Grayson Baxter poured his dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and then prepared the wet ones in a separate bowl to the side. He slowly added the cream and water to the flour and sugar mixture. As he turned on his dough hook to mix the ingredients together, he added eggs and watched as his cinnamon roll dough mixed to perfection.

He turned off the mixer and removed the dough hook, pulling the dough out onto his floured mixing board. With deft, practiced hands, he rolled out the dough. He spread a thick layer of sweet butter over the entire square of dough and sprinkled on the cinnamon, sugar, and spices, before rolling the entire thing into a tightly coiled log.

He carefully sliced sections all the way down the log, placing them into the baking pans. The smell of cinnamon, sugar, and butter filled the air. It was the most pleasant scent that he knew. It’s what got him up early every morning. He came down to his bakery and prepared his sweet and wholesome treats for the people of Fate Valley.

He popped the cinnamon roll pans into the oven and let out a satisfied sigh. This was his favorite time of day, when the bakery was still quiet, and he worked alone in the kitchen. He listened to his favorite classic rock music on the radio and did the meditative work of baking his famous pastries.

Since Grayson had returned from his military service, he had settled down in Fate Valley to open his café and bakery with his shifter veteran’s benefits. Because some of the guys he'd served with during his military service lived in Fate Valley, and spoke of how great it was for families, he had decided to settle down there.

He’d found the bakery in disrepair and had worked with his friends to bring the building up to code. It had been an excellent buy. They’d worked diligently for months to renovate the kitchen and the dining room.

In the beginning, the café had been a one-man show. He’d done all the baking and made all the coffee himself. After several years of continued success and the growing reputation of his pastries, he had been able to take on several employees. His baristas and cashiers came in later in the day. The baking was still something that he did on his own, but he was training his oldest assistant, Kitty, to take over. He enjoyed the work immensely. Although he still worked seven days a week, he didn't mind. On Saturdays and Sundays, he left the shop by 7 AM and took the rest of the day off.

With the cinnamon rolls filling the café with their spicy aromatic scent, he went about making his famous Fate Valley blueberry scones. He used lemon zest and just the tiniest bit of cream of tartar to give it the extra zing that people enjoyed so much.

He mixed the ingredients in the mixer and blended in the blueberries by hand. He poured his dough onto the counter and formed the little triangles for scones, placing them on to the baking sheets. He popped them in a second oven at a lower temperature.

When the cinnamon rolls were done, he brought them out and slid the pans into a cooling rack. He prepared the cream cheese and butter frosting. The timer for the bagels and baguettes dinged, so he put them on the cooling racks under the cinnamon rolls.

“Good morning, Grayson,” said his assistant Kitty from the kitchen doorway.

Grayson looked up and smiled. Kitty had been working for him for two years now. She had been a good and loyal employee.

“I'm almost done with the baking for today, Kitty,” he said. “How are you this morning?”

“I'm doing well,” she said. “Little Tyler is home with his dad today with a cold.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

“It's his dad’s day off work so it's all right.”

“Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know.”

Kitty had been pregnant with her baby Tyler while she worked for Grayson. He’d been more than happy to help her come back to work after she'd spent several months out of the job. He knew that their family depended on her income.

He did his best to help his employees with health insurance. The people that worked for him were like family. Even though Grayson wasn't a rich man, his company was doing well. A big part of that was the people who worked for him.

Grayson had been able to buy himself a little house by the lake. It was right near a vast stretch of deep woods, perfect for his bear to roam free. He’d fixed up the house in preparation for his life with his mate. He wanted to start a family of his own more than anything.

Kitty went out to the front of the café, turned on all the lights, and flipped the open sign in the window. She returned to the cash register and prepared the change drawer for the day. She then made a pot of coffee and started up the espresso machine.

Several moments later, after the coffee had brewed, the front door of the café opened for the first customers of the day.

His old buddy Harrison Cole, the firefighter, walked through the front door, as he did every morning. Having finished most of his baking tasks, Grayson poured himself a cup of Kitty's freshly brewed coffee and greeted Harrison when he approached the counter.

“Good morning, Harrison, can I get your usual?” Kitty asked.

“Yes, thank you, Kitty.”

She poured his black coffee and grabbed him a bagel with cream cheese and sprouts as he paid for his meal. Harrison sat down at his table. When Kitty was finished preparing the bagel, Grayson offered to take it to Harrison. She thanked him as she continued preparing the front of the house for the day. Grayson carried the bagel out to Harrison's table and sat across from him in the dining room.

“How is married life treating you?” Grayson asked.

Harrison and his bride Sunshine had been married for a few months, and Grayson couldn’t be happier for them.

“It's been wonderful. Sunshine has already found a lot of new business. I bet she could redesign your website too,” Harrison said.

“My website is a single blog page.”

“That's exactly what I mean,” Harrison said, sipping his coffee with a chuckle.

“Your mate sure is a smart one,” Grayson said. “I wish I had a lady like that in my life.”

“You'll find your mate soon, Grayson,” Harrison said.

“I've been on Mate.com for five years. Ever since I returned from my service.”

“Some people wait even longer. You just have to have faith that fate will work its hands on you.”

“I have faith in the fates,” Grayson said with a grumble.

“But…?” Harrison chuckled.

“It's just so hard to wait.”

“Well, just think of all of our friends who have found their mates recently. Liam thought he'd never find his mate, but he found Layla in time for Christmas. Now they're engaged and preparing for a wedding in the spring. And the new guy Thorian. He just came to town, and he already found his mate.”

“Cici sure is a pretty girl,” Grayson said. “She comes into the café all the time. I love her spirit and her smile.”

“Cici, Layla, and Stephany are great friends with Sunshine now,” Harrison said.

“Those girls are all something else,” Grayson said. “But I know that Stephanie isn’t my mate.”

He looked down at his coffee cup. He'd known Stephanie, the lioness shifter, for quite some time. She was still searching for her mate on Mate.com too. But they both knew that it wasn’t each other. They were an 85% match, and that just wasn't a fated mate.

“Stephanie will find her match, eventually,” Harrison said. “And so will you. Just try to be patient and not lose hope. Shifters who lose faith in fate just become miserable. Look at Benjamin—he found Samantha on Valentine’s Day. He’d been on Mate.com for seven years. Longer than you, even.”

“You didn’t even want a mate, and you didn't have to wait one minute. You were instantly matched with Sunshine,” Grayson said.

“It took me a hard knock on the head to realize that life is short and that love and family are the most important things in a bear’s life. I was confused, my friend. I thought that if I wanted something for myself that it was selfish. But I've become a better man and a better firefighter since I found my sweet Sunshine.”

“I know you're right,” Grayson said, letting out a long sigh.

He did agree with Harrison, although his inner grizzly did not. The beast prowled around at the back of his mind, grunting and growling and grumbling for his mate. Sometimes it kept him awake at night, and he couldn't settle down.

“Well, I better get back to the kitchen. I just heard the scones ding. You have a good day at work, Harrison. Just don't try to save any cats that don't need saving.”

Harrison chuckled and punched Grayson in the shoulder as he rose from the table on the way back to the kitchen. It was a running joke among the shifters in Fate Valley. Harrison had injured himself in a house fire while trying to save a cat who was already outside.

Grayson returned to the kitchen and pulled the scones out of the oven. They were perfectly baked and filled the kitchen with the scent of blueberries. He scooped them out onto a cooling tray and inhaled the heavenly aroma.

He thought about his life and his friends. He knew that someday fate would bring his mate to him. And when it did, he would be ready with open arms and a plate of pastries.