Chapter Seven #2
“Nothing flat about your ass, girl—” Rhodes clamped his jaw shut, growling like he couldn’t believe he aimed any kind of suggestive, flirty comment in my direction. “We’re not in a race,” he barked. “I’m warming up and you’re getting in the fucking way.
“Run in the opposite direction, Sue. I don’t have time for your—”
A huge, lumbering black mass tumbled out in front of us. “Gaargh!”
We pulled up so fast we collided with each other, limbs tangling, and faces smashing into hard, damp chests—nearly bringing us both down before the bear.
“Holy fuck! Holy fucking fuck!” Rhodes bellowed, ripping another grunt out of the bear. He grabbed my arm—running and trying to take me with him.
“Rhodes, no!” Untangling myself from him, I spun to face the animal—throwing my legs out and arms high.
I didn’t know much about black bears or how big they should or could be, but I did know the hefty fellow in front of me could bat my car aside like a gnat... so what could he do to me?
A thick, black coat did nothing to disguise his girth, or the lethal claws sinking into the hardened, packed earth. Dark, beady eyes beheld us—fixing all his attention on the new creatures in his path. All of a sudden, wherever he was going, he didn’t need to get there as quickly anymore.
“Don’t scream,” I hissed through gritted teeth—desperately trying to obey the command myself. “Don’t run. Don’t act like prey, or he’ll treat us like prey. Just do what I do—”
The bear rose on his hindlegs, shotgunning my heart into my throat and making Rhodes break the first rule. I shook—my throat-heart thudding so hard it made every word out of my mouth vibrate.
“Hello, Mr. Bear,” I said in as calm a voice as I could muster. “We’re very sorry we disturbed you on your morning stroll.” I waved my arms above my head as slowly as I crab-walked sideways.
I swear the bear cocked his head like he was wondering what the hell this strange human was doing.
“We’re no threat or harm to you,” I rasped. “We—uh—we love bears. Black bears most of all. Clearly, you’re the best of all bears. The polar dicks can go fuck themselves.”
He woofed, snapping a growl that loosened my bladder.
“No, no, no, I really mean it,” I said quickly. “You’re much prettier and more elegant than those bleached bastards. That’s why you’re the state animal of four states”—tears leaked out of my eyes when the bear stepped closer, sniffing the air—“and the polar bear is the state animal of nothing—”
“Sue, what in the bleeding, bloody, fucking hell are you babbling about!” A waving hand caught mine, lacing our fingers together.
The shock of his touch reverberated through my bones harder than the thud of the bear dropping down on all fours.
“Stay with me,” he hissed. “We need to back away—”
“Garrgh!” Roaring, the bear charged.
“Sue!”
The world tumbled in a whirlwind of greens, browns, and fur. Rhodes pulled me behind him, snapping his arms back and around me to ensure I couldn’t escape from my human shield. Bending forward, he roared—bellowing so hard at the charging bear my neck hairs stood on end.
Ears snapping back, the bear whipped around at the last possible second and bounded off into the woods.
We stood there gaping after it for so long, my stiff and aching legs gave out from under me.
“Oh my gods,” I croaked—shaking from head to toe. “I can’t believe that just happened.” Slowly, I tipped my chin up. “I can’t believe you protected me.”
“Well... I... Of course, I—” He took a step back and stumbled. “I wasn’t going to just—just let it— Shit.” Rhodes’s eyes rolled up his head.
He collapsed on the ground.
“Rhodes!”
“CAN’T BELIEVE I PASSED out,” grumbled into my ear.
I stifled a laugh, holding tight to Rhodes’s arm. He leaned heavily on me, letting me help his still unsteady self back to the house.
“You’re entitled to pass out when you gallantly defend a lady from a charging bear.”
“You’re making fun of me,” he deadpanned, making a giggle slip out.
“I’m not, I swear.” I pulled him a little closer. “With as much as you hate me, the first thing you did in that situation was risk your life for mine. That was the most amazing and selfless thing I’ve ever seen anyone do in my life.”
If his melanin didn’t prevent it, I swear I’d be looking at the biggest, pinkish honking blush two sculpted cheeks ever conjured.
“It... uh...” Rhodes roughly cleared his throat. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“It most certainly was a big deal. So much so that I’m going to return the favor. As a token of my appreciation, when I tell the world of this story, I’m leaving out the part where you shat your pants.”
Rhodes burst out laughing, almost bringing me down when he doubled over. “That’s your pants you’re smelling, sweetheart, not mine. And at least I didn’t try to stop that bear by hitting on him.”
“Hey, that was a perfectly valid tactic!” The manor came into view, peeking through the trees. “The sites say to be calm and talk to the bear, let it know you’re human. But,” I stressed, “humans suck. We cut down their forests, hunt their food, then kill and stuff them.
“I had to let him know that, yes, we’re humans, but we’re the bear-loving kind. We’re his friends. And I know it got through,” I said, sticking my nose in the air. “That’s why he didn’t eat us. Because flattery really does get you everywhere.”
“Yeah, so does bullshitting.”
“I’m telling you, all the shit you’re sniffing on is directly below your nose.”
We couldn’t hold it in—guffawing and stumbling our way to the back porch.
“So, how do you want to do this?” I asked, climbing step to step with him. “Should I keep going with the payback, and let you hide out in the stables while I run up and get you a change of pants?”
“Wow. That’s funny because I was about to cash in more gallant points by letting you hide out in the stables while I grab you a change of clothes.”
“Well, that’s going to make it really hard for me to keep pretending I didn’t crap myself too,” I muttered.
Rhodes’s eyes shone—dancing with mirth and sending my throat-heart flipping.
“Why don’t we go back-to-back?” I squeaked out. “Keep the crab-walk going until we both get out of this looking good?”
“I do desperately need to see that walk again, but this time with a camera in my—”
“Isn’t this cute?”
We sprung apart like colliding ball bearings—my throat-heart almost ejecting out of my butt. I clamped my hand over my pounding chest, the jump-scare fading as Alex emerged out of the shadows of the screen door.
“Looks like you two had a great run, and an even better time. Sorry I missed it.” The expression on his face did not match his words. “Even sorry to interrupt your giggling now.”
Rhodes straightened, sobering quickly. “It’s not like that, Alex. Just some leftover nervous energy after narrowly escaping a bear attack.”
Alex’s face crumpled. “What the fuck you just say? A bear?”
“Never mind all that. We’re fine and I’ve got to get ready for work.”
It physically pained me seeing all the lightness, humor, and kindness leak out of Rhodes’s face.
I shrunk back against the handrail, cringing as the claustrophobic fog of Sue-created resentment rolled over us. Even after she was gone, I was still suffering the effects of her biting cruelty.
“We’re supposed to call the Lantana Wildlife Agency when these things happen,” I spoke up. “They’ll make sure the bear is really gone, and then check the property to see if something attracted him.
“I’ll make the call,” I offered. “And I’ll keep Nari inside until they give us the all clear.”
Rhodes inclined his head. “Thanks—”
“You’re not keeping Nari anywhere,” Alex sliced in. “If there’s really a bear wandering around our backyard, I’m getting us a hotel and keeping her far away from this place until they give the all clear. Fuck’s sake, Sue, use your head and stop putting your laziness ahead of our daughter’s safety.”
I bristled, opening my mouth to snap back—
“Cut it out, Alex,” Rhodes barked. “It’s a bear, not a wrecking ball. Nari will be perfectly safe inside. The woman just faced down a three-hundred-pound killing machine. Maybe give her a break.”
I could only gape at Rhodes, genuinely shocked that he rose to my defense not once, but twice in the same hour.
Rhodes threw open the screen door and brushed past Alex, storming through the back hall and through the kitchen. The door slammed shut and Alex swooped down and locked it before my fingers touched the handle.
“Excuse me?” I rattled the door. “What are you doing? Open the door. Let me in.”
Alex stared at me—the strangest glint in his eyes. Slowly, his gaze drifted up and over my shoulder.
I turned around, and landed on the bear.
Large and unmoving on the entrance to the forest path, the bear watched me like it had been waiting, scenting, and stalking to see where its prey would lead, and his patience paid off.
A chill climbed my spine, feeling those beady eyes see through to my very soul.
“I can’t open the door,” Alex murmured, snapping me back around. “There’s a bear on the loose.”
“Alex—!”
He slammed the main door shut—the click of the lock ringing in my ears.