A Taste of Honeybear Wine (BBW Bear Shifter Standalone Romance Novel) (Bearfield Book 2) by Jacqueline Sweet, Eva Wilder Read Free Book Online Page A

idea, when Marcus spoke in his quiet, rough voice.
    “Ma’am, I’d like to apologize for what my little brother has done. He had no right to enter your property like that and even less right to scare your daughter. I swear we will do everything we can to make this right.”
    “And who are you to make such a promise?”
    “My name is Marcus Morrissey, and I’m the mayor of Bearfield and Michael’s legal guardian. You say there’s a lockbox that went missing.”
    “Stolen by his accomplice,” she sneered, like she’d seen through his clever trick.
    “That lockbox—well, we’re pretty sure an old family heirloom of ours is in it. Likely along with whatever is so precious to you. Your father came upon our heirloom and took it when it wasn’t his to take. Can’t fault the man for that, he didn’t know. My father had misplaced it after an accident in the woods. But your father, when alerted to the provenance of the pendant, declined to hand it over and swore he didn’t have it. And that’s just not right.”
    “You can’t expect to hold me responsible for what my father did,” the woman said, but the fight was ebbing out of her. Marcus was giving it to her as straight as he could, and she could tell. He wasn’t lying or stonewalling and she respected that.  
    Michael wanted to interrupt, to give his side of the story, to issue assurances to Alison’s mom, but as his big brother spoke, his bear growled low and threatening, cowing Michael’s bear into submission. It was a trick that Marcus used often, speaking softly with his human voice while his bear—his terrifying bear—roared and growled and threatened.
    Marcus folded his arms across his chest. “Not at all. I just hope that when we recover this box for you, you’ll do the right thing and hand over the bear pendant to us.”
    She thought about it, worrying her lip with sharp white teeth as she considered the angles. Michael could almost see the wheels spinning, see her calculating her profit margins and risk. The woman was used to haggling, to negotiating. “If you return the box unopened, I will give you the pendant.”
    “And drop all charges against my little brother.”
    “No. He exposed himself to my Alison. Never.”
    Matt coughed and waved from next to Marcus. He smiled his best charming smile at Alison and then shook her hand. “Hi there, am I to understand that your goal ultimately in Bearfield is to convert your grandfather’s residence into a place of business? A bed and brewery, I think your sister said?”
    Alison nodded, clearly embarrassed to be addressed all of a sudden. Michael saw how her mother’s eyes narrowed with disappointment when she looked at her daughter, how the woman’s lips pressed thin and cold. “Yes, that’s right. I mean, that’s the goal. I think. Probably.” It was obvious that if she could have retreated into a cave at that moment, she would have. It took every ounce of willpower Michael had not to comfort her, to place an arm around her protectively, to defend her from the world.
    “Y’know, I was just telling my fiancée here that this town could use a good brewery. The tourist trade in Bearfield in insatiable for quality cuisine. She’s in the middle of getting a bakery-slash-cafe up and running, and I think a little brewery with some delicious pub food—maybe venison burgers? Have you thought of that?—would be just the thing.” Matt’s stomach growled loudly, startling Alison’s mother. “But as much as our little town could use something like that, it would require permits and zoning hearings and all sorts of bureaucratic hurdles. Being on the mayor’s good side could help your business enormously. While being on his bad side, by say sending his little brother off to jail for five to ten years, could make operating any sort of business here rather difficult.” Matt smiled again, warmly, like he hadn’t just threatened to destroy the woman’s dreams.
    “I don’t care who his brother