Home Or Her Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Bluff Clan Book 4)

by Harmony Raines

  “If Dermot had heard anything, he would have told us.” Cooper finished his coffee and set the cup down on the desk. Then he sat up. “I think I hear the truck.”

  Taylor followed Cooper outside, and there, sure enough, was Trent, steering the big truck into the yard. Next to him sat a woman, beautiful, with long red hair and bright green eyes.

  “Well, look at that. If I’m not mistaken the boss has brought his mate back with him. Must be something in the water.” Cooper grinned, and waited by Taylor’s side for their boss to get out of the truck.

  “Nice to see you turned up for work today, Taylor,” Trent joked.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. Something came up.” Taylor relaxed, his boss was in a great mood.

  “I think we can put it all down to fate. I’m guessing your mate came into your life too?”

  “Sure did. Found her in a ditch. Her car left the road, over in Bear Creek.”

  “I found mine in the back of the truck.” He turned and beckoned the young woman over; she looked suspicious of the him and Cooper. “This is Willow. She is a panther and my mate. So Taylor, if you had turned up for work she would have slipped through my fingers.”

  “Then you owe me one?” asked Taylor.

  “Don’t push your luck,” Trent said.

  “Hi Willow,” Taylor said.

  “Hello, Taylor.” Willow gave him a small wave.

  Taylor grinned at his boss, who looked happier than he had ever seen him. “You do know how many broken hearts there are going to be in Bear Bluff, Trent?”

  “Oh yes. But I couldn’t be happier. As you probably know.”

  “Oh, I know,” Taylor said. “She’s coming over to meet my family tonight.”

  “Then why don’t you get on home. I have some things to catch up on, and then we are off home too.” Trent took Willow’s hand and headed to the office. “Don’t be late tomorrow, Taylor. The snow is melting; we have a lot to catch up on.”

  “I won’t,” Taylor left work, going home to shower and then to buy his mom some flowers. He knew how nervous she was at having Melanie over for dinner. He only hoped it all went smoothly. And that Melanie liked his family. He also hoped she would like his apartment. It would seem cramped after the big farmhouse.

  He would need to save every bit of spare cash now to try to buy them a family home. Becoming a mate had huge responsibilities, as he was just beginning to realise.

  Chapter Nineteen – Melanie

  “Are you sure I haven’t overdressed?” she asked Taylor for the fifth time. She had agonised over what to wear, eventually settling on a long flattering skirt, and a pretty top, which she paired with an embroidered cardigan.

  “No, you look beautiful.”

  “Underdressed?”

  He laughed. “No, you look perfect.”

  She took a long nervous breath and let it go; they had arrived at his parents’ house. He came around and helped her out; all she wanted to do was stay in his truck and hide. Although she liked the idea of a big family, it had dawned on her that she had no real experience of how to interact with so many people. People who all knew each other, she felt like a complete outsider.

  “My mom is more nervous, if that makes you feel any better.”

  “Really?” Melanie asked.

  “Oh, yes. So let’s put you both out of your misery.” He opened the door without knocking and went in. Voices could be heard from a room to their right, but he led her straight through to the kitchen where the wonderful small of roast chicken met her.

  “Oh, you’re here.” A woman, who looked relatively young turned and hugged Taylor.

  “Hi mom, this is Melanie.”

  “Hello Melanie. Welcome to our home and our family. Dinner is nearly ready.”

  “Hello.” Melanie couldn’t understand how Taylor’s mom could look so young, but then she remembered how a bear’s aging processed slowdown once they got to eighteen. She made a mental note to ask Taylor how old he was later.

  “Taylor, get Melanie a drink. She might need it. Now I have to finish up here, but I think you are going to be introduced to the rest of the family. I have seven boys, so please forgive them. They are boisterous, but well meaning.” She smiled in sympathy, making Melanie feel even more nervous.

  “Come on, you’ll be fine.” Taylor poured her some white wine and then took her hand. They went to a sitting room, which was bursting at the seams with six young men an older man, and one pretty young woman who looked up, her expression showing abject relief.

  “Finally,” she said, coming over and kissing Melanie on both cheeks. “I was beginning to think I was going to be the only other woman in this family.”

  “Ellie, this is Melanie.” He looked across to the six men who were busy debating some issue. Taylor pointed one out. “That is Rob, my eldest brother, and Ellie is unfortunately his mate.” Taylor winked at Ellie, who laughed.

  “Brothers,” she said. “Always arguing, but always there for each other.”

  “I don’t want to bombard you with names,” Taylor said. “I’ll call my dad over.”

  Taylor’s dad was charming. “So nice to finally have another one off our hands,” he said, kissing Melanie’s cheek. “We are so pleased to welcome you to our family, Melanie. If you have any sisters you might want to point in this direction, I wouldn’t mind off loading a few of the others.”

  She giggled at his exasperated face. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Right, how do we go about the rest of them, Dad?”

  “I have an idea,” his dad left the room, returning a few minutes later with some sticky labels. They proceeded to give nametags to all of the six brothers.

  “Now, I trust you not to swap them around to confuse matters,” Taylor’s mom said when she came to tell them dinner was ready. “If you do, there will be no dessert.”

  “She always bribes us with that threat,” Taylor said, helping Melanie to her seat.

  “And remember our manners please. We have a guest; this is not a free for all.” Taylor’s dad winked at Melanie, she was seated to the left of him. “Don’t worry. I’ll look after you.”

  Despite his words, the food rapidly disappeared. Although they were very good at offering Melanie and Ellie, and of course their mom, the dishes first. “I raised them to be gentlemen,” Taylor’s mom said, to which there was a roar of laughter.

  “Ryan wouldn’t know how to be a gentleman if his life depended on it. He’s a cowboy.”

  One of the brothers laughed and Ryan growled at him. “At least I live outdoors, not in some stinking office.”

  “It’s where the money is.” Melanie looked at the sticky names and saw that it was Logan who said that. And that was how the evening went. Most of them spoke to her, but she struggled to remember their names unless she could read the name labels. Overall, it left her feeling exhausted.

  “Melanie. Why don’t you give me and Ellie a hand doing the dishes?” Taylor’s mom said as they finished the meal.

  “Oh, yes, sorry how rude of me not to offer,” Melanie said, getting up quickly from her seat. Taylor took her hand and kissed it, then winked at her. She smiled back and then let him continue talking to his brother, while she went into the welcome sanctuary of the kitchen.

  “There. Isn’t that better,” Taylor’s mom said, shutting the door. “I have developed many coping mechanisms, but the dishes are always a good way to escape the boys.” She smiled good-naturedly.

  Ellie went to a cupboard in the corner and began to set out coffee cups. “We can have coffee in here, while they talk sport, or hunting. It usually ends up in an argument as to who caught the most fish on vacation when they were teenagers.” Ellie laughed. “I think it was me, but they would never accept that.”

  “You’ve known Rob for years. Taylor said you were at school together.”

  “Yes. We fought a lot. But then the dumb mating bond hit us.” She lowered her voice to a whisper, “We spent lots of time making up.”

  “E
llie is the closest I’ve ever come to having a daughter. She’s what keeps me sane sometimes,” Taylor’s mom said. “I can’t tell you how happy we are to have another member of the family who is a woman.”

  The both seemed so welcoming, and soon they were talking easily. Melanie and Ellie washed and dried the dishes, while Taylor’s mom put everything away.

  “Please call me Trish,” Taylor’s mom said.

  “Trish, have you always lived in Bear Bluff?” Melanie asked, wondering how deep the family’s roots went.

  “No. We moved here about fifty years ago. I was pregnant with Taylor. He came along unexpectedly. We were looking for some way to cope with so many young bear cubs, and this seemed like the best place.”

  “You’re from Bear Creek, aren’t you, Melanie?”

  “Yes. We moved their last year.”

  “Do you like it? I’ve only visited there a handful of times. When we went to buy your wedding dress,” Trish said to Ellie.

  “From Bear Brides? That’s where I work, my sister-in-law owns it.”

  “That’s right. Beautiful dresses. Aren’t you lucky to work there. I would spend all day trying them, on.”

  “At least you’ll know where to find your perfect dress when you get married.”

  Melanie agreed. “Yes, my sister-in-law has just had a baby, so I’m practically running the store now. I don’t know how I’m going to manage if I move to Bear Bluff though.”

  “Then ask Taylor to move over there,” Trish said.

  Melanie looked surprised. “I thought he would hate to move away from here.”

  “It’s hardly moving. Anyway, I expect the whole of Bear Bluff will be glad when one of the Munroe brothers leaves.”

  Ellie giggled. “They are infamous.”

  Trish groaned. “Boys! I’m telling you Melanie, if you have a girl, you’ll be the first in five generations. Ellie here already has two boys.”

  “I’m not having anymore unless I can guarantee it’ll be a girl.”

  They all laughed, and Melanie felt happier knowing that his family wouldn’t resent her if she asked Taylor to move to Bear Creek, All she had to do was find the nerve to broach the subject with him. First, she was going to enjoy coffee and chocolates with the female half of her new family. While in the next room, it sounded like a fight had broken out.

  “Boys,” Trish said, rolling her eyes.

  Ellie and Melanie giggled and began to talk weddings.

  Chapter Twenty – Taylor

  “Was it as bad as you thought it would be?” he asked.

  “No. They were all great. Although I can’t remember all of your brother’s names.”

  “Don’t worry. They won’t mind. They are all good-natured. So they’ll find it funny.”

  “I can’t imagine having such a big family.”

  “Good, because I don’t think I would want that many cubs. I think my mom kept going in the hope that she would have a little girl. Never happened. That’s why she’s so glad she has Ellie and now you.”

  “I hope she does like me.”

  “Of course she does.” He kissed the top of her head, pulling her closer. They were walking back to his truck; he had his arm draped around her, his fingers stroking her arm. His touch seemed to penetrate straight through her clothes, his finger electrifying her body. The sensation fed back to his brain, and he longed to take her back to his apartment, but the journey back to Bear Creek was going to be slow on the icy roads and he knew he couldn’t let Trent down, he had to be at work on time tomorrow.

  “I’ll be glad when we don’t have to do this toing and froing.” He opened the truck door, and helped her in, kissing her passionately before he closed the door and went to his side, climbing in beside her.

  “About that,” she said. He wasn’t quite prepared for what she said next. “When we are married, would you mind if we lived in Bear Creek. It’s just the store and everything. My brother, Alli and now the baby.” Silence and then she started to babble to fill the awkward silence. “I know you’ve spent your life here, and I know you won’t want to leave. Oh, forget I asked. It was silly.”

  “No, hey,” he said reaching over and squeezing her hand. “It’s not that I don’t want to. But I’ll have to see how much I can sell my apartment for and then we’ll have to look for a house. I don’t have much money, so we would have to live in town.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  “Look, Melanie, we have to be happy, I realise you are responsible for the store. And I can run over the mountain to work every day if I have to. It will keep me fit.” It wasn’t exactly how he had envisioned them living. But if leaving Bear Bluff was what they had to do, they would do it.

  She laughed, “I think you are fit already.”

  “You don’t know how much I want to pull over and make love to your right now, Melanie.”

  “Yes, please.”

  But he drove on, they both had work tomorrow. As they reached the farmhouse, he said, “Until we can sort out where to live in Bear Creek, will you move in with me, or at least have an overnight bag there so that when I feel like this you can stay.”

  “Feel like what?” she asked, leaning over and running her hand along the length of his thigh, always moving it upwards, so that she could stroke his already hard cock. Putting his hand on hers, he stopped her, although she could feel the tremors of desire passing through him.

  “I’ll walk you to the door,” He leaped out and opened the truck door, kissing her passionately, before pulling away. “Damn this is hard. Tomorrow, I’ll pick you up and we’ll go straight back to my house. I cannot abstain from you for another day.”

  “Do you want to come in?” She stood looking at him, the hope in her eyes, telling him she wanted him to say yes. However, he couldn’t do that, it would be awkward, because the lights were still on so Kian must still be up.

  “No.” He took her in his arms, sighing as he kissed her, not with passion. Instead, it was a chaste kiss, one that he hoped conveyed all his longing, and all of his self-control. “Goodnight, sweet dreams.”

  “Goodnight, Taylor. I can’t wait for tomorrow,” she said, her breath ragged.

  “Nor can I.” He walked backwards away from her, his eyes never leaving her as she slipped inside. Then he quietly said, “I love you.”

  He went back to his truck, But before he had a chance to get in, a hand held the door to and Kian’s voice said, “Taylor, I need to speak to you.”

  Chapter Twenty One – Melanie

  Melanie looked down at her sore fingers, she had been trying to catch up on her sewing. Bear Brides had been particularly busy today; everyone who had put off coming in while it had been snowing had descended on her today. Then there were all the well-wishers coming in to ask about Alli and Kian’s baby. The gifts were piling up on the counter. Once more, Alli realised just how much she liked it here. The kettle had been constantly on the boil, clients, old and new gathering to talk, drink tea and eat cake. She groaned as she got up. Definitely too much cake.

  “Hi there. Taxi for Melanie.”

  “Funny.” She went to Taylor and kissed his cheek, happy to see him. “At least Kian said he would have the opportunity to pull my car out of the ditch today. I think he was going to take it straight to the body shop.”

  “Until it’s fixed, I am more than willing to take you home.” He looked at the counter. “Wow that is a lot of gifts.”

  “Yes, Alli has seen a fair few brides come through here, brides that have had children of their own and now how special each new life is.” She put her sewing basket away. “Do you mind being a courier too, Taylor?”

  “Not at all. Shall I start loading them into the truck?”

  “That would be fantastic. I’ll tidy up and then we can get on home.” She paused. “Sorry, back to the farmhouse.”

  He smiled, sharing his own private joke, and then picked up the first of the gifts and carried them out to his truck. She could swear he was whistling. Going to the sm
all kitchen, she washed and dried the last of the cups and put them away. As she worked, she had a sudden thought.

  “Taylor,” she said, as he came back in the store. “I’ve had a great idea, about us living in Bear Creek.”

  He stopped, looking at her strangely before covering his expression and asking, “You have?”

  “Yes. Well, I think I have, I would have to ask Alli, but she used to live above the store in the small apartment. I could ask her if we could move in there.”

  Whatever he had expected her to say, this was not it. He didn’t answer for a moment, and then just said, “I don’t think so Melanie.”

  “Why not? It would be perfect. I’ll show it to you if you want. I have the key.”

  “No,” he said quickly.

  “Why? We could make it really cosy, there’s a small yard out back too.”

  “No, I want to get these to Alli.”

  She frowned. “I thought we were a partnership. I can’t believe you won’t even look at it.”

  He set the gifts back down on the counter top. “Just not tonight,” he said, coming to her and kissing her. “Not tonight.”

  “OK,” she said, feeling thoroughly deflated.

  Watching him load up the truck, she wondered what was going on with him. He had seemed in such a good mood, now he was almost sullen. For the first time she questioned the whole mated bond thing. What if they weren’t suited? What if they always had these disagreements? She sighed; the pull to be with him was too strong. She would have to figure out a way of making it work. Fate knew what it was doing, right?

  “Ready?”

  She jumped at his voice. “Yes. I’ll just switch off the lights.” She checked the back doors one more time, and then followed him out, locking the door behind them. Looking up she wondered if it would work, them living above the store. She couldn’t understand why had been so against it, but then maybe living above her work wasn’t exactly what he wanted. Melanie reminded herself she had to take another person’s thoughts and opinion on board from now on.

  “Snows clearing,” she said, trying to make conversation as they drove.