Complete Bear Creek and Bear Bluff Box Sets: Including brand new exclusive book Best Man Bear

by Harmony Raines

  “There are some stunning views once you get higher along the trails.”

  “I bet there are.” Did he really think she would go off into the mountains with him? They had only just met.

  “I could show them to you, if you’re staying for a while.”

  Yes. He really thought she was gullible and naive enough to go off into the wilderness with a strange man. “Thank you. But I’m not staying that long.” It wouldn’t hurt him to think she was only passing through.

  “Oh,” he said, looking genuinely troubled. “Maybe I could take you out to dinner tonight?”

  She didn’t answer. Not at first. How was she supposed to give him the brush-off without upsetting him? And she didn’t mean upsetting him in the hurting his feelings kind of way.

  If this guy was slightly unhinged, she didn’t want to push him over the edge. There was just something about him that was off. He made her feel self-conscious, and hot. Oh, so hot. If she didn’t know better, she would think he aroused her, but she couldn’t let herself believe that. It wasn’t what she was looking for, it never would be.

  For Antonia, it was much easier to think he was a madman than to ever entertain the idea that he might be genuinely interested in her. After all, men rarely were. She wasn’t particularly pretty, and her figure was never going to be anything other than curvy.

  “I’m going to be busy. Sorry. I’ve only come to town to visit a sick relative.” It was close to the truth.

  “Oh, I see.” He fell silent, once more looking at his congealed breakfast.

  Antonia sipped her coffee and found it cool enough to drink faster, so she did. Her eyes flickered up to his face. For some reason she felt compelled to memorise it. He stirred up feelings inside of her she thought she had buried. Feelings that she was sure she had killed off by denying them any hope.

  She didn’t want a man. She didn’t need a man. Because she didn’t want to chance having children. She never wanted to risk them ending up in foster care. That was the life Antonia and her sister had lived, shipped from one home to another, never settling down and never loved. Much easier to not have kids at all than to risk history repeating itself.

  “Can I have your number?” he asked at last. “If ever I’m passing through where you live, I can give you a call. Perhaps arrange dinner then.”

  She knew that if she gave him her number, or her address, he would definitely find his way to her front door. Which was something she didn’t want. Because, no matter how much her body wanted to betray her resolve, her head was firmly set. Whatever it was about this place, and the men that lived here, she was determined to stay level-headed. Unlike her sister.

  Before her sister set foot in Bear Creek she had been adamant she never wanted to settle down or have kids. Now that had changed and Antonia needed to know why. Yes, she knew her sister might have fallen in love, she might even have found a good man. If that were the case, Antonia would give her blessing and support to the relationship.

  Antonia had sworn to herself she wasn’t coming here to break up Kayleigh’s relationship. Instead, she had come to make her see sense. To ask her to give things time before she settled down. After all, how could you possibly know someone, really know them, after only two weeks?

  That was how long she had been seeing this Daryl Cartwright before the wedding invitation had appeared on Antonia’s doormat. Two weeks. How could you be so sure that this was the person you were meant to spend your life with and have a family with, when you had only just met?

  Antonia was going to get to the bottom of it. To make her sister see sense. But when she looked up and saw the look on this guy’s face, stirrings of deep longing inside her made it easy to lose her perspective. She caught a glimpse of what her sister might be feeling. Antonia could understand how intoxicating that could be. And she knew right then she had to make her sister see sense.

  All she had to do was get away from the man in front of her before he started drooling.

  Chapter Three – Sam

  He was lost. He couldn’t help himself; no matter how hard he tried to sound normal he knew he came across as a halfwit. What was he supposed to do? What could he possibly say to get her to stay? Or at least give him her phone number.

  He watched her raise her cup to her lips. Her wonderful full lips, just ripe for kissing. It left him struggling to control the urge to lean over the table and fulfil this tamest of desires. Unconsciously, he slipped his tongue out and licked his lips. Damn, he could almost taste her on his tongue. Inside him his bear roared, clawing to be released. If he wasn’t going to man up and claim her, his bear was going to take matters into its own ... paws.

  Sam shook his head and regained control of himself. The best thing he could do was leave and try to figure out who she was and what she was doing in Bear Creek. It was obvious she wasn’t going to give him that kind of information.

  To her, he was a stranger, with an emphasis on strange. Although, once or twice he had seen the look that flittered across her eyes. The one that told him she felt the spark between them. It was this hint of recognition that gave him hope. All he had to do was form a plan. For that, he might need help, of the non-threatening kind. He was going to ask Kayleigh, his soon-to-be sister-in-law, for advice. Perhaps he could enlist her help in winning over his mate.

  “Thank you for the seat,” his mate said, getting up.

  “No problem at all. It was nice to meet you at last,” he said, holding out his hand. It was the only thing he could think of that would allow him to touch her skin. He longed to feel the thrill of physical recognition for the first time.

  She frowned, looking at his hand, and then turned and picked up her purse. She did not intend to touch him. He had freaked her out. His words registered in his head. What did he sound like to her? A raving lunatic.

  Hopelessly out of his depth, he stood up and respectfully waited for her to leave. She went to the counter to pay her bill, speaking briefly to Kerry, and then spun around to face him. “Good-bye,” she said stiffly, then pulled herself upright. Straightening her back, she gave him a clear message: she wasn’t interested. Then she left.

  How could he have blown it when he had only said a few words to her? This was so much harder than he had ever imagined. While he stood looking forlorn, Will came along by the side of him and patted him hard on the back. “Pull yourself together and get out there after her.”

  Sam looked at Will, slightly dazed. “She thinks I’m an idiot.”

  “Then at least you know she’s smart and perceptive.”

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “My advice? Whatever it takes. It’s much easier to make a fool of yourself now than live your whole life without her. Take it from one who knows.”

  Sam looked at Will, expecting to see a smile on his face. To anyone else this was probably hilarious. The usually cool and calm Sam Cartwright falling, tripping over himself because of a woman. But the deep sorrow and understanding in Will’s eyes told Sam what it would be like. How pointless his life would become if he let her go.

  Grabbing his jacket, he had his keys out of his pocket before he left the diner. When he got outside he looked around for her, but she was gone. It meant he would have to find her based on what she had told him, which wasn’t much. He ran to his truck and put the keys in the ignition. He still figured that enlisting Kayleigh’s help was the best idea. So that was where he headed, whilst all the time keeping a lookout for her.

  As he drove, he cursed himself. He should have asked her her name; he hadn’t even introduced himself. But it had never struck him as being important. He didn't need words to know who she was.

  He pushed his foot down on the gas pedal and switched gears. He had to find her. His life and his sanity depended on it.

  Chapter Four – Antonia

  Her mood didn’t get much better as she drove to the house where Kayleigh was living. She took a wrong turn and ended up on a mountain trail. By the time she had reversed far enough to
find a place to turn around, she was hot and flustered. Why would anyone want to live in such a backwater town?

  It made her more convinced that Kayleigh must have been brainwashed. Either that or she was caught up in a massive crush. Yes. That was it; she was probably in the throes of first love, intense and overwhelming. Not that Antonia would know, but that’s what first love was supposed to be like. It made you impulsive and act out of character, exactly how Kayleigh was behaving.

  Driving back to where she had started, she checked her directions and drove on, trying to rehearse her speech in her head. When she spoke to Kayleigh, she wanted to sound understanding but firm. She had to be the voice of reason. Antonia needed to convince Kayleigh to postpone the wedding and give herself a cooling-off period. If this man of hers loved her that much, he would be more than happy to allow Kayleigh that. If he didn’t, then she would tell Kayleigh straight out that she was too young and she needed to come back to the city for a while.

  It sounded so reasonable. After all, Antonia knew Kayleigh better than anyone. Her sister would listen to her. Once she thought about it clearly, she would see how stupid and impulsive she was being and take a step back. It was the only reasonable thing to do, given the circumstances. Antonia was so sure of that.

  Somehow, she made her way through the back lanes that led up to a farm. Kayleigh had told her she had to turn off about half way up and follow a track, which led to the house she was sharing with her fiancé, Daryl. This time, she was sure she had it right; yes, there was the stream she had to cross, she was glad it wasn’t too deep. Goodness only knows what it was like up here in the winter; they would probably be snowed in. Who would ever want to live like that? Surely not Kayleigh, who had only ever known the ease of living in big towns or cities.

  The road got bumpy and Antonia slowed down to a crawl so she didn’t damage her car. Up ahead, she thought she glimpsed a chimney, hopefully she was nearly there. The whole situation was stressing her out. She was responsible for Kayleigh. Being the elder, she had always taken it upon herself to protect her sister. Although it had never been easy; Kayleigh was so shy, never able to voice her fears. What Kayleigh didn’t know was that deep down Antonia was probably more insecure. She had simply learned to hide it.

  The track opened up before her, pulling her out of her reminiscing. The house was, in fact, a cabin, comfortable but not too large. In front of it stood a truck. Did that mean her fiancé was at home? Surely he should be out working. Don’t say she had picked a layabout loser like their mom always did? Sighing heavily, hating the whole situation, she opened her car door and got out.

  Before she had slammed her door shut, Kayleigh flew out of the cabin and flung herself into Antonia’s arms.

  “I can’t believe you’re here. This makes everything so perfect.” Her sister hugged her so tightly, she thought she would crush her ribs.

  “I’ve missed you, Kayleigh. I came as soon as I got your invitation.”

  “Thank you. I’m so pleased. It will make the wedding so much better, having you here. Daryl’s mom is fantastic. In fact, everyone has been fantastic, but I've missed having someone who knows exactly what I like.”

  “Slow down, Kayleigh. Before we get into wedding plans we ought to have a chat about things.”

  Kayleigh pulled back from her. “What things?”

  “Well, it's all happened so suddenly.” Antonia hadn’t wanted to get straight into this discussion.

  Kayleigh beamed, her happiness tangible. “I know. But it’s just so right. When you meet Daryl, you’ll understand.”

  “I hope so,” Antonia said, and then looked past Kayleigh to the cabin. There, standing at the door, was the guy from the diner. “Oh, yes. It’s already making perfect sense. Kayleigh, I want you to pack your things, you’re coming back home with me.”

  Kayleigh pulled away from her sister. “No. This is where I belong. I love Daryl, and he loves me more than anything in the world. I don't expect you to understand, but I do expect you to trust me.”

  “Oh, I trust you. It’s him I don’t trust. Your precious fiancé was making a pass at me in the diner. He asked me to dinner and wanted my number.” She couldn’t keep the venom out of her voice.

  “Daryl did?” Kayleigh asked and then turned to where Antonia was looking. “Oh ... oh. Now it all makes sense.” She covered her mouth with her hand, hiding a smile. Antonia had no idea what was so funny; she should be mad. This man she was madly in love with was obviously not the faithful type. So why should Kayleigh find that funny?

  “Yes. Even the waitress was making eyes at him.”

  “Well, Sam is a very eligible bachelor in Bear Creek. Although I guess he’s off the market now.”

  “Sam,” Antonia repeated, feeling confused. What was he doing here in her sister’s house if he wasn't her fiancé?

  “Yes, this is Sam, my future brother-in-law.”

  “Brother-in-law?” Antonia seemed to have lost the ability to think coherently.

  Kayleigh smiled again. “I can see he made quite an impression on you. The men here do that.” She turned around and winked at Sam, who stood still in the doorway. He had been struck dumb in the same way as Antonia.

  Kayleigh took Antonia’s hand and led her, like a child, over to Sam. Sam blushed like a schoolgirl, looking very uncomfortable. Antonia almost felt sorry for him, but her own feelings were too confusing.

  “Sam,” Kayleigh said. “I would like to introduce my sister, Antonia. Although I believe you’ve already met.”

  He held out his hand to her and this time she took it. A tingling sensation travelled up her arm, setting her heart racing. Her breath quickened and blood rushed to her face, making her feel hot. Their hands stayed locked together for much too long, but neither of them wanted to break the bond. Her eyes dilated, giving him every sign she was interested and available.

  Then she came to her senses and snatched her hand away. He flinched at the look she gave him, and so he should. Something was not right here, and she planned to get to the bottom of it and make Kayleigh leave Bear Creek with her.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Sam. But if you don’t mind, I’ve come a long way to visit my sister. So if you’ll excuse us.” She raised her eyebrow at him and only just stopped herself from tilting her head and dismissing him to his car.

  “Antonia. Sam is welcome to stay,” Kayleigh said, looking unhappily at Sam.

  “No. Antonia is right. You need some time alone. I expect this has happened a bit quick for you, Antonia.”

  “Exactly,” Antonia said, wondering if his perception was so insightful because he knew Kayleigh had been coerced into marrying his brother.

  “I’ll talk to you later, Sam,” Kayleigh said, rubbing his arm in a comforting manner.

  Antonia took it all in, making mental notes so she could examine them later. Was there something between Sam and Kayleigh too? Falling in love with Daryl was one thing, but it was as if she was already a member of the family, after two weeks. It didn’t add up in any way.

  “Shall we go inside,” Antonia said, before Sam had even reached his truck.

  “What’s wrong with you, Antonia?”

  “I was about to ask you the same question, Kayleigh.”

  Chapter Five – Sam

  He walked to his truck, but before he got in, he turned around and looked at his mate. She was talking to Kayleigh, and it looked as if they were exchanging angry words. He felt bad that his unguarded behaviour had caused trouble between the two sisters. He knew how much he hated arguing with Daryl, so he felt the need to put it right.

  Slamming the door shut, he strolled back over to the sisters, trying to look in control. “Listen, Antonia. I feel as if we have got off on the wrong foot here.”

  She turned to look at him and her open hostility was clear. “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t concern you. I am talking to my sister.”

  “Talking, or are you intimidating her?”

  “Excuse me?” Her temper flared, and
all he could think of was just how sexy she looked when she was mad.

  “I’m just suggesting you calm down a little bit. I feel bad that you’re upset.”

  “I’ll calm down when I find out what’s going on here.”

  “What’s going on? Your sister is getting married to my brother.”

  “Not if I have anything to do with it.” Her eyes were aflame, her lips plump as she stood seething in front of him and not for the first time, he wanted to kiss her. He also wanted to put her over his knee and spank her for being so rude. Now that would be an interesting experiment in just how far he could push her. Luckily, Sam liked to make peace, not war.

  “Antonia,” Kayleigh said, finally finding her voice. “You have no right to speak to me or Sam like that.”

  “I’m sorry, Kayleigh, but something is not right here. I have always looked after you. I can’t just stand by now and allow you to make the biggest mistake of your life.”

  “The biggest mistake I would be making is if I didn’t marry Daryl. He makes me happy. Bear Creek makes me happy. Please don’t come here and spoil it for me, Antonia. Please.”

  Kayleigh looked close to tears. He was proud of her for sticking up for herself, but he also felt terribly sorry for Antonia. It was obvious how worried she was. Let’s face it, to an outsider it would look odd. But this kind of quick wedding was common in Bear Creek. Once you met your mate, you knew there was no one else, so marriage naturally followed.

  Not that marriage was the most important ceremony for Bear Creek mates. No, that came at Beltane, when the bonded mates gained the ability to live a long, long life. It was always the highlight of the year in shifter country. A time for great celebration.

  As he stared at the rigid composure of his mate, he figured he could probably forget about marriage and the Beltane Rites for a long time. It was going to take some careful manoeuvring just to get her to accept Kayleigh marrying Daryl. If they didn’t get this right, the wedding would be a disaster. The chances were that Antonia would never speak to him again and his right to a bonded mate would be forfeit.