Page 4 of His Protective Bear

I pulled Rhys in for a hug, then held him back so I could look in his face, “Why didn’t I think of that? Do you think that’s the problem?” I knew I sounded pathetically hopeful, but I really didn’t care.

“My point is you need to talk to him,” Rhys said.

“Yeah. Yeah. You’re right. That’s a good idea.” I nodded. I looked at the time on the fridge, “I'll make a quick stop by at the bakery. I should get there in time.”

Rhys chuckled and walked back to grab his mug, “Baked goods are usually a good starting place, especially Graham’s.”

I nodded, “I bet if I stop by Gray’s, he’ll have something fresh.” My brother spent more time at home now that he had his family, except when he and Cooper traveled so my brother-in-law could still do his job as a food blogger and restaurant critic. They stayed close to home since the twins were only three months old.

And they were home at the moment, and hopefully, he had one of his new recipes I could use to impress my mate. Or, at the very least, get him to talk to me.

Yeah. That was a good place to start.

“I can see that my work here is done,” Rhys said, and when I glanced his way, he had a satisfied smirk on his face. But it was hard to miss the tinge of sadness in his eyes. I understood how he felt to a degree. The difference was I knew where my mate was.

I also knew better than to pry. When Rhys wanted to talk, he would. Still, I couldn’t stop myself from saying, “You know I’m here if you want to talk. Anytime.”

He shot me a small smile. “Duh. Now get out of here. I think I’m going to hide out in your house today. Play hooky for a day.”

“Well, if anyone deserves it, you do,” I said sincerely. “Graham and Gabe couldn’t function without you.”

“And that right there is why you’re my favorite brother.”

I snorted, “You say that to all of us.”

He shrugged, “And it’s always true. Now go away and go show your mate how awesome you are. And if you need me to put in a good word, you know where to find me.”

“And it better not be in my stash of snacks.” I tried for stern, but Rhys just ignored me. I made a mental note to call my cousin in Surrey, England, and ask for a top-up of crisp and biscuits as they called it over there.

But all of that could wait until I figured out Sage.

* * *

I’d been parked just off the turn to the Matthews ranch for over twenty minutes. My confidence in my plan floundered the closer I got to my mate’s house. What if he didn’t want me there… or this actually made things worse?

What’s worse than nothing? Because right now, that was where we were.

That got me moving but at a crawl. Heck, if I saw someone driving this slow on the road, I would stop them to find out what was wrong or check to see if they were intoxicated.

I finally pulled up at the farmhouse-style house I knew Sage lived in with his parents and felt my heart galloping in my chest. I glanced over at the banana, honey, and cinnamon muffins Cooper had packed for me since my brother hadn’t been home. He’d also managed to get what was going on out of me and agreed the direct approach was the way to go.

“If it doesn’t end well, you can blame Rhys and Cooper,” I muttered to myself. There’s a winning attitude.

I considered going home and thinking a little more about the plan. But the idea was immediately dashed when Sage’s alpha father, Colin, stepped out on the wrap-around porch and began making his way down the steps.

Damn, I thought he would be at the diner. He usually was today. And Sage was off.

Still, I got out of the car. I couldn’t very well keep my future father-in-law waiting.

Colin was at my door when I got out of the car, a worried frown on his face. “Are they okay? Sage? Please tell me he’s fine,” his nostrils flared, and it seemed like he would splinter apart since he was shaking so hard. It looked like he was barely keeping his bear in. “I have to call Seth.”

Shit! It never occurred to me what seeing the sheriff pull up would look like. “He’s fine. Everyone is fine. At least, as far as I know, I’m not here on official business.” I was quick to reassure him.

I could see him deflate in front of me. The relief was so strong. “Oh, thank the gods. Thank the gods.” I watched him and waited as he got his breathing under control and straightened to face me. When the last of his terror finally faded, he asked, “So how can we help you, sheriff?”

“I was actually here to see Sage. Is he in?” Hold on, why had Colin immediately thought something happened to my mate?

Colin folded his arms and frowned, “Why?”

---