by Ruby Shae
“He’s a tourist I hooked up with a couple of days ago. He had to shorten his trip and he wanted to repeat our night together.”
“You fucked him?” he spat the words as if she’d done something wrong.
“Yes, I did,” she spat back.
“Is he the reason you had all those condoms?”
“I didn’t buy them specifically for him if that’s what you mean.”
“Do you sleep with all the tourists? Or just the young and hot ones?” he accused.
“That’s not fair and I don’t see how it’s any of your business. We had a great night, but you don’t own me and what I do with my life is my business, not yours,” her voice lost momentum and her breath hitched on the last sentence. She turned away from him and fiddled with a tray on the counter. “Thank you for helping me with the tree, but it’s time for you to go.”
“Sara, I…,”
I’m an asshole! Please forgive me!
He wanted to tell her about his bear, explain her role as his mate, and beg for her forgiveness. He wanted to say the words, but they wouldn’t come. Instead, he turned and walked out the front door.
He walked down the steps and noticed the wobbly handrail could use a new coat of paint. The shutters were also faded and the seat to the porch swing sat on the ground instead of hanging from its chains. He made a mental to-do list that included the retaining wall surrounding the garden in the front of her home, and the stash of firewood on the side of the house. The wall had a few loose rocks, and the firewood had been low when he’d added the branches from the tree.
With a plan in mind, he walked toward the clan leader’s home in search of supplies.
***
“Hi Sara. How are you doing?” the sheriff asked, and sat down at the counter.
The café didn’t officially open until seven, but the owner made an exception for her when she ordered pastries for her guests. She glanced in the sheriff’s direction and took another sip of her coffee.
“Your friend is driving me crazy.”
“What is he doing?” the sheriff asked.
“He’s…,” it seemed ridiculous to complain about the help, but Aaron had been performing maintenance on her home every day for the last week and a half. “He’s fixing my house. I know it sounds stupid, and I appreciate the help, but…,” she didn’t know how to explain the rest without revealing they’d slept together.
“But? Is he bothering the guests? Making too much noise? Forcing his way inside your home? Pressuring you to go out with him?”
“No, he’s very quiet and respectful to me and my guests. It’s just… I don’t understand what he’s doing. We spent the night together and everything was great until the next morning. He started acting all possessive and jealous and then he stormed off. I never thought I’d see him again, but he’s been to my house everyday fixing stuff. We haven’t talked since he left, he hasn’t apologized, but he’s been there every day. It’s weird.”
“Do you want me to talk to him?”
“I don’t know. I thought… I thought he liked me, but now I’m so confused.”
“Oh, I’m positive he likes you,” Gage said.
“You are?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah,” he laughed. “The thing is, he hasn’t liked someone for a really long time. Years ago, he went through a bad break-up and it upset his whole life. When that happened, he swore he’d never fall in love again. His feelings for you are unnerving because they question everything he thought he knew about relationships.”
“But we barely know each other,” she whispered.
“Sometimes these things happen instantly and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
“You think I should forgive him?”
“I think you should listen to your heart,” he said. “What do you think you should do? Do you want to forgive him? Sometimes people make mistakes, and all they need is a second chance.”
Kate brought over the box of donuts she ordered and set them on the counter.
“Here you go, Sara,” Kate said, grabbing her husband’s hand across the counter. He squeezed his wife’s hand and held on as if he couldn’t bear to let her go.
Sara envied the love they shared.
“Thanks Kate. It’s almost seven, I’d better get going.”
“Do you know what you’re going to do?” Gage asked.
“I’ll think about it,” Sara responded.
“Great,” he called after her. “Good luck, and don’t be too hard on him.”
***
Sara heard a commotion on the side of the house and walked outside to investigate. Aaron had been gone most of the day, and though she hated to admit it, she missed him. She’d decided to take Gage’s advice and talk to him after breakfast with her guests, but when she’d went outside, he’d already left.
His absence affected her more than it should have, and she’d been in a bad mood for most of the day.
Seth, the sheriff’s brother, and Aaron we’re by the tree on the side of the house observing their work. A swing with a polished wooden seat hung from the thick branches.
How did he know she’d always wanted a tree swing?
“Hi Sara,” Seth said.
“Hi Seth. Aaron, what are you doing?” she asked.
“Seth and I just finished putting up a swing,” he said. “Come down here and give it a try.”
“Thank you, but that tree will never hold my weight.” She hated to admit it, especially in front of Seth, but if she sat in that swing, the branch would crack under her weight.
“Don’t be silly. Of course it will,” Aaron replied.
“He’s right,” Seth chimed in. “I took it for a test run and it’s sturdy. Any of you girls could swing on it without worrying.” By you girls, she assumed he meant his wife and the wives of his friends. Surprisingly, they were all plus-sized women.
“Thank you, Seth. Aaron, can I talk to you in private please.”
“Well, I’d better be going,” Seth said, taking the hint to leave. “I’ll see you guys later.”
They watched Seth walk off and then Aaron picked up his tools and climbed the stairs to her porch. She motioned for him go inside the house, and she followed him into the kitchen. He placed the tools on the counter and turned to face her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you helping me with the house? Why did you build a swing?”
“Because you need help, and I though you would like the swing.”
“But I didn’t ask for your help, and I don’t need a swing.”
“I don’t care. You need help, whether you want it or not, and I’m helping you.”
“Why?” she demanded.
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why are you helping me? Why do you care?” she asked, her irritation evident.
“Because, I…,” he drifted off and turned away from her to look out the window.
“Because, you…what?” she pressed.
“Because I like you, and I’m sorry for the other day,” he turned back toward her. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you and said all those things. I did it because you make me want things I haven’t wanted in a long time, and that scares me.” He ran a hand through his hair, and glanced around the room, but then he faced her head on.
She couldn’t believe he’d admitted his feelings. He should have apologized immediately, but when she thought about his gestures, she realized he had been doing his best to get through to her. She wasn’t about to let him get away.
“I accept your apology. Do you want to take a walk?” she asked.
“I would love to take a walk with you,” he said.
She extended her hand toward him, and he took it.
Chapter Four
Aaron held onto Sara’s hand as she led him through the cottages to the edge of her property, and into the National Park. The March wind cooled his skin, and he wondered if she’d dressed warm enough.
He assessed her attire and decided she’d protected herself well against the chilly air.
The heavy sweater she wore would have probably been enough, but the sleeves from her long t-shirt stuck out around her wrists. She finished the look with a pair of dark jeans and trail shoes. His mate was used to taking care of herself, but it didn’t mean she didn’t need him.
He’d been in hell since he stormed out of her home over a week ago. He’d regretted the nasty words he’d said the minute they fell out of his mouth, but he couldn’t take them back and apologizing didn’t seem like enough. When he showed up the next day and she didn’t call the police to escort him off the property, he’d considered it a win and continued to visit her every morning.
The swing had been his final project. He was going to use it as a peace offering, but she’d foiled his plan. He didn’t care as long as they were speaking again.
They walked a long time in silence, and he used the time to think about the future. He wanted to stay in Bear Mountain, and build a life with Sara. A large part of him also wanted to join the others and become part of the clan.
He still didn’t want to shift, but he liked the idea of having family around, even if they weren’t related by blood. At some point he’d have to tell Sara his secret. Would she accept all of him? Even the part he denied himself?
There was only one way to find out.
“I’m thinking of staying in Bear Mountain permanently,” he said.
“Really? Why?”
“Mostly because I’d like to get to know you better, but also because I like Gage, and his brother, and it would be nice to have a place to call home again.”
“When you say get to know me better,” she asked, “what does that entail?”
“I’d like for us to date, and see if it can lead to something more.”
“Okay,” she nodded. “I’m okay with that, if you’re willing to agree to a few conditions.”
“I agree,” he said.
“You don’t even know what they are yet.”
“I still agree.”
She slapped him playfully on the arm, and ran up the embankment. A tree at the top of the short hill split into two trunks, and she stepped up into the middle and leaned against one side.
“This is my favorite tree. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Yes, and so are you,” he said looking up at her.
“Thank you. Now for my conditions. One—”
The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion.
One second he was looking up at Sara, smiling in her tree, the next a shot rang out and she grabbed her arm, cried out, and doubled over, seemingly in pain.
Mate. Protect. Revenge. Kill.
The bear roared to the surface and he couldn’t stop the shift. Sara looked up to see the instant change, but she didn’t run when he charged up the hill. He ran past her, toward her attackers, his bear searching for vengeance.
Surprisingly he didn’t have to look far. Two men hid in the trees less than a quarter mile away. When they saw him coming, they both ran, but one tripped and Aaron cornered him against a tree trunk. He roared and growled in the loser’s face.
Sweat poured from the man’s body, and the smell of urine singed his nose. He raised a hand to attack, when a sweet voice echoed through the trees.
“Hey! Bear!”
He turned his head to see Sara standing nearly twenty feet away from him. She held her hand over her wound, and the sweater underneath was soaked with blood.
“It’s just a scrape! Let him go!” she yelled.
Aaron lowered his paw, but turned back and roared in the hunter’s face again when he started to inch away. The bear wanted to kill, but the man wanted to wrap his arms around her.
He decided to listen to the man.
He turned away from the hunter and lumbered toward his mate. Her courage and strength astounded him, so much that he didn’t hear the rifle load behind him.
“Don’t do it,” she yelled.
Aaron turned back toward the hunter and saw the man’s weapon pointed at his head. He couldn’t die, shifters were immortal, but a close range head shot would hurt like hell. It would take time to recover from an injury that severe, but he would survive. Of course, his mate didn’t know that.
“It’s against the law to hunt grizzlies and you’ll only get in one shot before he kills you,” she said. He liked the fact that she believed in his abilities, even though he hadn’t disclosed his true nature. She had no idea what he was capable of, but her confidence fooled their attacker.
The man scurried off to find his partner.
“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered, and turned back the way they came.
He followed her in bear form until he was sure the poachers were gone, then he shifted back into his human form and picked her up.
“It really is just a scrape. I can walk back,” she said, and laid her head on his shoulder.
“Yeah, I know you can,” he agreed, but he didn’t put her down. “You were amazing, by the way.”
“I was pretty badass, wasn’t I?”
“Definitely badass,” he said. “Hang on, we’re almost there.”
He couldn’t tell if she was losing consciousness, or falling asleep, but he knew both weren’t good. As soon as he stepped off the rocky National Park trail, and onto her property, he doubled his steps and covered the even concrete in record time.
He passed one of the twins on his way through the cottages, and told him to call the sheriff.
Minutes later he burst into the doctor’s office and followed the receptionist to an empty examining room. He laid Sara on the padded table and reluctantly left the room when the doctor forced him to leave.
Pride for his amazing mate was quickly replaced with revulsion for his bear. When he saw her get hurt, he lost the careful control he’d possessed over the animal. In those moments, nothing else mattered except seeking revenge.
What if he’d lost it at the grocery store, or in the city? Everything he’d worked so hard to hide could be destroyed by one mistake. As much as he wanted Sara, he couldn’t have her. Their connection was dangerous for him, his bear, the clan and the town.
He had to leave as soon as possible.
He left the office and passed Gage coming up the steps.
“Hey, Cade gave me your message. What happened?”
He quickly filled Gage in on their encounter with the hunters and his uncontrollable shift.
“I have to get out of here, but don’t worry. She won’t say anything.”
“I’m not really concerned about that right now. I’m concerned about you. This is not the time to run off and be alone. Stay with us. We can help you get through this,” Gage said.
“I don’t want to get through it,” he snapped. “I want it to go away. What if it happened in town, or at the mall? Shifting forms isn’t natural, and people freak out when they see a man turn into a bear. I got lucky today, I wasn’t seen, but I can’t risk exposing myself again.”
“Aaron—”
“Don’t Gage. I’ve made up my mind.”
“I don’t agree with your choice, but I can’t stop you. Stay at the hotel until I get Sara’s story. Once I get the report filled out, you can leave. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Fine. I’ll be waiting.”
Aaron left the sheriff standing on the street, and escaped to his hotel room. He packed his bag in record time, and then sat down on the edge of the bed to wait.
It was the longest two hours of his life.
***
Sara looked at the bloody scraps of clothing on the floor and realized she didn’t have a shirt to wear. The doctor had cut off her sweater and shirt to get to the wound as soon as possible. She’d have to ask Aaron to pick her up a shirt and jacket, because she wasn’t walking home in the hospital gown the nurse had helped her into.
Her memories were foggy, but she clearly remembered Aaron shifting into a bear and defending her against the hunt
ers. When he turned back into a man, he’d carried her to the doctor’s office, but she’d fallen asleep along the way.
The last thing she remembered was placing her head on his shoulder and thinking how perfect it felt to be in his arms again. Aside from holding her hand on the walk, he hadn’t touched her in almost two weeks. She liked the way his body felt next to hers.
A knock on the door pulled her out of her memories.
“It’s Gage. Can I come in?”
“Yes,” she responded. Disappointment flooded her that it wasn’t Aaron, but she pushed it aside. She knew the sheriff needed to file the report.
“Kate brought these for you to borrow. She thought you might need something to wear. How are you feeling?”
“I’m a little sore, but I’m doing okay. It’s a small scrape, so I needed a few stitches, but except for some minor pain, I’m fine. I can go as soon as the doctor finishes some paperwork and gives me my prescription.”
“Good. I’ll wait for you and take you home. I need to ask you some questions. Do you think you can answer them while we wait?”
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Good. In your own words, tell me what happened.”
She gave a detailed account of the story, except for the part about Aaron turning into a bear. She omitted everything between getting shot and being carried to the doctor’s office. Gage asked her several detailed questions, which she answered the best she could, but he didn't hound her for information. She had a feeling he knew more than he let on.
"Okay, I think that covers it for now. I’ll put out a warrant based on your descriptions, and alert the game commission. Anything else you want to tell me?" he asked.
“No, that’s all. Can you send Aaron back here, please?”
“I’m sorry, Sara, but he’s not here."
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“He went back to the hotel. He plans on leaving town as soon as possible.”
“Did he say why?”
“No. He just said that he had to leave.”
“I need you to take me to him. Now.”
She jumped off the bed and started digging around in the bag Gage had brought her. She pulled out a light pink t-shirt and a grey sweatshirt.
