Bear Outlaw

by Candace Ayers

  “It’s okay, charming really, as long as I can keep warm tonight. It’s only for a night.”

  The man nodded and pulled down one of the bags, “This is filled with duck down, as well as some Japanese-made synthetic materials. Can’t really go wrong.”

  “Perfect,” Hannah smiled gratefully. She was about to say something else, but froze to listen to the sounds of sharp gurgling gasps coming from behind her, followed by silence.

  “Jamie, Jamie!” The little boy’s mother rushed over to him, waving her arms about helplessly.

  The boy’s eyes were wide open and desperate. His face blossomed bright red and then rapidly started to lose color. Hannah dropped the sleeping bag and was beside him in less than a second.

  4

  From his chair in the back office, Colton heard a commotion coming from up front. It almost sounded like the place was being held up—a loud, blood-curdling cry was emanating from a woman, and he rushed to the door anticipating wolf trouble.

  He burst into the main store, his primitive bear senses kicking in as his eyes rapidly surveyed the scene. He relaxed at the absence of wolves, and mere presence of one hysterical woman crying over a child. There was also a second woman, who at the moment was standing behind the child executing an efficient Heimlich maneuver. Giving one final thrust, a bright blue object flew through the air and smacked against the glass display case. The child started crying.

  “You need to get him to his pediatrician. He may have damaged his airways,” the woman calmly addressed the mother of the child, whilst soothing the crying boy.

  “Thank you! Oh, I can’t thank you enough!” The mother took the boy back in her arms.

  “Lego,” the woman commented, picking up the bright blue object, “Happens all the time.”

  “We can’t get to the doctor. We can’t cross on the ferry in this weather and the flight path’s closed, do you think he’ll be alright until next week?” The tinge of hysteria was edging back up in the woman’s voice.

  “Let me have a look,” the red-haired woman turned and addressed the boy, “Will you open wide for me?”

  Amidst his sobs, the boy did as he was told.

  “He looks okay. Get him to a doctor as soon as you can, though. Is there really no one around here, not even a general practitioner?”

  The mother shook her head.

  Colton stepped forward to offer his assistance, then halted mid-stride. The mother had moved, clearing his line of vision and now he could clearly see the little boy’s savior.

  For Colton, it was as if time stood still. Her hair flowed loosely down her shoulders, thick, deep red with natural golden highlights. Her skin was alabaster white, contrasting strikingly with full pink lips. She was curvy. Beautiful, voluptuous curves that made Colton’s mouth water. Her eyes were a piercing artic blue, and right now they were looking expectantly at Colton, as if waiting for him to speak.

  “I have a plane you can use to take your boy to the mainland if you need it.” Colton addressed the mother. He vaguely recognized her; she was fairly new to Port Ursa.

  “Thank you, that would be wonderful. It’s really so kind of you…”

  “Colton.”

  He glanced over at the redhead. She had broken eye contact with him and was now rising to her feet. He wanted to speak to her before she left.

  “Jake, will you get the flight charted?” he spoke to the shop clerk, who rapidly ushered the boy and his mother into the back room.

  The redhead made her way over to the camping equipment, picking up a sleeping bag that had been dropped. Colton watched her bend down to retrieve it, admiring her thick, curvy ass encased in hip-hugging jeans.

  There was something about her, besides her amazing figure, that had his bear wanting to rip out of his skin. Moments ago he had thought it was just the false threat of wolf attack, but now he wasn’t so sure. His bear was screaming to be let loose, his blood bubbling under the surface of his skin. The pounding in his chest grew more insistent, thundering within his ribcage. His muscles became tauter, tensing as they physically prepared for the change his body instinctively knew was coming his way. It took effort for Colton to hold back the transformation—to halt nature’s will as it strived for his metamorphosis.

  “Do you work here?” the woman looked up at him.

  “Yeah, hi.” Colton moved behind the cash register, “It was amazing what you did back there. Are you a medic of some kind?”

  “I’m a doctor, I work in Chicago.” She passed him the sleeping bag, “I’m just visiting.”

  “Staying at Burke’s place?”

  “I am–hence the sleeping bag.”

  Colton nodded. Her smile was distracting, not helping his inability to recall how the cash register worked. They had upgraded the machinery since the days when he’d had to work behind a register, the multiple buttons and scanning codes were alien to Colton.

  “You know what? Have it for free. A thank you for saving one of my customers.”

  “No, really, I couldn’t. I was just doing what anyone would do, and a kid choking on Lego is nothing, trust me.”

  “I insist. How long are you staying for?”

  “Just tonight. I’m looking up an old friend.”

  Colton wanted to ask who, but restrained himself.

  “Not staying to explore?”

  “I wish I could. It’s beautiful here.” Moving to leave, the woman smiled blandly at Colton, “Thank you for this. Much appreciated, really.”

  “It’s no problem. I’m Colton Sterling, by the way.”

  He was racking his brain to come up with some excuse to keep the conversation going. In truth, this wasn’t usually a problem for him. Women were usually happily flocking around him, hanging on to his every word.

  “Hannah Cooper. Nice to meet you.”

  It was getting awkward now. The woman, Hannah, clearly wanted to get going. Colton came out from behind the counter to see her out. Holding the door open for her, he got a hit of her scent as she walked past. It almost knocked him to his knees.

  He watched her get into the SUV and drive off into town. Colton groaned. He may not have experienced it before, but his instincts categorically knew that the doctor making a one-night appearance in Port Ursa was his. His mate. She also appeared to be completely unaffected by him. Not only was it a blow to his ego, but it was also damn inconvenient. Colton had less than twenty-four hours to make Hannah fall in love with him.

  Hannah smiled to herself as she drove around town, looking for a suitable restaurant. It had been a while since she’d laid eyes on such a magnificent specimen of man. That guy had been hot. He’d been about a foot taller than Hannah, a quality she always appreciated, with a huge, broad frame. Even under his thermal hoodie, she’d been able to see a taut, well-defined body, but it was his face that Hannah knew wouldn’t leave her memory for a long time. He wore his dark brown hair a little long so it hung slightly over his forehead, had a defined jawline covered in stubble, and bright green eyes that were shaded by thick lashes. His face was undoubtedly handsome by any standard, but it was his wicked smile that definitely made her girly parts take notice. As she backed into a restaurant parking lot, she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror and realized she was smirking. Get a grip, lady.

  It was nice, she reflected, to know that she was still susceptible to the charms of the opposite sex. It often felt like she’d completely shut herself off from the potential of having any romantic interest in the last four years. Work had come first, and the thought of having her much-needed sleep interrupted by male companionship hadn’t been at all appealing. She just hadn’t had time to entertain the idea of a relationship—not with the kind of time and effort that they required. Laura swore by one-night stands, and they had been appealing during Hannah’s college years, but the longer she’d gone without any intimate contact, the more the idea of sex with a stranger had started to seem like more of a hassle than it was worth.

  Until today. She almost wis
hed she were staying longer. If Colton Sterling was single, which she doubted anyhow, he’d be more than welcome to park his boots under her bed tonight.

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  Bear’s (Mail Order) Bride

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  Lilly needs a way out. The mail order bride agency may be her only hope of escaping the clutches of her cruel and abusive husband. But, will any man want a jaded, “no longer fresh” 27 year old woman?

  Eli doesn’t want a wife, but he needs one. The wealthy bear shifting brothel (ahem… saloon) owner needs to present an image of respectability. He needs a wife—in name only.

  Lilly sounds perfect. Older and widowed, she’s not some young virgin preoccupied with illusions of love and romance.

  Unfortunately, once his bride-to-be arrives, Eli can think of little else but disrobing her and claiming her as his wife in every sense of the word!

  1

  Eli stepped out onto the front porch of the saloon, the freshly painted doors swinging shut behind him. A woman was perched on the edge of one of the rockers, her hair artfully curled and piled high atop her head, cheeks and mouth a painted pink color. She greeted the men who came close enough to be tempted by her buxom beauty and husky, suggesting voice.

  Flowers spilled out of the window boxes, their fragrance another heady reminder of Eden and temptation, and Eli swept a critical eye over the whole building. Everything about it was fresh and beckoning. The new shutters, the candles in the windows. He could find nothing amiss. This was just the kind of place a hungry man might come when he was looking for some sweet, feminine company, and a good time.

  The woman on the porch drawled a greeting to him, and he felt her eyes linger on his body as he stepped off the porch, her own hunger for him palpable. He pulled his hat low over his eyes, in what he hoped was close enough to a response. “Ma’am,” he said, not pausing or inviting conversation.

  The countryside spilled out in front of him, an endless view of gorgeous sunset, mountains draped in the background. Nevada had certainly been a wise choice for him. Just the kind of place he needed to take his newly found wealth for a fresh start.

  He’d found a lot more than just the gold in Sacramento. Although, it certainly wasn’t the thing that had changed his life the most. He didn’t linger on the dark thought for too long, just long enough to remind himself of why he’d come out here in the first place. It certainly wasn’t for the women. His eyes drifted toward the mountains in the backdrop. They were why he’d come here, after all. Refuge.

  He shook his head. It was up to him to seem like any other entrepreneur, searching for a way to invest his money wisely — not like a man skulking on the edge of society and trying to hide his secrets.

  So here he was, in the outskirts of Reno, putting his money to work. And so far it was working pretty damn hard. And in the process he’d been able to create a life that supported his…specific needs. He was grateful for all of that because he knew that hadn’t been a guarantee, but, if he continued to have to dodge these tiresome come-ons from these pretty working girls, he was going to lose his mind.

  Eli knew what the real problem was, of course. Aside from the problem that had led him to Reno in the first place. He was unattached, and it was an open invitation to be pursued. He’d tried to suggest gently he wasn’t interested, but those women looked at him like he was a walking piece of gold. He tried less gently. He was downright rude. Nothing seemed to work. And whether he claimed disinterest or not, they wanted to believe they were going to be the one that was different from all the others. Or that he was playing hard to get. Or that he just didn’t know the kind of opportunity he was passing up.

  When it became painfully clear that claiming he didn’t want a woman wasn’t the answer, he’d tried to tell them he had someone waiting back in California, anxiously waiting for him to send for her.

  That hadn’t worked either. Out of sight, out of mind, and the girls assumed she didn’t mean that much to him if she wasn’t there in bed beside him.

  Desperate times called for desperate measures. Having a wife in the traditional sense just wasn’t an option for him. How would he explain his unaccounted for nocturnal activities? His unusual proclivities. Even before Sacramento, he had enjoyed the occasional woman, but never thought he was the marrying kind. But being single was clearly not the option he had thought it would be.

  He stalked through the back of the property toward the simple cabin he called his home and resolved to put this whole damn woman issue behind him, whatever that might take.

  Lilly arranged her hair just so. She was trying to place her bonnet strategically so her face was in the deepest shadow possible. She’d done her best to cover up the bruises, but the harsh truth was, no amount of powder could hide the swelling, the creeping blue and yellow. She would just have to keep her head down and not make eye contact.

  She was going to be just another woman walking into the broker’s office, and, God-willing, there would be a man out there who would take a chance on something other than a wholesome, fresh-faced girl, unbroken and not yet ravaged by life.

  She certainly didn’t have that to offer anyone.

  Lilly sat through the interview the best she could, trying to ignore the throbbing across the side of her face and the stiffness in her shoulder, hoping nothing she did would betray her secrets.

  As far as the broker was concerned, she was a young window, her husband tragically lost to a timber accident. Their region of Canada was in the midst of a building boom and it happened all the time. She was just one of many women out there, looking for a man who would be willing to take care of her.

  But the set of her mouth and the pain in her eyes wasn’t left over from sickening grief, the loss of a mate. The broker didn’t need to know that, though. It was Lilly’s burden to carry, and she was finally in a place where she felt she could do something about it.

  The broker shuffled some papers and said he would be in touch, letting his eyes linger on her, and Lilly wondered if he was thinking she would be easy to place or if she would prove to be one of those women who sat on a shelf and didn’t move. She desperately prayed it would be quickly. Every day there was a little bit less of her left to get her through to the next morning.

  Eli leaned back in the uncomfortable chair. Lawyers weren’t known for wanting to keep their clients around, and he was fairly certain they picked the furniture for their offices with that in mind.

  He’d flipped through the applications and interviews. To be honest, he was having a hard time investing the kind of energy and interest you would expect someone picking out a wife might have. He wanted to tell the lawyer to choose for him. Who ended up in his bed meant nothing at all to him.

  In the end he settled on a woman called Lilly. There was no photograph and just a vague description. There was nothing at all to set her apart from the other papers in the stack. Except her age. The deciding factor. She was the only one over 20, the only one of the bunch who was widowed. If she was anything like any of the other women he’d known, she would be the type to settle right into the life he already had. She wouldn’t come sweeping in, expecting romance or to be able to change the way he lived or who he was.

  Certainly, a twenty-seven year old woman in mourning would be just the kind of woman Eli could step into a marriage contract with. She wouldn’t want anything from him, and he wouldn’t want to take anything from her. That seemed to be the ideal circumstance.

  After all, he’d known many eighteen year olds; he didn’t need one of those harping at him under his own roof.

  Lilly had been making the trip twice weekly.

  She knew she couldn’t wait for him to come to her. There was no telling whether or not he would be seen. Whether or not she would be in any condition to an
swer the door. She’d figured he would come to expect her arrival and it wouldn’t even cross her mind that he should track her down.

  Now, he stood when she pushed open the door to the office, and smiled, like she was just the person he’d been waiting to see step through the threshold.

  “Lilly. Wonderful! I was just going to make my way out to you.”

  She nodded and tried to swallow her horror at the idea. How fortunate she’d made the journey earlier than usual today.

  He stepped around the desk, shuffling through sheaths of paper.

  “I’ve just had some paperwork arrive. I have great news; you’ve been selected by a man in,” he took another look at the papers, as though he’d barely glanced at them beyond checking out the commission he would make on the placement. “Nevada.” He smiled up at her. “Quite the trip. I hope you’re ready.”

  Her heart was hammering, and she reached for the papers, hoping the trembling she felt in her fingers wouldn’t be noticeable to the broker. Her very prayers had been answered.

  Eli Walker. That was the man’s name. She imagined the weight of the name on her tongue, vaguely aware that it would become her name as well.

  She breathed a heavy sigh and refrained from embracing the papers or the man in the office. “Wonderful,” she murmured instead. “When am I to be expected?”

  He looked down at the papers again. “Immediately. He’s sent the funds for your stage fare.”

  In a daze, she took the papers from him. She had already paid the man his fees when she’d first applied to be a bride. It was money she had scrimped and saved, scrounged up from the depths of laundry and from taking on extra mending. She was dreading the next installment because she wasn’t sure she’d be able to provide any more without raising the suspicions of her husband. That needed to be avoided at all cost. She knew she had only this one opportunity, and she couldn’t risk losing it.