Page 18 of Fetch Me A Mate
"Rowan." Kieran's greeting was neutral, polite. "Making progress?"
"Yeah."
The conversation felt loaded with undercurrents Diana couldn't read. Kieran watched Rowan with the same assessing look she'd seen others wear, while Rowan maintained his usual careful distance.
"We brought Diana some green friends," Freya said, gesturing to the plants. "Thought the place could use some life."
"Looks good." Rowan's attention returned to Diana. "I'll be here early tomorrow to finish the wiring. Should have the north wall buttoned up by noon."
"Sounds perfect."
He nodded once and headed for the door, pausing when Kieran spoke.
"Rowan? You planning to be around for Diana's community gathering?"
Rowan's shoulders tensed slightly. "Haven't decided."
"Might be good for people to see you supporting the inn's future."
Rowan turned back, his pale eyes meeting Kieran's hazel ones in what felt like a silent conversation.
"We'll see," Rowan said finally.
After he left, silence settled over the lobby. Freya gathered her empty containers while Kieran studied the space where Rowan had been standing.
"He's different with you," Kieran said to Diana.
"Different how?"
"Less guarded. He actually answers your questions instead of just grunting." Kieran's smile was knowing. "That's progress."
Diana felt warmth spread through her at the observation. She hadn't noticed the difference, but if Kieran was right, if Rowan was letting his walls down even slightly, maybe that meant something.
"The inn suits you," Freya said as they prepared to leave. "You belong here."
"I'm starting to believe that," Diana admitted.
"Good. Belief is the first step." Freya shouldered her bag. "The rest is just showing up and doing the work."
After they left, Diana walked through the lobby, breathing in the scent of herbs and trailing ivy. The inn felt more alive somehow, blessed by the presence of friends and the promise of community. She thought about mate bonds and pack loyalty, about wolves who needed reasons to stay and women who were still learning what home looked like.
Outside, she could hear the distant sound of Rowan's truck pulling away, and she wondered what it would take to make him believe in staying and why she wanted him to.
8
ROWAN
Dawn came gray and cool, with the promise of rain hanging in the air. Rowan had been on the inn's roof since sunrise, replacing loose shingles and checking the flashing around the chimney. The work was methodical, requiring the kind of focus that kept his wolf quiet and his mind off the way Diana had looked at him yesterday when Kieran mentioned staying.
He moved across the pitched surface with practiced ease, his tool belt heavy at his hip, hammer finding its rhythm against cedar shakes. Below, the square was beginning to wake up. Twyla emerged from Griddle & Grind to sweep her porch, and somewhere across the way, a door chimed as the first customer of the day entered the Book Nook.
Normal morning sounds. Safe sounds that didn't require him to think about mate bonds or the way Diana's amber eyes had brightened when he'd said the wiring was manageable.
The ladder rattled against the eaves, and Rowan looked up to see Diana's honey-blonde curls appearing over the roof line. She climbed with careful deliberation, two steaming mugs balanced in one hand.
"Morning," she called. "Figured you might need caffeine."
"You shouldn't be up here."
