by Anya Nowlan
There’s always that ticket home, Redmond thought grimly, remembering that he was supposed to head back to Los Angeles the day after next.
“Will we meet up again tomorrow? I don’t have work until Monday,” Battle offered, picking up his saw and hard hat.
He looked like the long day of work hadn’t phased him one bit.
“Sure. Have a good night. Send Keesha my greetings,” Redmond said, waving at Battle as they took separate routes to their vehicles parked on the dusty country road.
The dead grass and foliage crinkled and cracked under Redmond’s work boots, signaling the end of something but also a new beginning. The work they were doing to clean up the patch of forest damaged by the wildfire a week ago was just to give nature a chance to bounce back faster and easier. If there was one thing shifters could count on, it was that nature always found a way. But sometimes it was good to help.
His rental truck came into view, and when Redmond jumped up on the seat, he had to take a second to decompress. Pushing his head back on the headrest, he shoved the keys in the ignition and turned, fearing what was coming next. Being alone meant having time to think. Having time to think meant having an opportunity to make the wrong decisions. He turned the truck around and started heading back toward Hamilton House, thoughts rolling through his head in rapid succession.
This whole damn thing is insane, he told himself for what seemed to be the tenth time that day.
He’d come to Idaho expecting one thing, and what he’d found was something completely different. For the first time in decades, he felt at peace, like he’d finally arrived home. It was something he hadn’t expected to like as much as he did. But what added to the ridiculousness of the situation was not that he liked the place, but what he would have to do to make it permanent.
Namely, his uncle had left the grounds and the buildings to him and his three brothers, but with certain rules attached. Each and every one of them had to move back to Idaho and get married within a year, and two of them had to have wives pregnant with cubs by the time their deadline was up. All four of the Hamilton brothers were scattered over the United States working as firefighters, and they barely even had contact with one another for more than the mandatory “Happy Birthday” and “Merry Christmas!” wishes every year.
Even more, none of them were married! Or, well, Royce was well on his way, but that was a whole can of worms that Redmond wasn’t exactly ready to get into either. A steadfast bachelor, Redmond had enjoyed his life in Los Angeles as the hot, attractive fireman bear that women liked to take home but not keep there. That was fine with him; he was a love-them-and-leave-them kind of guy and that worked perfectly for him.
The forest turned from charred and blackened to lush and green in the areas where the fire hadn’t reached. It had been a serious scare; the sudden wildfire almost killed Royce’s bride-to-be Tiana, and no one knew what had caused it. Though, considering the dry foliage and the fact that it hadn’t rained in ages, a simple accident seemed to be the culprit.
He kept his big paws on the steering wheel, driving in silence until the road hit the five-way fork that led to Hamilton House. He took the left-most option out of the three roads that would take him home, preferring a longer drive.
I should just pack up and go home, he thought glumly. I don’t have any more vacation time left. But that means that we won’t get the house… and while this isn’t LA, I guess it has its charms.
The sun was setting slowly behind the high mountains and it would get very dark very soon.
“But what if I stay,” he said out loud, just as the house came into view.
Yeah. What if? He’d have to get a wife. And that seemed like an impossible feat. He’d have to find something else to live for other than his job. Though Shifter Grove obviously needed a fire station, so maybe that could be an option? And he’d have to get used to backbreaking labor day in and day out. The way his bear murmured in agreement to that seemed like it would be the least of his problems.
Grumbling under his breath, he slammed on the gas pedal and sped up the truck until it was bouncing and rolling on the road leading up to the house. It was bathed in red light and looked even more majestic than it usually did. A small smile spread on his lips as he took in the sight of the Hamilton House. It was home. But was that enough?
Getting closer, he noticed that it wasn’t just his brother’s and Tiana’s trucks that were parked in front of the house. Not only that, but Royce and Tiana were on the porch, talking to someone he didn’t recognize. A frown crossed over his features and he cranked the hand brake, wheeling into a spot next to Royce’s truck. He clambered out and slammed the door behind him, striding up to the stairs at a leisurely pace.
Her eyes were on him: big, blue, and completely maddening. There was a look in those baby blues that made his heart jump a couple of times before settling on a pace that was far faster than what the werebear was used to. Hell, he might have even been sweating a little, all because a pretty girl with long blonde hair and a pouty mouth was looking at him like he might just be her savior. Or was she looking at him like that because he’d be her undoing? Well, whatever, he liked the look.
Who is that pretty thing, he mused, putting on his cockiest smirk and letting his natural swagger fall into his step.
Redmond was so enthralled with the sexy minx standing on the porch that he almost walked into Royce on his way up the stairs. Grinning, Royce stopped him with a hand to his chest, shaking his head as Redmond forcefully tore his gaze from the blonde angel that had landed in his life, making his bear stand up and take notice.
“There he is,” Royce said with a chuckle. “The man of the hour.”
“Huh?” Redmond asked, forgoing his usual cool control.
Damn, he hadn’t lost his head for a girl since Missy Jenkins winked at him in eighth grade. And then he hadn’t even been used to getting attention from the opposite sex. Pulling his hand through his hair, something he did as more of a nervous tick than anything else, Redmond straightened up and looked between them, expecting some sort of an explanation.
“What do you mean, Royce?” Redmond asked, while reaching his hand out to the lovely lady who had enthralled him so thoroughly. “I’m Redmond. And to whom do I owe the pleasure?”
If Tiana and Royce hadn’t been around, or if he’d just picked up this girl in a bar, he would have probably been kissing the back of her hand and putting on all sorts of moves. She smiled weakly and his cock throbbed painfully in his jeans.
Damn, maybe I’ve been stuck in Idaho for too long.
“That’s Rose. And she’s your new bride.”
The handshake died as soon as her hand touched his, with Redmond jumping away from her like she’d given him an electric shock. And she sort of had. A pulse ran through him from the touch, but that wasn’t what made him pull away like he’d seen a ghost.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Royce?” he roared, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.
Teach him to leave the house for a goddamn day. He couldn’t even work for a day without one of the Hamilton clan cooking up some sort of nonsense. Him, getting a wife? Like this? Hell no!
Even if she was completely delicious and he would have killed to see her naked, writhing underneath him, calling out his name... shit. That sounded good. The look in her doe eyes told him she had been on the verge of telling him the saddest story ever, but now, they were positively shining with tears.
“I’m so sorry! I knew this was a horrible idea!”
Fuck.
Her sobs only made him want to hide her away from everything horrible in the world and never let anything hurt her again. Redmond tossed a glare at Royce as Rose turned away, running down the stairs toward her car.
“Well, what are you waiting for? Go after her!” Tiana hissed, shoving Redmond by the arm.
“But I don’t even know her!” he protested, though his legs were already carrying him down the steps. “What the hell did you two pl
ot this time?”
“Don’t give me any of that. You think I don’t recognize the look in a bear’s eyes when he sees his mate?” Tiana huffed.
Another punch in the gut. Grinding his teeth, Redmond picked up speed, running after Rose.
“Rose! Goddammit, wait a second! Where are you running to?”
This was such a bad idea.
CHAPTER THREE
Rose
She wasn’t the type of girl who cried, but right then and there, she really felt silly. The tears that fell down her cheeks were as much about how stupid she felt as they were because of the situation she’d put Royce and Redmond in. When Redmond grabbed her by the arm and stopped her within two steps of her car door, she spun around to face him.
Her hiss about letting go of her arm died in her throat as she got a close look at those deep pools of his, boring right into her soul. She shuddered, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife. He was so… present. So big, strong, and so goddamn handsome that at any other time, she would have seriously been considering how to slip her number in his pocket. But now, she’d made a giant fool of herself and put him in an awkward position, not even knowing what was going on. She felt stupid.
“Hey. I’m sorry I yelled,” he said, looking over his shoulder.
Rose’s gaze followed his to see Royce and Tiana disappear into the big house she’d been admiring before. He looked back at Rose and her throat seemed to shut down on itself.
“Do you want to tell me what this is all about? I hate to see a pretty girl cry,” he said, smirking lightly.
Wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumb, Rose could almost imagine him leaning in and kissing her. He certainly looked like he wanted to, with his lips slightly parted and his chest rising and falling faster than it should have. Her senses kicked back in and she pulled her hand away from him. He reluctantly let her. There was something in his eyes that told her that he wasn’t just telling her things to be nice, but that he was actually curious.
“It’s not your fault. I should have made sure before I came here,” she said, trying to turn around again and make for the car.
He stopped her by grabbing her hand in his and yanking her away from the vehicle, angling her toward a path that led deeper into the grounds and toward the setting sun.
“Made sure of what? I’m not going to let you go before you tell me what the hell is going on, Rose. I think you owe me that much,” Redmond said.
God, his smile is so damn cocky, she thought, hating and loving it at the same time.
“I saw your ad,” she said, defeated, though she didn’t make another move to wrangle her hand out of his grasp. It felt nice, warm, and secure.
“What ad?” Redmond asked with a frown. A moment later, his eyes went wide and he groaned. “Don’t tell me they...”
“They did,” Rose replied, feeling embarrassed for the both of them.
“You’re telling me you’re here because of a mail-order bride ad that my brother set up for me? Please tell me I’m going crazy here and that this is just a bad dream!” Redmond said, chuckling as he shook his head.
He squeezed her hand tighter and that felt even better. Dammit.
“That’s sort of the gist of it, yes,” Rose admitted.
And it was just as silly as it sounded. She cursed herself under her breath for ever seeing that ad, and for drinking enough that night for Kari to convince her that sending a note to Redmond was a good idea. Of course, it hadn’t been Redmond she’d been talking to. Royce had told her that fast enough, explaining all of the intricate details of the plot they’d set up and why they were pretending to be Redmond, who had no real interest in getting married.
“But why did you reply?” he asked after a short silence, which had felt much more comfortable than any conversation she’d ever had with a man. “I mean, look at you! You’re gorgeous. There’s no reason why you should be trying to fish for a man who can’t get a woman on his own,” he said, giving her a long, appreciative look.
She steeled herself against that, doing her damndest to keep the blush from her cheeks.
“Well, it’s not like you’re the kind of guy who needs to get a fake bride either, okay? Let’s agree that life has a really weird sense of humor and sometimes we don’t get to pick the path we land on. I needed to get out of Philadelphia and I have a thing for forests, mountains, and hot werebears, so naturally I thought of you,” she said, grinning.
Am I flirting? I think I’m flirting. I think I should stop flirting.
But she was totally not going to stop flirting.
“Okay. I can deal with that. Life throwing us curveballs—that’s something I think we can both understand. But I’m sorry to say that I don’t think I can honor the agreement, no matter what Royce said. Getting married just to get a plot of land sounds a bit out there even for me. And I live in Los Angeles, so I’m used to a whole lot of crazy,” Redmond said, walking them toward a pretty patch of forest.
With a sigh, Rose nodded. On the long drive from the airport to the house, during which she got lost at least three times, she’d come to the same understanding. Though she’d explained her situation to Royce, and Royce explained Redmond’s to her, she didn’t feel comfortable with taking advantage of anyone like that. But it was getting late and Shifter Grove didn’t have any hotels, which she quickly deduced during a stop at the local diner and asking whether anyone had a room, so the only sensible thing to do had seemed to come by Hamilton House and tell them in person.
She’d just been in the middle of that when Redmond stormed in, looking like sex in a pair of jeans, and she’d lost her head completely. It was hard to explain things when your brain was making squealing noises and wondering if his abs had six or eight ridges.
“I don’t blame you. I actually came here to say that I wasn’t going to go through with it either. That it was just a little bit too weird for me, you know? I thought I could do it. It would certainly fix my problem, I think, but we don’t know each other from Adam and Eve. Can’t really walk down the aisle like that.”
“Marriage is sacred,” Redmond said tersely, leading her deeper into the woods.
“I agree,” she said softly, taking in the scents that left her head spinning.
The lush greenery and the wide-open space was just what she’d been missing in Philadelphia. At the very least, she could say that she’d seen some fantastic scenery and taken a walk that was turning out to be far more romantic than anything that Kenner had ever done for her.
“So, where does that leave us? I think this might go down in the record books as the shortest engagement ever recorded,” Redmond laughed, stopping as they reached a little stream.
He pulled her to face him and she smiled in return. She barely knew the man’s name—well, she knew that and what little she could dig up on the heroic firefighter bear on the internet—but she felt an inexplicable pull toward him nevertheless. Though he came off as cocky and self-assured, there was a certain sweetness to him underneath that bravado and she could sense it easily.
“Might be one of the few that ever happened without the betrothed even kissing,” she said, laughing.
A devilish smirk crossed Redmond’s lips and he licked across them, looking like a wolf about to devour his prey.
“We can fix that, you know,” he said.
Before she could utter a word of protest, his hand had curled around her waist and she was pulled against him, her hands landing on his rock-hard chest. Gasping, her mouth responded easily as Redmond sought it out in a kiss, her tongue dancing against his as he thrust it into her mouth and claimed her so easily as his own. Her hands fisted around the fabric of his jacket, crushing her body against his as they kissed ravenously.
Sparks flew and the tension that earlier had felt like uncertainty and maybe even a bit of fear was now transformed into sexual heat and desire. She kissed him hungrily. He too was devouring her mouth, and soon enough, her hands were coiling into his hair and she f
elt the steady throb of his cock against her thigh. Grabbing her ass and squeezing with both strong hands, he grinned and pulled away a tiny bit.
“So how’s that?” he asked teasingly.
“Like a good start,” Rose murmured, surprised by her own eagerness.
“That’s what I like to hear,” he said brightly.
The next thing she knew, she was in his arms and her back was against the solid hardness of a tree trunk.
This can’t be happening! she thought as Redmond kissed a path down her neck.
But it was. And she fucking loved it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Redmond
He couldn’t believe he was doing what he was doing. But it felt so damn right that he couldn’t stop himself. Her lips on his, the way her body responded to even the smallest trigger he gave—it was perfect.
“Fuck, you’re hot,” he mouthed as he made his way down to her chest, kissing the tops of her breasts where they peeked out from her top.
She gave a throaty moan in response and tugged at his hair, urging him to go up and kiss her rosy lips again. Chuckling, he gave in and shoved his tongue into her mouth harshly, making Rose press her body harder against his. She was a dirty girl, he could feel that, even if she was packaged in this nice, prim little package.
Letting his hands roam down her body, he felt the thickness of her curves and the solid muscle underneath. She worked out, took care of herself, and by all accounts, she definitely had a head on her shoulders. So what the hell had driven her to come all the way from Philly to Shifter Grove, Idaho, with the intent of getting herself a fake husband? Men had to be falling all over themselves for an ass like that. Redmond knew he would have been.
Well, he was.
His hands kept finding that ass of hers over and over again, kneading it and pulling her to him so she’d grind against him. They were dry-humping and making out like two teenagers who’d lusted after each other for months, but here they were, only having just met. It felt crazy. Crazy good, yes, but a bit insane at the same time. Maybe that made it better.
