Harland sat across from Jed and Bryson at the Pheasant Run Cafe. He'd gone to pick his truck up once Stork called, but to his dismay, Dresden hadn't been there. Disappointment had filled him, but Harland had paid his bill and was once again back on the road.

But Dresden was here in the diner. He and Stork were sitting across the room, a little boy of about two with them. Harland moved his hands out of the way when the waiter, Noah, set Harland's food down in front of him. It all smelled good, but the strongest scent in the diner was Dresden's honey-baked aroma.

Jed leaned forward, staring around Bryson's large frame. "What are we looking at?"

"Stork's nephew," Harland said before cutting into his steak. He and his three best friends had grown up together, gone through the military, and had even bought a ranch together. Harland had known Jed, Bryson, and Clayton-who was at the ranch right now-his entire life.

And there wasn't a damn cook between the four of them. If it wasn't for this restaurant, they more than likely would be living off of hotdogs and beans.

They'd grown up in a shifter community up north. All four of them had big dreams and moving west and owning a ranch was one of them. Jed was the quiet one of the four. The man didn't talk a lot, but he was a damn good worker and a hell of a friend.

Bryson was the biggest and the kindest. The guy would give anyone the shirt off his back. It pissed Harland off sometimes the way some people took advantage of that fact. Not everyone appreciated a guy like Bryson.

Half the time Clayton didn't have a serious bone in his body. He was also one kinky-ass bastard. Clayton was Italian and thought of himself as a smooth talking Casanova-which he wasn't.

Harland just liked the simple life, no complications. He had everything he could want except someone to share it with. Flirting was fine and all, but Harland was looking for something more.

"Why are you watching him?" Jed asked before settling back to dig into his own meal. It was late evening but the sun was still shining. Harland loved summer. There was nothing like letting his bear loose to run the seventy acres the four of them owned. It wasn't much as far as land went, but it was enough for them.

The Triple-B bred champion horses and the money was good. Harland was also half owner of the Ugly Broad. More like silent partner because he didn't get to spend as much time there as he'd like.

Harland downed half his tea before setting the glass aside. "I'm watching him because he smells like a bakery."

Bryson arched a dark brow. He glanced over his shoulder at Dresden and then back at Harland. "No shit."

Harland hated the fact that Stork was here. He wanted to go over to the booth and find out more about Dresden. He also wanted to know who the little boy was. But after Stork's guarded behavior this morning, Harland knew he needed to be careful.

His bear wasn't in agreement. It growled for Harland to get closer, to get rid of Stork-a threat in his bear's opinion. Harland was a little more civilized than his counterpart, but not by much.

"Smelled like honey-sweet biscuits and strawberries at Stork's." Harland chanced a glance over at Dresden to see the little boy hanging over the back of the booth. His arms were dangling and he was babbling about something. The toddler lifted his left hand and wiggled it in a short wave. Harland smiled before looking back at Jed.

"That gas station stinks," Bryson stated. "Every time I go there I get a headache."

"That's because your sense of smell picks up everything," Jed said.

Bryson gave Jed a comical look. "No, really?"

Harland was only half listening to the two men. He was sitting there eating his dinner, trying his best not to get up and haul Dresden from the diner. It was a strange reaction and one Harland had never had before.

"Do you think he's your mate?" Bryson asked. The man was plowing through his second plate of corned beef and hash. Bryson wasn't a small man. Not by any stretch of the imagination. He was a good six three and held his weight like a weapon. The man was stronger than Jed, Harland, and Clayton combined.

Harland was surprised the man had only ordered two meals. He shrugged, feigning interest in his dinner. "Might be."

Actually, he hadn't even thought about that. Before going into the military, Harland's aunt had told him that shifters had mates, but none of the men with him were mated. Scent had a large part to do with finding one's mate, but a bear couldn't go on scent alone. There were times when it was misleading. His mom had reassured him that his bear would know, but Harland wasn't so sure.

Maybe the guy just smelled really good.

"Do you want to fuck anyone else?" Jed jerked his head toward Dresden's table.

Harland pointed his fork at Jed. "Since I just met him this morning, how the hell should I know?"

"Easy." Bryson shoved a thumb at the cute waiter who had been trying to get a date with Jed for weeks now. "Do you want to fuck him?"

Harland gave Noah a fleeting glance before he went back to eating. Although the waiter was damn good looking, Harland felt nothing for the guy. "Nope."

"Well, there you have it," Bryson said as he slapped his hands together and then rubbed them. "Stork's nephew is your mate."

"I hope you don't use that deduction when balancing the books," Jed said. "Just because he doesn't want to fuck the waiter doesn't mean Stork's nephew is his mate."

Bryson tapped his beefy finger on the table. "If you fuck him and he winds up pregnant, you'll know then."

Jed rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if you were dropped on your head multiple times as a cub."

"What?" Bryson asked as he splayed his hands wide, lifting his shoulders at the same time. "It's true."

"I'm not going to try and knock him up just to find out if he's my mate," Harland argued. Although the idea of finally having a family appealed to him on many different levels.

"Why not?" Bryson asked. "Bears don't date like humans. We fuck, pure and simple. If he ends up with a cub in the oven, then he's yours for life."

Bears might operate on baser instincts than humans, but Harland had this foolish dream of getting to know his mate before they started a family. He knew he was an oddball for wanting that. What Bryson said was true. Bears had sex. There was no dating.

If a person turned out to be their mate, then they settled down. But Dresden was human and wouldn't understand their ways. The man would probably run for the hills if Harland even mentioned that the guy could get pregnant.

But the idea of peeling back the layers and getting to know Dresden fascinated Harland.

"His uncle is keeping a close eye on him," Harland confessed. "He didn't seem too happy that I was talking with Dresden this morning."

Bryson flicked his fingers in the air as if waving the crazy notion away. "He doesn't have a say. If Dresden is yours, then Stork can go fuck himself."

"You have sex on the brain," Jed said before shoveling a forkful of macaroni and cheese into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and then continued. "You need to get laid."

"Offering?" Bryson teased.

"Hell no," Jed answered. "Mounting you would be like bull riding."

Bryson flipped Jed off. "Like I was saying, Harland. If Dresden is yours, then Stork can't stop his nephew. We may live in a human town, but we live by our laws. No one can interfere in a mating. You know that."

Somehow Harland knew getting to Dresden would be easier said than done. Stork glared over at Harland's table before he pulled his wallet out, paid the bill, and then stood. Dresden grabbed the toddler and headed for the door.

The bakery scent filled Harland's lungs, making his dick hard as he watched the man leave.

"Boy, you got it bad," Bryson said. "You look like a love-struck idiot."

Harland's eyes followed Dresden until the man was no longer in sight. He gave a heavy sigh as he allowed his imagination to take flight. In that fantasy, Dresden was not only his, but swollen with Harland's cub.

Chapter Two.

"I didn't agree to let you stay here so you could make a fool out of me," Carl Stork said as he cut the motor. Dresden could only nod at his uncle. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. If it wasn't for Stork, Dresden and his son, Markey, would be homeless right now.

After his fiasco with Roger Downfire, Dresden had no choice but to leave town. His ex-boyfriend had been a whack job and part of Dresden feared he hadn't seen the last of Roger. Toward the end of their relationship, Roger had become possessive. The behavior had not only alarmed Dresden, but he had feared for his son.

Roger hadn't been the best influence in Markey's life. He could have cared less about Dresden's two year old.

Sadly, Stork had been Dresden's only option. He didn't have another living relative besides this surly bastard, but Stork was more worried about his reputation than actually helping Dresden.

"I understand."

"Do you?" Stork asked, his jaw tight. "I couldn't tell by the way you were ogling Harland Macy in the diner. It's bad enough you're gay. Don't rub that fact in my face."

Dresden was not about to sit there and hear another long-winded lecture. Since arriving in Bear County, Stork had gone on and on about how homosexuals were depraved. His uncle had even gone so far as to suggest counseling so Dresden could be cured.

What an asshole. Too bad there wasn't a cure for Stork's stupid way of thinking. He understood that some old-timers were set in their ways and sometimes they behaved in the manner to which they were raised.

There was no excuse for Stork's hatred of gay men. The guy was just a nasty piece of work and Dresden wished to god he had other options.

He reached into the back and pulled Markey out of his car seat. The toddler was fast asleep, a small line of drool trailing from his mouth. He smiled as his heart swelled. Markey was his entire world. Dresden loved the small boy more than his own life.

He hated that he and his son were trapped in this situation. When he had decided to become a father, having to grovel to his uncle hadn't been in his foreseeable future.

Cradling Markey over his shoulder, Dresden walked into the two-bedroom double-wide trailer. The place was a hotbox and wasn't good for Markey's asthma. Even when Dresden cracked the windows open, Markey still sweated up a storm. He didn't dare open the windows all the way-no one in Lamont's Trailer Heaven did. The crime rate was staggering.

Stork lit one of his Marlboros and blew the smoke close to Markey. Dresden wanted to punch the man until Stork was a bloody pulp. But he had learned that any protest of the way Stork ran things would get him kicked out. The night Dresden had first shown up, he and his uncle had gotten into it, and Stork had almost turned Dresden away.

"I'm heading over to Earlene's. In case you're confused, she's a girl. Clean this place up before I get back." Stork grabbed a six-pack out of the fridge and headed outside.

Dresden dropped down on the hemorrhaging sofa. He was grateful that he and his son had a place to stay, but he was starting to wonder if hell would have been a better option.

After stripping Markey down to his training diaper, Dresden maneuvered the pitiful fan toward his son, hoping the thing cooled Markey off.

It was doubtful though. One blade was missing and the only speed that worked was low. He brushed Markey's blond hair from his tiny face and wished things hadn't gone to shit.

But he wasn't one to wallow in pity. Dresden was determined to find a way to make it on his own again. He grabbed the newspaper that lay on the kitchen table and took a seat, searching the want ads. Stork didn't pay him a dime, and Dresden had to beg his uncle for anything he or Markey needed.

If he could find a good enough job, Dresden could get out of Lamont's Trailer Hell. From what he'd overheard a few nights back, the place was riddled with meth users. That wasn't something he wanted his son around.

Waving the pesky fly away from his head, Dresden spotted a few jobs he was suited for. Unfortunately, he knew they wouldn't pay much. And with a child to take care of, there was no way Dresden could work two jobs.

Bear County-from what Dresden had seen-was a quaint little town. There were a lot of thriving businesses. But he highly doubted anyone would need a starving artist. Maybe he could flip burgers or serve coffee.

Dresden was a real good cook. It used to be a hobby for him, but maybe he could make a living off of his talent.

As he scanned the paper, Dresden remembered the phone number in his pocket. Harland was one nice-looking cowboy and a sexy flirt, but Dresden wasn't sure if he wanted to open that can of worms. Dresden was already on Stork's shit list just for showing up in the first place.

And besides, did he want a repeat of Roger? Dresden knew all men weren't basket cases. Harland did seem nice.

It couldn't hurt to talk to the guy. Dresden didn't know anyone in town except for the charming residents of Trailer Hell.

His head snapped up when he heard a shotgun blast. It was more than likely Buck. The guy lived three trailers down and was a nuisance. Buck had parties until the wee hours of the morning, regardless of what day it was. The man blasted his music, snorted coke, and screwed anything that wasn't nailed down-according to Stork.

Hoping his uncle stayed gone all night, Dresden pulled the phone number from his pocket. He stared at the scribble for a good minute before he got up the nerve to actually call. Thank goodness his cell phone hadn't been disconnected yet, but that was coming. Dresden didn't have the cash to pay his bill.

But until then, he was going to use it to see if maybe he and Harland could be friends.

Dresden took a deep breath before he dialed the number. He was half tempted to hang up. What would he have in common with a cowboy? Dresden was a city boy through and through. The only thing they could do was have sex, and right now, that was the last thing on Dresden's mind.

"Ya'low," Harland answered.

No words would come out of Dresden's mouth. His throat seemed to close up. He was afraid Harland would hang up. But the guy just chuckled. "Is this my honey-baked clerk?"

His what? "It's Dresden."

"That's what I said."

Dresden was starting to wonder if maybe this was a mistake. He was risking a lot by talking to Harland. If Stork found out, hell would break loose. But hadn't it already? How much lower could Dresden sink? He was already living in the bottom of the barrel.

Dresden just wanted someone he could talk to, someone to connect with-even if it was just for friendship.

"I just called because..." Dresden could feel his cheeks flaming, and it wasn't from the heat of the trailer. He'd never been good at talking to guys. Hell, it had taken him months to go to the agency about finding a surrogate. He just wasn't any good when it came to asking for things or talking to hot guys.

Roger had been the one to ask Dresden out. He clamped a lid on that thought. Dresden didn't want his memories of Roger ruining this call.

"Because you found me witty and charming?" Harland asked. "Go ahead, you can admit that."

Dresden smiled. "Are you always so full of yourself?"

"Nah, I'm just teasing. I was trying to erase the nervousness I can hear in your voice."

"So, you're really shy then?"

Harland snorted and then began to laugh. "Hardly, but I'm not stuck on myself. I'm okay looking."

That had to be the biggest understatement Dresden had ever heard. Harland was built like an ox and had dark, dreamy looks. He began to imagine what it would be like to have sex with someone so muscular.

Dresden felt himself blush again. He shouldn't be having those thoughts. Getting involved with someone right now was not in his best interest. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to end the call. "Were those your brothers I saw you with?"

"Jed and Bryson? Nope. They're my best friends. Who was the kid with you?" Harland asked.

"My son." Dresden wasn't ashamed of Markey and was proud of his two-year-old. Markey was the center of his universe.