth told him firmly. “I just did what any other mom would’ve done.”
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. I have fostered kids on my own for a number of years. Believe me, I know how hard it is to be a single parent.”
“You must love kids.” Elizabeth came to a stop at the end of the street. “Which way?”
Dean quickly gave her instructions and she turned left and followed the road that headed toward his home. “I do love kids. I love helping them become better people. I love seeing them blossom. Especially shifter kids. It’s a difficult time when you are on your own, and this change comes over you. I mean all kids sprout hair where they’ve never had it before at puberty, but shifter kids get claws and tails too.”
“Did you want to stop in town?” Elizabeth came to a stop at an intersection: left took them into Bear Creek, right took them home. Or at least to his home, Sunnyside, where he hoped Elizabeth would one day live too.
“That depends on what you want for dinner.” Dean could rustle something up out of the staples he kept in his kitchen, but since this was the first meal he was going to cook for his mate, he wanted it to be special. But he didn’t want to overwhelm Elizabeth. She’d had enough shocks for one day.
“I’m easy. I had a frozen meal planned for this evening, so anything will be an improvement.” She looked at him, allowing her hair to fall down over the left side of her face. “What I’m trying to say, badly, is it is your call.” Elizabeth smiled ruefully. “I want to shake off this fear of meeting new people. But it’s like it’s ingrained on my soul.”
Her words were about the most honest anyone had ever spoken to him, and he’d heard a lot of words, listened to a lot of reasons why people thought they acted the way they did. Dean reached out for her hand and took it in his own, wanting to send her warmth and love. “It’s not something you can flip a switch on. I understand that. Let me help you.”
Elizabeth gave a short laugh. “I don’t think anyone can help me.” Her eyes sparkled with tears. “I know I’m a coward.”
“No, Elizabeth. No. Don’t say that. You raised a wonderful daughter, and you did it alone.” He shrugged. “Sometimes we just can’t see the way forward, we only see the walls we’ve put up for ourselves.” He squeezed her hand. “Did I tell you I’m good with a sledgehammer?”
Elizabeth swiped at a tear that rolled down her cheek. “Are you offering to break down my walls?”
“I most certainly am.” He let out a long sigh. “And I can’t wait to see what’s behind them.”
Elizabeth giggled, which turned into a laugh. A slightly hysterical laugh. “I have no idea who I am anymore. Before Suzie met Kit it was all so easy. All so compartmentalized. And now it’s as if bits of my life are strewn in all different directions, and I don’t know how to fit it back together.” She rested her forehead on the steering wheel. “I don’t know who I am.”
A car horn sounded behind them, which ma
de her jump, and she sat back up, raised her hand in acknowledgment, and pulled out onto the road heading toward Bear Creek. Dean was pleased she had made the decision to go to town without him telling her.
“If you pull over outside the bakery, we can get some fresh bread. Then we need to visit the grocery store.” He talked as if it was completely natural for them to be going to town together. In his experience, it was better to act normal, be completely chill, rather than make a big deal out of situations that might not occur.
But if Elizabeth needed him to make a big deal of it, he would. He was just going to follow her lead.
She parked the car just beside the bakery, and switched off the engine, slipping the keys into her purse. Then she gazed out of the window, looking along the street. Dean took his seatbelt off and put his hand on the car door. “Ready?”
She looked nervous, but smiled. “As I’ll ever be.”
Elizabeth pushed her car door open and got out. Dean couldn’t help noticing she walked with her head slightly bent forward so that her shoulder-length hair fell around her face. It was cut and styled to curl around her cheeks, and he longed to brush his fingers through her chestnut locks and push her hair back from her beautiful face.
However, this was not the time. He could not help her change overnight. Experience told him that patience and love were the two best gifts you could give an insecure person.
Walking around the car, he moved to stand next to her on the sidewalk, and he reached out for her hand. Wordlessly, she looked at his hand and then at his face. Whatever she read in his eyes must have helped, because she slipped her hand into his with a weak smile.
“I’ve never held hands on the street with anyone other than Suzie,” Elizabeth admitted.
“Get used to it,” Dean told her with a look of possession that made her swallow hard.
Don’t blow it, his bear told him.
I don’t intend to, but hell, it’s hard to control myself.
The funny thing was, he was a master at teaching others the art of self-control and patience. He needed to learn to take his own advice.
“Sorry. This is all new to me too.” He thought about his own past. “You know, I can’t remember that last time I ever walked along a street holding hands either. My foster kids would have run for those mountains if I ever tried to get them to hold my hand.”
“I bet they would.” Elizabeth looked down at their hands. “Today has been all about new experiences.”
“And the night is still young.” She blushed at his words. “I was thinking about my cooking.”
“Are you a good cook?” Elizabeth asked as they walked toward the bakery.
“I like to think so. Although I don’t make fancy dishes. Just good old-fashioned home cooking, that the kids used to like coming home to.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to cook hot dogs or pizza.”
“I like both.”
“OK, a lady after my own heart. That’s good to know.” Dean pushed open the door of the bakery and held it for her. “Let me cook something special tonight, though. It’s been a while since I’ve had a proper adult to experiment on.”
“Your house, your dinner, your rules.” Elizabeth brushed past him as she entered the bakery, and he inhaled her scent. His mouth watered, more than it would over the fancy dinner he was planning to cook tonight.
As he closed the door and said hi to Mrs. Closh, he wanted to pinch himself to check if this was real.
Oh, it’s real, all right, his bear said with a sigh.
Great, two lovesick fools: the chances of them embarrassing themselves had just shot through the roof.
Chapter Five – Elizabeth
Elizabeth was relieved to get back into her car, it was like a mini sanctuary, just as her house was her main sanctuary. A place where she could be herself, and not worry about the way people looked at her.
Not that Mrs. Closh had looked at her oddly at all. In Elizabeth’s experience, her birthmark made people react one of two ways; they either looked away immediately, as if they didn’t want to stare, or they looked at her for a moment longer than they might otherwise.
After their bakery visit, they had then crossed to the grocery store, which was so busy she might as well be invisible. Elizabeth was going to put this down as a successful trip.
“So do we have everything we need?” Elizabeth asked Dean. “Or do we need to stop somewhere else?”
“Nope, we have the chicken, the vegetables, and fresh bread. The only other ingredients are in my garden.” He looked pleased with himself. “I also have a nice bottle of wine chilling in the fridge.”
“OK, then.” Elizabeth pulled out onto the road and headed back the way they had come, taking a left toward Dean’s house. The butterflies in her stomach were back, but they were a gentle flutter, not a manic swarm. Everything was under control.
“Turn right here.” Dean pointed to a narrow road, and she took a right, and then another right into a driveway that led to a house called Sunnyside.
“What a beautiful house.” The house was situated in a slightly elevated position, facing south; Elizabeth guessed this was how it had earned its name. Even in the early spring afternoon, the front of the house was awash with sunlight.
“Thanks. I've lived here for more years than I can remember. I bought it as a family home, but the family never materialized.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice, and Elizabeth’s heart contracted with longing. If only they had met years ago and raised Suzie, along with other kids of their own, together,
“And that’s when you decided to foster?” She could understand the need to fill a void.
“It is. I met Fiona. She was visiting a child who had been placed in Bear Creek. We got talking, and she somehow twisted my arm into giving fostering a try.”
Elizabeth parked the car in front of his house, and they got out. Between them, they carried the groceries to the front door. While Dean got the key out and unlocked the door, she took the opportunity to survey the outside of the house. It truly was perfect. Back at her own house, she had a small garden that she tended with love and care. It was her favorite place to spend an evening, just puttering around, letting the stress of the day slip away as she weeded the flowerbeds and deadheaded the flowers.
Dean’s garden was something else: it encircled the house, and was filled with bright blooms that had fought their way out from beneath the still-cool ground to herald the summer which would all too soon be upon them. Tulips and daffodils turned their faces to the sun, while a bed of roses was filled with emerging buds.
“Do you like it?” Dean pushed the front door open and stepped inside.
“I do.” Elizabeth followed, with a wistful backward glance over her shoulder. “It’s a special place.”
“Does that mean you will live here with me?” Dean set his bag of groceries down on the counter in the kitchen and began to unpack it.
Elizabeth set her bag down next to his. Their arms touched, and she was sure she felt a burst of static electricity course through her. “I…” She took a carton of eggs out of her bag and set them down on the counter. “I’m not sure how to answer that.”
“Too soon?” Dean asked, moving across the kitchen to the fridge where he opened the door, took out a bottle of white wine, and put a carton of milk in its place.
“I may need more than a couple of hours to get used to the idea.” Elizabeth busied herself with the rest of the groceries. She wanted to abandon all sense, to shake off her reservations and throw herself into this relationship with the same complete commitment Dean possessed.
“Sorry.” Dean opened the wine and poured two glasses. “Here. Let’s make some stupidly absurd toast to us, and then I promise to drop it.”
“To us.” They touched glasses, their eyes meeting, and the longing she saw in Dean’s eyes spread more warmth through her body than the wine ever would.
“To us, and our future happiness,” Dean spoke those words as if her happiness was the mos
t important thing in the world to him.
“Our future happiness.” She drank, the cool liquid sliding down her throat, while her skin felt hot and feverish. He was getting under her skin, into her bloodstream, and making her pulse quicken. He was making her feel alive. He was giving her a future. “What can I do to help?”
“You can peel the potatoes.” Dean opened a drawer and took out the potato peeler and a chopping board, which he set down on the wooden table situated in the center of the kitchen.
“I can do that.” Elizabeth sat down, imagining all the family dinners that must have taken place around the well-worn table. That was what she liked about the house, and about Dean. They were lived in, natural, molded by time and life, with no need to be perfect, to be something they were not.
If there was one way she could describe Dean, it was that he was comfortable in his own skin.
While she peeled and chopped the potatoes, Dean prepared the chicken. She watched him work; he didn’t weigh or measure anything, he worked on instinct. He also hummed. She smiled as she recognized the tune: it was an old sea shanty she had not heard since she was a girl. It brought back memories of her high school, but with Dean so close, the memories didn’t seem so sharp, they didn’t cut her so deep.
“Are they done?” Dean asked, and came to stand next to her, before scooping the potatoes up in his large hands and adding them to the pot with the chicken and some stock, then he placed it in the oven.
“What’s next?” Elizabeth got up from the table and washed her hands in the sink.
“Next, we have an excuse to go in the garden to collect herbs.” He drained his wine glass, and she did the same, feeling the slight buzz hit her brain. “Do you want a sweater?”
“Yes, please.” The light from the kitchen window was dimming, the sun was passing behind the mountains, and Bear Creek was getting ready to wrap up in the warm glow of the street lights for the night.
Dean left the kitchen to fetch her a sweater. While she waited, she took a moment to breathe. Elizabeth hadn’t realized just how tense she’d been. She rolled her shoulders, and turned her head from side to side, letting go of her pent-up nervousness. There was no place for it here with Dean.
Silverback Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 10) Page 3
