Dawn looked at the empty stone building on the outskirts of town and let her imagination run away with images of what it would look like as her bakery.
She could almost smell the scent of fresh baked cakes, pies and pastries and she shook with excitement. She had left her home back east and alone, without the protection of a man, she had come out west to this frontier town to make her own life.
She wasn’t sure what had caused her to choose this town. She had simply been drawn to it and had decided to go with her gut, follow her instincts. This town was now her home.
She had brought a lot of money with her, and stowed it away safely at the town bank. It should be more than enough to buy or rent this building and start up her bakery. That is if the owner would even consider doing business with a woman, which Dawn knew was a long shot. No matter. She was persistent and determined and eventually she would get what she wanted.
Her parents had died when she was very young and her brother had taken over guardianship of her. Dawn felt a moment of pain as she thought of her brother. She had loved him so but he had had demons eating at his soul. Gambling, drinking and picking fights had eventually led to his death as well.
Dawn was twenty-eight, considered an old-maid, and plenty old enough to look out for herself, though it had been discouraged back east for a woman to live alone. It simply did not look proper the ladies had said. She did not care. Dawn had always been a bit of a loner and so this move had suited her.
The life of a housewife was something she did not want and she wasn’t what most men wanted. Her reddish, gold hair, freckles, pale skin and plump figure had kept her rather free at all the town dances back east.
“Ma’am, is there something I can help you with?” An older gentleman in a worn suit asked as he walked up to her. Dawn smiled the most charming smile she could muster and held out her gloved hand, which he shook as he gave her an odd look.
“My name is Dawn Patten, sir and I was actually hoping to speak to the owner of this empty building.” The man thought for a moment.
“I guess that would be Grange Michaels. It used to belong to Old Man Howell but he passed away a few years ago and left it to Grange, I believe.” Dawn nodded, happy to finally have a name.
“And where can I find Mr. Michaels?” The gentleman laughed good naturedly.
“He should be to town sometime today. He cuts timber and hauls it to the mill behind the lumber yard. He won’t know what to think if you call him Mr. Michaels. He’s just Grange to most folks around here.”
“Thank you so much.” Dawn said appreciatively and the man nodded.
“Don’t mention it. Grange can be a bit odd around folks he don’t know so when you talk to him tell him that Henry sent ya.”
“I’ll do that Henry.” Dawn assured him. She was about to turn to head to the diner for breakfast when Henry spoke up again.
“Can I ask what interest a woman would have in a building like this one?”
“I plan on starting a bakery if Mr. Michaels will allow me to lease his building.”
“A bakery? Where is your husband?” Dawn forced a tight smile and folded her hands in front of her as she gripped her tiny clutch.
“I do not have a husband.” she replied. “Nor do I have a father or brother accompanying me. As a matter of fact I have no guardian or chaperone at all.” Henry’s light eyes widened as he rubbed his wrinkled cheek.
“I can tell you’re from back east by the way you talk. You mean to tell me you came all the way out here by yourself and now you’re gonna start a business?”
“Yes I am.” Dawn replied proudly. She saw that he was about to offer his two cents and so she quickly offered a smile and tipped her head.
“I thank you for your help, Henry. I must be going now.” she turned and walked away, feeling more than a little defensive. Why must she be doubted simply because she was a woman?!
She let out a sigh and then pushed the thought away, deciding that it wasn’t something that was going to change and worrying and stressing over it wouldn’t help the situation.
She walked into the crowded diner and looked around for an empty seat. While this was a frontier town, it was a fairly well off town with the lumber, mines, farming and plentiful water. There were hundreds of residents that called the town and the surrounding land home and it was Dawn’s hope that a lot of them would appreciate good baked goods when they tasted them.
She took her seat, ordered soup and bread, and after eating she walked back out in the springtime sun and headed for the lumberyard. She hoped that Grange Michaels would be there as she was eager to get started readying the building for her bakery.
She thought about what Henry had said about Grange being odd around those he didn’t know. The same had been said in the past about Dawn herself so she hoped that he was just a bit of a loner just the way she was. She truly hoped she wouldn’t be forced to try to work with and do business with a crazy man.
***
Grange was restless. The wolf in him was still agitated by the innocent blood he could smell in the air. He hoped they would find the girl’s body soon, though he wasn’t going to be the one to show it to them. There were enough whispers in this town about the quiet man who kept to himself and didn’t seem to age.
He swung the heavy ax through the air and split the large log in two before putting one half on the stone and splitting it as well. Cutting firewood was a common thing for him. He cut it for everyone in town who needed him to. It helped burn off the energy and restlessness that came with being a werewolf.
“Oh you mean Grange?” Grange’s attention went to the mill owner as he heard him speaking his name, though he continued to chop wood. “He’s back behind the mill, cutting wood. A lady such as yourself really shouldn’t be back here….”
“I’ll be just fine, I assure you. Thank you for your concern.” Grange heard a feminine, eastern accented voice reply. What in the world would some woman from the east want with him? He heard her footsteps coming, they were confident and steady. He sat the axe aside and then rose to his full height of just over six feet and turned to look at her.
***
Dawn had been building herself up for this moment. The moment she would come face to face with Grange Michaels. The man who held her dream and her future in his hands. She had been confident, sure of herself and not in the least nervous…. She had been that is until he turned around and she laid her eyes on him.
He was tall, clearly over six feet. He was lean and hard bodied. His black tunic styled shirt was sweaty and clung to his broad chest. His brown buckskin pants hugged his thick thighs and long legs. His well muscled forearms were bare and gleaming with sweat and he had big hands. Dawn had always been a sucker for big hands…. But it wasn’t those things that had her suddenly swallowing her tongue and forgetting how to speak. It was that face… Those eyes.
There was nothing exceptional about their color, though they were the deepest, truest blue she had ever seen. It was the way they seemed to pierce into her. There was an almost predatory light in them that made her feel small and in danger.
His face was rugged and dark. He was tanned from the sun, his cheekbones were solid and his jaw strong. His face was covered in a thick dusting of black stubble and the same color hair was in a messy, careless pile on his head.
He ran his hand through that hair and caused a bit of it to fall carelessly over his brow, which was lined and creased as he stared intently at her. She was sure she saw the nostrils in his narrow nose flare and his fists clenched, causing the muscles in his forearms to jump as he crossed them over his chest.
“A…Are you… Mr. Michaels?” Dawn managed to stutter, quite unprofessionally. She was angry at herself and so she squared her shoulders, smoothed out her brown skirt and swallowed hard. She looked at his chest, focusing on the worn black fabric of his shirt instead of on that face and those eyes. Why was he looking at her like that? So intense. So serious. Almost like she was his prey and he the big bad wolf.
“My name is Grange.” he replied tightly. His voice was deep and had an almost raspy, gravely quality to it. Dawn wondered what in the world was wrong with her as she felt herself trembling when the sound of it washed over her.
“Grange, I’m Dawn Patten. I am new in town.” she replied as she stuck her hand out. She must remember her manners and ignore the way her knees were shaking and her stomach was tied in knots. She had to make this man like her if she was going to get the building she needed for her bakery.
“I figured.” he replied, ignoring her hand as he turned away from her and picked up his axe. “What do you want with me?” Dawn stammered for a moment before snapping her jaw shut. He was being incredibly rude and yet she still felt her mouth go dry at the way that shirt outlined his muscles and the way those muscles worked as he swung that axe and split the log in half with ease.
“I have a business proposition for you, Mr. Michaels.” the man snorted and tossed the pieces of the log onto a pile of wood he had already chopped.
“And what exactly would a woman have to do with business propositions? Unless of course you’re offering me a roll in the barn loft. I might be tempted to take you up on that. Other than that, I don’t do business with anybody.”
Dawn didn’t know what to say. She had never, in twenty-eight years of life been spoken to that way! It made her angry. Very angry. Who did this Grange Michaels think that he was?
She stormed forward, her temper overriding her good sense and grabbed the axe he was lifting into the air, she jerked it from his grasp and he turned to look down at her. He wasn’t angry or shocked, instead he looked intrigued.
“Okay, Dawn, you have my attention and my axe. I will be taking both away in exactly one minute so get to talking.” Dawn could tell he meant it. She rested the axe head on the ground, shocked by just how heavy it was, and then leaned against the handle.
“Mr. Michaels, I have just moved here from my home back east. I have a large amount of money that I inherited from my parents and my brothers estates when they passed away and also some I earned as a baker. I would like to inquire as to whether or not you would be interested in allowing me to lease or buy the stone building you own at the edge of town.”
“And why would you want that big old building?” Grange asked with a slight raise of his brow. Dawn was all business now.
“I would like to start up a bakery here. I am aware the building will need some work to be a suitable place to do that but I am willing to put in the sweat and hire help myself as well to make it happen.”
“A bakery huh?” Grange asked as he studied her. “You a good baker, cuz I got one hell of a sweet tooth.” He gave her a grin that was so sudden and so breathtakingly lopsided and handsome that it had her stuttering and nearly gasping for air.
“Y..yes. Yes, I’m a good baker.” she finally managed to reply as she swept some loose hair from her face. “Would you be willing to talk about terms with me…..?” Dawn’s voice trailed off as cries broke out from the main street. A loud wail filled the air and before Dawn had time to wonder what was happening, Grange had swept past her and was heading around the mill.
Dawn all but ran to keep up. She still needed to know his answer and she was just as curious as he appeared to be about what was going on. Lord, he had long legs… It was all she could to do keep up with his strides, but at least the view was good from back here.
When they reached the main street, Dawn wished she had stayed where she’d been. There was a woman on her knees in the street, clinging to the dead body of a young girl. The girl was covered in blood, her dress was torn and her skin was pale and ashen.
Dawn gasped, felt her stomach roll and gagged as she covered her mouth with her hand. That poor girl couldn’t have been more than ten or twelve.
She was suddenly aware of a strange sound beside her and she glanced over to see Grange standing there with his arms stuck down by his sides and his fists clenched tightly. He seemed to be practically vibrating with rage, his face seemed to have been carved from rock and the strange sound was him growling. It wasn’t just the angry growl that most people let out from time to time.
This growl was animalistic and deep and it sent shivers down her spine.
“What the hell happened?” Dawn recognized Henry as he walked through the crowd and to the woman on the ground. She also saw another man with a star on his chest. The town sheriff, though she didn’t know his name.
“I found her.” A man that was pale and shaking said as he pointed down at the girl with one hand and covered his mouth with the other. “I found her like that. What kind of monster would do such a thing?!”
“Did you see anything else?” the sheriff asked as the mothers sobs and wails filled the midmorning air, though Dawn could still hear those growls coming from Grange. He was certainly weird alright.
“There was tracks all around her.” the man replied with a neck cracking nod.
“Tracks? Boot tracks?” the sheriff asked.
“No… No these was wolf tracks only bigger than any wolf I’d ever seen! They led off into the woods.” The sheriff nodded and then waved his hand, his deputy quickly came to him.
“Get the mother and the girl to the undertakers. Take care of the mother. Anything she needs, she gets.” he said. The deputy nodded and took the mangled body of the girl into his arms before leading her sobbing mother toward the undertakers.
“Let’s get together some men and follow those tracks.” the sheriff said to the man who had found the girl.
“Exactly what are you hoping to find? If it was wolves…” a woman began but the man who had found the girl cut her off, his eyes wide and shining.
“This weren’t no ordinary wolf. These tracks were big. Monstrous.”
“Monsters?!” Another man exclaimed.
“Our children aren’t safe!” A voice cried out.
“We have to find and kill this creature!” yet another added.
Dawn didn’t know what to think. Mangled children. Monster wolves. The townsfolk gathering up their revolvers, pistols, rifles and knives. Perhaps she shouldn’t have come to this town.
She saw Grange walking away toward where the sheriff was addressing the few men that made up the ‘monster hunting’ party.
“Wait!” she called out. He turned and looked at her. That rage that had been on his face, seemed to have faded some and he was no longer growling.
“What is it, Dawn?” he asked, sounding slightly irritated. It surprised her that he called her by her given name and Dawn cast a nervous glance at the group of men, who were building themselves up, yelling angrily and swinging their weapons.
“Do you really think there is a monster?” she asked, searching his eyes, knowing her question was ridiculous but finding that she had to ask it.
“Of course not, silly girl.” he replied, that lopsided grin once again forming on his face. “There’s no such thing as monsters.”
Dawn knew it was stupid, but she felt relief at his assurance. Then she called out again when he began to turn away. Again he turned to look at her, this time his annoyance was showing as he swirled his tongue around his canine tooth.
“What about the building? I know I shouldn’t be asking now of all times but this is my dream….”
“You can use it.” Grange replied quickly. He reached in the pocket of his buckskin pants and dug around, drawing Dawns eyes down to that area and causing her to blush. He pulled his hand out and held out a large iron key.
“This is the key to the building. Make a list of all you need bought and all you need done and I will make it happen.” he stated. Dawn was shocked. So quickly? So easily?
“What about money? What will I have to pay you monthly, or yearly, for the use of the building?”
“I have no use for money.” Grange replied with a shrug. “I simply want free baked goods. As often and as much as I’d like.”
Dawn blinked several times as she stared at him. Was he joking?! He didn’t seem to be.
“Of course!” she exclaimed happily. “Thank you so much, Mr. Michaels!” She was practically jumping up and down with excitement. Grange shook his head, somehow reminding her of a dog when something was confusing it and then he scratched at his cheek.
“Don’t be so happy. I eat a lot and, as I’ve said before, I have one hell of a sweet tooth. I gotta go now, Dawn.” With that he turned and walked away and Dawn nearly took off at a run down the road, eager to get a look inside what would soon be her bakery.