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BRYSON
“Believe me Bear, I know how you feel.” Just looking at the quills protruding from the swollen flesh on the side of the dog’s muzzle made me cringe.
I’d been a cub, barely accomplishing shifts on my own without assistance, when I’d encountered my first porcupine. I knew firsthand what kind of pain having the skin punctured on your face could cause. I’d have thought after the last time Mandy brought the dog to see Mitch Jacobson, the local vet, he would have learned his lesson and left the prickly animals alone.
I guess some of life’s lessons are harder to learn than others, even for natural-born animals.
The dog thumped his tail on the truck’s leather seat, then whimpered. A noise I’d sympathetically endured for the umpteenth time during the drive from the lodge of the Seneca Falls Resort to Mitch’s neighboring home. I stretched out my arm, avoiding the cluster of sticklike protrusions, then scratched him behind the ears.
I glanced at the newly constructed entrance on the side of Mitch’s house. I’d heard he recently converted a portion of his home into an office by adding a moderate sized reception area near the spare bedroom he used as an exam room. Normally, anyone in need of his services during the week would have to drive all the way to Ashbury. With the new office opened on Saturday morning, those of us who lived nearby didn’t have to make the long drive down the mountain. Fortunately for Bear, it was the beginning of the weekend and Mandy had called ahead to make an appointment.
The last time I’d been here was when Berkley, Nick’s sister, had been out running in her wolf form and gotten shot by a guy hired by the psychotic girlfriend of an ex-boyfriend. It was a good thing Mitch was one of the few humans in the area who knew about shifters. He’d saved her life and earned the gratitude of her family, her mate, and me.
There was only one other car parked near the entrance, so I figured we wouldn’t have long to wait. “Let’s get this over with.” I made my way around the truck, then lifted the dog off the seat and cradled him in my arms. Most male bear shifters were big guys, and I was no different. I could have easily tucked the dog under one arm.
I hadn’t even made it two steps when Bear’s pitiful whimpers vocalized into louder moans. I didn’t care what anybody said, dogs were smart. He knew where we were, why we were here, and wasn’t happy about it. “Sorry, bud. You’ll feel a lot better once Mitch takes those out.” I pressed on the metal bar across the middle of the glass door and stepped inside.
“Good morning.” A female I’d never met before was sitting behind the reception desk. “You’re here for an appointment, right?”
“Yes, I—I...” Why was I stuttering? I was a man of few words, believed in getting straight to the point in most situations, but I never had a problem forming sentences. And I never, ever stuttered.
Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I’d been holding my breath from the moment my gaze locked with those dark eyes the color of ripened acorns. Or maybe it was because she had the most radiant smile I’d ever seen on a female and it had my heart revving faster than an expertly tuned engine in a race car.
I sucked in air, then gulped again when my lungs didn’t respond right away.
“Mitch is finishing up with his last patient, so it should only be a few more minutes.” She glanced at the computer screen on the desk in front of her. “Will you need shots today as well?” She tapped a few keys.
“Why would I need shots?” I asked, distractedly paying more attention to the way her soft brown curls framed her face and the subtle hint of lavender in her scent than to her actual question.
“I was talking about your dog, Bear.”
Being a male who could shift into a bear, I always found it amusing every time I heard the animal’s name spoken out loud. I couldn’t figure out if Nick, Mandy’s mate and the dog’s owner, was trying to be humorous or if he thought his pet really did resemble one of my kind. Though how an animal with mangy brown fur and a body that was longer than his legs came close to looking like a bear, I wasn’t sure. “He’s not my dog.”
“He’s not?” Suspicion furrowed her brow. “I could have sworn when Mandy was in a few weeks ago, she said he belonged to her fiancé...” She pointed at the screen. “I’m sorry, aren’t you Nick Pearson?”
“No, I-I’m...” I stammered. Again. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I make what I said sound coherent? It wasn’t as if I had a problem articulating or talking to females. I talked to the women who worked at the resort all the time. So why did this particular female with the full, kissable lips have my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth? And why was my bear, normally bored and uninterested in most females, suddenly rumbling and urging me to get closer to this one?
“Nick’s my boss. My name is Bryson, Bryson Cruise.” My voice sounded deeper and more gravelly than usual, thanks to my bear, but at least my tongue was no longer paralyzed.
She rolled her chair away from the desk and walked around to my side of the counter. “Nice to meet you. I’m Leah.” Her gaze flashed to the Seneca Falls logo on my shirt. “Do you work at the resort?”
“Security.” Though lately, my job description had taken on new parameters. With Mandy and Nick’s upcoming wedding, I’d gone from patrolling the property and keeping it safe to idea consultant for their new house, cake taste tester—no complaints on that task—and finally doggy caretaker. Since Mandy and Nick had a meeting with the contractor this morning regarding final changes to their new home, they’d asked me if I wouldn’t mind taking care of Bear.
The dog was back to whimpering pathetically, which was fine with me because it encouraged Leah to remain standing next to me.
“Poor thing. You’ve been playing with that nasty porcupine again, haven’t you?” She swept her hand along Bear’s flank, her fingertips grazing my arm. Her skin was warm, soft, soothing. So soothing that my animal was insisting I shift so he could rub all over her. Hell, I was ready to forgo seeing Mitch, toss her over my shoulder, and take her back to my house.
The females I’d been attracted to in the past, the ones I’d shared an occasional bed with, had all been shifters. None of them came close to eliciting the kind of response I was experiencing with this human. My inability to think, my straining cock—currently concealed by Bear—and my animal’s overwhelming desire to claim could only mean one thing.
“Hey, Bryson.” It took a lot to startle me, to make me jump, but having Mitch stroll into the reception area during my moment of revelation was enough to do it.
I grunted a response, too afraid to attempt a conversation.
He took one look at Bear and shook his head. “I’ll be right with you.” Then he stepped aside to make room for the elderly woman who’d followed him out of the exam room carrying a plaid blanket wrapped around a black-and-gray-striped cat. It was Alma Chapman. I’d known the female most of my life. She was old when I was a teenager and had to be at least eighty or older now.
“Bryson. You make sure to tell your mother I said hello next time you see her.” She waggled a decrepit finger at me, then dismissed me completely as she headed for Mitch and the open door he was holding for her.
“Make sure you bring her back in two weeks.” Mitch scratched the cat’s head.
“I won’t forget, promise,” Alma said, smiling at Mitch as if he possessed magical healing powers.
Mitch closed the door and said, “I see you’ve met my sister, Leah.”
Sister? What? It was then that I noticed the slight family resemblance. Funny how learning certain tidbits of information could cool a raging erection.
“Ignore him. He’s been using the big-brother intimidation technique on every good-looking guy I’ve met since high school.” Leah winked, then patted my arm, sending tingles skittering across my skin.
I couldn’t tell if her teasing was out of politeness or an insinuation that she found my appearance appealing.
I was, however, concerned my discovery would change my relationship with Mitch. He was a friend, and there were unspoken rules when it came to another male’s female sibling. Rules which, at the moment, I wished didn’t exist.
“Are you going to need my help?” Leah asked Mitch.
Yes. Now that I’d found her, the thought of being away from her, even if it was in a room down the hall, wasn’t sitting well with my animal or me.
I tried not to read anything into Mitch’s hesitation or the studious way he was watching Leah and me. “No, I think Bryson and I can handle it.” He motioned for me to follow him.
“Okay, then.” Leah rounded the counter and returned to the seat behind the desk.
No longer getting any attention, and without Leah’s calming effect, the dog was back to whimpering. Not that I blamed him. Quills hurt a lot worse coming out than going in.
The exam area was a few steps down a short hallway. Other than some new landscape prints hanging on the walls, which I assumed were a result of Leah’s influence, the room hadn’t changed since I’d been here the last time. I made the mistake of glancing over my shoulder to get one more glimpse of Leah before entering the room and caught my shoulder on the doorframe. I jostled Bear, making him yelp, and gaining Mitch’s scrutiny. Again.
“Sorry, boy,” I muttered.
Mitch waited for me to pass through the doorway, then closed the door and circled to the other side of an exam table sitting in the middle of the room.
“You okay, Bryson?” Something in his tone made me think he wasn’t asking about my shoulder. Had he figured out my connection to his sister?
No. “Fine.” I was nowhere near being okay. I should be exhilarated that I’d found my mate, the one female on the entire planet who was supposed to be my perfect match. Instead, I wanted to punch something. Even though my parents and brother fell into the lucky category, I hadn’t come close to having a decent relationship and, up until now, figured I was going to spend the rest of my life alone.
As far as good first impressions went, mine ranked on the lower end of terrible, with Leah thinking that I was linguistically challenged. To make matters worse, she was Mitch’s sister, a human who had no idea that shifters existed. Even if her brother was willing to give me a free pass on the sibling-taboo rule, why would someone like her want to go out, let alone want to mate, someone like me? I was surly, a loner, and lacked the finesse or charm most women found appealing.
“Go ahead and set him here.” Mitch patted the middle of the exam table.
He knew I wasn’t a social creature and didn’t try to engage me in conversation. If he had any questions about my behavior, he kept them to himself. An hour later, after a few growls and a couple of yelps, the quills were out. I spent another five minutes waiting for Bear to mark several trees on Mitch’s property, then held a contemplative conversation with the dog in the cab of my truck before heading back to the lodge.
The entire drive was focused on Leah and the prospect, as uncomfortable as it was, of convincing her to give me a chance. Somewhere along the way, I’d reached the conclusion that I was in way over my head and needed help. The only person I could think of who came close to understanding what I was feeling was Nick. He knew all about having a human for a mate.
Mandy was the greatest. They’d gone through a lot, including her being kidnapped, before they finally got together. Of course, Nick had the advantage of his mate knowing all about shifters when he’d first started dating her.
Maybe Nick could give me some pointers on how to win over Leah. Help me figure out a way to tell her she was my mate, and that I could shift into a seventeen-hundred-pound bear without scaring the hell out of her.
***
LEAH
I stood near the window and watched Bryson back out of the driveway. As much as I avoided men, had sworn never to get involved in a relationship again, I couldn’t help being drawn to him. It was the reason I was hiding behind the blinds and sneaking a glimpse of him through the window.
After walking Bear over to the trees and letting him do his business, Bryson had returned to his vehicle. He’d been sitting there for the last five minutes. I’d seen his lips move but couldn’t tell if he was talking to himself or having a conversation with the dog.
He reminded me of an adorable teddy bear, a large, massively muscled, downright sexy teddy bear. I heard Mitch’s sneakers squeak on the linoleum, let the blinds drop back into place, and scurried away from the window. The stack of magazines sitting on the table between the two guest chairs weren’t out of place, but I pretended to straighten them anyway.
“See anything interesting out there?” Mitch asked as he used the counter to scribble something into a patient’s file.
“Um, no, I mean...I was admiring the view.”
“Are you talking about the landscape or Bryson?” Mitch, ever perceptive and annoying, teased, then closed the file and placed it next to the computer on my desk.
“The landscape, of course.” I shuffled around him, hoping he didn’t see the flush I felt burning my cheeks. I didn’t need my brother chastising me about ogling one of his customers, even if there was a lot to appreciate.
“Right.”
My thoughts had absently returned to Bryson and before I thought better of it, I asked, “Is he always like that?”
“Do you mean quiet, reserved, and straight to the point?” Mitch bobbed his head. “Yeah, pretty much. Why?”
“No reason.” At least none I wanted to share. There were some topics a girl didn’t discuss with her older brother. My fascination and attraction to a guy I’d just met was one of them.
Mitch glanced at the clock hanging on the wall in the waiting area and said, “It’s almost noon, so why don’t you go ahead and call it a day.”
“Are you sure?” I hated hearing the subtle desperation in my voice, the lingering self-doubt that still invaded my thoughts. Staying busy was my coping mechanism, and I’d hoped there’d be more work for me. The prospect of having nothing to do for the remainder of the weekend was unsettling.
“Positive. Why don’t you get out, do something fun, go exploring?”
Unlike my mother, who didn’t have a problem being pushy or overbearing, my brother used an encouraging approach. No matter whose advice I listened to, the message was still the same. They wanted me to stop hiding and start enjoying my life again. I self-consciously rubbed my arms. After what Caleb had put me through, I still wasn’t sure if I was ready, or if it would ever be a possibility.
“You know the resort isn’t that far from here. Maybe you should take a drive over to the lodge and have lunch. Berkley makes the best lasagna in the state.” He slipped off his lab coat and hung it on a hook on the wall. “Or, you could hang out with me this afternoon. I need to drive over to Gabe’s and take a look at one of his horses. Otherwise, I’d go with you.”
“No, that’s okay.” The last time I’d gone with him to Gabe’s, I’d ended up stepping in a pile of manure. No matter how many times I tossed my favorite pair of tennis shoes in the wash, I hadn’t been able to get rid of the stains or the stench. I finally had to throw them away and buy a new pair. “Maybe I’ll read a book or go for a walk.”
“I’m not sure how long I’ll be, so if you change your mind, don’t forget to leave a note.” He gave me one of his sympathetic looks. A look I’d seen more times than I’d wanted to during the short time I’d been staying with him. Mitch was great about supporting my independence, but after what happened, I didn’t blame him for being concerned. Letting him know my whereabouts was a small price to pay for everything he’d done for me, for helping me when I needed it most.
“I will, and you have fun dodging horse poop.” I giggled.
“Not to worry. My boots are in the truck.” After giving me a quick hug, he headed for the door. “You know, if you go for lunch...” He paused with his hand on the door’s metal bar, his lips slowly forming a mischievous grin. “You might get a chance to drool over Bryson some more.”
I did not drool. I could hear Mitch’s boisterous laughter coming from outside even after the magazine I’d thrown smacked the back of the door and dropped to the floor.
***
BRYSON
It was nearing the lunch hour when I pulled into the main entrance of the resort. Instead of heading back to the lodge, I took the side road leading to Nick and Mandy’s cabin. Since I had to drop off Bear, I figured it was a good time to explain my dilemma to Nick and see if he’d be willing to help. Now that I’d found Leah, the longer I was away from her, the more agitated my animal got. He wanted his mate, and no amount of trying to reason with him would pacify his irritation.
My human side wasn’t doing much better. There was a tightness in my chest, an unwanted tension rippling through my body and conflicting with my easy-going nature. I’d come close to turning around two or three times and heading back to Mitch’s place. Not having a good enough excuse to explain my return or risking Leah thinking I was a stalker were the only things that stopped me.
“Let’s get you inside.” I scooped Bear off the seat and headed for the porch. Before my fist connected with the door’s wooden surface, Mandy had it open and was reaching for the dog. “How’s my poor baby doing?” She cuddled him close to her chest and nuzzled the fur at the base of his neck. The animal made pathetic whimpers, milking her attention for everything it was worth.
“Come on in.” Mandy moved into the space between the living room and the small kitchen so I could enter. “Did Mitch have any problems removing the quills?”
“No.” Though I was pretty sure the dog might disagree. “Mitch said he’d be fine.” I dug into the pocket of my pants, pulled out the bottle of antibiotic tablets he’d given me, and set it on the half wall sectioning off the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Mandy set Bear on the floor, then gave me a quick hug, her arms too short to circle my thick waist. “I really appreciate you taking care of him for us. Between dealing with the contractor and the wedding being less than two months away, I’m going nuts.”
My mother always taught me to be respectful to females, no matter how trivial their needs. Any other time, I would hang around for a few minutes and listen to Mandy vent. I was anxious to resolve my dilemma about Leah and figured my mother would agree that this was one of those times when being abrupt could be overlooked. “Is Nick around?”
“Yeah.” Mandy drew the word out, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “He’s out back working on one of his projects. Why?”
Nick was quite the craftsman. In his spare time, he constructed furniture by hand and had even sold a few pieces to some of the locals. Once their new house was finished, he’d have a large shop where he could do his work. Until then, he used a small shed behind their cabin.
“No reason. Talk to you later.” I escaped out the door before she could question me further. Rather than use the stairs, I jumped off the porch, shortening the distance to the shed. I peeked inside and found Nick manually sanding a large rectangular piece of wood. He’d worked up a sweat and had taken off his shirt, so the only clothes he wore was an old pair of worn jeans.
He hadn’t bothered to put on a pair of shoes, which I suspected had something to do with his animal’s nature. He was half wild wolf, a breed notorious for being antisocial with a tendency to go feral. Neither quality applied to Nick, not since he’d come to live at the resort and taken Mandy as his mate.
“Hey, Nick.” I wedged through the narrow opening to get inside.
“What’s up, Bryson?” Nick asked, then laid the sander down on the strip of wood. “Did Bear survive his visit with the doc?”
“He’ll live.” For the second time today, I struggled with what to say, how to tell him about Leah and ask him for help. I wanted our conversation to remain confidential and glanced toward the door, worried that Mandy might make a surprise appearance.
“Is there a problem? You seem a little nervous,” Nick said.
Besides needing help, and lots of it, what do I have to be nervous about? “I was wondering if you could spare a few minutes to go somewhere and talk.” My bear, dominant creature that he was, didn’t see the problem, nor was he interested in getting assistance from another male. He was all about going back to Mitch’s and claiming our mate. Simple.
“You mean somewhere where Mandy can’t overhear us?” He grinned, then grabbed his T-shirt off the bench near the door.
“Yeah, if you don’t mind.” I blew out a relieved breath, glad I hadn’t needed to say anything negative about his mate and risk pissing him off.
“Not a problem. I needed a reason to take a break anyway. And if I’ve smelled correctly, Berkley did some baking this morning.” He leaned over and pulled on his shoes. “Let’s take a ride up to the lodge and help ourselves to a snack while we chat.”
“I could definitely eat.” All the mate-related stress had given me an appetite. Berkley was the best cook around, and when it came to baking, she was even better than my mother. Not that I would ever say it out loud, risk hurting my mother’s feelings, or give her a reason to box my ears.
