She could hear and feel his sincerity, and she hated seeing him so worked up and worried. The last thing she wanted was for him or anyone in this lovely little town to get into more trouble. The weather and die offs had been bad enough, what if Ryder and his pack were next? If she could help them, then surely, she should go all in and trust what he was saying.
If she didn’t, who knows what she could be contributing to…
“I think I should quit my role and leave town,” she said without thinking. “I don’t know where Sean is, I haven’t even seen him since he went off up the mountain with Dean yesterday. He said he had some further things to look into once he managed to shake the ranger.”
Ryder sighed and looked at her.
“See,” he said. “Even that sort of information is a big help… but I can’t force you to do anything. All I know is, I want to do what is right and protect the people I love. If the pack knows they can trust you, then you’re safe here, and hopefully, you can help us ensure that everyone else is too. From my pack to the other packs in the town… and also the regular residents and the tourists. This place is about to explode for summer… we don’t want any more disasters taking place.”
She turned and looked back at him and could feel the pull still there between them. She had wanted so badly to believe he was a bad guy, to pin on him, at the first opportunity, the fact that he must be like all the others−to want to use her for his own gain−but she knew this was different. The stakes were high. This wasn’t some asshole trying to lure her into bed for his own personal satisfaction, this was a man trying to save his family and his town.
Her heart beat harder and she took a step toward him, taking hold of his hands.
“Okay,” she whispered. “I’ll do it for you.”
Ryder cupped her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes.
“Thank you.” He smiled with a whisper before he pulled her to him and held her tightly. “Thank you so much.”
“You should call them,” she said as she mustered up the courage. “The pack. It’s better we do it now rather than waiting any longer.”
Ryder pulled back and looked down at her again before he planted a solitary kiss on her lips and held her there, wrapped up in his arms.
“You’re incredible,” he whispered in her ears. “And now, they are all going to see it too.”
10.
With the bar being so eerily empty, it was strange for Pamela to see it in a completely different light. At night, when the tourists, shifters and the town’s folk were all in there, unwinding after a long day, listening to the live music, drinking the local ale, and eating the freshly barbequed meat, it was as if the little details were all hidden from view.
The walls were tall and rustic, roughed up and cracked, with iron candles holders running around the main level, some with candles in them, and some with melted dripping wax covering the base and trailing down the wall to the floor. The fire pits were big, much bigger than she had realized, and the logs that were stacked in them had been done with an accuracy that couldn’t have been by accident. Whoever did it, and she would only assume it was Ryder or Wendy, had a specific way of doing all of them so they matched. The natural light that came in from the windows was blocked out by shutters, hiding the dust and the spilled sticky drinks that were still slopped on the floor from the night before.
“The cleaner has usually been in by now,” Ryder said as he watched Pamela’s eyes traveling across the dirty floor. “I asked her not to come in today… I thought we would need the privacy.”
She nodded and then turned back to face him.
“How long do you think they’ll be?” she asked, her stomach fluttering with anxiety and nerves.
“Not long,” he said as he sniffed the air. “In fact…”
He trailed off and took a step closer to the front door. Pamela watched him as he moved with caution, how he seemed to be intently listening and all his senses were on high alert.
When he stood in front of the door, it was only a split second before a huge, heavy knock pounded through the wood and seemed to echo around the room and the floors above.
Pamela swallowed nervously and moved back behind the bar counter. She didn’t know why she felt as if she had to have a barrier between her and whoever was about to walk through the door, but it made sense for her to at least try and have something she could duck behind should things take a nasty turn.
Ryder reached for the handle and slowly opened the door. Pamela took a deep breath and tried not to panic. As the door opened fully, she was aware of five big, burly men stepping inside. All of them looked as big as Ryder, if not even taller and even more broad. They all had grizzly stubble, were dressed in jeans and leather jackets, and they all carried with them the scent of the forest.
She instinctively took a step back and stared at them all. She couldn’t distinguish one from the nother, her mind was a blur and they all seemed to merge into one. She cleared her throat and gripped onto the back of the bar behind her, praying that these men weren’t out for her blood.
As Ryder closed the door behind them, and they all stood in a line and watched her, she realized she had seen them before. They were the men Ryder had been drinking with on the first night she had come to town. He had sat and sunk whiskeys with them all night long, they had arm wrestled and roughhoused with each other, and it was clear that they were closer than close. When she had watched them, they looked like a group of brothers rather than friends, and she just hoped that they would respect Ryder’s wishes and trust in her.
“Okay,” Ryder said as he stepped in front of the line of men and moved in between them and Pamela. “We all know why we’re here.”
One of the men at the front stepped forward and crossed his arms over his chest, and Pamela realized it was Dean, the ranger. He glared at them both, as if he was already in on something that they weren’t. She let her eyes travel around the others and they didn’t look happy in the slightest, as if they were already hating the fact that they had been brought there to meet with a scientist who had come to town to meddle in their affairs.
“Yes, we do,” Dean said as he stared at Pamela and nodded his head. “And I want to hear what she has to say.”
Pamela’s heart thudded in her chest and her mouth started to go dry. She had never felt so intimidated or put on the spot before. These men would have been frightening enough, even if she didn’t know they could turn into animals that could rip her apart.
“Pamela,” Ryder said as he turned and took a step toward her, “is innocent.” He reached down and took hold of her hand and held it tightly, almost in an act of defiance. “I know you’re wary, but over the past few days, I have gotten to know her. I’ve seen her working out there and what she is doing… and I can tell you now, she isn’t one of the bad guys.”
Dean licked his bottom lip and unfolded his arms.
“Dean, you were up there with us. You saw how sketchy Sean was, you actually traveled to the summit with him.”
Dean nodded his head again.
“That’s right,” Dean said. “I did see him, and I got a bad vibe from him from the start.”
“He lied to Pamela,” Ryder continued. “She was led to believe she had been hired by the government.”
Dean snorted with laughter and shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“It’s true,” Pamela said, almost in a whisper. “It’s my first job, and I’ve clearly been duped. I didn’t have a clue what we were coming out here for, all I was told was that we had to investigate the strange weather and the issues with the animals in the woods.”
Dean clicked his teeth and turned to look at Ryder.
“I was with her up there and I saw what she did,” Ryder continued. “She was collecting soil and water samples. Looking at rocks… talking about the environment…”
“And the mine?” Dean asked with a raised brow.
“The mine?” Pamela asked with confusion
. “What mine?”
The word jogged her memory, and something started to click into place. She remembered the pictures in the back office, the black and white photographs from long, long ago, of men working outside a mine shaft, holding pickaxes over their shoulders and getting ready to head down into the earth.
Dean looked from Pamela to Ryder and back again.
“Okay,” Dean said, “I can tell when someone is being genuine.”
“She is,” Ryder confirmed. “And not only that, but she’s agreed to help us too.”
Dean sighed and his shoulders relaxed, and it seemed that it rolled out to the other members of the pack too. All the men suddenly seemed less on edge, and more open to the idea of Pamela being there. They all slowly made their way toward the bar counter and each pulled out stools to sit on.
“I could do with a drink,” Dean said as he rubbed his forehead.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ryder said with scorn. “No way are you going down that road.”
Pamela looked at them both with confusion, and Dean smiled wearily.
“Been sober for over ten years,” he admitted as he sat back against the backrest.
“Okay,” Ryder said. “You were up there on the mountain with Sean, what do you think he’s up to?”
Dean shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
“I wish I knew, but he’s definitely interested in the mine.”
The mine… there is was again.
Pamela felt her ears prick up and she looked across at Ryder.
“Many years ago, there was an accident here,” Ryder said. “A mine collapsed, and a lot of people died.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” she asked.
“We don’t know yet,” Dean interrupted and rubbed his jaw. “But Sean seems to be sniffing around there and we need to know why.”
The shifter pack all looked at her and she stared at Dean.
“I haven’t seen him since before you guys went up to the summit,” she said sincerely.
“He shook me off,” Dean said with a half laugh. “He played nice all the way up and acted as if he were just doing similar tests to you on the soil and water. But as soon as I dropped him back at the base, I followed him again, and I know he went looking deeper into the forest, toward where the abandoned mine is.”
“Well, he knows something we don’t then,” Pamela said. “Because all this is news to me. All I know about is what I’ve read on the internet and what I’ve been told by you guys. I’m as lost as you are.”
Ryder nodded and gave her hand a squeeze, and Dean seemed to believe her too.
“If you can help us, Pamela, we would greatly appreciate it, but I know this can’t be easy. Especially, when you’ve been kept in the dark and don’t know where you are or what is happening.”
“Yes,” she admitted. “I do feel quite lost here, but I want to help, of course, I do. I always want to make sure the right thing is done.”
Dean smiled at her warmly and nodded his head before he rose to his feet. He held out his hand to her, and she reached out and shook it. His skin was warm to the touch too, much like Ryders, but not as intense, as if Ryder’s heat was just saved for her.
“Okay,” Dean said. “Thank you for meeting with us. I just wanted to be sure, but I know I can trust you, and Ryder can vouch for you. Let’s just make sure nothing else happens around here. Especially, now that the wolves have gotten wind of this Sean guy here in town and are baying for his blood.”
Pamela winced. The idea was terrifying. It so easily could have been her.
“Have they calmed down at all?” Ryder asked.
Dean shook his head.
“They want us to fix it and are making threats that if it’s not done, then our old rivalries will be rekindled.”
Ryder whistled.
“Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse,” he half laughed.
The other men all grumbled between themselves.
“If we have to fight them, they won’t know what’s hit them,” one of them said.
“Wolves versus bears, ha, let’s just see how that one pans out,” said another. “Jeez, we don’t want another Lost Creek on our hands.”
Lost Creek... Pamela wasn’t totally sure if she knew where they were referring to, but she was sure there was another town full of legends not too far from there that had been the subject of a couple of articles online. When she had initially searched Bridge Hollow, it had brought up similar stories of large bear and wolf sightings by unsuspecting tourists and people going missing up on another mountain range.
The men all shook their heads and seemed to laugh in disbelief, and Pamela watched them all start to slap each other affectionately on the shoulders. They were all clearly used to coming together and tackling things as a team, and it made her smile. They were like a big family, and she loved it. It was nice to see something she had never had.
“Okay, come on, time you all got out of here,” Ryder said. “I’ve got a bar to open and I’m sure you’ve all given Pamela enough to think about.”
Dean and the others all started to head to the door, muttering their goodbyes, and Pamela finally felt as if she could truly breathe.
As the door closed behind them, she sank back against the wall, sighed and looked up at Ryder with large, open eyes.
“That was intense,” she whispered.
Ryder rubbed her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. His big arms enveloped her, and his rock-hard muscles pressed against her chest. She felt so tiny in his arms, and so completely safe, that it was beginning to become her most favorite place to be.
Now, she just had to make sure she did all she could to help and find out what Sean was up to.
It sure as hell wasn’t going to be easy, but she knew, deep within her heart, that it was going to be worth it.
11.
She walked through town alone and took in the now familiar sights of the quaint little stores and the happiness every person who lived there seemed to carry with them.
It had been an interesting morning, and Pamela had now gotten the trust of the bear shifter pack. She had kissed Ryder goodbye at the door of the bar, knowing she could walk the streets safely during the day and not have to fear being dragged away from real life and into a war that she knew nothing about.
However, it was becoming clear that all was not right. The wolves and the bears were beginning to let their tensions rise. The idea was frightening to Pamela, and she wondered exactly who the wolves were, and if she had even encountered any of them so far while she had been in town.
She stopped by a small, independent coffee house and stepped inside. The aroma of coffee beans hit her instantly, and she felt as if she were drifting into heaven. She had been so overtaken with work and all the complications that had arisen around it, that she hadn’t taken time for herself in almost a week.
She ordered a big, skinny latte and took it to one of the corner tables, where she sank down into a big, fluffy seat and sighed.
It felt good to be taking some time out to gather her thoughts, even if they immediately seemed to work their way back around to Ryder.
She had never met anyone like him before, and each time they were together, especially when their skin touched, she felt as if they were being bonded more deeply and forever.
She sipped her coffee after blowing on it to make it cool, and then she looked around at the room of people who were all doing the same. Some were alone, reading magazines or sitting with their laptops. Some were in pairs of two, sat opposite each other and having fun conversations, catching up on their week or making plans on what they would do now that they were in town on vacation. And some were families, enjoying a quiet afternoon together, drinking coffee and tasting sweet cakes and breads from the counter.
Pamela’s eyes moved around each section of the room, and they finally settled on an old man who was just taking his seat at the table ahead of her. He too was alone, and he carried a big mug o
f hot chocolate. She could smell the sweetness of it from where she was sitting, and she began to crave one all her own.
He was unsteady on his feet as he rested the big cup down on the table and then shakily pulled out the chair and sat down. He had a long, white, wiry beard and his eyes were still bright blue, even if the skin around them was dark and sallow, wrinkled and saggy. He briefly looked up and caught Pamela’s eye and smiled at her.
“Good afternoon,” he nodded politely.
“Good afternoon,” Pamela smiled in return.
He pulled a rolled-up newspaper out of his pocket and a pencil sharpened into a perfectly neat point and flicked to the back, bending over the pages so that he had a good view of the page he wanted.
“Hmm,” he said aloud, as if he was totally oblivious to anyone else in the room. “Four across, an eleven-letter word for a trying situation…”
He was working on a crossword and Pamela had to smile. She had never been a fan of them, but for some reason, she was good with the answers and had always been able to guess when she had heard a clue.
“Predicament,” she said, without thinking twice.
The old man’s eyes flickered up to her and he clapped his hands together and laughed.
“Damn right,” he said happily as he scribbled the word down in the space and then nodded his head. “This old brain doesn’t work as good or as fast as it used to.”
Pamela smiled. She could only imagine what it must be like to get old, but she still hoped she was lucky enough to experience it one day.
“I might ask for some more help from you, girl,” he said with a big grin. “So, make sure you stick around.”
Pamela laughed and took a sip of her coffee, before she looked back to him and found him chewing the end of the pencil.
“New in town?” he asked, his eyes flickering back up to hers.
“Yes,” she said. “Well, I’ve been here for a few days now.”
He nodded slowly.
“It’s quite a place, isn’t it,” he grinned. “I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ll never, ever leave. Even with all this funny business that people keep talking about.”
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