Bear Mountain Bride: Shifter Romance

by Sky Winters

  He kept his face close to hers when the kiss was over, their noses brushing ever so slightly against each other. “I think I’ve fallen for you,” he whispered. “And I don’t just fall and get back up, Melanie…”

  Gazing into his eyes, she blushed. “I think I’ve fallen for you, too.”

  They lay beside each other one the bed, naked, looking into each other’s eyes for a pleasant, long time. They hardly said a word, but when they did, it was to compliment each other.

  “Being away from you is going to be hard,” she told him.

  He cuddled her close to him. “I’m just a Harley ride away. You can see me whenever you want.”

  The trouble was that, for now at least, she wanted to see him all the time. She wanted to make up for lost time when she had thought he was no more than a thug.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  A Hero’s Welcome

  As they rode down the street towards Casey’s house the next morning, they slowed their speed and Melanie felt as though something wasn’t right. Sure enough, when they got into the driveway, she recognized Jake’s car parked there behind hers. As she and Doug stopped near it, the front door opened and the man Melanie was hoping she would never see again emerged.

  He was wearing dark blue jeans and a black button up shirt. She had a momentary lapse in judgment, thinking that he looked sexy like that, but then she gave her brain a mental slap and leapt off the bike with Doug. They both quickly removed their helmets and set them aside.

  “What are you doing here?” she snapped at the man she used to love.

  “I came here looking for my wife,” Jake said. “I thought you’d be hiding out with one of your old friends. And here you are. Who the hell is that?” He gestured to Doug who was standing behind Melanie, slowly cracking his knuckles as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

  From the front window of Casey’s house, Melanie could see her friend was watching. She didn’t see Stevie. Casey had most likely ushered him into his bedroom at the sound of the yelling outside. Thank goodness, Melanie thought.

  “If I wanted to be your wife anymore, I wouldn’t be hiding out with one of my friends,” she pointed out to Jake. “Anyway, I’m not hiding out. I’m living my life and taking care of my son. It’s over, Jake. So why don’t you just get in your car and go back to Ohio?”

  “It’s not over!” Jake yelled. “I’m sorry about the other night, okay? But you have really got to learn to stop talking back to me.”

  “The only person who has anything to learn around here is you,” Doug said. “She said she doesn’t want to be with you anymore. Leave her alone.”

  Jake pointed a finger at Doug. “You stay out of this, pal.”

  Looking him over, Jake appeared to be taken aback by the fact that Melanie was now spending her time with a biker guy. “You leave home and end up gallivanting around with this freak!” He tried to approach Melanie, but Doug pushed him back when he came close. “Melanie, what are you doing hanging around this- this jailbird?”

  “He’s not a jailbird,” she replied. “He’s an American hero.”

  Jake scoffed. “Oh, please.” He tried to push forward again, but Doug pushed him back even further.

  “I said leave her alone!” Doug bellowed. Suddenly, he punched Jake squarely in the face, sending him reeling backwards. He was all set to hit him again, but it turned out that the one punch had been enough to get Jake good and dizzy. “How surprising, the big man who hits his wife can’t handle one measly punch.”

  Clutching his cheek, Jake shook his head as blood came from his nose. “You’re both bullshit,” he spat. “I’m not wasting my time with either of you.” He got into his car without another word and drove away. Melanie didn’t think that he would be back again. She was with the man she needed now.

  “Are you okay?” she asked Doug, giving him a gentle hug. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  He shook his head. “My hand hurts a little, which is strange because I only punched a numbskull.”

  “Aww, let me kiss it and make it better.” She kissed the knuckles on his right hand.

  Just then, the front door opened and Casey came outside. “Is he gone now?” she asked, frightened. “I heard him in the driveway and I didn’t know what to do. I made sure to keep Stevie in his room. I’m so glad you two were here to get rid of him!”

  When she got a look at the handsome – if unique-looking – Doug Albright, she smiled at him and Melanie. “Please come inside.”

  They went inside Casey’s house and sat down in the kitchen.

  “It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she told Doug as she poured three cups of coffee. “Melanie has told me about you, but not enough!”

  Melanie blushed. “I didn’t want to divulge every detail.”

  He thankfully took a mug of coffee and took a long sip. “Mmm,” he said, “Thank you.”

  Smiling, Melanie got out of her chair and went to the bedroom to get Stevie. She brought him out by the hand. “This is someone I want you to meet, Stevie.” The little boy looked up at the tattooed veteran. “This is Doug Albright,” she told her son. “He was a soldier and now he rides a motorcycle so he can help other soldiers.”

  Stevie appeared to be deeply impressed.

  “Hello, Stevie,” Doug said to him, smiling.

  Looking at him, Stevie pointed. “You have a tiger on your arm.”

  Doug chuckled. “That I do… What’s your favorite animal?”

  Stevie thought about it. “I like tigers,” he said. “Did you know that tigers are the largest member of the cat family? I used to think it was lions, but no.”

  Melanie grinned proudly and pet Stevie’s hair. She loved that her son was smart and had gotten away from her horrible ex-husband unscathed.

  “Hey, Stevie, have you ever been on a motorcycle?” Doug waggled his eyebrows.

  “No, of course not,” Melanie said. “He’s only two!”

  “Only two?!” Doug asked, pretending to be shocked. “I thought you were a graduate student!”

  They went outside to show Stevie the Harley and Melanie agreed to let Doug put him onto the bike – just to sit! – for a picture. “He’s a cool kid,” he said once Casey had taken Stevie back inside for his dinner. “I like him.”

  Melanie smiled up at him. “Well, I’m glad you approve.”

  They kissed and Doug soon rode off on his bike. He had a Stars and Stripes meeting to attend and she was not about to make him late. After all, his motorcycle club was made up of heroes.

  THE END

  OUTLAW BIKER

  Angelina stood looking at the beat up old Ford her father had owned since the mid-seventies. He had brought it new in 1974 and babied it for over forty years now. Well, he had until recently. Stepping out the front door of his house, the same one she had grown up in, she walked toward it and sighed heavily as the door creaked open. It had been years since she had driven his old truck. It had been years since she had driven anything, actually. Living in New York, having a car was more of a nuisance than a convenience.

  It seemed a bit surreal to even be back here. Angelina had left the small town in which she was born when she was eighteen and never looked back. She had attended college in New York and settled there. Being back here seemed about as foreign to her as the city once had when she first arrived there.

  The truck hadn’t barely been driven in a year, so she was surprised when it cranked right up. Her cousin had told her he stopped by every week to start it up and running it around the driveway to keep it from rotting, but it was still very old and sitting too long had a way of speeding the deterioration process.

  It was already nearly eight at night, so she got going. Around here, they began rolling up the streets after dark. All of the shops would close soon and that included the grocery store that she needed to get to. Her father’s farm was at least ten miles out from the little Save a Penny that sufficed for food purchases. Angelina was nearly halfway there when the truck suddenly began hitchi
ng and sputtering.

  “No! You piece of crap! I don’t have time for this!”

  Pulling the truck over to the side of the road, she looked over the warning gauges. Nothing was blinking red. She heard a loud pop and the truck shuttered to a complete shutdown. Cursing under her breath, she got out and looked around. Frustrated, she reached in her purse for her phone, growing more exasperated as she realized she had left it on her father’s kitchen table back at his house.

  It was unlikely that she was going to find anyone passing by at this hour way out here, so she grabbed her purse and the keys, heading closer into town. It was equal distance back to her Dad’s as it was there, but if memory served her correctly, there was a farm a couple of miles further down that belonged to the Andersons, old family friends. It would be quicker to get help from them than to go all the way back to her Dad’s place on foot.

  She was surprised when she the lights from an old restaurant called the Roadside Diner still on. They used to close at eight. Either they had extended their hours or maybe they were just still there cleaning up and hadn’t turned the lights off yet. Either way, she could get help there. She sped up her pace, hoping they didn’t shut down and leave before she made it that far.

  As the restaurant came closer into view, she realized it had been renamed “The Pit Stop” and the parking lot was chock full of motorcycles. She wasn’t thrilled about the hometown diner being turned into some sort of biker hangout or the fact that she was so desperate for assistance that she was going to have to go in there. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the parking lot and opened the door leading inside.

  Looking around, she saw nothing but bikers. It was definitely not her kind of place at all. She headed toward the bar, where she could see at least one woman working. There was something familiar about her that Angelina couldn’t quite place, but the woman seemed to know exactly who she was, smiling at her fondly.

  “Hey. Do you have a payphone?”

  “Payphone? Do those still even exist, Angelina?”

  “I guess not. Listen, my Dad’s truck broke down and my cell phone is at his house. I need to call a tow truck and someone to pick me up.”

  “You ain’t gonna get no tow until morning, hon. You can use the bar phone to call for a pick up though.”

  “Tow trucks don’t come out at night at all?”

  “Well, they do when they are able to, but if you look right over yonder in the corner, you’ll see that Bubba Henry is as drunk as a skunk. Since he owns the only towing place in town, I’d not recommend him not towing anything tonight.”

  “Good call . . . and crap, I don’t know anyone’s number. It’s all in my phone.”

  “Listen, I get off in about an hour. You know I just live down the road from your Dad’s. I can get you home and you can get the truck home in the morning.”

  “Look, I’m sorry. I haven’t been home in a long time and you look really familiar, but I can’t think to say your name.”

  “Why, it’s Holly Robinson, honey. We lived over by the bridge down from your house. You probably don’t remember me because I’m several years younger, but you probably remember my brother, Tommy.”

  “Oh, of course. Yes. Tommy was in my class. I’m sorry, Holly.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just grab you a stool or a table, if you can find one, and I’ll get you a drink. What would you like?”

  “Might as well. Tonight’s a bust and the sitter is still with Dad until morning. Jack and Coke will do.”

  “Coming right up. Sorry about your Dad, by the way, Mom told me he is really struggling with the Old Timer’s disease.”

  “Yes. Thank you.”

  “Sure thing, honey.”

  Holly brought her a drink and then returned to the other end of the bar where a guy was calling for her to get him and his buddies some more beers. Looking around a bit anxiously, Angelina sipped her drink. A woman alone in a bar was always a target and it was only a matter of seconds before every loser in this one was offering her drinks and making suggestions that were best left unrepeated. One particularly loathsome creep put his hand on her knee and smiled at her with yellowed, crooked teeth.

  “How about you hop on the back of my bike and take a ride with me down to Shadow Lake. We can do the nasty under the stars.”

  “I have a better idea. How about you take your filthy hand off my knee and get out of my face.”

  “Now, is that any way for a broad to talk to a man that’s trying to get to know her better?”

  “Yes. Get lost!”

  Angelina flung his hand off her leg and turned around to face the bar. She wasn’t sure what happened next, but she heard a yelp behind her, followed by a deep voice telling him that he’d do well not to touch the lady or bother her again. She turned to find herself looking at a rather rugged, muscular guy wearing a leather biker’s vest. The emblem on it displayed what appeared to be the grim reaper, except the head was that of a coyote peering out from the dark hooded cloak around the otherwise human looking form. Beneath that it said, “President.”

  He looked back at her with piercing dark brown eyes, his hand still twisting the creep’s arm behind him. Pushing him away, he continued to look at her wordlessly with eyes so dark they were almost black. His dark brown hair was shaggy, sticking out at odd angles in a haphazard style that was nothing less than dead sexy. Both arms were covered in tattoos. It didn’t take more than just a passing glance to know that he was trouble or that it excited her just a bit.

  “Don’t worry about him. He won’t bother you again.”

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that. I could have handled him.”

  “It wasn’t a problem. Name is Anson Hawthorne. I lead the Coyotes Motor Club.”

  “Angelina Thompson. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

  Angelina wasn’t too sure that she wanted to be associated with the leader of a biker gang, but it might keep creeps like the one before away if they saw her with him.

  “Sure. Have a seat.”

  He smiled at her, flashing the most perfect white teeth she had ever seen. She noted a bit of a large tattoo peeking up from his shirt collar as he leaned forward before sitting back on his stool.

  “Pardon me for saying it, but you don’t seem like the sort to be hanging out in a biker bar, Angelina.”

  “I’m not. My father’s truck broke down about a mile or so down the road and I walked up here to get it towed.”

  Anson laughed. “Old Bubba won’t be towing nothing but the line when his old lady gets hold of him for drinking all night.”

  “Yeah, Holly told me I was out of luck. She’s going to take me back out to my father’s when she gets off work.””

  “Visiting then?”

  “For a while. He isn’t well, so I came home for a bit to take care of him.”

  “Sorry to hear that. What kind of truck does he have?”

  “1977 Ford F150.”

  “An oldie but a goodie.”

  “Not so good today.”

  “I tell you what. When old Bubba sobers up in the morning, I’ll get him to tow it to the shop and I’ll take a look at it for you.”

  “Oh, I appreciate it, but I can take care of it.”

  “How? Taking it over to Bubba’s rip off cousin? He’ll only overcharge you and leave behind more issues than before he worked on it.”

  “How do I know you won’t do the same?”

  “You don’t, but I doubt I’ll get you to go out for dinner with me if I don’t treat you and your Dad’s truck right.”

  “That was pretty smooth.”

  “Wasn’t it? Is that a yes?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Not smooth enough I guess.”

  “Take care of Dad’s truck and I will think about it.”

  “A woman who knows how to barter, I like that.”

  He turned toward Holly and signaled for her to bring them another round of drinks. Sh
e smiled broadly at Angelina as she did so. There was no doubt that Anson was probably quite the catch in this little Podunk town where he was the most exciting man around, but he was hardly her type. Still, she couldn’t deny that she found him attractive. She’d do well to watch herself with him.

  “I did learn a few things growing up here.”

  “Ah, so you aren’t just visiting. You are a native.”

  “Something like that. I’ve been gone for about seven years. I moved to New York right after high school.”

  “The big apple. I’ve been there a few times. I moved here from Detroit myself. Got a bit too rough up there for my taste.”

  “Detroit huh? Can’t really say I’ve ever been there.”

  “Trust me. You didn’t miss much, at least not in the hood I grew up in.”

  “Based on what I see on the news about Detroit here lately, I think I’ll pass on visiting.”

  “Good call.”

  They were interrupted by Holly, who was getting ready to go. She looked from one of them to the other with a raised eyebrow.

  “You still need a ride home?”

  “Yes, please. I appreciate it so much.”

  “Okay, I’ll be ready in about five minutes. Just let me cash out.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right here.”

  Angelina turned back toward Anson and sighed heavily. It had already been such a long day with the flight in, dealing with things at her Dad’s house and the truck breaking down. She couldn’t wait to get back to a warm bed and get some sleep.

  “Well, Anson. I guess I’m getting out of here.”

  “Looks that way. I could take you home if you’d like to stay longer.”

  “Thanks, but I’m pretty exhausted. I best be getting back.”

  “Good enough. If you want to just give me the truck key and your number, I will call you after I’ve gotten it towed in and have some news for you.”

  “Sounds good. I appreciate it.”

  She fished around in her purse for a pen and wrote her number on a dry drink coaster that sat nearby, handing it to him along with the truck keys.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow then.”

  “Talk to you then. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Angelina.”