by Anya Nowlan
He finished with a bit of a smile, that same look in his eyes that made her want to muss her hands into his hair and forget all about any kind of renovation. Jen sighed with visible relief.
“Thank you, it’s good to have someone give me honest feedback. Do you think you can handle all of this on your own?”
Before Ethan could answer, a telltale sound of crackling gravel signaled a car arriving out front.
I wasn’t expecting any visitors, Jen thought to herself.
She looked at Ethan questioningly. He gave her a slight shrug, but a dark shadow ran over his face, disappearing just as swiftly as it had appeared. In that moment, he looked every bit the fierce predator that she had imagined him to be.
Five
Jennifer
Jen and Ethan made their way outside to find a muddy F-150 parked next to Ethan’s truck. Leaning on it was a man only an inch or so shorter than Ethan, but with a somewhat less burly physique. He still struck an imposing picture and something about him made Jen’s stomach twist uncomfortably. While Ethan’s size and strength made her feel safe, this guy just worried her for some reason.
Not a man I’d like to meet in a dark alley, she thought to herself, suddenly very thankful that she had Ethan by her side.
As the man watched the duo exit the house, a sly grin appeared on his face as he eyed Jen. A wave of discomfort came over her as the stranger’s hazel eyes peered at her intently and she had to fight the urge to grimace. The silence was interrupted by Ethan’s gruff voice, a steely note now very apparent in his words.
“What the hell are you doing here, Ryan?” he asked as he took a half-step forward.
Jen, somewhat startled by Ethan’s tone, stayed back. She wasn’t a confrontational person to begin with, and honestly the last thing she was looking for was some local beef on the very first morning of moving into her new home. There was something soothing about Ethan’s presence that made her feel safer behind his wide back, and she decided to try and butt out of this little conflict.
What the hell is going on here?
“Now don’t get your panties in a knot, Ethan.” The man’s tone sounded mocking as he averted his eyes from Jen and stared right into Ethan’s. “I’m just here to meet and greet our newcomer, introduce myself and tell her about how things work around here. You can’t fault a local for doing that, can you? I can’t trust you to tell her everything that’s important, after all,” he said with a chuckle that sounded more malicious than anything else.
The words made Jen feel uneasy. The palpable tension and hostility between the two men was careening towards more than just words. She could easily imagine these two cowboys throwing it down right in front of her new home. There was something in the air, like the calm before a big storm hit. There was electricity, and not the kind that Jen had been sharing with Ethan. Feeling the need to defuse the situation before anything happened, she decided an introduction may be in order.
“Hi there, I’m Jennifer Howell. And you are...?” she said, rushing down the steps and reaching her hand out to him.
“The name’s Ryan Clearpond,” the man answered, taking her hand in his and shaking it firmly, so hard it hurt a little. Jen could hear a low growl behind her, but she thought it was just her imagination playing tricks on her. “I’m the owner of these here lands.” His shit-eating grin grew broader as he uttered the words, obviously stressing the word ‘owner’.
Jen frowned, all the discomfort forgotten and replaced by a twinge of annoyance. She retrieved her hand and took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I believe that’s not entirely correct. I bought this house and I’m more than certain it came with the land it stands on,” she said, a note of stern annoyance that surprised even her in her voice.
Who the hell does he think he is coming here like that? she thought to herself. And what’s that nonsense about this being his land? Did I get myself in some yokel land drama? My realtor’s going to get such an earful…
“This ain’t Clearpond land. Never has been and never will be,” Ethan remarked coldly. “As the lady said, it is hers now and the Grimpaw will have none of your shit. We’ve been here a good deal longer. I think it’s best you leave.”
Ryan shrugged, though he obviously wasn’t satisfied with the response he got. “Whatever. We’ll take what’s ours, sooner or later. If you don’t want to play nice then that’s up to you. And you, pretty missy, I’ll be seeing you around,” he said, his eyes firmly set on Jen.
He hopped in his truck and sped off, gravel and dust flying from under the wheels and clattering against the wall of the house. Jen frowned and almost sneezed as the risen cloud of dust wafted to her. She turned to Ethan, looking and feeling entirely puzzled.
“What was all that about?”
Ethan sighed, obviously wishing that the meeting hadn’t just happened between them and that Ryan guy.
“A regular pain in the ass. The hill separates the Grimpaw and Clearpond territories. They claim it’s theirs, but the Grimpaws have always had legitimate ownership of it. And now that some of that land has been sold to you, I’m more than willing to bet Ryan and his pack are going to make a nuisance of themselves.”
Pack? Jen thought to herself, raising an eyebrow. That’s a strange way to put it.
Taking notice of Jen’s confused look Ethan quickly remarked, as if correcting himself, “The Clearpond family. But pay no mind, their bark is worse than their bite.”
He had calmed down and his baritone had gone from gruff and steely to that sexy growl she already liked so much. She could feel her shoulders relaxing and a small smile creeping back on her lips. Maybe with Ethan to keep her company, she could even deal with odd local disputes without letting them dampen her spirits. After all, what was a small town without some drama, right?
“Now, how about we head into town? I’ll show you around and we can get some supplies for construction. I bet you also need some groceries and whatnot?”
Jen agreed, “Good idea, I do need some things and I’ve not even seen the town yet.”
Ethan nodded and opened the truck’s passenger door. He reached out his hand to help her into the tall-standing F-250. Her skin tingled all over when she touched him and it was hard to let go of his hand. As he jumped into the driver’s seat, Jen couldn’t help but notice the ease and grace of his movements. He was much lighter on his feet than she would have thought from a man his size.
A gentleman! And could he be any hotter? If I’d known they grow them like him around here, I would have moved years ago, she thought to herself, the earlier unpleasant confrontation thoroughly swept from her mind.
The town of Sweetwater wasn’t exactly the bustling metropolis Jen was used to. Small and sleepy as it was, all the necessities were there. It was quaint, just like she’d assumed it to be from the extensive Googling she’d done. Jen and Ethan spent hours rolling from store to store, gathering materials for construction and necessities for Jen, and meeting just about every Sweetwater inhabitant there was – at least that’s what it felt like. Though they barely spoke during the drive, the silence wasn’t uncomfortable.
They sat in the car as the picturesque Wyoming landscapes and buildings trundled by. Jen found herself at ease in the peace surrounding her and with the man at the wheel, driving the truck with confidence. For one whole day, she hadn’t been obsessing about her less than stellar breakup with Chad, or the way she got booted from the company she’d helped build from the ground up. Even the way her mother always nagged at her to settle down and get married already was far from her mind, replaced with a kind of calmness she hadn’t experienced in far too long.
As the sun crested the tips of the mountains surrounding Sweetwater, Ethan pulled up at a diner.
“I’m starving, how about we grab some dinner before heading back to the house?”
The day had been long and shopping (something that had often been a guilty pleasure of Jen’s back in Phoenix) had kept her mind away from foo
d. The sight of the diner, however, made her very aware of just how long the day had been.
Time sure flies with a sexy as sin man by your side!
“I could eat a horse,” Jen replied with a broad, honest smile. And I wouldn’t mind having you for dessert, she thought to herself, biting her lip slightly.
Ethan chuckled, “I’m sure Maisy can whip up something.”
And Maisy came through. The plates were laden heavy with two juicy steaks for Ethan and one for Jen. Dinner was spent mostly in silence as Jen and Ethan devoured their steaks and good wholesome sides of mash potatoes and coleslaw. Once hunger had been sated and the plates cleaned out, the two sat at the table, sipping ice tea.
She couldn’t help but giggle a little at it all. A month back, she would have been mortified to be out in jeans and sneakers, hoofing it in some little roadside stores for paint and construction equipment. And now it seemed like the best thing in the world. Though, in all honesty, she had to admit that the company must have had a little to do with how much she was enjoying herself.
She liked how easy everything was with Ethan. Like they’d been doing things like that for years and years and didn’t need words anymore to understand exactly what the other felt or thought. It was a bit silly, seeing as she’d only just met him, but Jen was sure she’d never felt quite as comfortable around another person as she did with Ethan.
Jen’s thoughts started to wander and she frowned as she remembered the awkward argument from earlier.
“What did Ryan really mean when he said he’d take what’s his?” she asked.
“Truthfully, I don’t know,” Ethan responded with gloom in his tone.
Silence hung between them again and Jen wasn’t sure Ethan intended to say another word about it, until he reluctantly picked up the topic again.
“The Clearponds are, ahem, shifty, when it comes to such things. And they sure as well won’t take kindly to being told off like that. For your sake, I should have kept my mouth shut, I think. But what’s done is done. The land was previously owned by one of ours and for reasons I don’t want to get into, he sold it. Dragging you into this without you being prepared for it. Don’t you worry, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” Jen said mildly, taking a sip of her drink.
She couldn’t hide the fact that the thought of Ethan protecting her sent a warm flutter through her tummy. Who wouldn’t want to be kept safe and secure by a man who looked like… well, that!? And he could build stuff? Jackpot! Call her mama, she’s found the perfect man!
Jen hid the grin that was threatening to burst forth.
Settle down, cowgirl. How about you try and get through the first day in town before falling head over heels for a cowboy, even if he is perfect.
That sobered her a little and cooled those jets of hers. After all, hadn’t she run all the way to Wyoming from one unfortunate relationship? Maybe getting into a new one right away wasn’t the smartest idea…
But what if she really, really wanted to!?
Six
Ethan
That may have been a bit too much, Ethan thought to himself, noticing a dash of color rushing to Jen’s cheeks.
Her voice had haunted his mind since the phone call they had when they agreed that he’d take up the renovation. He couldn’t shake the image of their first meeting. Her tantalizingly curvy body in a morning robe and him, doing his best not to grab her in his arms right there and then. The thought of pushing her hair out of her face and kissing her until both of them ran out of breath had been with him since the first time he laid eyes on her. It was a strange feeling he’d never experienced before, but he was now becoming more and more certain what it was.
She could be the mate I’ve been waiting for. And she’s sitting right here having dinner with me. If only that damned Clearpond hadn’t come along to mess things up.
Clearponds and Grimpaws had lived in the area for as long as anyone could remember. And as long as the werewolves and werebears had been there, there had been trouble between the two clans. Bears and wolves didn’t mix to begin with, but with these two factions, there had been plenty of bloodshed, betrayal and land wars for generations. So it was safe to say it had grown far past simple confrontations and a mutual dislike. They were constantly teetering on the very brink of war and as far as Ethan was concerned, perhaps the best way to settle things for a while would have been to see who bled harder.
“Well, it was our land, after all,” he explained quickly. “Makes me feel kind of responsible and, I’ll be honest, the way you handled yourself earlier with Ryan, well, suffice to say I like your attitude... and more.”
That surprised him. Where the hell did that come from? He was a bear and used to taking what he wanted, but he wasn’t usually so… overt about it. If anything, he was notably bad with words, preferring to act instead of talk. But this woman made him want to bare his soul right away – no reservations.
Great, Ethan. Just throw her over your shoulder and drag her into your cave. I bet she’ll love that.
The red on Jen’s cheeks intensified.
Hell. Maybe she would.
Ethan cocked a brow, half-amused by her reaction. Okay, so maybe she would have liked to be carried off into the sunset. He was fine with that. Granted that the sunset also accommodated wild and insatiable fucking. The cave was optional. The backseat of his truck, or a bed, or a pile of leaves for all he cared would do just as well.
She fumbled for words and he found it endearing.
“So, what now?” Jen asked.
The two had finished dinner and the reddish glint of the setting sun was seeping through the diner’s windows, making Ethan antsy for the whole sunset and cave thing his mind was currently cycling through. He needed to snap out of that particular reverie before physical consequences followed – he wasn’t entirely sure if he could hide a hard-on from her if his mind kept wandering.
“I suppose we should be getting back to the house,” Ethan responded. “It’s getting late and there’s still all the stuff in the truck to unload.”
Jen nodded. Ethan paid the tab, ignoring Jen’s plentiful objections, and the two made their way back to the house. As they were unloading the supplies back at the house, he could sense Jen eyeing him up and down every now and then. When he tried to meet her gaze, she swiftly averted it.
Wonder what she’s thinking about and if it’s the same thing that I’m thinking about, he mused to himself, smirking wryly.
She got him feeling like a teenager, wishing desperately that he possessed the power of reading a woman’s mind. He felt a little goofy, and he sort of liked it. Though his bear, of course, was all over that and would have preferred a full-frontal attack instead. Just shove her against the truck and take what was his.
Jen tried to help where she could, moving groceries and lighter supplies. Ethan marveled at her every movement, getting a glimpse of her full physique. Bears liked their women with something to hold on to and this one had that and a spitfire personality to boot. Occasionally, she’d look back, catch him glimpsing at her, and smile. He tried hiding his curiosity about her, but it turned into a losing battle far too fast and he settled for just keeping things somewhat civil – only letting his gaze linger on those impossibly long, strong legs of hers every now and then, imagining them wrapped around his waist, and so on.
As she reached to get the last grocery bag out of the bed of Ethan’s truck, he took it in his hands.
“Let me get that,” he said, smiling broadly.
She handed the bag over and their fingers touched. Ethan felt a sudden jolt of electricity, the bear in him now growling and rising close to the surface. He’d felt it before when he helped her into the truck, and the signs were hard to misinterpret. Nobody needed to convince his bear any further that she was the one. Now he’d just have to get the human on board and figure out a way to get closer to her without completely freaking her out.
He couldn’t exactly go to
her, sweep her off her feet and tell her that the ancient spirits had told him that she was the one he was supposed to spend his life with, could he? Well, maybe he could, but it would take a hell of a big bottle of whiskey to get to that. Human women weren’t exactly prepared for the kind of attention they could expect from a werebear. Even Ethan himself wasn’t entirely sure how well he could control himself when he really let himself loose, giving both the bear and the man equal freedom to love the right woman.
He brought the bag to the kitchen and set it alongside the others, quietly mulling over his rather fortunate predicament. Jen was already busy stacking the shelves with supplies.
Ethan felt somewhat useless, suddenly without a thing to do. His eyes kept going back to her delicious body like she was some kind of magnet and, once again, she caught him staring as she twirled around to grab something off the table. The sly, knowing smile she gave him made him smirk. At least she liked the attention. That was something.
“I’d ask you to stay for a night cap, but I’m sort of tuckered out. But can I make you promise me that you’ll stay for a drink next time? You’ve really been such a big help. I would have been lost without you!” Jen said, smiling.
Ethan nodded, a silent breath of relief escaping him. Thank the spirits above. If she’d asked him to stay now, he would have never left.
I wouldn’t mind staying. But I can’t let her know that. It’s too early and I should really avoid coming on too strong. And damn was that a hard thing to do.
“Sure thing. Can’t stay up too late anyway if I want to get an early start in the morning. Get those renovations underway so you could be happy in your new home.”
Jen beamed a broad smile. “Thank you! Really, for everything! I’d be lost without you!”
