Free Night Shift (Grizzly Cove Book 3) by Bianca D'Arc Page B

trouble and away from all possible harm was something his bear half demanded of him.
    He tried to convince himself Tina would be safe enough with her sister. The bear side wasn’t quite buying it, but the minute he caught sight of Tom and Ashley sitting at a table near the front window, he relaxed just the tiniest bit. Tom was there. Tom was a large grizzly. A good bear and a good friend. He wouldn’t let anything happen to any of the Baker sisters.
    And all three sisters would be gathered in the bakery. Circling the wagons, so to speak. Keeping everyone together for protection. It was a good move. Zak’s bear approved.
    Only then could Zak step back, giving Tina room to move away from the vehicle.
     
    * * *
     
    Tina hadn’t seen Zak since he’d dropped her off at the bakery. Tom and Ashley had stuck around all afternoon. Just before the meeting, Tina turned the sign on the door of the bakery to closed, and they all headed over to the half-finished building site that was going to be the new town hall. Just adjacent to the unfinished building, there was an area that had been cleared of brush and most of the trees, that would eventually function as a fully landscaped town square.
    At the moment, it was still a bit rough around the edges, but there was plenty of grass for people to sit on, as well as several benches scattered around the area. There was also the beginning of a platform, which would one day become a gazebo-type building where musicians could set up and play during tourist season.
    Big John had big plans for the town. This experiment in integrated bear shifter society would eventually include many more humans both living in and passing through their town. The tourists would bring in money to keep the place running while the town council carefully screened who they let in as permanent residents. They could get away with such highhanded tactics because Tom had gone to great lengths with all sorts of legal paperwork, relying on both U.S. federal laws and those governing the local Indian reservation, since part of Grizzly Cove was technically on Native American land.
    The local tribe had been very willing to work with Big John, and the shaman had welcomed the bear spirits , as he called them, to their land. Native Americans were one of the few groups of humans who actively knew about shifters and, in most cases, welcomed them. Bear shifters, in particular, were considered good omens, as well as good neighbors to have.
    Big John had spent a lot of time negotiating with the tribal elders, and Tom had drawn up many agreements between the two parties. Theirs was a symbiotic relationship. The shifters would help bring prosperity to the tribe, as best they could, while also protecting the land and preserving it for the next generation.
    Tom had explained a lot about the origins of this crazy little town to pass the time during the afternoon spent huddling together at the bakery. Tina hadn’t wanted to talk about her experience on the beach just yet, and thankfully, her sisters understood. Beyond a few hugs of reassurance, they had left her alone for the most part, allowing her to speak or not, as she wished.
    Tom had been good company. She’d enjoyed getting to know him better this afternoon. Before he’d taken up with Ashley, he’d never been to the bakery before, so of all the people in town, he was probably the one she’d known least before a few weeks ago. Since then, of course, he’d become part of the family.
    Tina liked him more each time they got to spend a little time together. Today was no exception. He’d done a wonderful job of keeping her mind off what had happened earlier in the day.
    But there was no escaping those scary thoughts once she caught sight of Exhibit A sitting on ice up near the platform. They’d strung together a series of rectangular foam coolers with U-shaped holes cut out of the sides. Ice filled the containers, and the tentacle was stretched out within them, all twelve-plus feet