Honey Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 3)

by Harmony Raines

  “But you are going to eat. Take it from one who knows, food will give you the strength to go on.”

  Fern’s breath shuddered in her body as if she had been crying in her sleep. “OK.” She dragged herself out of bed, slow steps taking her to the bathroom. She slipped inside and pushed the door firmly shut behind her, leaving Theo staring at it, unsure what he could do to help her.

  To heal her.

  This wasn’t a cut hand or a broken leg, those he knew how to tend to. But a broken heart, a broken spirit…

  Time and love, his bear told him.

  Is that enough?

  Make it enough, his bear replied. The hardest part is over, the revealing of truth, the raw naked pain of the past exposed to new eyes.

  So we just love her?

  I’m all for going over and tearing the head off her stepdad, his bear said seriously. But murder would take us from Fern.

  You are a wise old bear.

  I am. His bear settled down and closed his eyes, going back to sleep, while Theo grabbed his clothes, dressed quickly, and went to the kitchen. Food really was a cure-all in his eyes, when there was no other medicine to give.

  “It’s ready,” he called twenty minutes later. He listened, no answer. Panic filled him, and he raced up the stairs and into the bedroom.

  Fern turned to look at him, surprised, hair dryer in hand. “What’s wrong?”

  “I called, you didn’t answer.” It came out as an accusation.

  “I was drying my hair. I didn’t hear.” Her expression clouded, and she looked guilty as she stood up and went to him. He folded her into his arms, not wanting to let go. “Don’t do this.”

  “Do what?” he asked.

  “Think that just because I’m upset I’d do something stupid. I know the past can’t hurt me. I also know how lucky I am and how much I have to live for.” She held her wrists out, the palms of her hands facing upward. “These are a reminder. A reminder of how easily I might have left this world. I have no intention of repeating that mistake. Ever. It was a cry for help, and I got that help.”

  Theo placed his hands in either side of her face, and kissed her forehead. “I don’t know what I would do if I lost you.”

  “You will go climb a mountain or something.” She pulled back from him, and smiled. “Walt comes home today. Can we focus on that? I’m OK.”

  He accepted her assurances, but a sadness in her eyes left him concerned. However, he was not going to force her to go over and over what happened. It was her life, her past, and he wanted to make her forget by giving her the brightest, most perfect future.

  He just had to figure out what that was.

  “Let’s eat, and then we can go and collect my Dad, if my sister hasn’t kidnapped him already and run off with him to the city.”

  “She wouldn’t,” Fern told him, but he wasn’t so sure.

  “I hope not.” He kissed Fern on the lips. “Do you mind us living with my dad? I know a man who still lives at home with his parent is not exactly a good catch.”

  She laughed. “Hmm, I might have to rethink this fated mates thing.” Then her face grew serious. “I’m going to have to move out of here, aren’t I?”

  “There’s no rush, but I did kind of want to marry you as soon as possible.” He pulled her toward the door. “I wonder how fast I can arrange a wedding.”

  “Oh, I’m not sure there is any rush,” Fern said, following him downstairs.

  They were halfway down the stairs, but he stopped and he turned to face her. “I want to marry you. I want to love, honor, and hell, I’ll even promise to obey you, if that’s what you want.”

  Fern teased a strand of his hair out from the rest and let it slide through her fingers. “Theo, what if I can’t give you what you want?” She stared at her fingers as they worried at the same strand of hair. “You should get to know me first.”

  “I know enough.” He took hold of her hand and kissed her palm, his tongue tracing a small circle across her skin. “Maybe it’s the other way around and you need to get to know me. Take as much time as you want. I’m a patient man.”

  “Are you?” she asked.

  “Not really, at least not where you are concerned, but if it’s a lesson I have to learn, then I’m willing to learn it.”

  “I don’t deserve you.” She rested her arms on his shoulders, feeling the strength of him. He was solid, like an oak tree, able to withstand the stresses and strains of the world.

  “You do.” He placed his hand on her cheek and smoothed her skin with his thumb. “If there is anyone who doesn’t deserve what we have, it’s me.”

  She smiled down at him, her tongue running across her lips. “You know, we could argue about this all day.”

  “Or we could go eat breakfast.”

  “Or we could go eat breakfast,” she agreed. “Or, you could kiss me.”

  “Or, you could kiss me…” His voice rose in challenge.

  “I could.” She lowered her head and pressed her lips to his. She could float away on the sensations he evoked in her. Why was she trying to complicate everything? There was the past, and there was the future, neither of which she could live in. “I want to live in the now.”

  “I can help you do that,” he murmured, placing his hand on the nape of her neck, and drawing her lips back to his. They stood on the stairs, kissing, lips pressed together, tongues entwined, stuck in this moment, alone, just the two of them.

  Theo slid his tongue along her lower lip, and she opened her mouth to let him enter. Fern followed where he led, her inexperience evident, but Theo took it slow, his hands sliding down her body, one hand covering her bottom, as he pulled her tight into him. She could feel his arousal, feel his need for her like a tangible object, but she wasn’t sure she was ready.

  Theo groaned, his hand sliding between her thighs, and rising up to touch her where she longed to be touched. Her clit throbbed, and he circled his thumb around and around, stimulating her through her jeans. Why hadn’t she put on a skirt? If she had, he could have had full access, he could have plunged his fingers inside her.

  She cried out softly against his mouth as he pinched her sensitive flesh, and she moved her feet further apart to allow him better access. He slid his hand between her round thighs, pressing upwards, against her sex. She was so wet, so ready for him.

  Her hand slipped between their bodies and she undid her jeans, while he kissed her with a passion that matched her own. Taking hold of his hand, she guided him inside her jeans, his fingers pushing them down until he could touch her naked flesh.

  Fern placed her left foot on the next stair up, making it easier for him to push his finger inside her, while his thumb touched her clit, stroking it, rubbing it, in a rhythm that drove her wild. She gasped against his mouth, the tension in her body growing, until it was ripe, ready to bloom.

  “I want to taste you,” he said, and pulled his hand away, a shiver of anticipation coursing through her, at the images his words conjured up.

  Theo moved quickly, pushing her jeans down over her thighs, and then helping her step out of them. Throwing them to the bottom of the stairs, he then held both her hands, and moved forward, making her overbalance and sit down, before easing her thighs apart.

  Oh my goodness, she thought, at the realization that he was going to kiss her intimately. Very, very intimately.

  Theo drew a finger along the length of her sex, trailing the moisture over her clit, taking his time to pinch and rub the swollen bud. He watched her reactions. He watched as she bit her lower lip, and then gasped as his fingers slid inside her, stretching her inner walls. Did he know she was a virgin? Could he tell by the way she reacted?

  Kneeling before her, he dipped his head between her thighs, and while his fingers moved in and out of her sex, he kissed her clit, flicking his tongue out to lick her, then grazed his teeth across her most sensitive skin. She whimpered, craning forward to watch as he tortured her in the most exquisite way.

  Her arousal grew
in intensity. The tension in her body almost too much, she fought for release as Theo lapped her sex, before piercing her with his tongue. Fern dragged her fingers through his hair, holding his head in place, before trying to tear him away in the confusion of emotions that swept over her.

  Arching her back, she pushed herself onto his face, her breath coming fast, her voice crying out as she let go and experienced her first, incredible orgasm at the hands of another. Tears blurred her vision, as she drifted weightless among the clouds. This moment was pure, real, and theirs.

  As her orgasm subsided, Theo kissed the soft flesh of her inner thighs, before moving up her body, to kiss her stomach through her clothes, and then graze her nipples with his teeth. She longed to be naked, skin against skin with him.

  “Theo. We could go back to bed.” His face was level with hers, his eyes deep pools of longing.

  “I want to wait.”

  “Wait?” she asked.

  “Until our wedding night.”

  “Our wedding night?” she asked. “Isn’t that kind of old-fashioned?”

  “I’m an old-fashioned-kind-of-a-guy,” he said. “Just as you are an old-fashioned-kind-of-a-girl.”

  “You mean because I’m a virgin?”

  “Yes.”

  “There is nothing old-fashioned about that,” she blurted out. “I just never met the right man. And now I have.”

  “And this right man wants you to be absolutely sure you are doing the right thing, before I make love to you.”

  “Theo Verner, are you trying to blackmail me?”

  He laughed. “You know, that is not a bad idea. I could torture you into marrying me.”

  “Torture?” she asked. “I thought you said you could never hurt me.”

  “Oh, I won’t hurt you. But I could take you to the edge of heaven and then pull you back.”

  She giggled, her foot sliding along the inside of his thigh, going higher, until it pressed against his hard length. Theo closed his eyes and bit his lower lip. “Two can play at that game,” she informed him, stroking him with her foot.

  “And I think you would win.”

  Fern ran her fingers through his hair. “It means that much to you.”

  “It does. Not just marriage, I can wait, if that is what you want. I want you to take your time. When you give yourself to me, I want you to be absolutely sure it’s what you want.”

  “Thank you.” She kissed his lips, already sure that Theo was exactly what she wanted, and exactly what she needed.

  Chapter Thirteen – Fern

  They arrived at the hospital a little later than planned, to find Walt waiting, his bags packed. “Sorry, Dad,” Theo said, grabbing the bag, and offering his father his hand.

  “I can manage,” Walt said. “I was getting worried you had left town and I would have to go home with your sister.”

  “How is Cathy?” Theo asked.

  “She’ll get over it,” Walt said. “I know she means well, but I can’t go and live with her.” He hesitated before he walked to the door. “She’s right though, if you don’t intend to stay around, you have to tell me.”

  “He’s staying,” Fern told Walt, and hooked her arm through his. “Come on, I’ll help you.”

  “Oh, I can manage,” Walt said, and then lowered his voice conspiratorially. “If the docs don’t think I can walk out of here, they might revoke permission.”

  “Let’s not let them.” She let go of his arm, but walked by his side, while Theo followed behind.

  “You look different,” Walt announced as they stood waiting for the elevator.

  “Do I?” Fern asked, blushing.

  “Yes.” Walt leaned back and assessed her closely. “Happier.”

  “See, that is what I’m here for,” Theo said. “To make everyone happier.”

  “Except your sister,” Walt reminded his son.

  “Except my sister,” Theo conceded.

  “I hope you have better luck with your own children.” Walt said to Fern.

  “We’re not rushing into a family,” Theo said quickly.

  “Oh, pity. I’d like to have a couple of kids underfoot, I do love Cathy’s kids.”

  Fern looked guiltily at Theo, who winked. “Maybe one day. First we have to extend the house.”

  They got in the elevator, and Fern pressed the button for the ground floor. Walt turned his attention to his son’s last sentence. “Extend the house?”

  “Yes, we can’t all live there with it as it is. And you can’t live there alone.”

  Walt nodded thoughtfully. “OK, we can get some plans drawn up.”

  “I didn’t think you would go for it, Dad. I know you like that old house just the way it is.”

  “Times are a-changing,” he said happily. “You know, with Carter taking on this brewery business, it made me see that change is good. Expanding the town is good. And extending this family is even better.” Walt smiled at Fern, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

  As they rode the elevator down to the ground floor, Fern was caught up in thought. It meant so much to both Theo and Walt that she agreed to children. Was she being selfish putting it off? When she finished school, she had always dreamed of becoming a counselor, and helping children like her. But maybe having a family should come first; it would give her experience, and perspective, something it was difficult to learn through textbooks and exams.

  “Are you coming?” Theo asked.

  Fern looked up to see him offering her his hand; the elevator doors were open and he and Walt were waiting on the other side. She looked at his hand and placed hers into it, the warmth of his skin enveloping her hand.

  “Yes,” she answered simply and then stepped out of the elevator. “And maybe I might be persuaded to have children.”

  “You could?” Theo asked surprised.

  “Yes.” She nodded. “On one condition.”

  “Name it?” Theo asked eagerly.

  “When they are grown enough, I’d like to go back to school.”

  “Back to school?” Theo asked. They were walking toward the hospital exit.

  “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Walt said. “Have your kids when you are young, then enjoy your lives together when they are all grown up.”

  “That is backwards,” Theo said.

  “I don’t know, look at your sister, she’s as happy as a pig in mud.”

  “Don’t let Cathy hear you say that,” Theo said.

  “Are you talking about me again?” A young woman who didn’t look much older than Fern was walking toward them. Fern didn’t need introductions: Cathy and Theo might not be alike in personality, but their looks were incredibly similar. The same brown almond-shaped eyes, under chocolaty brown hair, but Theo’s features were softer.

  “Dad was saying how happy you are,” Theo said, covering up for his dad.

  “Was he?” Cathy smiled, her expression softening. “I love my family, if that is what you mean. And they love you, Dad.” She kissed Walt on the cheek.

  “We all love you, Dad,” Theo said, and Fern immediately saw the sibling rivalry in full swing.

  “I just want you to know my offer still stands,” Cathy said.

  “Cathy,” Theo said sharply. “I want you to meet Fern, my mate.”

  “Fern,” Cathy said warmly. “I have been wondering who my brother managed to ensnare.”

  Theo’s mouth twitched upward at the corners, but if he planned a sarcastic retort, he kept it to himself.

  “Hi, Cathy.” Fern held her hand out. “It’s good to meet you.” The two women shook hands, but neither of them knew what to say to the other.

  “Let’s get you in the car, Dad,” Theo said, breaking the awkward silence.

  “Good idea,” Fern agreed, scooting on ahead to open the car. “Are you coming too, Cathy?”

  “In that?” Cathy asked. “Dad, I really think you would be better to wait until Doug gets here, he’s hiring a car. Or we could get a taxi. They do still run a cab service in Bear Cree
k, don’t they?”

  “This car has never let Fern down,” Theo said loyally, making Fern hope this was not going to be the day it did. The old Ford struggled with two passengers; four might just finish it off.

  “Come on, Cathy. Live a little,” Walt said, climbing in the back. “At least if more of us take a ride, there will be more of us to push if it breaks down.”

  “You will not be pushing anything,” Cathy said hotly. “Your heart, remember?”

  “Still ticking.” Walt held the door open. “Get in.”

  Cathy huffed, but got in all the same. Fern wasn’t sure if she only agreed to join them so that she could be proved right about the car breaking down. “Don’t let me down,” Fern said, kissing her fingers and then placing them on the hood of the car.

  “It’ll be fine,” Theo said encouragingly as he shut her door, before going around to the passenger side and getting in. “If not, we can walk. Or give Will a call. He can send someone over.”

  “I have my cell if we need to call him,” Fern said brightly, hoping she was not going to need it.

  “Great. We can sit in a hot car for an hour and wait for the cavalry,” Cathy said, rolling down the window, which did not want to move. “Lovely.”

  “You could walk, Cathy,” Theo called.

  Fern put her hand on his thigh and opened her eyes wide, giving him what she hoped was a look, the kind that would tell him to shut up, without actually saying it. The look worked, and Theo turned around, rolled down his own window, and sat with his elbow on it as Fern started the car. First time, what a gem! Fern cheered silently and drove out of the hospital parking lot, keeping to a steady pace, trying to warm the car up for the steep climb ahead of it.

  “Fresh air,” Walt said, taking a deep breath. “I appreciate what the docs did, but I am glad to be out.”

  “You make it sound like a prison,” Cathy said.

  “Felt like one,” Walt agreed. “I missed the sound of the bees.”

  “They’ll be glad to see you,” Theo said. “They’ve had to make do with me, and I found I was a little rusty.”

  “They’re bees,” Cathy said. “It’s not like they are a cat or a dog.”

  “Tell that to the bees,” Theo said.