by Ava Hunt
Rayner snarled, "How do you know. She didn't want me, and she left to prove it. I doubt she's thinking of me at all."
Jaime looked at Rayner. Rayner's eyes were bloodshot and his mouth a permanent frown. "That's impossible, Rayner. You're her mate. She's thinking of you everyday. She's in agony over you."
"Mating doesn't seem to stop women from leaving you," Rayner said.
"Lorna wasn't a Bear!" Jaime yelled, getting impatient. "Listen, you sorry sack of dung, you can mope around all you want, but my sister is gone because of you, and you're the only one who can do anything about it." Jaime slapped the mission's address and phone number down on the bartop in front of Rayner. "I hope you have the balls to fix the mess you made." He shook his head in disgust. "You know, I should end you," Jaime threatened. Rayner looked up at him almost hopefully.
Jaime sighed. "Instead, I'll just leave you to stew in your own misery." He left Rayner at the bar.
Rayner picked up the slip of paper. He thought about trashing it. But he left it on the bar, unsure what to do with it.
George had become another bar regular, and watched the exchange between Jaime and Rayner. He walked over to Rayner now, looking sympathetic.
"Rayner," George put a hand on his shoulder. "You escaped from Jen, you're lucky. I got to see her true colors myself through this whole thing." Rayner listened quietly to him, wishing George would take his grubby hand off of his shoulder. "I never told you how she confided in me that she wanted to abort your cubs too. She was terrified of carrying your children, Rayner. Believe me, you got away from the nightmare of a lifetime. Consider yourself fortunate." George clapped his hand on Rayner's shoulder for emphasis, and walked off. Rayner frowned. George was such a strange Bear. Then he looked to the slip of paper Jaime had left on the counter. It was gone. Rayner turned and saw George slipping something into his pocket.
This wasn't adding up. Jeneva had told him that she would never abort his cubs. That was his deepest fear, and her words were a balm to his heart that night. He knew Jeneva most of her life and had never known her to be such a consistent liar. But maybe she wasn't lying. Maybe George was. Rayner finished his beer and wiped his mouth. He was going to keep an eye on George.
Three days later, the bar was packed for a big game. Everyone cheered when the home team scored a goal. Rayner was off the drink again. He clutched a book in his hand to remind him that he had to stay sober, at least until he could find out what George was up to.
Jaime was talking with Mary Totham about the football season, and Marcus ran around filling drink orders. Rayner spied George laughing with Philip Denver, looking pretty happy. He slipped through the crowd to stand close enough to hear their conversation.
"It is going to be really hot this time of year, Phil," George was saying. "I figure, why wait? If you're going to go to Brazil, might as well go!" he laughed. "Who knows, maybe I'll run into Jen while I'm there."
"Brazil's huge, George," Phil shook his head. "The chances of you seeing each other would be pretty small, unless you know exactly where she is."
"Maybe I do," George smirked. Three seconds later, Rayner had him by the back of the collar. He smashed the Bear into the hard timber wall of the bar.
"You overplayed your hand, George," Rayner said. "You took that address from me the last time you talked to me. You're going to see Jeneva."
"So what?" George squirmed. Rayner had his arm pinned behind him and his face scraping the wall. "You weren't going to use it! Who cares if I took it?"
Rayner realized then that George had played him for a fool. All those things he told him Jeneva said was lies. Even the text messages, somehow. "You... made a fool out of me, George!" Rayner raged. "I'm going to put you out of commission for good!" He shifted his arm into his large paw to swipe George's head clean off. He was stopped by a muzzle locking firmly onto him just as he was about to strike. He turned to look. Jaime was holding his arm, in his Bear form. Rayner sighed, and let George go.
Jaime shifted back to his human shape. He flipped George around to face them and took him up by his collar, shaking him.
"George, what the hell did you do? Tell us the truth. Now!"
George's face crumpled, defeated. He hesitated, resisting the order. Then he gave in, finally. "I sent the text messages."
Marcus was behind Rayner and held him back. Rayner felt fresh rage flowing through him. He wanted to pummel the Bear so badly.
"Jeneva took another phone call and left her phone where I could reach it. I sent the text messages from her phone and answered from mine. Then I erased the messages from her phone so she wouldn't know what I'd done," he said. "I did it to protect her from you," George screamed at Rayner. "You're a maniac!"
"The only maniac I see here is you," Jaime slugged George across the jaw, to Rayner's satisfaction. "What else? You're hiding something!"
George was compelled by blood to answer his Alpha. He had no choice. He took the slip of paper out of his pants pocket and held it out.
Jaime took the paper. "You rat! You betrayed the Den. You don't ever come between a Bear and her mate. You're banished George. Get your ass out of here."
George's lip quivered, but he ran out of the bar without saying a word, happy to be alive.
Jaime gave the slip of paper to Rayner. "You have to go, Rayner."
Rayner took the paper from Jaime. He left the bar and went to buy a ticket to Brazil.
Chapter Eleven
Rayner worried on the long plane ride south. What would he say to her? How would he apologize? He had said nasty things – unforgivable things – to her when he last saw her, before she left him. Would she forgive him?
He turned the engagement ring over in his hands, worrying. A human tradition that was meaningless to Bears, but maybe it would be enough.
The plane touched down. He had to catch three different trains and two buses to get to her remote village. It was hot and humid here. The smells of different creatures danced through his skin. Maybe she wouldn't want to leave, he fretted. Maybe she liked it here. Could he move to be with her if he had to?
He looked around at the foreign trees with distaste. It wasn't home. It was lovely and strange, but it wasn't home. Reserve Park was home. Reserve Park was where he wanted to raise cubs with Jeneva. He wanted to guard them, watch them flourish and grow together in the safety of their Den and their family. He wanted his cubs rubbing on all the same trees he had rubbed on. He wanted Jeneva to enjoy her life with the other Bears. He didn't want to have to hide who they were, living among humans and not knowing where there were other Dens to be found. Jeneva had to come home with him. It was the only way.
In her room, Jeneva was packing her things again. It had only been a week. She had to be more careful. Back home she never had to worry about shifting. She had forgotten that in the human world there were more rules about who you could be, and how. Father Mallory had spent time to find another mission that she could go to, in Peru. It was another long plane ride, but the place sounded nice enough.
There was a knock on the door. Father Mallory came in. "We're sorry to send you off, Jeneva. We do like you but you understand that we simply can't. The villagers won't allow it."
"I understand Father," Jeneva said.
"By the way, a man has come to see you. A friend of yours, he said. Should I send him back?"
Jeneva's heart pounded in her chest. "A visitor? For me?"
"Yes. I'll let him know he can come back," Father Mallory stepped away.
Jeneva sank down onto her cot, her head swimming. She held her hands, praying, and sure enough Rayner came in through the doorway.
"Hey, love," he said. "I'm sorry for what I did to you." He held a big bouquet of flowers. Jeneva ignored the flowers and rushed into his arms. He dropped the bouquet and wrapped her tight in his embrace. Jeneva sobbed into his shoulder with stress, and relief, and anger.
"You're such an idiot, Rayner! You hurt me so much!"
"I know," Rayner sighed deeply, and
stroked her hair. He absorbed everything about her – her scent, her presence, her body and the way it fit so perfectly with his. "I was wrong."
He sat down on the little cot and Jeneva sat on his lap, straddling him.
"I got the truth from George. He set us both up, Jeneva. He sent himself text messages from your phone saying that you made a mistake being with me, that you were going to leave me and go to Brazil."
"From my phone?" Jeneva gaped. "But there was nothing like that on there!"
"He was clever. He erased the text messages so you wouldn't see what he had done. He's been banished from the Den now for what he did to us. He's lucky that he escaped with his life."
"I see," Jeneva said. She was sad. Would she never see her friend again? Then again, he wasn't truly her friend if he could do what he had done. It hurt to see the truth. She started to cry.
Rayner hugged her fiercely. "I... said some terrible things, Jen."
"I did too."
"You didn't. Not like what I said," he pulled her away to look at her. "It was unforgivable. You were humiliated in front of the whole Den. I can't ask you to return but, if you will return, if you'll have me, please take this." Rayner pulled the ring box out of his pocket. A large diamond sat in the middle of the ring. Rayner took her hand. She didn't resist. He put the ring on her finger. It fit.
Jeneva leaned her forehead against Rayner's. They breathed each other in. She had missed him so much. The ring was a sweet token, and it was truly beautiful, but what she really needed was this pine and musk smell. It surrounded her and she felt at home. Truly home. As if whereever he went, there home would be too.
"I was an idiot for leaving, Rayner," Jeneva confessed. "Jaime was right." She looked at the ring on her finger and into his eyes. "It hurts more than anything to leave your mate for too long. I never want to experience that again."
"Neither do I," Rayner squeezed her waist possessively, wanting to take her again, wanting to feel himself claiming her body. He breathed steadily to calm himself. She seemed to be feeling the urge too. Her chest was rising and falling quickly.
"I wanted to tell you that day, the Council cleared me. I have a clean bill of health."
Rayner examined her. She was looking him square in the eye. "Does that mean?..."
"It means we can have cubs!" She laughed happily, and tears flowed down her face again. "They'll be healthy and free of the genetic defect. The doctors were wrong when they examined me before. The trait is benign in me!"
Rayner kissed her deeply, pressing her to him. She embraced him and sighed with relief, wanting him.
"I don't think we can do it here," Rayner smiled at his mate.
"Me neither," Jeneva agreed.
Rayner stood her up, and picked up her bag. "Let's go home, Jeneva," he held out his hand to her. Jeneva took it.
A week later, they were in Rayner's trailer, cleaning up the mess he'd made. Rayner was clean-shaven and looking good again. His wounds were healed. And Jeneva was pregnant with his cubs. They'd called the medical office as soon as they found out. She was scheduled for her first appointment later that day.
"What are we going to do here? There's not enough space in this trailer for a family, even if we fix it up," Jeneva complained. She pulled out a shoebox from beneath Rayner's dresser. "What's this?"
"Go ahead and open it up," Rayner said.
Jeneva opened the box and picked up the photograph lying on top of the letters and other mementos. "Is this Lorna?"
"That was Lorna, yes," Rayner looked over his mate's shoulder while she studied the face in the picture.
"She looks happy."
"That's the day before she aborted our cubs," Rayner said sadly.
Jeneva put down the picture and took his hands. "You know I would never do that, Rayner."
"I know," he kissed her forehead. "What should we do with that stuff?"
"What do you mean?" Jeneva said. "Don't you want to remember her?"
"Frankly, no," Rayner stood and pulled Jeneva to her feet. He held her close. "I'm looking at my future right now, and that's all that matters. Let's get rid of everything that doesn't matter."
"Like Lorna?" Jeneva offered.
"Like Lorna," Rayner said.
Jeneva fitted the top back on the shoebox, and dumped the whole box into the trash with the other debris.
"We could tear down the trailer. Build a new house," Jeneva said.
"A frame house like the one you grew up in?" Rayner said.
"Yes, and we'd have to clear trees to make space for my toys. I'll need to teach the cubs how to work on cars, too."
"My god, you're beautiful," Rayner said.
Jeneva smiled, and kissed him deeply. "Here's to a long life with you by my side, Rayner Garcia."
"And with you, Jeneva Garcia."
THE END
The Reserve Park Bears
Shadow Bear
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IE4022O
Defiant Bear
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IDKKF26
Fortune Bear
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IS60TU8
Christmas at Reserve Park (Coming Soon)
Sugar Bear
An unexpected encounter...
Mark Conklin and Abigail Yates meet each other under serendipitous conditions; she's a waitress at the first diner he comes to and he's a businessman in town for only a week.
Two sets of parents who think they know best...
Even though the young couple are adults, their parents meddle. Believing that their child deserves better, they succeed only in pushing the two closer together.
A secret that is finally revealed...
Add to the mix a bear shifter secret and this relationship has so much going wrong. Can the secrets and the distance between them be forgiven once they're back in each other's arms?
*This sweet and tender tale isn't quite as sexy as other Ava Hunt titles, but she hopes you like it just the same*
Chapter One
Abigail Yates yawned as her alarm went off. Another morning gave way to another day at her dead end job. The job was one that she never enjoyed going to, but it paid the bills. This wasn’t how she wanted her life to be. This wasn't how it was suppose to go for someone who studied hard all through high school and college and earned her degree. After years of disappointment when going for job interviews, she gave up and took the first job she could get which was a waitress position at a local diner, where regular customers visited everyday and tourists came during the peak of tourist season.
After a quick shower and brush of her teeth, Abigail got into her waitress uniform. She checked herself in the mirror, making sure all her tags were tucked in. Today she had a double shift after promising to take over for a co-worker who had a job interview. It killed her watching the other workers get jobs and quit the diner, when she was stuck in a rut. It didn’t look like she was getting out of there anytime soon.
“Morning Abigail,” Oscar, her manager, greeted her as she walked into the backroom.
“Morning Oscar. I see the breakfast crowd started earlier than usual today. I don’t even know some of the customers here this morning.”
“There’s a convention going on this week. Why they chose this town is beyond me. But they’ve been coming into the diner in shifts. Thank you again for taking Jessie’s shift tonight. If this is any indication of the crowds we’re going to have all day, I’ll need all the help I can get.”
“It’s my pleasure. You know I always love to help out as much as I can here.” Although she just tried to be polite, Abigail couldn’t get the taste of the words out of her mouth. How could she make working at this diner sound so glamorous? How did she end up with a job like this?
Abigail was well known throughout the town of Hampton. It was a small town, with only a population of around five hundred citizens. She'd been born and raised there in Hampton, earning ribbon after ribbon for her looks. The local beauty pageant winner, she thought she could use that to
her advantage when it came to getting a job. Sadly it didn’t mean that at all, until she met Oscar. He hired her as a waitress on the spot. That was nearly five years ago and yet, there she was, still being the most reliable waitress at the diner.
Lately she found herself daydreaming while she worked. What would her life had been like if she got a job in her skill set after college? A job that was within her career choice and college major? She wanted to be a businesswoman who would eventually have her own jewelry design company.
I was top in my graduating class in college. I shouldn’t be a waitress. She shook the thoughts out of her head. It was her own fault. She should’ve been saving her money throughout college and moved to the big city after she graduated, she believed. Now she was a twenty-seven year old still living with her parents in order to save money.
