After lunch, Ash took Nika shopping at several clothing stores along Main Street, as well as Wallace's Ranch & Home Supply, which turned out to carry everything from dog food and barbed wire fencing to clothing.

He made suggestions for winter wear and insisted on paying for everything. Without much cash left or any of her credit cards, Nika was forced to accept his generosity, though she felt guilty about it.

Nika chose to wear her new winter coat right away well as a pair of comfy and very warm sheepskin-lined boots. Ash put the remainder of the purchases in his truck.

Then, hand-in-hand, they headed over to the fundraiser at Justin's Wildcat Springs BBQ restaurant, which was located more-or-less across the street from Annabeth's bakery.

The afternoon was sunny and clear but really cold, and Nika felt grateful for her new coat, cashmere-lined leather gloves, and boots. Ash had taken her hand as they left Cinnamon + Sugar, and he hadn't released it except when Nika was trying on clothes.

During their shopping expedition, Ash had made a point of introducing her as his mate and fiancée to everyone they met, from the clerks at the stores to various friends and neighbors. Everyone had welcomed her to Bearpaw Ridge with what seemed like genuine warmth, even if her obvious pregnancy garnered a few puzzled looks.

After all the months of secrecy and hiding, Nika liked the feeling of being so publicly acknowledged as Ash's mate while at the same time worrying about being so open about it with the threat of her parents' displeasure hanging over their heads.

Nika had been smelling the scents of fragrant mesquite smoke, cooking meat, and baking cornbread since they arrived in town. Now she and Ash joined a stream of other people heading towards the source of the mouth-watering smells. Everyone was bundled up against the cold, and both sides of Main Street were lined with parked pickup trucks and SUVs.

They joined the line to enter a large brick-fronted building with a carved stone plaque reading "Built in 1914" placed over the doorway, and a pair of huge Grand Opening – Wildcat Springs Texas BBQ banners hung over each of the plate-glass windows.

Ash explained, "This used to be the Bear's Lair Pizza & Pasta, but when the owners decided to retire after nearly 40 years in business, none of their children were interested in returning to Bearpaw Ridge to take over the restaurant. And since Justin used to run a very successful BBQ restaurant back in Texas, he decided to try his luck here after moving to Bearpaw Ridge to be with Mom."

"So your Mom and Justin haven't been together very long?"

Ash shook his head. "They met at Thor's wedding last August, and they got engaged around Thanksgiving. They had a Christmas wedding at the house, with my Aunt Margaret officiating. She's done my brothers' weddings as well."

His grip on her hand tightened, and he looked like he wanted to say something else. Nika's heart leaped.

Then the line shuffled forward, and he seemed to change his mind.

Instead, he said, "I've had Justin's smoked brisket at some of our family dinners, and it's one of the best things I've ever tasted. I think his food will be a huge hit here with tourists and locals alike, so I bought a pretty big stake in his restaurant."

They arrived at the door and found Dane standing behind the host's podium. He was wearing a long-sleeved navy blue T-shirt printed with "Bearpaw Ridge Fire Department, Est. 1880" and collecting money from everyone who entered.

In return, each person received a meal ticket and an auction bid paddle printed with a number.

"Hey lazybones, glad you could make it out of bed for the fundraiser," he greeted Ash when they made it to the front of the line.

Despite the teasing words, Nika could see Dane's relief at the sight of his youngest brother up and walking around.

Ash rolled his eyes and shot back, "Well, would you be in a hurry to get out of bed when you've got a beautiful woman like this sharing it with you?"

Nika's face heated, and she knew it was turning bright red as the people around her began laughing good-naturedly.

Dane grinned at them, which made him look much less intimidating than Nika's first impression of him. "Good point, baby bro. It's a mercy that Annabeth gets up a couple of hours before I do."

Ash handed over a couple of $20 bills and received two meal tickets and an auction bid paddle marked with a giant "29."

"Auction starts at four, and we'll be serving dinner around five-thirty," Dane told them. He waved them forward into the big dining room. "Sit wherever you like."

The restaurant was done in a rustic style, with wooden floors made from recycled boards that had been left mostly unfinished, and exposed brick walls. Overhead, exposed ducting and steel header beams gave the restaurant an almost industrial feel, which was counterbalanced by the framed photos and Texas-themed memorabilia covering the walls.

As she followed Ash into the dining room, which had a low stage built along one side, Nika saw that it was piled high with various items for the auction. Then she got a closer look at one of the photos as they followed one of the brick walls to the back of the dining room.

It was a color photo, and she recognized a younger-looking Justin. It had been shot outdoors, against the backdrop of a large fenced pasture.

Justin was wearing a cowboy hat, a fancy Western shirt, and jeans, and holding the reins of a pony. A little girl, maybe five or six years old, was perched in the saddle with a big grin on her face. She wore a frilly dress with child-sized cowboy boots and had wild ringlets of blonde hair and the same striking aquamarine eyes as Justin.

"That's Thor's mate, Cassie," Ash said when she slowed to study the photo. "She was a cutie when she was a little girl."

"Thor's mated to a sabertooth shifter too?" Nika asked, startled.

She wondered if Ash's brother had met his mate because of Justin and Elle's relationship or if it had been the other way around.

Ash misinterpreted her surprise. "Oh, don't worry. I don't know what you've heard about sabertooth shifters, but they're not all bad."

"I haven't really heard much about them, except that they mostly keep to themselves," Nika clarified. "I was just wondering about your mother and Justin."

"Mom had a real thing against sabertooth shifters for a while, but when she met Justin, they just sort of clicked, I guess." Ash made a wry face. "I try not to think about the lovey-dovey part of it too much. I mean, it's my mother." He paused and added, "I really like Justin, though. He's, uh, kind of like the father I never had."

"Well, now, that's just about the nicest thing anyone's ever said about me," drawled Justin's voice from behind them.

Nika jumped, and even Ash looked startled. Neither of them had heard him approaching, the sound masked by the clamor of voices in the dining room and the roar of the ventilation fans and clatter of pots and pans coming from the busy kitchen.

The sabertooth shifter grinned at them, obviously amused by their reaction. He still wore his walking cast and was leaning on a cane. "I'm glad you both made it. Your mama asked me to tell you that all of y'all are sitting over there."

He pointed at a big round table near the back of the dining room. Nika spotted Elle, Annabeth, Steffi, a pretty blonde woman, and a couple of big dark-haired men who must be Ash's other brothers. Steffi and Annabeth waved vigorously at them, and so did the blonde woman.

"Hey everyone," Ash said, as he led Nika over to the Swanson family table. "Caitlyn, Mark, Evan—this is my mate, Nika Medved."

Caitlyn's eyes widened at this introduction, and she looked at Elle inquiringly. But she only said, "We saved you guys seats."

Ash reached to pull out a chair for Nika, but one of his brothers, who had long hair tied back in a ponytail, got there first.

"Howdy there," he said with a flirtatious smile. "I'm Ash's big brother Evan."

"Steffi's mate?" Nika asked. Warily she added, "I've heard all about you from Ash."

He straightened up with a wicked smile. "And here I was afraid that Steffi might have been gossiping about my irresistible manliness."

"As if," Steffi interjected, dryly. "You know that part's just between you and me, Evan. Your manliness is all mine."

"Ewwww!" Ash clapped his hands over his ears and turned to Nika with a pleading look. "Doctor, I need some brain bleach, stat!"

Nika and everyone else laughed, and suddenly she felt at ease with the Swansons.

Ash's remaining brother introduced himself as Mark, the town's lawyer and Caitlyn's mate.

"You're a medical student, if I remember correctly," Mark said. He appeared to be the most serious of the Swanson brothers. "Are you and Ash planning to live in Bearpaw Ridge after you finish your studies? We could really use another shifter doctor here."

"I hadn't really thought about it," Nika confessed. "I still have to figure out where to do my residency. But so far, I really like it here," she added.

Her mind began to consider the possibilities. She could really make a difference and help shifters and Ordinaries alike in this tight-knit rural community.

Up until now, she had always thought of her medical studies as a way to do something she was good at while also ultimately finding a job that would allow her to live her own life without openly rebelling against Mama and the rest of the Medved clan.

Mating Ash had changed all that, of course. Nika realized that since last summer, she had been living her life in reaction mode, every decision molded by the threat posed by her own family. There hadn't been any space left for dreams or plans for the future.

Now, as she sat with the Swansons and observed the various people who came by to chat with Ash and his brothers, she noticed how much respect and gratitude was directed their way.

Everyone seemed genuinely happy to see Ash recovered from his injuries, and many expressed appreciation for his willingness to continue volunteering as a firefighter.

As they all talked and laughed and noshed on the excellent salsa and chips served as an appetizer, Nika realized that Bearpaw Ridge was a place where shifters of various lineages and Ordinaries looked out for each other and helped each other. It was nothing like the bear-eat-wolf world of shifter New York City where she'd grown up.

Before tonight, she would never have imagined a shifter clan with mingled lineages of grizzly bear and sabertooth cat…or a town where bears, wolves, eagles, and snow leopards lived together in harmony with each other and with Ordinaries.

And she would have never conceived of Ordinaries, bear shifters, and wolf shifters working together to host a fundraiser like this for a jaguar shifter family burned out of house and home.

From what Ash had told her earlier, the Ornelas family had apparently been running a dairy farm in Bearpaw Ridge for three generations, and they were well-liked by everyone in the area, if the turnout at this fundraising dinner and auction was any indication.

By the time the auction began an hour later, every seat in the restaurant was taken, and the wait staff had brought out extra chairs and squeezed them in around the perimeter of the dining room.

Dane stepped up on the low stage. "Hi everyone. For those of you who don't know me, I'm Dane Swanson, your BPRFD captain—"

Nika joined the Swansons in clapping and whistling for him. The rest of the attendees at the fund-raiser joined in with whoops and hollers, and Ash's oldest brother began to look extremely uncomfortable.

When the noise finally died away, Dane continued, "Thanks so much for coming out to support the Ornelas family this afternoon. As you've probably heard, Ernie and Teresa lost their house and most of their belongings in a big fire a few days ago. They tell me that they had insurance, but we all know that it's never enough to cover everything. That's where we come in. Justin Long is hosting all of us here tonight out of his own pocket, which means that all the proceeds from the sale of your meal tickets will go to the Ornelas family—"

Dane was interrupted again with sustained applause. From his place on the sidelines, Justin bowed and waved at everyone before making a hobbling retreat to the restaurant kitchen.

"—and we have some great auction items donated by our fellow community members, including an all-expenses paid weekend at the Bearpaw Springs Resort, complete with a couple's spa treatment and all meals and drinks, donated by Eddie Ornelas," Dane announced. "Plus, I've heard a rumor that my lovely wife Annabeth is offering a certificate good for a year's worth of her famous cinnamon rolls and coffee—"

Evan stood up and gave a mighty whoop at this, which was followed by other cheers, whistles, and enthusiastic clapping.

"—so let the bidding begin. The first item up is a brand-new John Deere R series five-disc hay mower, donated by Dick Hawkins's Tractors and More, and here's our very own Jake Felsbach to serve as auctioneer!"

And the auction was off and running, with Jake's breakneck patter encouraging the audience to bid.

As the bids rose steadily higher, Nika noticed Ash raising his bidding paddle enthusiastically until he had outbid most of his competitors.

"And $18,000 going once…going twice…SOLD to number 29, Ashton Swanson!"

Amidst the pattering of applause, Elle asked in a puzzled tone, "Ash, what on earth do you need a hayfield mower for?"

He grinned at his mother. "You're right. I don't need one. But I'm pretty sure Ernie and Teresa could use one."

Nika gasped at his generosity. She knew Ash's company was doing very well, but he lived such a low-key lifestyle that it was easy to forget how rich he was. He might even be as rich as her parents, who owned a banking and investment firm.

Ash went up to the stage to collect the certificate for his prize and promptly handed it to Ernie, who was seated with his family at the front of the dining room.

Ernie looked stunned as he shook Ash's hand. Teresa shot out of her chair and flung her arms around Ash, kissing both of his cheeks and thanking him loudly.

Nika glanced over at Elle, expecting annoyance, and saw the proud smile on her face as she watched her son.

Mama and Papa would have been so upset if Dimitri had paid that much money for something, then just given it away to some neighbors, Nika thought.

Elle was a powerful bear clan matriarch too, but she seemed to be much more flexible in certain matters—like mating outside the bear shifter lineage—because she valued her children's happiness above the unwritten rules of shifter life.

One item followed another over the next hour, until the auction drew to an end with spirited bidding for Annabeth's "bakery season pass" and the resort weekend.

Dane joined them at the Swanson family table just as Justin's staff began serving dinner.

The dining room fell silent for a while as shifters and Ordinaries alike dug into plates loaded with slices of juicy smoked brisket, grilled sausages, barbeque chicken, potato salad, mac-and-cheese, coleslaw, and pinto beans.

For dessert, they were given a choice between a traditional Texas-style banana pudding served over Nilla wafers and a selection of pies provided by Cinnamon + Sugar.

Elle leaned over to pour Nika a cup of decaf and took the opportunity to murmur into Nika's ear, "So, are you and Ash back together? He looks happier than he has in months."

"Uh…" Nika stuttered, taken by surprise and not sure how to answer.

Ash didn't even try to pretend that he hadn't just overheard with his keen shifter hearing.

"Working on it, Mom," he said, lacing his fingers through Nika's.