AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She wasn’t sure what made her sit down with him. Maybe the feeling of recognizing a kindred spirit. She’d found that as an introvert, she could often sit quietly with another introvert and neither would feel the need to come up with awkward small talk.
Bear stabbed the cake with the fork as if it were a piece of beef. “You’re the writer,” he said as more of a statement than a question.
“I am.”
“I’ve read some of your books.”
She studied his face. “You have?”
“Sure. I like to read, and they have several of them at the library.” He offered her a small smile, but she still caught the amusement in it. “I can’t remember the title, but I just read that one where Duke and Sassy had to fend off the cattle rustlers. Even though I prefer cake, that part where Duke tried to bake her a pie was one of my favorite scenes. And I really like the parts with the goat. They always make me laugh.”
Kaylee tried to imagine this man laughing while reading a scene in one of her books. It was hard enough picturing him reading one at all, let alone cracking up at the goat. “Those are some of my favorite scenes too.”
He leaned back and narrowed his eyes at her. “You remind me of her, ya know?”
“Who, the goat? Thanks a lot.”
He made a noise that sounded almost like a chuckle. “No, not the goat. Sassy. The heroine.”
Kaylee waved her hand at him. “You’re kidding.”
“Do I look like I do a lot of kidding?”
“Well, no, maybe not. But I’m nothing like her.”
“She came out ofyourimagination. I’ll bet you’re probably more like her than you think.”
Kaylee shook her head. “No way. I’m nervous and skittish. Sassy is confident and bold. She’s brave and not afraid of anything. And I’m scared of everything.”
“Not everything. You just plopped yourself down in front of the meanest old cuss in town.”
“You don’t seem that mean.”
“You don’t seem that scared.”
She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “It’s all an act. Faye sent me here to experience life on a ranch so I could make my books more authentic but the whole idea of leaving my apartment and Chicago and coming to Montana to stay with a stranger terrified me. The only way I’ve gotten through it is to try to channel Sassy. Every time I find myself in a new scary situation, I try to ask myself what Sassy would do and then I pretend I’m her.”
“Seems to be working. I never would have pegged you as skittish. It appears to me you fit in around here and have already made some friends.” He glanced toward the kitchen where Luke was standing at the counter watching them. “Maybe even more than a friend.”
“Oh gosh,” Kaylee said, ducking her head as she floundered for a way to change the subject. “I like your watch,” she said, nodding to the fancy silver band.
“Thanks. I just found it last week. You’d be amazed at what perfectly good things people throw away these days. They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I find all sorts of things that just take a little fixin’ up then I sell them to the consignment store.” He held up his wrist. “All this took was a little tinkering, and now it works good as new.”
“Not everyone has the skill for tinkering. I wouldn’t have any idea how to fix a watch.”
He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “To tell you the truth. All this really took was a new battery. I feel kind of bad for keeping it. I’ve been tempted to knock on the feller’s door and give it back to him.”
Kaylee laughed. “I’d bet he’d be surprised.” This man might have been as big as a bear, but he wasn’t mean or grouchy at all. Okay, maybe a little grouchy, but underneath that gruff exterior, he seemed more like a teddy bear than a grizzly.
He narrowed his eyes at her as he pushed up from the table. “You know, people are sometimes like that too. They think they’re broken or used up or not worth much, but sometimes all it takes is a little tinkering or for someone to replace the part that’s missing, and they can feel good as new too.”
She nodded, trying to hear his meaning with her heart as well as her ears. “Thanks, Bear,” she said, her voice coming out closer to a whisper.
“Take care, Ms. Collins. And keep writing.” He tipped his hat then picked up their empty plates and dumped them in the trash. He stopped on his way to the door, and Kaylee smiled as she saw him drop a twenty-dollar bill into the donation bucket.
No, not a mean old bear at all.
