Page 39 of The Bear's Mail Order Mate

Kissing him was a slip-up, right? We agreed to keep things professional.And yet, part of her refused to label it a mistake. It had felt…well, real. Which scared her all the more. She tried to push the memory away, but it hovered just out of reach, setting her nerves on edge and stirring a longing in her heart.

“All right,” she muttered to herself, standing up quickly and clearing her throat, as if scolding the restless part of her mind that kept replaying the kiss. She needed to focus on her job. On her future. Right now, she owed Kris an apology, and she needed to prove to him she was committed to the restaurant project.

And not to Dante!

She gathered up her notebooks and shouldered her purse before grabbing her keys from the nightstand and heading out the door. She’d said she’d see him bright and early, so she might as well bite the bullet and get her embarrassment out of the way.

She walked nimbly over the stones and headed for her car, refusing to let thoughts of that kiss take up any more room in her brain. But it was hard to stop the scene replaying in her head.

So, as she drove, she focused on the world outside her windshield. And what a world it was. The forests bordering the road offered shades of green she’d never known existed. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled patterns across the winding road. Bear Creek might be small, but what it lacked in size, it made up for in natural splendor.

She rolled the window down a crack, breathing in the forest’s invigorating scent. It was as if she were being healed from the inside out. Or the outside in.

Maybe that’s why she was finally opening her heart again. The mountains had a way of stripping away pretense, leaving only what was real and true. And what was real was that when Kris had looked at her, something inside her recognized him on a level she couldn’t explain.

The road curved around and she caught the first glimpse of the neat rows of vines a few minutes later. The vineyard’s entrance sign came into view. A sudden nervousness struck her. What if Kris rescinded his offer of a job? After all, the kiss had been inappropriate. She’d practically ambushed him after that upsetting phone call from Dante.

Parking near the main house, she stepped out of the car, tucked her notebook under her arm, and adjusted her purse. Then she noticed a movement near the porch. Her heart stuttered in her chest. Was Kris waiting for her to arrive?

However, it was not Kris Thornberg who appeared. Which left Cassia both disappointed and relieved, all at the same time. Disappointment that it wasn’t him, but relief that she at least had a job for a few minutes more.

Unless Leanne was lying in wait to do the deed. But she suspected Kris would see it as his duty to fire her since he was the one to hire her.

Ugh, why had she made her life so damn complicated?

“Morning, Cassia,” Leanne called, stepping down from the porch. A slight breeze ruffled Leanne’s hair, but her expression was as warm as always, giving Cassia some degree of hope that things would turn out okay. “You’re here bright and early.”

Cassia nodded, managing a small smile. “Hope it’s not too early. I wanted to get a head start. I have some ideas I wanted to share with Kris.”

Leanne shaded her eyes from the morning sun. “Kris is out at the barn if you’d like to track him down. He’s been up before dawn this morning. I think he has something on his mind.”

Cassia’s stomach clenched at the mere mention of Kris, but she forced a casual nod. “Perfect. Thank you.”

Leanne smiled, giving her an assessing once-over that felt almost maternal. “You look as if you have something on your mind, too, Cassia.”

“I do?” Cassia asked, as her cheeks flushed pink.

“Just make sure you don’t work too hard,” Leanne said. “I’ll catch you later.”

“I hope so,” she managed, nodding again before she took off toward the barn. As she headed through the first row of vines, Cassia spotted Hugo near the tool shed, rummaging through some supplies. She inclined her head in greeting, and Hugo responded with a slight smile and a nod, his eyes gleaming in a way that made her suspect he already knew something about last night’s events.

Had Kris told his parents about what happened? If he had, did the discussion center on the kiss, the phone call, or both? The idea left her feeling more than a little embarrassed.

Well, she would just have to face Kris head-on and plead her case. And, if necessary, beg him to give her another chance.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped inside the barn, blinking to adjust to the dimmer light. Wow, someone had been busy. The floors looked swept clean, the pile of debris that they’d tucked neatly in one corner was now gone, and the open space near the back seemed significantly clearer than when she left last night.

Then Kris emerged from behind a partially dismantled wooden partition, a few old boards in his arms. He paused at the sight of her, a flash of warmth in his eyes that made her heart skip.

“Oh—morning,” he said, walking toward her.

Cassia swallowed, forcing a smile. “Morning.” She jiggled the notebooks under her arm. How was she supposed to play this? Ignore it ever happened? That would certainly save them both an awkward conversation. “I’ve got some sketches of how we might arrange the dining area, plus a concept for the menu layout. If you want to take a look?”

Kris nodded, carefully setting aside the boards he was carrying. She noticed his hair was slightly damp with sweat as if he’d been working hard for hours already. That dedication, that sense of purpose, was part of what drew her to him.

They found a relatively dust-free barrel to use as a makeshift table. Cassia opened her first notebook, flipping to her hand-drawn sketches of the barn’s interior, annotated with arrows and labels for seating, lighting, and the potential tasting bar.

Kris leaned in beside her, and that subtle closeness sparked a wave of awareness in her. She tried to focus on the lines on the page rather than the solid warmth of him at her elbow.

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