Page 16 of The Bear's Mail Order Mate

“There is indeed,” Leanne said as she flashed a smile at Hugo.

Hugo winked at her and reached across the table to cover her hand with his. Then he turned his attention back to Kris. “So, what’s your next step? She’s here for two weeks. You have to show her that this job is real enough to keep her.”

Kris swallowed the piece of carrot he’d been chewing. “Yes, exactly. Tomorrow morning, we’re meeting to draft a menu, discuss tasting pairings, and figure out what style we want. But I also need to talk to Dad—both of you—about budgets, building permits, and anything we need to get started. She’s not expecting a full-scale restaurant overnight, but I can’t let her see zero progress.”

Philip leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You know we’ll all pitch in. And we have some local contractors who owe us favors.”

“Great.” Kris tapped his glass. “And we can use the old barn, the one near the western vines as we discussed before. It’s in good shape structurally, just needs a redesign. Also, we can keep it small at first, maybe just an intimate dining experience, with, what, twenty? Thirty seats?”

Leanne tilted her head, considering. “A smaller, exclusive feel might work well. People would come for that intimate vineyard-to-table experience.”

Hugo scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, focus on quality over quantity. That’ll attract the right crowd. Let’s set up a meeting with Thaddeus at some point—he has the restaurant expertise and might give us pointers.”

Kris’s chest eased further. They had a direction, a plan forming already, and it felt unstoppable.

He looked around at their eager expressions: Hugo’s measured excitement, Leanne’s motherly pride, Philip’s grin.

I’m so grateful for them.His mind flashed to Cassia’s aloneness, how she’d mentioned having no real home left.If only she realized she had a ready-made family right here, just waiting for her.

Finishing the last of his dinner, Kris leaned back, exhaling. The day had been an emotional rollercoaster, and exhaustion tugged at his limbs. “So that’s that,” he said softly. “I guess I found my mate. And we’re building a restaurant.”

Leanne chuckled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “That’s quite a day’s work, Kris.”

Quite a day’s work indeed,his bear rumbled happily.

Chapter Six – Cassia

As Cassia drove away from the Thornberg Vineyard, and Kris, she could not shake the idea that she was making a mistake.

Not in agreeing to a two-week trial for a job that did not exist. But because when she’d left Kris, it was as if she had left part of herself behind.

Which was ridiculous. She did not believe in love at first sight. And after the way her ex-fiancé had treated her, she wasn’t sure if she believed in love at all.

However, she could not deny that every time she lifted her gaze to the rearview mirror, the ghost of Kris Thornberg’s tall silhouette drifted across her mind’s eye, making her heart skip. It was as if she could stillsensehim—his presence, his warmth—despite leaving the vineyard in her rearview for good, or at least until tomorrow.

She tightened her grip on the steering wheel, eyes sliding to the folded piece of paper on the passenger seat. On it were the directions Kris had scribbled down for her to find Aunt Mel’s place. Apparently, it was quite remote, and the GPS could not always be trusted. So it was a good thing Kris had spelled out each twist and turn as if wanting to ensure she got there safely.

She pictured his face in her mind, the protective concern in his dark eyes when he’d carefully written out every landmark she would pass. There was something intensely comforting about a man who paid such careful attention to details.

Was she really falling for this man?

A short laugh escaped her lips, echoing hollowly in the confines of the car. Yes, she was. She was, ironically enough, quite giddy about all of this. Which was insane—a two-week trial for a job that, until an hour ago, literally did not exist. She had no real guarantee that Kris had the resources, the backing, or even the skill to conjure a functioning restaurant out of thin air. And yet shefeltit was right.

Am I losing it?she wondered.Or is it just the wine talking?Her rational mind insisted it might be the latter; after all, she’d spent the last part of the afternoon tasting different Thornberg blends, enough to leave her happily warm but not intoxicated. Certainly not over the legal limit to drive.

No, it was more about what the wine represented. The history of the vineyard, the story of the Thornberg family. Not to mention, the various wines had been delightful, but nowhere near as potent as Kris’s presence.

She rolled down the window, letting in the cool evening air. Maybe letting the wind sting her cheeks would help keep her mind off how striking Kris had looked in the dim light, or how his voice dropped whenever he described a particularly good wine. She swallowed a lump in her throat.

She sensed that behind his somewhat shy exterior, he had hidden depths that she longed to explore. She wanted to discover everything about him.

With a shake of her head, she snapped her attention back to the road. Tall pines and oaks lined the winding route, creating pockets of darkness as the sun set lower behind the mountains. She slowed at a bend, carefully following Kris’s scribbled instructions as she turned onto a road that climbed higher into the mountains until, eventually, the paved road gave way to a narrower, tree-lined lane.

The lane went on and on, and it was a relief when she finally spotted a small sign readingBear’s Rest Guest Houseon the right, half-hidden by an overgrown hedge. Cassia turned in, her headlights bouncing off the rocky path.

She’d made it!

She couldn’t wait to relax and kick off her shoes. It sure had been a long and eventful day.

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