He and Anna Claire already knew they weremates. Their bears had already claimed each other by scent, but notby blood or touch. He’d seen what had been done to the female, andhe wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to have a mate. He’d beher friend and protector for the rest of her natural life if shemade the decision to stay unmated.
Gunnar whipped up a high protein meal andleft it in the oven to cook. He set a timer and made his way out tothe main house to check on supplies. They’d stocked their quarterswith food before the hibernation but left the bulk of things in themain house. Since he was awake, he might as well make a list ofthings they’d need for the next few months until Ada could preparetheir garden.
He was thankful the female had taken overthe patch of land behind the house. Gunnar had been in charge ofthat when he was younger, before his parents were killed, but letit go when they were thrust into the farming business left to themby their father. Ada had grown enough vegetables for them to lastthrough the winter, and Gunnar and Anna Claire had spent manyafternoons bonding over canning the foods to give them a longershelf life. When he reached the living room, he saw his brother,Rex, in the kitchen grabbing one of two bags of potatoes.
“Hey, brother,” Rex boomed. His mate hadgiven birth to a male cub during the winter, and he’d beenpampering her all throughout their hibernation. “How’s AnnaClaire?”
“She’s as well as to be expected.” Gunnarpaused to frown. “She struggled the first few weeks of hibernation,but eventually settled.”
“Maybe things will change once we get movingagain.” Rex shrugged, but his face had still fallen at the mentionof the female.
“How’s Ada? Thane?” Gunnar inquired. He’donly seen the cub a few times over the winter. Just because theywere hibernating didn’t mean they slept the entire winter away.They would emerge every couple of weeks to check on their home andgrab supplies if they were needed. Very rarely did they ever leavethe homestead.
“Perfect,” Rex blushed. “They’reperfect.”
“Have you heard from Drake or Tessa?”
“They’re awake, but you know Drake.” Rexrolled his eyes. “He’s going to stay locked up with his mate andcub until the last day.”
Gunnar laughed and reached into the pantryto grab a can of coffee for Anna Claire. They hadn’t stocked anybefore winter.
“I’m planning on making a run to the fieldstomorrow. Do you want to ride along?” Rex asked.
“Yeah,” Gunnar said with a nod. “I’m goingto check on the elders and the O’Kelly boys sometime latertoday.”
“Ada talked to Martha two weeks ago, andthey were doing very well in their cabins,” Rex informed him. “It’sodd, but nice having them here.”
“It’s new for us, but I’m grateful for Lucaand Ransom’s help this season,” Gunnar admitted, picking up thelast bag of potatoes. “Let me know when you want to leave, and I’llride with you.”
“You’ll call me if the elders are in need ofanything?” Rex added a bag of sugar to his stack of supplies onceGunnar had moved away from the pantry.
“Sure will.”
Rex gave him a nod and disappeared down thehallway leading to his quarters. He could hear their cub fussing alittle, but the sound was cut off when Rex closed the door.
As he closed the cabinet doors, Gunnar felta craving deep in the pit of his stomach. His beast stirred, movingjust underneath his skin. He felt his canines thicken in his mouth.Clamping down on the realization, he tried to push at his beast.Mating season was upon them, and as hard as he tried, he couldn’tresist the pull toward the quarters he shared with the woman whowasn’t ready to come out of her shell from her attacks to touchhim.
Gunnar, her possible mate, had left thequarters to grab some supplies. Anna Claire took that opportunityto shower and grab some new clothes. She used the hairdryer underhis sink to dry her long, blonde hair. She styled it simply and puton a pair of jeans and a thick sweater that fit her small body.
As she entered the living quarters, shefound Gunnar in the small kitchen, removing a dish from the oven.She hummed at the scent of chicken and potatoes. “That smellsamazing.”
She’d lost a lot of weight over the winter,but that was normal for bears. The weight would return in the nextfew weeks as they all prepared themselves for spring. The males hadwork to do to plant the crops, and the females would take over onthe homestead.
Ada had already planned out their backyardgarden for the summer, and Anna Claire couldn’t wait to getstarted.
She finally had something of her own, andeven if it was gardening with the others, she’d do her best to helpout the Morgan clan as repayment for everything they’d done forher. It was only fair to help their new home thrive.
“Sit,” Gunnar ordered, nodding toward thesmall table. “Let’s eat.”
Anna Claire sat while Gunnar served up herfood. She thanked him and ate the meal he’d prepared. She’d foundout he had a love of cooking when she’d first arrived. The meals hemade were worthy of a five-star restaurant, but he’d mentioned henever wanted to leave the clan to pursue a career in a bigcity.
“I’d love to see Ada and Thane as soon asthey are out of hibernation,” she mentioned as she dipped herchicken in honey Gunnar had put in a bowl for her. He rememberedher doing that from the summer, and it warmed her heart.
She’d never had a male care for her. Her ownfather had forced her to do her own cooking, cleaning, and learningon her own since her mother had passed away. She clamped down onthe need to cry for her mother. It’d come to her attention, aftershe’d been saved by Gunnar and his brothers, that her father hadactually killed her mother. She
