No chance, she thought, and lifted off him again, this time corkscrewing her hips until he was stretching her inner walls.
This was good. She was in complete control of her own pleasure, and his. Watching his face, she could see he was trying to hang on, but was so close to his climax he had to bite his bottom lip to distract his brain.
“Poor old bear,” she said, leaning forward and kissing him. He placed his hands on her hips, and began to move her, and together they explored new sensations until he let himself go, exploding inside of her. She was close, but not quite there. Dylan, sensing her need, moved his fingers, touching her between her thighs and rubbing her clit, until she reached the edge of the abyss and tumbled over the edge.
Chapter Fourteen – Dylan
“Do you really have to leave?” she asked the next morning. Steph was helping him dress. He didn’t need her help, but he let her all the same; it was nice to have her touching his skin, smoothing his shirt down and helping him on with his shoes.
“Yes. I came here for two weeks’ vacation, to get my head straight.”
“In what way?” she asked.
“I have a business and someone has offered to buy it. I needed to know if I wanted to sell. After I left juvie, I concentrated on making a success of my life. I worked hard and it kept me… I don’t know. It kept me occupied, stopped me missing Bear Bluff as much. This town, the mountain, was always there, calling me back, but I wanted to make sure, if I returned, I wasn’t the same person who left.”
“You never were the same person as others thought you were when you left.” Steph stood back and looked at him. “There. I’ll drive you into town, and you can rent a car. What?” she asked as he pulled a face. “Your motorcycle is still in the trees, and anyway, there is no way you can sit astride one of those things in the state you are in.”
“I am feeling better by the minute,” he lied, standing up, his hand going to his ribs. It felt as if they were trying to burst out of his skin.
“Of course you are. But unless you want me to come with you, then you are going to rent a car.”
“That means going into town.”
She sighed. “You are going to have to face people sooner or later.”
“I know; I would just prefer it if I didn’t look like this.” He pointed at his swollen face, and she laughed. “Your bedside manner is not your strongest trait, you know.”
“I know. You look like crap. Come on, my mom has a car you could probably borrow. We’ll have to sort out the insurance, but I’m sure it can be done over the phone.”
“That sounds much better,” he said and walked a step towards the door, feeling every muscle in his body, every bone, ache. “At least driving I’ll be sitting down.”
“I still think I should go with you,” Steph said, opening the door for him.
“No need.” Outside the bedroom door stood Grandpa, all dressed up in a suit. “I’ll babysit him.”
“You don’t have to, Grandpa.”
“Yes, I do. I’m coming with you so I know you are safe. And to make sure you come back to this lovely lady of yours.”
“Thank you,” Steph said, and Dylan realized he was outnumbered. Not that he minded, the company would do him good. “Please bring him back.”
“I will. Which reminds me, could I have a moment alone with my grandson, please, Steph?”
“Sure,” Steph said going out of the bedroom.
“Coffee’s still hot in the pot,” Grandpa called. Then he entered Dylan’s room and shut the door.
“I smell a conspiracy, Grandpa,” Dylan said, resting his hand on the back of a chair as he breathed in carefully.
“You, my boy, should still be in bed. None of this gallivanting halfway across the country.”
“I’m of no use to Steph here, not while I’m like this. But she needs money, and I have money, so I figured I’d head back to my second old life, and end it, figuratively speaking.”
“You’re absolutely sure?” Grandpa asked.
“Never been more sure.” Needing to prove he was strong enough, Dylan pushed himself upright and took a couple of steps towards the door.
“Wait, there’s something else. Before we go.” Grandpa reached into his pocket and handed a small box to Dylan. “It might not be one of those fancy big rings you can buy with all that money you have. But I don’t know if Steph is a big ring kind of girl.”
“No, I don’t think she is,” Dylan replied as he opened the box. Inside was his grandma’s engagement ring, a ruby, with two diamonds on either side. “Grandpa, are you sure?”
“You are my only grandson, and she is your only mate. Of course I’m sure. Now, there is only one condition.”
“Condition?” Dylan asked. “What condition?”
“You let me drive.”
Dylan laughed, and held his ribs. “Done. Right, let’s go and propose to my mate.”
“I’ll wait outside,” Grandpa said.
“First, you might have to help me to get down on one knee.”
Grandpa chuckled. “That I can do, then your new fiancée can help you back up.”
“Or maybe she’ll make me crawl, for not telling her the truth about Tilly.”
“I don’t think she’s that kind of a lady. In fact, I think you are shooting way above your weight with this one.” Grandpa opened the door, and Dylan followed him out.
“Thanks, Grandpa.”
“Always like to keep my grandson grounded.” Grandpa chuckled. “She has no idea how much you are worth, does she?”
“Not a clue, she knows I am in construction, but that’s all.”
“Nice wedding gift.”
“I hope she sees it that way. I plan to pay for the renovations on her farmhouse, make it debt-free, but I’m not sure if her pride will let me.”
“That’s the fun of having a mate, so much to find out, so much to learn, and so many compromises. Makes you a better person.” Grandpa stopped before they entered the kitchen. Dropping his voice, he said, “I want you to know how proud I am of you, Dylan. About everything. I may not have agreed with all your choices, but I’m proud of them nonetheless.”
“Thanks, Grandpa. For everything, for being there through the rough and the smooth.”
“You’re my flesh and blood. I could never let you down.” Grandpa wiped away a tear and took a deep breath. “Let’s do it. Got the ring?”
“Yes.”
They went into the kitchen. Steph was looking out of the window, and turned as the two men walked in. “I’m ready to leave when you are.”
“There’s one thing, before I go.”
Grandpa eased him down so that he knelt on one knee, and then he left as quickly as his old legs would carry him. Realization spread across Steph’s face, so that by the time the box was open in his hand, she was down on her knees next to him, kissing his face, and saying yes.
“So you know I’ll come back.” He slipped the ring onto her finger. “I’ll always come back.”
“If you don’t, I’ll always come find you,” she answered. “And drag your bear hide back here.”
Dylan believed her.
Chapter Fifteen – Steph
“If you don’t stop looking at that ring of yours, you’ll never get this place finished,” Steph’s mom called.
Steph was on the roof of the barn, fixing the last of the broken tiles and missing Dylan more than she thought possible. He had phoned last night to say he and Grandpa had gotten there safely, and that although he wanted to come home soon, he was not going to make the journey back to Bear Bluff until he could drive himself.
It seems Grandpa hadn’t driven for the last five years; he usually took the train when he visited Dylan, and it showed. They had taken the back roads, after a horrific drive down the freeway had left Dylan a nervous wreck. It had added four hours to the journey time, and taken four years off of Dylan’s life.
She smiled, at both the thought of Grandpa and Dylan in a car together, and the sight
of her ring as it glittered on her finger. “It’s so pretty.”
“I know. But we have something more pressing to discuss.”
Steph looked down at her mom, seeing her worried expression, and immediately forgot all about rings, and dresses, and vows. Instead, she climbed down the ladder, to stand in front of her mom. “What’s wrong?”
Her mom gave her a letter. “He mortgaged the house.”
“Paul?” she asked incredulously.
“Yes. It wasn’t his to borrow money against. This house is mine, he had no right. It’s bad enough he emptied the bank accounts, but this…”
“Have you contacted the bank?”
Her mom shook her head. “Do I really want my only son sent to prison?”
“I guess not. How much?”
Her mom turned to another page of the letter, and pointed. “Enough to make us destitute if we can’t pay the interest! And the fine for a late payment.”
“Damn it. What if I go over there and try to extend it? So if we borrowed a little bit more, we could finish up the repairs, get some cash coming in, and then repay the loan.”
“Do you think they’d do that? Since we missed the first payment.”
“We can only ask.” Steph hugged her mom. “Come on. The barn will have to wait. We are going to go and write out our business plan, and then we are going to put our best dresses on, and head over to the bank and make them listen.” Steph thought for a moment. “Who is the bank manager in town?”
“Harlon Reddick.” Her mom blushed. “I don’t think I have the courage, we dated back in high school…”
“Even better. You can smile, reminisce, and he’ll lend us the money.”
“But he’s done so well for himself, and I’m just…”
“A businesswoman. You are just a businesswoman who needs a bit of help, and that is what banks do. Come on.” Steph took her mom’s hand and they made their way back to the house. “I have it all in my head, we just have to get it down on paper.”
***
“Kathleen Arnold.” A man, handsome, with salt and pepper hair, got up from behind his desk and held out his hand to Steph’s mom, smiling warmly. Very warm. Not at all like a bank manager should be, especially when the client had missed the first payment on a loan.
Steph cast her mom a questioning look, but she deftly avoided it and shook the hand she was offered. Was she blushing? Steph wondered, seeing a whole different side to her mom.
“Hi, Harlon. Good of you to see us.” Her mom smiled, reminding Steph of the woman she was, when she was not just being a mom, or a wife, or a widow. “And it is Kathleen Summerfield now. Or Kitty.”
“Of course. Sorry. I forgot.” He shook hands with Steph. “You must be Kathleen… Kitty’s daughter. You look so much like your mom.”
“Thank you,” Steph said. “That is a compliment.” She smiled at Harlon. He was nice, and for a bank manager, he appeared genuine.
“So what can I do for you?” Harlon asked, remembering why they were there, and gesturing to two seats, while he walked around the desk and sat down. “I was surprised when this came across my desk, I didn’t recall the original loan. But I see you took it out at one of our other branches.”
“I did?” Kitty asked. “Oh, yes. I did.” Steph looked at her mom; she was a terrible liar.
“We have come to ask you to extend the loan on the farm.” Steph said, while her mom was smoothing down her hair and patting her cheeks, which had a glow to them that was more than just the product of a morning outside in the fresh air.
“That would be simple, if there wasn’t the default. On the first payment.” He looked at them, both, and smiled kindly.
“Yes.” Steph pulled out the business plan she and her mom had written out. “We are in the middle of renovations. And are just a little bit short of cash. If you could lend us another couple of thousand, we can complete the work and get the business set up. A B&B.”
“A B&B?” he asked, looking at her mom. “You don’t plan to run it as a farm?”
“No, Stephanie and I have talked it over at great length, and have decided that there would be a greater return if we ran the farm as a B&B.”
“I see.” Harlon began to flip through their handwritten business plan, but it was hard to see from his expression whether it impressed him or not. “This is very detailed, and very well thought out. Bear Bluff is indeed underserved when it comes to places for tourists to stay.”
“So you’ll lend us the money?” Steph asked hopefully.
“I would have, if you had kept up the repayments.” He picked up a folder and drew out a sheaf of papers. “It fell due two days ago. Now I could extend that date, say there was a mix-up.” He sat and looked at the document. Then he glanced back to Kathleen. “But what worries me is that this was a large amount of money, lent only four weeks ago. I’d be interested to know where such a sum of money went.”
Steph’s mom went bright red and looked at her hands, her thumbs rubbing against each other as they did when she got nervous. What should they say? Lie, or tell the truth? A lie would be easier, but also they could be found out, and then be in trouble.
“My son,” Kathleen began. “After his father died, he tried to run the farm, he just wasn’t cut out for it. So I borrowed the money for him to go and start a new life. It left me free to run the farm as I wanted. You know how my husband was…”
“Controlling,” Harlon said gently. He smiled at her, his eyes full of warmth. “We don’t always see the mistakes we make where our hearts are concerned until it is too late.”
Steph raised her eyebrows and suddenly felt like she didn’t belong here; there was something between these two people. They must have dated before her dad claimed her mom as his mate. She forced her full attention onto Harlon and asked her bear—Is he a shifter?
No, just a lovesick puppy.
That’s what I thought, Steph answered.
“My son followed his father in so many ways. So when I had the chance of freedom, I let him go.”
Harlon’s eyes were fixed on hers. “A new start?”
“A new start.”
“I think we all deserve one of those.” He logged onto his computer, and began typing. Steph could hardly breathe. This had gone far too easily. “There. Nothing else to sign. I have upped the loan limit and set the payment date for seven days’ time.”
“Thank you,” Kathleen said.
“I like to be flexible when it comes to start-up businesses,” Harlon said. “But if you miss the first payment again, I will not be able to do anything further to help. I work for the bank; I don’t own it.”
“We understand,” Kathleen said, getting up and smiling at Harlon, looking the happiest she had in a while.
“Yes, thank you.” Steph held out her hand, and he looked down at it.
“So you are engaged, Stephanie?” Harlon asked. “May I ask who the lucky man is? Someone from Bear Bluff?”
Steph felt the money they needed slipping away from them. If she told Harlon who she was going to be married to, would he take back the offer? But it was already done; the details were in the computer.
Damn it, she was not ashamed of Dylan. And never would be, no matter what the consequences.
“Dylan Taylor.” She smiled, willing Harlon to not to take back the money. Or maybe to not know who Dylan was. Which made her feel so guilty, she nearly blurted out—You know, the boy who ran over Greg Franks.
“Dylan Taylor. I’ve heard that name recently.” Harlon’s brows came together, and he looked incredibly serious, before his face lightened. “Now I remember. “Bad Boy Made Good.” It was the title of a newspaper article in the financial section of a paper I picked up when I went to a conference. Yes, Dylan Taylor made a substantial amount of money, owns one of the biggest construction companies in the city.”
“That’s him,” Kitty said, coming forward to distract Harlon from Steph, who was standing with her mouth open. “I’m very proud to have him as a soon-to
-be-son-in-law.”
“I would imagine so. Tell me, why not just borrow the money from him?”
“You know how it is.” Kathleen placed her hand affectionately on Harlon’s arm. “After seeing how my marriage turned out, Steph wanted to stand on her own two feet. I can’t thank you enough for making that happen, Harlon. It truly has been so good to see you.”
“And you, Kathleen. Kitty,” he corrected himself.
With one last smile, Kitty guided Steph out of Harlon’s office, and out of the bank. But as they reached the door, Steph suddenly came to her senses and broke free. “I have one last question I have to ask Harlon.”
With that, she ran back inside, and scooted past a secretary who was heading into Harlon’s office, practically slamming the door in her face. “Sorry, this is very important.”
Harlon looked up, startled. “Stephanie, is everything OK?”
“You’re not married?”
“Divorced.”
“Great!” She took a breath. “Well, no, not great. But good. For you and my mom.”
It was Harlon’s turn to blush. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Dinner, with my mom. Thursday night at Svenelli’s. You know, north side of town.”
“I know it.”
“Great. Seven. Will you be there?” Steph asked hopefully.
“I will,” Harlon said.
“Great. Bye. Thank you.” She slipped back out of the door and went back to the car.
“What was that all about?” Kitty asked.
“Just making sure we know our repayment dates,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go home.”
Chapter Sixteen – Dylan
“Are you sure about this?” Grandpa asked Dylan. They were sitting in Dylan’s apartment, which overlooked the city’s biggest park. Many times Dylan had sat looking out of the window, dreaming of running free through the ornamental pond, frolicking under the fountain, and then lying in the sun to dry off his bear fur.
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