Return to Bear Bluff Complete Series

by Harmony Raines

  ***

  She drove to the bottom of the Bluff and parked the car, looking out for the big oak tree Tony had described to her. There it was, illuminated by the same moon that had illuminated Caleb’s body last night. Would it lead her to him now?

  Locking her car, she walked along the road until she came to a path; there she hesitated. She must be mad to be even contemplating this, she was deep in bear country, and bears ate rabbits.

  But her bear was up there somewhere and it would take her rabbit senses to find him, if she wasn’t sidetracked by the fresh springy mountain grass. Her inner animal could be a little unpredictable sometimes.

  Not tonight, I want to meet our mate, her inner rabbit said.

  So he can eat us, Zoe answered.

  He won’t, he’ll know it’s us, came back the reply.

  I’m going to trust you on this, Zoe said in return.

  She walked up into the trees, where she hoped no one would see her, and then she let her bunny rabbit take over. Shimmering out of this world, she returned as a rabbit, complete with twitching nose and a bobtail. She swore if he ever called her cute, she would show him what damage a rabbit could do, particularly to his favorite shoes. Her teeth could nibble a hole in the toughest of leather.

  Hopping up the trail, heading in what she hoped was the direction of the big oak tree, because everything looked so different from down here, she made her way toward her mate. Every few hops, she stopped and sniffed the air, partly to pick up Caleb’s scent, but also so no other bear would catch her unawares.

  Hopping around on all fours was not something she did often, not out in the wilds anyway. She usually curtailed her bunny activities, keeping inside the perimeter fence of her parents’ backyard. But this bunny was feeling brave. Maybe a part of her mate had brushed off on her, and she would no longer be a meek little rabbit.

  Scampering over open ground was the scariest thing she’d ever done. The sounds of creatures of the night were all around her: the hoot of an owl, the howl of a wolf somewhere deep in the mountains, all made her small body shiver. Then she heard a bear roar, and she froze. Was it him, was it her mate?

  She stopped, sitting up on her haunches and sniffing the air, her nose twitching, whiskers flicking as she tried to catch the scent on the breeze. Yes, she was sure it was him. He was close.

  Very close! The ground shook, and a huge grizzly bear exploded out of the undergrowth, heading straight for her.

  She screamed, or squeaked, in her rabbit voice and turned tail and ran, weaving between what cover she could find as he chased her down. But she couldn’t outrun him.

  Her only hope was to shift back to her human form, and hope his bear wouldn’t bite her head off before he realized who it was.

  With her small heart hammering in her chest, she shifted, the air filled with a static charge, while the bear bore down on her. When she left this world as a rabbit, she only hoped when she returned it would be enough to stop him mauling her to death.

  Chapter Eleven – Caleb

  He felt the static charge fill the air, a sign she was about to shift. He did the same.

  The chase was done; he’d caught his prey. Maybe he should have simply walked up to her and said hello to his small mate, but the bear in him had taken over: the thrill of the chase was ingrained in his blood.

  Caleb let his bear slip away, the air shimmering and the mountain fading out of existence before it came back into sharp focus. His human eyes adjusted to the dark night, and he let his senses roam, searching for her.

  There she was, tumbling across the open ground in her human form, her eyes wild, searching for the bear. When they rested on him, the look of fear slid away, and she stopped her forward momentum, her hands reaching out to stop herself, and her feet going under her body with enough force to launch herself at him.

  “What the hell was that?” she asked, her temper rising, making her look incredibly wild and beautiful, as much a part of the mountain as his bear.

  “That was me chasing you.”

  “Why would you do that? Does it make you feel big to scare a woman like that?” Her breasts heaved, and he had to force himself not to stare at them, his hands itching to caress them.

  “No,” he said, coming closer to her. “It was supposed to be fun.”

  “Fun!” She closed the space between them, fists clenched at her side. “Fun is a walk in the moonlight, fun is lying on your back looking at the stars, fun is eating the fresh tips off the grass. Fun is not being run down by big bear paws.”

  “I guess we both have some readjusting to do.” He smiled, hoping to disarm her anger. “Because I am not going vegetarian for your rabbit. Grass is never going to be on the menu. But neither is rabbit either, ever again. I promise.”

  Her breathing calmed. Pity, because there was something about her voluptuous chest heaving that caused a stirring deep inside him. Very deep. Damn, he wanted her. But he had to get back home; his parents were expecting him … and Zoe.

  “You’d better stick to that promise, or I’ll have your bear hide.” She relaxed a little.

  “OK, and talking of eating, I have a favor to ask,” he said, hoping she was going to be OK with it.

  “Really, you just chase me down and then you ask a favor! I’m not sure what school of manners you dropped out of, but they should have at least taught you to work up to a favor by being nice to someone first.”

  He slipped his arm around her and pulled her close. “You could take that up with my mom. She can compare notes with what my dad is like, and give you some advance warning on some things.”

  “I bet she could.”

  “Great, so will you come to dinner tomorrow?”

  “Dinner, with your parents?” she asked, her body tensing and he could feel her pulling away from him.

  “Yes. Please. My mom asked if I was OK, said I’d been acting strange the last couple of days. I said everything was great, and I don’t know how, but she just knew.”

  “That you had a mate?” Zoe asked.

  “Yes, some kind of mother’s intuition, she said. Then, when I told her I was going for a run, she guessed I was meeting you.” He turned to face her, one hand on each of her shoulders, willing her to understand. “She wants to meet you, and Tony.”

  “You told her about Tony?” she asked, looking worried.

  “Yes, I told my parents about Tony, the day we met. They were excited that I’d taken the job with Dylan.” He stroked her cheek, and then kissed her lips briefly. “They would have found out soon enough. Tony knows, Dylan knows, soon the whole of Bear Bluff will know, and I want my parents to know who their future daughter-in-law is. Please.”

  She nodded, but didn’t look happy about it, which puzzled him. “OK.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “They will love you. And I’m sure you’ll love them.”

  She pressed her lips together. He got the feeling there was something on her mind, but she didn’t tell him what it was. Their relationship was still too new for them to share all their thoughts, but one day, he hoped she would want to share her intimate thoughts with him. Or that they would know each other so well, they would be able to interpret looks and moods, with no words needed, just as his parents did.

  “I should get home.” She pulled away from him.

  “You don’t want to run there together?” he asked. “I’ll protect you.”

  “From yourself?” she asked.

  “You have a point,” he answered, his hands caressing her body.

  “From your bear.” She dug him in the ribs. “I parked my car down there.” She pointed to the path she had come up. “I can find my way back down.”

  He took hold of her hand as she walked toward the trail. “I’ll walk you.”

  They walked in silence for a few minutes. He wanted to ask her if she was OK, to find out what it was about visiting his parents that had upset her. However, prying was not his thing. Zoe was entitled to have her secrets, but he did want to help her with
whatever it was that bothered her.

  “Should I bring something?” she asked. “When we come for dinner.”

  “Oh. No.” He shook his head. “Unless you want to.”

  “I don’t want to arrive empty handed, not if your mom’s cooking. I thought she wasn’t well.”

  “She is and she isn’t. She finds a lot of things a strain, but she hates not being able to live a full life.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said. Stopping, she turned to him, her face softer. “I never know how to act around other people’s parents.”

  Her words tumbled out, and then he understood her problem. “Just be yourself.”

  “I can do that.” She still looked pensive. “We never took friends home, and so I never went to other people’s houses, even when I was invited, because I knew I could never return the invitation. Even when I was a young child.”

  “Listen, my mom will want to like you. If you want to bring her something, then flowers. She’s pretty much stuck in the house, when she’d rather be in the garden, so flowers will cheer her up.”

  They began to walk again, Caleb holding her hand, keeping her upright as the night closed in and they could no longer see too well. He knew these trails so well, he could run them wearing a blindfold.

  “When I came to Bear Bluff, I expected to work from home and not have to mingle with people. I have reclusive tendencies,” she admitted. “Running around after Tony made me get out and speak to people. And now, meeting you… You make me feel as if I can be a normal person.”

  “Sometimes you have to face your fears,” he said.

  “With my brave bear at my side.” She pushed her hips into him gently. “Thank you. For being so understanding.”

  “You are welcome.”

  “Do you know what my biggest fear is?” she asked.

  “No,” he replied, happy beyond words she had begun to open up to him.

  “That I’m going to be like my mom.”

  It was Caleb’s turn to stop. He pulled her into his arms, and held her against him, wanting his love for her to flow from him into her. “You are not your mom.”

  “But what if that’s what happens, when we settle down and have kids? I’ve been thinking about it since we met. How Tony gets into trouble, and I find it hard to let people in. I say I gave up my life in my hometown, but really, I gave up one house for another. I didn’t have friends; sometimes, I don’t think I need people at all.”

  He placed his lips on hers, a gentle, soft kiss. “Tell me, do you think you could walk away from me? Walk out of my life and not crave to be back in my arms?”

  She frowned as if studying something inside her. His heart beat rapidly in his chest. If she said yes, she could just walk away, he would be devastated.

  “Part of me does. But then there’s this fluffy part of me that is ecstatic we are together and will never let me leave.”

  He grinned, letting out the breath he had been holding. “You had me worried there.” He sighed. “So here’s what I see. You will never be like your mom, because you have that furry rabbit inside of you. And for that reason, I solemnly swear to protect the little critter with all my bear strength.”

  She smiled. “I’ve always thought being a rabbit shifter was lame. But you know, I think that little bundle of fur is the bravest creature I know; she’s willing to take a chance when I wouldn’t.”

  “A chance on me?” he asked.

  “Yes, that first day we met, I’d have walked away. Even though I saw the look in your eyes, and knew what we were to each other, I’d have left you where you stood. Only she wouldn’t let me.”

  “Maybe you should tell your brother about that inner strength.”

  She cocked her head. “Have you just dangled a little morsel of knowledge in front of me?”

  “I might have. But if he asks, it didn’t come from me.”

  “Your secret is safe.” She kissed him, looking happier. “Thank you. For being you, and for being mine.”

  He chuckled. “I’m yours, and you are mine, and no one will ever come between us.”

  “Let’s hope that’s true when you meet my family,” she said.

  “Nothing. No one. Ever.” He was certain; he just had to get her to believe it, too.

  Chapter Twelve – Zoe

  Driving up to Caleb’s parents’ house made her question whether she could go through with this. Her mood wasn’t helped by the fact she was making the journey alone. Caleb and Tony were already there; they had been running late on their job, which Dylan had insisted needed finishing today. Not wanting to ruin the evening, Caleb had suggested he take Tony home with him straight from work. He promised to be there when Zoe arrived.

  “Waiting outside,” Zoe had insisted, feeling childish.

  “I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t worry,” he promised.

  But she did worry. She worried about what to wear, she worried about what she would say, until she thought her head would explode. Then she sat herself down, and thought it through.

  With Caleb’s words from last night in her head, she went over not only her feelings and emotions, but also Tony’s behavior. Was Caleb right? Did her brother suffered from insecurity over being a small animal, rather than a bear or a tiger?

  She remembered when they were younger, before the shift was upon them. He would crawl around the back yard pretending to be a lion. Roaring at the top of his voice, until their mom would come out and tell him to be quiet.

  Had this somehow manifested in his bad behavior: was it his way of acting out, of a small person trying to get attention? Tomorrow, she was going to spend some time with him alone. Perhaps a movie and dinner out, a celebration of their new start, which, after a third day of working with Caleb, seemed to be real.

  Her mood lifted. If Tony could change, then so could she. She’d walk into Caleb’s parents’ house expecting them to like her.

  The drive was quick; the flowers she had bought earlier in the day sat on the passenger seat. Holding on to her confident mood, she turned into the driveway of Down End Cottage. It was exactly as Caleb had described it, a cream-colored cottage with roses growing up over the front door. It was perfect, and she loved it instantly, from the rose-bush borders, and the old apple tree, to the two men fighting on the immaculate lawn.

  She stopped the car alongside them and got out, her feet scrunching on the drive. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked.

  The two men stood and stared at her, as if she were mad. “Caleb is teaching me aikido,” Tony said.

  “Why?” Zoe demanded.

  “So I can defend myself,” Tony offered.

  “Hey, Zoe, calm down.”

  “Calm down? You are teaching him to fight!” She wanted to grab Tony and shove him in the car, and drive him home, never to see Caleb again. “I thought you were helping him, not encouraging him to fight.”

  “Hello.” A voice from the cottage drew her attention.

  “We’ll be there in a second, Mom,” Caleb said, and then to Tony he added, “Would you give me and your sister a moment, please, Tony?”

  “Sure,” Tony said, aiming a scowl at Zoe, which ripped her heart in two. Why was she the bad guy, couldn’t either of them see that encouraging Tony to fight would make things worse?

  “Thanks,” Caleb said, approaching her, his broad chest naked. She’d completely missed that he was stripped down to the waist. So wrapped up in her anger, she had seen red, not the honey-gold skin of her mate. “Eyes up here.”

  Closing her mouth, which had been hanging open, she focused on his face. “Why would you teach him to fight?”

  “I’m not. I’m teaching him to defend himself. Not to attack, not to initiate a fight.”

  “That’s not what it looked like.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, but to learn to defend, you have to see how an attack works. It’s all about using the other person’s body against them.” He was close to her now, his fingers reaching out to trace the swell of her breast, and
a warmth flooded her body. “Just like I’m doing now.”

  “I give up,” she said softly.

  “I don’t want you to give up. I want you to give in to me; give in to trusting me.” His hand slipped around her waist and he pulled her close to him. “I want to use my body against you in so many ways.”

  He kissed her, right there on his parents’ lawn. A deep, longing filled her; she wanted to let go of her old reservations, and let him into her life completely. She didn’t know what was holding her back: she was his mate, and yet Tony seemed to have a better relationship with Caleb than she did.

  “That’s better,” he murmured against her lips. “Are you ready to meet my parents?”

  “I’m not so sure, I’ve already made a fool of myself.” She took a step back, hanging her head and feeling foolish for overreacting.

  He tilted her chin up and smiled. “We all make fools of ourselves. We’re all human; well, mostly human. Let it go.” He kissed her lips quickly. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  He took her hand and led her across the lawn to the house. His mom and Tony had disappeared; she hoped Tony was coping better than her. She was shocked to see he was.

  When Caleb took her to the kitchen she found Tony seated at the table, a glass of lemonade in his hand, fussing with a big black and white cat who was rubbing himself along her brother’s legs. He looked relaxed and at home. More than he ever had at their own family home.

  “Thanks, Viola,” Tony said, when Caleb’s mom put a plate down in front of him, with a deep-filled ham sandwich set invitingly on it.

  “A growing boy needs to eat.” She winked at Zoe. “He’s a credit to you, Zoe.”

  “He’s my brother,” Zoe said, not sure what Viola meant.”

  “I know, dear, but while Caleb was having a shower, in your honor, Tony told me all about how you’ve looked out for him.” She smiled. “My son is lucky to have a woman like you as his mate.” She came around to Zoe and before she knew it, Viola had pulled her into a hug. “Welcome to the family.”