Page 10 of Bear Creek Thanksgiving (Holiday Mates #3)

A few days later

Dustin was setting up the new coffee and drink machines amid a pile of instruction booklets and a few curses.

The directions were confusing enough without having to endure all the racket on the other side of the wall.

The construction crew was hurrying to finish the noisiest part of their final project before opening day—turning the lean-to into an enclosed warming station for winter ice skaters.

When Gruff had explained what they were doing, Dustin threw a monkey wrench in the works by suggesting an important change.

“If we install an order window right here, like the kind an ice cream stand has, we can serve hot drinks and snacks to skaters without having to open up the building. Makes things easier for everybody, and we won't freeze our buns off running in and out.”

Both Gruff and Dylan, the construction foreman, thought it was a great idea—even if it did require cutting a hole in the east wall less than two weeks from opening day.

Fortunately, that awful mess had occurred yesterday, and it put Dustin behind schedule with preparing all the new equipment.

He’d almost finished the hot drink station when Gruff walked in holding a white business envelope, laying it on the counter with a pleased smile.

“Take a look.”

Dustin pulled out a brochure from the Pocono Ridge Resort—a promotional piece for guests who wanted to visit Bear Creek during their stay.

It provided a list of the shuttle run times and a colorful map with numbers representing each of the participating businesses.

There, on the right side of the map, Dustin found number forty-one—the Red Barn at Shady Lane Orchard .

Dustin’s enthusiastic grin did something to Gruff’s insides.

“This is so cool! Just think of all the visitors we’ll get, and not only from Pennsylvania. Aren’t you glad we have our own branded products in the gift shop? People like reminders of their vacation, and this way they won’t forget us.”

Dustin had insisted that the Red Barn have its own logo and carry souvenir products, even if it was cheesy.

T-shirts, ball caps, aprons, coffee mugs, keychains, and apple-inspired art and jewelry were only a few of the things he’d added to the shop’s regular stock.

Dustin remembered that he had something to show his boss and came around the end of the service counter to grab his hand.

Gruff growled at the contact and followed Dustin willingly to a prominent new display of jigsaw puzzles.

“Look what I did this morning! These were made from photos I took around the orchard. There are easy ones with big pieces for kids and difficult ones for adults. Even Baxter gets his claim to fame.”

Sure enough, one of the shots caught Gruff sorting apples with the impudent cat sitting on his shoulder and looking straight at the camera.

Another was of Baxter asleep on the tractor seat, stretched out in a ray of sunshine, with orchard rows as a backdrop.

Gruff actually laughed, pulling Dustin in for a sweet kiss.

“I love how smart you are. Better not tell Baxter—he might get the wrong idea.”

Dustin returned the kiss before answering.

“I wouldn’t dream of it. He already thinks he owns the place.”

Dustin was about to steal another smooch when someone entered the Barn. They hustled over and found an older couple looking around with delighted expressions. Gruff walked up to scent them and then made introductions.

“Dustin, this is Nina and Ruben Sloan. They have a place just up the road and help me out during the apple harvest. Folks, this is Dustin Mowry, my new manager.”

Dustin shook their hands.

“Welcome! I would offer you some coffee, but I don’t have the machine up and running yet. How about a little tour instead?”

Nina seemed a lot more excited by the idea than her husband.

“Oh, that would be wonderful . We’ve been curious about the new building since the spring. I see some Christmas gift ideas already, and hate waiting until the last minute. Get your wallet out, dear.”

Ruben heaved a dramatic sigh, unwilling to expend energy on arguing a lost cause.

With Gruff’s hand resting on Dustin’s lower back, they walked their guests through the building, pointing out various items and answering questions.

Long retired, the Sloans had been Gruff’s only seasonal help for several years—tasked with shuttling customers out to the orchard and back with the hay wagon.

This season promised to be much busier, and with Dustin’s temporary staff handling the weigh station, Gruff could now help where needed.

By the time they’d finished the tour, both Ruben and Gruff had their hands full of product. Dustin rang it all up, gave them a hefty discount, and bagged it for them.

“Why don’t you leave these here with me while you meet with Gruff? I may even have a snack prepared when you get back.”

Nina watched with raised brows as Gruff gave Dustin a possessive kiss goodbye and strutted toward the exit. Not one to withhold an opinion, she shared her thoughts on the way to the old barn.

“What a lovely young man. It’s about time you found someone special.”

Gruff responded with a growl, though he and his bear certainly agreed.

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

Saturday, August 5 th

Dustin had spent the last three days holed up in his office next to the storage room.

Conducting a steady stream of interviews left his backside achy, and not in a good way.

Even so, he was grateful to have filled nearly every position.

He couldn’t have done it, however, without the help of Aiden Romero and his mate, Dash Hawthorn.

They’d both been incredibly supportive, freely sharing advice and steering Dustin in the right direction to find the people he needed.

Though most of his new hires were part-time seasonal workers, there were a couple of permanent positions that couldn’t be filled with retirees and teens.

It wasn’t possible for Dustin to be everywhere at once, especially with the kitchen on the second floor.

He still needed an assistant baker and a part-time front end supervisor so he could properly oversee day-to-day operations.

Unfortunately, he’d discovered that recruiting in and around Bear Creek was far more difficult than in Harrisburg, and time was running out to secure needed staff.

His only option seemed to be asking for more help, and he dialed Aiden’s number.

“Hey, Dustin. How are things at Shady Lane?”

“Hi, Aiden. I apologize for bothering you again, but I need a couple of key people and was hoping you might have some ideas.”

By the time Dustin finished explaining who he was looking for, Aiden had possible solutions ready.

“I’m not sure if you’ve met my assistant, Toby, but his classmate, Asha Dey, just completed her certificate in pastry arts.

She also has several years of baking experience at a quality restaurant in Wilkes-Barre.

Fortunately, she lives in Bear Creek and is looking for a low-stress position closer to home.

From what Toby tells me, I think she might be exactly what you’re looking for.

“I also might have a candidate for your front-end position. A super-nice woman named Jillian Harding submitted an application recently who I would have hired if she’d had broader availability.

She’s a mom with kids, looking for a job during school hours, so you’d have to ask if she’s available on weekends.

Jillian has both customer service and cashier experience which makes her a good fit for the Red Barn.

I’ll email you their resumes so you can make your own decision, and feel free to mention my name if you think it will help. ”

Dustin was glad he’d called now, as his situation looked a lot less bleak.

“Both of those people sound great! I owe you, Aiden—thank you, so much. I’ll let you know what happens.”

Five minutes later, Aiden’s message appeared, and Dustin quickly read over the attached resumes.

He wasn’t kidding—both of them appeared to be ideally suited for the positions, assuming they were still available.

Two phone calls later, he had interviews scheduled for late tomorrow morning. Things were definitely looking up.

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

The long workday finally came to an end, and Dustin wondered why he hadn’t seen Gruff all afternoon.

They usually interacted frequently during the day, exchanging news or kisses, though no other dates had been arranged.

Dustin hoped he hadn’t scared the man off, even if they seemed to be on the same page.

His experience with men was almost non-existent, and what he did have was kind of pathetic.

Part of his trouble had been the grueling hours he’d put in at the restaurant, leaving no time or energy for socializing.

Even then, he wasn’t on the same page as his peers.

For some reason, it wasn’t that way with Gruff.

Being a bear shifter didn’t prevent him from being socially awkward, too, and he knew how it felt not to fit in.

Yet, when they were together, none of that seemed to matter.

Could the two of them actually make a go of this relationship thing?

He sure hoped so, but what did Gruff think?

Thoughts of his hunky boss lingered as he shut off the lights and locked up the Barn.

There didn’t seem to be any sign of the man as he headed toward the parking lot until, out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement at the pond.

Was that a bear in the water? He’d never seen Gruff in his ursine form, but who else could it be?

Perhaps he’d decided to kick back or cool off.

Of course, if that was a natural bear, Dustin wasn’t going to stick around for a nice chat.

Just then, the big beast raised a forepaw and waved at him, confirming that it must be Gruff.

On guard, he approached the pond slowly, waiting to see what the bear would do.

How much control did Gruff actually have over his animal form anyway?

Unsurprisingly, his bear had the same long scars from forehead to cheek on the left side.

DeeDee said he’d been attacked as a youngster, but who would hurt a poor, innocent cub?

Someday, he hoped to hear the whole story from Gruff—if he was willing to tell him.

As Dustin drew near, he spotted Baxter curled up on a pile of clothing near the shore. Well, if he wasn’t scared, Dustin shouldn’t be either, and he walked right over to the edge of the pond and called out.

“Gruff! Where have you been all day?”

The furry beast started swimming toward shore, moving much faster than Dustin had imagined.

Once his short legs could reach something solid, he trundled the rest of the way in, growling and snorting contentedly until he reached Dustin.

That’s when the big galoot decided to shake the water out of his coat, drenching Dustin, Baxter, and his pile of dry clothing.

To make matters worse, Dustin suddenly had a cold, wet nose shoved up his shirt, followed by a long, wet tongue which seemed to have a mind of its own.

He backed away, wiping stinky pond water from his face.

“Augh! Stop that! I just wanted to say hello, not get soaked, you goose.”

Gruff sat down, head cocked at the enchanting human, while his twitchy nose continued sampling the air. When he made no further attempts to shake, Dustin approached cautiously.

“Wow, you’re big. May I pet you?”

Gruff responded with a human-style nod, vibrating with an almost-purr from deep in his chest. The scars Dustin saw from a distance were mostly buried under his fur, but the surrounding hairs had grown back white.

The contrast was striking, giving the bear a raffish appearance.

Dustin started with scratching around his ears, and Gruff leaned into the pressure.

From there, he ran hands over the bear’s chest, side, and flank, before returning to face the furry critter.

“You’re beautiful, and so soft. Can you change back whenever you want? What does it feel like? Does shifting make you tired or sore? Is it slow or fast?”

Unable to answer the questions in bear form, Gruff stood on his rear paws and shifted.

The quick transformation startled Dustin, and then embarrassed him.

Gruff was naked as a jaybird; his long, thick cock erect and surrounded by matted body hair.

Though he wanted to stare, Dustin reached for Gruff’s clothing, long abandoned by Baxter, and handed him his pants.

He turned to face the man, but only after Gruff began speaking.

“Sorry about getting you wet. My bear wasn’t thinking, and I couldn’t stop him in time.

Yes, I can shift whenever I want, and no, it doesn’t hurt.

I can’t really describe how it feels, but getting bigger or smaller is the most noticeable thing, and my senses are sharper in bear form.

That’s one reason he wanted to scent you. ”

Dustin’s eyes couldn’t help but roam over Gruff’s body, now exposed from the waist up—smooth eight-pack abs and hairy chest. His skin had a bronze tone, and he was well-muscled, leaner than Dustin expected, but absolutely gorgeous .

The impressive bulge in his pants was still obvious, and he wished he could touch him there—everywhere actually.

Gruff must have had the same thought, and reached out to take Dustin’s smaller hands and press them against his full pecs.

“Go ahead. I want you to.”

Dustin wasn’t about to pass up an invitation like that, skating palms and fingertips over the man’s buff chest and arms. In a bold move which surprised both of them, Dustin palmed Gruff’s enormous cock, rubbing and squeezing gently as the overwrought shifter began to pant with need.

Dustin, just as hard and aching, placed one of Gruff’s large hands on his own bulge, moaning with the long-anticipated contact. More! He wanted so much more.

Slipping his arms around the taller man’s neck, Dustin pulled his head down for a kiss filled with unspoken desire.

Gruff responded in kind, grabbing Dustin’s ass so that they were pressed together from the thighs up.

Oohhh...too much and still not enough! Somewhere in the back of his frazzled brain, Dustin remembered that they were in the great outdoors without any privacy.

“Could we... go inside?”

Gruff growled lustily, picked him up, and headed for the house without another word.