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  “Too late.” It was Ashley’s voice, coming to him from the far end of the deck.

  Looking up quickly, he saw both Ashley and Tina seated at the table with half-full glasses of wine in front of them. They’d been there for some time already.

  Dammit. He really was late, after all.

  And naked.

  Though that didn’t bother him as much as it seemed to bother Nell. She’d placed herself strategically in front of him, blocking the sisters’ view of his privates, for the most part.

  Surprisingly, the sisters didn’t look all that alarmed. They had to have seen him shift. He hadn’t been all that far away from the deck when he’d changed.

  Leaning down beside Nell’s ear as she stood with her back to his front, Brody asked, “Do they already know?”

  “Oh, you’re going to love this,” Nell said, turning to face him. The expression on her face was a strange one. She looked sort of angry, but not at him, thank the Goddess. “Apparently, I’m the last one in the family to figure out the big secret of Grizzly Cove. They’ve known for weeks!” she said in an accusatory tone.

  “How?” Brody frowned. Everyone in the cove knew to keep things quiet. If someone had been blabbing, he’d have to have words with them.

  “Oh, come on,” Tina said, lifting her glass and taking a swallow of the wine. “You guys are terrible at keeping secrets. I saw your brother strip and shift the second day I was in town.”

  “He shifted in front of you?” Brody was shocked.

  “Hello? Roof garden,” she sing-songed, rolling her eyes. “We have a hell of a vantage point from up there. I was up there putting the planters together when I saw him getting naked in the woods behind our building. He’s kinda hot, so of course I watched. And then, he turned into a freaking bear.” Tina downed the rest of the wine and reached for the bottle to refill her glass.

  “And he’s not the only one we saw from up there,” Ashley chimed in. “Nell, did you know that Dr. Olafsson can become a polar bear? He likes to skinny dip, then come up as a bear. And hubba hubba. Doc is built.”

  “I had no idea you two were such voyeurs,” Nell said over her shoulder. She seemed more hurt than mad. Brody put his hands on her shoulders, stroking gently, hoping to soothe his mate. He didn’t like seeing her upset.

  “See?” Tina said in an accusing tone. “That’s exactly why we didn’t tell you.” Tina drank more wine. “You would have totally spoiled our fun.”

  “Can you believe them?” Nell said, moving more into Brody’s arms. “And here I was all worried about how we were going to tell them. I agonized over this big revelation, and it turns out I’m the only one who was in the dark.”

  Brody tried to think of the best response. “Well, at least now you know they’re not going to run screaming into the night at the idea there are shapeshifters in the world.”

  He tried giving her a lopsided smile, and she responded with a faint one of her own. He felt relief flow through him. She was recovering from both the shock of hearing he’d been shot and from learning that her sisters had known about the town’s secret all along and neglected to tell her.

  “Ashley, Tina, we wanted to tell you that we’re getting married.” He let that announcement fall without waiting for a response. There would be time for congratulations later. First, he had to get some pants on and comfort his mate—not necessarily in that order. “Now, if you’ll please excuse us for a few minutes, we’ll be right back,” he said firmly, as he walked slowly backwards into the house, Nell still in his arms. The sisters watched but didn’t move from their seats on the deck.

  Once inside, he couldn’t wait. He had to take her into his arms. He had to comfort her and hold her. The bear inside him demanded he make her happy again, and Brody could do no less than agree.

  He dipped his head and claimed her lips in a gentle kiss that quickly turned into something much hotter.

  “Way to go, sis,” Ashley called from the other side of the screen door while Tina let out a wolf whistle. Brody paid them no heed. He was way too busy kissing his mate.

  # # #

  Tales of the Were

  Grizzly Cove

  Mating Dance

  by

  Bianca D’Arc

  Tales of the Were – Grizzly Cove #2

  Tom, Grizzly Cove’s only lawyer is also a badass grizzly bear, but he’s met his match in Ashley, the woman he just can’t get out of his mind. She’s got a dark secret, that only he knows. When ugliness from her past tracks her to her new home, can Tom protect the woman he is fast coming to believe is his mate? And more, will she allow it? Or will she run from him, and the secrets of Grizzly Cove, forever?

  Dedication

  With much love and many thanks to my family, without whom I would never have become a writer in the first place.

  I’d also like to thank my fantastic editor, Jessica Bimberg. You’re awesome to work with, Jess!

  And last, but certainly not least, many thanks to the readers who continue to make this all possible. Your support throughout the years has been invaluable and I sincerely hope you enjoy our time together in Grizzly Cove…

  Chapter One

  Tom Masdan was the one and only lawyer in Grizzly Cove, Washington, and he liked it that way. Tom figured if there was more than one lawyer in a town, they’d be obligated to fight things out in court, which was one aspect of his profession that he loathed. The conflict of the adversarial process annoyed his inner bear and made him want to scratch, claw and just beat his opponent into submission rather than wait to hear what some old guy wearing a dress and sitting on a podium had to say.

  Tom thought, not for the first time, that maybe studying law hadn’t been the brightest idea he’d ever had. Then again, shifters needed legal representation every once in awhile, just like everybody else. That’s where he came in.

  He enjoyed helping people like himself—people who lived under the radar of the human population. Shapeshifters had to learn to adapt to the modern, human world. That included following the laws of the countries in which they lived.

  Tom had been born and raised in the United States. He’d gone to an Ivy League law school back east. Since then, he had offered his services solely to the were of North America, or any were that needed legal representation in the States. He filed claims, did a lot of paperwork, and helped shapeshifters of all kinds create the paper trail that humans found so necessary to their existence.

  He had traveled all over, but he had never found the one woman who could complete him. He’d never found his mate.

  So when his long-time friend, John Marshall—known simply as Big John to most folks—proposed the idea of forming their own little enclave on the Washington coast and putting out an open call for any bear shifters who wanted to move there, Tom was cautiously optimistic. The idea of gathering a relatively large group of usually solitary bears in one town was both novel and intriguing. It could also be dangerous as hell, but Tom trusted Big John’s ultra-Alpha tendencies to keep everybody in line.

  John had asked Tom to begin the process of turning the large, adjoining parcels of real estate John had bought over the past several years into a new town. There were lots of forms to file with the state of Washington, and quite a few building contracts to oversee. He’d also overseen the real estate deals of neighboring properties for each of the core group of bear shifters that had joined John on this quest. It had taken a good portion of the last several years of Tom’s life, but the town of Grizzly Cove had finally become a reality.

  It was a really good reality too. The town was small by human standards, but already a few dozen bear shifters had answered John’s call for settlers. There were still more males than females, but with the recent decision to allow a few select human-owned businesses to open up on Main Street, things were beginning to change.

  Just last week, the sheriff had found his mate in the human woman who, along with her two sisters, owned the new bake shop. It was a true mating, and Tom was happy for
them.

  But, it had become clear that the so-called secret of Grizzly Cove hadn’t really been that much of the secret to the other two sisters. They’d taken the news about shapeshifters in stride. It seemed they’d already figured it out.

  Which meant that the shifter residents weren’t being careful enough. And that the two remaining sisters needed to agree not to spill the beans.

  A job for Tom, the Alpha had said. Tom wasn’t so sure. He might be a lawyer, but he wasn’t necessarily a smooth talker. He did his best work on a computer, in an office. He wasn’t the kind of attorney who schmoozed clients over three-martini lunches.

  But Big John had asked him to try, so there Tom was, approaching the bakery he had never stepped foot in before. It wasn’t that he was shy. It was more that he hadn’t really wanted to interact with the new humans in town until the experiment had been proven a success. The bakery was the first of many applications Tom had received from business people who wanted to open stores in their town.

  The decision had been made to allow the bakery—and the three sisters—as a trial run. Their food was excellent, from all accounts, and most of the shifters in town liked the women and were glad one of their comrades had found a mate.

  Humans made decent mates, and bears couldn’t be picky. There weren’t a lot of bears in the first place, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to find mates outside their species. A lot of bear shifters took human mates. It didn’t diminish the magic. Bears had more than most shifters, and Tom often thought, that’s why they were kind of rare. But what did he know? Only the Mother of All—the Goddess who watched over all shifters—knew for certain.

  The bell over the door tinkled as Tom pushed into the bakery. Immediately, he was surrounded by the most scrumptious scents of baking bread, honey and some kind of cheese. He took stock of the place and realized he was the only customer this early in the day. Only one of the sisters was there, working in the back.

  That would be the middle sister, he’d been told. She worked the morning shift, and her name was Ashley Baker. The irony of the Baker sisters owning a bakery had struck Tom as suspicious when he’d first seen their application, but he’d done thorough background checks on all three women, and they really were named Baker and had been since their birth.

  The blonde woman came out from behind one of the ovens, wiping her hands on her apron as she greeted him. She took up her position behind the counter with a brisk sort of efficiency, and Tom was struck momentarily dumb when she smiled.

  “Good morning,” she said brightly. “What can I get for you?”

  Sonuva… Tom’s bear sat up and wanted to roar. It liked the woman.

  Hell, it more than liked her. It was thinking mate.

  No way.

  Tom cleared his throat, realizing the woman was looking at him strangely. She’d asked him something…

  Oh, yeah. She wanted to know why he was there. He stuck his hand out over the counter with a jerky movement.

  “Hi, I’m Tom. Tom Masdan.”

  Smooth, buddy. Real smooth. Tom grimaced inwardly at his own awkwardness.

  She wiped her hand once more and took his for a brisk shake. She was eyeing him with a sort of amused wariness as she looked more closely at him.

  “You’re the town lawyer. I recognize your name from the contracts we signed when we moved in.”

  His turn to talk. Dammit. He wasn’t ready for this. He’d been caught completely flat-footed by the woman. His discomfort turned to anger as he shook her hand. Anger at himself, for being such a dork.

  Then he got lost in the feel of her soft skin against his palm. She was delicate and womanly, and her hand held a faint grit of powder. Probably flour, he reasoned with the small part of his brain that was still functioning.

  She was looking at him strangely again. Oh, yeah. He was supposed to say something.

  “Yeah, uh…” He cleared his throat as she withdrew her hand, and he had to let her go. He didn’t want to let her go, but he couldn’t very well drag her over the top of the counter by her fingertips, now, could he? “Yes. I’m the lawyer.”

  Also, apparently, he was an idiot. Stating the obvious. He mentally kicked himself and cleared his throat again, looking around the bakery, searching for something to say that wouldn’t make him appear even stupider. Breathing in the delicious aromas, he was struck with inspiration.

  “So, uh, what are you baking back there? It smells really good.”

  She smiled again. He’d said the right thing.

  “I’ve got one oven full of artisanal breads, a tray of honey buns, and I’m just putting the finishing touches on some cheese danish. Any of that strike your fancy? The danish are delish.” Was she teasing him or was this her normal manner? He couldn’t be sure, having stayed far away from the Baker sisters since they’d moved in.

  “I’ll have a danish if they’re ready,” he replied, needing time to think.

  He asked her for a cup of coffee too and decided to stay for a bit, using one of the tables scattered around the front of the shop to eat and spend time getting his sanity back.

  She moved away from the counter as he scrambled for equilibrium. She bustled around in the back for a bit, but it wasn’t long before she returned with a cheesy confection on a plate that smelled really good. Tom’s stomach grumbled as she placed the steaming cup of coffee next to the plate on a small tray. He paid her for the snack and took his tray to the closest table without another word.

  Chapter Two

  Ashley Baker was intrigued by the tall man. He’d seemed gruff and a little odd, but maybe he was just having a bad morning or something. It was early, even for the early risers of Grizzly Cove. The sun was just barely breaking over the mountain to the east, painting the dark waters of the cove in cheery golden ripples. It was her favorite time of day, and she seldom shared it with anyone, for the simple reason that nobody ever really came into the bakery this early.

  Normally, she would take a break as dawn arrived, sipping her coffee while staring out at the waters of the cove, the sun rising from behind her, giving her a stunning view of the cove and the wildlife that inhabited it. She saw all kinds of birds, even a few seals occasionally. And she had a pet seagull she threw crumbs to every morning when he came up to the door of the bakery.

  Sure enough, there he was now. Ashley grabbed the little dish of bread crumbs she saved for the old bird and headed for the door.

  “If you feed that thing, you’ll have the whole flock here in no time,” the man said as she approached the door.

  Ashley laughed. “Gus and I have an understanding. You’ll see.”

  “Gus?” Tom got to his feet.

  He walked closer while Ashley opened the door of the bakery and stepped out. She wasn’t surprised when Tom followed, though she noticed he kept his distance when she went right up to Gus and held out the dish of crumbs.

  Gus the seagull came right over, used to their routine by now. After a few vigorous pecks, Ashley placed the dish on the ground and stepped back, watching Gus demolish the bits of bread she’d saved for him. Tom came up beside her, and she felt oddly comfortable with him, though they’d only just met.

  She’d wondered what the town lawyer might be like when she’d helped her older sister settle the paperwork for their new business. Ashley was the one with the business background, and she did most of the bookkeeping for their little business. She’d liked the orderliness of the lawyer’s correspondence and the clarity of his instructions. He’d laid out everything in a sensible way, which was something she’d come to learn wasn’t always the case with lawyers.

  She had looked forward to meeting him when they moved in, but he hadn’t come by the bakery. Until now. She wondered why he’d waited so long, and why he’d chosen this odd hour and this particular day to drop by.

  He seemed nervous, so she didn’t press him. She had sympathy for socially shy people, since she’d been one in her younger days. It was only after she’d gotten involved in the speech an
d debate club in high school and developed those skills in moot court competitions in law school that she had really blossomed. She’d lost her fear of talking in front of people and was better able to handle social situations as she gained confidence.

  But then all hell had broken loose soon after she took her first job, and she’d come running back home to her sisters. She was better off with them, doing something she enjoyed even more than her former profession. Law was work, but baking… That was fun.

  Baking had always been her outlet, even before she had gotten serious about her education. Baking for her was creating, and she came up with a lot of the unique recipes they used in their shop. She liked spending the quiet hours before dawn beating bread dough into submission and experimenting with new flavors and textures.

  She liked being in the shop alone from about four in the morning until her older sister came in to help with the breakfast rush, such as it was in this small town. Ashley left the store in Nell’s capable hands after the breakfast crowd dwindled, and she had the rest of the day to herself.

  “You named a seagull Gus?” Tom said quietly, picking up the question she hadn’t answered on her way out of the store.

  She shrugged. “Gus the gull. It seemed appropriate.”

  “I can’t believe the rest of his flock hasn’t show up to fight him for those crumbs.”

  “I don’t think Gus really has a flock. He’s kind of a loner. And he’s been living rough. See his wing?” Ashley pointed to the way some of Gus’s feathers didn’t quite sit right. “I’ve tried to get close enough to examine why it’s like that, but he won’t let me. I’m hoping someday we’ll build enough trust up that he’ll let me help him out, but for now, feeding him in the morning is all we’ve managed to agree upon.” She sighed as she looked as closely as she could at the seagull’s injuries. He’d been through the wars and had a few scars on his legs to prove it in addition the wing issue.