Chapter Five – Kris
As Cassia’s car disappeared around the bend, Kris remained rooted in place, staring down the empty gravel driveway as if he could will her back by sheer force of longing.
If only, his bear said dreamily.
If only, Kris agreed, inhaling deeply as he caught the last of her scent before it was replaced by the sweet aroma of grapes ripening on the vines.
He’d always loved the smell of sun-warmed grapes, but now he doubted it would ever compare to the scent of his mate.
His mate! Kris couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it. His mate had just driven away.
Mate , his bear echoed, rumbling contentedly.
Kris locked onto Cassia as she drove toward town. What if she didn’t come back? What if she decided not to take a chance on the restaurant? On him.
What if she kept on driving and he never saw her again?
You are being dramatic. She’ll be back tomorrow. She wants this to work as much as we do, his bear reminded him pointedly. No need to panic.
I know, Kris answered, exhaling. But…
He let that thought trail off. Cassia had agreed to stay for a two-week trial period, and he sensed she was not the kind of person who broke her word.
But the notion of her leaving if things went wrong, if he failed to get the restaurant off the ground, gnawed at him.
She’d been through something painful. He could see it in the guarded flicker of her eyes. He might not know the details, but he felt her heartbreak. Almost as if it were his own.
And he wanted to comfort her. To hold her and tell her that it was the past, and he was her future.
But the last thing he wanted to do was scare her away by smothering her with how strongly he felt.
Strongly, indeed. We might only have met a few hours ago, Kris told his bear, but I can’t imagine going back to a life without her.
Then we’d better come up with a plan, and fast, his bear said. Because Cassia believes there is a real job for her here, and if we want her to stay, we have to make that job real.
The half-formed idea of a restaurant had been raised several times over the last couple of years, but they’d never committed resources. Now, the time had come.
All he had to do was convince his family of that fact.
He turned, letting his gaze sweep over the rows of grapevines. We’ll build it, he vowed. No matter what it takes. Because the alternative—watching Cassia drive out of his life forever—was simply unthinkable.
When the rest of the family knows what is at stake, they will back us one hundred percent , his bear said.
Then we’d better go tell them. Clenching his jaw, Kris forced himself to turn his back on his mate. A hard thing to do, even when she was almost out of the range of his shifter senses. It took all his strength not to turn back around, shift, and run after her. To keep a hold of the connection they shared.
But he resisted the urge, instead heading to the house where he could sense his parents inside and smell the aroma of his mom’s cooking.
We’re late. Kris glanced at his watch. He’d promised his mom he’d be there for dinner, but losing track of time with Cassia had been…well, inevitable. Better get inside before she sends out a search party.
As he climbed the porch steps, he paused and looked back in the direction of the road. She was gone.
But he had to trust in fate. Had to trust that she would be back tomorrow. And when she returned, he needed to have something more concrete to offer her. He needed to show her this was where her future lay.
Here, with us, his bear added.
The aroma of something savory—maybe roast chicken—drifted through the screen door. The moment he opened it, he was greeted by his mom. “There you are.”
“We thought you were going to spend the night crafting the perfect wine,” Philip said from where he sat at the kitchen table, his meal half-eaten. “Again.”
“But then we saw the car and figured you had a client,” his dad said.
He took a breath, trying to center himself.
Just act normal, his bear told him.
I’m not sure what normal is anymore, he told his bear.
“I’m sorry I am late. I lost track of time.” His voice sounded unfamiliar. Had meeting his mate changed him already?
Leanne looked up from the table where she was spooning carrots from a serving dish to a plate. “Are you all right?”
Kris opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. Should I just say it? ‘I found my mate, Mom’?
Now that would be a bombshell in the middle of a quiet family dinner, his bear said. But they deserve to know. They’d want to know.
Yes, they do, Kris agreed.
He inhaled, tried to speak, and then paused again. Hugo, his father, was seated at the table, quietly ladling gravy over his mashed potatoes. At the sight of Kris’s expression, he set down the ladle, eyebrows lifting. “Something on your mind, son?”
Philip looked up from his plate and then set down his fork. “You look like you got struck by lightning.”
A wry chuckle escaped Kris. “I—uh—maybe I did.” He cleared his throat and stepped closer to the table. He ran a hand through his hair once more, glancing at his mother, then father, then brother. Suddenly, his chest felt too tight. “You guys better brace yourselves, because…I just met my mate.”
That triggered a moment of stunned silence, like the hush after a sudden clap of thunder. Hugo’s eyes widened, a spark of delight quickly banishing any surprise. Leanne set the dish of carrots down with a light thud . While Philip blinked once, then twice, before a broad grin slowly spread across his face.
“What?” he breathed incredulously, though the delight in his voice was obvious. “Your mate?”
Kris nodded slowly, a faint smile spreading across his lips. “Yeah.”
“Are you sure?” Philip asked.
“Duh!” Kris said with a roll of his eyes.
“Just making sure you haven’t had too much wine!” Philip teased.
Leanne’s face broke into a radiant smile as she rushed around the table, ignoring the carrots, ignoring dinner, ignoring everything but Kris. “Oh my goodness, Kris. This is wonderful news.” She reached for his hand, her motherly love washing over him as it always did. “Who is she? When did you meet her? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” The questions tumbled out in a rush.
Kris took a steadying breath. “I just… She just turned up, basically.” The adrenaline from Cassia’s departure still thrummed in his veins. “Her name is Cassia. She arrived this afternoon, responding to the job ad.”
“Job ad?” Hugo repeated, confusion flickering across his face. “We’re not hiring. You have enough staff for harvest and…”
“Well, funny story,” Kris said, waving a hand. “Cassia thought the job ad was for the restaurant. The one we talked about but never actually started.” He forced a rueful laugh, noticing how bewilderment now flared in both Leanne’s and Hugo’s eyes. “Remember the idea about a small restaurant on the vineyard property to showcase our wines?”
“Of course,” Hugo cut in. “We’ve tossed that around for a while. But we never agreed to post any ad about it.”
Kris grimaced. “Well, apparently my brothers thought it would be amusing to write an ad…”
“Hey, to be clear, it wasn’t for a job,” Philip cut in as all eyes turned on him. “It was more for a mate. For Kris. We were teasing him about working too hard. It was never meant to be posted.”
A snort of laughter escaped Hugo. “But fate stepped in and it got posted, huh?”
“Yes,” Kris confirmed, crossing his arms. “Cassia saw it and showed up this afternoon. She was, understandably, confused to learn the restaurant was nonexistent. But I convinced her to stay for a trial period—two weeks—to help us plan it.” He paused, inhaling. “And since she is my mate...”
Leanne pressed her hand to her chest, eyes bright with tears of joy. “We have to make it work,” she murmured.
“Exactly,” Kris whispered, swallowing a surge of emotion. “She’s perfect, Mom. It’s like we fit together in every way.”
The three people around the table fell silent as the news sank in. Then Hugo set aside his napkin, rising to clasp Kris’s shoulder. “Well, that’s the best news we’ve heard in a while. Congratulations, son.”
Philip’s grin returned in full force. “I can’t believe you found your mate because of that ad. And I swear none of us knew Finn posted it. But you know he’ll never let you live it down.”
Kris exhaled a laugh. “You’re not wrong there. Although, it could have turned out entirely differently if anyone but Cassia had shown up for the job.” He didn’t quite agree with his brother’s meddling, but all the same, Kris owed Finn a debt. For bringing Cassia to Bear Creek, no matter how unorthodox the method.
Leanne squeezed Kris’s hand, giving him a soft, searching look. “You said she’s staying for a trial period?”
Kris nodded. “Yes.”
“Come on, sit down, before you fall down.” Leanne smiled at Hugo, who pulled out a chair for his son.
Kris sat down heavily. It was as if something had zapped his strength now that the adrenalin had worn off. The smell of warm chicken and roasted veggies reminded him he hadn’t eaten in hours.
“So, do you have a plan?” Philip asked as he picked up his fork and went back to eating his dinner.
“Not exactly.” Kris nodded his thanks to his mom as she set a plate down in front of him. “The problem is, she thinks we’re more ready for the restaurant than we are. I mean, we don’t have any plans at all.”
Hugo eyed him thoughtfully. “But you want to build it for her, so she won’t leave.”
Kris rubbed the back of his neck. “Is that too rash? She’s my mate. I can’t risk her going off to find some other job, some other life.”
“Sweetheart, building a restaurant isn’t the simplest project, but this family has done bigger things when the time called for it.” Leanne glanced at Hugo, eyes lighting up. “Remember the expansions we did on the tasting room when we were first married?”
Hugo chuckled. “I do. My brothers all pitched in. Just like all your brothers will pitch in.” He nodded sagely at Kris. “And I’m sure your cousins will help, too, if we need them to.”
“Of course,” Philip said, reaching for a glass of water, “just as you would do the same for us.”
Relief flooded Kris’s chest, so intense he had to lean back in his chair to breathe. “Thank you. Really. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
Philip grinned. “I hope one day soon I get a chance to find out.”
“All my sons mated,” Leanne said. “What more could I ask for?”
“Well, it happened for our lucky cousins up at the ranch,” Philip said. “So there’s hope.”
“There is indeed,” Leanne said as she flashed a smile at Hugo.
Hugo winked at her and reached across the table to cover her hand with his. Then he turned his attention back to Kris. “So, what’s your next step? She’s here for two weeks. You have to show her that this job is real enough to keep her.”
Kris swallowed the piece of carrot he’d been chewing. “Yes, exactly. Tomorrow morning, we’re meeting to draft a menu, discuss tasting pairings, and figure out what style we want. But I also need to talk to Dad—both of you—about budgets, building permits, and anything we need to get started. She’s not expecting a full-scale restaurant overnight, but I can’t let her see zero progress.”
Philip leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “You know we’ll all pitch in. And we have some local contractors who owe us favors.”
“Great.” Kris tapped his glass. “And we can use the old barn, the one near the western vines as we discussed before. It’s in good shape structurally, just needs a redesign. Also, we can keep it small at first, maybe just an intimate dining experience, with, what, twenty? Thirty seats?”
Leanne tilted her head, considering. “A smaller, exclusive feel might work well. People would come for that intimate vineyard-to-table experience.”
Hugo scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, focus on quality over quantity. That’ll attract the right crowd. Let’s set up a meeting with Thaddeus at some point—he has the restaurant expertise and might give us pointers.”
Kris’s chest eased further. They had a direction, a plan forming already, and it felt unstoppable.
He looked around at their eager expressions: Hugo’s measured excitement, Leanne’s motherly pride, Philip’s grin.
I’m so grateful for them. His mind flashed to Cassia’s aloneness, how she’d mentioned having no real home left. If only she realized she had a ready-made family right here, just waiting for her.
Finishing the last of his dinner, Kris leaned back, exhaling. The day had been an emotional rollercoaster, and exhaustion tugged at his limbs. “So that’s that,” he said softly. “I guess I found my mate. And we’re building a restaurant.”
Leanne chuckled, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “That’s quite a day’s work, Kris.”
Quite a day’s work indeed, his bear rumbled happily.