Catching Her Bear (2 page)

“He most certainly was. In fact, I spoke with him about his daughter.”

“What time was that?”

The pastor ran a hand over his chin. “I can’t say when our conversation occurred exactly, but the social ran from six to nine, and Jack Donaldson was here the whole time. He’s such a wonderful man. Never misses church.”

Well, that was a bust. The fire department said the blaze had been set around seven. Not that Kalan thought the pastor would lie, but to be thorough he wanted to touch base with a few others as well as the eyewitness who put Donaldson someplace else. “Do you have a list of the guests who attended?”

“They all signed in. If you give me a moment, I’ll make you a copy.”

“That would be great. Thanks.”

The pastor pulled open a desk drawer and extracted a book. He then made a photocopy on his scanner and printed it. “Here you go.”

Jeez. It was three pages of names. “Appreciate it.”

“Any time. Say, I haven’t seen you in church.”

“Been busy,” Kalan replied. He didn’t want to discuss his habits and waved the papers. “Best be going. Thanks again.”

“Come again soon, son.”

Kalan didn’t respond. He glanced down at the papers again and hoped one of these names could provide a lead. Because most of these folks would be at work for another few hours, he decided to purchase the flowers for Izzy then head into the station.

As he drove closer to the Blooms of Hope flower shop, a parking space freed up in front, which he considered good karma. Passing the display window before the entrance, he stopped, spotting the perfect gift for Izzy. It was a vase of pink, red, white, and orange wild flowers behind a cute stuffed wolf. Izzy and her wild, magical ways would love it. That was the easiest present he’d ever found.

When he stepped inside the fragrant smelling shop to purchase the gift, the ease he’d just experienced totally disappeared. His heart fluttered and his incisors lengthened. Holy shit. He didn’t detect a shifter close by, so there was no need for his body to go into fight mode. Something was seriously wrong.

Behind the counter stood a woman about twenty-five or so, with her hair in a braid and more tattoos on her arm than there were flowers in the shop. She was placing pink roses in a long box for a customer. Nothing about that should have triggered his unwanted reaction. A large glass cooler filled with flowers of every kind lined one wall, but as a bear shifter, he wasn’t allergic to anything relating to the outdoors, so he shouldn’t be feeling light-headed.

The clerk packaging the flowers for the customer turned her head toward the back. “Elana, customer,” she called.

Elana, Elana
. He mentally snapped his fingers. Izzy’s friend was named Elana. When he was at the Emergency Room the day Rye had been injured, he’d also had a strange feeling he couldn’t identify. His only thought at the time was that he had to get out of the waiting room. Hell, he’d been so flustered he’d walked right into the closed glass door.

“Hello,” Elana said, stepping out from the back, her voice like a smooth malt whiskey.

Dark hair with hints of red lay around her shoulders. This time she’d let it hang loose instead of pulling it back in a ponytail, and boy what a difference that made. Her soft, blue eyes looked dreamy, almost as if she’d been sniffing too many flowers or something and had gotten high.

His heart nearly stopped when his eyes lowered to her perfect pink lips, the exact shade as the rose petals her assistant was stuffing into the cardboard box. As he let his gaze roam from her eyes, over her chest, and then down to her legs and back up to her face again, his nails began to grow and it totally freaked him out. What the hell was wrong with him? She was a mere human.

But what man or rather shifter could resist drinking her in? The top of her head was no higher than his chest, and her tits looked to be about a D cup, enough to fill his big hands. And her lush hips? Man, they were made to cradle a man in ecstasy.

Where the hell did those thoughts come from?

Say something, you oaf.
“Hey there. Remember me? Kalan Murdoch. I’m Rye’s friend.”

“Oh, sure. Elana Stanley.”

They shook hands, and the second he touched her, his bear went crazy, screaming
mate, mate
.

Kalan had no idea where he came up with that idea. A human who wasn’t a Wendayan could never be his mate.

“When Rye was released from the hospital I, ah, heard you gave him a lift back,” Kalan said. “That was really nice of you. Just so you don’t think I’m a jerk, I would have driven him but I was called back to work.”
Babble, babble…

That was bull and totally lame. He hadn’t even received or made a call when he was there.

“Thanks. I heard he’s doing well.”

“He is.” Kalan might have elaborated, but every word in his head seemed to have evaporated. Even concentrating took effort.

Focus
.

He couldn’t. Something was happening that scared the shit out of him. Kalan Murdoch was always in control—unless he was in the presence of Elana it seemed.

“Are you here for some flowers?”

“Flowers, yes. I saw a display in the window along with a stuffed wolf that would make a perfect gift.”

She smiled, but her eyes didn’t light up. In fact, she appeared to be in pain. For the life of him, he couldn’t think of what he’d said to make her so sad.

“The ones with the wild flowers?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll make one up for you.”

He wanted to say he’d take the one in the window as that would hurry things along, but when she rushed over to the flower cooler, he didn’t want to make things worse for her. As soon as the first customer left the store, the girl working the register stepped into the back. Alone with Elana, his senses heightened. Kalan placed a hand to his forehead thinking he might be coming down with something.

Elana carried the fresh flowers and vase to the counter and began to arrange them. Mesmerized by her agility and care, Kalan slowly lifted his gaze to her face. While not classically beautiful, Elana Stanley was a striking woman who made his libido pound with unwanted desire—or at least it was unwanted at the moment.

“Here’s the wolf,” the clerk said waving the stuffed animal. “You want me to ring him up, Elana?”

Her smile seemed to wobble. “Sure.”

It then hit him like a stampede of wild boar. “You’re friends with Izzy. Do you think she’ll like this for her birthday?”

As if the sun peaked out from the clouds, she grinned. “Absolutely. In fact, a while ago, she was admiring the one in the window.”

Relieved he’d picked out something his Alpha’s mate would like, he withdrew his credit card and handed it to the tattooed girl at the counter.

“Are you going to Izzy’s birthday party?” he asked. She was Izzy’s best friend, so it made sense she would be.

“Yes, are you?”

He had come in for a present, but he could always say he’d purchased the gift because he couldn’t make it. “I’m hoping to. I work long hours, and I get called into work all the time.”

He didn’t want Elana to think he was looking to hook up. Given she was Izzy’s best friend, he wouldn’t even chance asking her out, not even to the movies. It could only end in disaster.

She set the bouquet and wolf on the counter. “Here you go. We’re open Saturday until noon. If you stop in, I’ll give you a helium balloon to attach to the vase.”

Elana was too nice. “If I have time, I will, thanks.”

Kalan couldn’t wait to leave. He was battling this unwanted attraction again, and if he shifted in a public place, the world would never be the same. As soon as he signed his name, he swiped the vase of flowers and wolf off the counter and rushed out. Just he reached the door, the stuffed animal slipped from his fingers and dropped. He fumbled to pick it up and then bumped his head on the door handle as he stood up. Damn. He swore Elana giggled.

Face heating, he tucked the wolf under his arm while he opened the door and hurried out. No way in hell he was going to that party and subject himself to being near her again.

‡

E
lana sat alone
in a booth at McKinnon’s Pub and Pool waiting for her friends to arrive for happy hour. The floor was littered with peanut shells, but that was what gave the place the cozy, family-friendly vibe, or else it was the polished bar and the spotless mirror above that made her feel the pub was clean and safe.

Even though it wasn’t too noisy yet, she’d picked a booth in the back of the main area, far away from the pool room, as shouts occasionally came from there.

Elana couldn’t wait to share her hot news with her friends. Her body was still zinging from being in Kalan Murdoch’s presence for so long yesterday. At least she hadn’t made a fool of herself, though she must have done something to make the hunky man so nervous.

The whole time he’d been standing there, she’d tried to keep her fingers from shaking as she arranged the flowers, when what she really wanted to do was run her fingers through those dirty blond curls of his. The shoulder-length locks made him look rugged and romantic. Coupled with the slight scruff on his face and those full, kissable lips, Kalan was her dream man.

Since Izzy would be at happy hour this time, Elana would have to alter her story a bit as to why Kalan had come into her store. She’d have to say he was there to buy some roses for his mom or something, though the truth would come out as soon as her friend saw the wild flowers and stuffed wolf at her party.

Since sitting alone made her a bit self-conscious, Elana checked out the menu, her mouth watering at the pictures of the juicy hamburgers, fries, and thick steaks. It didn’t matter she’d already eaten.

Elana probably shouldn’t have come so early, but she’d wanted to make sure they had a booth. She’d only been to McKinnon’s Pub once before and didn’t know how busy it would be on a Thursday night. She, Missy, and Teagan used to meet down the street at the Lake Steakhouse bar, but now that Izzy was back in town, she wanted to come here, probably because Rye’s uncle owned the place.

The door opened and her three friends came in, lowering her anxiety level. Elana smiled and waved as they all rushed over. One by one, they hugged her. Izzy and Missy sat across from her and Teagan slid in next to her.

Within seconds, their waitress, a girl she’d known slightly in high school, came over asking for their drink orders. Elana wasn’t much of a drinker. Not only did one or two glasses make her tipsy, she couldn’t afford the weight gain from the alcohol. If she had any hope of ever catching Kalan Murdoch’s eye, she’d have to slim down, though that was the story of her life. It seemed like she’d been on an endless diet for the last ten years.

“Elana?” asked Izzy.

She looked up. “What?”

The girls chuckled. “Molly just asked what you’d like to drink.”

Oh, crap. She’d been daydreaming about Kalan. “I’ll have your house Merlot, please.” Damn, and here she was just telling herself not to drink. Oh, well. She’d give up dessert tomorrow.

Molly nodded and left. Apparently, her friends had given her their order already. Sheesh. Elana inhaled, needing to share her news and ask for advice. “You’ll never guess who came into my flower shop.”

The girls exchanged glances. “Who?” Missy asked.

“Kalan Murdoch.”

Izzy leaned forward then flipped her long hair over her shoulder. “Kalan came to the flower shop? Why?”

She let loose her little fib. “He was buying something for his mom. I think it was her birthday.”

“Aw, that is sweet. He’s coming over on Saturday to my birthday party, you know,” Izzy said.

She shook her head. “He said he might have to work.”

One brow rose. “He said that?”

Elana didn’t like her tone. Oh, shit. If they were discussing Izzy’s party, she might think he was in the store to buy something for her. “Yes.”

Izzy shook her head. “He’ll be there. He’s Rye’s best friend, and I don’t think Rye would forgive him if he didn’t come.”

“I hope so.” Elana tried not to let the relief show, but a grin crept up on her face anyway. “What are you all wearing?”

Missy shrugged. “I’m just wearing jeans and a T-shirt. It’s more or less an outside affair.”

Darn. “I guess heels are out then. I hate being the shortest one around.”

Teagan clasped her hand. “Don’t tell me you’re interested in Kalan?”

She didn’t know why Teagan sounded so surprised. Elana twisted in her seat. “I admit he’s a little older, but he’s so fucking hot!” The group laughed and she slumped against her seat. “He’s out of my league, isn’t he? I’m stupid for thinking about him.”

“No,” they all said in unison.

Their drinks arrived—her red wine, Izzy’s white one, and two colorful Mojitos, full of mint and lime, for Missy and Teagan. Elana tipped back half her glass. Fortunately, no one commented.

Izzy waved a hand. “Forget him. Kalan doesn’t deserve you. When he’s not on the job, he plays around—or so Rye said. You can do better.”

“That’s sweet of you to say, but I want to give him a chance.” She’d watched him for years now but never had the nerve to speak with him. When she ran into him at the hospital after checking up on Rye, he’d seemed out of sorts. When he suddenly said he had to leave right away and then ran right into the door, it almost looked like he was trying to get away from her as quickly as possible. She hoped there had been another explanation.