He parked outside the Fate Valley Resort. Being a weeknight after Valentine’s Day, it wasn’t very crowded. It was the off-season in Fate Valley. The lake was cold and dark this time of year and not many people came out to fish or spend time on the beaches like they did in the summer.
He came around the other side of the car and opened the door for her. He offered his hand to help her step out of the car. Her pumps clicked on the pavement as she came to stand beside him. They walked arm in arm through the parking lot and came to the front entrance of the resort. Inside the lobby, the warm lights glowed all around. The fire blazing in the big brick fireplace thawed the deep chill of the February night air.
“Darling, table for two,” he said to the restaurant hostess as they approached.
She checked the reservation book and nodded. Grabbing two menus from the menu holder, she escorted them through the restaurant. The tinkling of conversation and cutlery against china mixed with the light music that played on the stereo.
The hostess sat them at a table by the window. Samantha slid into her seat across from Benjamin and looked down at her menu.
“Can I get you anything to drink, some wine perhaps?” the hostess asked, filling their water glasses.
“I’ll take your finest bottle of champagne,” Ben said.
Samantha looked up at him when he said that, and gave him a strange look.
“Very good,” the hostess said. “The sommelier will be with you in just a moment.”
“I want to celebrate our first date,” he explained.
“I never refuse a nice glass of champagne,” she chuckled.
The sommelier came and poured them both glasses of champagne. They tested the flavor and agreed it was nice. He left the bottle in a bucket of ice. Samantha sipped from her flute while perusing the menu. The waitress introduced herself as Molly, giving them a basket of French bread to munch on, and gave them a few moments to decide on their dinner. When she returned, she asked them if they were ready.
“I’ll have the surf and turf with lobster. I’d like my steak rare, and I’ll take the potatoes for my side,” Ben said.
“I’ll have exactly the same thing,” Samantha said, handing Molly her menu.
Samantha buttered a piece of French bread and took another sip of champagne.
“It’s lovely here,” she said, looking out the window at the view of the lake.
The moon shone brightly on the dark lake waters. The lake was framed by the gentle slopes of forested hillsides. The winter branches of dogwood trees splayed out like fingertips in the night sky.
“Fate Valley Resort is great. I haven’t been since New Year’s Eve. There was quite some drama that night.”
“What happened?”
“There was a murder. It was quite the mystery. But my friend Thorian, who everyone calls Celebration Bear, solved it. He and his mate Cici just got married a few days ago. I’m sure they’re still up at the Fate Rock Cabin enjoying the honeymoon.”
“Wow, I had no idea.”
“Speaking of mysteries,” Benjamin said. “You are a mystery to me.”
“I suppose I am,” she said with a chuckle, sipping her champagne. “What would you like to know?”
“What’s your family like? What was it like growing up in New York City?”
“There isn’t much to tell about my family. My mother died in childbirth and my father was never identified, so I grew up in foster care. I had the typical foster child experience. Some homes were better than others. It wasn’t the best childhood, but I grew up determined to do something better with myself. I wanted to prove everyone wrong about children who grew up in the system.
“I worked hard in school and got a scholarship to NYU. I studied history and journalism. After getting my Masters, I was offered a job at the Historic Times. I’ve been working there ever since.”
His heart burst for her. She had overcome so much. “You are a strong and determined women,” Benjamin said. “I can’t tell you how much I admire you.”
“Thank you, Ben,” she said, taking another bite of buttered French bread.
Molly returned with their orders, and they began to dig into the delicious meal. Benjamin’s steak was cooked and seasoned to perfection. The meat melted in his mouth, and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d tasted a meal so enjoyable.
“Tell me about your family,” Samantha said. “You’re originally from Fate Valley?”
“Yes. My grandfather founded the store in 1948, after the Second World War. Then my father took over in the seventies. He and my mother have retired, and I’ve taken over the store. I have a brother named Maverick who’s currently serving in the military. He’ll be returning home next year. I see my family quite often. My father comes into the store to give me pointers on chocolate making all the time. I think many children of artisans would be annoyed by that, but I appreciate my old man’s help whenever he offers it.”
“That’s really nice, Benjamin. I wish I had a family story like that to tell.”
“I was incredibly lucky. I know that.”
“How much younger is your brother than you?”
“Ten years. You’ll meet him when he returns home.”
Samantha blushed, examining her plate. She took another bite of steak and looked out the window.
“I shouldn’t have presumed,” he said, his heart beating faster.
“It’s okay,” she said. “I know that you’re excited, and I can’t blame you.”
“I’m glad you understand.”
“I understand enough about shifters to know that meeting me is very important to you. I also understand that without me, you will live a life of loneliness.”
“Not many people would get that.”
“It’s a lot of pressure.”
“There are many considerations that male shifters need to make when dealing with human females. Since there are far fewer female shifters than males, we often find our mates among humans. But human women are not like shifter women. They don’t have the same instincts.”
“Are you disappointed that I’m human?” Samantha asked with a spark of humor in her eye, taking a ship of champagne.
“Of course not. You’re my mate and you’re perfect for me exactly as you are. I just mean that I can’t expect you to just want to run away with me as soon as you meet me.”
Samantha sighed and her tight shoulders relaxed. She smiled brightly at him and finished her food.
When they were done, Molly returned and cleared their plates. She asked if they wanted anything for dessert, and Benjamin said he’d have a hot fudge sundae.
“They use my fudge for the sundaes,” he explained.
“I’ll have the same thing,” Samantha said.
A few moments later, they were digging their spoons into fudge-covered vanilla ice cream. The flavor of the family’s secret fudge recipe slid over his tongue and down his throat. Samantha let out a satisfied groan as she ate her dessert.
“This is delicious,” she said. “Maybe I should consider running away with you.”
His heart sparked and a thrill ran down his spine.
“I like the sound of that,” he said. “I have a lot more candy for you to try.”
Chapter 9
Samantha giggled at Ben’s seduction. She was beginning to like Ben more and more all the time. He was certainly handsome, kind, strong, and everything she could possibly want in a man.
She just felt so weighed down by her own baggage that she still couldn’t conceive of creating a connection with another person. She knew her job would allow her to work from anywhere. In the age of the Internet, going into the office was no longer necessary. Many of the staff actually worked remotely and she knew that that wouldn’t be a problem.
She just wasn’t sure her heart was ready. Deep down, all she’d ever wanted was a family of her own and to feel like she belonged somewhere. Coming to Fate Valley to discover her connection to her ancestor on Valentine’s Day had only accentuate
d the underlying loneliness that constantly clawed at her chest.
Maybe it was time to open her heart to Ben and let him show her his love. She could tell he was a good man. A loyal son, a responsible businessman, and an active member of the community. What more could she want in a guy? In some ways, she felt as if she didn’t really deserve him.
But why shouldn’t she? Just because she was an orphan, and a foster child, didn’t mean she didn’t deserve love as much as anyone else. As she finished the hot fudge sundae, groaning with every bite, she began to feel more comfortable with the idea of falling in love with Ben.
She closed her eyes as the last bite of creamy vanilla ice cream and fudge lapped over her tongue and down her throat. She sipped the last of the champagne, feeling light and happy as the sugar and champagne mixed in her belly. She hadn’t felt this good in a long time.
“Would you like to dance?” he asked.
“I’d love to dance with you, Benjamin,” she said.
They stood and walked through the restaurant and into the dance hall. A live jazz band played slow, soft music from the stage. The singer crooned and the horns hummed their melodic tunes. Ben swept her into his arms, and they danced in a slow waltz around the highly-polished dance floor.
Light sparkled from crystal chandeliers overhead. Samantha’s heart was light and her head had lost all its worries. Her thoughts focused down onto the sensation of Ben’s arm around her waist and his hand cupped in hers. He smelled of a divine mixture of masculine musk, vanilla, and chocolate. She took a deep breath as she rested her head against his shoulder. The planes of his chest were a comforting pillow for the curves of her body. Somewhere deep inside her subconsciousness, she knew that he was made for her.
Somehow, they fit perfectly together. It was the most thrilling feeling she’d ever experienced. Samantha hadn’t been looking for a man before Valentine’s Day. She hadn’t even really known that she was lacking this kind of connection in her life. In that moment, as the band played and the singer’s voice swept into a thrilling crescendo, and Ben’s arms wrapped more tightly around her, she knew that she had found home.
This was the place she belonged, with her head in the crook of his neck, her body rested against his chest, his arms around her waist. It was pure perfection, like heaven on earth. The pleasure was almost too much to bear. She felt lightheaded for a moment as her knees went weak. She had to lean harder against him to keep from falling.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“I’m wonderful,” she said, her voice just above a whisper. “I just got a little lightheaded. It must have been the champagne. Or maybe the company.”
“You’ve made me weak in the knees from the first moment I laid eyes on you.”
“I’m starting to feel the same,” she said, pushing back and twirling out from his arm. He spun her back and she came back to rest against his chest, looking up into his eyes.
“I like the sound of that.”
“There’s so much to consider. So much to think about. But I don’t want to think about any of it. I just know that dancing here in your arms like this, it just feels right. I don’t know if anything else has ever felt so right to me in my life. I don’t know how to explain it or how to make sense of it. I’m just not even going to try.” She chuckled.
He held her closer, letting out a long, hot breath into the top of her head. They danced like that for over an hour, laughing, talking, and holding each other close as the band played. When they were both a little sweaty and breathless, they went to the refreshment table for water. Samantha found a cookie and ate it as Ben glanced out the window.
“Would you like to take a little walk outside?” he asked. “It’s a little cold, but it’s a beautiful view.”
“I’d love that.”
They retrieved their coats from the coat check and slipped outside onto the patio. The vast, dark night was bathed in stars, like sparkling diamonds that littered the blackness of space. The moon hung low over the glistening dark waters of the lake her distant relative had created so long ago.
“Why did they call it the Lake of the Fates?” she asked, as he held her close against the cold.
“I hear it’s what Ambrose Morgan wanted to call it. He felt it was fated to be built.”
“I thought it was just shifters who believed in fate.”
“Maybe he had a little bit of the shifter spirituality in him.”
“Nobody knew about shifters back then.”
“There is a deep well of mysticism throughout the area. I bet it was here even back then.”
“I’m curious about that.”
“Have you been to the museum?”
“I haven’t been able to get out there yet. I meant to go there today.”
“I bet they know more about it there.”
“I hope so. The truth is I didn’t just come here to write an article about a developer and a town. The real reason I was interested in the story in the first place is because I’m supposedly related to Ambrose Morgan. I took one of those DNA tests that tell you if you’re related to someone famous.”
“Related to Ambrose Morgan?” he asked.
“Yes, somehow. The DNA test couldn’t tell me exactly how.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. It must be exciting.”
“It is in some ways. But at the same time, it’s more confusing and frustrating because I have no idea how we’re related. I suspect it may be from my father’s parents. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”
“If you keep looking, I’m sure a resourceful woman like you will find the answers you’re looking for.”
“I feel like I’ve already found something I wasn’t even looking for,” she said, resting her hand on his arm and looking up into his sparkling eyes.
“Really?” he said, pulling her into a soft embrace. “How so?”
“I’m beginning to feel like we really do belong together, as irrational as that sounds to my human brain.”
“That doesn’t sound irrational at all to me. I knew you were mine from the instant I picked up your scent in the town square. I knew that I had finally found my special someone.”
“I wish it were as simple for me as it is for you,” she said.
“Maybe this will make it easier.”
He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, softly and slowly at first. She let out a small moan and pressed against his lips as she reached around his neck and drew him closer. He growled and pulled her to him, his tongue darting between her lips. The flavor of his kiss was like sugar and spice and chocolate mixed with a deep, gnawing hunger. She felt waves of liquid heat wash over her and her body gushed with desire. Their tongues danced. Their ravenous lips consumed each other, yearning for a deeper connection. Breathless, he let her go and they gazed at each other in the moonlight for several long moments.
“That definitely did it,” she finally said.
“It definitely did it for me,” he growled.
She could feel him hard against her. She had a deep desire to ask him to take her home with him, even if part of her knew she’d regret it in the morning.
“I’m going to take you home before I get too carried away. But I’d like to see you again soon,” he said, taking her hand and leading her around the patio.
“I’d love that. I’m going to be in Fate Valley for at least another week, doing my research. We should have time to spend together to figure this whole thing out.”
A few moments later, they climbed into his SUV and started down the road back to town. He stopped in front of the hotel and walked with her back to her room. They stood together on the balcony under the moonlight for several minutes, kissing like they had at the resort. It was so warm and comfortable in his arms. It really did feel like she’d found home. The volcanic desire that was building deep in her core could not be ignored. She pulled away and shoved her key in the door.
“Good night, sweet Candy Bear,” she whispered, before slipping inside.
>
He winked and smiled before he turned to go. She closed the door and leaned against it. She let out a long groan, covered her eyes, and scrubbed her face with her palms, not knowing what to think or feel. She trudged across the room and threw herself down on her bed, more confused than ever.
She told herself that instead of getting all worked up about her intense feelings for Benjamin Darling, she should focus on her true mission, discovering her link to Ambrose Valentine Morgan, and finally discovering who she really was.
Chapter 10
Samantha gazed out the window of the diner as she drank her coffee. Red anarchy signs had been spray painted on the buildings across the street. The statue platform stood empty in the cool morning air. The mystery of the statue’s disappearance had reached the morning paper and the entire community was in an uproar about it.
The police had contacted her again, leaving a message on her cell phone, first thing that morning. She was the only witness to the crime and they were determined to pick her brain for any shred of evidence she might still bear. She called them and told them everything she possibly could as soon as she got the message. There was simply nothing more to share.
Debbie set her breakfast in front of her, and Samantha cut her omelet with the side of her fork and slid a bite into her mouth. She glanced down at the paper again. The front page was covered with a picture of the statue platform with no statue on top of it. The headline was in big bold letters. “Missing Founder Statue.” Underneath it read, “How did the two-thousand-pound monument disappear in the middle of the night?”
She shook her head and took another sip of coffee. The early morning sun lifted up over the square and cast a yellow glow on the cool frosty ground. Someone had done it. A statue didn’t just disappear as if by magic. Debbie returned and filled her coffee cup.