Chapter 5 #2
“Not good. I can’t really afford this,” Kymberlie finally answered, her voice barely above a whisper. “And every day we’re closed, I’m hemorrhaging money.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” His cat wanted him to go to her and take her in his arms. Comfort her.
“If I lose my Christmas Eve wedding reception booking, I’ll lose the business.”
Gabriel closed his eyes in sympathy. He’d done the right thing in shutting down The Hair of the Dog, but it was difficult to hear what it was costing Kymberlie.
She sighed and continued: “Dad and all the senior pack members told me I was crazy to buy the club. That it was a money pit. I’ve spent the past five years trying to prove them wrong, and guess what? Turns out Dad was right.”
Her bitter words transported Gabriel instantly back to Granite Gap, and another business owner who’d pleaded with him about unbearable financial pressures.
“And Tyler called me about an hour ago and told me there was going to be a two-week shipping delay for the replacement sprinkler system,” she finished. “So, yeah. Things really suck right now.”
Do something, his sabertooth instincts growled within him.
Emotions stirred that he’d never felt before.
Gabriel had built his life on a foundation of strict adherence to the rules. Breaking them for Kymberlie Tringstad would be professional suicide. And yet…
“There might be a way to get those parts before Monday,” he said, the words escaping before he could reconsider.
“Oh?” Kymberlie’s voice brightened with hope.
Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. “A member of the Cougar Lake Pride runs a wholesale construction supply business up in Missoula. He might have the parts we need.”
“We?” Kymberlie’s tone sounded dry.
Gabriel cleared his throat. “I mean, you should bring someone who knows exactly what to get. Specifications matter with fire suppression systems.”
It sounded like a reasonable explanation, didn’t it?
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Kymberlie said, but the relief in her voice betrayed her.
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.” Gabriel checked his watch. “I’ll call Panthera Building Supply right now. It’s a three-hour drive each way. If Allan has what we need, and we leave first thing in the morning, we can make it there and back before it gets dark.”
Another long silence. He could practically hear Kymberlie looking for a catch. “Why are you helping me?”
Because I know what it’s like to lose everything you’ve worked for. Because something about you makes my sabertooth want to protect you.
“Because it’s my job to keep people safe,” he said instead. “And that includes business owners. If we can get this resolved quickly, it’ll be better for everyone.” He paused. “So, can I pick you up around seven a.m. tomorrow?”
Another long silence.
“Okay,” Kymberlie said finally. “Meet me at Cinnamon + Sugar. Coffee and pastries are on me.”
∞∞∞
The next morning, Gabriel woke up to a break in the snow. He showered and shaved, pulled on a BPRFD sweatshirt and jeans, and headed into town.
Kymberlie was waiting for him inside Cinnamon + Sugar. They placed their order for coffees and the bakery’s famous cinnamon rolls.
Gabriel didn’t miss the blue-haired barista’s reaction to seeing him and Kymberlie together, or the young woman’s whispered question: “So, sis, is there something you want to tell me?”
Kymberlie’s cheeks flushed. She shook her head. “Gabriel’s just helping me buy the right parts for the club’s new fire sprinklers.”
She turned to Gabriel with a wry expression. “Gabriel, this is my kid sister, Violet.”
When he looked more closely, he noticed the family resemblance, mostly around the nose and cheeks. And Violet’s mischievous grin mirrored her older sister’s. “Pleased to meet you.”
Gabe made a mental note of the family members he’d met so far: older sister Annika, the police officer; brother Gage, a game warden; and now, Violet the barista.
He smiled at Violet. “Pleasure’s all mine. We’re doing our best to get your sister’s business reopened before Christmas.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” Violet said fervently. Her gaze slid back to Kymberlie. “Mom and Dad are really worried about you. Dad thinks you should just sell the place and start again with a newer building.”
Kymberlie’s expression froze. “That sounds like Dad all right,” she said bitterly. “You can tell him I’m not ready to give up.”
∞∞∞
Gabriel’s truck sped up the highway, north to Missoula.
Before they left, he’d checked the weather forecast on his phone. The next storm wasn’t supposed to hit until dinnertime. If everything went according to plan, they’d be back in Bearpaw Ridge by then.
Kymberlie sat in his passenger seat, her hair caught up in her usual ponytail, with a few golden strands escaping to frame her face. Her delicious fragrance, combined with the scents of fresh coffee and warm cinnamon rolls, filled the confined space of his truck cab.
“It’s your turn to pick the music,” Gabriel said, breaking the silence that had settled between them after they’d exhausted small talk about the weather and road conditions.
Kymberlie reached for his phone. He gave her his password, and she scrolled through his playlist. “Wow. You weren’t kidding about being a classic rock guy. Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Aerosmith…” She looked over at him with newfound interest. “I would’ve pegged you for a classical music snob.”
Gabriel smiled at her. “Sorry to disappoint.”
He wasn’t about to tell her he liked classical, but that kind of music was for relaxing at home, not road trips.
“Oh, I’m not disappointed,” she said, selecting a song. The opening chords of “Start Me Up” filled the truck. “Just surprised. You’re always so…” She gestured vaguely.
“Uptight?” he supplied. He heard that opinion of him a lot. It didn’t bother him anymore.
“I was going to say ‘professional,’” she countered.
When the song ended, Gabriel nodded toward her phone, sitting on the dashboard in front of her. “Your turn. Let’s hear what the cool bar owner listens to.”
Kymberlie bit her lip. “You’re going to judge me.”
“Probably,” he agreed.
Her laugh transformed her face, softening the worry lines that had been etched there all week.
She connected her own phone to his truck’s entertainment system. “Okay, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
The cab filled with the unmistakable beat and cheerful riffs of a recent K-pop chart-topper.
Gabriel groaned theatrically. “Really?”
“Hey, sometimes a girl just needs some cotton-candy music,” she defended, turning up the volume and shoulder-dancing in her seat.
The sight of her—moving to the beat, eyes closed, stress momentarily forgotten—created a warm glow in Gabriel’s chest. He grinned and enjoyed the song despite himself.
When it ended, he reached for the controls.
“My turn again. Let me show you how it’s done.”
The opening guitar riff of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” filled the cab. Kymberlie’s eyes widened, and she lunged for the volume knob, turning it up higher.
“You like Zeppelin?” Gabriel asked, surprised.
“Like them? I love them!” She air-drummed along with the beat. “My parents raised me on this album. Physical Graffiti is practically scripture in my house.”
Gabriel stared at her in disbelief. “Mine too.”
Before Gabriel had moved here from Colorado, he’d always gone hunting with his dad on opening day of deer season in the fall.
Dad’s old truck still had a CD player, and a stack of classic rock CDs lived in the center console.
For the next thirty minutes, they traded favorite Zeppelin tracks, arguing good-naturedly about which of the band’s albums were best, and sharing stories of the first time they’d heard each song.
By the time they reached the outskirts of Missoula, something fundamental had shifted between them.
Kymberlie’s wariness had dissolved completely, and Gabriel felt comfortable enough to loosen up around her. It was like the music had worked a mysterious spell, changing them from opponents to something close to friends.