Page 47 of Frostbite & Mistletoe
Kymberlie drew a shuddering breath, trying to regain control of her emotions as tears streamed down her face.“What?” she asked, positive she’d heard wrong.
She wiped frantically at her eyes. How many times had she cried so far this week?
“The pack council met yesterday,” Bill said, beaming at her.“We reviewed your business plan and financials and agreed that everything looked solid.”
Kymberlie’s mouth fell open.
It sounded too good to be true. After her meeting earlier this week, when twenty-four hours had passed with no word from the pack, she’d convinced herself they’d rejected her request.
“Congrats!” Gabriel squeezed her shoulder.
“But I thought—” she began.
“We were saving the good news for his party,” Mandy interrupted.
Bill added,“The pack has watched your place become a community hotspot. We know you’re a responsible business owner who just hit a streak of bad luck.”
See, Kymberlie’s wolf said smugly.Our alphas came through for us.
Mandy said, “The loan terms are in the documents we just emailed you. Once you’ve reviewed them, call me and we’ll set up a meeting at the bank for you to sign the paperwork.”
Kymberlie stared at the alpha couple in disbelief and growing joy.“I don’t know how to thank you… or the pack.”
“You can thank us by making this place the success we all know it can be,” Bill told her.
“And maybe by acknowledging that asking us for help isn’t a sign of weakness,” Mandy added, winking at her. She quoted the pack motto: “‘Stronger together.’”
Then she hooked her arm through her mate’s.“Enjoy your party, Kymberlie. You deserve every good thing that comes to you.”
The alpha couple moved away to join the growing crowd on the dance floor, leaving Kymberlie still feeling like she was dreaming.
After weeks of struggling to overcome one roadblock after another, she’d suddenly stepped into an alternate reality where all her problems were magically solving themselves.
She and Gabriel made her way to the bar, where Micah grinned at her.
“I can’t believe you gave up working Christmas Eve at the Bearpaw Springs Resort…and all those tips you would’ve gotten,” Kymberlie told him.“I can’t thank you enough.”
“Eddie Ornelas heard about this party and gave Zoe, Karl, and me the night off at full pay. We’ve all been worried about you, boss. You’ve had a lot on your plate lately.”
She thanked him again.
Then, hand in hand with Gabriel, she made the rounds of the packed club, greeting the people she knew and introducing herself to the people she didn’t.
She caught fragments of conversation from nearby tables. Gabriel’s name came up repeatedly, always with approval.
These were the same people who’d spread rumors about Gabriel’s mysterious past, and who’d questioned why a professional firefighter with his credentials had ended up in tiny Bearpaw Ridge! Now, they all sang his praises.
“Gabriel cleans up nice,” Maggie said a while later, sidling up beside her with a knowing grin.“Didn’t I tell you that your future mate was out there somewhere? I’m glad you found each other.”
Kymberlie followed her gaze over to where Gabriel stood talking with Tyler.
“We haven’t talked about the future yet,” Kymberlie protested.“I’ve been a little busy, remember?”
“Mmm-hmm. But not too busy for him to spend nearly every night at your place for the past three weeks?”
Ofcoursepeople had noticed Gabriel’s truck parked in front of Kymberlie’s house! This was Bearpaw Ridge, after all.
“It’s a long commute from his place at the Cougar Lake Ranch,” she said reflexively.
