Page 6 of The Bear’s Second Chance Mate (Bear Creek Forever: Thornberg Vineyard #5)

The coffee was warm, smooth, and comforting. Much like Stanley Thornberg.

Oh dear. She needed to stop thinking of the pet store owner romantically and focus on nurturing their friendship.

Because if Aunt Barb was right about shifters and fated mates, Stanley would have acted on his primal impulses by now.

But he had not, so it was time to accept the truth and let go of any idea of Stanley being anything more than a friend.

June sipped her coffee and focused on Oli, crouched beside the chinchilla enclosure.

For once, he didn’t fidget.

Didn’t pace.

Didn’t look to her for reassurance.

He was calm. Completely, astonishingly calm. And confident. Yes, that was perhaps the most surprising thing. He’d gained confidence through his interactions with animals.

She let out a breath she felt as if she’d been holding for months, maybe even years.

This wouldn’t last. She wasn’t na?ve enough to believe her son had undergone some miraculous transformation.

Not that she’d want him to. She loved him just as he was.

With his sharp edges, soft heart, and all the messy bits in between.

That was what being a mother was all about. No child was perfect.

It was just that hers was imperfect in a different way from most children.

The chinchilla had pressed its nose to the mesh, and Oli had responded with quiet reverence as he tried to gain the creature’s trust. He was murmuring something.

Likely facts about nocturnal habits or dust baths.

June couldn’t hear the words, but his tone—gentle, lulling—was one she knew well.

It was the same one she used when the world overwhelmed him.

Her throat tightened.

What Stanley had created here was perfect. A little haven of tranquility, away from the outside world that so often confused those like Oli. And for mothers like her, too.

“You’re staring.” Stanley’s voice was low, amused, and much too close.

June blinked and turned to find him sitting beside her on the bench. She’d been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed him come to join her. But now that he was there, it was as if her body was attuned to his. As if they shared…

No. Just friends!

Friends who made her laugh. Friends who might remember Oli liked his food set out separately on his plate.

Friends who made her feel . That kind of friend?

She was a lost cause!

“Thank you so much for this,” she murmured, her eyes still on Oli. “It’s wonderful to see him so calm and engaged.”

Stanley nodded, his gaze following her son. “Animals are wonderful that way. They expect nothing. Don’t judge. They just…are.”

June glanced sideways. He sat forward slightly, elbows on his knees, coffee mug cupped in both hands. His flannel shirt was creased from work, and a flake of sawdust clung to his sleeve.

He was so her kind of man. A man who woke early to tend animals. Who taught kindness by example. Who made cookies. Who showed up. Who stayed.

Her need for that kind of man was almost unbearable.

“They’re easier than people,” she said. “Animals. They don’t ask questions you don’t know how to answer.”

Stanley nodded. “Sometimes that’s exactly what we need.”

She glanced at him again.

And that’s when she realized. It was not just how easygoing he was with Oli, but how easygoing he was with her. He didn’t push for answers. Didn’t pry. He was simply attentive, and kind, and accommodating. As if it meant a lot to him that she and Oli felt safe here. Felt happy.

And if she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine what it would feel like to rest her head on his shoulder. To not do it all alone. To let someone else carry the weight, just for once.

But she didn’t close her eyes.

She just sat there, sipping her coffee, letting herself believe, just for a moment, that maybe there was something between them. Maybe he was just biding his time before revealing his true self, their true relationship. Maybe he wasn’t simply being kind.

Maybe it was something more.

To distract herself, she took another sip, but it didn’t work. Beside her, Stanley shifted slightly, and the brush of his thigh against hers made her acutely aware of every inch of him.

“Do you mind if I ask…” he began, his voice kindling a warmth in her core that had nothing to do with the coffee.

“Ask away,” she said lightly, although her voice sounded breathy.

“What kinds of things help Oli feel settled? I’ve been reading as much as I can, but I know every child’s different. So I’d appreciate any personal tips from someone who has firsthand experience.”

June blinked. It wasn’t the question she expected. Usually, she got asked what’s wrong with him, or how can I fix him. As if Oli were a problem that could be solved.

June knew most people thought they were trying to be helpful, but weren’t.

Stanley sounded more like he just wanted to understand.

Her heart gave a slow, surprised thump.

“Routines help,” she said, her gaze fixed on her son.

“Knowing what’s coming. Predictable transitions.

Clear choices. And time. Sometimes he just needs time, you know, to take a breath, to process it all.

Whenever we go somewhere new, I try to prepare him ahead of time—what it’ll look like, sound like, who’ll be there.

But even then…” She trailed off. “Sometimes it’s just too much. ”

Stanley nodded slowly. “He seems really comfortable here.”

“He does.” June nodded. And Oli wasn’t the only one. It had been a long time since June had felt so relaxed. Here, she didn’t need to be on edge, waiting for the next sensory trigger. “The animals soothe him.”

“They have that gift,” he said, like it mattered. “How’s he settling in here in Bear Creek?”

She glanced sideways at him. “We’ve only been here a few weeks. He’s still finding his feet.”

His eyes met hers. Calm, steady. But was there a spark there? Or did she imagine it? “What about you?”

June hesitated. She hadn’t meant to open that door. But there was something about the way he made her feel that left her wanting to open up to him. To trust him with her innermost thoughts.

“I’m…getting there,” she said eventually. “Moving here is meant to give us a fresh start.”

She didn’t say from what. He didn’t ask.

“You’re doing a great job,” he said.

The words hit harder than she expected. Maybe because no one had said them in so long, or maybe because she wasn’t sure they were true.

June looked down, blinking hard, then startled when Stanley nudged the tin toward her.

“Another cookie?”

She huffed a quiet laugh. “You really are dangerous.”

“You have no idea,” he murmured.

Heat flooded her cheeks at his tone, low, almost playful, but with an undercurrent that made her pulse quicken. She looked up to find him watching her with those dark brown eyes, and for a moment she forgot how to breathe.

“I should probably pace myself,” she said, taking a cookie anyway, her fingers tingling as they brushed against his. The tingling spread up her arm, sending warmth flooding her body.

“Wise.” He smiled, and that smile did dangerous things to her resolve.

Did he have any idea of how he made her feel?

Barb’s words came back to her once more. Was that it? He was toying with her, trying to seduce her?

Did he want to use her as his plaything? Nothing more than someone to warm his bed while he waited for the woman of his dreams, his mate, to enter his life?

But June refused to believe that about the man next to her. He’d been so kind and caring toward Oli that there was no way he would be so cruel to her. Was there?

This was so confusing.

So she should simply play it safe. Protect her heart. Not lose her head to the first man who was kind to her.

Friendship. That’s what she wanted from Stanley. That’s what she needed.

But she knew that was a lie. What she really wanted was to feel his lips on hers, his arms around her waist, his body pressed close.

She took a bite of her cookie and chewed slowly, buying herself time to regain her composure.

Stanley leaned back slightly, and she caught the faint scent of his cologne, something woodsy and warm that made her want to breathe deeper.

“So what brought you to Bear Creek specifically?”

“My Aunt Barb,” she said. “She offered us a place to stay while I figure out what comes next.”

“That’s good of her. She’s always struck me as a woman who likes her own space.”

Did Stanley have any idea of what had happened between his father and Barb?

“She’s just never found the right man,” June said, a little too sharply.

“Ah, I can understand that,” Stanley said, as he turned his gaze on her once more. And once more, she was certain there was something he’d left unsaid. “And have you?”

“Have I what?” June asked.

“Figured out what comes next.”

You , she wanted to say.

But instead, she shook her head and said, “Not yet. I retrained recently. I’m looking for work that gives me the flexibility to be there for Oli.”

Stanley’s expression softened. “That can’t be easy. Finding work that fits around a child’s needs, I mean.”

“It’s not,” June admitted. “But we’re managing.” She didn’t want to talk about how her savings were dwindling, or how her confidence was eroded by each rejection letter she received. They all said the same thing. Although she had gained the relevant qualifications, she lacked real-life experience.

“If there’s anything I can do…” His voice trailed off.

“You’ve been so kind already,” she told him.

“Mom,” Oli called. “Come see!”

She rose quickly, grateful for the interruption, and joined her son at the chinchilla enclosure.

“He’s making a nest,” Oli whispered, pointing. “Look how careful he is.”

Behind her, Stanley crouched down with them. “He’s quite the homemaker. Speaking of which…” He gave Oli a look. “Would you like to hold Herbert today?”

Oli gasped. “Really?”

“Really,” Stanley said. “Let me get him.”