Baker Bear Read online

  “You didn’t even want a mate, and you didn't have to wait one minute. You were instantly matched with Sunshine,” Grayson said.

  “It took me a hard knock on the head to realize that life is short and that love and family are the most important things in a bear’s life. I was confused, my friend. I thought that if I wanted something for myself that it was selfish. But I've become a better man and a better firefighter since I found my sweet Sunshine.”

  “I know you're right,” Grayson said, letting out a long sigh.

  He did agree with Harrison, although his inner grizzly did not. The beast prowled around at the back of his mind, grunting and growling and grumbling for his mate. Sometimes it kept him awake at night, and he couldn't settle down.

  “Well, I better get back to the kitchen. I just heard the scones ding. You have a good day at work, Harrison. Just don't try to save any cats that don't need saving.”

  Harrison chuckled and punched Grayson in the shoulder as he rose from the table on the way back to the kitchen. It was a running joke among the shifters in Fate Valley. Harrison had injured himself in a house fire while trying to save a cat who was already outside.

  Grayson returned to the kitchen and pulled the scones out of the oven. They were perfectly baked and filled the kitchen with the scent of blueberries. He scooped them out onto a cooling tray and inhaled the heavenly aroma.

  He thought about his life and his friends. He knew that someday fate would bring his mate to him. And when it did, he would be ready with open arms and a plate of pastries.

  Chapter 3

  Donika woke with a start in her bed, her head pounding. The events of the last twenty-four hours were a vague and distant memory. She looked across the room at her painting, leaning against the wall, her box of office supplies, and the plant from the office.

  She rose from her bed on shaky, weak legs and looked out the window at the skyline of New York City. She had a well-appointed one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. She’d loved it when she’d first moved in. But this morning, it felt like a box in the sky, cold and hollow. She let out a long breath as she rested her palm against the window. Rubbing her temples with her hand, she tried to remember what had happened yesterday.

  “I was fired,” she finally reminded herself. “Fuck my life.”

  She staggered into her kitchen and made herself a cup of coffee with her expensive gourmet coffee maker. As it brewed, she stared at the black liquid dripping into her cup and tried to remember why she'd been fired.

  Something had happened. She’d told her boss something he didn't like. But what? She couldn't remember. She must have had a blackout. She cursed herself for not seeing a doctor yet. But she’d believed she could just power through it, like everything else in her life.

  That belief was what had brought her from Fate Valley, Missouri to graduate as valedictorian of her class at Harvard Law. It’s what had landed her a job the most renowned law firm in New York City. But now, all it was doing was making her sick.

  As she picked up her coffee, she downed the brew in several long gulps, not caring that it nearly burned her tongue. She had lost a lot of weight in the last several years, and she knew that it had contributed to her health problems.

  Hundred-hour work weeks and three hours of sleep a night couldn't be helping either. Even bad-ass, smart girls like her had to rest once in a while. But Donika never let herself rest. Not for a minute, not for years.

  She made another cup of coffee and took it to sit at her table by the window. She gazed out at the rooftops of the city, feeling so isolated and alone. She had wanted this life. She'd wanted to be a success in the big city. She’d wanted her family to be proud of her for all that she’d accomplished. But it had just disconnected her from the people who really loved her.

  It wasn't that her mother, grandmother, and sister weren't proud of her. She was sure they were. But she hadn't even seen them since she’d started working at the law firm two years ago.

  She hadn’t even gone home for the holidays or birthdays or the birth of her last nephew. She'd sent her sister a thousand dollar gift card, but she knew that no matter how much money she threw at her family, all they really wanted was her. She let out a long sigh, feeling as if she were indeed a failure after all. She’d lost her job yesterday and couldn't even remember why.

  The phone rang, and she picked it up.

  “Hello,” she said to the unknown caller.

  “Hello, Donika Devon,” a man said on the other end of the line. “This is David Schmidt, representing the law firm of Shyster and Shyster. I’m calling to let you know that you are being sued for the bodily injury of Stanley Shyster.”

  “Sued?” she said groggily.

  She’d had more sleep last night than usual, but still hadn't had enough coffee for the words “You’re being sued.”

  “Why didn't he just press charges? Then we could get this whole vendetta thing out of the way.”

  “You broke Mr. Shyster’s nose,” David Schmidt said.

  Donika knew David as one of her associates at the law firm. She could see that Mr. Shyster was now having him do the dirty work.

  “I didn't know I had the strength,” she teased.

  “This is no laughing matter Ms. Devon,” Mr. Schmidt said. “Because of your flagrant aggression, and disregard for the safety of the entire firm, we are utilizing the full force of the law. Your assets are being seized. Your apartment complex has been informed.”

  “You can't do that,” she sputtered.

  “Oh, yes we can. You can fight it, but I doubt you will win. You forget the power of Shyster and Shyster,” he said.

  “Why are you doing this? Why can't you just sue me for damages or have me arrested? You don't have to destroy my entire life.”

  “Mr. Shyster wants to send a message,” he said.

  “You can consider his message received.”

  “Remember, Ms. Devon. Shyster and Shyster doesn't mess around. We protect our clients’ interests. Now that you are not with us, you are against us.”

  The phone clicked, and she was left in silence. She turned off her phone and set it on the table. How could they freeze her assets? That wasn’t even legal.

  She quickly called her bank, a growing sense of dread rising in her chest. After several minutes of speaking to customer service representatives, she learned that her bank account had, in fact, been frozen.

  “This isn’t legal,” she shouted. “I demand due process.”

  “All appropriate channels have been utilized. If you have a complaint, then you need to call our complaints department at 1-800-555-2222,” the customer service person said.

  Donika hung up on the idiot and put her phone down on the table, growling. She rubbed her temples, confused and disoriented. Grabbing her coffee cup, she went to the kitchen and made another cup. She was going to need a lot more caffeine for this.

  Before her third cup of coffee had even finished brewing, her doorbell rang. She pulled on her bathrobe and went to the door. On the other side stood one of the building managers.

  “Donika Devon,” the building manager said. “This is your twenty-four-hour notice to vacate the property.”

  “Twenty-four-hour notice?” she said with a gasp. “You've got to be kidding me. I pay my rent on time every month. I have a twenty-four-month lease on this place.”

  “Your bank accounts have been frozen, and you are now unable to pay. We don't take things like this lightly. You will need to be out and have all your things removed in twenty-four hours. If you are unable to do so, you will be arrested, and your property will be seized.”

  “I've been a good tenant,” she protested. “How could you do this to me?”

  “Consider this your final warning,” the man said, shoving the eviction notice at her.

  She took the paper he’d pressed to her chest and slammed the door in his face. Her head was spinning and her heart beat uncontrollably. How could they do this? This wasn't legal. She was a lawyer
. She knew that this was unheard of. She would have to go down to the courthouse to fight it. But she knew the power of Shyster and Shyster. They had dozens of the most brilliant lawyers behind them, and all the money and power in the world. She was just one person. A person who couldn't remember what had happened yesterday.

  She picked up her third cup of coffee and sat down at her table, trying to get her thoughts in order. What could she do? Where could she go? In a flash of insight, Donika realized the best place for her would be home, in Fate Valley.

  She grabbed some of her plastic organizing boxes from the closet and began to pack up her most important things. She packed all her clothes, including her favorite suit she’d worn the day before.

  She withdrew the contents of her safe, which included several thousand dollars in cash, her collectible silver and gold coins, and her pistol. She stacked everything up and sat at the edge of her bed. The tears that she wanted to shed clung to the corners of her eyes.

  She called her credit card companies and found that they had all been frozen. She breathed a sigh of relief knowing that her SUV was at least paid off. It was the one thing they couldn't take from her. Before they got the chance to take that too, she crammed everything in the elevator and took it down to the basement parking lot.

  Still wearing her bathrobe and underwear, she loaded her car with her valuables, all her personal items and documents, and everything that she cared about from her apartment. Her painting by her favorite artist and the potted plant she had at the office were stowed in the back with her hot pink stapler.

  With one last sigh of confusion and disbelief, Donika pulled out of the parking lot just as a tow truck was pulling in. She drove out of her apartment building’ parking lot. Rounding the corner, she sped away as fast as was legally possible.

  She knew that tow truck was meant for her car. All that was left in her apartment was the shell of who she was.

  She knew Mr. Shyster could find her in Fate Valley, but at least the distance would give her some measure of safety from his wrath. She wished she could remember what had caused her to punch him. But no matter how much she strained, she could not.

  All Donika could do was speed through the streets, out onto the highway, and away from Manhattan. She looked at the city as she crossed the bridge into New Jersey, thinking that it may be the last time she saw her new home. She looked out the front window onto the highway headed south. It would be a two-day drive to get to Fate Valley. She knew she would be safe there. She had to believe it. It was the only thing that kept her going.

  As she pulled onto the New Jersey Turnpike, she flipped on the radio to her favorite station. Pop music played, and it matched the beat of her heart. She smiled, thinking about her hometown. The smell of barbecue in summer. Boats drifting on the lake. She couldn't wait to get home. It had been so long, and she had almost forgotten who she was. A small-town girl from the Midwest with a family and a history and a home.

  Chapter 4

  Grayson poured a pot of coffee into a thermos and headed to his boat dock. The water was warming as the winter faded into spring. During his time living on the lake, he'd learned a few tricks to catch fish even in the coldest weather.

  He climbed aboard and pulled anchor before steering out onto the water. A big blue sky spread out overhead and the warmth of the sunshine glowed as he navigated his boat over the shining water of the Lake of the Fates. He passed several other fishermen and waved, smiling as he continued toward his favorite winter fishing spot.

  Like most of the guys who lived in Fate Valley, he loved fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports. Grayson was partial to fishing himself. He even had a special fish pie that he loved to bake when he had a good catch. He often brought it to Shifter Community Association meetings. All the shifters loved it.

  He’d found the little cove where logs had fallen into the water during a landslide last fall. He knew the spot was a perfect hiding place for winter bass and crappie. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat with his fresh bagel on the side of his boat as he baited his hook. He threw his line into the water, right beside the logs, and waited patiently for a bite.

  He slowly reeled his line of fragrant fish bait back to the boat and tried again. He dreamed of someday having a lady to share his favorite things with. In the summer, the sun was bright and hot. Thousands of visitors descended on the valley for swimming, hiking, fishing, and waterskiing. It turned into a whole different place.

  In the winter, the lake was quiet, and the people were few. That would change in a few days when the Great American Bake-off started. Fate Valley had won a competition to host the TV show last year. Grayson was thrilled to be the hometown baker accepted into the competition.

  He wanted more than anything to win the prize. It would do wonders for his business. He might even be able to expand, turning his recipes into something that could be packaged and sold worldwide. It was a big dream, but he believed that wholesome food, made with love, was a universal language that he wanted to share with as many people as he could.

  He loved his little café and wanted to work there for the rest of his life, but he did have big dreams and big plans. Winning a competition like the Great American Bake-off would propel him to a whole new level. It wasn't that he wanted the money or fame. He just wanted to share his love of baking and the sweet calling in his soul. He loved to watch people's eyes light up when they tasted his pastries or one of his savory pies. It was the best feeling he'd ever experienced in his life.

  Like Harrison, he wanted to serve his community and the people he loved. But Grayson's form of service was different. While Harrison heroically put out fires and saved cats, Grayson liked to bake scones, cinnamon rolls, and pies.

  He loved making wedding cakes. He loved seeing the bride and groom cutting one of his cakes at their wedding. Feeding it to each other as they gazed into each other's eyes. Tasting the sweet flavor of his cake for the first time. It really was the most accurate symbol of how he felt about his sweet treats. They should bring love and connection. Like the cookies mom made afterschool in childhood.

  He threw his line back out into the water and slowly reeled it in. This time, he felt a tug on his hook. He whistled and continued reeling. It was a big one. He could feel it on the end of his line. Grayson was a strong man, but he had to struggle to reel in the fish.

  Soon he had it close to the end of his boat. He grabbed his net and scooped the twelve-inch wriggling bass out of the water and brought it into his boat. He unhooked it and dropped it into a bucket. His mouth watered just thinking about making his famous fish pie with savory potatoes and scallions for dinner.

  His stomach rumbled at the thought. But then he grew a little sad. He didn't have anyone to cook it for. Just himself. Grayson loved cooking, but he didn't like eating alone. And that was his only option unless he made some excuse to meet up with one of his friends.

  Everybody had been mating up lately. Harrison, Liam, Benjamin, Thorian. They had all found their mates, and Grayson was still alone. As he navigated his boat back to the dock outside his little house, he decided that he would make the pie for Kitty and her family. He’d bring it over for dinner that night. She really was a hard worker and deserved a break. He knew having a little one at home and working full-time was hard for her.

  Bringing her some food would make her day just a little bit brighter. That made him feel so much better as he took his bucket up to the house. He butchered his fish and brought the meat inside. He then started making the crust for the fish pie. After he finished the crust, he tossed it in the fridge to chill and grabbed his phone. He checked Mate.com one more time, just to see if he had been matched with his mate while he was out fishing. Still no one hundred percent match.

  His heart sank. Grayson sat down in his living room and turned on a football game. Sighing, he put his boot on the coffee table and watched the St. Louis Rams annihilate the Seahawks. He laughed as his favorite quarterback ran over the goal line. At half time, he we
nt back to the kitchen and finished rolling out the pie crust. He prepared the filling with the fresh fish, boiled potatoes, cut up carrots and scallions, and put everything into the crust. He then covered it with the top crust and popped it in the oven.

  In forty-five minutes, it would be a deliciously delectable dish. He went and finished watching the rest of the game. The Rams won forty-eight to twelve. After the game, he pulled the pie out of the oven and let it cool.

  He covered the finished pie with aluminum foil and climbed into his truck. On the way across town, he listened to music on the radio and whistled along with the tune. When he arrived at Kitty's house, he hopped out of the truck and carried his pie up to the front door. When he knocked, her husband Charley answered.

  “Hi Grayson,” Charley said.

  Charley worked in construction. During the winter, there was less work, and he spent a lot of time at home with the baby.

  “What's that? It smells delicious.”

  “It's my famous fish pie. I caught a bass today, and I didn't want to eat alone. So, I brought it over for you and Kitty.”

  Kitty came to the door holding their son Tyler and her eyes grew wide at Grayson's fish pie.

  “Grayson, aren't you just the sweetest,” she said as Charley accepted the pie.

  “Just consider it an employee bonus.”

  “You’ve got to stay for dinner now,” Charley said, slapping Grayson on the back.

  They invited him inside and Kitty cut into the pie, serving Grayson a piece as they sat around the table.

  “Still no luck finding a mate?” Kitty asked.

  “No,” Grayson said mournfully, taking a bite of his fish pie. It turned out deliciously. “It's been five years.”

  “Did you catch the game today?” Charley asked.