3. Riley
Riley
“Sorry for taking the long route, Riley, but can you blame a man?”
I snort and then take a deep breath to lay into him but I inhale a bug. Maybe three. I don’t know but I start coughing and gagging and trying to clear it or them from my body as Bear stares at me.
When I’m finally able to look at him again, eyes watering and nose running, he’s scratching his head. “Are you okay, Riley?” he asks, offering me my water bottle.
“I hate bugs.” It’s all I can manage as I snatch the water bottle and take a long drag.
Just my luck. The first adventurous thing I attempt in my life and the universe repays me with a broken-down car, a surly mountain man dragging me in circles through the woods, and now, there’s probably a deadly insect laying eggs in my lungs. Grrrrrreat!
“Just take me to town. I’m not cut out for this.”
I’m hunched over, hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath when Bear places a hand on my back.
If I was having trouble breathing before, I’m absolutely suffocating.
The only good thing about this whole experience is Bear and the way he makes me feel each time he touches me.
It’s crazy. My body has never reacted like this before and I don’t know what to make of it.
I don’t have time to think about it. I need to get to town and re-evaluate everything.
I need to get my money back! That wasn’t a small chunk of change.
Sure, I might fudge it as a business expense, but it’s still a month’s worth of rent out of my bank account…
in addition to the month’s worth of rent from my actual apartment in the city.
“I don’t think there’s a thing in this world you’re not cut out for, Riley.”
“Rugby. The NFL. Portraiture painting. Goat herding. Anything that requires hand-eye coordination. I think there’s plenty of things I’m not cut out for.”
Bear stares at me blankly, and I don’t blame him. I’m being flippant because I’m exhausted and smell like death from trekking through a forest with a man the size and shape of a bulldozer.
A ruggedly handsome bulldozer, sure. But after a day like today, I don’t want to be strung along.
“Okay, like every insect in this forest, I’ll bite. Why did you take me on a crazy circuitous route through the woods?”
He smiles as he rocks back onto his heels and folds his arms below his expansive chest. “I wanted to spend time with you, Riley. I think you’re great. As I said, can you blame a man for eking out as much time as he can with an angel like yourself?”
I’d laugh if I wasn’t so… confused? Intrigued?
Turned… on? I’m not exactly sure what to think because one—I don’t know how I feel about the pet name ‘angel.’ And two—we’ve just met and this man seems smitten with me.
No man is smitten with me, especially one as handsome and…
strong… rugged… masculine… and okay, I could keep going but I think I’ve made it clear why I’m confused.
Why is this man interested?
“Riley is fine,” I say after a beat. “I’m not fond of pet names.”
He wipes his hands off in front of him. “Done.”
“And two, we don’t know each other.”
“I’m trying to get to know you, Riley. I want to know everything about you.”
“Why?”
“Is it that crazy?”
I sigh. I guess not. I’m just not used to the attention.
Then again, I never put myself in any situations where I could get this kind of attention.
I spend most of my time in front of my computer, hammering out stories that thrill me.
I spend so much time in the fictional world that I think I’ve forgotten how to interact in the real world.
And Bear’s as real as it gets.
“I guess not. So long as you stop stringing me along. Tell me the truth, Bear. How far away from your cabin are we?”
He takes a step toward me and this time I maintain my ground. He reaches out for me, brushing off a stray strand of hair from my cheek and pinning it behind my ear.
“No more than a couple minutes away.”
Warmth blooms in my chest as I look at Bear. Thumpthumpthump. My heart is pounding all the way up in my ears as the featherlight touch of his fingertips lingers on my cheek.
For the first time in my life, I want more. I crave his touch. Miss it. And I don’t want it to be soft like that. I want to feel all of the power in those hands. In his muscles. I want to feel the weight of him bare down on me. I want… him.
I think. I don’t know. This is crazy but I can’t deny the feelings surging through me. Maybe it’s the stress—from the deadline, the bad luck, and the scam. I don’t know. Or maybe these feelings are real.
“Do you trust me?”
I think about it for a moment, even though a part of me already knows the answer. There’s something about Bear’s presence that has a soothing effect on me. I feel safe and protected and for the first time in a long time— wanted .
“I do,” I say.
“Good,” he says, holding his hand out for me to take. “This way.”
When I take his hand, everything feels right. And as we march, side-by-side down the path, for the first time in a long time, I feel a spark inside me. Growing and aching to burst.
You’d think after a hike like that, swallowing bugs and sweating from orifices that shouldn’t sweat, I’d be done with nature, but as Bear drives me down the mountain in his old truck, I can’t keep my eyes off the passing trees.
Birds soar through the air. I swear I spotted a moose, but it was probably my imagination running wild again.
I thought this trip would spark it, but now it’s running rampant.
Especially when I’m looking at Bear. I can’t help but imagine how his muscles would look looming over me, caging me beneath him. How they’d feel against my body. How his strong hands could hold me in place as he… Phew.
Rain-check on the daydreams.
“Have you lived in Whispering Winds all your life?” I ask, turning to Bear.
“Almost,” he says, readjusting his grip on the wheel. He glances at me, smiles, and then turns back to the road.
I don’t remember it being this long of a drive.
Maybe Bear’s taking me on another detour.
I’m still finding it hard to believe his reasoning.
But I can’t deny that if it’s true, I like it.
A lot. It’s too bad that we’re from different worlds.
I’m only here for a short time, and I can’t see myself living in the mountains.
And I can’t see Bear ever leaving the mountains.
We just wouldn’t work.
“Sounds like there’s a story.”
He snorts. “One you’ve written before?”
I smile. “No. I write thrillers, not biographies. But I’d like to hear your story. Maybe I can use you as a character if it’s interesting enough.”
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m a simple man. Nothing all that interesting about me.”
“I find that hard to believe. Can’t say I know many people that live in the mountains all alone. Must be a lonely life. Something must be calling you to the mountains to make it all worth it.”
Silence hangs in the air but it isn’t uncomfortable. It’s contemplative—as though Bear is considering what I said, actually listening.
“I left once,” he says. “Went to college, got a fancy job, and made a lot of money. I did all the things I thought I was missing out on.”
Married?
The thought shoots out of me as a jealous pang lodges itself in my gut. I have no reason to be jealous. Possessive? Just my imagination going haywire again.
“I wasn’t happy. After nearly a decade away I came back. Some of my family had moved on too, but I have a brother in the area. He’s the fire watchman. Spends most of his time in a tower far up on the mountain.”
Wolf? I almost ask but I don’t want to joke. Bear’s opening up to me and I don’t want to take that for granted or ruin it with a silly joke.
“Wolfe,” he says and I bite my lip.
He’s messing with me again, right?
“I see there’s a trend in guy names in your family.”
He laughs. “Guess so. My parents wanted names as rugged as the mountains.”
“Do your parents still live in the mountains?”
“Not anymore. They’re still in the area, but they’re closer to civilization. It’s not easy to get medical attention on the mountain. Nothing’s easy on the mountain.”
“I found that out.”
Bear rests his hand on my leg. “Stick with me, and I’ll teach you all you need to know.”
My mouth dries. A pulse between my thighs. My belly clenches. Bear offered me a place to stay but I’m still hesitant. Everything about Bear calms my nerves, but there’s still a rational part of me screaming that I can’t stay in the mountains with someone I don’t know.
This is how you get killed. The nice ones are always the crazy ones. Get. Out. Now!
“Maybe I will,” I say, ignoring the voice in the back of my head.
I place my hand on his and we continue driving to Whispering Winds in companionable silence.
“Here we are,” Bear says, parking in front of a mechanic’s shop. “Not sure if Leo’s here. Last I heard his wife was pregnant, so it might be his nephew working now. Not the most reliable man I know, but he knows what he’s doing. He can set you up with a tow and get your car looked at.”
He leans back, eyes focused on mine.
“The Inn’s across the road. I’m sure they have a room, but if they’re full. My offer still stands. You’re welcome to stay with me as long as you like.”
“Thanks,” I say, missing the way his hand felt on mine. “I’ll let you know either way.”
Bear grunts and I feel his gaze follow me as I leave the car and head to the mechanic’s shop.
Unfortunately, it’s closed and the note on the door isn’t comforting.
Leo’s out and his nephew is covering for him, but he’s not going to be here for a few days because of the storm. Looks like I’m stuck and so is my car.
I sigh and then tell Bear.
“I don’t mind taking a look at your car. If it’s something simple, I might be able to get it started.”
“That would be great. You’d do that for me?”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you, Riley.”
More tingles. A million needles all over my body. I’m beginning to believe that.
“When you check in at the Inn, talk to Mom,” Bear says. “Ask her for a slice of her cobbler. Tell her Bear sent you.”
“Your mom works there?”
He snorts. “No. Mom’s just her nickname.” He scratches his head. “I’m not sure I know her real name to be honest. Everyone calls her Mom. Well, Mama Bear too. She can get a little ornery from time to time.”
I sigh. “Alright. Thanks again for all your help.”
“You sure you don’t want to spend the night with me? I have some extra cobbler from my last visit to town.”
Ugh. I really want to. But I don’t want to torture myself. There’s no way anything could work out between us. Different worlds.
“I think I’ll stick to the Inn for now.”
I swallow, ignoring the uncomfortable feelings welling inside me.
“Okay,” Bear says, but the tone tells a different story.
“I’ll let you know if they have room for me,” I say.
Bear nods and then I walk away, instantly regretting my decision. But when I make it to the Inn and open the door, I think my decision has been made for me. There’s no way I’m staying here.
In front of me is a man who smells like death, carrying dead rabbits over his shoulders as an older woman screams at him. Yeah, no thanks, I’m out of here.
“Your Mama’d be ashamed,” she screams, admonishing the man as I leave the Inn.
When I make it back to the truck, hopping inside and buckling myself in, Bear looks at me with a confused expression on his face.
“Don’t ask,” I say. “Let’s go get that cobbler.”
Bear smiles, turns the ignition, and we make our way back up the mountain—the decision I should’ve made earlier.