by Kim Fox
I’m taking deep breaths to control the bear and to control myself when Jessie steps forward with a grin on her face.
“Actually, he won me at the Win-A-Bride claw vending machine at the arcade,” she jokes. “Luckily, he did because it was getting hot and sweaty in there with all of the other brides.”
She wraps her arms around my bicep and kicks her back leg up like a wife from the fifties and my bear instantly settles. It’s like her touch is an instant soother.
“He’s my savior,” she says, looking up at me as she bats her eyes. I can’t help but think the same. Maybe she’ll be my savior too.
“You might want to crawl back into that machine,” Ronin says with a laugh. “I think you got the raw end of the stick.”
“I’m Jessie,” she says, offering her hand.
My bear lets out a low growl as Tito shakes her hand.
“Okkaaayyy,” he says, quickly snapping his hand back. Both twins shoot me a questioning look as they back away from the confused girl. The growl was low enough that she couldn’t hear, but the twin grizzly bear shifters definitely did.
“That’s Tito and Ronin,” I say in a bristling voice. “It doesn’t matter which one is which. They’re both the same. Equally obnoxious. Equally annoying.”
“And equally good looking,” Tito says.
Ronin rolls his eyes. “He still doesn’t know that he’s the less attractive one of the pair.”
They look the same to me, and if it weren’t for their different scents, I would never be able to tell them apart. Not that I’d ever care enough to try.
“It’s nice to meet you two,” Jessie says, letting her hands fall from my arm. The warmth flooding through my body suddenly dissipates, and I’m left with a cold feeling that lingers without her skin touching mine.
I can feel the twins watching us curiously as we walk the rest of the way to the cabin. They’re wondering what she’s doing here with me. I’m not the type to bring home girls—that’s Caleb’s job. Let them wonder. I don’t care.
“Sit here for a second,” I say, pointing to the chair on my front porch. “I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Is your place a mess?” she asks with a grin. “I don’t mind.”
If I knew she was coming I would have made sure that every inch of my place was spotless. Even the back of the toilet, under the stove, and the tops of the ceiling fan blades—it would have been immaculate.
But I didn’t know she was coming, and it looks like a depressed bear shifter with a self-destructive lifestyle lives in there, and that won’t do for Jessie.
She sits down, looking in the far distance at the cattle grazing in the field as I rush into the cabin and clean up as fast as I can. Ten minutes and a whole lot of empty beer cans later, and the place looks decent.
“It’s cute,” she says as she looks around.
I’m suddenly very self-conscious of it in a way that I’ve never been before. I want her to like it.
It’s not much, just a small living room, a decent-sized kitchen, a nice bathroom, two spare bedrooms filled with boxes, and my bedroom.
“You can take the bedroom,” I say, guiding her around. “I’ll sleep on the couch. The bathroom is here, and you’re welcome to take anything in the fridge, although it is a little sparse. I wasn’t expecting company.”
“I’m sorry to show up unannounced,” she says, looking uncomfortable. “I really don’t want to put you out. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“No,” I bark a little too roughly. “It’s fine. I want you to have the bed.”
She opens her mouth to protest, but I give her a look that means it’s not up for discussion.
“Thank you,” she says shyly.
I take a deep breath, and before I can decide if the words are a good idea or not, they’re sliding past my lips. “I’m really happy you’re here, Jessie.”
Her cheeks turn pink as her face lights up in a smile. “Me too.”
The air is thick with something as we stare at each other for a long moment before she takes a short breath and turns with her skin flushing red.
“I better get in that shower,” she says. “I’ve been in this hideous dress for far too long.”
I set her up in the bathroom with a fresh towel, some soap, and even give her some spare clothes that will be way too big on her.
She closes the door, and I rush into the bedroom to change the sheets when I hear the ceramic cover of the toilet moving. I stop and listen, wondering what she’s doing, but when she puts it back and starts the shower, my mind is on something else.
Jessie is in my cabin right now. She’s naked in my shower.
I can’t focus on anything but that until the water shuts off and I hear the faint sound of her feet stepping onto the tile.
She comes out a little while later wearing my clothes. “They’re a little big,” she laughs, holding up her arms. My shorts almost go down to her ankles and my shirt is so baggy that the sleeves end halfway down her forearms.
“Just a tad,” I say with a smile. “But you look beautiful.”
And she does. She looks so natural, like the angelic girl I fell in love with all those years ago. Her hair is hanging down after a towel dry, and all of the makeup is washed off her gorgeous face. Her lips are a natural pink that looks so kissable, and I can see the cute freckles on her cheeks that I absolutely adore.
I make her some coffee and get out a mug before I go into the bathroom to take my own shower. Before I step inside, I take the ceramic lid off the back of the toilet and look in the tank. There’s a bag full of money floating inside.
Benjamin Franklin is staring at me from the stack of crisp hundred-dollar bills as I pick it up.
Now that the initial shock of seeing her again is starting to wear off, I’m wondering what the hell is going on with her. Why did she show up out of the blue in a wedding dress with a stack of cash?
I put the money back where I found it and carefully put the lid back on without making a sound.
My mind is swirling as I step into the shower, letting the hot water wash over me.
What kind of trouble is she in?
A flash of panic rushes through me when I get out of the bathroom and find the cabin empty. My heart is pumping as I rush outside and look around, only to see Jessie by the firepit laughing with the twins.
I’m so absorbed in admiring how beautiful she is that I don’t even notice Maximus walking toward my cabin until he speaks.
“Is that the same girl?” he asks, yanking me out of my daze. “Emanuele Marchesi’s daughter?”
I turn and watch him as he walks up the path to my cabin. He stops at the bottom of the stairs and watches me with a curious gaze.
“What’s she doing here?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “I haven’t gotten the full story.”
He takes a deep breath and slides his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he looks at her. “You should find out, Lachlan. Last we heard, Marchesi still had connections with the Hell’s Howlers, and I don’t need to tell you how dangerous they can be.”
I’m not afraid of the wolf shifters in the Hell’s Howlers. I’ll take on every single one of them if it means protecting her.
Maximus rubs his short beard as he looks at her. “How long is she staying for?”
Forever, hopefully.
“Not sure. Maybe a couple of days.”
“Just be careful with her,” Maximus says. “We don’t need the Hell’s Howlers showing up. We’re already on thin ice with the dragons after Kneecap busted up the The Dirty Ashtray last month.”
I nod as I rub the back of my neck. “Don’t worry, Max. I’ll be careful.” The last thing we need is the dragons coming down on us because of a brawl with some pesky wolves.
“I know you will,” he says, giving me more credit than I deserve. He walks away but then stops and turns. “And Lachlan…”
“Yeah?”
“Try to have some fun,” h
e says. “I’d like to see the Lachlan I knew back when you first fell in love with her.”
“That Lachlan died with Carter,” I say, feeling a thickness in my throat.
“I know,” Maximus says. His body tightens from just hearing the name. “I changed that day too, but I think it’s time for you to move on.”
“And what about you?” I say, maybe pushing a little too far for my own good. “Is it time for you to move on?”
He takes a deep breath and looks at the trees as they sway in the wind. “I don’t get to move on,” he says with a sadness in his eyes. “But you do. You did the right thing.”
I’m done talking about this.
“Are we finished?” I ask in a sharp voice.
He watches me for a moment and then nods. “Yeah,” he says softly. “We’re done.”
My breaths come out rough and heavy as I watch him walk away. I did the right thing, he says.
Yeah, right.
Chapter 5
Jessie
“You should have raided Caleb’s cabin,” Tito says as he offers me a bowl of chicken wings. “He’s the one with all of the women sleeping over. He probably has a lost and found full of clothes of all sizes.”
I wave away the bowl of wings with a polite thank you. They’re spicy as fuck, and my mouth is still burning from the first and only one I had.
“I don’t know,” I say, looking down at the clothes on my body that are ridiculously too big for me. “I kind of like these.” They have Lachlan’s masculine scent on them, and although they’re not sexy in the least, they’re comforting.
We’re hanging out around the firepit as Maximus grills some steaks on the barbecue. They have a really cool shelter made out of log poles and a tiled roof with an indoor kitchen under it. Maximus is preparing the dinner inside while Lachlan opens a bottle of wine beside him.
This is not what I expected—actually, I had no idea what to expect—but this is really fun. I feel like I’m in another world, a different planet from Chicago, and that my old life will never catch up to me here. Will it?
I glance behind me over my shoulder just to be sure and see nothing but mountains, forest, and a pissed-off looking Caleb walking up the path.
I turn back around with a gulp. I hope he’s not mad at me.
“There he is!” Ronin says, lifting his can of beer up with a laugh. “Caleb, you made it home. We were about to organize a search party for you!”
“Actually, we tried,” Tito adds, grinning at him. “But no one cared enough about you to go looking.”
“Ha-ha-ha,” Caleb says, rolling his eyes as he walks past us. “Very fucking funny.”
He drops into the empty chair beside me with a huff. “Hey Lachlan, the next time you dig yourself into a pathetic pit of self-pity and despair, I won’t be there to lift you back out.”
Self-pity and despair?
I’m wondering what he’s talking about when he looks down at my clothes with a grin. “Wedding is over?”
“Wedding is over,” I repeat. Thank God.
“Well,” he says with a smile. “Congratulations on the divorce.”
I laugh. “Thanks.”
My eyes drift to Lachlan—like they keep doing—as he walks over with some drinks. He hands me a glass of red wine and tosses Caleb a beer.
“Friends?” Lachlan asks.
“Fuck you,” Caleb answers. But there’s no hint of malice or hard feelings on his face as he opens the can of beer and takes a sip.
It’s not the worst thing in the world to walk along the back roads of Montana. It’s a gorgeous hike.
“There is one thing you can do that will make me forgive you,” Caleb says, eying Lachlan.
“Who says I want you to forgive me?” Lachlan asks with a grin. “I’m sure the silent treatment is going to be pretty nice.”
Caleb just ignores him. “You guys can come and see my band tonight.”
Lachlan snorts out a laugh. “I’ll take a lifelong grudge over that any day.”
“You’re in a band?” I ask. His face lights up when he turns to me.
“Don’t get him started,” Tito says, smacking his forehead.
“The only thing worse than listening to his songs is listening to him ramble on about them,” Ronin adds.
“Don’t pay attention to them,” Caleb says, waving them away. “We’re really good, and we’re playing at The Slurry Rabbit tonight. Want to come?”
“No, she doesn’t,” Lachlan says, answering for me. Like hell I don’t.
“Sure,” I say, ignoring him. “I’d love to.”
“Sweet!” Caleb says, pumping his fist.
“We’re all going,” Maximus says, pointing a spatula at the guys. I remember Maximus from the last time I was here. Lachlan was friends with him, but there was someone else who I remember that I haven’t seen. Lachlan’s best friend, Carter. I wonder where he is.
“We’re a crew,” Maximus says in a firm voice. “We support each other. We’re there for each other.”
“Even if supporting each other means bleeding out of our ears?” Tito asks with a pained look on his face.
“Especially if it means bleeding out of our ears,” Maximus adds. “Or bleeding out of anywhere. We’re all going, and that’s final.”
Caleb gulps as he turns to the chef. “Even Kneecap?”
As if on cue, a massive naked man comes charging out of the forest like an untamed monster. He looks more beast than man with his hairy chest, wild beard, and crazed eyes. He’s holding a dead deer carcass over his shoulder and doesn’t seem to mind that it’s bleeding down his chest and abs.
My heart starts pounding as he storms over, looking completely feral. His skin is caked in dirt, and he has leaves in his hair like he’s been sleeping in the woods.
Without a word, he drops the dead deer onto the ground beside the barbecue and grunts. Maximus glances at me quickly as the naked man picks up a steak straight off the grill with his bare hands and takes a bite out of it. With another savage grunt, he turns and marches back into the forest, disappearing into the trees.
All five of the men turn to see my expression, which is a mix of what-the-fuck and did-I-just-see-Bigfoot?
Maximus shrugs and turns back to the barbecue. “Maybe Kneecap can stay home.”
I can’t help but think that’s a good idea.
“What about this one?” I ask as I step out of the changing room. I’m wearing tight jeans that hug my curvy hips and a red top that’s a lower cut than what I would normally wear.
Lachlan seems to like it because he just stares at me with a gaping mouth.
Perfect. This is what I’m wearing tonight.
We’re headed to The Slurry Rabbit for a few drinks and to watch Caleb’s band play. As much as I liked Lachlan’s clothes, I couldn’t wear them out in public, so I made him take me to a clothing store in town. I need a wardrobe to get me through the week at least.
After I pick up some shoes, jeans, shorts, a summer dress, and a few tops, I head to the cash with all of my gear.
“Put the money away,” Lachlan says, pulling out his wallet. “It’s my treat.”
“No,” I say, shaking my head. “It’s too much, Lachlan, and you’re already doing more than enough for me.”
The girl behind the counter laughs. “The man wants to pay, darling. Let him pay.”
“Yeah,” Lachlan says. “Let me pay.”
“I can’t.” I put my hand on his massive chest and try to push him back, but he doesn’t move. It’s like trying to move a tree. “You can buy me a drink at the bar. How about that?”
He reaches over me and hands the girl behind the counter a credit card. “Carla, put it on this please.”
“No, don’t,” I say, turning back to the girl who I now know is named Carla.
She just grins as she ignores the cash in my hand and starts swiping the clothes.
“You’re missing something,” Lachlan says, looking around the store. He plucks a white cowb
oy hat off of a display and puts it on my head. His sexy lips curl up into a smile as he steps back and looks at me.
I feel a flutter in my chest as I watch him looking at me with hungry eyes. I haven’t looked in the mirror yet, but I already love this hat.
“We’ll take this too,” he says to Carla. I’m not arguing with that. I’m keeping anything that draws that sexy look out of him.
Carla is on his side, and she charges his card with all my stuff.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say to him as we walk back to the pickup truck. He opens the door, and I throw the bags inside. Lachlan closes the door and leaves without locking it. This town has really changed. If you did that before, you’d come back and find nothing but an empty parking space.
“I wanted to,” he says as we start walking down the sidewalk.
“Still. It was over three hundred dollars.”
He just shrugs his round shoulders as we walk at a leisurely pace. It’s a gorgeous night, and the sun is almost finished setting. There’s only a few fighting rays of light who refuse to give up to the oncoming darkness. It’s a losing battle and unfortunately, they’ll be extinguished soon.
The millions of stars are already out, and I feel so tiny as I look up at them. That’s what I like about Montana. The stars are always there to humble you. You can feel like the king of the universe under the pure black night sky of Chicago, but out here the cosmos is always quick to remind you that you’re nothing but a speck of dust in the grand scheme of things. A drop in the endless ocean of space.
“Fine,” I say when I spot an ice cream shop up ahead. It’s one of those old timey shops designed to look like you’ve traveled back in time before cell phones and the internet were invented. “Let me buy you an ice cream cone at least.”
He grins as he looks down at me. “An ice cream cone?”
“What? Are you too manly to eat ice cream or something?”
He laughs. “A little bit.”
I grab his strong hand in mine and pull him. “No one is too manly for ice cream.”
“What about Kneecap?” he asks with a laugh.
I cringe as I remember the enormous naked man with the long package that swung from side to side with every rough step that he took.
