“Yes. I did say that. And I meant it at the time. But things change and so have I. I came to Fate Mountain to go to the Bright Institute for Shifters to learn woodworking.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“And so I could steal jewels from Caitlin Somerset’s Louis the Fifteenth chest and give them to my psycho ex-boyfriend the mob boss.”
“Oh. Well, that sounds more believable.”
“I’m glad you finally believe something I say.”
“How did you get involved with the mob?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
“It’s a long story. But I just want you to know that I didn’t get involved with crime to be a criminal. I had real feelings for Dima when we first got together. I was just part of his entourage for a long time. When he found out I was a shifter, that’s when things changed.
“He wanted me to start using my abilities for his benefit. After I lost a million dollars’ worth of jewels in an airport, he held me like a prisoner, with the threat of death hanging over my head every day.
“Then he told me to come to Fate Mountain to steal the jewels. Enrolling in the Institute and studying woodworking were all my ideas. He stopped giving me money so I needed a way to pay my way while I studied for the heist. Caitlin didn’t even store her jewels at her Oregon estate until a week ago when I was finally able to break in.”
“So this was all just preparation for a heist?” he asked.
“Yes. It was.”
“I should have known.”
“But since I’ve been here, I’ve realized there’s been a huge hole in my heart. I finally see what I’ve been missing all along. Now that I have Rollo in my life, everything makes sense.”
“What about your apprenticeship with Angus?” Corey asked. “Was that just part of the heist too? Because Angus thinks you are really talented.”
“Angus is the best. And I’m going back to work at the woodshop tomorrow. I never would have imagined myself as a woodworker, but I love it. I can’t wait to learn everything Angus can teach me.”
“I’m glad, Zoe. I’ve worried about you for a long time, but it seems like you’re finally finding your way after all.”
“I am Corey. I really am.”
“I’m glad we had this talk,” Corey said.
Zoe stood up from her chair and threw her arms around her brother, giving him a tight squeeze. He returned the hug, and patted her back like she was making him uncomfortable.
“Me too,” she said, letting him go. “Come downstairs. Willow is making us turkey sandwiches.”
“I love her sandwiches,” Corey said with a gleam in his eyes.
They walked downstairs together and found Willow finishing up lunch in the kitchen.
“How do you find time to take care of this guy and write all those books, Willow?” Zoe asked.
“By making time for two of my favorite shifters,” Willow said, smiling at the Bright siblings.
They all took their lunch out onto the deck and ate in the fresh air at a dining area on the massive porch. As the cool breeze blew up from the lake and swept through Zoe’s hair, she finally felt like she was part of a family again.
18
Rollo and Zoe pulled up in front of the Fate Mountain Lodge in his SUV. In the months since the helicopter explosion, Zoe had moved in with Rollo and they had moved on with their happy little life together. Things had been going so well and so smoothly for them that it was hard to believe that things had started out so dramatically.
They hopped out of the car and made their way around the side of the lodge toward the big backyard and patios that faced the lake. There was already a big crowd of people, enjoying the summer celebration. Rollo held Zoe’s hand, feeling the warm glow of community rise in his chest. He could tell that Zoe felt it too as she squeezed his hand and they walked into the party.
Rollo saw Shane Keenan making hamburgers at the huge grill on the patio. Levi, the owner of the lodge, and his mate Juliet were sitting at a picnic table drinking margaritas while their daughter Sunshine ran around with a gaggle of other shifter children. It did his heart good to see the shifters on Fate Mountain doing so well and celebrating with their families.
It was everything that he wanted to facilitate as chief of police. Now that he had Zoe, he could create his own family. Angus Grant and his wife Poppy waved them over to the picnic table where they were sitting on the lawn under a big maple tree that cast a wide swath of shade over the green grass. Rollo and Zoe walked over to Angus and Poppy to join them at the table.
“Are the burgers ready yet?” Rollo asked with a grin.
“You can go ask Shane, but I would stay out of his way while he’s cooking,” Angus said.
Everyone laughed. Shane was known for his wild side. Rollo glanced over and saw Shane flipping the patties onto a tray for the waiting guests.
“I’ll go get us some food,” he told Zoe.
He rose from the table and Zoe smiled up at him and thanked him. He walked over to the end of the table that was full of picnic food and dished up two plates for him and Zoe. When he got to the end of the line, he greeted Shane and thanked him for the delicious burgers.
“Not a problem, Commander Morris,” Shane said. “All of the Rescue Bears are happy that the alpha of the Bear Patrol has found his mate.”
“That means a lot to me, Shane,” Rollo said, giving the tattooed chef a pat on the back. “The life we build here on Fate Mountain is a legacy for our children.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Shane said, glancing over at his beautiful blonde wife Lily and their eight-year-old son Theo.
Theo Keenan was a rambunctious little bear shifter who was walking on his hands and showing off for all of the other children. His mom called out to him from her picnic table, “Now do the backflip, sweetie!”
Rollo knew that Lily was a bear shifter now after Shane had turned her. It probably made things a lot easier for her as the mom of a shifter cub.
Rollo took his plates back to the picnic table where Zoe was discussing planing techniques with Angus. His beautiful, worldly mate had become a bit of a wood geek. Angus had even started taking her out on cabinet installs, and she was a regular part of his crew. No one would have believed that the girl with flashing green eyes and bright red lipstick would be one of the best woodworkers in town. But she was, and Rollo couldn’t be more proud.
Zoe thanked him for the burger right when Willow and Corey walked over to sit beside them. Poppy stood up abruptly to go check on her child, who was the youngest of the Rescue Bear’s kids. Still being a human, it was hard for Poppy to deal with her high-spirited cub’s physicality.
“He’ll be all right,” Angus said.
“Those kids are a handful,” Zoe said, looking over at the children playing on the grass.
All of the Rescue Bears had cubs except for Willow and Corey. Zoe had told him that Willow wanted children, but she just wasn’t ready to get pregnant yet. Rollo remembered that story because Zoe had told him at that time how she also wanted to put off having children.
He absolutely respected anything that Zoe wanted to do with her own body, and he would never dream of pressuring her to bear his cubs. But he couldn’t help feeling the urge to become a father. Then their family would be complete.
“When are you and Willow going to have a cub?” Angus said before taking a sip of Fate Mountain lager from an amber bottle.
“We’ve talked about it,” Willow said. “We’re just both so busy right now. But I think in a year or two, we’ll be ready.”
“There’s no rush,” Corey said. “Willow and I have time.”
“Are you trying to convince these two to have a cub?” Drew asked, setting another six pack of bottles on the picnic table.
Drew Bock was known as Brew Bear to the Rescue Bears because he owned the Fate Mountain brewery.
“We’ll do it in our own damn time,” Corey growled.
“Fatherhood has changed my life,” Drew said, picking up hi
s little son Max off the ground.
The Rescue Bears had all had a headstart on the Bear Patrol when it came to mates and families. Rollo, the commander of his crew, was the first on the Bear Patrol to find someone.
Deputy Bear Knox joined the picnic just in time to hear the discussion about babies. He moved around the table and slapped Rollo on the back.
“Corey isn’t the only bear who needs to get busy making cubs,” Knox said.
Rollo couldn’t be any more furious at his deputy for Zoe’s sake, but he knew that Knox was only kidding around.
“I’m ready to do whatever Zoe is ready to do,” Rollo said, putting his hands up in the air.
“Kids take a lot of time,” said Damien as he sat down at the picnic table with a beer.
“They do,” Willow said.
“Is the whole Bear Patrol here?” Rollo asked Damien and Knox.
They had decided the patrol should take a short break from their duties to join the Rescue Bears at the summer barbecue at the lodge today. There were humans on the force who were happy to take over while the bears had a picnic.
Rollo thought it was important that the bears of Fate Mountain stick together, especially since the Rescue Bears and the Bear Patrol worked together so often on cases. They were really like one big happy family. But he wanted his crew, and Levi’s crew to know each other better.
“I’m here,” said Heath.
Heath sat down next to Zoe and gave her a friendly pat on the back. “What are you guys talking about?”
“We’re talking about babies,” Angus said as Poppy sat down beside him with their son Mason and her arms. Mason was only a year old but he was already showing signs of his precocious bear shifter nature.
“You’re not gonna have a baby yet are you Zoe?” Heath asked.
“I’ve thought about it.”
“If you have a baby, I’m sure we can accommodate you at the woodshop. No problem,” Angus said.
“I know, Angus,” Zoe said affectionately to her mentor.
Angus tipped his beer bottle at Zoe and winked.
“Where is Gauge?” Rollo asked.
“Gauge is off doing Gauge,” Knox said. “You can’t ever pin that one down.”
It was true, Detective Bear was a hard one to get a handle on. He was one of the best investigators that Rollo had ever known, but he was also a bit of a wild card. Rollo never quite knew what he was going to do next. Gauge been working on a case extensively for months and would spend long periods of time out in the field without reporting back to Rollo.
“I wanted him to join the party,” Rollo said. “Gauge needs a community as much as anybody else.”
“I don’t think he’s coming,” Knox said.
“Why not?” Rollo asked.
“I don’t think it’s something we can talk about in public,” Knox said, shoving a bite of watermelon in his mouth.
That started to get Rollo a little bit worried, but he wasn’t going to let it spoil the picnic.
“Who’s ready for fireworks?” Levi said, standing over the children with his daughter Sunshine in his arms.
All of the children screamed in approval as did his mate Juliet who clapped and cheered him on. Levi had a permit to shoot fireworks off of the islands located in the middle of the lake. It was an attraction to the area that visitors enjoyed throughout the summer. With the sun going down, it was a perfect time to shoot off some fireworks.
Levi handed Sunshine to Juliet and walked off with Shane to a rowboat. They got inside and rode out to the island. About fifteen minutes later, as the sun sank behind the mountains and the outdoor lights blinked on, the first of the fireworks shot into the night sky.
All of the children screamed in awe, and Rollo wrapped his arm around Zoe’s shoulder, holding her close. The rockets burst into the air, spraying out their colorful sparks and drawing out gasps and laughter from the children and adults alike.
By the time the fireworks show was over, and Levi and Shane had come back to land, Rollo knew it was about time to get going. He had an early patrol in the morning and had to get some sleep. As he and Zoe were making their way through the parking lot to his car, Detective Gauge moved out of the shadows to stand in front of them.
“Commander,” Gauge said at a whisper. “I need to speak with you in private.”
“Can’t this wait?” Rollo asked.
“I have important information about the case I’ve been working on,” Gauge said.
“I’m going to take Zoe home, and I’ll meet you down at the station,” Rollo said.
“Meet you there in fifteen minutes,” Gauge said, slipping back into the shadows in the parking lot.
“What was that all about?” Zoe asked as she climbed into the car.
“Gauge is onto something, apparently.”
He took Zoe home and dropped her off out front and hurried back to the station. Gauge had been working on a local drug ring that they had not been able to shut down so far. It was like a mythological hydra. Every time you cut off one head, two more heads sprang up to replace it. Fate Mountain had been experiencing a surge of drug-related activity, and Gauge had been deep in his investigation.
Rollo walked into the police station and found Gauge sitting at his desk, where Rollo had not seen him in a long time.
“Let’s talk in my office,” Rollo said.
They walked into his office and Rollo closed the door. “What is it, Gauge?”
“I think I’ve found where they are headquartered,” Gauge said excitedly. “But I need to go undercover.”
“You think it’s wise to go undercover at this point in the investigation?”
“It’s the only way that I will get the information I need to bring them down,” Gauge said.
“How do you know that they won’t recognize you?” Rollo asked.
“I’ve been extremely secretive the entire time I’ve investigated this case. It is unlikely that any of them have any idea what I look like.”
“Can you give me a timeline, detective? How long are you going to be undercover?”
“I don’t know, Commander, but I need to drop out of sight asap. I’m too close to screw it up now.”
“You have my permission to go undercover, Gauge. But I need you to report back to me regularly. And take care of yourself out there. We need you on the Bear Patrol.”
“Yes sir,” Gauge said slipping out of Rollo’s office and into the night.
19
Zoe waited up for Rollo to return home while reading a copy of Woodworker’s Magazine in their comfy, king-sized bed. He walked through the door of the bedroom, looking surprised to see her awake.
“I thought you’d be sleeping by now,” Rollo said, moving through the room to get ready for bed.
He pulled off his shirt and kicked off his shoes before going into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He came out of the bathroom with a brush in his mouth, pulling the contents of his pockets out and discarding them on top of the secret compartment chest Zoe and Angus had built as their first project. Zoe watched Rollo move back into the bathroom with a mischievous grin on her face. She could barely contain what she had to tell him.
Rollo emerged from the bathroom a moment later in his boxers. He sat on the bed and turned off the light on his side before laying down on his pillow.
“What did Gauge need to tell you?” Zoe asked.
“He wants to go undercover on this case he’s been investigating.”
“I see,” she said, putting her magazine on her side table.
She slid down beside Rollo and caressed his chest as she gazed at his profile. Rollo wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into his chest. He kissed her head, holding her tight.
“The barbeque was fun, wasn’t it?” Zoe said.
“It was great to have both crews together.”
“Angus sure was making a case for babies today,” Zoe said.
“Does he talk about that at work much?”
“We’ve di
scussed it a few times. He loves being a dad to Mason. Although, Poppy is having a bit of a challenge letting go of her human expectations. Angus loves his family more than anything and just wants everyone to get a chance to experience it.”
“I know. Angus is a great guy,” Rollo said.
“What do you think about babies?” she asked, tentatively.
“What do I think about them? Kids are great. I want some of my own someday.”
“When do you think you’ll be ready?”
Rollo lifted her chin so she was looking him straight in the eye.
“I’ve been ready since day one,” he said in a rumbling voice.
“Oh. I didn’t realize. But I guess I should have known from all the bareback sex.”
“I want what you want, Zoe.”
“I have something to tell you, Rollo. I’ve been so excited to say it all day.”
“What is it, kitty?”
“I had my birth control stick taken out yesterday.”
“You did?” he said in a shocked tone. “What about your work? It will be hard to do with a baby on board.”
“Angus guarantees me we’ll work things out. He’s literally baby crazy. Poppy needs more time for another cub so he’s encouraging everyone else he knows to have kids instead.”
“And he’s been doing it to you?”
“Only in the sweetest way possible. Mostly telling me if I want to take a break or alter my schedule to have a child and take care of a little one, he will be the ‘most accommodating boss in the history of the world.’ He actually said that.”
“And you really want to do it? Is Zoe Bright really ready for a baby?”
“Rollo, all I want is you. I want every bit of you. Having your child inside me would be like having a part of you closer to me for nine months. And then we would have our child to love. It would make our family complete.”
Rollo grabbed her and slid her under him. Zoe let out a playful shriek as he sank between her legs, his erection already stiff against her core.