Chapter 2 #2
As he grounded himself in the moment, Cole remembered that Nia and Brianna were no longer in college.
Brianna was his little girl, but she wasn’t little anymore.
They were both women. But no amount of logic could make him feel better.
The conflicting feelings inside him were spinning into a tornado of frustration.
“He’s probably just bored with all this bakery talk,” Nia suggested.
“No.” Cole cleared his throat. “I’m interested. Did you decide what you’re going to call it?” He purposely stabbed a piece of broccoli with his fork.
Brianna spread her palm out and swept it through the air like she was envisioning the name on a sign. “The Cozy Crumb! Or at least, that’s my favorite so far. We’ve still got to talk about it.”
“The Cozy Crumb?” he repeated, his shoulders dropping.
“What, you don’t like it?” Brianna asked.
“It just sounds like a café that belongs in a big city somewhere,” he tried to explain. “It doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the town.”
Brianna rolled her eyes, which didn’t make it any easier to remember that she wasn’t a teenager. “That’s the point. It’s supposed to stand out, to make people take notice. I want our customers to feel like they’ve been transported to a whole new place.”
“Hmm,” he grumbled.
“What?” Brianna had never been one to back away from a challenge or a debate. “What would you name it, then?”
“Well, I don’t know.” He cut into his roast, though it was tender enough that it hardly needed any cutting. “Something rustic. Something that says it belongs out here. The Silver Spur, maybe.”
“The what?” Brianna started laughing. “No, Dad. No way. That’s terrible.”
“It was off the cuff,” he defended. “I haven’t had time to think about it.”
“I might as well call it the Gunsmoke Grindhouse,” Brianna retorted. She angled out her elbows and swung them back and forth. “Yeehaw, folks! Come on down to Motherlode Muffins! The Outlaw Oven!”
Nia’s lips were clamped together, pressed down so tightly against her laughter that she was trembling. She glanced at Cole and Brianna and then back again.
“Rattlesnake Roasters!” Brianna went on. “The Cowboy Coffee House!”
Nia couldn’t hold back any longer. “The Dusty Biscuit!” she burst out, laughing so hard she could barely sit up.
Even Cole found some humor in the situation. He waved his hand in defeat. “All right, I get the point. It was just an idea, and I’m not the one who’s running the place. Call it The Cozy Crumb or The Happy Mug or whatever pleases you.”
Brianna wiped a tear from her eye and sighed as she tried to get control of herself. “We really do need to decide on a name soon. I’ve already set up the social media channels, but they’re just sort of placeholders right now.”
“Yeah, if we can’t get the word out, no one will know we’re there,” Nia agreed. “Honestly, I like the name. I’ve come up with a few myself, but I’m not wild about any of them.”
“The Cozy Crumb, it is!” Brianna whipped out her phone and began tapping furiously on the screen. “I’ll change it right now. Tomorrow, after you’ve rested up, we can go to the building, and you can get an idea of what we’re working with.”
“Sounds great. How soon do you think we can open?” Nia took a sip of her wine, her dark eyes sparkling.
Brianna shook her head and smiled. “Silly me. I thought we could catch up a bit tonight and give you a chance to rest from your drive, but you’re the same determined Nia I’ve always known. It can’t wait, can it?”
“Can you?” Nia challenged.
“Definitely not! I’ll get my laptop, and we can make plans over apple pie,” Brianna suggested.
“I think I’ll let you ladies get to work.” Savoring the last of the gravy from his fork, Cole stood and carried his dishes to the sink.
“We don’t mean to drive you off,” Nia said behind him.
Cole felt the prickle of fur slowly pushing its way through the skin along his spine. Did she have any idea what she did to him? Could she fathom just what she invited when she spoke to him? His wolf didn’t care about societal expectations or boundaries. It wanted what it wanted, and it wanted her.
He ground his teeth as he rinsed his plate. The tantalizing scent of Brianna’s apple pie on a nearby cooling rack didn’t help. “That’s all right. I’ve got a few things I need to do, and I’ll be getting up early in the morning.”
After putting away his dishes, Cole showed himself to the back door. “Have a good night,” he said, lifting his hand in a wave without bothering to turn around.
“Good night!” Brianna called.
“It was nice to meet you,” Nia added, that voice calling to him one more time, tempting him, reminding him of just how close he finally was to his mate.
The moment Cole stepped off the deck, he let his wolf rip free of his body and fell to all fours. His paws pounded in the dirt as he raced down the track that led to the clearing. The night was cool and clear, a blessed relief after such a difficult evening.
He’d waited so long to find his mate. At this point, he’d questioned whether he ever would.
Cole had always known she had to be out there somewhere, but he’d never even left Montana.
If that mysterious fated mate was halfway around the world somewhere, he didn’t know how they’d ever find each other.
But she showed up, right there in Red Lodge. So close to him physically, but the miles he’d have to cross to actually be with her were astronomical.
The path opened up into the clearing, and the moon hung brightly overhead. He resisted the urge to let out at least some of his frustrations with a good howl. Nia would hear it, and she would know.
He bolted across the clearing, picking the path back up where it led to the packhouse.
Cole was thrilled for Brianna. He was proud of her for taking her life by the horns and doing what she wanted, but it meant this wasn’t just a pleasant visit from her old friend.
Nia would be sticking around. She’d be just a short run away, staying at Brianna’s place.
She’d be in town, working at the bakery. She’d be everywhere.
Cole wouldn’t be able to avoid her. How long could he avoid the truth?