Chapter Twenty – James
“I can walk,” Doreen insisted, pushing against James’s chest as he bent to lift her from the cave floor.
“Let me just…” Her words cut off as her legs gave way beneath her. James caught her instantly, one arm around her waist, the other steadying her elbow.
“You were saying?” he murmured, meeting her eyes, the worry in his own impossible to hide.
Doreen huffed, and he was relieved to see a flush of color in her cheeks as she attempted a smile. “Okay, so maybe I’m not as steady as I thought.”
Something shifted inside him, a primal protectiveness tightening into something deeper, rawer.
A fleeting tremor passed through him, not from the cold but from the terror of how close he’d come to losing her.
The echo of that fear sat low in his gut, refusing to fade even now that she was in his arms.
His bear pressed hard against his ribs, shaken, frantic, desperate to keep her close.
Whatever resistance she had left seemed to ease when she saw his expression. “Fine,” she sighed, rolling her eyes. “You can carry me.”
The corner of James’s mouth twitched upward as he gathered her into his arms. She rested against his chest, and he leaned down and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Was that so hard to admit?”
“Excruciating,” she murmured, her head nestling instinctively against his shoulder.
Jake watched with wide eyes, one hand gripping Bash’s collar. “Are we going home now?”
“We are,” James confirmed, his voice steady and reassuring as he maneuvered toward the cave entrance. “Stay close behind me, Jake. Hold on to Bash. We don’t want to lose him out there.”
“Come on, Bash.” Jake held Bash’s leash in both hands. “Ready.”
“Let’s go, stay close,” James said as he ducked down and stepped out of the cave.
The storm outside had softened but still churned in vicious swirls. James tightened his hold on Doreen, shielding her from the wind with his body. Every step he took came from a place deeper than instinct—a fierce, bone-deep need to protect the woman in his arms.
“Will we get warm soon?” Jake asked from behind.
“Very soon,” James promised. “My truck has the best heater in Bear Creek.”
James felt Doreen shift faintly in his arms, and he glanced down to see a small smile on her lips.
“You’re smiling,” James murmured, his breath a warm cloud in the frigid air. “Care to share the joke?”
“Just thinking about this morning,” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the wind. “Seems like a lifetime ago now.”
Now, that was a good thought. Waking with her in his arms, watching her move around his kitchen in his shirt. It seemed impossibly distant now, separated by fear and ice and the desperate search through blinding snow.
But it’s over now, his bear told him.
Not yet, but soon, James replied as he led them the twenty feet to his truck.
“We’ll have other mornings,” he murmured in her ear. “Many, many more mornings.”
“Is that a promise?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
When they reached the truck, James placed her gently in the passenger seat.
Then he went around to the driver’s side and put the key in the ignition.
The heater whirred to life instantly, blowing blessed warmth into the cab.
Jake scrambled into the back with Bash, curling together under the blast of heat.
James reached across to secure Doreen’s seat belt, his hands shaking now that the effects of his adrenaline had worn off.
“I was so scared.” He paused, his fingers brushing her cheek.
“I’m still here,” she whispered, covering his hand with hers. “Not going anywhere.”
He tried to speak, but his throat constricted. “When I couldn’t find you at first...” The words died, too raw to finish.
She pressed her lips to his cheek, and the simple contact hit him like a punch to the gut…in the best way possible. He shut his eyes, just breathing her in.
She was here. She was safe.
Her breath brushed his skin. “I knew you’d find us. Because I trust you. I love you. All of you.”
“I love you too,” he whispered, and all his fears melted away. If they could find each other in a storm, they would always find each other.
The drive back to the cabins passed in exhausted silence. Jake drifted between brief comments and quiet snuggles into Bash’s fur. Doreen leaned her head against the window, her eyes half-closed.
James could feel her presence through the bond. And it felt strong. Like his love for her.
She said it, his bear said happily. She said she loves us.
Finally, he pulled up outside the cabins and turned the engine off.
“Home sweet home,” he said. “Let’s get you inside.”
“Yes, please,” Doreen murmured, her voice thick with exhaustion. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to see these cabins.”
James circled the truck and opened Doreen’s door. She reached for him instinctively, and he gathered her into his arms again, cradling her against his chest. Her trust warmed him more than the truck heater ever could.
Even if it is the best heater in Bear Creek, his bear said dryly.
Jake tumbled out of the backseat with Bash following, the golden retriever shaking snow from his fur before trotting dutifully behind them.
“Do you need help with the door?” Jake asked, bouncing ahead despite his earlier exhaustion. The prospect of warmth and safety had revived his energy.
“That would be great,” James replied, shifting Doreen slightly in his arms. Her weight felt right there, like she belonged nowhere else.
Jake rushed forward, fumbling with the key before pushing the door wide. Bash darted inside first, shaking and spraying melted snow across the entryway.
“Bash!” Jake scolded, but his giggle betrayed his lack of true annoyance. Then the pair headed for Jake’s bedroom.
James carried Doreen to the sofa, lowering her gently onto the cushions. He carefully took off her boots and wet socks before he kneeled before her, taking her hands in his and rubbing them gently.
“I need to get you warmed up properly,” he murmured, his eyes scanning her face. The color was returning to her cheeks, but her fingers still felt ice-cold.
He pulled a blanket from the back of the sofa and covered her before holding both her hands in his.
“Warm hands. Warmer heart,” she murmured to him.
“A heart that beats for you,” James told her.
Doreen smiled up at him. “You say the sweetest things.”
“The heart wants what it wants,” he replied softly.
“And mine wants you, James. It has from the beginning, even when I tried to deny it.”
“But you’re not denying it now,” James said, his voice husky with emotion as he continued warming her hands.
“Never,” she assured him, squeezing his hands. “Not anymore.”
The patter of footsteps interrupted their moment as Jake bounded back into the room, freshly changed into several layers of clothes. His hair stood up in damp spikes, and his cheeks were flushed pink from warmth rather than cold now.
He looks as if he might have put on every item in his closet. James’s bear chuckled.
“I’m going to make hot chocolate for Aunt D!” he announced proudly, Bash trotting at his heels. “I learned how from Maisie! With real chocolate, not the powder stuff!”
“That sounds wonderful,” James said, smiling at the boy’s enthusiasm.
Jake darted toward the kitchen, already pulling open cabinets with the confidence of someone on an important mission. Bash followed his tail wagging excitedly.
Doreen kissed his cheek and then whispered, “How lucky I am.”
James shook his head. “You’ve got that wrong. We are lucky to have you. In fact, I believe I am the luckiest man alive.”
And I am the luckiest bear.