The sky is dark purple and I’m out of breath by the time I finally make it to the cave. And for a second, I think I was wrong, that she isn’t here, because there’s no sign of her.
“Finley,” I call out. “Sweetheart, where are you?”
Nothing.
“Please, Finley, we’re all so scared—”
There’s a rustling, then a small whimper from deep inside the cave. “You said you’re leaving.”
Thank God.
She’s here, I push to Weston. I found her. At the cave.
I swear I feel his relief before he pushes back, I’ll be there soon.
“Finley,” I say, moving farther into the cave, remembering what happened the last time I was here, and faltering. “I told your dad that I was offered a job. I didn’t say I was taking it.”
More rustling, and then I see a small form ahead of me.
“You can’t leave. You’re daddy’s mate. Don’t you love him?”
I hear her real question...don’t you love me?
“Oh, sweetheart.” I reach my hand to her and she takes it. “I do. I love you both.”
It’s the first time I’ve really admitted it. To myself and out loud. But I know there’s nothing that’s ever been truer.
“I love you both so much,” I tell her, meaning every word.
Her arms wrap around my waist and she buries her face in my stomach. “Then don’t leave. Please, Kate. Stay and be my mommy.”
My throat constricts, and I crouch down, meeting her gaze, and even in the dim light, I can see the spark of hope in her eyes.
“I want that, Finley—”
“Except you’ll never be her mother,” a deep growl-like voice says from the cave entrance. “You’ll never be able to replace Heidi.”
I suck in a breath. “Wh-who are you?”
“Finley, come here,” he says.
“No.” Her arms tighten around me.
“I said come here.” His voice is low, menacing, and there’s a threat in it. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt. But it’s time for you to come home to your real family.”
“Kate,” Fin whimpers.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I won’t let him take you.”
Weston, help, I push. There’s a man here. He wants Finley.
Fuck. It’s one word, but I hear the fear in it.
The man takes a step toward us, and both Finley and I move farther into the cave.
I pull out the gun from my waistband and point it at the man. My hands shake and I’ve never shot a gun before - but there is no way I will risk Finley’s life right now. I can be brave and strong for her, for us. She is my family now and I will protect her.
“Don’t come any closer or I’ll shoot,” I tell him, my voice steady though my heart trembles.
The man grunts, and in the shadows, I see him reach behind him. My instincts kick in, and I don’t think, just fire. Inside the cave, the gun sounds like a cannon going off. Finley shrieks beside me, but I know this moment of fear is better than a lifetime with the grizzlies.
The man collapses, and even though I can’t see well, I know the bullet hit his leg.
“Bitch,” he growls out.
“Reach for your gun again and I’ll aim higher next time.”
“I don’t have a fucking gun.”
I don’t believe him, especially when I see the man shift before me. The already massive man doubles his size, and a loud growl fills the cave.
But he doesn’t have time to charge before another bear barrels into the cave, slamming the grizzly into the wall.
“Daddy,” Finley cries out and I pull her close to me, vowing to stay by her side for the rest of my life. Almost losing her shows me just how deeply I care for her. I may not have given birth to her, but I love her like my own.
Weston fights the bear for what seems like an eternity. Claws. Teeth. Growls. Snarls. They fight each other until the Kodiak has the grizzly pinned.
Two other bears pace outside the cave, as the ones inside shift back into human form.
“Stay the hell down,” Weston growls, then says, “Finley, clothes now.”
The girl moves away from me, deeper in the cave, and then returns a few minutes later with a few pairs of jeans.
Weston takes them and shoves his legs in one pair before looking at me and taking the gun from my still shaking hands. “You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Daddy, I’m—”
“We’ll talk later.”
She chews on her bottom lips and nods. She must realize how her choice to run away may have cost her life.
Weston ushers us out of the cave where the other two Kodiaks are still pacing. He drops the other pants in front of them before saying, “I’m taking Finley and Kate home. I’ll let you deal with that slime in there.”
“Weston—” I start.
His gaze is hard, angry, and it stops my words. “We’ll talk later too. But right now, we need to get you both home.”
I want to go home with you, I push, hoping he knows I’ve made my decision. That I choose him. You’re right, we need to talk.
Chapter 19
Weston
We need to talk.
I know exactly what we need to talk about - her leaving. Because after tonight, I’m even more convinced that she needs to leave Bear Valley. All that’s here for her is danger. The fucking grizzlies won’t stop coming after my daughter, and how am I supposed to protect them both when neither of them will heed my damn orders?
But I have to deal with Finley first.
“Do you have any idea what could have happened tonight?” I ask when we’re finally home. Holding my daughter’s stubborn gaze, I need her to understand how reckless she was. “That....man,” I say through gritted teeth. “He wanted to take you away. He would have hurt Kate to get to you. Do you understand that?”
Tears form in her eyes and she nods. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it Fin. You’ve got to be more responsible than that. You put not only your own life at risk but also Kate’s.”
“I know.” She hugs her arms around her small body and hiccups. “I was just so mad—”
“You can’t run away every time you’re mad or upset.”
“But I’m not mad anymore.” She blinks up at me, a smile pulling at her lips. “Because Kate said she’d stay. She said that she is going to be my mommy.”
I frown over at Kate who’s standing in the doorway. She gives a small smile, but it falters with my hard stare.
I turn back to Finley. “We can’t make Kate stay here with us. It’s too dangerous. And she has a job—”
“But she wants to stay. Don’t you, Kate?” Finley looks at her with pleading eyes. “And I promise if you stay I’ll never run away again.”
God, the kid is good. But I won’t have my daughter manipulating my mate into not leaving, no matter how much I want it.
“Finley, this isn’t about Kate staying or not. It’s about you disobeying me.”
She frowns but eventually nods. “Okay, Daddy. I’ll listen.” Then says to Kate, “But you’re still staying, right?”
“Yeah, sweetheart, I am.”
Don’t make promises you can’t keep, I push into my mate’s head.
I’m not, she pushes back. I like it here.
I glance over at her and the smile has returned. God the woman does something to me - makes me want so damn much.
My blood thumps in my ears, and I want to believe that she’s making the decision for me, because it’s what she wants. But after the night I’ve had I’m not naive enough to believe anything is as simple as that.
Finley insists on three books at bedtime, and I give in, not wanting to deny my little girl anything after the day we’ve had. There were a few hours when I’d thought...shit, I’d feared I’d never see her again. The scent of the grizzly was all over those woods. And even though I know my brothers will deal with him, that the council will put more restrictions on the cla
n, I don’t believe they’ll ever stop coming after Finley.
Kate sits cross-legged on the floor, listening along with Fin as I read the picture books. My chest aches at the simple, tender moment. The three of us together. It feels like a family. But I’m scared to give in to that feeling of hope because Kate and I still need to talk - without Finley around.
And until we do, I can’t let my mind go where my heart already is.
After we get Finley to sleep, I make some calls, letting everyone know she’s home safe, sleeping in bed. When I call my mom, my voice cracks. “I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to her,” I say.
“But nothing did happen to her, Wes. Your little girl is home. What you need to worry about right now is Kate. She shot a man today, Wes. You need to make sure your mate is okay.”
Knowing my mother is right, I man up and head to the kitchen. Kate is waiting for me, sipping on a glass of wine. She pulls a beer out of the fridge and hands it to me.
“Figured we both could use a drink after today.”
“Thanks.” I take a deep swig, then sigh and pull out a chair at the kitchen table. “Today was pretty intense. You shot a man, Kate … are you okay?”
She sets down her wine glass, a line of worry in her eyes. “Loading the gun was scarier than pulling the trigger. In that moment, in the cave, when I felt Finley’s life was truly on the line, I knew I was doing the right thing. It was weird though...”
“What?”
“It was like I could feel her. Not as intense as when you speak to me. Less and different, but I knew. Maybe I was just imagining it, but it felt real.”
The connection she’s talking about is rare, and usually only between a child and its mother, but with Kate, nothing would surprise me.
“You and Fin have a special connection.”
She smiles. “We do.”
“You’re so brave, sweetheart. I know I said it was foolish to go to the woods alone, but your instincts were right. And they’re the reason Finley is sleeping in her bedroom right now, safe and secure. I owe you everything.”
She shakes her head. “No. It doesn’t work like that. You don’t owe me anything, Wes.”
Sitting across from my mate, I look into her eyes, needing to know the absolute truth. “I know what you told Finley about staying, but—”
“Are you going to try and convince me to leave?”
“If that’s what’s best for you, then yes. You could have died tonight.”
“But I didn’t.” She holds my gaze, and I swear I see my future there. “You’re right about one thing. I am braver and stronger than I knew. And because of that strength, I know that what’s best for me is right here. In this house.”
I swallow over the lump that’s formed in my throat. “And what about your career? Your TV show?”
She shrugs. “Some dreams are worth giving up.”
“I don’t want you to have to give up anything. Not for me—”
“Yes, for you. Because I love you.”
“What did you say?”
She puts her glass of wine down and moves toward me. She sits down in my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. This closeness is what I crave, her and me together.
“I love you, Weston,” she says again. “And I love that stubborn, feisty little girl in there. And if you’ll have me, I want—”
I crash my mouth down on hers, not letting her finish, because I’m too overwhelmed to hear any more.
Chapter 20
Kate
I never thought true love would feel like this, like a weight being lifted, but it is. As Weston picks me up and carries me outside, I feel light as a feather.
“Where are we going?”
“I need to make love to my mate in the wild,” he growls, reaching for a quilt that’s sitting on a chair on the back porch.
My heart pounds with longing as he takes control. This is what I want in a mate, a husband - a man who knows exactly how to make me feel like his.
Cared for.
Protected.
Cherished.
The light of the stars overhead shines down on us as he laces his fingers with mine. We know Finley is sleeping soundly, her white noise machine lulling her to sweet dreams, and it gives us the freedom to walk to the large cedar tree in the yard.
Thick heavy branches filter moonlight as Weston spreads the quilt on the ground. He guides me down and I lay beside him, breathing in the darkness and the earthy smells of the forest floor. It’s untamed land, and I feel Weston relax as we lie here, together.
He cradles me against his chest and I want to be naked in his arms, taken and consumed by this man who is also a bear. His connection to nature is so deep and raw that I can hardly understand it. But it is magnificent to see.
“When you fought the grizzly today,” I whisper. “It made me feel…” I stop, the words feeling forbidden and vulnerable.
“It made you feel what?” He rolls to his elbow, using a finger to trace figure eights over my skin. When he touches me, it sends waves of want across my body.
“It made me feel excited. Hot … you were so … wild and untamed … it was erotic, Weston.”
“You liked watching me protect my family?”
I swallow. His family.
“Is that what I am?” I ask. “Your family?”
He nods and blinks back tears that match my own.
“If you’ll have me, yes. I will always be your family. Your lover, your mate. Your husband.” He cups my face with his rough and calloused hand. “I love you Kate, and I want to share my life with you. Marry me.”
Tears roll down my cheek and I say the one word that will change everything. “Yes.”
He kisses me then. A kiss with promise and a kiss with desire.
Our lips part and his tongue presses against mine, I urge him closer, needing his body to cover my own. Not only protecting me from the world but also sheltering me.
This is not a summer fling. A one night anything. This, what I have with Weston, is as real as this mountain valley. Will stand the test of time. This, what we share, is love. Real, true love. Love that lasts longer than a lifetime.
It is the kind of love that spans generations and can change the course of history. We slip off our clothes, not speaking - the words - the ones that matter - are the ones that have already been said.
And the rest can be spoken through our minds.
I love you so much, Weston.
And I love you.
I take hold of his thickness, wanting him inside me, filling me up. Our commitment to marriage frees up anything I may have possibly been holding back. His body is so strong, so chiseled, and when his hands run over my bare skin I pull in a sharp breath, the sensation of being with him, as his fiancée, overwhelming me.
My pussy pulses with need at the idea of being his wife. The mother of his children. His everything.
He must feel my mounting need, because he moves his fingers against me. Touching me so intimately and with a knowing flick of his finger. My clit hums to life as he massages the tiny nub. I bite my bottom lip, my knees dropping as I open myself up to him. My pussy weeps with relief as he gets me off so well, my back arching as he moves against my G-spot. I cover my face with my hands, so close to being utterly undone.
Your pussy looks so good when I spread your lips.
His naughty words send a ribbon of lust over me, unfurling against his fluttering fingers. I come against him, so hard that I let out a moan as the release covers me.
I want you to be my baby-daddy.
My thoughts cause a grin to spread across his handsome face and I reach up, pulling that beard to my mouth. I kiss him, hard, taking hold of his cock and easing it to my ready pussy.
His eyes seer into mine. God, I want to put a baby in you.
I bite my bottom lip as his cock deepens inside of me. It feels so good, so right, that I wrap my legs around him, wanting his seed inside of me so badly.
We make love
under the moon and our foreheads press together as we rock in unison, the kind of lovemaking that can only happen when you’ve fully given yourself to another human.
When you've given yourself to your mate.
We move in harmony, and his cock is buried so deep inside me that I whimper, feeling the depth of his hardness at my very core.
When we come, the intensity overwhelms me, and tears rush to my eyes - I swear I’ve been crying all night. But our release is so overpowering that I tighten my hold against him, needing to be so close that I can hardly breathe.
I cling to him, and that is when I realize, he is also clinging to me. This love, it’s equal and it’s shared, and it is more than I ever imagined.
I love you, Kate.
Our pasts don’t define us - the women he dated and the man he used to be. Just like my fear of stepping out in faith, taking risks, and saying what I truly want - those things shaped us into the people we are today.
Dreams change when we grow as people. And that isn’t a bad thing. It’s a beautiful thing.
“I hope you got me pregnant,” I say, kissing the lips of the man I love.
“I don’t need an excuse to keep trying.”
We’ve both lost people that we cared about. But it has taught us something we will never forget. Life is precious and there are no guarantees.
When you find true love, you hold on tight.
You don’t let go.
Instead, you go all in.
Chapter 21
Weston
“Daddy, look how pretty I look,” Finley says, spinning around, her white bridesmaid dress twirling with her. I never thought I’d get my daughter in a dress, but then there are a lot of things I never thought would happen that have only been made possible since Kate has come into my life.
Like falling in love.
Like finding a mate.
Like feeling complete, whole, and filled with hope for the future ahead of us.
All of Bear Valley seems to have shown up for the wedding, including a very pregnant Adelaide, who waddles toward us, a stern look on her face when she sees Finley.
Untamed Daddy (Mountain Men of Bear Valley Book 3) Page 9
