Page 3 of Bear Creek Father's Day
“If there’s anything else you need, let me know. The new sign should be in place later in the week, and I have interviews set up for your office staff on Wednesday. We’d like to get you up and running as soon as possible.”
Though Zak was eager to get unpacked and settled, he readily agreed to join the move-in team for lunch at the Bella Vita. He’d eaten there once before, on one of his secret trips, and found the place charming and with an excellent menu. Weekends were the busiest time, but DeeDee had already reserved a table for six and they were seated immediately. Zak’s intense training and limited finances during the last decade rarely allowed for something this fancy. His parents would have called it posh, but it didn’t come across that way at all.
Shortly after they ordered, a handsome, broad-shouldered fellow approached the table. The ample silver in his dark hair gave him a dashing appearance, and DeeDee spoke up before he’d managed to say a single word.
“Loren! I think you know all of us by now, but I’d like you to meet Bear Creek’s new physician, Zachary Hall.”
Loren’s brows rose fractionally as he reached out to shake the imposing man’s hand.
“Ah, yes, Dr. Hall. I believe we met the last time you visited Bella Vita. Everyone I’ve spoken to is eager to welcome you to the community, including me. Please order freely as my guest, and I hope we meet again soon. Thank you all for joining us today.”
Zak had noticed a whiff of attraction emanating from the man, and though it happened often (from both men and women), he never let it color his opinion of someone. Apparently, the gay community was well-represented in Bear Creek, and he found the realization comforting. As Loren walked away from the table to greet other patrons, Zak turned to find the others watching him with interest.
“All right, you caught me. I made several trips to town in the last year without telling anyone, and stopped here for supper oneevening. Loren talked me into trying the chicken cacciatore last time and I chose the chocolate torta della nonna for dessert. One of the best meals I’ve ever had.”
Conversation centered mostly around Zak’s years of training—humorous stories gathered during medical school and his internship. Once their meals arrived, Dash asked him about his qualifications to treat natural bears.
“I’ve never heard of a degree that combines human and veterinary medicine. How did you find time to do both?”
Zak was glad he’d asked. Most people wouldn’t know any different, though he was among the first graduates of the unique program.
“While earning my B.S. in biology from Pennsylvania State University, I worked part time as a veterinary tech. In the summers, I volunteered at some of the state’s best wildlife parks and zoos and learned a lot about bears. For medical school, I went to the Philadelphia College of Medicine. They’re the only ones in the country that combine a D.O. degree with a specialty in black bear physiology.
“It was perfect for me, since I wanted a general practice without a human specialty. They developed a program that bypassed some of the training I didn’t need, allowing me to work with bears and human patients at the same time. I spent many hours at the Philadelphia Zoo, learning directly from the veterinary staff, and was part of a local team that handled the relocation of bears in the wild. Between the compressed program and starting college when I was seventeen, I finished my education a lot sooner than most classically trained physicians.”
Tired of talking about himself, Zak asked the couples around the table how they’d met and about their work and families. DeeDeehad already told him the tragic story of how Dash’s first mate died, spending eleven years alone until he met Aiden. From all appearances, they were a very influential and well-liked couple in the region: down-to-earth, generous, and friendly. Knox and Levi had their own niches in the community, and their names had come up often during the last year. Both couples could become friends, and neither Knox nor Dash seemed to care about his dubious genetics.
Chapter 2
After the enjoyable meal, Zak headed out to run some errands. DeeDee had provided a map showing the locations of businesses he would probably need to visit—all highly recommended. He found everything from furniture to auto mechanics, and insurance to clothing. What he needed right now was to stock his cupboards, and headed toward Wallin Market on Route 6. A completely empty kitchen and fridge would probably require more than one trip to fill, but he’d focus on essentials today and come back later in the week for the rest.
Being a Sunday afternoon, the lot was crowded with vehicles. To his surprise, the place appeared to be a full-service grocery store, and not the tiny mom and pop place he’d pictured in his mind. Inside, he picked up a number of shifter scents and automatically tensed. It wasn’t likely that anyone would be so bold as to accost him or make rude remarks here, but it had happened before, and he wanted to avoid any type of conflict. He knew he’d have to adjust his thinking if he wanted to make this place his home, but it wouldn’t happen overnight.
Zak grabbed a large cart and started with dry goods and cleaning products before picking up any perishable foods. It didn’t take long to fill it up, and he decided to pay for these purchases and then start on round two. When he came back inside, Zak noticed a shifter family with three cute cubs making their way down the cereal aisle. Both of the adults were pushing large carts, and he wondered how much it cost to feed a family of five hungry shifters.
Zak didn’t stop to dawdle, but it was hard not to notice that the young-looking father wasveryattractive, fit, and adorned with an untamed mane of hair. As he passed them by, the man’sdelectable scent pinged his radar and caused a certain body part to rouse itself. Zak kept moving, putting distance between him and the family before their superior senses detected his attraction. What in the world?
Normally, that sort of thing never happened, and he struggled to rein in the unwelcome response. Had the guy been human and unmated, he might have stopped to introduce himself, but he wasn’t the type to hit on married or mated men, and heneverpursued shifters. Come to think of it, he’d endured an awfully long dry spell in the last eighteen months while finishing up his schooling, and Zak figured that must be why he’d reacted so viscerally. Deep down, he knew the excuse didn’t hold water, but he wasn’t about to admit, even to himself, that there could ever be anything between him and a shifter, no matter how good he smelled.
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Meanwhile, several aisles over
Tasha loaded all the boys’ favorite cereals in the cart while Orrin checked the list to see what was next. She still hadn’t figured out how the man ever managed to grocery shop with a bunch of little ones in tow. Before the Bureau of Shifter Affairs hired her to assist him, he’d been responsible for up toeightcubs at a time—sometimes for months on end. Granted, the number was usually around five or six, but even that was too many for one person to handle by themselves. From what townspeople had told her, Orrin was smart, efficient, and lovingly attentive with the children in his care. In her opinion, he must also be some kind of magician.
“Where next, Orrin?”
Tasha found him standing frozen like a statue, staring off down the aisle with an unfocused gaze. She touched his elbow, and he startled as though he’d just awakened from a trance.
“What? Where is that scent coming from? Did you see anyone pass by here?”
Tasha frowned. The aisle they were in was empty, and had been since they started loading up.
“There are dozens of people in the store, but no one’s been in this aisle. What scent are you talking about? What did you smell?”
Orrin closed his eyes briefly and reexamined the memory.
“Male, with a muddled scent that I should know, but can't quite place. He smelled…perfect.”
