Declan knew he would move much faster up over the mountain on his own, yet seeing her face, the determination there, he knew he had to let her come with him. “We’ll need to go back to my place for supplies.”
“Your place?” she asked, her face going pink. He took that as a good sign; she wasn’t the kind of woman used to going back to a man’s home on her own. Or was it just him? Had he scared her off by almost drooling over her? He couldn’t help it; he wanted to taste her so bad.
Shaking off his hunger, he said, “Yes. We need some warm clothing. And rope, and flares.” He began to make a mental list of everything they needed. His task was doubly important now. Not only did he have to find Jason, he had to keep his mate safe too.
“OK. I’m ready when you are.” She nodded and he couldn’t help but smile and admire her determination. He only hoped she was this determined when they were up on the high slopes of the mountain in the freezing cold.
“Then let’s go.” He got up, grabbing his hat and his keys. He would have to call on his deputy to watch over things here, which might not go down too well, but it was part of the job. He should also let his brothers know he would be out of town for a day or two. With his mate. Yeah, he might just keep that one to himself. There was no rush now he had found her; he had the rest of their lives to let the world know.
Keeping it quiet might be difficult though, because right now he wanted to jump from roof to roof and yell at the top of his voice that he had found her at last. He took back everything he had said about the Holiday season; he no longer wanted to shout bah humbug.
Instead, he dared to hope that Santa had come early to Bear Bluff this year.
Chapter Four – Maria
Relief swept over her. This man, Declan, was going to help her. For the first time since she came to Bear Bluff, she didn’t feel alone. Not that the people here hadn’t tried to be friendly. Yet somehow, she had pushed them away, preferring to be an outsider. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t allow herself to be absorbed into this small town. It wasn’t who she was; she could not see herself as the type of woman who was a soccer mom or did bake sales. Maria had learned to keep herself aloof and she was scared to be any other way.
Jason’s behaviour compounded those feelings. He could see her for who she was, and he understood she didn’t fit in. So why was she surprised he had run off?
“You don’t understand me. You don’t belong here.” She replayed the words he had thrown at her last night just before he had run off. He wanted to go out into the snow with his friends. She had told him it was too late and too dangerous. Jason hadn’t taken her decision too well. Storming off to his room, he had slammed the door shut and refused to speak to her when she went to make peace. Maria had thought he was sulking and that was why he hadn’t answered her knock on his door.
When she tried again this morning and he still didn’t answer, tired of being ignored, she had entered his room. It was then she discovered he hadn’t been ignoring her. Looking at his unmade bed and open window, she realised he had run away from his controlling aunt.
At first she expected him to come home, tired and hungry. When it got to lunchtime, and he was still absent, she began to worry and called his friends. Only to be told no, no one had seen him.
Slowly panic had found a home in her heart and that was why she was here now, in front of the sheriff, whose smile made tendrils of desire uncurl in the pit of her stomach.
That had to stop right now. This wasn’t the time or the place. He wasn’t the man for her. She didn’t want a man, she chastised herself.
She had to sort her own life, and Jason’s, out before she could even think of any romantic entanglements. And who would want her anyway, when she came with so much baggage?
That was unfair to Jason. He couldn’t help what had happened any more than she could. But they had to learn to live together before she could ever think of inflicting their disagreements and misunderstandings on a stranger. Jason was hurting and missing his parents, just as she missed her beloved sister, and she didn’t want him to ever think he wasn’t the most important thing in the world to her right now.
“Deputy will be here in half an hour. But we’ll get moving. I’d like to get up the mountain road before too much snow settles,” Declan said, switching off the lights, locking the door to his office, and then crossing to his truck. “Hey, relax. We’ll find him and you two can patch things up. I think you are both hurting and need to sit down and tell each other how you feel.”
She followed, shivering against the cold. “I don’t know if that’s possible, but I hope so. Jason thinks I am the most unsuitable person to be looking after him. He doesn’t like me, and when I see myself through his eyes, I can see why.”
“Now, that is just a teenage boy talking. Deep down, he knows how much he needs you. Boys are just not so good at showing it,” Declan said, opening the door for her and helping her inside. Again, the touch of his hand made a warm feeling spread across her flesh. If only this were a date and they were going home to his place for something other than to fetch cold weather gear. If circumstances were different, she would truly like to see what was hidden under this sheriff’s uniform.
He jumped in beside her, buckled his seatbelt, and turned to wink at her reassuringly. “We will find him. I promise. Even if I have to tear down the mountain to find him.”
What made her think that he would truly do that? For her? The look in his beautiful eyes. Their intensity had not changed, although he had covered it up with his softer, gentler approach. But the desire, the fascination, that had burned there from the first time he saw her was still evident.
“Don’t you have a wife or girlfriend waiting for you at home?” she asked, cursing her mouth for disengaging itself from her brain. However, she did want to know, not only because it would fuel the fantasy she was having about him being her man. But also, she didn’t want to enter his home and find his lover there waiting for him. Now, that would be awkward and she would insist on staying in the car.
“Nope. Never found the right one.” Until now. She read those two words in his expression and her insides turned to liquid fire.
Yes. Jason was probably right about her not being suitable as a parent, because no woman with an ounce of maternal instinct would be thinking about a man taking her to bed when her nephew was out there somewhere, lost and alone.
The snow was hitting the windscreen, blurring her view as they drove along roads she didn’t know. They passed houses decorated with hundreds of bright, flashing Christmas lights, shining like colourful beacons through the falling snow. Maria hadn’t realised how big the town of Bear Bluff was. As it sprawled out into farming country, the streetlights petered out until the only illumination through the darkening gloom was the truck's headlights.
The road meandered for a mile or two, before they took a turn back towards Bear Bluff Mountain. A little further on, they turned to climb a short distance to the foothills of the mountain before Declan turned once more to follow a dark track, the trees overhead now bearing the burden of the falling snow, crowding in on them as they passed underneath. A hundred feet later, he stopped. Through the falling snow, she could just make out a large wooden cabin.
“Is this where you live?” she asked.
“Yes. Believe it or not, it has a great view. But today you just get to see snow. Come on. We’ll go in, I’ll grab some clothes for you and the rest of the equipment, and then we can take the truck to the highest point of the road. From there we hike.” His hand was on the door, but before he opened it to let the cold in, he said, “Last chance to back out. Jason will understand if you are waiting at home for him. You don’t have anything to prove.”
“Are you saying you want me to stay here out of the way?” she asked, beginning to feel like a nuisance.
“No. That is not what I am saying. But you don’t have to kill yourself to prove you love him.” Declan’s face held such pity, her heart ached.
“I h
ave to do this. Maybe it’s like a trial by fire. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone but myself.”
“Climbing a mountain in near zero temperatures with a wind chill that will freeze your face off is not going to prove how fit you are to be in his life.”
“I need to do this,” she said simply, and there was no way to explain how she knew this. But with all her heart, her very soul, she knew that this was what she had to do. And she had to do it with Declan.
“Then let’s go.” He opened the door and a cold rush of air made her shiver. They weren’t too much higher in elevation than the town, but as she got out of the truck, she could feel the drop in temperature. As they got higher up the mountain, it would get much worse.
Feeling nervous at her decision, she asked, “How far is the cave?”
He opened the front door, letting them into his house, “High enough, there is a string of them. I’m not sure exactly which one he’s in. But while I get everything ready, I plan to make a few phone calls. I may be able to pinpoint exactly where he is going to. I also want to make sure he isn’t hiding somewhere in town.”
“I checked with his friends. No one had seen him.”
“So they say. Maybe the strong arm of the law might flush him out.”
“You really think he might be hiding somewhere in town?” A rush of relief hit her. She had called everyone she knew. Not that that covered a whole lot of people. But all the moms she’d spoken to swore they had not seen him.
“Might be. But from what you’ve said, he might have gone to the cave to feel closer to his parents. Other people’s houses would remind him more of what he’s missing.”
“You mean Christmas with his parents?” Of course, this would always be the worst time of year for Jason. She didn’t know the family traditions the people of Bear Bluff had. How could she? Maria and Yvonne had grown up on the coast where the sun shone. The snow falling outside the door was the most she had ever seen, except for on a Christmas card.
This was her life; she had given up the warm sunshine to live on a picturesque Christmas card, only life wasn’t as perfect as the verse made out it should be. There were no Happy Holidays for her and Jason.
“When we find him, I’ll have a good talk with him, Maria. He might open up to me.”
“Because you aren’t an outsider like me?”
He fell silent and then almost opened up to her, but whatever he wanted to say, he changed his mind and simply said, “I’ll talk to him, see if I can make him see how difficult it is for you too.”
“It doesn’t matter how difficult it is to me. Jason is all that matters.”
He shut the front door, putting a barrier between them and the elements. But there was no barrier between their bodies, the small hallway seemingly claustrophobic as they faced each other, only inches apart. And when he spoke, the sincerity in his voice made her believe every word. “You matter too, Maria. I know he’s a kid, but Jason is old enough to know that how he is behaving isn’t right. Isn’t fair. You dropped everything and came to a strange town to look after him.”
“I know. I wish I had seen him more before...” Her breath shuddered with emotion. “When he was younger, I came to see him, or Yvonne would visit me for summer vacations. Then life got in the way. You know. The last couple of years we’ve been strangers. Whenever I mentioned visiting, Yvonne said they were busy.”
“Having a teenager, especially in Bear Bluff, is a huge responsibility.”
She frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“Your sister never said anything?” He was brushing against that unsaid something. Resisting taking the plunge to give her an explanation. But what explanation? What exactly was going on here in Bear Bluff?
“No. Nothing out of the ordinary. Should she have?” Maria felt her heart begin to beat rapidly in her chest as he leaned forward, his breath on her neck; this was it, he was going to give her some answers. Instead, he simply inhaled, drawing her scent in.
Shuddering with desire, she closed her eyes, waiting for him to kiss her. In an involuntary action, her tongue snaked out and moistened her lips ... and then he was gone.
“Make yourself at home while I get what we need.” With that, he led her into a large open-plan room. It certainly wasn’t your average bachelor pad. It was cozy, tastefully decorated with soft furnishings in striking reds and muted browns. The room welcomed her in, and she found herself wanting to stay.
If only her nephew was at home, safe, instead of somewhere out in the deepening gloom. She hated the thought of him being alone and cold. Or maybe he was at a friend’s house.
Then she could stay here, with Declan.
Chapter Five – Declan
He left her alone. He had to, or else he was liable to tear her clothes from her body and carry her to the bedroom. At least that was what his bear wanted, and now she was in his home, his den, he was struggling to control his other side.
So he made himself busy. First he went to the kitchen and put the kettle on to boil. They should take a flask or two of hot coffee with them. Next, he pulled some supplies from the cupboards. Chocolate: it would give them energy, and he was sure he had some emergency ration packs too. They were stored in the garage with his mountain rescue kit. Sometimes hikers got lost on the mountain and they had to get rescued.
However, he had never gone on his own. No, he always had either Dermot or Damon with him. This was going to be a first. He would be going it alone, with his mate. That reminded him, he needed to tell one of them where he was, just in case he didn’t come back.
Taking out his cell, he was pleased to see he had a signal despite the snow, which was still falling. Dialling Damon’s number, he waited for him to pick up. It took a while. And then it went to his voice mail. Nothing strange in that, he was most probably on a call. So he punched in Dermot’s number. That rang for an age too, until eventually he answered.
“Hi, Declan.”
“Dermot. Are you OK?” His brother sounded different, not his usual self. “Did something happen? I tried to get hold of Damon, but he isn’t picking up.”
“Um. Yeah, he messaged me, said he was out on a call, something about saving a cat.”
“A cat? You mean someone has called them out on a night like this for a cat?” Declan couldn’t believe the crew had gone out for someone’s pet. Well, yes, he could. Whoever was in need, the fire crew would help. And losing a pet a Christmas was never going to be allowed to happen.
“Not that kind of cat,” Dermot said cryptically.
“Oh.” He wasn’t in the mood for guessing games. “Well, I wanted to let one of you know I am heading up the mountain.”
A long silence, then, “The mountain. Hey, hold on a moment.” The line went quiet and Declan wondered what exactly his brother was doing, and where he was. “Right. Say again.”
“When I went back to the office there was a woman waiting for me. She’s Yvonne’s sister. Remember…”
“Yes. Not a thing I would easily forget.” They had all attended the scene. All thought how unfair it was for two parents to die in a hit and run. The town had been thankful that Jason wasn’t in the car. It had been a blessing, but still totally unfair.
“Well, young Jason has taken off. Maria thinks he’s headed up over the Bluff somewhere. To one of the caves. Do you know where his dad used to take him?”
“Sure. It was the one with the cave paintings.”
“Our cave paintings?” Declan asked.
“Yes. You remember when we went up there as kids and chalked them on the walls?” Dermot asked.
“I do. And you’re sure that’s where he went?” Declan asked.
“Yeah. I know because I told Matthew we drew them and he said don’t tell Jason; he liked to believe they had been there for centuries. You know, like our ancestors had drawn them.”
“I get it. Thanks, Dermot. Is everything OK with you?” Declan asked. The edge was still clear in Dermot’s voice.
“Yeah. I just�
� well there was a woman, and her car had broken down.”
“And … she’s the one?”
“I think so. Hell. I know so. But it’s more complicated than that. Listen. I have to go. Or do you want me to come with you? I can, if you need me to...” But Dermot didn’t sound as though he wanted to drop everything to climb a freezing-cold mountain.
“No. I have it all under control. Just keep a check on Damon, and if I am not back by tomorrow afternoon, make sure you get mountain search and rescue to come after us.”
“You don’t think you should call them anyway?” Dermot asked.
“No. Look, it’s something Maria feels she has to do. And at least this way it stays off the record. Once search and rescue get involved, more questions get asked.” Declan went over his argument in his head, checking that was the right reason for doing this. “We aren’t climbing that high and the snow isn’t too deep. I think we’ll be fine. If it gets too difficult, we’ll come back down.”
“Maria, huh?” Dermot asked. Declan could tell he had put two and two together, and come up with four, when Declan thought that they were more like a three. They didn’t add up correctly, not yet at least. But soon. All he had to do was keep her safe, find Jason, and then get them both down from the mountain.
Oh yeah, and patch up her rocky relationship with her nephew. That part might be easy: all he had to do was get them to see each other's point of view, a thing he had been doing with his brothers since they were kids.
However, he doubted this would be as easy, because he was struggling to be objective. He wanted Maria to be happy at all costs. And that cost would be Jason if he wasn’t careful.
Chapter Six – Maria
She sat down on the sofa, despite feeling the urge to look around the room and find out all she could about the sheriff. However, that would be prying and she had no right. Instead, she sat nervously, perched on the edge of a sofa, hands on her knees.
No Christmas decorations. So Declan didn’t celebrate Christmas. He had her sympathy. Christmas without a family was hard; it compounded the feeling that something was lacking in your life. Something like a husband or wife. Although, this year, the thing missing was Yvonne and Matthew. She missed them, and could only imagine how much Jason missed his mom and dad.
Bear Humbug! Page 2
