Page 19 of Salvation

Soren’s head snapped up and left, away from him. “Teddy’s waking up. I’ll be right back.”

Todd stared at the bar for a good long time after Soren disappeared upstairs. Then he grabbed a sheet of sandpaper and got to work on the surface in harsh, hacking swipes.

That was Soren’s baby. Not his, and it never would be. But he’d prove himself a worthy uncle, damn it. He’d do his part to provide for this clan.

“Whoa. We’ve got an electric sander, you know,” Simon said, coming up a few minutes later.

Todd stopped and looked at the patch he’d started to clear. Okay, so his test patch had turned into a test acre. He’d call that a warm-up and try to get his head screwed on right.

“Think you can make this thing shine?” Simon asked, more in challenge than in question.

They both looked over the bar. The surface was hopelessly pitted and stained, and the center section was cracked.

“Not sure,” he murmured. “But I’ll try.”

He pictured the extra income going into things like a tricycle or a swing. Yeah, he’d try, all right.

Simon smacked him on the shoulder in anattaboygesture and motioned with the muffin in his hand. “Let me just talk to Jess and finish the world’s best muffin here. Then I’ll help.”

Todd drew a tight line with his lips. Soren had a mate. Simon had a mate…

I have a mate, too,his bear rumbled inside.

He gave the bear the silent treatment while he sealed the area off with sheets of plastic and tried not to think about Anna. A losing proposition, because he couldn’t help but picture what she might be doing. Had Jessica put her to work, too? Did she enjoy it? How long was she planning to stay?

“Ready?” Simon asked, coming back into the room. The scent of his mate clung to his shoulders, evidence of the parting nuzzle they must have shared.

Todd stepped back and checked every inch of his work, then set about checking the filters on the sander. No way was he letting any dust reach Teddy’s lungs. Then he nodded slowly and took a deep breath. Yeah, he was ready.

Somehow, he’d survive his stay in Arizona. He’d endure the proximity to the baby and formulate a plan for what to do next. Staying long term wasn’t an option. So what would he do?

Maybe he’d head back to Montana. Maybe someplace new…

Our mate is here,his bear said.

He shook his head, turned on the sander, and let it screech against the wood.

* * *

Working on the bar helped him get through the day. A day with so many ups and downs, it was like a roller coaster — and he hated roller coasters, like most bears. The saloon was closed on Mondays, so he’d been able to work through the evening, when Soren and Simon joined him for a quiet meal of barbecued ribs. Just the three of them, pretending it was like old times, even though it was anything but and never would be again.

He took a shower — a weird sensation, after having been in bear form for so long — then headed to the apartment over the garage, wondering if he even remembered what it felt like to sleep in a bed.

Anna was coming down the narrow stairs just as he was going up, and they both froze for a while.

God, her eyes were pretty. Her hair was so shiny, and that feeling that he’d met her somewhere, sometime hit him again.

“Hi,” she whispered.

So far, he’d only been able to hear the others when they pushed their thoughts into his mind. But Sarah, he could hear perfectly.

Of course,his bear said.She’s my mate.

“Hi,” he said. He couldn’t hear his own voice, and he hoped to hell it wasn’t too loud.

“Did you have a good day?”

He didn’t answer immediately, which probably gave him away, but Anna just waited patiently. No judging. Not theoh-you-poor-buggerlook he got from Jessica, Simon, and the others.

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