The Bear Buys a Bride

by Raines, Harmony

  “I’m not stupid. I know when I’m being offered a good deal.” She walked the perimeter of the room.

  “But you are scared of the consequences.” He looked at her levelly, trying to work out how he could make her understand there were no strings attached.

  She gave a lopsided smile. “I’m scared of everything right now.”

  He got up and calmly went to the sofa and sat down. “You don’t have to be scared of me. I want nothing but the best for you.”

  She walked around the sofa and sat in the single recliner chair. “That’s what scares me. You are willing to give up who you are and change just because something tells you I’m the woman for you. Do you see how much pressure that puts on me, on our relationship? It’s crazy.”

  “Then let’s do crazy.” To Matthew it was simple. As simple as breathing. She was as much a necessity as the air in his lungs and the blood in his veins.

  “I think I already am.” Sian leaned forward, her hands clasped around her coffee cup. “Yes.”

  “You’ll move in here?” Matthew had prepared this whole speech in anticipation of her saying no. He was not complaining it had all been for nothing.

  “Yes. If you are one hundred percent sure. Our house is freezing, and I’m worried about the girls.” She drank her coffee and looked sideways at the fire. “I can’t afford for anything to happen to them.”

  “Because Peter is in town?” Matthew steered Sian toward the topic that had given him the most concern.

  “I have no idea why he’s here. Or if he’s still here.” She ran a hand through her hair and stood up, as if she were unable to settle with this hanging over her. “Part of me thinks I imagined him there. Like it was someone else who made that bid. But it wasn’t, it was him.”

  “Do you want me to go look for him? I could track him down. Believe me, everyone leaves tracks.” He leaned back on the sofa, his arm draped across the back and he wished she’d come and sit down next to him, so he could wrap his arms around her and make her see it would be all right.

  “No. I don’t want you involved.”

  “But I am involved.”

  “Do you want me to change my mind about the house swap?” she asked assertively.

  “No.” He knew when to quit pushing. “So when do you want to move in?”

  “Tomorrow?” she asked hopefully. “I think we can stick it out one more night in our house.”

  “Tomorrow would be good, there’s a weather system coming in the day after. It might bring a lot of snow with it.” The idea of being snowed in with Sian appealed to him. But he’d promised there were no strings attached to this house swap and so he would forge a way back to town through the snow on four paws if he had to. Unless she insisted he stayed.

  “I hope not. Ronni won’t get her house before Christmas if Will has to call off his workers.” Sian wandered toward the window and cast a disapproving look at the heavy clouds gathered over the mountain peaks. “So if fate has a hand in all this, it should blow the snow clouds elsewhere.”

  “I’m sure fate is listening,” he assured her with a smile. “If there was something I could do for them, I would. I’m a big advocate of true love and weddings.”

  She laughed at his serious expression. “A new convert?”

  “Absolutely.” Matthew nodded sagely, captivated by the sound of her laugh.

  “I like this new you.” Sian glanced at her watch. “I should be getting back.”

  “And you’re not going to change your mind about the house swap?”

  “Nope. Although if the temperature drops much more we’ll be frozen in our beds.” She made a face and kept her body rigid while her teeth chattered.

  “I’ll come thaw you out.” It was meant to be a joke, but it came out all serious.

  “You already have.” Sian ducked her head, hiding her eyes from him before she continued, “I’m certain we can get everything packed and ready to move by tomorrow evening. As soon as the girls get home from school, we can come over.” Sian finished her coffee and edged toward the door. “I should get back.”

  “Thanks for stopping by.” He sure knew how to make her feel special and not like a neighbor passing by.

  Missing you already, his bear said in a singsong voice as Matthew walked after her toward the door. He wanted to slap his hand on the door and stop her from opening it.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sian took a step toward him and he encircled her waist with his arm.

  “It’s going to be a long, long wait.” He sighed and held her close, the heat from her body causing a fever across his skin.

  “I’m certain you’ll survive.” She stood on tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. Matthew slid his tongue along her lower lip and she opened her mouth, allowing him access and their tongues entwined, just as their lives were now entwined.

  Sian didn’t know it yet, but once she’d moved into his house, he did not intend for her to ever leave. Neither did he intend to live in her house for too long. But he had to allow her to make the decision to end their separation. It had to be Sian’s choice and once she saw how perfect they were for each other and that he intended to be a good father to her daughters, surely she would make the right decision.

  With the taste of her still on his lips, he watched her go, her thin coat flapping in the breeze. She must be cold, and he wondered why she didn’t wear a thicker coat. He added it to the list he had made in his head of things he needed to buy from town. Then he finished up chopping wood to keep Sian and her daughters warm for days and put his axe away before he got in his car and headed to town.

  His first call was to check whether Gus had managed to get everything Matthew had ordered and tell him the extra stuff he needed. Then he headed across the street to the outdoor clothing store. After guessing Sian’s size, he picked out a warm coat along with a pair of gloves and a scarf. After paying for them, he went to the local bakery, picked up a sandwich and sweet pastry, and headed back to the house.

  After eating his sandwich, he picked up his tools and began fixing the loose shingle, so it would no longer leak in the roof. He didn’t want to replace the timbers and have the same thing happen again. If this was going to be their family home, he wanted it to be warm, comfortable and dry. Just like a den in winter.

  Matthew glanced up toward the mountain. The snow seemed to be passing right by. For now at least. But the clear skies would bring freezing temperatures. Maybe he should shoot over to the animal shelter now and give Sian the coat he’d just bought.

  Dropping his tools, he ran to his car, grabbed the warm weather gear and jogged down the trail toward the center. He could scent Sian on the air, the smell of her hung on blades of grass and brambles that she’d brushed against. He would know her scent anywhere.

  He reached the perimeter of the buildings, which were also in need of a coat of paint and some superficial repairs. Maybe he could come over and help when he had finished the house. His bear chuckled in his head. So now you want to be a volunteer. Oh, how true love can change a person.

  Don’t knock it, Matthew replied. I haven’t felt this good in years.

  “Matthew. Come to spy on us?” Lucas’s voice carried an edge of warning.

  “If I had, I would have kept myself hidden, not walked straight in here.” Matthew smiled. “Look, I know we got off to a bad start, but I’m trying.”

  “Trying to what? That’s what bothers me,” Lucas replied, but then he softened his voice and his body language. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

  “Neither do I.” He gestured to the coat in his hands. “I bought this for Sian. That coat she wears is far too thin for a non-shifter.”

  Lucas considered this. “You’re right. She must be freezing, particularly since they have no heating.”

  “She and the girls are going to move into my house.” Matthew closed the space between them, although a distance still remained. “I will be moving into her house.”

  “Ah. That’s good of you. Ro
nni was calling around last night trying to find some floor heaters we could borrow for them. But with this cold weather, there are none to spare.” Lucas turned toward the reception office. “You know Sian is a proud woman. I’m not sure she’ll accept the coat.”

  Matthew already had the same thought. “Do you have any suggestions?”

  “You could tell her not to be so stubborn and accept the gift.” Lucas shrugged. “Hey, it might work.”

  “Or she might never speak to me again.” Matthew’s hands tightened around the coat. All he wanted to do was make sure she was warm.

  “Hello, boys.” Sian came out of one of the barns and pulled the door closed behind her. “What are you two conspiring about?”

  “I bought you a warm coat.” Direct and honest, wasn’t that what she wanted?

  Her eyes dropped to the warm waterproof coat in his hands. “You did.”

  “You looked cold. And the weather is only going to get worse.” Matthew stepped closer to her and held it up for her to put on.

  Sian’s gaze met with Lucas’s and something passed between them. With a sigh, Sian took her old coat off and slipped her arms into the new coat. “Thank you.” She closed her eyes, a look of ecstasy passing over her face. “This is so warm.”

  “It looks good on you,” Ronni said as she came out to meet them.

  “Thanks.” Sian looked down at it and then she glanced up at Matthew, her hands fluttering to the zipper as if she were about to take the coat off. But then she let her hands drop to her side.

  “Okay, Will is on his way. We need to start on the building before the weather turns.” Ronni looked nervously toward the mountains. “I usually love the snow, but I so want the house built by Christmas.”

  “It’ll be okay.” Lucas slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “We’ll get it done. And if we don’t get it done by Christmas, that’ll be okay, too.”

  “I know. The most important thing is the animal shelter.” Despite her words, disappointment crossed her face. And Lucas pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

  “What’s wrong?” Sian asked, picking up on her friend’s mood.

  “We were hoping to get married before Christmas,” Lucas explained. “And I don’t see that changing.”

  “I just had this idea that we’d get married and move into our own house.” Ronni turned to Lucas. “That’s all I really want for Christmas.”

  Sian’s eyes filled with tears. “Then let’s make it happen.”

  To anyone else, Ronni’s attitude might sound demanding. But to a shifter, making a home with their mate was the most important thing in the world. It was the reason Matthew had happily given his house to Sian and her daughters. Of course, he would prefer it if he were living in the house with them, too, but one step at a time.

  “Where’s the house being built?” Matthew asked with genuine interest, and not because he was concerned if the position might be too close to his own house. My, he must be changing.

  “Over toward the back of the shelter. There’s an old stone barn we never got around to renovating because it was too expensive. Will came over and took a look before the auction and he had all the relevant permits in place.” Ronni’s face brightened. “It’s a beautiful spot.”

  “Can we see it?” Matthew asked, then paused. “You all already have. Can I see it?”

  “Sure.” Ronni led the way hand in hand with Lucas, while Matthew and Sian followed.

  “Do you think the weather will hold?” Sian asked Matthew.

  “I have no idea, I don’t know the area or the mountains.” They stopped in front of the old building, which was no more than four crumbling walls. “But I do know buildings.”

  “What does that mean?” Lucas asked.

  “How many men does Will have working for him?” Matthew asked, examining the walls. They would need stripping back to the bare stone and then building on top. The cold temperatures would make it difficult.

  “I don’t know. A lot,” Ronni replied.

  “He said he was pulling in as much manpower as he could,” Lucas added. “We’re very grateful to him.”

  “It’s doable. The temperature and the snow will delay the work. But there are ways to work around it. They can erect a large cover over the walls to keep them dry.” Matthew would love to hang around and get stuck into the work.

  “Have you rebuilt these kinds of buildings before?” Sian asked as she stepped inside the broken doorway.

  “A few times. They are my favorite kind of properties. I love taking something that’s broken and making it new. Even though the work is harder and the payout not as big.” He watched Sian as she looked at the crumbled walls.

  “I can see the appeal.” She shrugged. “That might be why we’re drawn to each other. I used to like taking old pieces of furniture and making them new again. I haven’t done anything like that since I married Peter.”

  “Would you find some pieces of furniture and renovate them for the house?” Ronni asked. “We don’t have anything to put in here and I don’t really want to buy new furniture. It would look out of place.”

  “Sure, I’d love to.” Sian went to stand next to Ronni. “We’ll make this a home for you and Lucas and it will be finished before Christmas.”

  “It doesn’t matter if it isn’t,” Ronni replied. “Honestly, I sounded like a demanding child.”

  “No, you sounded like a woman in love who wants to spend her first Christmas in her own home with her mate.” Her eyes flicked up and met Matthew’s with a startling purity. “I think I’m beginning to understand how the mind of a shifter works.”

  Matthew sighed in relief. Because the idea of having his mate under his own roof at Christmas was now a burning desire he could not easily quench. But he also understood that if he pushed too hard, too fast, he might ruin everything.

  Patience was what he needed. A thing he was not used to. But for Sian, he would draw on his inner resources and conquer his need to have Sian near, from now until the end of time.

  Chapter Eleven – Sian

  Ronni’s desperation to have a house for her and Lucas to move into left Sian with a unique insight into how a shifter’s mind worked. They couldn’t wait to be together, and not in the first blush of love kind of way, but in a deep, passionate, can’t live without the other kind of a way.

  And that was how Matthew felt, too. She could see it in the way he looked at her, and the way he said her name.

  As she drove home, a pang of sadness hit Sian. She would never feel that way. Never experience the intense need for another person.

  If only everyone was born with the same need to find their perfect mate along with the capability to know who they were when they found them. Wouldn’t life be so much simpler? There would be no mistakes. No breakdown in marriage. No divorce.

  And no accidents. No Ella and Rachel. For they would have never existed if she was a shifter with the same knowledge of her true mate.

  The thought of her daughters gave her comfort. She accepted her life and how it had turned out. Whether that meant she was ready to move on and allow herself to give Matthew a chance, she wasn’t sure. But she was sure of one thing. She loved her new coat. It was warm and a perfect fit.

  Was she so shallow that she could be won over by a coat?

  As she got out of the car she was nearly knocked sideways by an icy blast of wind. Yep, the coat had won her over, at least her bones weren’t freezing now. Wrapping it tighter around her body, Sian headed into the house, which was not much warmer than outdoors. Perhaps if she worked hard at packing what they needed to take to Matthew’s house she might warm up a little.

  First, she needed coffee. And to light the fire. Rubbing her hands together to warm them up, she put on a fresh pot of coffee and made a mental list of what she needed to pack as she struck a match to light the kindling in the grate. As soon as it sparked into life, she held out her hands to absorb as much of the warmth as possible.

  Half
an hour, and two cups of coffee later, she dragged herself away from the fire and went upstairs to pack, telling herself the sooner she got it done, the sooner she could get back to the living room.

  “What’s for dinner?” Ella asked as soon as she walked through the door after school. “I need to eat or I’ll freeze.”

  Sian placed a pile of bedding down on the sofa and indicated the suitcase she’d packed full of towels and toiletries. “I was going to stick a pizza in the oven since we need to pack.”

  “So, we are moving into Matthew’s house.” She slumped down on the sofa and kicked off her shoes. “I thought you’d say no.”

  “So did I. But I went over there today...”

  “You went over to Matthew’s house?” Ella sat up straighter. “What’s it like?”

  “It needs some work, but it’s warm and cozy.” Sian shivered. “The opposite of this house.”

  “Why is Matthew being so nice to us?” Ella asked as she watched her mom. “Are those the best towels?”

  Sian placed her hands on top of the pile of towels she’d placed in the suitcase. “I didn’t want to leave them in the cold house.” Her breath left a cloud of vapor on the air. “Can you add another log on the fire? We’ve arranged to go tomorrow, but now I’m wishing I’d said tonight.”

  Ella swung down onto the floor and picked up a dry log. With great care, she placed it on the fire and watched as the flames licked at the dry wood and heat flared across the room, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the chill in the rest of the house. This only served to confirm Sian’s decision to take Matthew’s offer.

  “You didn’t answer my question.” Ella swiveled around but stayed kneeling in front of the fire.

  “He’s a kind man,” Sian began. She could not exactly add, and he knows I’m his soul mate and will do anything for me. But just the thought of his depth of feeling for her warmed her on the inside. Shame it did nothing for her outside.

  “There are lots of kind people in the world, but they wouldn’t all hand over their house to a stranger and her daughters.” Ella was searching for answers and it was Sian’s duty to reassure her they weren’t making a mistake.