Wild Bear

by Terry Bolryder

  She heard a truck approaching and looked around the corner to see who was coming.

  “That’s probably Jesse. He went down the canyon to pick up some guests. Big New Yorker guys, from what I hear.”

  “Oh?” Harmony asked, her ears perking. That sounded like just what she needed to distract herself from the mountain man bent on ruining her life.

  The truck stopped and Jesse got out to open the cab door for two other men. Both tall, handsome, and leanly muscled in the way that was popular for businessmen.

  Enough to look fit but not beastly.

  Somehow, she liked the bulgy look of Maverick better.

  Jesse strode ahead of them, blond hair whipping around his face as he ran to Bonnie and pulled her into his arms, lifting her into the air as she giggled and hugging her before putting her down and facing the other men with his arms around her.

  “Arnold, Richie, this is my mate, um, fiancé, Bonnie.” He nodded to Harmony, who was standing next to them. “And that’s Harmony Smith. She’s here visiting from New York as well. Friends with Bonnie.”

  The two men gave Bonnie a quick look and seemed to quickly realize she wasn’t available, then turned their eyes on Harmony.

  They looked like typical slick city guys. Wearing fitted khakis with a sweater over a white button-up shirt. Their ties were loosened, probably from the flight. And they had that smug, sneery look she’d forgotten how much she hated in the time she’d been here.

  The look they gave when she was performing in her form-fitting dress and they thought she was good enough to leer at, but never good enough to ask out.

  One had reddish-brown hair, slightly thinning, and a handsome, if normal, face. The other was taller, with gaunt features that stopped just short of handsome and dark-black hair that contrasted his pale skin.

  That one stepped forward around Bonnie and Jesse to take Harmony’s hand. “Pleased to meet you,” he said. “Looks like this vacation’s going to be less boring after all.”

  His redheaded friend pulled him back. “I’m sorry for my friend. The company sent us on a retreat out here as a prize, and he’s not that happy about it.”

  The dark-haired one loosened his tie further and shrugged at the land around him. “What’s to be happy about? No bars or strip clubs for hours. This is going to suck.”

  Harmony shared a sympathetic look with his friend, who just shrugged.

  “I’m Arnie, by the way,” he said. “And that’s Rich.”

  Harmony nodded. “Good to meet you too.” She looked back to Bonnie with a telling gaze. “I guess I’m going to go take a quick nap.”

  “We’d better see our rooms,” Arnie said, putting an arm around Rich, who shook him off. “We have some kind of trail ride this evening with someone called Maverick.”

  “My brother,” Jesse said, keeping his arm around Bonnie’s waist as he led the way into the lodge. “One of the best horsemen around here. You’ll enjoy it for sure.”

  “If one of them doesn’t step on my head or something,” Richie muttered darkly. “Huge animals.”

  Harmony laughed out loud at that, and Richie shared a grin with her. Harmony could kind of relate to him, at least in the fear of horses thing.

  “You’re scheduled on that ride too,” Jesse quipped at Harmony casually. “Remember?”

  Harmony gaped. She didn’t remember signing up for any such thing.

  “I signed you up,” Bonnie said, winking. “As a gift.”

  Harmony gaped after her friend as she walked inside with her man and the two guests.

  A gift? Seriously? More time with Maverick?

  She shook her head and went back to her swing. She slumped there, wondering what the hell was going on with the world when Bonnie would send Harmony into the woods with a wild man and call it a gift.

  She checked the time on her phone. If she was going to go riding, she for damn sure was going to go take a nap first.

  * * *

  Maverick checked himself out in the mirror, remembering the advice Wyatt had given him as he’d helped him pick out clothes.

  “Be a gentleman. Don’t be too pushy. Don’t be overly jealous. It looks insecure to human women. Women like confidence. Which means you have to look like you don’t mind, even if she’s paying attention to another man.”

  “So I’m not supposed to protect her?” Mav had asked. “Impossible.”

  “No, if she doesn’t like it, protect her. But if she’s interacting with a man and enjoying it, you need to stay back.”

  Maverick shook his head at his own reflection. That sounded impossible. But if that was how men courted out in the real world, the human world, he would try to follow the rules. He would have to show Harmony there was more to him than the animal lust he felt for her.

  He’d have to try to access his human side.

  “Human women don’t like to just be chased down and dominated. They like to be wooed, and they like a man who seems hard to get. In control of his own life, not theirs.”

  Maverick shook his head. Harmony had liked being dominated just fine.

  He was wearing a cotton button-up shirt in blue plaid, with a shirt underneath, and jeans that were stiff and fit oddly, too tight on the butt and thighs. Wyatt had given him some kind of fancy shoes, but he was going to wear good old riding boots because that was safest.

  He was taking two city jerks on the trail, and he’d need to be capable and aware, even if he took them on the easiest trail and the easiest horses.

  When he was ready, he threw on a cowboy hat and walked out to the barn where his schedule was hanging on a hook. He took it off, flipped a sheet over to see what Jesse had added as far as notes, and frowned.

  Harmony had been added to the ride? Mav licked his thumb and read through the schedule again. He’d rather take her on a solo ride, not with new riders.

  But there was her name. Had she added it? Did she want to see him after all?

  A little thrill went through him, and the bear in him wanted to go on the chase. But he reminded himself he was human Mav today. Calm, cool, collected.

  An in-control male, not an out-of-control bear.

  He went in to saddle up the horses and was leading them out of the barn when he heard two men talking.

  “How about the brown one?” one said. “She’s super hot and doesn’t seem to be taken.”

  Maverick’s jaw twitched, but he forced himself to focus on readying the horses.

  “Yeah, she’s hot in a curvy way. I mean, not someone I’d take out back in New York, but definitely doable.”

  Maverick let out a growl before he could help it, and the men turned in his direction. He pinned them with an intense glare. The urge to challenge them for insulting his mate was nearly overpowering.

  But Hazelnut, the mare he was saddling, nickered at him, seeming to sense his distress. He stroked her neck and forced himself to calm. He wasn’t going to let anything happen to Harmony, and the last thing he needed was to get in a fight and ruin the outfit he’d put on just for her.

  The men came over and introduced themselves, and Maverick did his usual strong and silent routine, speaking minimally and letting them have the whole cowboy experience. Plus, he never had anything to say to these businessman types anyway.

  He’d already gone over safety procedures with the men and gotten them mounted up on their horses when he heard footsteps running toward them and turned to see Harmony, breasts bouncing as she sprinted toward them.

  She was wearing a leather jacket over a red tee and tight jeans, but at least she was wearing closed-toed tennis shoes for riding.

  He flicked his gaze at the men on the horses, noting with anger that their eyes had been on her breasts.

  Patience, Mav. Patience. But the bear in him had begun pacing.

  She bent over slightly, hands on her knees, trying to breathe. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I went down for a nap and slept late. Am I too late?”

  “No,” Mav said, putting on a cool demeanor a
s he led her to a horse. He was surprised how easy it was to act unaffected around her, like Wyatt had told him to. Even if his bear, and his dick, had taken immediate notice. Around these men and on a trail ride, it was easy to pretend she was just a normal client.

  Plus, he didn’t want to look at her in the way these men did. If you asked him, they were the real animals, talking about a woman like that.

  At least Maverick only lusted after his mate. And that was because he wanted to keep her forever.

  He held out his hands for her to step up and into the saddle. Then he helped her adjust her feet and handed her a helmet, as he’d done for the other men. He’d put her on Marshmallow, his sweetest horse by far. Marshmallow had never thrown a rider, and Maverick’s protective instincts would buzz a little quieter if he knew Harmony were safe that way.

  The dark-haired man, Richard, sighed. “We gonna head out or what? This is boring.”

  Maverick stifled a growl and mounted his own horse in one swift movement. “We’re headed out.” He led the way and knew the other horses would follow no matter what their idiot riders did. He only wished he could be at the back with Harmony. Marshmallow always liked to bring up the rear, and so Maverick had the two male riders between them.

  He wished he could see if she was enjoying the ride or the scenery. But he needed to pick the right paths to show the city boys a good time and make them think they were going through the Wild West, not just an easy mountain path where a child could ride.

  After this, he’d take Harmony on a solo ride, and then he could enjoy every one of her expressions.

  He led them through a rambling trail with aspens on all sides, to a pasture with wide, swaying green and yellow grasses, where you could look up and see the mountains on all sides. Some of the trees were already starting to turn shades of orange and gold, and Mav turned back to see how Harmony was taking it all in.

  And saw the dark-haired man turning back in his saddle to say something that made Harmony’s eyes go wide just before she laughed.

  Tension rippled through Maverick, and he gripped the reins hard, trying to resist the urge to go back there.

  Nope, he couldn’t.

  He wheeled his horse around and trotted back there, pulling up alongside Harmony and Richard. “What’s up?”

  Harmony’s brown eyes widened and her lips made a little O as she saw him, making Maverick grin. He liked that he had an affect on his woman.

  Richard, the ass, seemed to not like it quite as much. “The help doesn’t need to come back during the ride,” he quipped. “I’m just talking to the lady about something that doesn’t concern you.”

  Maverick felt his expression darken as he looked over at Harmony. If she looked even the slightest bit uncomfortable, he’d knock this city slicker off his horse.

  But she just gave him a calm, almost taunting look, as if daring him to do something about it, and Maverick just nudged his horse and went back to the head of the line.

  He was used to city men underestimating him. Seeing him as some stupid hick. Not realizing he was an animal who could tear out of these clothes and take them out with one swipe.

  He didn’t need a knowledge of hedge funds to know these men were douchebags and knock them on their ass for it.

  But he’d seen something in Harmony’s eyes flicker when he’d turned away and not said anything, so maybe Wyatt had something with this whole “cool and patient” thing.

  Hopefully Maverick could pull it off a little longer.

  He could feel his mate’s gaze on him as he rode ahead, and that was enough for him for now.

  But if those city slickers put one hand out of line, he was going to show them just how “helpful” the “help” could be.

  7

  Damn, Maverick was hot in the saddle.

  Not that Harmony should be noticing, but with that cowboy hat, wearing inexplicably beautiful and fitted clothing, with that undeniably gorgeous face and body, he made the men next to her look like pale watercolors in comparison, whereas he was a flesh-and-blood sculpture.

  Her mouth watered as he rode back to his place at the front of the line.

  She’d been shocked and impressed when he’d held himself back from interfering in the situation between her and Richard. She found Richard’s attention partly flattering, partly annoying, but she could handle him.

  She’d been dealing with men like that her whole life.

  It looked like Maverick was trying to show her he could be civilized after all, and she found that attractive.

  The day was beautiful, and between the stunning vistas all around her and the sight of her handsome cowboy riding that horse just as well as he’d ridden her, Harmony was feeling pretty good.

  And pretty awkward.

  She hadn’t known what she’d feel when she showed up for the trail ride. If she’d still be angry or if he’d do something stupid, like try to make a move on her in front of the other guys to make some caveman-esque claim on her.

  But he hadn’t. So maybe this could work, if he could behave.

  “Could you imagine living out here?” Richard asked in front of her in a snarky voice. “So boring.”

  “I don’t know,” she said. “It grows on you.”

  “Yeah?” he asked. “So what do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a singer,” she said.

  “Yeah? Sing something for us,” Richard said sardonically.

  It was a rude request. Impertinent. And since singing was her job, something she got paid for, Harmony usually gave a polite no.

  But today, because of the fresh air and the open space and the feeling of freedom she felt being on a horse, which was gentle and sweet, she wanted to sing anyway.

  As they started up a small trail that wound around the bottom of the mountain, she started to sing, belting a jazz tune that was part of her set at work.

  Richard gave an impressed tilt of his head and a shrug, and Arnie looked back at her with a grin. But Maverick stopped dead in his tracks, nearly making the other horses bump into him. It caused some trouble as the city guys were jostled by their horses coming to a complete stop and nearly stumbling, and Harmony stopped singing abruptly as she realized it was her song that had made Maverick stop.

  Ignoring Richard, who was now shaking his fist and trying to berate him, Maverick turned slowly in his saddle and pinned her with a hot glare that melted her down to the core. Suddenly, the air between them felt like nothing. It felt like he could reach out and touch her, from twenty feet away. His dark eyes stared straight into her soul, and she was having a hard time finding her breath again.

  She let out a slow exhale, and Maverick finally breathed, clicked his tongue, and started his mount moving again.

  His casual stance in the saddle exuded power. He was at home here, this was his domain, and Harmony just couldn’t have found it any sexier.

  She wondered if this “playing it cool” thing would extend to when they were back at the ranch.

  “I guess you’re pretty good,” Richard muttered. “Like a lounge singer.”

  Maverick stopped once again but then kept going, and Harmony breathed a sigh of relief. She was used to hearing it.

  “Yeah, actually, that’s what I do,” she said.

  “Ah,” Richard said. “Makes sense.”

  “She’s too good to be a lounge singer,” Arnie said. “You know, I might know someone in New York you could talk to.”

  “Really?” Harmony asked.

  “Sure,” Arnie said. “We can talk when we get back.”

  Now Harmony could see definite tension in Maverick’s shoulders, but she watched him shrug it off and keep moving.

  A part of her was impressed by his restraint. A part of her wanted to see him shake it off, see him get rough and dominant again.

  “We can talk tonight,” she said. “I always stay up late. I’ll give you my room number.”

  Ha-ha, that got him.

  Maverick’s back went uncomfortably straight. “
We’ll loop around here and go back,” he said harshly. “We’ve been out long enough.”

  “Aw, man,” Arnie said, seeming disappointed.

  “Thank heavens,” Richard said. “My ass is sore.”

  “You need more padding,” Mav said, trotting past him to take up the lead again in the other direction. As he passed Harmony, his eyes slid over her in a quick, possessive glare. One that said they’d talk about this later.

  “He’s not coming to your room,” he muttered. Then he urged his mount on and was up in the lead again, with the two men between them.

  Harmony bit her lip. Maybe that had gone a bit far.

  “Tonight, huh?” Arnie said, looking back. “You up for a devil’s threesome?”

  Harmony blanched as Richard threw his head back with a laugh.

  “No,” she said flatly.

  “What’s that?” Maverick called back.

  “Nothing,” Arnie said, snickering still.

  Harmony was aghast at what a crude turn that had taken.

  “No,” she said. “I just meant we could talk at night. You know, after activities are done.”

  They were making a little quicker pace back to the lodge now. Harmony could feel the tension in the air, and even if she was pretty sure Maverick had no idea what a devil’s threesome even was, she was pretty sure he’d kill the guys if he found out.

  “My apologies if I offended,” Arnie said. “I was only joking.”

  “I see,” she said. “Well, try not to do it again.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “Sorry.”

  The rest of the ride went without issue. Harmony didn’t say anything to the men for the rest of the ride.

  She’d thought the civilized men would be a good break from Maverick’s wildness. Instead, they just made her aware of his good points. Sure, he was aggressive and impulsive. But he didn’t say gross things and act like a slime ball while pretending to be civilized.

  He was just openly an animal. She preferred it that way.

  “You okay back there, Harmony?” Mav asked, calling back to her.

  “Yup,” she said, heating with awareness at just hearing his voice saying her name. She wanted him to say it again, in bed.