Page 36 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
But the thought made her feel ill. She could already picture the bank taking the club, Dad’s“I told you so” lecture, the pitying looks from those pack members who’d told her she was in over her head.
No, she couldn’t face any of them. Not yet. Maybe never.
And then there was Gabriel.
Her phone lit up again as if summoned by the thought of him, his text message appearing on the screen:I’m here. I’ll come over if you need me.
And then, a moment later:Do you still have any of that lasagna left?
Guilt twisted through her. He’d already gone above and beyond to help her pass the inspection.
And what had she done? Thrown his kindness back in his face. The memory of his hurt expression when she’d snapped at him stabbed her like a knife.
Her wolf sat up at the sight of his text, nearly overwhelming her with the instinct to call him, to hear his voice, to accept the comfort he offered. The bond between her wolf and his sabertooth cat was already so strong, it scared her.
But what could she possibly say to him now?Sorry I bit your head off for trying to help, and by the way, I’m a complete failure who can’t even keep her business afloat long enough to recoup the money I spent on all those safety improvements?
No. She couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in his eyes, couldn’t stand to watch him realize she wasn’t the capable woman she’d worked so hard to project.
Her phone lit up again. Maggie this time. Of course her friend would know what had just happened, since Cinnamon + Sugar was supposed to make Melissa and Jason’s wedding cake.
Just heard from Melissa Hartmann. She’s canceling the wedding? WTF? Call me, hon. We’ll figure something out.
Then Tyler:Hey Kymber, how are you doing? Gabriel’s worried about you. Don’t do anything stupid. We’ll get you through this.
Then her sister Violet:Maggie told me about the wedding getting canceled. You okay?
The messages kept coming, each one a reminder of all the people she’d have to face tomorrow, all the expectations she’d failed to meet, all the help she’d have to ask for if she wanted to save her business.
But asking for help meant admitting failure. And admitting failure meant proving right every person who’d ever doubted her.
Her wolf howled in frustration.Pack means survival. Lone wolf means death.
But Kymberlie wasn’t just a wolf. She was human, too, and she needed time to absorb this wound. Maybe tomorrow, she could get back on her feet and figure out her next move.
With trembling fingers, she powered off her phone and went to her bedroom. She pulled open her nightstand drawer and shoved the phone inside, burying it beneath a tangle of charging cables.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Her bed called to her, the only comfort she could accept right now. She crawled under the thick down comforter, pulling it over her head to create a cave of warmth and darkness where no one could find her.
Gabriel’s scent on her sheets and pillows, fading fast, made her miss his big, warm body draped over her. She couldn’t help remembering how his talented mouth and fingers could drown out her worries and make her forget everything but his touch.
A long time passed before sleep finally came. Her wolf finally settled, not from contentment but from exhaustion, curling into a tight ball of misery that matched her own huddled form.
Chapter Ten
Bearpaw Springs National Park
Thursday, December 18
The next day, Gabriel paced his living room floor in his Cougar Creek Ranch cabin, phone clutched in his hand as he checked his text messages and email yet again. Nothing.
By mid-afternoon, the knot of worry in his stomach had twisted itself into something closer to dread. Kymberlie hadn’t responded to any of his messages.
She’d made it clear she needed space yesterday after losing the wedding reception she’d pinned her hopes on. But the thought of her suffering alone was more than he could bear.
He tossed the phone onto his couch and ran a hand through his hair. As a firefighter, he was trained to handle emergencies—to rush toward the danger while others ran away. But this was different. This helplessness in the face of Kymberlie’s pain left him feeling useless, and his sabertooth cat paced restlessly beneath his skin.
