Page 9 of Hers to Call
Her leaving had stung his pride, but their failed marriage had been quickly pushed aside as he mourned the loss of his father. His new responsibilities hadn’t allowed him the time to wallow over their divorce. He’d been busy building his father’s failing farm into one of the most popular dude ranches on the east coast, bringing in money to their clan and stabilizing it. He’d spent every hour awake fighting to show the clan that he could be alpha and lead them and it paid off.
So many realizations rained on him as he stared down at his ex-wife, reminded of the battles they’d waged in the name of all shifters. He’d thought for the longest time that fighting was the only way to show strength. Coming back home, he’d learned the strength it took to stay and hold on to what his family had spent centuries building.
He’d not given his father enough credit for that.
“I’ve worked to build a good life here for my bears. I don’t want you coming to disrupt it.” He said quietly.
She blanketed the scheme ruminating behind her gaze and gave him innocent eyes. “I only came here for refuge.”
The lie fell between them, the stench of it curling his lip. Miranda spoke as though he’d not fought beside her for years. As though he’d not helped her recruit shifters to their cause.
“You need to leave.”
He couldn’t make her leave the town, there were laws in place for that. Another way the government suffocated shifters, stifling protocols and traditions they’d self-governed with for centuries. But, he could kick her off his property. He walked away from her and gathered his horse from the corral where he’d left him. He cooed at the animal as he worked his saddle back onto the animal.
“What happened to you? You used to brawl with the best of us,” she sneered, trailing behind him.
He still brawled, just in a different way. He now battled in a way people like Miranda would never acknowledge. Using the same fire he’d used on the front lines of the shifter war, he fought for his clan at home. For every inch the local government gave, he took a mile, or rather an acre. Five years later he’d had three hundred acres added to his ranch, and a steady stream of tourists. By the time the United States had abolished the Sanctuary restrictions, he’d turned the dying town of Bear Ridge into a thriving small city with no need for the government’s help or interest in their intervention.
Simon had no doubt Miranda had an agenda in coming back to town. She would go away when she realized there was nothing here for her.
“I’m done with this conversation.” He said with finality.
Putting her out of his mind, Simon swung back up on his horse and went back to work.
***
Calita cursed as she dropped the second pepper she was attempting to stuff. Simon’s offer was playing in her head, throwing off her concentration.
Damn him.
There was no way she could dismiss him. When he proposed what he did, she’d been floored. One, by his audacity and two, by the fact that he seemed to want her. Her self-esteem had taken a beating along with her physical body when she’d been with David. Getting it back was a long, arduous road. The way Simon looked at her, the heat in his eyes was shocking, and flattering. His offer was insulting, and she admitted reluctantly, intriguing. She should have slapped his face for suggesting she would go along with an affair, but the idea of controlling it…
God that made her hot.
Control was something she longed for, in every aspect of her life. It would be a heady experience, controlling someone as powerful as Simon. It spoke on his self-confidence that he would offer that control so freely. Strangely, that pushed away some of her fear. She could sense he would be demanding during sex. He was the Alpha of this town so, hell yeah, he would be demanding, but instead of worry, need filled her. Her body heated, and a blush warmed her cheeks. She’d thought about him all night, dreamed about it even. She fanned her face, oh boy what dreams she’d had about him. The man was sexy and her imagination had no problem filling in details of what it would be like to be with him. By the time she’d finally got to sleep, it seemed like she was due to come down to work.
“Cali, table six wants to meet the chef,” one of the waitresses announced as she grabbed her orders from the window.
“I don’t have time, Amanda, please give them my apologies,” Cali said, moving to the next task.
It wasn’t the first time someone had asked to speak to her since she’d moved to town. She’d thought working for humans was demanding. Bears…she blew the stray hair from her face. They were demanding in a whole different way. Some were nosy, others, wanted to tell the chef directly how they wanted their dish cooked.
She snorted.
After the third person Selena cursed out on her behalf, she’d not had to worry about that kind of request again. Although, they were demanding, it was fun cooking for the bears. They loved their fresh fruits and vegetables, and she enjoyed creating and experimenting with vegetarian dishes. She’d been shocked to learn that they didn’t eat as much meat as she imagined. Fresh fish and fresh produce were staples in Selena’s restaurant. Along with pastries, man did those bears have a sweet tooth.
She loved cooking, but baking was her ultimate passion and making desserts for the bears made her genuinely happy. She was getting every penny’s worth of her culinary training. She flinched, thinking of some of the disdain her ex had for her baking.
She would not think about David.
“Cali, a note from table six,” Amanda dropped it on the window with a smirk and twirled off. Frowning, Cali picked it up.
Just saying hello. I’ve had a bad day. Come cheer me up?-S-
Cali hissed as a wave of desire sped up her heart. The note was innocent, nothing sexual, but she couldn’t suppress the shiver of awareness. She frowned, he had a bad day? She wondered if it was a ploy. She couldn’t imagine a man as strong as Simon letting a bad day upset him. Tucking the note into her apron pocket she went back to cooking. Twenty minutes later, she couldn’t get the note out of her mind. Curiosity wouldn’t let her concentrate. Compulsion not easily explained urged her to go to him. She wanted to see him. Sighing, she washed her hands and gave up.
She grabbed two slices of lemon honey cake and walked out towards the front of the diner. She knew the cake was one of Simon’s favorite. It had only taken a few well-placed questions and some teasing from the bears in the kitchen to find that out. He had a bad day, she told herself, and bringing him cake meant nothing.
