Page 24 of The Bear's Second Chance Mate
Herbert’s nose twitched, his eyes half-closed with contentment.
Stanley switched off the lights, casting one last glance around the darkened store before locking up. He stepped outside, and the cool evening air hit his face as the sun dipped down behind the distant mountain peaks.
His truck waited in the small lot behind the store. As he climbed in and started the engine, his thoughts weren’t on the drive home, but on the Thornberg Ranch. He needed to tell his parents about meeting his mate.
Unless Finn already had.
He could picture Finn’s face now. His brother trying to act innocent when he definitely wasn’t. Finn had never been the best at keeping secrets when they were growing up. And this one was a big secret he’d probably blurted out already.
Stanley smiled to himself. Even if Finn had spilled the secret to the entire world, Stanley would not have found it in himself to be annoyed.
After all, it was Finn’s matchmaking mix-up that had led Stanley to June and Oli. How could he possibly be annoyed about that?
I hope he hasn’t told the entire world,his bear added.Or even the whole town.
Me neither, I don’t want June finding out we are mates from anyone else,Stanley said.
Stanley’s stomach tightened at the thought.
No. June had to hear it from him. All of it. The truth about who he was. What he was. And what she meant to him.
He just needed to find the right time and the right words.
The twenty-minute drive to the Thornberg Vineyard took Stanley past familiar landmarks. The old mill with its weathered wooden sign, the bend in the road where a tributary bubbled alongside on its way down the mountain to join Bear Creek, until finally, the headlights of Stanley’s truck swept across the weathered sign reading “Thornberg Vineyard” as he turned onto the familiar gravel drive.
Before him, row upon row of well-tended vines stretched upward. Even though he hadn’t lived here for a decade or more, the sight of the vines and the hacienda-style house always felt like he was coming home.
We have so many memories of this place,his bear said with more than a hint of nostalgia.
And I hope we get to make many more memories here with June and Oli,Stanley said with a deep sigh of longing.
Stanley parked beside his father’s truck and killed the engine. For a moment, he sat still, gathering his thoughts. How exactly did you tell your parents you’d found your mate? That the woman you were destined for had a son? That neither of them knew the truth yet?
The front door opened before he reached it, spilling golden light across the porch. His mother stood in the doorway, her face lighting up at the sight of him.
“Stanley!” Leanne’s arms wrapped around him in a warm embrace that smelled of cinnamon and home. “Your dad said it was your truck approaching. Is everything all right? We weren’t expecting you.”
He hugged her back, feeling some of the day’s tension melt away. “Hey, Mom. Everything is fine.”
“Come in, come in. Your father’s just opened a bottle of that red you like.” She let him go and went back into the kitchen with Stanley following close behind.
The kitchen was just the same as it had been when he and his brothers were growing up. The large, well-worn wooden table dominated the center; copper pots hung from the ceiling rack; family photos crowded the walls. A pot of something savory simmered on the stove, filling the air with the rich scent of herbs and tomatoes.
His father looked up from where he was pouring wine, his weathered face breaking into a smile. Hugo stepped forward, clasping Stanley’s shoulder with a firm hand. “Good to see you, son.”
Stanley nodded, his throat suddenly tight. “You, too, Dad.”
“Sit, sit,” Leanne urged, already setting a third place at the table. “Dinner’s almost ready.”
Stanley sank into his usual chair, accepting the glass of wine his father slid toward him. “Thanks.”
“How’s the store?” Hugo asked, sitting at the head of the table.
“Good,” Stanley replied, taking a sip of wine. “Busy day.”
Leanne bustled between the stove and table, ladling what turned out to be her famous vegetable stew into bowls. “I heard Mrs. Abernathy found a stray rabbit in her garden.”
Stanley smiled. Of course, she knew. News traveled fast in Bear Creek. “Yeah, I picked it up. Finn sent me to the wrong address at first.”
