Gay Shifter RomanceDaddy Bear

by Sy Walker

  “Hi, I know you just met me, but I’m in a bit of a pickle and could use some help. I’m a journalist and I leave tomorrow for an assignment in India. It was very last minute and I can’t find anyone to care for my cat,” she began.

  “Well, of course that’s a problem, but my allergies. No way could I help you out,” Hannah told her.

  “Yes. Yes. I know, but she’s pretty self-sufficient. All I really need is for someone to feed her, change her litter and make sure she is okay. I thought that since Janet was so taken with her, perhaps she might be willing to just check on her before and after school? I’ll pay her for it and the cat would stay in my own apartment, so it wouldn’t affect your allergies.”

  “I don’t know…” Hannah began, but she was quickly cut off.

  “Yes!” Janet exclaimed, pushed between her mother and the door. “I’d love to take care of her.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, it needs to be okay with your mother too,” Tabitha said.

  “Mom, please?” Janet begged.

  “Sure. I guess it doesn’t hurt to have a little bit of a job here. How long will you be gone?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure. It depends on what I find. A week or two at most.”

  “I think we can manage that.”

  “Oh, you have no idea how much this means to me. Do you mind if Janet comes back over with me now so I can show her where everything is?”

  Janet was already on her way out the door before her mother could answer. Hannah shrugged and laughed, leaning out the door to speak to her daughter, who was already waiting outside Tabitha’s door for her.

  “Don’t be too long. Dinner will be done in a half hour.”

  “Okay, Mom,” Janet replied, following Tabitha back into the apartment.

  “Wow, that is beautiful,” Janet said as she caught sight of the white lace and tulle wedding dress hanging in the hall closet where Tabitha now kept the kitty litter. In some way, it seemed fitting.

  “Yes, it is,” Tabitha replied, trying to keep the emotion out of her voice.

  “Is it yours? Are you getting married?” she said excitedly.

  “I was. It didn’t work out,” Tabitha told her, hoping she would leave it at that. Of course, being a clueless teen, she didn’t.

  “Why not? Did something happen to him?”

  “Just his feet,” Tabitha replied, causing the girl to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “They got cold.”

  “Oh. Cold feet.” She laughed, then realized it wasn’t really something that was funny. “I’m sorry. Why did you keep the dress?”

  It was a good question, Tabitha thought. Part of the answer was that she had worn it and that it couldn’t be returned for even partial credit. She had gotten up and spent hours having her makeup and hair done, making sure everything was in place for the large wedding that was to take place that afternoon. Finally, she had gone to the church and changed into her wedding gown, waiting for the moment when she would say her vows and become Mrs. Stephen Conroy. She was nervous and excited, but so happy. After five years, she was finally marrying Mr. Right.

  Then Carla had come into the room. “Tabitha, something’s wrong.”

  “What?” Tabitha asked, watching as her best friend and maid of honor’s face fell a bit.

  “Stephen. He’s not here. We didn’t want to say anything until we were sure, but he’s not here.”

  Tabitha sat down hard in her chair, feeling suddenly too weak to stand. What could have happened to him. No way would he have skipped out on her on their wedding day. He must have been hurt or detained somehow. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Call the police. Something has happened to him.”

  Carla’s face fell a bit more as she walked over and knelt down in front of her, putting her face up to Tabitha’s, and reaching out to squeeze her hand. She spoke softly, but the words cut like a knife as they assaulted Tabitha’s ears.

  “No, Tabitha. His groomsmen aren’t here either. Neither are his parents. We called his brother and he told us that Stephen called them that morning and told them the wedding was off. He told them not to come.”

  “What?” Tabitha yanked her hand away and stood up. “This is a joke, right? You’re just yanking my pre-wedding nerves aren’t you?”

  “I’m afraid not, honey. I’m so sorry.”

  “Oh, God. Oh God. Oh God!” Tabitha wailed, her words turning to tears. The door flew open and her mother came in, pulling her close and hugging her tightly. A moment later, her father joined them, his face red with fury.

  “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch,” he muttered.

  “No, you aren’t,” Tabitha’s mother said quietly, giving him a stern look as she continued to try and comfort her jilted daughter.

  “I want to,” he growled. “I should.”

  “What you’re going to do is go out there and send all those people home in as dignified a fashion as you can manage. Then, we are going to take our daughter to our house and help her get through this day and as many more as necessary until she can sort this mess out.”

  “Fine, but I still may kill the bastard.”

  “John! Stop it and go take care of the guests.”

  He groaned and left, telling the guests that there had been an unfortunate incident that required a cancellation of the wedding. As they filed out of the building, he took care of sending the caterers home, n o doubt bemoaning the amount of money he had just paid them for food that wasn’t going to be eaten. Tabitha heard later that he sent it all to a local homeless shelter for their evening meal, including the cake.

  “Tabitha?” Janet said, snapping her out of the memory.

  “I don’t know. I guess it was just so beautiful that I didn’t have the heart to throw it away.”

  “Maybe he’ll see that he made a mistake and come back,” Janet said optimistically.

  “No. I’ll have to get rid of it at some point. I just can’t yet.” She closed the door.

  “I understand,” Janet said softly.

  “Anyway, that is everything you need to take care of Siniy. I will give you a key, just make sure you lock the door each time you leave. This is a pretty safe neighborhood, but an unlocked door just asks for trouble.”

  “I will double check it each time.”

  “Good. And I know how it is to be a teen. If you want to stay and play with Siniy for a while when you check on her or just kick back on the sofa away from your parents for a bit, you are welcome to do so. Just don’t make a mess or invite anyone over. Okay?”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Janet beamed. “I don’t know anyone here yet anyway. Siniy will be my first friend.”

  “She is a good girl. Good company.”

  The girl nodded and left, promising to return the following morning for her first check in. With that out of the way, Tabitha finished packing her things. Her flight would leave tonight, shortly before midnight. It was going to be a long day just getting there. After a light dinner and some more research on the area of India where she would be going, she and Siniy curled up in the bed for a few hours of sleep. It was the first night she didn’t dream of herself standing in front of a minister with no groom.

  Chapter Two

  After an eighteen-hour flight, along with an almost two-hour layover in Istanbul to make her connecting plane, Tabitha was exhausted. She walked slowly through the airport, looking for someone who was supposed to be waiting for her. It was difficult since she had no idea who she was looking for, but she finally spotted him standing to one side. She was usually met by professional drivers in dark suits, but today she was met by a rather tall, handsome man wearing faded jeans, hiking boots, and an old Star Wars t-shirt.

  “Matt Helford?” she said to the man holding a sign with her name on it.

  “Tabitha Stewart?” he replied blandly, looking her up and down woefully.

  “Yes,” she said, too tired to even be concerned with whatever it was he seemed to find distasteful about her.

  “Very good. L
et’s get going. Normally, I would stop off at a couple of the touristy type places for you to sightsee a bit, but it’s late and we need to get you checked into your hotel for the night. I have other plans for dinner, so you’ll be on your own. There’s a decent place to eat in the hotel and you’ll need your rest. We have an early start in the morning. Six a.m. I expect you to be ready when I arrive. I’ve no time to wait while you put on your makeup or polish your teeth,” he prattled off as they waited on her luggage.

  “Fine,” she replied, already dreading spending a week or more with this pompous British asshole. They were quiet as they made their way out to what appeared to be a well-worn Range Rover, and rode to the hotel in silence. Was it possible she had already offended him somehow or was he always this way, she wondered.

  “You’ve a new guest, love,” he told the young girl at the front desk with a wink. She giggled before looking over at Tabitha, the smile fading from her face into a sour note.

  “Name?” she asked him.

  “Not me. Just her. I’ve got somewhere else to be,” he said. “I’ll get your bags before I go.”

  Tabitha watched as he strolled back out toward the rover, having a hard time believing how rude he was being. She had every mind to call her boss and complain. Maybe he could find her someone else to guide her through the area. In only the short time she’d been near this man, she had seen just how awful this journey was going to be with him in the lead.

  “Do you have a name?” the girl asked impatiently.

  “Tabitha Stewart,” she told her, giving her back the cool glare she was receiving.

  “I don’t have a reservation in that name,” the gir l replied.

  “You’re kidding me. This just gets better and better.”

  “It’s in my name. Look for Matt Helford,” her guide said as he returned to the front desk with her bags. He dropped them on one of the rolling carriers and stood waiting while the girl looked it up on her computer.

  “Ah, yes. Room 208. How will you be making payment?” she asked.

  “American Express,” Tabitha replied, pulling the magazine’s business card from her bag and handing it to the girl.

  “Excellent. Since you are only staying one night, the full price of the room will be charged upfront,” she told her without a hint of a smile.

  “That’s fine,” Tabitha replied. The girl scowled and ran her card.

  “Well, that’s me done for now. I’ll see you at six in the morning,” Matt told Tabitha. The girl behind the counter suddenly lost her frown and smiled broadly in his direction. It just annoyed Tabitha that much more.

  “You aren’t going to help me get my bags up to my room?”

  “No. You should learn to pack a bit lighter. This isn’t a Las Vegas vacation,” he said flatly.

  Tabitha watched him walk back out to his vehicle in disbelief. What a complete jerk! She was definitely calling and having him replaced. Turning back toward the girl, she noted the smirk on her face and felt like slapping it off. She wondered if that would cause an international incident.

  “Here is your room key and your receipt. Check out is at eleven a.m. tomorrow,” she told her.

  “Fine.” Tabitha tucked the key and receipt into her purse and maneuvered the large metal baggage rack toward the nearby elevator.

  Inside her room, she collapsed on the bed. She was already emotionally and physically exhausted and this was just the beginning. How was she ever going to make it through this? Already, she was second guessing her agreement to come on this assignment. It took every bit of her strength just to get up and make her way to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face until she felt half alive and pulled out her phone, hitting speed dial.

  “Do you know what time it is?” a sleepy voice said from the other end of the line.

  “A bit after seven p.m.,” she replied, glancing at her watch.

  “Try again. It’s barely past five.” Her boss sighed. “I take it you got there in one piece?”

  “Yes, but I can’t work with this jackass you’ve set me up to follow around,” she told him.

  “And why is that?”

  “He’s just impossible. He’s rude and obnoxious,” she said.

  “He’s British. What do you expect?”

  “I know plenty of Brits that don’t behave like that,” she protested.

  “He’s the best at what he does, Tabitha. He’s not just a guide. His field of expertise is in the area of tiger conservation. The sanctuary he’s taking you to will be a perfect place for you to get an insider’s take on the situation. Make friends with him. Pick his brain.”

  “I’d like to pick his brain…with a pick axe!” she blurted.

  “That’s my girl. Always so spirited. Now, use that attitude to go out there and get me a fantastic story,” he told her.

  “I will, but I’m not happy about it.”

  “Noted. I’ll save you some of the butt-hurt cream I keep in my office for such situations,” he remarked.

  “Very funny. If you don’t hear from me again soon, you’ll know I’m in an Indian prison for murder.”

  “I don’t think the magazine covers bail money in foreign prisons. I’ll see if I can get a collection started around the office just in case.”

  “You do that,” she said, ending the call in a huff.

  “Wine. I’m going to need lots of wine,” she muttered to herself.

  Freshening up a bit, she made her way back downstairs into the hotel restaurant and waited to be seated. A meal of lamb kebabs, accompanied by a full bottle of merlot, improved her mood considerably. Several more glasses in the small bar that adjoined the restaurant sent her wobbling back to her room, the beginnings of a wine headache already beginning to form.

  “Lock and load,” she mumbled as she fell asleep across the bed, not even bothering to change into her night clothes or get under the covers.

  Chapter Three

  Tabitha awoke the next morning with a start as the alarm sounded violently from the side of the bed. She looked around wearily, momentarily confused by her surroundings. Her head pounded and she felt a bit ill. What had possessed her to drink so much wine when she had to get up so early this morning?

  “Ugh,” she said to her puffy-faced reflection in the mirror.

  She showered and dressed for departure, taking her luggage back down to the lobby to transfer back into his vehicle. Though she would never admit it to him, he might have been right about how much she had brought with her. She hadn’t even opened most of it during her first night, but she still had a long way to go, didn’t she?

  “At least you’re on time,” he said, picking up her bags and putting them in the rover. We don’t have much time. Plane takes off in an hour.”

  “Plane? I thought we were going into the wild?”

  “We are, but first we have to get on a plane to Jessore and then drive down to Mongla. Your hotel there will be on the water. It’s a lovely little place. I’ll let you explore on your own and we’ll head out first thing tomorrow morning for Sunderbans. You’ll probably want to wear something a little more suited for the trip,” he said, eyeing her clothing.

  “What? What do you mean? I bought this for the trip.”

  “I figured that much. The tag is still attached to your jacket,” he said snidely.

  Tabitha felt herself blush bright red. Would he be humiliating her the entire trip or was he getting it all out of the way up front? She said nothing for a moment as she tried to calm herself down.

  “What should I be wearing?” she asked.

  “What you have on is fine, it’s just not properly worn in and too tight. You’re going to chafe in those pants and your boots are going to put blisters on your feet. If you think I’m going to carry you through the trees, you’re sorely mistaken.”

  She glared at him, fed up. “You know what? What is your problem? You were hired to be my guide and you’ve been nothing but a condescending prick since I arrived.”

  “I wo
uldn’t have taken the job if I’d known they were sending me someone with zero experience in trekking through the kind of terrain we’ll be traveling. You are the poster child for a New York socialite who runs around interviewing celebrities for a living.”

  “I’ll have you know that I’m a very serious journalist. I’m one of the top women in my field!”

  “If you say so, sweetheart,” he told her sarcastically.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re wearing enough makeup to star in a Broadway musical. Your hair is down and you’re wearing brand new clothes recommended by some clerk at your local sporting goods store who told you it was exactly what you needed when he’s probably never stepped one foot out of Manhattan.”

  “What is wrong with taking a bit of pride in my appearance?” she asked, making a point of looking disapprovingly at his disheveled hair and noting he had on the same clothes as yesterday.

  “There is no place for it where we are going. You should be in loose, light clothing, and a ponytail. Plus, the makeup was a waste of time. You might be okay today while still in tourist mode, but it’s just going to melt down the sides of your face tomorrow. All those bags you brought are just going to be sitting in an empty hotel room without you.”

  “Well, how was I supposed to know? This is my first assignment like this,” she said defensively.

  “Precisely my point,” he told her.

  They rode in silence the rest of the way to the airport and only spoke to one another during the rest of the trek to Mongla when necessary. Once they had arrived at her hotel, she took all of her bags into her room and emptied them out on the bed, studying the things she had brought. Since she was on her own for the rest of the evening, she went downstairs to the front desk and asked if there was a local guide available for her to talk to. The man there directed her to a small building down the street.

  “Can I help you?” a pleasant young local said as she stepped inside. She was glad that he spoke English, as the little Bengali she had learned would do little more than get her to the nearest bathroom or restaurant.