by Lola Kidd
He was changing out of his work clothes into a nice pair of jeans and a button-down shirt when there was knock on the door. He rushed to close the last few buttons on his shirt before going to let her in. She was waiting alone in the dark outside the shop. Frank’s heart skipped a beat when he saw her under the streetlight. She was wearing a different outfit and she looked sexy as hell.
His bear took notice too when she stepped into the shop and walked past him. Her smell was intoxicating.
“Nice to see you again, Amy.”
“Glad to be here.” She looked around the dark shop. “It feels so strange to be here after hours. I’ve never been a VIP at a bakery before.”
Frank laughed. “You can always have special access here at Frank’s Treats.”
“Thank you.”
He fought the urge to push her to the floor and have his way with her. His bear was getting out of hand. Maybe all that fantasizing the day before hadn’t been such a great idea. Being completely alone with her, all he could think about was making love to her. His bear knew it was a surefire way to convince her she was his mate. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t do that quite yet.
Instead, he led her to the back of the shop while his bear whined in frustration. “I wanted your opinion on my menu for a special I have coming up this week.”
She put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she continued looking around. The move only highlighted her luscious ass. Frank stifled a groan. She had to be doing it on purpose.
“What kind of special?”
He pulled out a chair for her at the table. “It’s a Cuisine holiday special with Allison Jenner.”
Amy’s mouth dropped open. “You’re kidding! My sister and I watch those every year. I love those specials.”
“Really? Well, you’re getting a sneak peek this year.”
“Lucky me.” Amy put her purse next to the table and then looked up at him, smiling. “I can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking.”
Frank went to the prep area and brought back five small plates. Each plate had four bite-sized portions of a treat. “I know it’s a lot of food, but I’ve kept everything small.”
“You don’t have to warn me about your treats. I know better than to go overboard tonight.” Amy laughed, delighted. “These are all so cute, Frank! They’re perfect for Christmas.”
He explained what was on each plate and then watched as she took her first bite. It was his mint brownie. It was very rich and decadent. It normally had a mint chocolate candy on top, but he had added a mini-candy cane for the season. Amy closed her eyes and then moaned after she swallowed the treat.
“These are one of my favorites,” she said, eyes still closed.
Frank licked his bottom lip. His bear wasn’t whining anymore. It was murderous. Frank needed to get a grip on himself. Less than ten minutes into date two and he was already losing it. He cursed himself before standing up. “Let me go grab some cold milk from the fridge up front.”
Amy’s eyes popped open. “That would be great.”
He walked to the fridge slowly. When he got there, he took a moment to stand with the fridge door open. He let the cool air wash over him as he calmed himself. He would tell her he was a shifter and then gauge her reaction to see how he should continue. Not all human women hated shifters. Frank knew that some were even really into shifter men. Not in a creepy shifter stalker way, but some were genuinely interested. Maybe Amy was one of those and she knew all about mates already.
Frank wanted to tell her that they belonged together and then consummate their bond. Not a usual date two, but he could dream. He grabbed two containers of cold milk and went back to the table.
Amy’s purse was on the table and her face was pale.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. The air was filled with the scent of her emotion. It set Frank’s bear on edge. He automatically went into protection mode and looked around the shop for any intruders. He knew it was ridiculous, but it was hardwired into his DNA. He had to protect his mate from any danger and something was spooking her.
She swallowed a few times before answering. Her voice was full of emotion. “There’s an emergency with my sister. I need to go home. Now.”
Frank looked for his keys. “I’ll drive.”
Amy shook her head. “Thank you, but I can drive myself.”
“You’re in no condition to drive. What happened?”
“It’s private,” Amy snapped. She pushed away from the table and stood up quickly. “Thank you for the nice night, but I need to leave now.”
She walked to the front door quickly. Frank had to hustle to get to her before she had it unlocked. He put a hand on the door before she could open it. “Amy. Let me help you. It’s no problem. I won’t feel right until I know you’ve made it where you need to go safely.”
“Move your hand, Frank.” Her mouth was set in a grim line and her tone was cold.
Frank stepped back, frowning. “Are you mad at me? I’m just trying to help. I know you’re a great driver, but I don’t like seeing you like this.”
“I need to go now.” She went to her car and had the door closed before he could say anything else.
Frank went out to the road and tapped on her window. “I’ll call you later to be sure you got home okay.”
Amy just looked at him hard before pulling out of the spot and driving away. Frank had no idea what had just happened, but he had a very bad feeling about it. His bear didn’t like it one bit, but he could only watch her drive away.
Six
Amy held her glass out for another refill of wine. “Are you sure she doesn’t have him confused with someone else?”
“Sorry, Amy. This is all my fault. I feel so terrible about this.” Karen’s green eyes swam with tears. “I thought this was going to be so different. Olivia feels even worse than I do. She’s never had this happen before. She’s offered to handle your profile personally if you want to stay on with Lovely and Kind.”
Amy shook her head. “There’s no way I want anything to do with any of their bachelors anymore.”
Karen topped off her glass and Amy’s. “What an awful way to go into a holiday weekend. Don’t worry. I’ll buy you something really great on Black Friday. By next Sunday, you won’t even remember this asshole.”
“Oh, no.” Amy groaned and took a long swig of wine. “You’re not going to believe this, but he’s doing one of the Cuisine holiday specials.”
Karen looked stricken. “We can’t let him ruin this holiday season for us. I’ll find out when his episode is and we won’t watch.”
“What about all the reruns?” Amy asked glumly. The past two days had been a nightmare, but she was trying to pull it together for Thanksgiving. She and her sister were having a Pity Party while they did prep work for the big day. Amy didn’t want to worry her parents or the other family members who were coming to Karen’s for dinner. That was going to be very hard, since she was heartbroken.
The only silver lining was that Karen had stopped her before the situation went any further. Olivia had sent Karen an email about the “Frank problem.” It had turned out that he no longer wanted to be matched and instead wanted to play the field. Olivia had apologized profusely for her unprofessional actions. She should have interviewed Frank more extensively earlier and refused to let him sign up with the agency.
Amy didn’t blame her. Frank was indeed too good to be true. He seemed like such a perfect guy. Didn’t all men seem that way when they wanted to get laid? Amy could have kicked herself when Karen sent her the urgent text while she was at dinner. She had left in a rush and hadn’t looked back after running out of the hotel. Gwen had been on duty and had been very concerned when Amy left in such a hurry. Amy had been too embarrassed to say anything, but she’d told her new friend she’d explain later.
Gwen hadn’t pushed the issue, but Amy knew Frank was going to be asking her a million questions. She’d already turned off her phone so he couldn’t contact her. The urge to l
et him explain and forgive him was too great. Why would he tell Olivia he didn’t want to be matched anymore? Amy had been ready to tell him that she was his match before she’d heard what a player he was.
She should have known better. There were no perfect men. At least she still had her family. She was going to enjoy Thanksgiving and the nice break from work. Screw Frank! He wasn’t going to ruin her holiday season. She was going to pull it together and have a great time.
***
“Cheer up, buddy.” Ben handed Frank another beer. “There’s no moping at the cabin.”
“Sorry.” Frank opened his beer. He couldn’t help wanting more than one.
Owen hadn’t cancelled on the trip. Even though Erin was pregnant, she had insisted he go on the annual trip. Owen was telling a cloying story about how his sisters and Gwen wanted to plan a big baby shower for Erin. Erin wanted Owen to be invited too so it was turning into a big party instead of a traditional shower. There were also a million cute anecdotes of having to explain to the cubs on the farm that the new baby was on the way. It was too much for Frank to stand.
It had been nine days since he’d last spoken to Amy. Nine days since she had just walked out of his life for no reason. He had tried to call her a million times and had even found her New York publisher’s office. He couldn’t call the publisher but he knew she would be in the city in January to meet with her editor. He’d seriously considered flying to the city and waiting outside the building for her. The only reason he’d rejected the idea was that it would probably scare her more than he already had.
The filming of the special with Allison had gone well. Better than he could have hoped for, given his emotional state. Still, it was hard for him to celebrate. He had felt hollow inside when he finished filming. There was going to be a viewing party at Two Wolves, which Ben had insisted on hosting even though Frank wanted to watch the show alone with a bottle of whiskey.
He didn’t want to be around anyone now that Amy was gone. Thanksgiving had been a real chore. He’d kept on a happy face only for his mom. They had spent the day with her old biddy friends who had no family. Usually they had a great time, but Frank’s heart wasn’t in it this year. He had barely been able to keep his commitment for pie orders. He’d burned almost twenty, he was such a mess.
This trip was his chance to give himself a break from being sad. Once Owen had confirmed that Erin, his LK bride, was pregnant, Frank had known he was done for.
“Big man, what’s going on?” Dominic Cates asked. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were nursing a broken heart.”
The look on his face must have given it away. Damn. He hadn’t wanted to ruin their week too. “I’m fine, guys, really.”
“Look, I’ve got nothing against talking about babies all day.” Dom gave Owen a nod. “But I don’t want you to suffer alone, brother.”
“You just want to talk about the last girl you slept with.” Ben shook his head. “You’re a dog, Dom. I don’t want to hear about you nailing a high schooler.”
“She’s not in high school anymore. She graduated last year. And I’m not dating her anymore.” Dom pointed at Frank. “This isn’t about me, though. Someone has broken our big bear’s heart. I can tell. I know about these things.”
It was a very astute observation from the brash tiger. Dom was a new addition to the group. He’d only lived in Sunset Falls for the last eight years and had come to the cabin for the last three, plus he was the lawyer for the entire group. He had taken over the practice when the last lawyer in town had retired. Dom had come from New York and had been a real ladies man when he first got to town. He had even dated Gwen for a short time. He hadn’t been Frank’s favorite guy at first, but the young man had grown on the bear. His loud and boisterous personality covered up a very good friend. Once you got to know Dom, he was the kind of guy who would do anything for a friend and always had your back.
“I’m not feeling quite myself,” Frank admitted. “I’m not up for talking about it just yet.”
“You know what you need?” Dom put down his beer and pulled off his shirt. “A run.”
“Alright. I was wondering when we were going to get outside.” Clint started disrobing too.
“It’s snowing,” Frank protested. “You guys don’t want to be out there in that.”
“Let’s go to the top of the mountain,” Owen suggested. “We haven’t gone all the way to the top in years.”
The rest of the men agreed. Frank gave up his arguing and stripped down too. They all went outside and shifted. Once he was on four paws, he knew it was the right choice. He’d been avoiding his bear all week. The animal was just as distraught as he was. Now that he was in his bear’s skin, Frank felt oddly at peace.
The giant brown bear moved with his motley crew up the side of the mountain. They were lucky Ben’s family owned all the area all around the small mountain range. Humans in the town didn’t mind shifters, but seeing all of them together would have made anyone nervous. A lion, tiger, bear, stag, and panther traipsing up a snowy ridge was a bit much.
It took the better part of two hours for them to reach the top. When they got there, they enjoyed the view until sunset. They horsed around and played in the newly fallen snow. It had to be a hard climb for Clint but the stag played like he was a fawn again. The three big cats wrestled around in the snow before teaming up to take down big Frank.
He played gently with Owen, Dom, and Ben until they all started getting tired. They rested at the top of the mountain before starting their descent. Frank shuffled around while the other three caught their breath. Clint was standing near the edge of a cliff. His giant antlers glinted in the moonlight. His animal had always fascinated Frank. He had never seen antlers so white on a regular stag. Shifters were always bigger than regular animals but Clint seemed so huge. He was an inch or two shorter than Frank in human form and not nearly as wide. Humans would think of Clint as massive but he was regular size for a shifter.
His animal was quite the opposite. Frank went and sat next to him and the stag towered over his bear. Not even including his antlers, he had to stand nine feet high Frank had to assume running into Clint would scare the hell out of any human. Even for a shifter, in his animal form he was scary big. He had to be at least twice the height of an average stag.
Frank sat with Clint and looked out on the city below. There were so many people down there. Humans and shifters alike. They were all preparing for the holiday season. It gave Frank hope. It was the season for miracles. He couldn’t sit around moping and give up on Amy. Anything could happen. He had faith and trust that the universe would lead his mate back to him. Frank looked out at the city for a long time before Dom roared to get them all to gather again. They headed down the mountain as a group. It took a little longer since the snow was deeper but it was invigorating.
They gathered around a giant fire out back once they were at the cabin again. Everyone was mellowed out now that they had spent so much time in animal form. Frank was more relaxed and hopeful than he’d been since Amy had left. So relaxed, in fact, that he told the guys what had happened.
“Whoa. That’s rough,” Ben said when Frank had finished.
“Have you talked with Olivia?” Owen asked. “Maybe she can still get you in touch with another match.”
Frank shook his head. “I don’t want to meet anyone else. Amy was it. She’s my mate. I have to get her back.”
“Easier said than done,” Dom said. “You know women are crazy. The minute you think you have them figured out, they do something like this! More work than they’re worth.”
“Maybe if you found a new playmate, you wouldn’t be so bitter,” Ben told Dom. “Don’t listen to him, Frank. If this woman is your mate, you’ll get her back. Is she from town? I don’t recognize the name.”
“Nope. She’s from Akron.”
Clint spat on the ground. “That explains it. Never trust someone from Akron.”
“They aren’t the most shifter f
riendly,” Frank admitted. “But what town is as good as Sunset about our kind? Around here, I mean.”
“That’s not even an hour’s drive, Frank,” Owen laughed. “Go and find her as soon as we get home.”
“I don’t know.” Frank reached for another beer. “Wouldn’t that be coming on a little strong? We’ve only been on two dates. I don’t want to come across as desperate.”
Dom put his hand on Frank’s shoulder. “Buddy. You are desperate.”
The men all laughed, but Frank didn’t take it personally. “I guess you’re right. I’ve got nothing to lose. Only problem is, I don’t know where she lives.”
“I bet we can figure it out with a little sleuthing.” Ben cracked his fingers and pulled out his phone. “It’s the twenty-first century. It’s not that hard to find people anymore.”
An hour later Ben was eating his words. “Are you sure you have the name right, Frank?”
“Yes.” Frank gritted his teeth. They hadn’t been able to come up with more than a publisher’s name and her sister’s social media profiles. As far as they could tell, Amy had no social media presence. Which was beyond strange.
“I bet she hides her profile,” Dom proclaimed. “There’s no way a woman today wouldn’t have at least one account on one site. You know hot women get lots of inappropriate pictures. I bet she got tired of it and made her pages friends only.”
Owen nodded. “Erin did that. Nobody wants to get dick pics every time they sign on.”
“Why not just go to Akron?” Clint asked. “Not the best chances, but it can’t be that hard to find her.”
“What am I going to do, ask around if anyone knows her?”
Owen chuckled. “I don’t think many people are going to give Frank directions to a single woman’s home.”
“I don’t know,” Ben said. “Once that Cuisine special comes out, he’s going to be a local celebrity. I think it’ll be easy for him to find her.”
