The Bear's Bride(14)

Gwen hadn’t pushed the issue, but Amy knew Frank was going to be asking her a million questions. She’d already turned off her phone so he couldn’t contact her. The urge to let him explain and forgive him was too great. Why would he tell Olivia he didn’t want to be matched anymore? Amy had been ready to tell him that she was his match before she’d heard what a player he was.

She should have known better. There were no perfect men. At least she still had her family. She was going to enjoy Thanksgiving and the nice break from work. Screw Frank! He wasn’t going to ruin her holiday season. She was going to pull it together and have a great time.

***

“Cheer up, buddy.” Ben handed Frank another beer. “There’s no moping at the cabin.”

“Sorry.” Frank opened his beer. He couldn’t help wanting more than one.

Owen hadn’t cancelled on the trip. Even though Erin was pregnant, she had insisted he go on the annual trip. Owen was telling a cloying story about how his sisters and Gwen wanted to plan a big baby shower for Erin. Erin wanted Owen to be invited too so it was turning into a big party instead of a traditional shower. There were also a million cute anecdotes of having to explain to the cubs on the farm that the new baby was on the way. It was too much for Frank to stand.

It had been nine days since he’d last spoken to Amy. Nine days since she had just walked out of his life for no reason. He had tried to call her a million times and had even found her New York publisher’s office. He couldn’t call the publisher but he knew she would be in the city in January to meet with her editor. He’d seriously considered flying to the city and waiting outside the building for her. The only reason he’d rejected the idea was that it would probably scare her more than he already had.

The filming of the special with Allison had gone well. Better than he could have hoped for, given his emotional state. Still, it was hard for him to celebrate. He had felt hollow inside when he finished filming. There was going to be a viewing party at Two Wolves, which Ben had insisted on hosting even though Frank wanted to watch the show alone with a bottle of whiskey.

He didn’t want to be around anyone now that Amy was gone. Thanksgiving had been a real chore. He’d kept on a happy face only for his mom. They had spent the day with her old biddy friends who had no family. Usually they had a great time, but Frank’s heart wasn’t in it this year. He had barely been able to keep his commitment for pie orders. He’d burned almost twenty, he was such a mess.

This trip was his chance to give himself a break from being sad. Once Owen had confirmed that Erin, his LK bride, was pregnant, Frank had known he was done for.

“Big man, what’s going on?” Dominic Cates asked. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were nursing a broken heart.”

The look on his face must have given it away. Damn. He hadn’t wanted to ruin their week too. “I’m fine, guys, really.”

“Look, I’ve got nothing against talking about babies all day.” Dom gave Owen a nod. “But I don’t want you to suffer alone, brother.”

“You just want to talk about the last girl you slept with.” Ben shook his head. “You’re a dog, Dom. I don’t want to hear about you nailing a high schooler.”

“She’s not in high school anymore. She graduated last year. And I’m not dating her anymore.” Dom pointed at Frank. “This isn’t about me, though. Someone has broken our big bear’s heart. I can tell. I know about these things.”

It was a very astute observation from the brash tiger. Dom was a new addition to the group. He’d only lived in Sunset Falls for the last eight years and had come to the cabin for the last three, plus he was the lawyer for the entire group. He had taken over the practice when the last lawyer in town had retired. Dom had come from New York and had been a real ladies man when he first got to town. He had even dated Gwen for a short time. He hadn’t been Frank’s favorite guy at first, but the young man had grown on the bear. His loud and boisterous personality covered up a very good friend. Once you got to know Dom, he was the kind of guy who would do anything for a friend and always had your back.

“I’m not feeling quite myself,” Frank admitted. “I’m not up for talking about it just yet.”

“You know what you need?” Dom put down his beer and pulled off his shirt. “A run.”

“Alright. I was wondering when we were going to get outside.” Clint started disrobing too.

“It’s snowing,” Frank protested. “You guys don’t want to be out there in that.”