Love at Furst Sight (Built Fur Love Book 1)

by Terry Bolryder

  His heart nearly exploded from the warmth he felt, knowing he wanted to wake up next to this woman for the rest of his life. “Hey.”

  He still hadn’t told her how he felt. He still knew it wasn’t right yet, but dammit, he wanted to tell her. Wanted to look at her house with her and tell her all his plans for them to stay there together.

  Wanted to tell her it felt like his home, too.

  She stretched again and walked over to him, looking adorable in his tee shirt that came down to her midthigh, showing off creamy, curvy legs. “What’s for breakfast?”

  “Eggs, after I get the coffee going.”

  “Sounds good.” She sat at the small fold-out table and crossed her hands together, enjoying the morning noises of the forest, little bird calls and rustling leaves.

  He pulled out a pan and cracked eggs in it, thinking about how much less awkward he felt this morning than the first time they’d been together. Then he hadn’t known where he stood. Now he was sure she at least wanted to date him, was open to the future. A few more dates like last night, and they should be making good progress.

  Too slow, his bear said.

  He told it to shut up.

  He finished the eggs and handed her a plate. There was something satisfying about feeding a mate, taking care of her. He handed her a cup of coffee as well and then got his own breakfast and sat down next to her, crowding her on the small booth.

  She smiled at him, and they ate in silence, enjoying the quiet peace that came with early mornings.

  Soon the guys would be here, rolling in with loud trucks, but for now it was just them, alone with the woods.

  “So how are things going on the house?”

  Garrett wondered how technical to get with her but decided to stay vague. “Really good. Making good progress. My guess is we’ll finish ahead of schedule, if the weather stays good.”

  “Awesome.” She gave a happy sigh. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. The town is quaint, but I’m really looking forward to being out here, having a place of my own. Living the dreams of my grandfather.”

  Garrett hesitated. “But are they your dreams, too?”

  “They can be,” she said. “We were a lot alike. And at least it gets me away from all the bad memories back at home. When I’m here, I can still remember him, but it won’t be attached to everything that happened with his death.”

  “I’m here if you want to talk more about it.”

  She shook her head. “No. It’s just that death can bring out the worst in people. The best, too, less commonly. Anyway, it hurt me to see people stomp on his legacy, so I like being out here where all I can see is fresh air and that house and remember all the times he talked about this place.”

  “It’s a special place.” Garrett agreed. “And I wish I could have met him.”

  “He would have liked you,” she said. “He was a man’s man. Loved fishing, hunting. Building things. All of that. He was an accountant, but I think that was one of several roads he could have travelled. In his heart, I think he was an outdoorsman. Now I get to live that for him.”

  “I understand,” Garrett said. “But I mean, I haven’t wanted to say this, but is it totally safe? You out here all alone?”

  Her eyes shuttered. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

  “I thought we talked about this. Of course I do. Especially now that I’m involved with you.”

  “I… This is my decision, Garrett. Right now we’re dating, but it’s not really your place to say if it’s safe for me to stay here as a woman.”

  He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He wasn’t saying it because she was a woman. He was saying it because she was his woman.

  And yet he knew that when the house was done, she still might not be ready for him to move in.

  There still might be a period that she wanted to do all on her own, here in the woods without any protection.

  Which meant there would probably be a grizzly roaming these woods for the first time.

  Still, it worried him a bit that she hadn’t even seemed to consider her own safety in the situation.

  “I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “Would you tell a man the same thing?”

  He nodded. “If he’d always lived in a city, yes. It’s hard living outside town, and it’s hard living without the normal amenities.”

  “I’ll get internet out here. Satellite if I have to.”

  “And you’ll be far from any friends. Any… boyfriends.”

  She flushed at that, meeting his eyes nervously. “But I mean, I’m sure I can call you if something happened.”

  “Of course,” he said, happy she would think of him that way. “But I’d still be half an hour away, most likely.” Unless he was in bear form, but she didn’t need to know that.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m a full-grown woman, and I don’t need your protection. Not in that way. Maybe I’ll get a gun.”

  “But—”

  “Garrett, I like you. I really like spending time with you. I think you’re hot, and you’re a really great guy. But I’m seeing you because I enjoy you, not because I expect you to take care of me or tell me how to live my life.”

  That shut him up entirely.

  He was frustrated he couldn’t say more to sway his mate, that he couldn’t say more about how he felt about her, but at this point, he had no choice but to withdraw and focus on keeping her safe from the sidelines.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, staring at her coffee cup as if she could divine secrets there. “I just am used to taking care of myself. It’s important to me. I’m on my own now, and—”

  “You have me.”

  “I know, but you aren’t my family. And as someone I’m dating, you really don’t get a say in my life. Not in things like where I live.”

  “But I—”

  “I’m sorry, Garrett. I’m trying to be open to this, to us. To this quick thing happening between me and my sexy contractor, but I can’t handle the controlling stuff. It just wouldn’t feel right.”

  And that was the end of that.

  Garrett let out a huff and took too big of a swig of his coffee, burning his tongue. He stood up, coughing, and happened to look out the window at the house they were building.

  He froze. “What the hell?” He narrowed his eyes, sure he could see something in the ground around the half-built structure. He grabbed a flannel shirt and his jeans, pulled them on, and stumbled out of the trailer.

  He looked around him, scenting the air, and didn’t detect anything nearby. Even his bear nose would detect that.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He turned to see Dawn coming out of the trailer, buttoning up her jeans that she’d just pulled on and pulling one of his flannel shirts around her.

  He tried not to think about how cute she looked in his shirt as he focused in on the situation.

  “Stay there, in the trailer.”

  “Like hell,” she said. “We already talked about this. You don’t get to tell me what to do. If something is going on with my house, I deserve to see it.”

  “Fine then. Stay close.” He waited until she was next to him and then grabbed her hand and walked slightly ahead of her over to the ground in front of the house.

  He was right that it was different.

  Someone had scratched words into the ground with various tools, and their message was clear.

  Get out.

  Get off our land.

  This is your last warning.

  So had Grayson’s initial suspicion been right? Perhaps there were wolves who thought this was part of their territory?

  He tried to block Dawn’s view, but she angrily pushed around him, freezing as he read the messages.

  A choked sob emanated from her as she took a step back. “Who would do this? I own this land. You don’t think it’s my family. You don’t think they would follow me, not after I gave them everything else and—”

  He walked forward an
d wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close to his chest. “It’s obviously someone who is mistaken. And no, I don’t think your family came out here, so rest your heart on that one.”

  She sniffed. “I know it’s crazy. It’s just, who else would come after me like that? I own the deed. It was willed to me. Lots of things were, but this was all I took.”

  He stroked a hand through her hair. “I don’t know, sweetheart, but I’m gonna figure it out.”

  “We,” she said. “We’re going to figure it out.”

  “I don’t think you should be involved, not when—”

  She stepped back and put her hands on her hips, red hair lifting in the morning wind, gray eyes blazing. “We already talked about this. You don’t make decisions for me, Garrett. I hired you, not the other way around. Technically, you work for me.”

  His mouth pressed into a line. “So that’s it? I’m just your employee?”

  “No, obviously not.” She looked flustered. “I’m your client. But I do get to say how things work, and if I want to be on the job site, that’s that.”

  He took a step closer, letting his full height impose on her as he folded his arms and glared down. The protective bear in him was too close to the surface to just let this one go. “Actually, I’m in charge of the work site here, and I decide what’s safe or not. You shouldn’t be on a construction site. I’m sure it’s an OSHA violation.”

  “That didn’t matter before,” she said, poking him in the chest. “This is just you being an overprotective male and using OSHA as an excuse to justify it. I’m staying if I want to.”

  He gritted his teeth together. “No, you aren’t.” He’d be damned if he put her in danger here.

  “Don’t do this,” she said. “Don’t make choices for me. We have a good thing going for us, Garrett.”

  “So if I don’t let you do whatever you want to, you’ll be angry at me.”

  “Yes, because I’m a full-grown human who can make her own decisions.”

  Not when you don’t know anything about shifters. Not when you have absolutely no idea what you’re up against.

  He moved his hands to his hips stubbornly. “Let me take you back to town. You’ll be safer there.”

  “No, this is my house. What if somebody harms it? I need to be here, and—”

  He couldn’t take it anymore. His bear was buzzing with adrenaline, fully aware that whoever had done this could come back anytime and might outnumber him.

  Though he had confidence he could protect his mate, the unknowns in this situation made him nervous. Before he could have her here, he and the others would need to at least try and figure it out.

  He bent forward and scooped her over his shoulder, ignoring her protests and her beating on his back as he walked over to her truck.

  “Stop it! Garrett! It’s my house! You stupid man, you—”

  She stopped as he opened the door to his truck and deposited her on the seat. Then he reached in his pocket and handed her the keys.

  “Here, you get back to town safely and text me when you’re there.”

  She narrowed her eyes on him but put the keys in the ignition, probably aware there was no point fighting him at that moment. She was right. Garrett tried to be an easygoing person, but some things weren’t negotiable with him.

  His mate’s safety was one of them.

  “I’m going to call the police,” she said. “Report this. Tell them I want them to come out here.”

  His heart hardened slightly at that, knowing she would bring others in. He wished she could just trust him, that she could feel the same trust in their relationship that he did. “You do what you have to, but you know how I feel about it.”

  “You know how I feel about it,” she retorted. Then, with a glare, she was rolling up the window and starting the truck, pulling out onto the road back to town.

  He had no doubt she’d be bringing the police back, but he also knew there was nothing they could do and that they would agree she shouldn’t be on a work site.

  And in the meantime, his friends would show up and be able to consult on what had happened.

  As the truck disappeared down the dusty road, leaving clouds of dirt behind it, Garrett sighed and got out his phone to dial Hunter’s number.

  Chapter 16

  Dawn told herself not to feel guilty as she followed a police car back to the work site.

  Garrett was being unreasonable, trying to shut her out of her own project just because they happened to be dating.

  She was still his client. This was still her house. Her dream, her way of honoring her grandfather, the only person who’d ever cared for her.

  Except for Garrett.

  He genuinely seemed to care, but she had to have her own boundaries. She had to have control of her life, at least until she was willing to hand it over.

  Giving control over in the bedroom was a very different thing.

  Heat came to her cheeks at just the thought of everything they’d done last night.

  She loved Garrett’s dominance, his strength, the way he’d single-mindedly pursued her.

  But she still wasn’t sure what the future would hold, if he would end up living there with her or if they would break up when the project was over.

  So she wasn’t going to make big decisions about her future just based on what he wanted.

  And she wasn’t going to feel guilty about bringing the police out, because it was the right thing to do, even if Garrett seemed to have no faith in them.

  The police parked at the end of the drive and got out of the car to walk over to the building site where Garrett was standing with Hunter and Grayson, all of them looking perplexed.

  Garrett looked over his shoulder as she got out of the truck, and even at this distance, she felt like she could see betrayal in his eyes.

  But two dates and having sex didn’t give a man a right to control her.

  She jogged to catch up with the cops, all of them reaching the work site at the same time.

  “So you’re the lead contractor on the project?” the head cop asked Garrett.

  “Yes,” Garrett said. “I saw this from my trailer when I woke up this morning.”

  The cop turned to Hunter and Grayson. “Any of you here as well?”

  “We got here later,” Hunter said. “We’re staying in town.”

  The cop nodded and walked forward, crouching in front of some of the writing and looking at the dirt. “And you don’t know anyone who could have done this? Even as a prank?”

  “No,” Dawn said, a little irritated that this conversation seemed to be taking place without her. “We don’t know anyone out here.”

  The cop stood with a sigh. “Well, it doesn’t look like anything dangerous to me. A prank, that’s all. Did they damage anything?”

  “No,” Dawn said. “But look. It says it’s a final warning.”

  “Or what?” The cop shook his head. “They write in your dirt again? Get some sod. Then people can’t write on it.”

  She heard a muffled sound of amusement from Garrett and narrowed her eyes on him. Was he laughing at how the cop was handling the situation?

  Garrett cleared his throat, straightening slightly. “So you don’t think it’s something to worry about?”

  “No,” the cop said. “I don’t mind you calling, but honestly, it’s a little outside our jurisdiction.” He gave Dawn a doubtful look. “It would honestly be easier for us to protect you if you stayed in town.”

  “Oh, for goodness sake,” Dawn said. “I’m not asking you to protect me. I’m not asking for special treatment, but someone has clearly broken the law, and—”

  “You mean by trespassing?” The cop cocked his head. “Look, it’s rural out here. People don’t live by city rules. I don’t know who lives out around here because they keep to themselves, if you know what I mean. But I doubt a deed means much to them.”

  Garrett turned to the cop. “Do you have any idea who would have done this?”


  The cop shook his head no, but by the way he bit his lip, Dawn suspected he was hiding something.

  “What aren’t you telling us?” Grayson said sharply. “You’re hiding something. I can smell it.”

  The cop looked at Grayson in surprise, then sighed. “You aren’t the first complaint. There have been a couple people who tried to camp out here. They told stories of being harassed, of feeling like someone was watching them. But honestly, how can you expect to be safe in the middle of nowhere?”

  Dawn just gaped at him. “Because I bought this property and I have the right to peacefully enjoy it.”

  The cop shrugged. “Just my opinion, ma’am, but if you want life to be peaceful, I suggest taking up with a man in town. Lots of men could offer you a good home there, and they need a woman. Could work both ways. They could even bring you out here on the weekends. Sort of a vacation cabin situation.”

  Dawn put up her hand. “I don’t need your life advice, thanks.”

  The cop looked vaguely offended but shook his head. “Well, anything else I can do?”

  “Other than blaming me for building a house on property I own and making sexist comments? No thanks.”

  “Hey now,” the cop said, beady eyes narrowing. “You don’t get to talk to an officer of the law like that.”

  He took a step forward, but Garrett stepped between them, glowering down at the cop with all of his immense height. “Thanks for your help, officer.”

  The words were grateful, but the tone was clear, and the officer tipped his hat and then scurried back to his car, followed by the others.

  They pulled back onto the road and practically sped out of there, leaving only dust in their wake.

  She stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do now that the police hadn’t backed her up at all, but now Garrett was also probably mad at her.

  She flinched as she looked up at him but was surprised when he simply put his arms around her in a bear hug, pulling her in.

  She rested tentatively against him as he lowered his head over hers, breathing in the scent of her hair.

  “It’s good to see you again,” he said.

  “You aren’t mad I called the cops?”

  “You were right. I can’t tell you what to do. I’m sorry for being an overprotective bear,” Garrett murmured against her hair.