Chapter 11
Josh
Ihadn’t planned on staying.
I’d swung by after catching Betsy on the north side cameras and wanted to give them a heads-up.
When I found Stella Stone here moments after being hit by the smell of snickerdoodles, confusion took over.
“Get in here. We’ve got cookies,” she said.
Wayne, traitor that he was, ran inside the house before I could collect myself and decline.
The kids were scattered across the living room floor, Julian working with Legos and Ellie with a book. Maggie was currently scratching Wayne’s belly.
“You came to visit,” Julian chirped.
“Do you know how to play chess?” Maggie asked.
Lips pressed together, I nodded, answering both questions at once.
“Good, because I’m learning, and I need someone to play with.”
Discomfort crept through me. I should get out of here. “I’m not very good.”
“That’s okay,” she said. “It’s annoying when people are super good at everything.”
“Did you come to see Mom?” Ellie asked, peering at me over her paperback, her eyes narrowed. “Because she’s not here.”
“No, actually,” I said, stuffing my hands into my pockets, unnerved by her scrutiny. “I just wanted to warn you all to stay inside. Betsy Ross popped up on a couple of my cameras.”
Stella perked up and took a step toward me. “Betsy’s here? Have you kids seen her yet? She’s a town celebrity.”
“Actually,” I corrected, “she’s a black bear. And very dangerous.” Though I’d mentioned her the day I showed them the blackberry bramble, we hadn’t actually discussed her.
By the way the kids looked at me, all wide-eyed and pale, this fact was lost on them.
“Betsy Ross is not a very scary name,” Ellie said in that bored teenager way.
“She’s a bear. She doesn’t care.”
Stella shrugged. “She sort of named herself.”
Julian scooted closer to me, still seated on the floor. “How big is she?”
“She’s small for a bear,” I told him. “But still a big scary wild animal.”
“Is it true bears are fast runners and can climb trees?” Maggie asked, pushing her glasses up.
“Yes.” I nodded once. “They are also excellent swimmers.”
“Is she a mean bear?” Julian’s voice quivered.
My stomach sank a little at the fear there. “Um. No. Not really. She’s …” I looked over at Stella, considering the best way to explain her to a child without terrifying him.
“Opportunistic,” Stella explained.
A sigh of relief escaped me. “Yes. She gets herself into trouble.”
Ellie folded her arms, her lips turned down. “Is she going to eat us?”
That nearly got a laugh from me, but I tamped it down before I could embarrass her. “No.”
“Are you sure?” Maggie quipped. “You just told us how strong and fast bears are.”
“Yeah,” her sister piled on, “what if she’s hungry?”
“She wouldn’t eat a person.” Dammit, I’d been here for three minutes, and already, I’d given these kids a year’s worth of nightmare fuel. “Bears like easy food. Trash, apples, chicken feed.”
“Does she know where we live?”
I shook my head. “Nope. She knows where the blackberries are. Remember? I planted them there to keep her far away from my chickens and my garden. She never comes down here. But I just want you to always be aware and stay safe.”
Ellie stood with a huff and paced. “This feels personal.”
Stella snorted. “Betsy is always sort of… around. She’s a pain in the butt. But we’ve all learned to live with her. The best way to stay safe is to stay away.”
“Can we see the video?”
“No,” I replied.
“Why not?”
“Because I’m worried that if I showed you, you’d go out and try to find her.”
“Hey,” Maggie protested.
“I’d go find her,” Julian said.
I admired his blunt honesty, even if the statement put all my nerves on edge. Because I believed him.
“But I’d take Wayne,” he added.
Wayne lifted his head off the carpet.
“Don’t even think about it,” I said to my dog. “You’d lose that fight.”
He lay back down with a sigh, his head on his paws.
“Ooh.” Maggie clapped. “Does she have baby bears? OMG, baby bears are so cute.”
“As far as we know, she’s never had any cubs.”
“That’s depressing,” Ellie said. “Is she lonely?”
I blinked at her. I’d never contemplated the emotional health of the damn bear and I never thought I would. “Possibly?”
“There must be no emotionally available boy bears around here,” Ellie mused.
Stella snorted. “Relatable, Betsy. So relatable.”
I tried to make myself scarce, but the kids insisted I stay for cookies and milk, so we migrated to the kitchen table and snacked while Stella and I shared several of Betsy Ross’s greatest hits.
“She was just relaxing in the hot tub?” Maggie squealed.
“Yup,” Stella said. “Ruby stepped outside in her bathing suit with a bottle of champagne in her hand, and a second later, she was screaming and darting back into the house. That was an anniversary Paul will never forget.”
“She’s been known to take naps in the canoes folks leave on the bank of the river,” I added, my storytelling not quite so entertaining. “And one time, she walked into Reed’s garage and opened his beer fridge.”
“Nothing but fancy stuff in there.” Stella laughed.
Stella put Julian to bed shortly after, and the girls wandered back to the living room. Though I was tempted to head for the door, I stayed and loaded the dishwasher, waiting for Stella to return.
When she came down the stairs, she crossed her arms. “You’re great with them.” Despite her posture, she wore a soft, observant look. The teacher look that made me feel like she was clocking my every move.
I shrugged. “They’re good kids.”
“That’s not what I said.” She stuck her tongue out at me.
I’d known Stella since we were kids. And in my mind, she still was a little girl. While she was probably over thirty now, all my memories of her involved her tagging along with the big kids, cheering at hockey games, and coming to the farm to sell Girl Scout cookies to my dad.
She was cute and curvy, with a bright smile, big brown doe eyes and wavy blond hair. And she was smart. She was exactly the kind of woman who should fascinate me.
But I’d never seen her that way. She lived firmly in little sister territory.
And I imagined Stella hadn’t ever thought of me romantically either. As far as I knew, she’d been in love with Gabe since junior high.
While we cleaned up in silence, my thoughts were occupied by someone else. A woman I should absolutely not be thinking about. Ever.
Blessedly, before my mind wandered even farther down this very inappropriate lane, Maggie called me from the living room.
“You gonna play me chess with me or what?”
She’d already set up the board, so we dove right in. It was more fun than I’d anticipated. She was hilarious, and while I was a bit rusty, I found myself getting back into it.
“Why does the king only move one space at a time? That’s so boring,” she complained, dropping her chin into her hand with a sigh.
“Sorry, kid. That’s because the queen”—I picked the piece up—“holds all the real power. She can go anywhere, anytime.”
“Because women are superior to men,” Ellie said, not looking up from her book.
Giggling, Maggie made her next move.
I won the first game, but Maggie caught on quickly and was dominating the second.
“My rook is going to end you,” she chirped.
She may have only been getting the basics of chess, but her trash talk was excellent already.
While we played, Stella and Ellie got into a spirited debate about The Hunger Games, so when Celine walked in, none of us noticed, until she cleared her throat.
My focus snapped to her immediately. She frowned at me, her face awash with confusion, but as she surveyed the room, her shoulders lowered.
Damn. I was beginning to think she’d lived her entire life on edge.
“Did you have fun?” Stella asked, doing some kind of ornate braid in Ellie’s hair.
Celine nodded. “It was nice. But a bit overwhelming. I met your sister,” she said to Stella. “And,” she turned to me, “your… sister-in-law?”
“I wish,” I said. “But Evie is family regardless. With any luck, she’ll make an honest man out of my brother at some point.”
Jasper and Evie were madly in love. With each other and with their son Vincent. Jas was the baby of the family, and he’d always been the wild child.
Now he was a devoted father and husband. The kid had changed in so many ways, yet he was still the same fun-loving little brother he’d always been.
He was a natural with his son, diving into fatherhood and learning the ropes with rapid speed.
And he’d fallen hard for Evie, who wouldn’t even give him the time of day for a long time. She was so far out of his league, yet he’d won her over. I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
But I didn’t have to. It was reality, and it made me happy.
He was growing into the man Dad had always raised him to become.
Who loved and protected. Who could be vulnerable when needed.
I was prouder of him than I’d ever been.
But as he’d grown, my own stagnation had become more and more evident. I’d given up hope a long time ago, committing myself fully to the farm and to my parents’ legacy.
I stood, the back of my neck prickling. That was the reminder I needed. There was no place for me in this cozy family scene.
“Sorry.” I nodded at Celine. “Came over to check on everyone.”
“Mom!” Maggie jumped out of her seat. “We’ve got a bear!”
Eyes widening, Celine turned to me. “Explain, please.”
“Spotted her at the blackberry bramble. She seemed happy to stay there and snack, but I wanted to make sure the kids weren’t out riding bikes.”
“Mom, it’s fine. She’s just a single lady looking for a good time,” Ellie said.
When Celine didn’t crack, I choked back my laugh.
“Sorry. You said she didn’t go past the blackberries. Why were you worried about the kids being outside. Are you telling me she’ll attack my children?”
“No, no,” I said. Shit. Here I was stirring up fear again. “Betsy’s a runt and not much of a threat.”
“A bear? Not much of a threat? Ha.” She let out a humorless laugh. “I’d say a bear is always a threat.”