With an annoyed sigh, Anna decided to get back in the SUV and keep driving for a bit. That would give her camera a chance to warm up, and perhaps there would be another good spot for photos a little farther up. If she’d been rewarded with a spot this amazing and she hadn’t even reached the summit yet, she could only imagine what might await her at the top.
As she started driving, the snowflakes started growing heavier. At first, Anna tried to ignore them. But after a few minutes of driving, they had grown so thick that they could no longer be considered scattered flurries. They were definitely starting to look more like an actual snowstorm.
Anna stopped her vehicle, putting it in park in the middle of the road. There were no shoulders to pull over on up here, but she didn’t think anyone else would be driving by. It was no big deal if she blocked the road for a minute. She pulled out her cell phone, and tried to check her weather app again. But when she looked at her cell phone, she realized that she had no reception.
That’s when she decided to turn around.
She might be a bit foolhardy, but she wasn’t a complete idiot. She wasn’t going to drive into snow that was growing heavier on an unfamiliar mountain without even a way to call for help if she needed it. Her journey to find the perfect photograph had come to an end—at least for today.
Anna carefully turned her car around, which was no easy feat on a road this narrow. She knew that one wrong move could send her flying down the side of the mountain, so she took her time and used extra caution. By the time she was once again facing in the right direction to drive down the mountain instead of up, the snow had grown thick enough to compromise her visibility. Cursing silently under her breath, she drove slowly and stayed as far away from the edge of the road as she could.
Thankfully, her little SUV seemed much happier with the idea of traveling down the mountain rather than up. It had stopped protesting, and was humming nicely along. But no matter how well the vehicle was running, Anna couldn’t ignore the fact that she’d been a fool.
Everyone in the diner had been right: a blizzard was definitely rolling in. As the snow grew steadily heavier, Anna started to worry that she wouldn’t make it back to Pine Springs before the road became impassable. As Poppy had said at the diner, no one could plow quickly enough to keep up with a blizzard like this.
“That’s okay,” Anna said to herself. “Worst-case scenario I have to stop in Bear Mountain Village.”
True, Joel had warned her that there were no hotels on Bear Mountain. But surely, the people of Bear Mountain wouldn’t be so cruel as to make her stay in her car during a blizzard. She’d freeze to death!
The thought of freezing to death made her want to drive even faster, but she forced herself to keep a slow, steady pace. She had already acted like enough of an idiot by driving up here against the warnings of the locals. There was no need to add more idiocy to her actions by driving too fast and careening down the side of the mountain.
Anna turned off even the music she’d been streaming from her phone’s music library using the car’s Bluetooth speaker. She needed to concentrate as much as possible, and the latest pop anthems definitely weren’t helping her do that. She chewed her lower lip nervously, and her heart pounded in her chest as the snow turned into a virtual wall of white.
She definitely wasn’t making it back to Pine Springs. In fact, she was starting to worry that she might not make it back to Bear Mountain Village itself. It was all she could do to keep herself from going into a full-on panic, but panicking wasn’t going to do her any favors. Anna forced herself to take a deep breath and kept inching forward. At least by now she was back on the portion of the road that didn’t run directly by the edge of the mountain, so she didn’t have to worry that accidentally sliding off the road would result in certain death.
But even though the road here was wider and didn’t come with the risk of crashing down the side of the mountain, Anna still wasn’t able to speed up. Visibility had become too poor. She couldn’t see more than a foot in front of her, and the snow was quickly piling up to the point where she wouldn’t be able to drive forward much longer.
Despite her resolution not to panic, Anna felt a choking sob rising in her throat. She looked at her cell phone, hoping she would have signal, but it still showed zero bars. She opened the maps app anyway and tried to figure out where she was from the map that had loaded before she lost signal. As best she could guess, she had about five or six miles to go before she reached Bear Mountain Village.
“That’s not that much,” she said aloud, hoping that a little pep talk would restore her spirits. “Just keep inching forward and you’ll get there.”
But as she inched forward, that five or six miles started to feel like six hundred miles. Forget Pine Springs. At this point, Anna was beginning to worry that she wouldn’t make it to Bear Mountain Village.
At some point, her new goal became just getting to a point where she had cell signal so that she could call for help. She’d had a strong signal in the village, so she hoped that if she got close enough she would have signal again.
But as moving forward became more difficult, Anna finally couldn’t hold back the panic. Hot tears started rolling down her face, and she estimated that she only had about another ten minutes to go before she wouldn’t be able to move the SUV forward at all. All she could do now was hope that she could get far enough in that ten minutes that she’d have cell signal, and that someone from Bear Mountain would be able and willing to rescue her.
And then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, a dark shadow suddenly appeared in the snow in front of her—a dark shadow that was suspiciously shaped like a bear.
Anna braked, slowing from her crawling pace to a complete stop, and squinted out the front window. The clouds and snow had made the entire world dark and gray, so at first it wasn’t easy to see. But after just a few moments of squinting, Anna saw the sight she’d been dreading.
The bear-shaped shadow came even closer to her vehicle, and Anna’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she realized that this was definitely more than a shadow.
A giant grizzly with strangely blue eyes was standing right in front of her car. Anna gawked at it, trying to remember whether bears could get inside of cars with locked doors, and wondering if honking the horn would do anything to scare the bear. Probably not.
As Anna sat frozen by fear, the bear turned and focused its eyes directly on her. Those eyes looked strangely discerning, like the bear could somehow see right into Anna’s soul. When the bear took a step forward in the direction of Anna’s vehicle, she completely lost her fight against the panic swelling within her.
Anna let out a long, terrified scream.
Chapter Five
Joel felt every muscle in his bear form tense up at the sound of Anna’s scream. He hadn’t expected to see any other life forms out here on his run. Most of the forest animals hunkered down when these blizzards rolled in, and he couldn’t blame them. The cold could drain your energy quickly as your body struggled to stay warm. But since Joel knew that he had a warm cabin to go back to with plenty of food in it to replenish his energy, he didn’t mind the cold so much. One of the things he loved best about running in a blizzard was the fact that it was always just him out here, alone with the snow and the trees.
But today, he wasn’t alone. He’d nearly jumped out of his fur in shock when he’d gone running across the road and nearly run straight into a small SUV that looked suspiciously like the SUV that tourist girl had been driving when she left the diner earlier.
It can’t be, Joel thought. But even as he thought that, he knew that it was. She must have stayed near the top of the mountain far too long. What the hell had she been thinking?
He’d looked up and met her eyes, and that’s when she’d screamed. That scream set off his inner bear’s protective instincts. He felt a rush of adrenaline as his bear roared within him, insisting that he needed to save her.
Joel wasn’t going to argue wi
th that.
Oh, he would definitely argue with his inner bear that the girl was not the right mate for him. No woman who was foolish enough to go driving up the mountain with a blizzard coming could possibly be the right woman for him. But Joel wasn’t a monster. He wasn’t going to let this girl just die out here on the mountain—and he was quite sure that if he left her here, that’s exactly what would happen. The road into town was already impassable. She could make it maybe another half-mile, and then she’d be forced to stop.
He didn’t know how much gas she had, but it wouldn’t be enough to keep her vehicle running through this whole blizzard. Even if she’d refueled at the one gas station in Bear Mountain Village, she’d just burned a ton of that gas trying to get that stupid SUV up the mountain. Besides, this blizzard would last a few days, and a tank of gas would not. If he left this girl here, she’d be forced to run her car for the heater until it eventually ran out of gas and she froze to death.
With a great, heaving sigh, Joel started running back toward his cabin. He’d have to shift back into human form before he helped her. Not only did he not want her to know that he was a shifter and go blabbing about it to everyone in Pine Springs, but he also didn’t think that she’d be willing to open the door for a giant grizzly. Joel couldn’t talk while in bear form, so he couldn’t explain that he was only trying to help.
Joel made it back to his cabin within minutes. He hadn’t been far, and his grizzly could make good speed. Quickly, he shifted back into human form, then ran inside to put on his thickest winter gear. He also grabbed some gear for the girl. That jacket she had on was more fashion than function. She needed function if she was going to walk from her car to his cabin in this storm.
After only a few more minutes, he was back out in the blizzard, cursing how much longer it took to walk through the snow while in human form. Still, he made good time. Thankfully, his bear senses could still guide him even when he was in human form. He followed his sense of smell, and found the girl’s car quickly. She hadn’t made it much farther than the spot she’d been in when he’d first run across her.
She was staring straight ahead, and didn’t see him as he approached the driver’s side window. When he knocked on that window, she jumped and screamed. Then she looked out and saw him, and her eyes widened visibly. She rolled down her window, which immediately sent gusts of snow into her vehicle, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“Can you help me?” she asked, her voice trembling. “It’s getting difficult to drive in this mess, and I’m afraid I won’t make it back to the village. Is there any way to get there? Maybe you have a snowmobile or something?”
Joel wanted to laugh. A snowmobile? No one on this mountain had snowmobiles. They didn’t need them. If they wanted to get through the snow, the fastest way was to shift into bear form. But obviously, he wasn’t going to tell this girl that.
He pulled down the winter mask on his face just enough so that he could talk to her. “I don’t have a snowmobile, but I do have a cabin not far from here. I brought you some gear that will keep you warm for the short walk.”
Her eyes widened as he spoke. “Hey! You’re the guy from the diner. Joel, right?”
Joel grunted an affirmation.
“I’m Anna. I’m sorry that I doubted you. You were obviously correct about the blizzard. But how did you know that I was out here and that I needed help?”
Joel winced. He hadn’t thought about that. He couldn’t exactly say that he’d been running around in bear form and happened to run by her car.
“I heard your car’s engine,” he fibbed. “I was worried someone might be stuck out here in this mess, so I came to check and found you.”
There was no way he could have heard her engine over this storm, but she didn’t question him. Instead, tears sprang to her eyes.
“Thank you for coming to get me. I don’t think I can make it back to the village.”
Joel snorted. “No, I don’t reckon you can. Now, come on. We don’t have time for introductions and small talk right now. We have to get in out of this blizzard. Put these on as quickly as you can, and let’s get to my cabin.”
He shoved the winter gear he’d brought for her through the open driver’s side window. But instead of starting to put on that gear, Anna looked at him with wide eyes.
His bear roared within him at the sight of those eyes. The way she looked at him so innocent and frightened unraveled him.
“Can’t we drive to your cabin?” she asked.
Joel raised an eyebrow at her. “No, woman. We can’t. Didn’t you notice the road in front of you? It’s damn near impassable, and you’ll be stuck within a minute or two of trying to drive forward. If you want to get to the cabin, you have to walk. And you have to walk now. Every second you waste blabbing is another second that you’re risking your life by being out in this blizzard too long.”
To his dismay, Anna still didn’t move to put on the winter gear.
“But…,” she trailed off for a moment, then took a deep breath and looked at him with terror in her eyes. “I saw a grizzly out there. I don’t think it’s safe to be walking around.”
Joel had to catch himself before he let out a huge laugh. He couldn’t tell Anna that the grizzly had been him, but he could imagine what her face would look like if he did.
“Of course there’s a grizzly out here,” he said, working hard not to sound amused. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but this mountain is called Bear Mountain. Are you really all that shocked that there are bears here?”
Anna still hesitated, and Joel could feel his patience wearing thin.
“Forget about the bears. I’ll tell you what’s not safe—sitting in this car in the middle of a blizzard is not safe. I’m heading back to my cabin. You can put on that winter gear and come with me, or you can sit out here in your car and take your chances. Your choice.”
Anna frowned, but started to put on the winter gear.
“Smart choice,” Joel said.
A few minutes later they were trudging along through the snow toward his cabin, but Anna’s pace felt painfully slow to Joel. She actually wasn’t making bad time, for a full human. He was surprised at how in shape she seemed to be. But even a full human who was in decent shape was no match for a bear shifter. Joel kept looking up at the sky with wary eyes. Not that he could actually see the sky. When he looked up, all he saw was a wall of grayish-white as snow came down. And that wall of snow worried him. If he didn’t get Anna inside and warm soon, she was going to end up with frostbite.
He looked back at her. “Climb on my back.” His voice was muffled through his thick ski mask, but Anna seemed to understand what he’d said. She got a stubborn look in her eyes, and shook her head no.
“I can walk myself,” she answered in a voice just as muffled. “You’ve done enough for me. You don’t need to carry me, too.”
Joel grunted at her. “You’re not doing me any favors by walking yourself. You’re just slowing me down. Now get on my back.”
Anna looked like she might protest again, but then the sharp look in his eyes must have made her think twice about that. She gave a defeated little nod, then climbed onto his back.
Joel had thought his bear was going crazy before, but he’d had no idea what he was in for once he felt Anna’s body pressed against his. Even through their layers of winter clothing, he could feel an electricity unlike anything he’d ever felt. He tried to squelch the growing desire rising within him, but his bear was having none of that. With every step Joel took, the feeling of Anna bouncing against his back sent a thrill through him—a thrill he could not ignore.
What was wrong with him? He could not be falling for a full human, let alone a full human who was obviously a tourist from somewhere without a harsh winter climate like the one here on Bear Mountain.
All his life, he’d heard stories of what it felt like when you found your fated lifemate. He hadn’t put much stock in those stories, thinking that they were a bit exaggerated. Bu
t now, he was feeling exactly what he’d always heard about: a deep, sudden desire to claim a woman as his, no matter what the cost.
Joel shook his head, as though he could shake away the passion that was steadily rising within him. This had to be some mistake. He was just going a little crazy because he hadn’t been roaming free enough this winter. Letting his bear out to run today had been a good idea, but he needed to do that more. He needed to make sure that he wasn’t thinking crazy thoughts and wondering if a girl like Anna might actually be his fated lifemate.
He was losing his focus, and going soft. Maybe taking on this whole remodel project this winter had been a bit too ambitious. One thing he knew for sure: the next few days were going to be difficult. He knew the blizzard would last a day or two, and then it would be another day before the boys who ran the snowplows would get the roads cleared.
In the meantime, Anna would be stuck with him. He couldn’t exactly send her back out into the blizzard to freeze, and there was no way he could get her to town. Even his big truck wouldn’t be able to make it through this mess. He himself could get to town easily enough by shifting into bear form, but that didn’t help much where Anna was concerned. What was he going to do? Ask her if she wanted to ride on his bear’s back? Just the thought made him snort out loud.
“What’s so funny?” Anna asked. Her voice was still muffled by her ski mask, but he understood. He only shrugged in response.
This girl asked too many questions. She was the curious type, which he usually liked in a woman. But he didn’t want Anna thinking that he was going to answer all of her questions. She was bound to ask the wrong question before long. She’d ask something that would be difficult to answer without coming too close to telling her about his bear side.
Rescued on Bear Mountain Page 3
