by J. K Harper
She laughed. Yes.
Okay. I'll come get you.
Before she could answer, she saw the dots bouncing that indicated he was typing something else. She waited.
Thank you for not being scared of me. Thank you for being okay with it. With me telling you that stuff.
The smile on her face was so huge she thought her cheeks might break. Bouncing dots again. Then another text flashed.
Fuck, that was probably a dumb thing to say. You can ignore this if you want to. I hope you don't. You're really pretty and you smell nice and you have a big heart and I like that. I'll see you in five minutes. I'll be the big guy.
Her breath caught. Oh, my god, he was amazing. She quickly texted back, I can't wait, I'll be ready.
She was glad Jessie was busy with customers, because she knew she was smiling so hard she probably looked crazy and Jessie would ask what was going on. She wasn't ready to talk about this yet when she wasn't quite sure herself what it was.
As she slid her laptop into its carrying case and shoved it into the little daypack she wore to walk between the house and the bakery, her phone chimed with an incoming email. Still smiling, she grabbed her phone to check it.
Instantly, her stomach lurched and the smile fell off her face. Her ex, Justin.
Hello, Haley. Have you missed me? I've been thinking about you. You have something I want. And I'm coming to get it.
Her entire body began to tremble. Hand shaking so badly it took her two tries, she wrote back, Leave me alone. Don't contact me again. Then she darkened the screen and shove the phone into her pocket. She stood up and pulled on her jacket, mind staggering. No. She wouldn't let him get to her. He was just being cruel and petty, trying to scare her. Justin was the past. He couldn't touch her anymore. He didn't know where she was anyway. He was fucking with her mind, which was what he liked to do. She knew better than to respond. If he tried again, she'd ignore it.
Swallowing hard, pushing her fleece hat hard down her head as she headed toward the door to wait for Cortez, Haley tried to focus on the now. On the heart of this sweet, welcoming little town, the amazing community, the most intriguing guy she'd ever met.
But inside, something dark, scared, and hopeless taunted her, trying to crawl up from the ugly shadows and swallow her whole.
7
Cortez looked over at Haley as he pulled his truck up in front of his partially built cabin and killed the engine, watching for her reaction. She didn't disappoint. A smile ripped across her face as she looked at the half built skeleton of what would eventually be his home. It was nice to see because she'd seemed oddly distracted when he picked her up from the bakery.
"Cortez! Oh, I can see what it will look like, it's going to be gorgeous. You're doing this yourself? By hand?" She looked at him like he walked on water. His chest swelled with pride.
"Yeah. Though to be fair a good friend of mine has helped me out a lot. I couldn't have done it without him. Oh, and Riley bangs a few nails now and then too. Sometimes Quentin and Slade help, when they're in the mood."
"Slade?"
"Another brother. He's out of town right now. There's a bunch of us."
Haley sighed with delight as she looked at his cabin. Yeah, she liked it. And he liked that. There wasn't much to it yet, but the parts that he had finished gave an idea of what it would look like eventually. It would be a sweet little pad in the woods, far away enough from both town and the Silvertip Lodge that he'd have his own space, yet close enough that he could easily head up there to do a tour. As the youngest sibling in a rowdy clan of bear shifters who were always up in each other's shit, Cortez hadn't been blessed with a lot of alone time in his life. He was pretty social, he did like being around others, but as he'd gotten older he started to realize how nice it was to have a private space he could just breathe in when necessary. Especially after the accident. The problem was, the cabin wasn't coming along as fast as it should. That was all his fault. He'd been slacking on everything, even to the point that Beckett was pissed at him for blowing off meets to work on it.
He didn't want to think about that right now. Instead, he wanted to focus on Haley. He really wanted to impress her.
Cortez reached over her to the glove compartment, feeling the heat from her body and that sweet smell of hers that turned him on so much as he leaned across her. At the slight hitch in her breath, he thought she might like this closeness as much as he did. Allowing a cocky grin to slip over his face, he opened the glove compartment, pulled out a sheaf of papers, and sat back in his seat. He crinkled the sheets open, Haley watching curiously. The open papers revealed the cabin plans. She let out a delighted breath.
"Oh, wow. It's going to be so cute."
Cortez turned his head and gave her a dubious glance. "Cute? Woman, you take that back. This is a man cabin. There's nothing cute about it."
She laughed, the sound of it spilling through the cab of the truck. It made him want to thread his fingers through her golden hair, touch the back of her neck, stroke her cheek and see if it was as soft as it really looked. He forced his eyes back down to the paper, then held it up in front of them so they could see the actual building over the top of it. "Okay. It's got stairs going up to the front door since it's built kind of into the hillside, which I did on purpose because I wanted to try to catch some of the view through those trees behind us."
Haley turned to look through the back window of the cab. "Whoa, that is pretty." It wasn't nearly as good as the views from the lodge, but it definitely wasn't half bad for this little parcel tucked back up in the woods like he wanted.
"You can see how the deck will wrap around the cabin." Haley turned her attention back to the page. "It'll have a loft upstairs, which is where I'll sleep. There'll also be a basement area where I'll store all my man toys."
Haley bubbled over again with a laugh. "Man toys? What are those?"
"My outdoor gear. Skis, snowshoes, backpacking and hiking stuff. Just my personal gear. Everything for the clients is kept up at the lodge. Come on," he said, opening his door and getting out of the truck. He was excited to see her reaction to it up close. "You can see what's built so far."
Haley got out of the truck and hurried ahead of him. It reminded him of how she raced ahead to see the view the other day at lunch. He liked showing her stuff. She seemed really interested, plus he just liked to share things with her. He wanted to share things that meant so much to him with this woman. Damn, she made his insides squeeze up and flip over all funny in a way that felt damn good.
Haley stopped and pointed to the left side of the structure. "What's that little thing? Some sort of shed? But it's all fancy, with a window and a real door."
Cortez came up beside her. "It's my temporary small man cave until the big man cave gets built. I built the shed about five years ago, way before I could start building the actual cabin. It's insulated, has a little wood stove, and a bed and stuff. Sometimes I stay in there when I want to get away from things. When I just need a break."
She nodded, a tendril of hair fluttering against her cheek. He couldn't help reaching out to gently brush it aside. Her face dimpled as a smile flashed over it so quick he almost missed it. She curved her head toward him, into his light touch. Pressed gently against his hand, like she liked feeling it there. "I understand that. Sometimes I needed a safe space to run to, too."
She cut herself off as if she'd said too much, nervously shifting on her feet, and leaned slightly away from him. He frowned but forced himself not to press. Yet. If she wanted him to know her history, she'd tell him.
"There's nothing special in there, just a cot with an air mattress on it. I'd show you the inside of the actual cabin but there's not much in there either." He laughed and Haley laughed with him, the mingled sound of it gently bouncing around the little glade. Since the cabin was just basically the basement floor and the bare bones of the sides, there wasn't even an inside to look at.
“I want to see it anyway,” she said. Her smile daz
zled brighter than the sun. Whoa, she was so pretty.
Cortez made a grand gesture toward the non-front door, starting to say, "After you, then—"
A horrifying scream burst out from the woods, not immediately nearby but not too far away, shattering the still air. An unearthly screeching, sounding like a possessed ghost being murdered. A mountain lion. It was followed almost immediately by another shriek, this one laced with warning snarls. Haley started so violently she almost tripped over her feet, her breath whooshing out of her in a gasp. She grabbed at Cortez's arm instinctively, her eyes wildly searching the forest surrounding them. Another call from the forest, loud and mocking, vicious in its intent.
A strange shifter screamed out there, threatening him. Threatening Haley. Cortez's response was instant and completely uncontrolled. His bear clawed to the surface. Cortez swung his head to look at Haley, desperation bubbling through his voice. "Haley.”
She swung her head to look at him, the whites of her eyes showing. His bear's protective rage shimmered through his voice. “I can't stop the change. Don't be scared. I won't ever hurt you. The door's unlocked," he managed to growl out, jerking his head at the door to the small shed/man cave just before his feral side took over.
His bear burst out of him, flinging him into his enormous grizzly shape. Instantly, Cortez charged toward the woods on his four powerful paws, seeking the danger that called. He roared back into the trees, defending his place. His home. Defending Haley. His huge, heavy legs thundered over the ground as he charged up the hill, blasting through huge drifts of snow as he bellowed his defiance and anger at some strange shifter getting much too close.
Skidding to a stop, his heavy body sliding through the snow, Cortez managed to halt halfway up the hill. His breathing harsh, he swung his head around, scenting as hard as he could. There. Just a whiff, but it definitely was a big cat shifter. Bastard. The roar had been far enough off that he knew whoever it was wasn't coming closer. He bellowed out his own last enraged roar, claiming this section of the woods, claiming this spot in Deep Hollow, home of the Silvertip bear clan, as his. This was his home. Threatening intruders weren't welcome. His roar dropped down into echoes, ringing through the tense silence until they faded.
There was no answer. Sniffing again long and hard, Cortez could no longer scent the other one. He must've left. Smart cat. Shaking himself to dislodge some snow that had scattered down from pine branches above as he thundered by the trees and shook them, Cortez turned and headed back to the cabin. He moved quickly, but not so fast that he would come bursting into the clearing and scare Haley anymore that she probably already was. But when he pulled up to the shell of his cabin, he stopped short and stared.
Haley stood right in front of his little man cave door, but it wasn't open. She hadn't gone in. She stood there, in the open, braving the terrifying noises as she waited for him. He could tell she was scared, sure, but she hadn't hidden. That crazy pride swelled in him again as he saw how brave she was. Very slowly, he moved toward her, huffing gently, trying to let her know that she was safe. That it was him.
"Cortez?" Her voice was faint, but steady. He bobbed his head once at her, keeping his distance. But then she moved, walking toward him. He stood perfectly still, keeping himself as quiet as he could as she approached.
She was about three feet away when her feet slowed, bringing her to a stop when she was maybe a foot away. Very carefully, her eyes locked on his, she reached her hand out. "Is it okay if I—touch you?" Her voice was softer, but still steady.
In answer, Cortez dipped his head down and tilted it toward her. Haley's hand, her soft, gentle hand, reach forward to touch the side of Cortez's face. Her fingers pushed into his thick brown hair, reaching up to very tentatively touch him on his forehead just above his eyes. "Oh," she said, her voice now a delighted whisper. "You're so soft. I didn't know your fur would be this soft. And even though you're so big"—again, he couldn't help the swell of pride that rushed through him—"I'm not afraid of you, Cortez. I can trust you. It's really you." She gently stoked the fur on his face. "I saw Jessie touch Shane, when he was in his bear form, and I wondered what it would be like. They seemed so happy and easy together. Now I know." The pure wonder and happiness in her voice soothed over him, rippling into his hide, his bones, his soul, with sweet satisfaction.
They stayed like that for a few moments longer, Haley's hand buried in Cortez's pelt as she stood beside him. Tiny little woman beside his enormous grizzly bear. Tiny, brave, powerful. Finally, he softly whoofed at her and moved away. Pacing around to the back of the shed where she couldn't see him, he shifted back into his human form. The change crackled over him fast and hard, making him stumble and grimace.
"Haley," he called out. His voice still sounded hoarse, low. "I keep a spare set of clothes in the shed. Uh, do you mind turning your back for a second while I come around the corner and go in there?"
Her laugh pealed out. "You're asking me that because you're, ah, naked, right?" Laughter and something he was pretty sure sounded like interest stirred beneath her words.
"As buck naked as the day I was born."
"Okay." She giggled again. "My back is turned."
Cortez checked around the corner of the building just to be sure. Hell if he didn't want this gorgeous woman to see him naked, but he didn't think either one of them was quite ready for that. It wasn't really the time or the place. She indeed stood with her back to him, her golden curls escaping beneath her hat and floating down the back of the heavy navy blue jacket she wore. God, she was so pretty just standing here, at his place, surrounded by the thick piles of snow and sheltering trees.
Quickly, Cortez ducked inside his shed, pulled on the spare set of clothes he kept in there, shoved his feet into a pair of boots sitting by the door, and came back out. "The coast is clear."
She turned instantly, the amazed smile still in her face. Her eyes widened when she saw him. "Your eyes. They're still—they're still different."
Cortez nodded, walking to her. "My bear is still riled, so you can see it in my eyes. He'll simmer down."
She swallowed and looked up at the wooded steep hillside rising up behind his cabin. "Was that another shifter? What happened? Whoever it was, it didn't sound very friendly."
Cortez's mouth set into a line as he too peered up the slope. "No, he wasn't. That was a mountain lion shifter. A strange one, not from around here. We have a lot of strange shifters in town all the time, just being tourists or visiting friends, but that was an angry, challenging call. The guests up the lodge have some pretty strict rules to abide by while they're here. Brawling and challenging are not allowed."
"Challenging," she echoed softly, her eyes still troubled as she looked into the snowy forest. "But why?"
Cortez shrugged. He'd have to tell the rest of the clan about this. Shifters just coming into town to check out the lodge or go on a tour or hell, just coming for a cup of coffee, was one thing. Shifters coming in and getting all territorial was another. "I don't know. Sometimes they're just out looking for trouble, especially if their animal is too aggressive and they don't have good control.” He could hear the unyielding tone in his own voice as he added, "But we'll definitely find out."
Silence pocketed them for a few minutes as they both looked into the woods. Haley shivered suddenly. Cortez automatically reached forward, put his arm around her shoulders, pulled her close to him. He was half shocked at the unplanned action, but Haley didn't stiffen or pull away. Instead, she leaned into him. "I do know there are bad shifters in the world," she said in a soft voice. "I've heard about them from my friend. But you."
She tilted her head up to look at him. She looked so damn cute, tucked under his arm like that. He just wanted to pull her close to him and hug her. Damn, he wanted to kiss her. Holding fast to some shred of willpower, he restrained himself and waited for her to go on.
"You, Cortez, are good.” Her voice was soft but firm as she spoke. “I tend to be very guided by my heart, I alway
s have been. It's part of being a creative person, I guess. I don't know. Listening to my heart tells me that you are good person. Bear. Man." She looked slightly more confused with each word she tried.
Cortez laughed. "Yeah, I'm all those things. Whatever you want." Reluctantly, he glanced at the time. Damn. "I kept you for about an hour now. You probably have to get back to work. Even though it's a Saturday. Right?" He tried desperately not to sound judgmental or needy as he said that.
Haley sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, pulling it gently between her teeth. He almost groaned at how sexy that little move was. Damn, he was about to get a boner out here in the middle of the forest, with pretty little Haley tucked up under his arm looking at him with the sweetest little mouth he'd ever seen.
Then she surprised the heck out of him. "Cortez, you're right. Life isn't only about working. I want to have some fun. Please show me how?"
8
The storm rolled dark and quiet over downtown Deep Hollow as Haley and Cortez strolled along Main Street.
Haley had gone into town quite a few times by now, since pretty much every day she went to the Mountain Muffin. She thought she was familiar with it. But right now, walking beside Cortez, feeling momentarily free of deadlines and obligations and stress over her future, it looked different. Cozy, charming, bright with possibility. Even though the dark skies and impending snow seemed to have cleared the sidewalks, welcoming lights beckoned from the cute businesses along the street. Everything here felt so content and safe.
It also felt safe because of Cortez. She glanced over at him as they walked. After she'd out of the blue told him that she wanted to go have fun, he'd said it was too late in the day go on an outdoor adventure, but there was some fun stuff to do in town that he could show her. They drove into town and parked both their cars at the Walker residence, then headed on foot into the downtown area from there. She'd startled herself, pushing aside work, asking specifically for him to take her to have fun, but it felt like the right thing to do.
