At least we have this. His bear blew out a snort. Caleb didn't know if he convinced himself or the bear right now. The town had been a compromise between his animal side and the human side. They'd felt a call to this place after wandering for too long. Small, out of the way. And now, they were bored to tears.
The scent of chocolate grew stronger with a shift in the breeze, eclipsing the pine scent. Caleb chuckled, and the thought had played in his mind once or twice that Mrs. Emerson called him daily to have company, which his stomach didn't mind.
Stepping into the dirt alley, he strolled a block away from the shop. Trees were bare, or almost there. Fall in the mountains pretty much lasted a blink of an eye.
The chill of snow in the air meant winter was just a step behind. Right now he'd go hiking, but soon snowshoeing and cross-country skiing would keep him busy. Too bad he couldn't get a business started for the outdoor sports here. The hardware store, although a great business, was slow. He needed adventure. Just not the kind he found in the military.
The gravel crunched under his shoes as he passed one modest house after another. He bit at his lower lip, dragging his teeth over his goatee. For all the calm this place offered, he wished there was something to put them on the map. The lakes, trails, and the scenery, everything he thought he wanted. This place was his escape. He'd gotten lost in the quiet, a salve to the open wounds that never seemed to heal. Now though, something was changing. Change didn't have a scent, but he took in the air around him and knew something was coming. The restlessness of his bear drove it home further.
Caleb's stomach rumbled as Evelyn's baking wafted towards him. It was like a bread crumb that his nose could follow anywhere.
"There's my favorite handyman. Always so handsome. If I were just sixty years younger and you a few years older. You're practically a baby."
Caleb smiled as he walked up to the front porch. Mrs. Emerson held out her hand, and he took it. She pulled him in for a hug, her cotton pouf of hair tickled as it kept from moving no matter the weather. Her small frame came up chest high, but when you got on her bad side, her small stature was easy to forget.
"Ms. Emerson, I'm only young to you. I served ten years in the military, and I'm pretty sure that adds at least another twenty years of life experience."
She eyed him. "Hm. Well then, I guess I'm not so much robbing the cradle as I am a cougar. How about you propose? It would save me a fortune on home repairs, and you can have all the cookies you want."
Caleb let out a chest-rumbling laugh. "Mrs. Emerson, what would Ed say?"
She waved her hand. "What does that fool know? Five years, and he still hasn't proposed. Besides, I like the idea of being a cougar."
Caleb nearly choked on air as she curled her fingers into claws and batted at the air, a roaring noise escaped her, and she quirked an eyebrow.
"Mrs. Emerson, I'm a bear, and while I'm pretty sure that's not what you meant, let's put that on hold and work on the toilet situation first." Holding his breath, he pushed down a chuckle. She was a nice old lady. Human and nice. He wasn't about to change that either. Caleb didn't know what turning into a shifter would do to someone so old. He shivered. That was not where Caleb needed his mind to go. The thought of Mrs. Emerson mating with anyone left his stomach churning.
She spun on her slipper-clad heel, and he shook his head following her inside. She'd outlived one husband and apparently, could keep a man ten years younger satisfied. Mentally he shrugged. Her brows knit as he tried to keep his amusement hidden.
"Here, let me get that ma'am." As she passed him into the house, she reached up on tiptoes and patted his cheek. If only everyone appreciated him holding a door.
"Thank you, young man." Flashing a smile only a woman like her could give, there was no mistaking the plotting behind her innocent little expression. "You fix this leaky toilet, and then I think you should reconsider meeting my granddaughter. She's been here for six months, and you're the only bachelor not to ask her out."
Caleb's lips pressed close. The amusement her words usually brought fleeing faster than the enemy from gunfire. "I'm good. But thanks. Besides, didn't you tell me last week that she was seeing some guy from the city? I can't compete with that. The hardware store barely turns a profit, and let's face it; home repairs aren't the most exciting thing."
Caleb loved the town, loved this little woman before him, and loved the reliability of it all. Or he had. A tightness in his chest made him pause only to pick up his pace as he realized a seventy-something woman had already beat him to the top of the stairs.
"Son, are you okay? You're doing that odd quiet thing again. Did you hear me tell you the sound the toilet makes? It's a –"
"Sorry, Ms. Emerson, I just haven't been sleeping well again." He paused and listened. "I can hear the water running in the bowl as we speak, so no need to reenact the noise. I'll have it fixed in about two minutes."
She eyed him as he passed her. "Alright, Caleb. You run up and take care of that. I have a guest coming over shortly."
Stepping wrong, he flinched, the pain a constant reminder of the crap he'd left behind. The hospital he never thought
