“You just met, and you’re already dating?” Ange asked curiously. “That’s quick.”
“Well, when you find the woman of your dreams, you know. Isn’t that right, Viv?”
“Yes,” she agreed, and found herself liking Tad enormously, which was something she hadn’t really expected to acknowledge. From all she had heard, you knew who your mate was at first sight, and you wanted to be with them. But liking them? That was a really great side effect.
“In that case, I should let you two lovebirds enjoy each other.” Ange was trying not sound hurt, but it was obvious to Viv she was disappointed.
“Nice to meet you,” Viv said evenly, feeling sorry for Ange.
“You, too. And thanks again, Tad.” Ange walked away.
“Anytime, Ange,” he replied.
“She seems nice,” Viv said, trying to work out if Tad was totally oblivious to Ange’s feelings. If he was, that might not bode well for their relationship, if he couldn’t ever read what her body language meant.
“She is. Really nice. We nearly went out a couple of times, but she was too nice … if you know what I mean,” Tad said, watching Ange leave and then looking back at a confused Viv. “She’s not my mate, so I would feel bad dating her, it would be like leading her on.”
“Wow, a man with a heart,” she said, and it was his turn to look embarrassed.
“Not exactly selling myself as a real man, am I?” he said, puffing his chest out a little.
“I like it; I like that you think about other people.”
“Hard not to when it’s your job.” He shrugged.
“So what exactly do you do?” she asked leaning back in her seat.
“I’m a ranger. My father has retired, well almost. Now it’s just Jay and me who patrol this area. If anyone gets stuck on the mountain, it’s us they call. Sometimes we’ll meet up with rangers from other towns on the other side of the range, if there is a large area for us to search.”
“I would say it sounds exciting, but it just sounds cold.”
“It is cold. But there’s nothing like the feeling you get when you save somebody. Somebody who would have died if you weren’t there, if you hadn’t used your skills to find them.”
“And you like your job?” she asked.
“I do. Although, I think I’m going to like it a lot more, knowing when I get home I’ll have you waiting for me.”
She felt a moment of panic, as if everything was moving too fast. Before she had met Rhys, she would have been overjoyed to have met her mate and would have wanted to move in with him straightaway. Now she was wary, a feeling that saddened her when she looked into the happy face of her mate.
Viv only hoped that given enough time, she would get over these feelings and embrace this new part of her life unreservedly.
Chapter Eight – Tad
Tad had dealt with a lot of people over the years. People who were in trouble, people who were in need of help, and people who had things they wanted to hide. Sitting here, watching Viv, he knew that all of these things applied to her. It was in the way she moved, the way she talked, and the looks she gave him when her guard was down. Something had happened in her past, something that was holding her back, and as her mate, he saw it as his duty to help her overcome it.
“What you want to do now?” Tad asked.
“I should be getting home.” She took her cell out of her pocket and looked at it. “A text from my mom.”
“She’s checking up on you?” he joked.
“She does worry,” Viv said as she tapped her screen and sent a message.
“Hopefully, when she meets me, she’ll know that I’m trustworthy.” Tad wondered if Viv’s mom was just a natural worrier, or whether whatever she was hiding had something to do with her checking up on her daughter. Or maybe he was simply reading too much into it, and her mom was just seeing what Viv thought of her true mate.
“I should get back,” Viv said again, this time she looked at the sky and at the darkening clouds above them. “I’ve got my mom’s car, and I don’t want to risk driving back when the snowstorm starts.”
“You’re right, I never thought about that. But I’m not ready to let you go yet.” He stood up, and went around the table offering her his hand. “So why don’t I travel back with you?”
“How are you going to get home?” she asked.
“On four paws,” he said. “I ought to get out on the mountain, and check the lower slopes. It’s like a patrol, to make sure nobody is stuck out there. Especially when the storm hits.”
“You take your job very seriously,” she said, as they headed out of the diner and across the road to her car.
“I have to. Lives depend on me,” he said standing by the passenger door while she rummaged in her pocket for her keys.
“Do you ever lose anybody on the mountain?” Viv asked as she slipped into the driver’s seat.
“Yes. And those are hard days. But as long as you know you’ve tried your best, you have to learn to move on. The mountain is a dangerous place, especially when it is piled high with snow. One wrong move can bring an avalanche down on you.”
“Bear Valley is further down the mountain, but I know what you mean. I remember when we were kids, my parents would never let us venture onto the mountain when the snow was at its worst.”
“Sensible parents.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Viv pulled out onto the road, crawling along, trusting the snow chains to keep the car from sliding, as she navigated the shallow incline that took her onto the road leading back to Bear Valley. “My parents have always encouraged us to go out and do what we want. I remember camping out in the mountains when we were teenagers. We spent a whole weekend pretending to be bears, made a den and everything.”
“Sounds fun. I still can’t work out how we didn’t meet. How I didn’t sense you.” He sat back looking relaxed, although he really wished, they were running as bears through the snow. He definitely trusted his four paws more than he trusted four wheels in this weather.
However, Viv seemed to handle the conditions masterfully. Tad found himself beginning to relax, and watch his mate, rather than the road. She had a determination that fascinated him, and if she had a secret, it was buried for now. Her concentration was fully on the road, and their safety.
“You know, my mom is going to want to meet you pretty soon,” he said apologetically. “I hope you don’t mind. This is where it gets so different to a normal human relationship. There’s no time for us to get to know each other, before everybody else wants to welcome you to the family, too.”
“I don’t mind at all, and don’t think you’re getting away with it. I’ll be surprised if my mom isn’t waiting on the doorstep when I get home.” She shot him a sidelong glance. “And I should warn you, she’s very protective of me.”
The look in her eyes told him she wasn’t joking, which seemed strange for a woman in her twenties. He had a sneaking suspicion that the answer to her mom’s protectiveness might be tied up with the answer to what Viv was hiding. Or maybe he had it all wrong.
Tad decided to stop second-guessing everything. He knew from his work that he should go with the flow, and only react when he needed to. He was a guy who trusted his gut feeling, and right now his gut, and his bear, too, was telling him not to push her. The last thing he needed to do was push her away by prying. He had to keep reminding himself that they had only just met and no, it didn’t make any difference that they would be spending the rest of their lives together.
She was still entitled to her own private life, as long as she wasn’t in any danger. Because if she was, then he might just have to rip someone’s throat out.
Chapter Nine – Viv
The journey back was tricky, and she had to take her time: not that she cared, because she liked being with him. He made her feel safe, and so many other things she couldn’t name. He felt like home. That was the closest she could come to describing it.
“Here we are,” she said, pullin
g up into the drive, ducking her head to look if her mom was watching. Sure enough, the front door opened, and her mom stood there.
“Welcoming party,” she muttered.
“I don’t mind,” he said, as they got out the car.
“And now my dad’s there too.” She turned to look at him apologetically. “If you want to just go, I don’t mind, and they’ll understand.”
He came and stood next to her. “Do you want me to go?”
She hesitated, looking at her parents, who obviously hadn’t expected Tad to be with her. They were looking at each other and she could just imagine her mom whispering to her dad, telling him they should go inside.
“No. As long as you don’t mind.” One last chance for him to escape.
Instead, he took her hand, and the sudden shock of recognition that passed between them made her gasp. His eyes flamed, the amber flecks like fire as he looked at her, with a desire that scared her. It was so intense, but then, as the heat spread through her body, she was sure her eyes probably glowed with the same intensity.
“Right,” she said softly, and they walked to her front door, where he parents were waiting.
“Hello,” her dad said. “I’m Viv’s dad, please call me Peter.”
“Hello, Peter, I’m Tad.”
“And you are our Viv’s mate,” her mom stated, smiling widely, as if she couldn’t help herself.
“I am,” Tad said, looking at her and winking.
“I’m Penny. Why don’t you come in?” her mom asked eagerly, but at this, he hesitated.
“I really ought to go and do my rounds.”
“Rounds. Are you a doctor?” her mom asked hopefully.
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“He’s a ranger. You know, out on the mountain,” Viv said quickly.
“Oh, that’s an important job,” her dad said. “Especially in weather like this.”
“Yes.” Tad looked up at the sky. “Which is why I can’t come in. There’s another storm forecast, and I want to make sure there is no one stuck out there.”
“Does that happen a lot?” her dad asked.
“More often than it should,” Tad said.
“Well, you take care out there. Especially now you have our daughter to think about,” her mom said, a look of sadness sweeping across her eyes before she smiled.
“Mom. I’m not twelve, you know.”
“I know, but still, you’ve had enough heart…”
“Well, Tad. We shouldn’t keep you from your job.” Her dad interrupted her mom, who looked flustered and sent Viv an apologetic look.
Viv automatically reached out for her mom’s hand to let her know it was OK. There was no way she could be cross, not when her mom had picked up the pieces and put Viv back together again only weeks ago.
“Why don’t you come back tonight?” her mom suggested. “There is a get-together here, at the town hall. It’s a way for us all to let our hair down so we don’t all go mad stuck in Bear Valley.”
“Yes. That’s a great idea,” her dad beamed. “We can get to know you.”
“Mom, Tad might not want to come.” Viv was already beginning to regret not telling Tad to run away when he had the chance.
“I’d love to.” Tad nodded.
“Great.” So she would be going to the barn dance after all. She still didn’t particularly want to go, but at least Tad would be there. “I’ll just walk Tad to the end of the drive,” Viv said.
“Bye, Tad, see you later. Starts about seven.”
“Thanks, I’ll pick Viv up here, if that’s OK?” he asked Viv.
“Sure.” She linked arms with him, liking the feel of his body pressed against hers, and turned him to walk away from her parents, whose minds she could read. They were smiling at each other, telling themselves that she had a good man in Tad. And they were right.
She should be happy that they were happy, but part of her thought they were probably also relieved to be getting her off their hands.
In the last few weeks, she had become a burden, one they had thought they were rid of.
She closed her eyes, knowing she was being unfair. Yet part of her felt sorry for Tad, too, because he didn’t yet know what a messed-up mate he had.
“Listen, Tad, you don’t have to come with us.”
“Are you kidding? I can’t wait to come back here and spend time with you.”
“Then come over when you’re ready and we can spend some time alone.” No, that wasn’t such a good idea. Alone in the house might lead to … well, intimacy. She wasn’t ready for that. Although her bear disagreed.
“I’d like to see you let your hair down, and what better way than at a barn dance?” He grinned. “Seriously, I’d like to make your parents happy. And you’ll have to return the favor, I can tell you. If I mention this to my parents, they’ll be coming with me, along with my brother and probably the rest of my extended family.”
“What have we let ourselves in for?” she asked.
He surprised her by putting his arm around her waist and pulling her in close. “Whatever it is, we can face it together.” Then he kissed her, his full lips soft and insistent on hers. Such was her surprise that she had to thread her arms around his neck to stop from falling over.
She caught a glimpse of her parents going inside, and nearly pulled away, but then some kind of chemical reaction occurred in her brain, and she found herself responding. More than responding, she pressed her body tighter against his, wanting to feel the warmth of him, the strength of him. It was almost primal, the need to know he could defend her against whatever life would throw at them. She only hoped one of those things wasn’t Rhys.
Shoving her stalker out of her brain, hoping that one day she would be free of him, she moved her lips against Tad’s, opening her mouth to allow his tongue to slip inside and she tasted him. Tasted the coffee he had drank, and something sweet, apple pie.
Then he pulled back, and she tried to stop the world spinning. “I have to go. It will be dark soon.”
She looked at the sky, and saw that the first flakes of snow had begun to fall. “I want you to come back, but please don’t if it’s too dangerous.”
He stepped away from her, his hand holding onto hers until the last possible moment. “I’m a ranger, no matter what the weather throws at me, I’ll get through it.”
“Be careful,” she ordered.
“See you later.” He blew her a kiss, and she stood there and watched him walk up the road, and then cross to the other side. Just before he disappeared from view, he turned and waved at her. She waved back, and then he was gone. That did not stop her standing in the same spot while the snow began to fall heavier, thinking of how lucky she was.
Finally, the cold penetrated her clothes and she wrapped her arms around herself and went into the house to face her parents.
***
“You look beautiful,” her mom said as Viv came down the stairs.
“Thanks, Mom.” Although she knew beautiful might be stretching it a bit; after all, she was only dressed in a clean pair of jeans, and a pretty T-shirt, with a cardigan over it, buttoned up completely to hide her scar.
“He’s a lucky man.” Her mom came and hugged her, holding her close. “A very lucky man.”
“Is he?” Viv asked.
“Yes, he is. Don’t you ever forget that.” Her mom pulled back and studied Viv’s face. “You should tell him.”
“I can’t.” Her voice caught in her throat.
“He’ll understand.”
“Will he? Or will he be sorry to have me as his mate?”
“Look what he does for a living. He’s a good man, and my guess is he has a big heart. And he won’t care one a bit about what happened.”
“He might when he sees me… Well, you know.”
“He’ll love you for who you are. Every last bit of you, flaws and all.”
“Your mom should know, she loves me despite all my flaws,” her dad said, coming into the hallway.
They both came to her and pulled her into a hug between them. “I only wish I could have torn his throat out,” her dad said savagely.
“And that’s why I never told you his name.” She put her head on her father’s shoulder. “He took enough from me. I wouldn’t want him to take you, too.”
Her dad kissed her head. “I know.”
There was a knock at the door, and the three of them parted. “You go wipe your tears, we’ll let him in.”
Viv headed to the bathroom. Splashing cold water onto her face, she looked at her reflection in the mirror, turning her head from side to side. The cardigan covered her scar. Good, because tonight she just wanted to enjoy Tad’s company.
Explanations could wait for another day.
Chapter Ten – Tad
“You look wonderful,” Tad said to Viv as she came to meet him. She had been crying, and this worried him. He had thought she was happy, when he left earlier, and when they kissed, she had seemed to accept him. But maybe he had read it wrong and she wasn’t pleased with her bonded mate. Then she smiled, and he told himself he was wrong.
“Thank you.” She grabbed her coat, and pulled her boots on. “I hope you know how to dance over at Grizzly Hollows. The reputation of the town is in your hands.”
“Oh, I know how to move,” he said.
“Good, because all eyes will be on you as an outsider.”
“I’m used to that. It has to do with my boyish good looks,” he teased.
“There is nothing boyish about you.” Her mom was pulling her coat over her arms.
“Mom!” Viv exclaimed.
“What? I’m just telling it like it is.”
Tad laughed. No matter what was wrong with Viv, he could see that it had nothing to do with her family life. He could not wish for better in-laws. Wow, now that was a shocking thought. These people were his new family.
“How did your day go?” her dad asked.
“Great, no one ventured out past the lower slopes, so that hopefully means we won’t have any call-outs.”
Her Scars to Bear: BBW Bear Shifter Dating Agency Romance (Fated and Mated Book 1) Page 4
