Growth of the Bear (Bear Kamp Book 3)

by Rachel Robins

  Veronica came bounding out of the office before he could head out to see who it even was. From her smile and quick stride, he assumed she knew the person behind the wheel. A woman about Veronica’s age got out of the car and the women both squealed with delight and hugged each other tight.

  “When did you get back in town?” Veronica asked.

  “Last night. I was going to call you, but I was so exhausted, I just called it a night.” The girl held Veronica back at arm’s distance and looked her over.

  “Geez Roni, even slinging horseshit looks good on you. You look phenomenal!”

  “Whatever. You look gorgeous as ever. Is Jared in town with you for the summer?”

  “No. Actually, I’m only in town to get packed up. I’m moving to Chicago with him. He got that job he had been after with the Jackson and Jackson law firm and they wanted him to spend the summer getting adjusted. I can’t imagine being away from him all summer so I’m going to go with, and get our apartment situated and stuff before I start work in the fall.”

  “I’m so sad we won’t be spending the summer together, but I’m unbelievable happy for you and Jared.” Veronica hugged her friend again.

  “Thanks. So when are you done? Want to have a sleepover?” Her friend laughed.

  Veronica turned to look at Justin. He didn’t try to hide that he had been watching and listening to her entire conversation. He stepped out from the side of the barn doors.

  “You can go ahead, Veronica. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Thank you. See you.” She waved and then both girls headed up to the main house.

  Daniel dipped out a few minutes later, leaving Justin alone in the stables. That was his favorite time. He had always felt more at home in the stables. After he finished organizing the tools to make it easier when they were working on the horseshoes, he went into his office. His lists from the first day had started to dwindle, but there was still a lot left to take care of.

  Veronica’s package was laid out on his desk, and he couldn’t help but catch a familiar logo on the top page. His stomach dropped as realization hit him like a brick wall. He dug his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Austin’s number.

  Chapter Eight

  Veronica

  Roni hugged Julie one last time before she headed over to the barn for work. Julie had been her best friend all the way from grade school up. As happy as she was for Julie to have found the love of her life and to be moving away to start their happily ever after, Roni felt a pang of jealousy. She sought Justin out as soon as she walked in the barn. He usually beat her and Daniel in, so she was surprised to not see him already in his office.

  Roni went ahead and started getting everything ready to feed the horses. Justin was strict about consistent feeding and training times. At first she had thought it was a bit micromanaging, but even she had to admit the horses were blooming under his care. The more times he shifted around them the more accustomed they were becoming to it. Roni was feeling the same way.

  At thoughts of Justin in his bear form, she flashed back to the night at The Kamp. His bear form fighting the jaguar, and then afterwards. Her whole body warmed at the thought of the kiss. She felt her body start to respond, and she quickly tried to distract herself. She grabbed a few sugar cubes and went to spoil the horses for a few minutes before she did the actual feeding.

  “Good morning, guys. Who wants a sugar cube, huh?”

  The horses started to stir and neigh knowing that food was going to be soon. After spending a few minutes loving on each one, Roni went back to the actual feeding. When Justin still didn’t show up at seven she headed back to his apartment. Her knocks went unanswered, but she saw his truck out in the parking lot. A sudden thought passed through her mind. What if he was in there with a woman? Maybe his night had gone on into the wee hours of the morning, and he missed his alarm?

  Roni felt a rage spread through her body so she banged a little harder on the door. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he did have a female in there. It was totally irrational for her to feel so possessive over a guy she’d just met, let alone her boss. Finally, the door swung wide and a sleepy, disgruntled Justin filled the entry.

  “What’s wrong with you?” she blurted out.

  “There’s a crazy woman banging on my door at an ungodly hour.”

  “If ungodly is eight in the morning after she’s already fed and watered all the horses, then yep.”

  She couldn’t contain her grin when her words sunk in. It was obvious the almighty master of timeliness and consistency had overslept. A giggle escaped and soon turned into a full out belly laugh as he whirled around to grab his phone to confirm she wasn’t lying.

  “Holy shit. I’m sorry, Veronica. I’ll be out in a minute,” he said, heading down the hallway to the only bedroom in the small apartment.

  Roni couldn’t help but invite herself in. He still had boxes littering his floor. One box was marked kitchen in his messy handwriting. She leaned down and opened it up. Seeing his silverware, plates, and some cups neatly stacked inside, she decided to help him out and unpack while she waited.

  She’d no sooner put the last plate in place in the cabinet when he strolled out looking entirely too good.

  “What did you do?”

  “I unpacked your box. You’re welcome.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do that.”

  “Wow, you’re grumpy today. A thank you would have sufficed.”

  “Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled as they made their way back into the stables.

  “You know the horses are fine if you want to skip a day and go unpack. It’s been a week.”

  “What are you, the unpacking police? I’ll get there. I want to work the horses every day. It’s good for them.”

  “Suit yourself. Who do you want first?”

  “Let’s bring Bri out first today.”

  Roni mentally cheered. She had been dying to work with Bri since her dad told her about bringing her home. The mare was young and hadn’t had a very good start of things, but Roni knew they could turn her around. Poohbear had come to her a little rough around the edges, and now he was the spitting imagine of his name. Roni stood in front of Bri’s stall and talked to her for a minute before trying to take her out.

  “She’s not a child, Roni, she’s a horse.”

  “What she is, is a woman. We like a little sweet talk when we’re feeling grumpy. Don’t we, Bri, baby?”

  She could feel Justin watching her. Roni could also feel his anxiousness at having her lead Bri out. While she appreciated his alertness, it bugged her that he still felt the need. It should have been obvious after her first week that she could handle herself around the horses.

  Roni opened the padlock and quickly bridled Bri. The horse was less agitated by the process today, but she still wasn’t a fan. Roni never stopped her constant chatter with the horse. The horse hesitated to come out of the stall so Roni gave her a more demanding tug. She dropped her voice down an octave like her dad had taught her years ago, giving Bri a more forceful demand.

  The horse took a step, and firecrackers sounded off. Roni immediately sensed the danger as Bri reared up, neighing like crazy. Justin sprung to life, but he hadn’t been able to push Roni out of the way in time. She covered her head in hopes of blocking some of the damage, but the last thing she saw was Bri’s giant hoof coming straight for her face. Everything else went black.

  Chapter Nine

  Justin

  Justin had spent the entire night with Austin trying to find out who had paid for the delivery of Veronica’s package. The Little Lambs Helping Hands was an organization that his family ran out west. It was no coincidence that she received a job offer from them after meeting him. It had been years since he had left his family, and they’d never bothered with him, until now. They would have no way of knowing that Veronica was his mate, but something told him they suspected it. Why would it matter, though?

  When he had walked out of that house he had g
iven up any chance at touching his trust fund. By now it was probably spent or reallocated to one of his brothers. Why his brothers stuck around and put up with his parents, he’d never understand. There had never been any love in that house, and Justin couldn’t stand all of the pretending.

  Something had to have changed. There was no other explanation for Veronica receiving that package.

  “I don’t see anything, man. Every single one of your family members check out as never having set foot in our neck of the woods. Hell, they barely leave Denver,” Austin said, leaning back in his desk chair to stretch.

  “A private detective then? Can you access their financials? I’m telling you, Austin, something’s up.”

  “Maybe Roni applied for a job there before she ever met you. It could honestly be pure coincidence. Don’t go making trouble for yourself.”

  “Their financials, please? Just trust me. I know my family. Even though Veronica fits their lifestyle, they wouldn’t have hired someone outside of their close circle.”

  “Okay, I’ll check their financials. If that’s clear, though, you need to promise me that you’ll drop this.”

  “If I think Veronica may be in some sort of danger, I can’t promise anything.”

  Austin gave him an understanding look before Justin took off. It was just after four in the morning, and Justin felt like a jackass keeping Austin out so late, knowing he had a newborn at home. Austin was the epitome of what pack mates were for. He knew if anybody out there could find out what his family was up to, it was Austin. The man had friends everywhere. He also had mad computer skills that gave him access to information he probably shouldn’t always have access to.

  When he got home, he disrobed and passed out on his bed. Just a couple of hours were all he had left to get, but he was going to enjoy them. Veronica banging on his door was what finally woke him up. He didn’t bother taking time for breakfast, but he grabbed a cup of coffee before following Veronica out the door. He had been an asshole about her unpacking one of his boxes, but it was only because the thoughts of her judging his thrift store collection made him mad. Girls like her had china patterns, and two sets of everything: one for use, and one for show. He barely had one set of anything.

  Had Justin been running at full capacity he would have never allowed her anywhere near Bri. Being the still half asleep pansy he was, he had gone against his better judgment. As the horse reared up at the sound of the firecrackers, Justin’s bear threw him into action. Adrenaline had taken over and he moved fast, but not fast enough. He watched as Veronica took a hoof to the head, and then thudded on the ground, completely lifeless.

  Justin shifted immediately and that sent the horse cowering in her stall. He slid the stall gate shut and locked it before turning to Veronica. She had a giant goose egg on her head, but there was no blood, and it didn’t seem to have had enough force to break her skull bone. She still needed to get to a hospital, and quick. Justin had seen lesser injuries lead to death.

  His bear fought against the shift, wanting to stay with his mate, but Justin forced it. He ran to his office to grab a change of clothes and boots. He gently picked her up and made his way out to his truck. He knew he should tell her parents what had happened but for the time being his main concern was getting her to safety. He pushed every speed limit and ran every red light he could all the way to East Jefferson.

  Once he arrived, they immediately took her away and sat him in a waiting room. His bear wanted to kill them all, but the man knew she was with the people who could help her the most. Justin then found a phone and called her parents first. Her father seemed calm, and told him they were on their way. Then he called Austin.

  “There’s been an accident at the stables. Have you found anything out yet?” He knew it had only been a few hours since they had been together. If anything, Austin had probably left The Kamp right after Justin and went home to sleep.

  “Is everyone okay?” Austin’s voice sounded groggy.

  “Veronica was injured, and I’m not sure yet how severe it is. We’re at East Jefferson. Someone placed those prank firecrackers that make a bunch of loud popping sounds when you step on them in one of the horses’ stalls. When she went to take her out for training they went off, spooking the horse.”

  Austin didn’t say anything. Justin knew that the wheels were turning in Austin’s head. Where he had thought Justin was being paranoid last night, Austin was starting to see why. Justin hoped that with the new development, Austin would dive in deeper and with more enthusiasm than before.

  “Listen, man. I know you’ve got a family and a cub, but I appreciate anything you can find out for me. If there was anybody else I trusted with this, I would leave you be.”

  “No, that’s what pack mates are for. I’ll do what I can, and be in touch.”

  With that, the phone call was disconnected. Justin paced the tiny waiting room. He knew they probably hadn’t had much time to check Veronica over yet, but his patience was wearing thin. He couldn’t lose his mate now. He imagined her the way she had been earlier. When he had first opened the door he thought she had looked relieved. Veronica wore her heart on her sleeve. That’s why she was so fun to rile.

  Justin couldn’t wait to put that tidbit to good use in the bedroom. The way she had responded to him wrapped around him outside of The Kamp came flooding back to him. His heart beat loud in his chest, and he felt the mate bond swirl to life only to snap back with the realization that his mate was not there to entice. All of the old negative thoughts and degradation Justin used to feel around his family about being the runt of the pack started to bloom again. He tried to shut them down, but knowing he had let his mate be injured had torn down his defenses.

  A more dominant or confident bear wouldn’t have had a lapse in judgment where his mate was concerned. Neither Jasper nor Austin would have allowed their mates to be harmed. They also weren’t broke. Justin could hear his father now, telling him how worthless he was, and that in the olden days Justin would have simply been tossed aside. Survival of the strongest would have taken care of Justin a long time ago.

  Justin shook his head. He had come so far from the days when those thoughts consumed his mind and beat him and his bear down. He didn’t want them to consume him again. His mate needed him. What happened in the barn today only confirmed for Justin that the threat was real.

  Jerry and Lucy walked in then, bringing him out of his self-pity.

  “Have you heard anything?” Lucy said, hurrying over to Justin to wrap him up in a hug.

  Justin was a bit taken back by her affection, not having ever received any from his mother. His bear practically hummed at her obvious approval of him. As a man, not as their daughter’s mate, Justin was quick to add.

  “No, they haven’t been back there with her long, though.”

  “I’m sure they’ll alert us to any changes. As hard as it’ll be, we must be patient.” Jerry spoke, pulling his wife down to the chair beside him.

  Justin wished he could be so calm. He was raging on the inside. All he really wanted to do was go out to the desk and demand the nurse give him second by second updates on Veronica. Or he wanted to slam his fist through a few walls, in hopes that it would help him feel better.

  “What happened?” Jerry finally asked. Justin had been waiting for it, and he dreaded giving them yet another reason to despise him.

  Justin told them what had happened, and waited for their condemnation. He wouldn’t have been surprised if they fired him. He was the stable manager after all, and it was his job to protect his employees. Even there, in a place of authority, he couldn’t seem to make the right choices.

  “That’s our Roni, always wanting to grab the bull by the horns. I knew she’d be after that mare the second her boots hit the dirt out there. I just hope she gets a second chance at breaking her,” Lucy said, making Justin do a double-take.

  “Like hell she’ll be around that horse again!” Justin said a little louder than he should have when speaking t
o Lucy.

  Lucy seemed to take it all in stride. She reached over and patted Jerry on the hand as they both smiled to each other.

  “Our Roni has been a force to be reckoned with ever since she was born. Used to keep me up all hours of the night screaming her lungs out. As a toddler, she was bossy. The older she got, the more she knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it done. She’ll be back out there, probably before the doctor releases her. Mark my words,” Lucy said with all the pride a mother should have for her child.

  “I’m sorry I let this happen.”

  “Don’t be sorry, son. It’s a stable, there are accidents. If you think this is our first trip to the emergency room because Roni got hurt out there, you haven’t gotten to know our girl real well.” Jerry laughed.

  He and Lucy launched into more stories of Veronica as a child and teenager running loose all over the stables. Justin was fascinated with their stories and eventually found himself sitting across from them, craving more. If it was possible, he fell more in love with his mate listening to the stories her parents told. Justin also found himself falling in love with her parents. Jerry and Lucy were the epitome of what Justin imagined parents should be like. His parents had probably been hoping it would have been him walking into that stall so he’d be dead right now. They definitely wouldn’t have any embarrassingly funny stories to tell about him.

  The doctor came into the room, bringing them all to their feet.

  “I take it you’re here for Veronica Miller?” she asked.

  “Yes, we’re her family,” Jerry said, hugging Lucy tight to his side.

  Justin didn’t want his heart to skip a beat at how Jerry had worded himself, but it did. He turned back to the doctor, and realized he was holding his breath.