by Ruby Shae
Wonderful.
If she hadn’t already given her apartment manager notice, she would have stayed put. She certainly didn’t need another difficult man in her life.
Still, something about the letter had pushed her to answer, and she wanted to meet the man who had earned enough love and respect from his brothers that they wanted to see him happy. They might have gone about it the wrong way, but they obviously cared about their sibling.
Upon her arrival, Bree had offered to take her to lunch, but she decided to meet her possible groom first. She’d been told they would show him her response, so he would know her situation, but she wanted to judge him without any other outside influences. She knew if she met his family first, her first impression would be skewed.
It’s now or never.
She got out of her car and slowly walked up the path toward his door. She heard some kids playing in the street, and saw a couple kiss before the man shifted and ran off to meet another grizzly at the end of the block. Though she didn’t know much about shifters, the change didn’t shock her like she thought it would.
On her way into town she’d seen several grizzly bears roaming the tree lined hill and she’d been curious, but not afraid. Having never met a shifter before, she’d had no idea how she’d react, but she’d taken her response as a good sign.
Finally at the door, she took another deep breath and rang the doorbell. A few seconds passed before she heard a gruff voice yell, “Come in.”
She forced a smile to hide her disappointment, turned the knob and stepped into the home.
“Hello? Trent? It’s Olive. Bree said she told you I was coming.”
“In the living room,” he called back.
Something didn’t feel right, but she closed the door and walked down the short hallway to the living room. Considering his odd behavior, fear should have been at the forefront of her emotions, but the only feeling she could muster was annoyance.
What kind of man didn’t meet a woman at the door?
Her sandals clacked on the hard wood floor, and she caught a glimpse of the dining area before she turned into the main living space. The home had been well-built and she admired what she’d seen so far.
When she looked into the living room, she noticed a man sitting in a high backed chair in the corner farthest away from her. To the left of the chair stood an aluminum cane with a four-footed bottom; she ignored the cane and kept her eyes on the man.
It wasn’t hard.
Oh my god! Breathe!
She forced herself to take a steadying breath.
Even though he sat across the room, his perfection couldn’t be ignored. His dark brown hair was cut short and combed back like he’d just stepped out of the shower. The thought of him standing naked with the water pelting his muscular form had her pressing her thighs together to stop the tingling. He watched her with dark eyes, and his face was set in a wary frown.
“Hi, I’m Olive,” she said, taking a step toward him with her hand outstretched. “Are you Trent?”
“Yes,” he said, holding his hand up to stop her. “Please take a seat.”
She frowned, but turned around and sat where he’d gestured. The end table held a picture of three men arm-in-arm and though they looked like triplets, she’d easily spotted Trent in the middle.
She looked up from the photo and the look on his face nearly broke her heart. She didn’t know if it was her size, his aversion to women or some other reason, but she knew she wouldn’t be marrying this man.
“So,” he started, “you saw an ad for a bear seeking a bride, and you answered it. Why?”
“Bree told me she would show you my response. Did she?” she countered.
“Yes, she did, but I wanted to hear you say the words.”
No, he wanted to humiliate her.
Fine.
“I have no job, no money, and no boyfriend. The ad asked for a curvy girl to cook, provide companionship, and be willing to live a modest life. I’m obviously curvy, I’m a trained chef, and I’m a good friend. It seemed like we could be compatible.”
“I don’t need a personal chef, sweetheart,” he sneered.
“I beg to differ. You’re bigger than most human men, but compared to your brothers, you’re on the small side. I’m willing to bet it’s because they’re married and they eat better than you do.”
“You’re probably right about that.”
As soon as the words had left her mouth, she’d felt certain he would take offense. Whether or not he was small compared to his brothers didn’t make a difference. He was still more heavily muscled than most humans, and she didn’t want him to think she was disappointed in his appearance. His agreement to her point had shocked her.
“Please understand, it was merely an observation based on the photo. I don’t—”
“I understand exactly what you meant,” he said, cutting her off, “but I don’t think you understand me. I’m not looking for someone to be my good friend. I just want someone compatible in the bedroom.”
“Oh,” she said, and glanced away. “I…”
How could she tell him that when it came to sex, she had no idea what the hell she was doing?
“Oh god, you’re not a virgin are you?” he spat the words as if the thought had disgusted him.
“No, I—”
“Good, because it’s been a long time for me, sweetheart, and I need someone who can go all night and knows her way around a man’s body.”
“I’m sorry, but I—”
“Oh, I get it. It’s the cane isn’t it?” he grabbed the handle and hoisted himself out of the chair. “You’re willing to marry a perfect stranger, but you don’t fuck the cripples right?”
He took a step toward her and she stood, too, and tried to explain.
“No, that’s not it. I’m not—”
“Look, it’s time for you to go. I don’t need to get married to gain a personal chef, and I’d rather pay a prostitute to fake it than have sex with you.”
Tears filled her eyes but she blinked rapidly to stop them as she backed away from him. He couldn’t know how deep his words would cut, but she could never marry someone so callous.
“I knew this was a mistake. Please excuse me,” she said.
When she saw the door, she ran.
***
Shiiiiit!
Trent screamed the word in his head and tightened his grip on the cane until his knuckles shone white. It didn’t matter how hard he tried, the metal wouldn’t give. When he heard Olive’s car speed away from the curb, he hurled the offensive metal across the room. It stayed embedded in the wall for several seconds before it fell out along with the dust from the broken drywall.
After the accident four years ago, he’d destroyed several aluminum canes before his brothers ordered him one in silver. The common metal was the only substance known to detain a shifter.
They were stronger than humans in both forms, but they weren’t immortal, or immune to death, diseases or injury. He was a perfect example. If they stayed healthy, they had the same life expectancy of their human counterparts.
The adrenaline started to recede and his leg burned. He used the furniture for support and inched along the perimeter of the room until he reached the rubble. He retrieved the cane, banged it against the floor several times to loosen the dust, and hobbled back to his chair.
His brothers were going to have a field day with him when they saw the damage he’d caused. They hadn’t had to repair his place in years.
He looked around his home and sighed.
The three bedroom dwelling was too big for one man to live in alone, and yet when he and his brothers had built their houses, he didn’t contest the size. In fact, he’d been the only one to add a pool in the backyard. At the time, he’d claimed it was for therapy, but he hadn’t been in the water in over a year.
He closed his eyes and thought back five years.
The government, in an effort to give shifters a place to live in peace with t
heir own kind, passed a bill to create several shifter towns across the nation. Many humans protested the towns, claiming segregation and shifter rights, but most shifters welcomed the change. They wanted the freedom to shift and raise their families in a peaceful environment and those things didn’t happen in mixed cities. Prejudice and fear had kept shifters and humans separated.
Once the towns were formed, tolerance and knowledge helped strengthen the nation.
After building several projects, Mallory Building, Inc. had been one of the three companies commissioned in the start-up of Bear Canyon. He and his brothers all had degrees in both architecture and structural engineering, and they not only created the plans, they did a lot of the construction work themselves. Their skills, combined with their shifter strength, meant they completed every job with less man-power, and usually under budget, when compared to their human counterparts.
Their reputation had earned them several other contracts in Bear Canyon, and soon they were the only company considered for new projects by many of the residents and business owners.
In between paid projects, the three of them had agreed to work on each other’s homes in their spare time. Since he was the oldest, and engaged, they’d completed his home first. Travis and Tyler had stayed in a mobile home in Bear Canyon while they completed his home located on the outskirts of the nearest city, nearly thirty minutes away.
He’d been fortunate enough to buy several acres of land dotted with trees that resembled the country. The location would have given him the privacy he needed to shift, with the added closeness to the city his fiancé had loved so much.
The completed home had been beautiful. It had two stories, a wrap-around porch and a balcony off the master bedroom. Two other bedrooms were on the top floor, along with a bathroom, and the downstairs held a study, a bathroom, a living room, a family room and a huge kitchen. It had been some of their best work, and he’d been so proud of it.
Seeing the building go up in flames brought back the pain of that night, and he shook his head to bury the memories.
Back in the present, he pulled Olive’s letter out of his pocket. Travis had given it to him earlier that day, right before his family confessed what they’d done.
Dear Bear Seeking Bride,
My name is Olive Campbell and I’m curvy, twenty-six, unemployed and broke. I know how unappealing that sentence must sound to you, but if there is a chance for us, I thought I should be honest. I’m happy to work if necessary, but recent events have made finding a job in my field nearly impossible and I’d rather be in the kitchen, even the kitchen at home, than anywhere else. I grew up with privileges unknown to most, but I was born to live a modest life, and I feel I’d make a wonderful companion for the right man. I know next to nothing about shifters, but I’ve heard they don’t believe in divorce. Herein lies my only concern. My experience with men is limited and unpleasant, and I can’t make a lifetime commitment to a stranger without protection. If this is acceptable to you, please contact me to arrange a meeting.
Sincerely,
Olive
Damn!
He crumpled the missive in his hand and cursed.
Earlier that night, when she’d stepped into his living room, he’d had to suppress a growl from escaping.
His blood heated as it coursed through his veins, straight to his cock. His dick ached to sink into her soft folds, and her scent nearly had him crossing the room to take her on the couch. His emotions were all over the place as long buried feelings surged to the surface. He’d had to force himself to soften his grip on the armchair as they studied each other.
Her dark blond hair was parted down the middle and the tiny spiral curls fell to the middle of her back. It looked tame, and matched her conservative outfit, but he longed to see those curls after a night of passion. He knew they’d be wild, uncontrollable and sexy as hell.
She stood about six inches shorter than him, and her light brown eyes regarded him carefully. She was a bit self-conscious, but he didn’t blame her. His odd behavior had been intentional. He’d wanted to shake her confidence and change her mind about giving him a chance.
He’d succeeded.
Olive had been honest in her letter, and each time he read it his protective instincts surged to the surface. His bear urged him to shift and hunt down those who had caused her pain, and the man wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and shield her from the ugliness of the world. His reaction had both frightened him and filled him with resentment toward his brothers.
How dare they interfere in his life?
Unable to deal with his emotions, he’d taken her sweet, pure words and used them against her. He’d insulted her, and watched as tears filled her eyes. His brothers had been telling him for years, but it had taken a stranger, his future bride, to knock some sense into him.
He didn’t want to live this way.
His brothers had found someone who might want him, and he wasn’t going to let her get away without a fight.
He picked up the phone and called Bree. His sister-in-law would be able to tell him how to find her.
Chapter Three
Olive dried her eyes on the pillow she hugged and took a deep breath. Meeting Trent hadn’t gone exactly the way she’d hoped, but she should have known better. Her history with men seemed to be the new normal, and the encounter only confirmed her previous revelation.
She would die completely alone.
Her stomach rumbled the same time someone knocked on the door. She hadn’t eaten since lunch, and after meeting Trent, she’d come back to her room to cry in private and lick her wounds. She wasn’t afraid, but she felt strange wandering around the shifter town alone.
“Room service.”
Food sounded wonderful, but she hadn’t ordered anything. She got up to tell the man he had the wrong room, and when she opened the door, Trent stood on the other side.
Oh holy hell!
Until now, the closest she’d been to him in person had been half a room away. Even at that distance, she hadn’t been immune to his strong masculine features, but up close she felt as if she might melt on the spot, despite his horrible behavior earlier.
She needed to get rid of him.
Olive opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She could feel the tight, dried salt lines of the tears that had fallen down her cheeks and over her nose, and her hair was wild and untamed. She didn’t care about facing the bellhop this way, but she’d never intended for Trent to see her.
“Hi,” he said carefully. “We need to talk. May I come in?”
“No. We’ve talked enough,” she responded, and pushed the door closed.
“Wait,” he said, stopping the door with his cane.
She peered around the wood to look at him.
“I’m sorry. Please give me another chance,” he pleaded.
“Trent, this is for the best. I’m not what you need and you’re not what I need. Please leave,” she urged.
“But, you are what I need,” he stated.
“No, I’m not. Please leave or I’ll call the police.”
He removed his cane and she slowly pushed the door closed. The look on his face seemed remorseful, but she couldn’t let another lying, manipulative man into her life. She knew if she forgave him today, tomorrow he’d be back to slinging hurtful insults.
The final crack of light disappeared and he hurried out one more thing before the latch clicked into place.
“I was betrayed by a woman,” he blurted.
“What?” she asked through the door.
“I was betrayed by a woman,” he repeated though the wood. “I said all of those nasty things because you made me feel things I haven’t felt since my accident.”
Should she trust him? Could she? If anything, it would be an interesting story. She sighed and opened the door wide enough to let him in.
“I’m going to use the restroom and then you have five minutes.”
“Okay,” he said, taking a seat on the cou
ch. “Thank you.”
She ran into the bathroom and gasped when she saw her reflection. Her hair stuck out everywhere, her eyes were red and puffy, and dried snot and tears stuck to her face to complete the look.
If he’d had any inclination to touch her, which she knew he hadn’t, it would be long gone.
She wiped her face with a damp washcloth and patted down her curls with damp fingers. Her efforts made little improvement, and she threw the rag in the corner and reentered the room. The sooner she heard what he had to say, the sooner he would leave her alone.
She sat down next to him and waited for him to speak.
He cleared his throat several times before the words came.
“Sorry. This is harder than I thought it would be,” he said, his voice soft. “I don’t think I’ve ever told this story to anyone.”
Even though he’d hurt her on purpose, she didn’t want to do the same to him. The look on his face pushed some of her anger away. Whatever the reason for his actions, she wouldn’t force him to explain himself.
“Don’t worry about it. Thank you for coming, and I wish you all the best.”
She stood and waited for him to follow, but he started talking instead.
“Right around the time the government sanctioned land for shifters, I asked my girlfriend at the time, a human, to marry me.”
She sat back down. He’d been married before? How had she betrayed him?
“She said yes,” he continued, “and as a wedding present, my brothers and I built her a dream home on the outskirts of the city. When it was finished, we bought some new furniture for our new home. The day it was delivered, she and I drove out to the house so we could figure out where we wanted to put everything. Once we got it set up, she wanted to role-play in the bedroom and I let her handcuff me to the headboard.”
Olive gasped and grabbed his hand.
