Free Hero Bear: BBW Paranormal Bear Shifter Romance by Zoe Chant Page A

understand though, and that was the thing. How could she, when she didn’t believe him? At least hearing what had happened last night made that much clear. It hurt, though. He felt like he’d opened up his soul to her and she’d thrown it in the mud.
    He got up and went to start the coffee. Lucille followed behind him, whining softly, so he let her out into the backyard. The sky was still dark, stars twinkling overhead before the sun came up and made them vanish. The cool quiet was a balm to his hurting heart, but looking up at the stars just reminded him of that first night with Michaela. Everything had been so perfect that night. And now it was ruined.
    He went back in when he smelled the coffee. Nothing for it but to push on. He couldn’t change what had happened.
    Saturdays were one of the few days Dalton got to sleep in, so Caleb stayed quiet while he got ready and headed out to Smithson’s. For once he was grateful for the busy Saturday rush. It kept him from thinking too much. He told himself he was imagining Janine Ellis looking at him different this morning.
    He was doing just fine until old Miss Coleman, one of the Ellis cousins, came through his lane. “Afternoon, Caleb.”
    “Hey, Miss Coleman.” He started ringing up her shopping, aware of her eyes resting on him heavily.
    She leaned in and said quietly, “I’m awfully sorry to hear about your bad time. My uncle Otho, he lost his wolf for years after an accident in the mines. Got it back after my aunt started making a tonic for him. You come see me, I’ve got that recipe.”
    Caleb’s face got hot and he couldn’t ring up her groceries fast enough. “That’s awful nice of you, Miss Coleman, thank you.” She patted his hand and made a cooing noise. He wanted the ground to open up and swallow him right then. If word had reached an eighty year old widow, everybody knew.
    Jake and Daniel Ellis, two of Janine’s younger brothers, came in not long before Caleb was due to get off work. The teens bought some snacks and some soda and headed right for Caleb’s register. “Hey Caleb,” Jake said, and shot a quick glance at Daniel. “How’s it going?”
    “Not bad, you?” Caleb was ready to go home.
    “Oh, all right. Bearing up.” Both boys snickered.
    And right then he knew what was coming.
    “How do you like working with our sister?” Daniel piped up. “Is it bearable?”
    Caleb forced a thin smile. “More bearable than dealin’ with some of her puny brothers.”
    “Yeah, Dylan’s a jerk. I dunno how you bear it.”
    “He doesn’t!” Daniel delivered the coup de grace , and both boys giggled. The brats knew they could get away with it, because how was Caleb going to explain beating the tar out of two paying customers over some harmless-seeming comments?
    “Go on, get on home.” Janine came over and shooed the boys away. “I tell Daddy what you’re up to in here and he’ll whoop you.” Her brothers postured, but left. So he’d been wrong before, and even Janine knew. “I’m sorry,” she said.
    Caleb shrugged. “At that age, I woulda thought it was funny too.” For a young shifter, it was like finding out a guy couldn’t get it up— a lost symbol of manhood. Which was stupid, considering that women were shifters too, but nobody was ever going to accuse Daniel and Jake Ellis of an overabundance of smarts.
    “Get on out of here. I’ll close up.”
    Caleb should resist— he still had a half an hour to go and he didn’t want the pity, but he just wanted to go be alone for a while, lick his wounds. “Thanks, Janine.” He pulled off his apron and took his register drawer with him to count out.
     
     
    Michaela hadn’t realized how much she missed having girl time. Despite the disaster that was Friday night, they were up bright and early on Saturday.  Brenda declared they were going to finish decorating Michaela’s new place, so off they went. Salem Creek wasn’t exactly a shopping mecca, but they drove around until