He wanted to reach across the space between them. To take her hand and ask what had changed overnight. To remind her of the laughter they’d shared at the stream, the way she’d opened up to him about her childhood, the moment by the fire when she’d leaned toward him.
To remind her of that almost-kiss.
Instead, he kept both hands on the wheel and his thoughts to himself.
When they reached Roy’s, Hannah was out of the truck before Caleb had fully parked. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll check on my car, then head on over to the restaurant when I’m done.”
“Oh. Okay.” He took his hand off the door handle. That was it. He’d been dismissed—kindly, politely, efficiently. Just like that.
Oh, this is not good,his bear moaned.
No, it’s not.Caleb watched her go, the distance between them growing with each step she took.
His bear whined, anxious.She’s walking away from us.
Not yet,Caleb replied, though the knot in his stomach suggested otherwise.
He was scared.
Terrified, even, that this might be the beginning of her leaving—not just Bear Creek, but him.
He had always trusted fate. Had believed that because Hannah was truly his mate, everything would fall into place naturally, inevitably.
For the first time, he wondered if fate needed help.
Chapter Fifteen – Hannah
Hannah stood outside the garage after Caleb drove away, already wishing things had ended differently between them.
That she had handled this morning better.
But he’d gone. She’d let him go.
No, she’daskedhim to go. And he had.
The absence hit harder than she had expected. Not sharp enough to break her, but deep enough to hollow her out. She pressed her palm against her sternum, feeling the empty space where something warm had nestled only yesterday.
This is how it’s supposed to feel when something temporary ends, she told herself. A quiet ache. A sense of inevitability. Nothing more.
She’d handled worse alone. Much worse. The foster home where they’d locked the refrigerator at night. The roommate who’d stolen her security deposit. The boyfriend who’d left without a word, taking her favorite sweater and what little faith she had in people, in permanence, with him.
This was nothing compared to those moments. Caleb was just a man she barely knew, driving away after a brief connection that had meant more to her than it should have.
Still, her body betrayed her, as she lingered on the street too long, as if waiting for him to come back. But he wasn’t coming back.
Yet her eyes stayed fixed on the bend in the road where his truck had disappeared, ears straining for the rumble of an engine returning.
Hannah sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. This would not do. It was time to focus on what she had come here for. Her car.
Now,thatwas a symbol of permanence.
She turned away from the road as the garage door creaked open, and Roy stepped out, wiping his hands on a rag. His expression was open and friendly, the same as it had been the day she arrived in Bear Creek, when her car had been the most important thing in her world.
“Morning,” he said. “I was just about to give you a call.”
Her stomach tightened, though she kept her face calm. “Good news?”
“Well... not exactly,” he replied as he held up a clipboard. “Not really bad news, exactly. Just a slight delay...”
