Free Bear in Love: BBW Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romance (Shadow Bears Book 1) by Ruby Shae Page B

said, and shook the woman’s hand in a state of shock.
    Heather Waverly? She was his big surprise?
    Her heart ached, but she couldn’t let the woman know how much the news had stunned her. Owen had never promised her anything, and now his distance made sense.
    “It’s nice to meet you, too,” Fiona forced out the words and broke the connection as soon as possible. “Congratulations.”
    She offered the word meekly, almost as an afterthought, and she had a feeling Heather knew about her affection, and her mistake that he felt the same way. She ducked her head, opened the door and hurried outside before the woman could say another word.
    Suddenly chilly, she pulled her jacket closed to block the icy wind. Tears threatened, but she fought to hold them in. She didn’t want to break down in public, especially on Main Street during the crazy lunch rush. She dropped the candy in the first garbage can she passed and turned down one of the side streets toward home. Dependable to a fault, she hated to leave work in the middle of her shift, but she couldn’t go back today. She’d never be able to sit at her desk and keep the tears in.
    After all this time, Owen wasn’t dedicated to his business and courting her in an unconventional way. He hadn’t been courting her at all. He’d been amusing himself, throwing a bone to the chubby bear that hadn’t been able to hide her infatuation with his perfection. He’d been stringing her along, teasing and testing her feelings, but not too much. Not too much that she could ever say with certainty that they’d had any sort of relationship.
    She should have known he’d never be interested in her.
    Her shame and humiliation grew with every memory they’d shared together. What a fool she’d been. When she made it home, she ran to her room, jumped in bed and buried herself under the covers.
    Tears and sobs echoed around the room and she grabbed a pillow to silence her agonizing screams.
    He’d married someone else—loved someone else—and she could never show her face in public again.
     
    ***
     
    Owen Waverly walked out of the kitchen and stopped as the high-pitched voice of his cousin reached his ears. She was a recent college graduate, and he had no idea how she cheered her way through four years of college. His ears rang every time she opened her mouth.
    Friendly and perky to a fault, he watched as she almost cheered her way through half of the transaction before he walked behind her and whispered a gentle reminder.
    “Indoor voice.”
    She smiled at her customer and lowered her voice a fraction. Her enthusiasm still echoed around the room and he wondered if his business would survive the next nine months. His rational side knew if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be Heather’s fault, but in that moment he silently blamed her voice for any future failures.
    Usually, making changes sent his heart racing in a good way, but he’d been on edge since the New Year. Waverly Chocolates had been his everything for so long, it was hard to let go. Even for something more important.
    His father had bought the building the day after he’d proposed to his mother, and they’d opened for business a week after their wedding day. Growing up, Owen had helped out every day after school, and then worked weekends while he’d been in college. When his parents were ready for a new chapter in their lives, they’d offered the business to him. Unable to let it go, he’d accepted and never looked back.
    The store had always been prosperous, but he’d used his keen marketing skills to propel his chocolate even further. He’d hired a full time employee, Dan, and worked from sunup until sundown trying to keep up with the demand of his ideas. He’d enjoyed his work, and his dedication never bothered him—until he’d found the one thing he wanted more.
    Fiona Montgomery moved to Shadow Ridge two years ago. She’d bravely left her hometown, and her beloved brother, when she’d accepted a job as an