Baker Bear

  “Let me get the room ready for you,” Adele said, standing from the table. “Why don't you grab your things from the hall and follow me?”

  Donika grabbed her box with her gun and her money and tucked it under her arm as she followed her mother into the craft room.

  What she found on the other side of the door was nothing short of mind boggling. It would have been a nightmare for anyone with OCD or a compulsion for tidiness. Her mother was involved in just about every craft you could name.

  An entire table was covered in cups of tiny, multicolored beads. Another table was stocked with squares of fabric. A sewing machine was tucked in the corner and racks and racks of folded fabric dominated the shelves. More craft supplies were pouring out of the closet. Painting, needlework, crochet, anything that you could buy from the craft supply store, she had it.

  “Now where am I going to put this?” her mother said, looking down at a cat appliqué.

  It seemed a random small item to be concerned about. This was going to take forever. Donika grumbled under her breath. There was a small couch in the corner covered in fabric and yarn. She suspected that would be her bed for the duration.

  “Does this couch pull out?” Donika asked.

  “Oh yes, the couch. Of course.”

  Adele left the room and came back several moments later with a cardboard box. She began packing the fabric and yarn into the box so that Donika could actually see the color of the couch. Adele pulled off the cushions and withdrew the pullout bed.

  The mattress folded out, looking thin, lumpy, and anything but comfortable. But at least it was free. Donika didn't have very much to live on until she could figure out what to do about Mr. Shyster. Her mother pulled some sheets out of an overstuffed closet and helped Donika make the bed. Then Adele grabbed a few pillows with handmade pillowcases on them and plopped them on to the pullout. She stood back, crossing her arms and looking at the bed.

  “There you go,” Adele said brightly. “Now you'll be as snug as a bug.”

  “Snug as a bug,” Donika muttered. That sounded accurate.

  Donika was used to pillow top mattresses and five-hundred thread count Egyptian cotton sheets. But her mother's dusty pullout with some worn-out sheets from twenty years ago would have to suffice. The appliquéd cat pillow cases just topped it all off.

  She let out a deep breath, reminding herself to be grateful. She was in no position to be picky about her accommodations.

  “Dinner should be done in a few minutes. Why don't you make yourself at home and come join us in the kitchen?”

  “Thanks mom,” she said, leaning in to give Adele a hug. “I'm really happy to be home.”

  “Well, we're happy to have you, Donika,” her mom said.

  Adele hurried off out of the room and Donika sat down on the lumpy, thin mattress with a deep sigh. She was so despondent and worried, she didn't know what to do. Looking around the room, she saw an old newspaper open on one of the tables under all the beadwork. There was a full-page advertisement for a dating website called Mate.com. It said it matched up shifters and humans.

  She knew shifters had what were called fated mates, the only person they wanted in all the world. Donika had been too busy to find anyone to settle down with, even if she’d wanted to. She went on dates and had a few casual relationships. It was a pretty normal state of affairs for young working women in New York City.

  But after nearly killing herself on the highway today, she was beginning to think differently about the whole mating thing. Maybe she really needed someone to love her and take care of her. She picked up her laptop, connected to the Wi-Fi, and tabbed over to Mate.com.

  She gritted her teeth, wondering if this was a silly and stupid thing to do. But right now, she didn't feel like she had anything to lose. So, she filled out the ridiculous questionnaire and pressed enter. As soon as she was done, the site prompted her to fill out a profile and then her matches started to load. She pursed her lips as the loading icon spun on her computer. Just then, her mother swooped in through the door.

  “Dinner's done.”

  Donika set her laptop on the bed, feeling silly for joining the site anyway. Even if she did want a boyfriend, or as the shifters said, a mate, she was in no position to burden anyone with her baggage. Especially a nice, loyal shifter man who would love her unconditionally. She was in too much trouble for anyone to love. She couldn't expect someone to just swoop into her life and fix all her problems.

  She stood from the foldout bed and left her laptop in the craft room, following Adele down the hall to the kitchen where Pearl had dinner ready on the table. Pork ribs, green beans, cornbread and all the comfort food and flavors of home. Her mouth watered at the delicious scent and her heart hurt at the thought of how long she'd been away.

  She sat down at the table and put a napkin on her lap. She looked at her mom and grandma as they began to scoop food up onto her plate. It may have taken unthinkable tragedy to bring her home, but she knew it was exactly what she needed.

  Chapter 8

  The first thing Grayson did every morning after turning off his alarm, was check Mate.com. When he brought the screen to his eyes, he could barely believe what he saw in front of him.

  “Congratulations, we’ve found your fated mate.”

  He jumped out of bed and scrambled to his feet, pacing the floor with a thrill in his heart. He clicked the link on the text and opened the profile of his fated mate. He read her profile name. Donika. It must have been her real name, he thought. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld. Long black hair and milk chocolate skin. Big brown eyes and a smile that could melt your heart. Her lips were lush and gorgeous, and he instantly found himself dreaming about kissing them, soft and slow, tasting every nuance of her flavor. He growled low in his throat and his inner bear reared up on his back legs, roaring.

  “Mate, mate, mate!”

  “Calm down, boy,” he told himself.

  He sat back down on the bed and read her profile. She didn't say a lot about herself—only that she was a big time New York City lawyer. But it looked like she was from Fate Valley. He couldn't believe his luck. The profile said she'd be staying in her hometown for a while and was interested in finding out if she had a fated mate. His bear rumbled in his chest. Of course she had a fated mate. It was him!

  After reading her short profile and looking at the two pictures she had loaded, he hurried through his morning routine. It was still very early in the day and she was probably still sleeping. He decided to put off sending her a message until later. He didn't want to wake her up in the middle of the night with the cellphone notification.

  After his shower and changing into fresh clothes, he grabbed his things, pulled on his coat, and made his way to work. At the Fate Valley Café and Bakery, he came in through the back door and turned on the lights in the kitchen. Sitting his cellphone on the counter, he looked at it longingly, wanting to call her and text her and meet her right away. But he couldn't wake her up just because his bear was rumbling and grumbling and roaring inside his mind. He had to get his head straight. He had pastries to bake.

  He turned on the ovens and pulled out his ingredients for the recipes he made every day. After his third cup of coffee, he popped the trays of cinnamon rolls into the oven. He couldn't resist any longer. He went to his phone and picked it up. It was now 5 AM, the time of day a normal person might get out of bed. He knew she probably still wasn't awake.

  He couldn't resist texting her. She’d probably sleep through a notification. He pressed the link to Mate.com and clicked on the “message now” button. He took a deep breath and began to type.

  “Hello Donika. My name is Grayson Baxter. As you probably already know, we’ve been matched as fated mates. I can't wait to meet you. I'm baking you a special cake right now, and I’d love to bring it over so you can share it with your loved ones.”

  He hit send and set his phone back down. He liked the tone of his message and he was satisfied for now. Whe
n he’d finished the day’s baking and all the bread and pastries were cooling on the trays, Kitty showed up to open the café.

  He then started on his special cake for his dear Miss Donika. He chose to make a lemon cake like he did for a lot of weddings. It was one of his specialties. He pulled the fresh lemons out of the fridge and began to mix everything together. One of the most important components of making a lemon cake was a fluffy batter. He whipped his egg whites to perfection and folded them into the batter. He then poured it into the lined cake tins and put them in the oven.

  “What’s that for?” Kitty asked, walking into the kitchen.

  “I'm baking a special cake for my mate.”

  “You found your mate?” she asked with excitement.

  “I sure did. Her name is Donika. She's a big-time lawyer from New York City, but she's in Fate Valley visiting her family.”

  “Have you talked to her yet?” Kitty asked.

  “No, not yet. I just found out we were matched this morning. I'm sure that she’s still asleep.”

  “Well, it's seven a.m. now. She might be awake. Have you checked your phone?”

  He hadn't checked his phone since he’d sent his text and started baking the cake. That had been quite some time ago. He scrambled to the back of the kitchen and grabbed his cellphone, his hands still covered in flour. He flicked his floured finger over the screen and found that he had a new text message from Mate.com.

  “Hi Baker Bear. I mean Grayson. LOL. It is nice to meet you. I was surprised I was matched with a shifter so fast. It's not what I expected.”

  Grayson's heart sank, and he felt like his world was going to shatter right before his eyes. But then he noticed there was another text, so he opened it.

  “I would love to meet you and taste that special cake you’re baking for me. My family owns the Fate Valley Inn on the lake, and I'm sure that they would love to have the chance to taste a piece of your cake.”

  His heart sang, and he mashed the button on his screen to reply.

  “When should I come over?” he asked.

  “My family is busy today with a bunch of guests checking into the inn. But Granny told me to invite you over for dinner.”

  He hit reply and began typing.

  “I'll see you tonight then,” he said. “And I'll bring you the most delicious cake you've ever eaten.”

  “I can't wait,” she typed back. “And neither can Granny.”

  The cake timer dinged, and Kitty stood there staring at him.

  “Well?” she asked.

  “I'm bringing the cake over to the Fate Valley Inn tonight,” he said, pulling the cakes out of the oven. They were baked to perfection.

  “Oh, that's so exciting,” she said, clapping her hands. “Congratulations, Grayson. I'm so happy for you.”

  “Thank you, Kitty. I'm so excited, I barely know what to do. I'm surprised my recipes even came out this morning.”

  “Everything looks just as delicious as usual,” she said. “Don't be nervous. I'm sure everything is going to be wonderful for you. You deserve it.”

  Grayson took a deep breath and let it out as he pulled his cakes out of the tins and let them cool. He began mixing together the frosting and fantasizing about his future with Donika. He was nervous because she was from New York and had a job there.

  How could they be together if she went back to New York? He would never want to keep her from her work. He imagined starting over in New York City as a small-town baker from Fate Valley. It made him nervous to think about, but he was sure that he could do it if he had to. Anything was possible when you loved someone enough. When his cakes were cool, he began frosting them. He put everything into the fridge when it was done and decided to go home before his big date with Donika that night.

  Usually he tried to rest this time of day, but he was so wound up, he just couldn't do it. Instead, he strapped on his running shoes and ran out onto his favorite trail around the lake. Filling his lungs with cold lake air, his legs pumped and his arms swung. It felt so good. It was exactly what he needed to calm himself down. By the time he'd run five miles around the lake and come back to his house, he felt ready to face the rest of the day.

  Chapter 9

  Donika couldn't believe that she had already been matched with a shifter. When she looked at his picture, her knees nearly buckled. He was the hottest man she had laid her eyes on. After dating all the metrosexuals in New York, Grayson's rugged good looks, tattooed, muscled chest, and dark brown beard were a breath of fresh air.

  He was the epitome of a manly man. She nearly drooled over the picture of him in his red flannel shirt. It was open at the chest, the arms folded back, showing off all his muscles as he stood by the lake. He was holding a big fish in his hand. It should have been corny, but instead, it was the sexiest thing she’d seen in ages. She had to sit and fan herself.

  What was she supposed to do with this guy? He was a shifter and shifters mated for life. She was just a human in a whole heap of trouble. She couldn't ask him to take on her baggage. It was just too much. She stood from the uncomfortable bed in the craft room, her back aching and her heart pounding with excitement and walked into the kitchen where she found her grandmother sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

  “You're never going to believe what happened to me this morning,” she said.

  “What's that, dear? I've been around a long time. I can believe a lot of things.”

  “I was matched with a shifter on Mate.com.”

  “A shifter? I hear they're awfully good-looking,” Pearl said.

  “Oh, he's good-looking all right. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do with him.”

  “I think the appropriate thing would be to date him,” her grandmother said, before taking a sip of coffee.

  Donika smirked as she poured herself a cup of coffee with cream and sugar and took a seat next to her grandmother at the table.

  “Look at this, Granny,” she said, showing Pearl a picture of Grayson on her laptop.

  Her grandmother looked at the screen, squinting as she held it at a distance and looked through her glasses.

  “Well, that's what I call a big hunk of man meat,” her grandmother said.

  “Grandma!” Donika said, taking the computer back.

  “I think I know that fellow,” Pearl said. “He’s the owner of Fate Valley Café and Bakery. He makes a mean blueberry scone.”

  “That's what it says here in his profile.”

  “You could do worse, that's for sure.”

  “Oh, I just got a text. He wants to meet me. He's telling me he's making me a special cake.”

  “Well, I’d jump right on that if I were you. His cakes are delicious.”

  “Grandma. I work in New York,” she said. “What am I supposed to do with a baker from Fate Valley?”

  “I think we've already been over that,” Grandma Pearl said, looking at Donika over her reading glasses. “Didn’t you say you were staying for an extended sabbatical?”

  “Well, I’m going back to my job in New York, eventually,” Donika lied.

  The fact was, she had no idea what was going to happen in her life. It could be anything. She was being sued. Her bank account was frozen. And she had a sinking sense that she was being followed. It wasn't a good scene. In many ways, it felt like her life was over, and she didn't even know who she was anymore. How was she supposed to start a whole new relationship with this rugged outdoorsy type baker guy from Fate Valley? The idea just made her depressed.

  “What should I say?” she asked.

  “Invite him over for dinner,” Pearl said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “I guess that's the appropriate thing to do.”

  “Of course it is. I want a piece of that cake.”

  “Okay, okay, Granny,” Donika said. “I'll invite him over for dinner.”

  “Good. I’ll get some free cake, and you’ll get to meet a hot guy. Sounds perfect.”

  “I'm sure the fam
ily will make an excellent impression,” Donika said, more nervous than before.

  Meeting a shifter from Fate Valley was one thing, but immediately introducing him to her entire crazy family? That was another thing entirely.

  “Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all,” she muttered.

  “Why not?” Pearl asked. “Are you ashamed of us? Is that why you haven't come home in two years?”

  “Of course not, Granny. It's just that I usually don't introduce men to my entire family on our first date.”

  “When I was a girl,” her granny started.

  “I know, I know. Everything was different that back then. Everybody knew everybody else. What? Did you and Grandpa have an arranged marriage or something?”

  “Of course not. Don't be ridiculous. But people did know each other back then, and parents would know any boy that courted their daughter before they started courting. So, I do think it's appropriate for you to bring him over here on your first date. Thank you very much.”

  “Grandma, we met on a dating app. Need I say more?” Donika held the computer up to Pearl.

  “Just invite him over,” her grandmother said.

  “All right, you don't have to get crabby about it.”

  Donika typed out a text, telling Grayson she’d love to meet him, and waited for his reply.

  “Well, what did he say?”

  “He hasn’t responded. He’s probably busy.”

  Donika took her laptop back to her room and left it there before going to the shower and getting dressed. When she came back out of the bathroom she sat down on the bed with her phone and replied to Grayson's new texts. To her surprise, he responded immediately.

  They texted back and forth for a minute and she invited him over for dinner that night at six. She was satisfied with the exchange. He didn't seem like a kook, and that was more than she could say for her family. This guy really didn't know what he was getting into—with her or with the crazy bunch that she called her blood. But the website had matched them and apparently it had some ridiculously high accuracy rate when it came to matching mates.