Bruins Peak Bears- Complete Series, page 178
part #1 of Bruins Peak Bears Series
Chapter 5
Natalie glanced up at the clock on the kitchen wall. Seven o’clock in the evening. One quick peek at Grace sitting at the table confirmed her worst fears. The girl rested one elbow on the table and cradled her cheek in one hand.
Grace’s other hand held a fork. She lifted forkfuls of mashed potato off her plate and let them plop back. They made a satisfying splatter sound when they fell before Grace lifted another forkful and did the same thing.
Natalie watched her for half a minute before she knew she had to do something. Grace always went to bed at seven o’clock on the dot, and Briar always put her to bed. In the two years since Grace was born, she never went to sleep without her mother.
Natalie took a firm grip on herself. Briar wasn’t here. Natalie didn’t know when Briar would get back or even if she would get back. She might spend the night at MacAllister Homestead. She might spend the next week there until her father died.
Natalie walked over to the table and took the fork out of Grace’s hand. She set it down and hitched both hands under Grace’s arms to lift her off her chair. “Come on, little Pumpkin. It’s time you were in bed.”
Grace kicked and wriggled against Natalie’s embrace. She whined and whimpered. “I want Mommy. Where’s Mommy?”
“I know you want Mommy,” Natalie replied. “We’re gonna get Mommy for you as soon as we can, but right now, it’s time you were in bed. Come on. I’ll read you a story.”
Grace struggled harder. She could be a lot stronger than she looked when she got upset. Natalie only hoped and prayed the little girl didn’t get desperate enough to shift. A raging bear cub would be more than Natalie could handle on her own.
Natalie wrestled Grace toward the hall leading to Briar’s bedroom when the front door opened. Riskin entered, took one look around the room, and smiled at his little daughter. “Hey, Pumpkin.”
Grace made one massive effort to break free from Natalie’s arms, and Natalie let her go. She lowered the girl to the ground, and Grace catapulted into her father’s arms. Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank the heavens you’re here. I wasn’t looking forward to putting her to bed.”
Grace sobbed on her father’s shoulder. “Daddy! Daddy!”
Riskin rubbed Grace’s back and petted her hair. “It’s okay now, Pumpkin. Daddy’s got you.” He turned to Natalie, and the fine lines creased around his eyes. He was just as worried as Natalie. “What’s going on? Where’s Briar?”
Natalie lowered her voice. “I was going to tell you earlier, but you’ve been gone so long, I never got a chance. Don’s dying. Briar got the call from Silas. She went to her parents’ house, and she asked me to take care of Grace. That was one o’clock this afternoon, and I haven’t heard from her since.”
Riskin shushed Grace, and she calmed down. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he rocked her back and forth. “That’s okay. I’ll call Silas and find out what’s going on.”
“I’m sure Briar is just as worried about Grace as we are,” Natalie remarked.
“If she is,” Riskin replied, “she’ll know we’re taking care of this little Pumpkin. Come on, honey. We’re gonna put you to bed.”
Riskin headed for the hall, the same way Natalie did, but Grace broke into loud piercing screams, much louder than the wailing she gave Natalie. “I want Mommy! I want Mommy now!”
Riskin had to use all his strength to hold her. Grace flailed all her arms and legs. She scratched her father’s face and kicked him in the stomach. She screamed loud enough to wake the dead. Natalie plugged her ears and turned away. She couldn’t watch this.
At that moment, the front door sailed open one more time and Briar rushed in. She ran to Riskin and seized Grace out of his arms. The little girl collapsed on Briar’s shoulder and choked on racking sobs.
Briar kissed her hair and soothed her. She collapsed into a chair, and Grace hugged her around the chest.
Riskin leaned back against the kitchen counter and passed his hand across his forehead. “Phew! Thank God you’re home.”
Briar rocked Grace back and forth. “I had to come back to get Grace. I knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep without me.”
“What’s going on at home?” Riskin asked. “How’s your pop doing?”
Briar lowered her eyes and shook her head. “Not good. He’s already gone, but his body just won’t die. It’s Ma I’m really worried about. She’s falling fast. I wouldn’t be surprised if she goes with Pop.”
“Isn’t there anything anybody can do?” Natalie asked. “If anybody can do anything, it’s you, Briar. You learned all your Ma’s tricks.”
Briar touched a tear out the corner of her eye. “No one can do anything for either of them. We just have to let Nature take its course. I’m only glad I’ve got Silas there. He’s my one comfort at a time like this.”
“I’ll bet he is,” Riskin murmured.
Briar raised her head and locked her eyes on her husband’s face. “He’s gonna be a great Alpha when Pop goes. You wait and see.”
“I’m sure he will,” Riskin returned. “Anybody could see that coming years ago.”
Briar got to her feet with Grace still clinging around her torso. “I want to take Grace back to MacAllister Homestead. Please say I can, Riskin. I can’t keep away, and I need her as much as she needs me. I need to know she’s all right while I’m over there, and she won’t be if we’re not together. I promise nothing will happen to her. It’s just a lot of sitting around. You know how it was when your parents died. I don’t want to be away from home for one minute as long as Pop’s alive in case he dies while I’m away, but I need her to take my mind off everything that’s happening, and she should be with me.”
“It’s fine with me if it’s all right with Silas,” Riskin replied.
“Silas already gave his permission,” Briar told him. “I’m going to stay in my old room, and there’s plenty of room in there for Grace.”
Riskin waved his hand. “Go ahead. Do you want me to drive you over there? I guess you want to pack a few things first.”
Briar raced out of the room, but she stopped to kiss him on the cheek before she left. “Yes, I do. Oh, thank you, Riskin. Thank you so much.”
Riskin chuckled. “Don’t thank me. Just get your stuff and get out of here. The sooner Grace gets bedded down, the better.”
Briar disappeared down the hall to her bedroom. Natalie strode around the counter. “I better get to bed, too. I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”
Riskin didn’t seem to hear. He gazed toward the hall where his wife and daughter vanished.
Natalie peered at him. “You all right? Did everything go okay in town with your meeting?”
Riskin shook himself awake. “What? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking about Briar. I wish I could do something for her. I remember how tense it got when…” He broke off.
Natalie closed her eyes and shook her head. “I remember.” She remembered when their father died and their mother went to pieces. Then Virginia died, too. Riskin, Rhys, and Natalie had no one on whom they could lean—no one but Briar. Briar held the tribe together while Natalie and her brothers grieved. Briar handled everything in the background.
Now, Natalie and her brothers could do nothing to repay that kindness. No one could help Briar except Silas and Dana. At least she could share this tragic time with her brother and sister.
Natalie waited, but Riskin didn’t see her standing right in front of him. She took a silent leave and headed for her own room. She wanted to check in with Max before she went to sleep, too.
Max turned strangely distant after their last exchange. So many references in one day to meeting up somewhere couldn’t bode well. He must have been getting cold feet.
She padded down the carpeted hall. Briar and Grace chatted in their room, and Natalie caught sight of a suitcase open on the bed. So much the better. As long as mother and daughter stayed together, they would be fine.
Natalie turned her bedroom doorknob when she heard a knock from the living room. Riskin’s footsteps crossed the living room, and the front door gave its telltale creak when he opened it.
Rapid fire voices echoed down the hall. “What’s going on, man?” Riskin asked.
Natalie recognized Silas MacAllister’s clipped tones. That voice sent shivers through her. “We got a problem. Your brother is hanging around my house. He wants to challenge me.”
Natalie froze, and Riskin’s voice strained to the breaking point. “Did he attack you?”
“He talked to Shaw behind my back,” Silas replied. “I overheard them, but they don’t know I heard. Shaw wouldn’t play ball, but your brother won’t back down. He plans to challenge me and put Shaw in my place as soon as my Pop dies.”
“That won’t happen,” Riskin told him. “I’ll take care of it.”
Silas hesitated. “You promise?”
Something made a slapping sound. “I promise. Go home, man. You don’t belong here. You belong with your family. I won’t let him do anything to disturb you at a time like this.”
Silas growled under his breath. “He already has.”
“I know he has, and I appreciate you coming to me instead of tearing him a new rear end. You had a right, and I wouldn’t blame you. Leave him to me, and I’ll make him wish he’d never been born.”
“I don’t want that,” Silas told him. “Just rein him in. Keep him off my property, at least until…”
Riskin cut him off, “I’ll rein him in, and a lot more besides. Don’t give it another thought. Leave him. I’ll take care of it.”
Silas’s voice faltered. “Thanks, man. I knew I could count on you.”
The front door creaked again. “Get out of here. You’re a mess. I’m bringing your sister home as soon as she packs her stuff.”
Silas’s voice faded into the night. “Thanks again. I’ll see you later.”
The door clicked closed, and Riskin’s bootheels clomped down the hall to his own room. The wind whipped the branches outside. Natalie closed her bedroom door on the world. There was nothing more to hear out there.
She sat down on her bed and pulled her tablet toward her. Her blood burned in her veins as her fingers danced over the keyboard. I missed you today.
Max usually replied right away, but this time, a minute passed without any notification popping up on her screen. She stared at the tablet. Still nothing. Another minute ticked by. The tablet sat still and dead on her lap.
Where was he? What was he doing? A million doubts flashed through Natalie’s mind. Had he changed his mind about her? Maybe he met someone else. A bunch of text on a screen couldn’t compete with a real, live woman. Was it all over between them?
She should have known better than to get involved with an outsider. This could only lead to disaster. He would be doing her a favor never to reply to her messages again.
She raised her hand. She would send one more message, and never again. If he didn’t reply, she would let the whole thing go. She swallowed down a lump in her throat even thinking that way, but she had to do it. She had to maintain her dignity if she did nothing else. She didn’t want to lose Max, but she wouldn’t be one of those internet stalkers who bombarded a guy with messages he didn’t want.
The longer she sat there in silence, the more her mind raced. Maybe he dropped his phone in a mud puddle. Maybe it quit working and had to go in for repair. Maybe he was going crazy because he wanted to message her and had no way to do it.
Anything could explain him not answering. If his phone stopped working, how would she get in touch with him? Maybe they would never speak to each other again, even though they both wanted to.
Just then, the screen brightened and the notification chirped. A message flashed across the window. It’s always nice to hear from you.
Natalie’s heart pounded, and she tapped out her message. I need to talk to you.
Chapter 6
Silas skidded to a stop inside the trees beyond Dodd Homestead. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and read Penny’ message. His heart skipped a beat. This could be it. This could be the line in the sand. She wanted to meet him. She said so a million times.
I need to talk to you.
That could mean only one thing. He already knew what it would be before he tapped out his reply. I’m listening.
I want to meet you—for real. I don’t want to wonder anymore. I want to know if we’ve got any hope of being together. I don’t want to live in doubt anymore. I don’t want to be afraid of what will happen when we meet in person. I want to know for sure if we have as much connection in person as we have online.
His thumb skipped over his phone. I feel the same way, and I want to meet, too, for all the reasons you just said. I’m sure we will have that connection, and I want to take it to the next level.
He barely breathed while he typed out this message. What was he thinking? How could he meet her?
Are you sure you want to go through with this?
His hands shook holding the phone. Of course, I’m sure.
What if it doesn’t work out? What if we hate each other?
I could never hate you, Penny. I love you more than anything. I don’t want to blow the good thing we have, but I’m willing to risk it if it means we have a chance to be together. What do you say? Are you willing to take the chance on some guy you’ve never met?
You know I am. You know I want this more than anything.
Then let’s do this. Once he got those words out, the letters flew off his fingers. He didn’t give himself a chance to back out.
How are we gonna do it? she asked.
Now, came the sticky part. One of us will have to fly across the country to meet the other.
I’ve got a full work load this week, so I probably can’t do it until the end of the month.
Silas snatched that lifeline for all he was worth. I’m busy, too. I’ve got three contracts to complete this week.
When are you available?
Yeah, Silas. When are you available? You just said let’s do this. So when would he do it? Never, that’s when. It sounds like neither of us really wants this to happen.
I want this to happen, she told him.
I want this to happen, too.
Then what are we gonna do about it?
Silas threw all caution to the wind. Why don’t we meet somewhere in the middle? That way, one of us won’t have to take all the risk while the other sits at home and waits.
What do you suggest?
I suggest we both fly halfway across the country. Do you know Ross Cove? That’s midway between us. We could meet there.
Silas grasped at any straw. Ross Cove was the next town down the highway from Iron Bark. Penny didn’t know anything about Bruins’ Peak. He could get to Ross Cove without traveling too far away from home.
He consoled himself he was really saving her half the airfare to Florida. He could meet her, and then they could decide what to do about it. She might be so ugly he couldn’t stand the sight of her.
Unlike most internet romances he heard about, Max and Penny never exchanged photographs of themselves. Silas didn’t suggest it, and neither did Penny. Neither of them had the first clue what the other looked like. Silas dreaded Penny finding out who and what he really was. She would head for the hills if she ever suspected he was a bear shifter from Bruins’ Peak. That would be his worst nightmare.
To his amazement, Penny came back immediately. That sounds great. I know where Ross Cove is. I can fly in, and I’ll meet you at the airport. How about the 30th of this month?
Silas stared at the phone in his hand. He didn’t expect her to agree just like that. Now, what was he going to do? He suggested this meeting. He couldn’t back out on it now, especially since he would meet her only a short drive down the highway.
He watched his thumb punch the letters. Sounds good. See you there.
What was he thinking? He shouldn’t have done it. He should have let well enough alone. He could have kept this shadow romance going for months, maybe even years, without forcing this.
He couldn’t turn her down, though. She captivated him. He wanted nothing more than to meet her, to see if she captivated him as much in person as she did on a screen.
Her message came back. I can’t wait to see you.
Me, neither. I’m excited to meet you at last. That much, at least, was true. He didn’t have to lie. I don’t know how I’m gonna wait so long.
Silas had to force himself to look up from the screen so he wouldn’t crash into tree trunks on the way home. He stopped every few paces to read his phone and return her messages.
Shadows hemmed him in on all sides, but the glowing screen commanded his full attention. He couldn’t put the darn thing down. Every time he replied to one of her messages, he waited in breathless anticipation for the response.
He caught sight of MacAllister Homestead through the trees. The porch light burned in front of the door, but other than that, not a single light shone in the windows. Briar must not have come back from Dodd Homestead yet. It was long past Grace’s bedtime. She probably wouldn’t come back until morning now.
He lifted his eyes from his phone to stare at his home. For the first time in his life, he was an outsider here, even as he ascended to the position of Alpha over his tribe. Not one person in the place understood him. Not one person on all Bruins’ Peak could know what he was going through. He couldn’t confide in the people he cared for most, and he certainly couldn’t confide in Penny.
What in the world was he doing, talking to some human woman across the country? He must enjoy torturing himself and giving himself another stress—like he really needed one right now.
The phone buzzed in his hand, and the shiny screen overshadowed everything else. I miss you.
He couldn’t help but respond. I miss you, too. I keep dreaming about holding you and kissing you.
Sometimes, I feel you with me even when you’re not.
Excitement scorched Silas’s guts. These exchanges fired his blood. Do you feel my arms around you?
Yes. When I lie on my bed and close my eyes, I imagine you’re lying next to me, and we’re kissing.
