Ian: McCray Bruin Bear Shifter Romance

by Kathi S. Barton

  Lucy was asleep, tears still staining her cheeks when she saw her. Getting one of the blankets that were forever in a large basket in the corner, she covered her up with it. Lucy came up fighting. Demi was glad she’d not been too close when Lucy swung out to hit whoever startled her awake.

  “I’m sorry.” Demi told her it was fine, then asked her if she could talk to her. “I’ve fucked up. I have been bounced around, taking care of my sisters for so long by myself, I’ve forgotten how to be polite. I’m so very sorry.”

  “I’m an emotional mess myself. As much as I hate to admit this to anyone, I’m barely hanging on most days. Having a baby can sure make you say and do things you’d not normally do.” Lucy told her she was just a bitch, and didn’t have anyone to blame it on like a baby. “Oh, I’d say you have plenty to blame on your uncle. If you’re ready to listen to me, I can tell you what I’ve done to ensure that you and your sisters aren’t broke when you get things moving back to normal.”

  “Do you think that is ever going to happen? Besides, what is normal anyway?” They both laughed. “I’m truly sorry, Demi. I know you’re all working and doing things to keep us from being completely homeless. I know, too, that I have to talk to Ian. I hurt him with my temper, and that wasn’t my intention.”

  “He’s a good man. Not that I’m saying this to change your mind, but you couldn’t do better with him in your corner. Ian isn’t like most men you’ll meet. None of the McCrays are. They’re good people.” Lucy told her she was getting that impression too. “Good. Let me fill you in on what I’ve been able to get going for the three of you. I hate to bring this up again, but you’re going to be much better off marrying Ian as soon as possible. Even as bad as your uncle is, it could come to the point where he calls you unfit, and if that happens, you’re pretty much screwed if anyone finds out how you’ve been living lately.”

  “Won’t they already know that?” Demi told her her plan. “So you’d lie for us. Tell everyone we’ve been living here with the family to get our feet back under us since we were abandoned so carelessly. Would that work?”

  “Oh yes. Especially if we can back it up with a marriage.” Lucy asked her to explain things about Josh so she could absorb the rest of what she was saying. “Great. I’ve stolen back all the money your uncle has stolen from you.”

  ~*~

  Ian was browning a large roast when he heard someone behind him. Turning slowly, careful not to shift, he looked at Cybill as she stood there in the doorway. Not saying anything to her, he turned back to his job. She’d either stay or not. He didn’t care much anymore.

  “Can I help you?” He told her there were potatoes and carrots that needed to be peeled. “I’m not entirely sure how to do that, but I’m willing to learn. I like your house, by the way.”

  “Thanks. It’s sort of bare right now, but then I wasn’t expecting anyone to come live with me.” He got her a peeler and some potatoes and carrots out of the bin. “My mom grew the carrots, and I got the potatoes from a roadside market yesterday. I think if you peel a lot, we can have leftovers if you want to hang around.”

  “I do. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things that are going on. I think because I’m the youngest, they think I’m deaf or something. I heard my sisters talking, and it was harder living out on the streets than I think people realize.” He told her he was sorry for that. “Yeah, me too. Uncle Josh, he really screwed us over. But then, I never liked him, even when he stayed at my parents’ home for a little while. Dad had to kick him out when he caught him bringing women to the house.”

  “That was ballsy of him. I mean, your uncle.” Ian turned to look at Cybill after putting the roast in the oven to cook. “I know nothing about girls. I don’t know how to be a parent to you if that’s what you need. Nor do I have any idea how I’m supposed to talk to you. I’m sure you’ve been around cussing before, but is it right to do that in front of a fifteen-year-old?”

  “Probably not. But then, my mom could curse like it was her job when she was upset.” They both laughed. “I’m sorry for how my sister treated you. That wasn’t at all nice of her. But she has been putting up with a lot of stuff trying to keep us from being raped nightly and having at least a little food once a day. She didn’t do too bad of a job.”

  “No, she didn’t. The fact that you’re still alive goes to show how much she’s done for you guys. She should be very proud of herself for that.” Cybill told him that wasn’t something Lucy was good at. “What? You mean being proud of herself?”

  “Not Lucy. She will almost always find fault with what she’s done. Lucy is harder on herself than anyone around. Also, you should know she’s terrible at jokes. She is too logical, my dad used to tell her. I think she’s a stick in the mud. Are you going to have this for dinner tonight?” He told her they both could if she wanted to join him, but she had to tell her sister where she was. “I can do that. She’s been really stressed out, you know?”

  “I can only imagine.”

  Cybill didn’t say anything more after nodding. Ian picked up a carrot and started to trim it down to bite sizes as he waited on her to come to terms with whatever she was thinking.

  “When my parents were killed, Lucy came home. She’d been living on her own for a while by then. She’s super smart and is the best baker I’ve ever known. I know that’s not saying much as I’m only a kid, but to me, it was amazing to see her putting ingredients together and getting a beautiful loaf of bread or a cake.” She didn’t look up at him as she got up to get something to drink. “They were taking a second honeymoon—my parents, I mean. They were having a good time, they told us when they called us nightly. Jilly and I were at home with the staff then. The calls stopped suddenly. After three days of not hearing from them, Jilly called Lucy to tell her what was going on. She dropped everything and came to us.”

  “What happened to them?” Cybill poured them both a glass of tea, then sat across from him. Ian got the tin of cookies his mom had given him yesterday and opened them between them. “You said they were killed. Were they murdered?”

  “Not really. Not in an evil sort of way. We were told they were taking a hike through one of the many wooded areas where they were, and something attacked them both. It took us a while to figure out that wasn’t true either. They’d been caught in a rainstorm that had the mountain coming down on top of them.” Ian told her he was sorry. “Yeah. The reason it took them so long to call us, because the police did eventually, was that they were still digging the little town out that Mom and Dad were staying in. We couldn’t even bring them home for burial. Something about they were afraid of any kind of disease they could bring back to the States. They’d been buried for about ten days when they were found.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Cybill told him they had been doing what they liked doing, being together and having a nice walk in the woods. “I enjoy that, as well. I think as my bear, I enjoy it much more. Are you afraid of me? With me being a bear?”

  “No. I don’t believe you’d hurt me. Not on purpose anyway. I don’t know that for sure, but you don’t strike me as a person that would just be mean to someone because of what you are.” He laughed when she smiled at him. “I would like to tell you something about my sister. Lucy is a strong person. She’s usually very easy to get along with and to talk to. But with all this, all the things that have been happening, she’s stressed out to the point where I worry about her having a heart attack or something.”

  “I don’t want to hurt her either.” Cybill told him she didn’t think he would, but that Lucy had hurt him. “She did. But once I got away and came here, I got to thinking about what you just said. She’s getting a lot of crap thrown at her that she doesn’t have a great deal of say over. Like your uncle.”

  “Josh never was a nice person. One year for Christmas he got my sister and I a doll each. Three days after he left for greener pastures, as he told us, the police came by and tol
d us it was stolen goods, and we had to give them up. They also wanted to know if we had any idea where Josh was.” Ian told her he sounded like a peach. “Yeah, with mostly pit. After that, whenever he came bearing gifts again, we’d just put them aside and waited for someone to want them back. Finally, Dad told him not to come back with anything. Also, he’d like it if he didn’t come around at all. Once they were dead, however, Josh came to the house and told us that, according to the will, he’d been deemed our guardian. That we were to do what he told us and not bitch about it. He was, he told us, in charge of our lives from then on. Uncle Josh then said he was going to take over all the companies my parents had. That didn’t happen, by the way. I don’t know what happened, but he never did a thing with any of the companies.”

  “What happened after he moved into the house?” Cybill told him how they’d been taken to the mall in the family limo. “What did he say to you when he was taking you there? I mean, was it his intention of leaving you there from the start?”

  “Yes. Oh yeah, that’s what he was planning. When we got there, he said for us to go on in and he’d join us in a bit. Lucy was sure he wasn’t going to do any such thing and argued with him about how we were her responsibility. He slugged her in the face, knocking her out, then shoved her out of the car. It was a while before she came around, but by then, the mall had closed up, and we had nothing.”

  Ian was going to kill the fucker when he saw him. Cybill smiled at him as she continued the story. Mostly it was how they’d wandered around for a few days, eating what they could find. His heart broke for the three of them. Ian couldn’t imagine how they were able to survive after all they’d been through.

  Between the two of them, they got dinner ready to be finished up. It was too soon to put the veggies in, so he turned the oven down low and put everything they’d readied in the fridge. He asked her then if she wanted to find Lucy. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was.

  “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she, Ian? I know she can be a pain in the butt, but really, she’s so stressed out all the time.” Ian told her he was only going to offer her the house. “You won’t live here with us? I have to tell you, I really love this place. I already picked out my room when Grandma Cindy brought us by earlier.”

  “Good for you. One less thing I need to worry about. I’m going to get you some furniture, but we have to make sure Lucy is all right with you and your sister staying here. In answer to your question, no, I won’t live here with you guys until your sister is comfortable with me being around. I don’t want to add to her stress any more than I want her to be hurt.” Cybill told him she didn’t either. “All right. Let’s get going. On the way back to my brother’s house, you can tell me more about this soon to be dead uncle of yours.”

  Cybill laughed. “You’re what my grandma called a corker, aren’t you? I like you, Ian. Very much.” He told her he liked her as well. “Now all we have to do is convince my sister that she’s going to be much better off with you hanging around than not. I don’t think you’re going to have an easy time of it, just so you know.”

  “Kid, I live for things not being easy.”

  They were both still laughing as they went out the front door. Lucian was just pulling into his front drive. Lucy got out on the other side as Lucian told him he was glad he was still here.

  “What’s going on? Did something happen to Jilly?”

  Lucian told him to talk to Lucy and returned to his car and left them. Lucy stood where she’d gotten out of the car and didn’t move. Cybill asked her if she was hungry.

  “Ian and I made a roast for dinner. It’s not done yet, but we’ve been talking. Are you going to be nasty to him again?” Lucy told her sister she wasn’t. “Good. I’m going to go to my room now and figure out what sort of things I’d like to have in it. And so you know, Lucy, I’m still mad at you for talking to him the way you did.” True to her word, Cybill left them there.

  “Would you like to come in? I have a couch and some chairs in the living room. Not much else. I was planning to fill it as I went, but if you have any ideas as to how you want it to look, then—”

  “I’m sorry about how I spoke to you.” He nodded and told her he was sorry too. “For what? Being a nice guy? I guess I could also tell you I’m not used to having people be nice to me. I’m usually much nicer than I’ve been today.”

  “I don’t doubt it. Would you like to come in?” He opened the door for her but made sure he didn’t get too close to her. Lucy was as jumpy as a cat on a roof right now. When they were in the living room, she sat down on the couch and, unsure where he was to sit, he sat across from her. “I was telling Cybill I’d like for you and your sisters to live here. I can stay with one of my brothers while you figure out what you want to do about this. I’ll support you in any way you want.”

  “Will you marry me?” He didn’t even blink at the question. “I’ve had a very long conversation with Demi, as well as her attorney, Mr. Shoe. They kindly told me to keep my mouth shut and listen to all they had to say before I jumped to any conclusions.”

  “I bet Mr. Shoe was nice, but I don’t see Demi doing that. She has a tendency to tell people what she thinks. Whether you want to hear it or not.” Lucy smiled and said she was a little rougher than Mr. Shoe. “What did they tell you that they hadn’t when I was there? More about your uncle, I’m betting. By the way, I’m going to kill him when I see him. There is no reason whatsoever why he should treat you three the way he has.”

  “I might just help you. On the way here, I’ve been making and tossing out all sorts of plans that would keep me from having to make you suffer through marrying me. There really isn’t any way it will work where I get to make sure my sisters are all right.” He said he was sorry. “Please don’t be. I know I hurt you with what I said, but you really are a nice guy. I’m just being a bitch.”

  “What you’re being is someone that is overwhelmed about things right now.” He came to a sudden decision. “If you’re serious about marrying me, Lucy, I can still bunk with one of my brothers. No one but my family has to know what we’ve arranged. And I know they won’t say anything to anyone. I want you to be happy, but mostly I want you to be with your sisters and be safe.”

  “You’d do that for me? Without any questions or stipulations on it?” He told her he’d never do that to her. “I must have hit the lottery with your family. Ian, if you’d do me the honor of marrying me and keeping me and my sisters safe, I’d be forever grateful to you.”

  “All right. I’ll make the arrangements and have Demi pull some strings. I’m betting we can get married tomorrow. If you’d like, we can do it at the hospital so Jilly can be there as well.” She said she’d like that. “Good. Welcome to the family, Lucy. I’m so very glad we found each other.”

  As it turned out, Demi pulled some major strings, and they could get married that afternoon. He drove them to the hospital where Jilly was and had his family meet them there. It might not be a traditional wedding or marriage, but he planned on making up for it as the years went by—to all three of his girls.

  Chapter 3

  Josh was on the phone when someone tried to call him. Usually, he’d not get a call for days at a time—he’d be the one making all the calls. Then today, he’d had four in a row. As he was waiting on hold with the first call, he scrambled through his paperwork to figure out where his last receipt was. Damn it all to fuck, he was lost without his secretary helping him find things.

  Last night he’d found his house empty of servants. Not a single one of them were in their homes that his brother had had put in for them. Their furniture was still there, but no clothing, no food, and certainly no servants. Even his own kitchen seemed to be devoid of anything to eat that he wanted to take the time to fix for himself.

  The person on the other end came back on the line. “Yes, I’m trying to figure out the balance of my account. I’ve had some strang
e calls today, and I want to make sure there has been some sort of mistake on your end.” The woman, he’d already dismissed her name from his head, told him they didn’t make mistakes. “Come on now. That can’t possibly be true. I mean, I’m checking my balance online here, and it says there isn’t anything in my accounts.”

  “If you’re looking online for your account information, why is it you’re bothering me for the same information?” He told her it was wrong. “Perhaps it’s you that is wrong. Give me the information once again, and I’ll run it from here. Why you’d want it verified twice is beyond me when you have it right there.”

  Biting his tongue so he’d not piss her off more, he gave her not only the account number but also the date of his last deposit. On top of that, he gave her his date of birth, as well as his social security number. Then he was put on hold.

  That was one of the most annoying things he’d encountered about having money. When he was broke, of course, he never called people demanding things. But with all the money in the world—well, a great deal of it—he was forever calling this person or that to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to do so he’d have money.

  Then today. Josh hadn’t any idea why the staff had left. There wasn’t a single note anywhere that he could find. And he’d looked too. His dishes in the sink told him they’d not even cleaned up after him when he’d had his dinner. A dinner, he just realized that wasn’t up to par.

  The woman came back on the line. “As you are aware, the account is emptied except for one cent. I could close it out for you if that is your wish.” He said he didn’t want it closed, and asked her where his money was. “I’m sure I don’t know, sir. It says on the account that you ordered the money to be moved to a second account just yesterday. I cannot help you any longer. Do not call here if you already have the correct answers.”