Brody walked Nell home a little while later, leaving her at the bakery door. She and her sisters lived in the small apartment above the store.

As sheriff of the sleepy town, Brody didn’t have much to do normally. Today though, he had a drunk koala shifter in the tiny jail under his deputy’s supervision that he had to deal with. Brody smiled as he walked down the main street, which ran along the apex of the cove. He’d finally been able to take Nell Baker in his arms and find out if her kisses were as sweet as the honey buns she baked.

He licked his lips remembering. Her kisses were even better than the buns, and that was saying something. He wanted more.

More importantly, his inner bear wanted more. It was the first time the grizzly inside had sat up and taken notice of a female. Brody knew that meant something special. He had been wondering for weeks if the eldest Baker sister might not just be his mate.

But until the drunk shifter had shown up in her shop today, Brody hadn’t been able to cross that final line. He hadn’t wanted to get involved with her—with any female—unless she knew about his bear. He hadn’t wanted to start something with Nell that could turn out to be serious with a lie of omission between them. Especially not something as big as he was when he shifted into bear form.

Now that it was finally out in the open and she’d seen his alternate shape, the self-imposed restriction was gone. He was free to court her and to talk about his dual nature. Oh, sure, the town council would probably meet and discuss the ramifications of letting the Baker sisters know about shifters, but Brody wasn’t too worried about all that. Nell had heart. She would never betray him or any of the bears who called Grizzly Cove home.

Brody was whistling a jaunty tune as he entered his office. He had a koala to corral and a courtship to plan.

The next day dawned bright and clear. The Alpha stopped by the jail first thing and had strong words with their new guest.

As a result of Seamus’s solemn promise to lay off the booze, straighten up and fly right, Big John had agreed to let him out. There was one condition. John demanded that Seamus make his way back to the bakery, with Brody as his police escort, and apologize to Nell for causing trouble.

And so, right before lunchtime, when Brody knew Nell would be manning the bakery by herself, but not too busy yet, he escorted Seamus into the store. Seamus, hung over and looking it, held his hat in his hands, his head down as he shuffled towards the counter.

Brody, by stark contrast, felt lighthearted at the vision of Nell, a little flour dusting the side of her cheek. She looked good enough to eat.

Down, boy.

“Morning, Sheriff,” Nell greeted him.

“Miz Baker,” he acknowledged with a private smile just for her. When her cheeks flushed rosy under the sprinkling of flour, his smile grew even wider. “Seamus here has something he’d like to say to you. Miss Nell Baker, this is Mister Seamus O’Leary, originally from Australia.”

---

The shorter man looked up sheepishly. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused yesterday, ma’am.” His voice had a decidedly Aussie twang to it.

Nell had met a few Aussies before and generally liked them. The overall impression she had was that they were hardworking people who knew how to party.

“My only excuse is that I just escaped from the private zoo of some corporate jackass with Gestapo security and cameras on me twenty-four-seven. I couldn’t shift until I got free, and it was hard getting out of there as a koala. All they fed me was eucalyptus leaves, which are great normally, but the human side of me likes to have a little protein, now and again. And a few hops, preferably in beer form.” He winked as his story lengthened and his manner became easier.

Brody stepped in. “When we founded the town, Big John put out a call for any loners in the various bear shifter populations, hoping to attract females, honestly.” Brody chuckled. “A few have applied for residency so far, and all, with the notable exception of Lyn and her child, are brown and black bears. Frankly, I’ve never seen a koala shifter before yesterday.”

“We’re rare,” Seamus said, puffing out his chest.

Brody rolled his eyes before turning back to Nell.

“It’s totally up to you, Ms. Baker, whether or not Seamus here is allowed inside your establishment. You can think over your answer and let me know later today.” He didn’t want to put her on the spot, and he liked the idea of knowing she would have to talk to him again that day, but she threw a monkey wrench into his master plan.

“No need. I can tell you right now that he’s welcome, as long as he behaves. That means no drunkenness and no shifting inside, okay?” She looked straight at Seamus, and the other man had the sense to fidget under her no-nonsense scrutiny.

“I can promise you that, missus. Big John set me straight about the rules of this town, and I won’t go breaking them again. I promise.” The golden-skinned Aussie with the seriously Irish name seemed so contrite Brody almost believed him.

But Brody knew trouble when he saw it. And Seamus O’Leary had trouble written all over his furry gray koala ass.

“In that case, are you gentlemen here for lunch?” Nell asked, flashing a smile that hit Brody right between the eyes.

“Yes, ma’am,” the koala answered without consulting Brody.

Not that he would argue. Any time spent near Nell was time well spent according to Brody. And if the Aussie was going to stick around in the bakery, better that Brody was here to keep an eye on him.

They placed their orders for sandwiches on the delicious artisanal bread Brody liked and sat at one of the indoor tables. He watched Nell bustle around behind the counter, liking the way her ponytail swayed as she worked.

Seamus nudged Brody’s arm with his elbow. “You got something going on with the lady?” the koala shifter asked in a low voice.

Brody nodded once, staking his claim.

“Shame.” The other man sat back in his chair. “You’re a lucky man.”

Brody nodded again, thinking truer words were never spoken.

Maybe Seamus wasn’t so bad after all.

Nell came over a moment later with a large tray. It almost overflowed with the two plates holding substantial sandwiches, cutlery, napkins and condiments. Nell laid it all out before them, then pulled a small bottle out of her apron pocket and presented it shyly to Seamus.

“I wasn’t sure…”

“Beauty!” Seamus exclaimed, taking the little jar from her. “I haven’t had Vegemite in years. Thanks, doll. You’re a peach.”

Nell smiled, and Brody realized again how thoughtful this little human woman was. Here she was, facing the idiot who had revealed the existence of shifters to her just yesterday, in the most bizarre way, treating him to something special from his homeland. Brody could see the pleasure she took in providing Seamus with the small treat. It indicated how big her heart really was.

The koala shifter was right. Brody was the lucky one to have found a woman as extraordinary as Nell.

Brody and Seamus spent about an hour in the bakery, eating their sandwiches and finishing off with a slice of pie. Nell was kept busy as most of the people in town came in to pick up lunch. The town wasn’t that big, but it seemed everyone who was in the area made it a point to stop by and talk to Nell.

A few of the women—and there weren’t that many living here, yet—offered to answer questions Nell might have about their society. More than one gave Seamus the once-over. Apparently, news of the fracas here yesterday had gotten around. Brody was pleased to see the friendly overtures toward Nell. It seemed as if the bear shifter community was welcoming her.

It could easily have gone the other way. But maybe more than a few people had noticed them necking on the beach yesterday afternoon. Brody had been on the receiving end of a couple of envious looks and at least one high five. The latter coming from his deputy, earlier this morning.

Brody felt about ten feet tall, even in his human form. He liked that the others knew he was courting Nell. And he liked the subtle, silent approval from both his male contemporaries and the small, but growing, female population.

Before meeting John, Brody had always roamed alone. Now he was coming to appreciate the feeling of belonging, of being part of the larger bear shifter family.

When there was no longer any excuse to stay in the bakery, Brody parted ways with Seamus and made sure the Aussie shifter left the premises before Brody went up to the counter to speak with Nell. He didn’t need an audience—especially not Seamus—for what he had in mind.

“Are you doing anything tonight?” Brody asked Nell as casually as he could, during a lull in business. The lunch rush was nearing its close, and the few people eating had chosen to sit outside.

“What did you have in mind?” Nell’s smile was full of mischief and slightly shy. It was enchanting.

“I thought maybe I could make dinner for you. You’ve been feeding me for months now. I owe you a steak at the very least. You do eat steak, don’t you?” For a moment, he had the horrific thought that she might be a vegetarian.

Nell chuckled. “I like steak. I can bring a salad, if you like. We have some nice ripe lettuce plants on our roof balcony.”

“You grow lettuce on your roof?” Brody couldn’t picture it.

“There’s lots of sun up there, and it’s all just wasted space. We put a plastic patio table and chairs up there, and surrounded it with a container vegetable garden. Saves us a lot of money on groceries, and everything is super fresh.”

“I had no idea,” Brody said, charmed by the thought of a secret garden up on the roof.

“I’ll show it to you, but not today. I know for a fact that Tina is sunbathing up there before her shift.”

The way she said it made Brody think about Nell lying up there on a patio lounger. Naked.

He almost growled out loud at the image that popped into his mind.

“You should know, there are probably a few raptor shifters in the area. At least one eagle and a couple of owls and hawks. They don’t usually have much to do with us, but occasionally, I see one fly over.” He could see she wasn’t quite making the connection. “If I can see them, they can most definitely see you up there sunbathing on your roof.” Nell’s mouth dropped open, and Brody had to grin. “It’s something to consider.” He shrugged. “You’re not quite as alone up there as you might think.”

Nell nodded. “Good to know.” He could see the wheels turning in her mind.

“So. Dinner? My place?” he reminded her of the most important part of their conversation.

“Oh, yeah. I’d love to. What time?”

“How about I pick you up at seven when I get off shift?” Excitement flowed through his veins as both his human half and his bear half scented victory.

“Sounds perfect,” she said, smiling at him with that shy look in her eyes that he found absolutely adorable.

He couldn’t resist leaning across the counter and kissing her.

What he meant to be a quick peck turned into something molten as she kissed him back. Brody damned the counter that separated them, but thankfully, it kept him from going too far. The bell above her door jingled as somebody walked in on them, and Brody cursed inwardly.

Nell pulled back, her cheeks flushing a lovely shade of pink while she looked toward the door and the newcomers who had interrupted them. She pasted a bright smile on her face and tried to pretend that they hadn’t just been caught red-handed.

Brody whistled as he left, a spring in his step. He had a date, and if he played his cards right, he might just convince her to stay all night.

Or maybe forever.