Page 1 of Bear Creek Thanksgiving (Holiday Mates #3)

July, Shady Lane Orchard

Gruff Cunningham worked quietly in the dim, cool barn, sorting out today’s blueberry harvest. The crop was plentiful this year, and there was still another month before the season ended.

As usual, Aiden would take everything he brought in, just as he had for the strawberries and cherries in June.

Aside from his U-Pick apple business and supplying local supermarkets, Delicious provided the lion’s share of Gruff’s annual income.

Once the sorting was done, he’d drive into town for a delivery before the heat spoiled them.

While he was there, Gruff would be meeting with DeeDee Tillman regarding a new employee for the orchard.

Since he didn’t have any experience hiring or interviewing people, her offer to do it for him had been readily accepted.

Both the new building and the future employee’s salary were part of a generous grant from Dash Hawthorn’s new charitable foundation, created to help shifters become, or remain, financially independent.

While he enjoyed getting out of the sun for a while, Gruff’s sensitive ears couldn’t hide from the constant noise right next door.

Under construction since early March, the new sales barn was really taking shape, though the drilling, sawing, and pounding made his bear grumpy.

Come to think of it, having a group of strangers crawling all over the property put them both on edge.

Yes, he had to put up with customers during the apple harvest season, but only for a limited time.

In any case, most of the remaining work was now on the inside, and once they finished the building, peace and quiet would return.

As soon as the thought flicked through his forebrain, a clattering racket from deep inside the barn reminded Gruff that Baxter was on the hunt. His faithful feline companion never met a mouse he couldn’t catch, and he always brought them to his keeper for inspection.

Sure enough, the handsome golden-eyed tuxedo cat came strolling towards him from a dark corner with a limp prize between his teeth.

Baxter circled Gruff’s legs, tail swishing back and forth before dropping the vermin at his feet.

Gruff gave him a grateful growl, and reached down to scratch his ears.

“Well done. Extra treat for you tonight.”

Gruff grabbed a shovel, scooped up the mouse, and took it outside for disposal behind the barn.

No doubt some of its relatives were also buried nearby, though better here than infesting his home and buildings.

On the way back in, Gruff noticed Dylan, the human construction foreman, approaching with a smile—sweaty, shirtless, and damn distracting.

“You got a minute, Gruff? I need to know what you want to do with the east end of the building.”

Like everybody else, Dylan’s eyes were drawn to the scars on Gruff’s face.

Few were brave enough to ask how he’d come to be disfigured, though he wouldn’t have told them if they did.

Those memories were best left alone. Gruff nodded at the friendly man and turned towards the open barn doors as he answered.

“Be right there.”

With Baxter nattering at him to be picked up, Gruff put the shovel away, scooped up the cat, and set him gently on his right shoulder. The silly feline would stay there all day if he let him, and Dylan started laughing when he saw the pair emerge from the barn.

“You spoil him much?”

Gruff shook his head.

“He earns his keep. I don’t mind.”

Dylan’s natural scent, mixed with fresh perspiration, got the attention of Gruff’s bear.

Being surrounded by half-naked men all day during the mating season made for some uncomfortable moments—even if they were all human.

He’d never considered hooking up with anyone except another shifter, but a man like Dylan could certainly change his mind if Gruff let his guard down.

They quickly reached the east end of the new sales barn, only a stone’s throw from the nearby pond, and found a stack of untouched lumber and supplies covered with a drop cloth.

Dylan unrolled the plans he was carrying, muscular biceps catching Gruff’s eye, and pointed to a rendering of an open-faced structure attached to the main building.

“According to this, a good sized lean-to goes here. It’s meant to shelter farm machinery, but I need to know what you intend to do with it before we get started.”

Gruff lifted his chin toward the pond.

“Ice skating in the winter. Figured this would make a good warming area and a place to put on skates.”

Dylan’s brows took a hike north.

“That’s a great idea. We’ll have to enclose it completely, add insulation, flooring, and lighting, along with an all-weather door, but it’s doable. I’ll get you an estimate so you can approve the extra expense. Since we’re ahead of schedule, it shouldn’t affect the completion date we promised you.”

Gruff nodded.

“Sounds good. Let me know.”

Dylan strutted away to rejoin his team while Gruff returned to the big old barn.

He finished loading the cleaned blueberries into shallow plastic trays and backed in his truck to load them up.

Once they were secured, he stretched a sturdy tarp over the truck bed to keep dust and direct sun off of them during the journey.

Baxter had been watching from the nearby workbench, licking his paws and commenting with yowly vocalizations only he understood.

Gruff picked him up, placed him on his shoulder, and headed for the house to clean up and put on a fresh shirt.

#############

Fifteen minutes later...

The drive into town was less than four miles, yet Gruff passed numerous new home sites along Highway 115 (also known as Bear Creek Boulevard).

After reaching the outskirts, it was easy to spot the evidence of new businesses.

Well-lit signs on the corners listed nearby enterprises that were on side streets instead of the main drag.

One of them was the Bella Vita (beautiful life)—a swanky Italian restaurant now housed in Aiden’s old production facility where Gruff had delivered last year’s harvest.

The new and expanded Delicious was coming up on the left, and Gruff turned down the side street to reach the long alley behind it.

Deliveries were now made at the shipping and receiving dock; completely separate from the sanitary production floor.

Gruff backed in and got out to press the bell.

Hudson opened the door with a broad smile.

“Hey, Gruff! Let me get Cooper over here and we’ll get you unloaded.”

The young men were both quick and efficient, weighing each stack of filled trays before carting them off to the walk-in freezer. When they were done, Hudson handed him an envelope and a large box containing an assortment of Bear Brownies and Snax.

“Here’s your check for last week’s deliveries, and some goodies Aiden asked us to give you at no charge. There’s a couple of new Snax in there I think you’ll like.”

Gruff scented the closed box, growling with anticipation and delight.

“Thanks. Tell Aiden the Red Barn is looking good, and the apple harvest will start about mid-August. See you next time.”

Hudson and Cooper waved goodbye, and Gruff pocketed the check after laying the heavy box of treats on the passenger side floor.

His bear wanted to tear into the brownies without delay, and though Gruff agreed with him, he had another errand to run.

Two blocks up the road, he arrived at City Hall—an old brick building also housing the mayor’s office and council chambers.

On the second floor, an ornately carved oak door led to an antechamber and DeeDee’s Administrative Assistant, Carmen Perez. She gave him a genuine smile.

“Good afternoon, Gruff. I saw the new Barn on my way past the orchard the other day, and it looks wonderful. Your timing is perfect, so go in—she’s expecting you.”

Gruff knocked softly and entered without waiting for a response.

DeeDee wasn’t much on formality in the first place, and he knew the good mayor and her mate, Sunny, quite well indeed.

They had become his substitute parents in a way, as well as his number one supporters.

If it weren’t for them, his future would most likely have been bleak, at best. She met him just inside the door with a quick scenting and a warm hug.

“Mmm...Gruff, it smells like you’ve been to Delicious . I have some news for you, so come in and sit down.”

They settled across from one another in the comfortable corner nook, each taking a pecan Nut Bomb from the coffee table. As usual, DeeDee didn’t waste any time getting down to business.

“The ad went out ten days ago, and while we got a number of replies, none of the applicants were worth pursuing.”

Gruff growled, worried he wouldn’t find someone in time for the grand opening. DeeDee raised an open palm to quiet him.

“Now don’t panic. I’m going to target the southeast corner of the state this time, where we should get a better selection of candidates.

I spoke to Dash yesterday, and he agreed to add benefits to the salary package until you can cover the expense yourself.

That should help attract the kind of people we’re looking for. ”

The remainder of the short conversation was about Bear Creek’s growing pains, the Tillman’s boys and their families, and the summer concert series at the amphitheater. DeeDee couldn’t help but prod Gruff to get out more.

“We have several evening concerts you could attend, and it would do you good to meet new people.”

Gruff growled, giving her the stink-eye.

“No. Too much to do. Don’t like being stared at.”

DeeDee heaved a great sigh, losing yet another battle with the stubborn man.

In her opinion, he needed a mate, and he’d never find one holed up at the orchard by himself.

Pushing too hard created friction, and she loved Gruff too much to risk putting barriers between them.

Their meeting thus ended, they stood for another hug and Gruff left the office hoping their search for a dependable employee would soon meet with success.

############

Later that night...

Never one to twiddle his thumbs, Gruff filled his evenings with remodeling the old farmhouse he called home.

Worn, outdated, and less than ideal for a shifter in bear form, he’d been working on improvements as he could afford them.

For the first few years he focused on the exterior of the house, including needed repairs, new siding and windows, and landscaping.

On the inside, he tackled the basement first—unfit for much except storage, though he’d filled cracks, slapped a fresh coat of paint on the walls, and installed dehumidifiers to get rid of a musty odor that annoyed his bear.

During the second phase, the main level got a much-needed makeover with a refresh of the kitchen and bathroom, wider doorways, and restoration of the original wood flooring.

This past winter, Gruff had finally reached the upstairs and its original four bedrooms—now three bedrooms and a full bath with an extra-large tub for soaking.

Knox McCoy had helped him with many of the plumbing and electrical issues, while he made the other improvements.

Currently, he was building a roomy linen closet in the new bathroom, using lightly stained oak with a clear varnish. Once he’d finished for the night, Gruff went downstairs to get ready for bed. As he stepped out of the shower later, his phone pinged with a text.

See you at 9?

The message had an immediate effect on his libido, and he let out a low rumbling growl while he checked the time. It was only eight thirty, meaning Gruff could easily make the rendezvous, and he keyed in a one-word reply.

Yes

After moving to Bear Creek six years ago, finding someone to take the edge off during mating season had been a serious issue.

Last season, he’d found a great guy in the same situation, and they hooked up whenever it could be arranged.

The circumstances meant a bit of stealth, and they only met after dark, but it was better than nothing.

Neither of them wanted more than to bury the bone, and it meant a lot to Gruff that his sex partner wasn’t repulsed by his scarred face.

After snarfing down a couple of Bear Brownies and checking on Baxter, Gruff took off for town with an aching erection and a small smile.