“And the garden was top of his list of must-haves?” Mason asked, thinking of his bear and the sacrifices he’d made so they could build an empire.
“Yes. Seeing it now, overgrown and the flowers untended…” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I should find the time to come up here and fix it all up again.”
“Which I could help you with.” His eyes narrowed. “What if our second date is here? I can weed the flower beds, do any other jobs that need doing. You can mow the grass.”
Tiana’s face lit up, and he bathed in the glow of her enthusiasm. “Thank you. How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow it is.” He watched as she sipped her coffee. “That doesn’t answer the question about your parents continuing to live here. Shall we look around and see what we can do?”
“Sure.” Tiana drained her cup and washed everything they’d used, leaving the house as neat as when they’d entered.
“Perhaps if we look around downstairs and then I’ll take a look at the stairs and the bedrooms before we view the garden.” Mason took a last look around the kitchen and then followed Tiana on a tour of the house.
“This is the dining room. It’s a good room with views of the valley below. Through here is the living room. Mom watches her shows in here, while Dad reads in the other room or outside.” Her voice held a hint of nostalgia.
“You’re connected to this house, too. But you’ve never lived here.” Mason moved to look out of the window, which framed the mountains.
“I never lived here, no. But my parents moved here for me, to be close to me.” She came to stand next to him, her arms folded as she looked at the incredible view. “Were your parents happy?”
He swung his head around, surprised by her question. “Growing up? Yes.”
“Mine weren’t. Not really. They loved each other. They loved me. But they were dissatisfied. My dad worked the same soul-destroying job for thirty years to give us a good life. It’s not until you’re older that you realize the truth, you see your parents as people, with hopes and dreams of their own. My dad’s dream was always to have a house in the country with a garden.”
“And that came true when they moved here.” Mason understood only too well about sacrifice.
“This house rekindled their marriage.” Tiana pointed out of the window. “The garden wasn’t like this when they came here. It was a blank slate, filled with rocks and stones. They cleared the land side by side and planted the garden.”
“And you watched your parents fall in love with each other all over again.”
“I did.” She nodded and looked at him sideways. “At the time, I was falling apart, my life was falling apart, but to see these two people who had weathered so many storms together getting to know each other all over again… It gave me hope.”
They stood side by side, nearly but not quite touching as they watched the flowers blowing in the breeze. He didn’t want to break the spell surrounding them. Perhaps the house had a magic of its own, that brought people together and helped them find a path to love.
“Will you show me the rest of the house?” Mason asked at last.
Tiana glanced at her watch. “Yes, we should check out upstairs, my mom will be wondering where I am.”
He chuckled. “Doesn’t she trust you out on your own?”
“Not after she heard I went on a blind date last night.” Tiana led him out of the room and the hallway. “She always told me normal men don’t go on blind dates, they aren’t that desperate.”
“Great, your mom thinks I’m a loser who can’t get a date.”
“Something like that,” Tiana replied. Then she paused halfway up the stairs. “Why did you agree to a blind date? You could pick up any single woman you wanted.”
“You flatter me.” He fell silent, and then added, “It’s the first time I’ve ever been on a blind date.” He moved his hand along the banisters and covered her hand with his. “We could call it fate.”
“We could,” she acknowledged. “If you believe in that kind of thing.”
“You don’t?” Mason asked, his palm tingling as he kept his hand on hers.
“Not really. And if I did, I’d have to believe it has a warped sense of humor.” She turned away from him and resumed climbing the stairs. As she moved her hand slipped for under his and he longed to grab hold of her and never let go.
Or, take her to bed.
“This is the guest room.” Tiana pushed the door open and showed him a bed, made up with clean sheets and just begging to be laid on. Without even glancing at the bed, Tiana made her way to the window and looked out. “This is one of the best views from the house.”
Mason took it as an invitation to join her and skirted the bed as he closed the distance between them. “Wow.”
“Is this the best view you’ve ever seen?” she asked softly.
Mason half turned to face her. “Yes.” His eyes lingered on her face and she blushed, before turning her full attention back to the view of the mountains.
“This would be perfect for you if you really do want to move to Bear Creek.” Her voice ached with sadness as she added, “I’m not just saying that because it’s my parents’ house.”
He turned away from the view. “Show me the rest of the house.”
Upstairs there were two other bedrooms, none matched the view of the first room, but they were all good-sized rooms that looked out onto nothing but green. Green grass, green trees, a green mountain. Although in the winter the mountain would be coated in snow.
His bear rejoiced at the thought of rolling around in the snow and then shaking it off before rolling in it once more. There was something to be said for the simple pleasures in life.
After exploring upstairs, and somehow managing to keep his hands off his mate, they went back outside, and Tiana showed him the gardens. Complete with a garage and a small barn.
“You’re right, it would be perfect for me.” But how would Tiana feel living there? He couldn’t ask her because she didn’t know they were mates. However, Mason could not imagine living anywhere without her. Time for some tricky questions.
“Does that mean you might make an offer?” Tiana smiled, but it wasn’t genuine.
“No.” He watched her smile falter. “Why don’t we talk about how we could arrange the house so your parents could still live here?”
“I don’t see how.” Tiana stepped back and put her hands on her hips as she stared at the house. “There’s no way my dad can manage those stairs.”
“What if there was a stair lift?” Mason suggested.
“My mom’s worried he’ll fall off it and hurt himself on the stairs.” She shrugged. “I know, unlikely to happen, but she’s worried about something happening while she’s here on her own. One of the attractions of them moving here was the remoteness. Now it’s the thing that scares her the most. She pictures my dad lying on the floor hurt and her not being able to help him.”
“Understandable. So, what if they turned the downstairs into an apartment? They could extend out to add a sun room.” He walked toward the house and showed her where he would extend it. “I could have a gang of builders up here and get the work done in no time.”
Tiana liked that idea more. “How much would that cost? They poured their savings into this house when they bought it. They don’t have a lot left.”
“We could come to some arrangement. I could write it off as a business expense.”
“No.” She shook her head and put her hands up as if to ward him away. “We don’t know you, and you don’t owe us anything.”
“The offer is unconditional.” He wanted to help her, he wanted to help her parents. But to do that he was going to have to tell her the truth. All of it.
“People don’t do that kind of thing without conditions.” She turned and walked away from him, to look out over the valley below.
Mason moved with her, reaching for her arm and pulling her back toward him. “Tiana, can I ask you a question?”
Sh
e shied away from him and he let her go. With her feet hip-width apart and planted firmly on the ground as if she were ready to fight, she asked, “What?”
“You’ve lived here in Bear Creek for some years. You’ve gotten to meet a lot of people through the restaurant.” He wanted to tread very carefully and not freak her out if she didn’t know about shifters. However, this was the perfect place and the perfect time to tell her what she was to him.
His one true mate.
Chapter Seven – Tiana
Why did he care how many people she’d met at the restaurant?
“I have.” She looked at him kind of weird, unsure where this conversation would lead them. But before he had a chance to say any more, to tell her who he really was, her phone rang. “Sorry.” She glanced at the screen. “It’s my mom.”
She answered the call and walked off a few paces. “Tiana. Are you coming to pick me up?” Her mom sounded tired. Checking her watch, Tiana realized why, it was way past lunchtime.
“I am. Sorry, Mom, I got caught up with something.”
“Is the house all right?” Philippa asked.
“Yes, it’s fine. Give me ten minutes and I’ll be there.” Tiana swung around and faced Mason who was staring at her, with an expression approaching need. She swallowed hard, not willing to give into her own body’s response to that raw need. “Don’t worry.”
“I’ll see you soon.” Philippa ended the call.
She risked a glance at Mason. The moment was gone. Whatever he was about to say, it was too late. Tiana couldn’t figure out if she’d dodged a bullet or missed one of the most important conversations in her life.
Tiana walked back toward the house. “I promised to cut some of these roses and pick some raspberries. And I need to lock up the house.”
“What can I do?” Mason asked. “Since it’s my fault you’re late to pick up your mom.”
“Could you cut the roses? If you look in the barn, you’ll see my dad’s cutters. I’ll fetch a vase and lock the house.”
“Sure.” He turned on his heel and walked to the garage. Tiana was relieved to see he wasn’t in a bad mood over the interruption. Quentin had always been a sulker if things didn’t go his way. There was no way she wanted to date a man like that again, let alone marry him.
Tiana stood with her hand on the back door as she tried to figure out where that thought had come from. They’d known each other less than twenty-four hours and she was already thinking marriage?
Pushing the door open she went inside, retrieved her mom’s favorite vase, along with a Tupperware tub and after checking that everything was okay, she went back outside. Going around to the side of the house, she found Mason snipping the rose stems and carefully placing them on the ground.
“You look like a pro,” Tiana observed as she quickly picked some raspberries that were beautifully ripe.
“My mom is an avid gardener. Growing up I used to help her in the garden.” He snipped off a bloom and placed it with the others. “We grew a lot of our own food, too. My parents taught me to be self-sufficient.”
“Do you see them often?” Tiana asked. She wondered if his parents were still alive and well, or if he’d been hit by the death of one, or both, of them.
“I do. They live about twenty miles from here in Reamington.” He stood back and looked at the blooms. “Is that enough?”
“Yes, plenty.” Tiana sealed the Tupperware securely, then bent down and picked up the long stems one at a time and placed them in the vase. “Half for my dad and half for my mom.”
She paused, her hand halfway to the vase, and before she could stop herself, she erupted into sobs.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Mason bent down and wrapped his arms around her.
She wobbled into him and then overbalanced, taking him with her as she sat down heavily on the long grass. Mason shifted position and held her close against his chest as she cried. “I’m sorry,” she said when she trusted herself to speak again.
“Don’t be. This is a difficult time for you all. With your dad not well, and the sale of the house. It’s okay to let it out. I have broad shoulders, you can cry on them anytime.”
“I’m supposed to be strong for them just like they were strong for me.” She sniffed loudly and wiped her face on her sleeve.
“They’re your parents, you love them. You’re allowed to cry.” He let her go and then scooped the roses up, ignoring the sharp thorns as he transferred them to one arm and then offered her his hand. “Come on, your mom will be worried.”
Tiana placed her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. “Thanks.”
He put his arm around her shoulders and they walked slowly to the car, while she wiped her tears and caught her breath. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” he asked.
“Will you meet me here? We can clear the garden and I’ll bring a picnic. Since I owe you a date.” She smiled, wanting him to say yes. Tiana thought she was strong, thought she could bear the weight of her life on her own shoulders. But being with Mason showed her she didn’t have to. He was there for her, willing to share the good times and the bad.
“I told you, you don’t owe me anything. If you want to see me again, I want it to be because you want to, not because you feel obliged.”
“I do want to,” she admitted, her cheeks flushing pink. Without another thought, she leaned forward and kissed his mouth.
Mason’s arm tightened around her and he pulled her closer, wanting more.
Their kiss deepened. What began as a chaste peck on the lips became fueled by the passion they both felt. It was undeniable. And she didn’t want to fight it.
“You should go,” he whispered in her ear as their kiss broke.
She looked up, searching his eyes and knew he was telling her to go, not because she needed to pick up her mom, but because if she didn’t, he would give her one hundred and one pleasurable reasons to stay.
“Tomorrow. Same time.” She dumped everything into the trunk of her car.
“Same place.” He waved as she got in the car and drove away, leaving her heart with him.
The drive to the inpatient rehabilitation facility passed by unnoticed. Her thoughts were too consumed with Mason to take in the wonderful view, or the sound of the birds in the trees. However, reality soon came crashing back down around her when she saw her mom waiting for her.
“I was worried,” Philippa said accusingly.
“Sorry.” Tiana fetched the roses from the trunk. “Shall we go and give these to Dad? I just need to add water.”
“He’s having his lunch,” Philippa told her daughter. “That’s why I’m out here.”
“They wouldn’t let you stay while he ate?” Tiana asked.
Philippa looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. She was seated on a bench which bore a small brass remembrance plaque. “He doesn’t like me watching him eat. He says he looks like a baby.”
“Oh, Mom.” Tiana sat down next to her mom and gave her a hug. “I’m sorry, I should have been here earlier.”
“Why were you so long?” Philippa’s eyes shone brightly with tears. “I need my lunch, too.”
Sometimes it was as if her parents had regressed and Tiana was the adult and they were the children, both helpless in their own ways. Philippa had never learned to drive. Up until her husband’s stroke, this had never been an issue. But now she was left stranded unless someone was around to drive her where she needed to go.
It had been the deciding factor for the house sale. The property was too remote for them with no way of getting into town unless someone fetched them.
“There was someone viewing the house.” Tiana stared into the distance as Philippa gasped.
“Our house?” Philippa’s question was rhetorical, but Tiana answered all the same.
“Yes. It was the guy who I met last night on my date.”
Philippa sucked in her breath sharply. “That’s a coincidence. Or did you tell him about the house? Is he trying to rob us?”
“No, Mom. He’s not trying to rob you. He works in property. Plus, he’s looking for a place to live in Bear Creek.” Tiana put her arm around her mom and gave her a reassuring hug.
“Is he one of those shifters?” Philippa whispered.
Tiana’s arm stiffened, and her breath came fast. “I don’t know.” She hesitated. “What do you know about shifters?”
“We see them sometimes on the mountain. And we hear things.” She glanced at her daughter. “You’ve never seen one?”
“We live in town, I’ve never seen a bear walking past the front door,” Tiana admitted. “I sometimes wonder if it’s all made up.”
“They are real. I believe the hotel owner, Julius, is one. He moved in next door a few months ago.” Philippa considered it for a moment. “I hope this man of yours is one.”
“Why?” Tiana asked.
“Because they mate for life. You wouldn’t have any of this running off with someone else business. I like Quentin and all, but he should have stayed with you.” Philippa patted Tiana’s hand. “You deserve a man who will stay with you forever.”
“Like Dad stayed with you.” Tiana rested her head against her mom’s hair. “We’ll figure it all out. You know that, right?”
Philippa nodded. “Let’s take those roses inside and then we can get home and eat.” Philippa picked up the roses and inhaled deeply. “If anything is going to make your dad pull himself together, the scent of these roses will.”
“You know he can’t help it, don’t you, Mom?” Tiana asked.
“I do. But I don’t like to think of him being helpless.” They walked into the home hand in hand.
Tiana took a moment to go over what her mom had said. When she saw Haley at work this evening, she was going to ask her about Mason. If anyone knew if he was a shifter, she would. They were long-term friends.
But how did you broach a subject like that?
***
“A what?” Sorcha exclaimed loudly.
“A shifter. You know, the ones who can change into animals?” Haley’s eyes widened. “You two didn’t know about them?”
Blind Date Bear Page 5
