Page 2 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
The expression she wore wasn’t overtly hostile, but it wasn’t welcoming, either.
She’s like a momma bear protecting her young cub, his bear said, clearly impressed.
And who wouldn’t be? She was clearly fiercely protective of the boy.
Stanley stopped in his tracks and opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before he blurted out, “I came to collect the stray rabbit.” He lifted the crate to reinforce his story.
Her eyes narrowed. “There’s no rabbit here.”
“Oh, this was the address I was given,” Stanley said as he glanced around the garden.
“Is the rabbit hurt?” the boy asked, angling his body to look around the woman.
Stanley’s entire posture shifted. He dropped his shoulders and lowered the tone of his voice to the one he used to soothe animals. “That’s what I’m hoping to find out. I run the pet store in town. Someone said a rabbit was loose in the back garden here. I just want to make sure it’s safe and get it back to its owner.”
The boy tilted his head slightly, considering that. “What color is he?”
“It doesn’t matter what color he is,” the woman said. “He’s not here.”
Before he could answer, Stanley’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the screen.
Oops. Meant number 21. Sorry!
Finn, his bear chuckled.
Of course.
He looked back up at the woman and offered a sheepish smile. “Looks like I got the wrong house. My brother texted me the address. He’s, uh…got quite the reputation for mix-ups.”
Matchmaking mix-ups, his bear added.
Mate matchmaking mix-ups, Stanley corrected, forcing himself to keep a straight face when all he wanted to do was grin like a lovesick fool.
His mate’s expression thawed slightly as Stanley held out his phone so she could read the message.
This is not the wrong house. Finn got it just right, his bear said with a smug growl.
His bear was totally right. Still, he couldn’t exactly announce,Hey, by the way, you are my mate,to a clearly on-edge woman and her cautious kid.
Instead, he offered a small, apologetic smile. “Sorry for the bother. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
She gave a small nod, still evaluating him. “It’s fine,” she said eventually. “Mix-ups happen.”
Especially to a certain brother of ours, his bear said, his excitement at meeting their mate barely contained.
Stanley lingered, the crate still in hand, his feet unwilling to move. How could he just walk away when everything in him screamed,stay? This wasn’t just a stranger’s garden, it was the place he wassupposedto be. With the woman he wassupposedto meet.
His mate. His future.
“Don’t let me keep you,” his mate said at last, her voice polite but dismissive.
But before Stanley could respond, the boy stepped forward. “I could help catch the rabbit,” he offered. “It might be scared. And that might make him hard to catch.”
“It might be,” Stanley agreed, surprised and oddly touched by the offer.
But this was not his decision to make. His mate was obviously wary of the strange man who had suddenly appeared in her garden, and Stanley did not plan to make things worse by being pushy. He could sense the tension in her, and one wrong move could have lasting consequences for their relationship.
He’d have to be patient, let her learn to trust him. But at this moment, patience did not come easily.
