Lone Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Mountain Book 1) by Ruby Shae

Chapter One
     
    Gage Adams watched as Kate circled the small café and refilled coffee cups, stopping to chat briefly at nearly every table. She didn’t discriminate between locals and tourists, though neither did most of the town. With a population just under one thousand, the business owners weren’t stupid enough to turn away any possible income. If the tourists were treated badly, they’d either eat at a different restaurant on the way home, or come down the mountain on the west side and avoid the town completely. The result wouldn’t be good for anyone.
    Bear Mountain had a reputation to uphold and most of the locals tried to keep it. Their town, though small, had been recommended by the State National Park Service and mentioned on the website as a quality, friendly, last-stop in civilization and it was an honor everyone wanted to keep.
    “More coffee, Gage?” Her sweet voice warmed him from the inside out and he wanted to listen to it forever.
    “No thanks, I’m going to head out.”
    “Oh,” she frowned, and her green eyes lost some of their sparkle. “Okay. I’ll be right back with your check.”
    Could she possibly feel something for him, too?
    Kate had only been in town for two years, but she was still considered a local. He didn’t know the whole story, but she’d stopped in town after a hiking trip with some friends and never left. The moment he saw her, he’d wanted her.
    Until Kate arrived, he’d spent most of his time on his property, only coming into the center of town every weekend to help some of the older business owners with odd jobs. He didn’t have to work, and he never accepted money for payment. He helped because he cared about the town and the people who lived there.
    When he’d stopped in to help the café owner nearly two years ago, he knew he’d never be the same. The elderly man had hired Kate on the spot and Gage had been visiting during one of her shifts every week ever since.
    Gage had been alive nearly three centuries and he’d never met a woman he wanted for his own. Until Kate. Her presence soothed him in a way no one had before. She made him want to be a better man. One that would be worthy of her love.
    Two years might seem like a long time to woo her, but he was immortal and used to being alone. He’d only moved back to Bear Mountain about twenty years ago, and he spent most of his time in his home. A couple of years compared to centuries of loneliness didn’t seem like that much to him. Besides, though she was friendly, Kate had never given him any indication she shared his interest. It made it harder to come clean about his feelings.
    “Here you go,” she said as she placed the ticket on the edge of the table and glanced outside with a frown. She rushed away without looking at him and stationed herself behind the register near the front door. He watched as the sheriff and his deputy walked in and approached her.
    She took a step back, as if to distance herself from the two men, and Gage realized her apprehension. What had happened? Why did she try to hide?
    “Take a seat anywhere you’d like, guys,” she said. “I’ll be over with your menus in a minute.”
    “I’d like you to lead us, Katherine,” the sheriff said.
    “It’s Kate, and I’m sorry, but I’m busy right now,” she said, fingering through some receipts. “I’ll be over in a minute.”
    “Katherine is so much more elegant and upstanding. You should use it instead of Kate; it will give you more credibility in the community.”
    Gage grabbed his bill and walked up behind the two men. The deputy eyed him, but he didn’t cower or look away. He towered over them both by at least a foot, and he was used to people looking at him with fear due to his size. He expected law enforcement to be different due to their oath to protect others, but not everyone had the ability to hide their fear.
    “I think my credibility is safe. Go ahead and have a seat, I’ll be over in a minute,” Kate