7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
Raif
H e’s not a stupid man, he knows how to install a truck hitch.
It’s just that his truck is older, well, old.
And this new hitch doesn’t fit. He thought it might be a possibility when he purchased it, but it was confirmed when he spent the better part of four hours trying to install it.
Making his way back to town is slow, it always is.
The lodge is about a forty-minute drive from town, longer when there’s snow or bad road conditions.
He drives with the windows down, taking in the cool breeze and scent of the forest. It’s calming, driving like this.
Reminds him of going to town with his father when he was younger.
His dad would drive, and he’d practically hang his head out the window as they drove.
His hair would get fluffy from the wind, and his dad would ruffle it fondly when they got to town.
Not now, though, never again. The murder of his father by a rogue hunter when he was in bear shifter form changed Raif’s life forever.
He’d like to think he was a little more carefree before his father’s death.
That he smiled more, laughed more. But the truth is, he was always quiet.
His introversion is mistaken for sourness.
Being homeschooled, it was just him and his brothers, those were his playmates.
And while the others made friends with kids in town, Raif stayed separate, by himself.
When his father was killed eight years ago, Raif was twenty-five.
He was working as a groundskeeper part-time and helping his mom out with her projects the rest of the time.
It was a good life, steady. Then his father died, his mother fell apart, and she eventually moved to Florida, leaving Raif and his brothers to run the lodge.
It’s been a hard eight years. He hopes it gets easier.
Pulling into the store’s parking lot, he sees a beat-up old sedan.
Silver with scratches and a dent in the hood.
It’s hers. He’d recognize it anywhere. He’s had dreams about this fucking car and the woman who owns it.
Getting out, he rushes in with the truck hitch in his hand.
He scans the store and sees a glimpse of a ponytail peeking above a shelf.
Moving over quietly, he listens. She’s talking to John about the festival coming up when he walks straight into a shelf, knocking over a handful of small propane tanks.
She turns and looks at him, meeting his eyes.
For a moment, he sees warmth there, deep in those pools of brown.
But then anger flashes across her face, and she’s scowling. His heart drops.
She turns back to the counter, arms crossed firmly across her chest.
He moves around the shelf to stand near her.
“Ma’am. I am sorry about parking too close.”
She makes a noise of acknowledgement with her back still towards him. This close, he can smell her scent of citrus and cloves. It fills his nose in the best of ways, and he wants to roll around in it. Shift right here in the store and bury his nose in her neck.
She turns to him, glaring.
“You should be sorry. It’s rude to park that close. Especially in a small town like Silver Lake. What if it were my mom? Or my dad? They wouldn’t be able to crawl over the seats like I did.”
“Yes, ma’am. Again, I’m sorry.”
John appears at that moment, setting a paint can on the table, “Anything else, Miss?”
She mumbles, "No, thank you.” And picks up her can.
It pulls her arm down hard with the weight of it.
He wants to ask if she needs help, if he can help her.
But she looks strong and capable, and he refrains from asking.
As she makes her way through the store, he follows her.
When she goes out the door, she turns and looks at him with furrowed brows, but the anger is gone.
She’s tall, but she still looks up at him to meet his eyes.
“Are you following me?”
“I’d like to introduce myself. I’m Raif.
” He juts out his hand at her and waits for her to take it, which she does lightly.
Her palm is small in his, but not smooth and soft.
The upper palm is rough, calloused where it meets his.
She smells absolutely incredible up close like this, and he relishes it.
“Ash.”
“Ash, that’s…that’s a great name.” She pulls her hand away and uses it to adjust the paint can.
“Are you from around here?” He’s hoping the answer is yes. The furrow is back in her brows like she doesn’t want to answer. “I ask because I haven’t seen you around before, small town and all.”
“I live closer to Juniper Springs, but my parents are here, I prefer it over Juniper.”
Raif nods in acknowledgement. “I run the Silver Lake Lodge with my brothers.”
“Never been.”
She turns and starts walking back towards the line of cars, stopping in front of her old sedan. When she turns to look at him, she seems surprised he’s followed her down the sidewalk.
“So ugh, nice meeting you, Ralph-”
“Raif.”
“Right, Raif. Umm...I appreciate the apology. I’m going to go now.”
He’s tongue-tied. She doesn’t seem interested in him, doesn’t seem interested in getting to know him at all. He has no idea what to say, how to make her understand that he’d like to see her again.
“The diner has some great pie. Can I buy you a slice? As an apology?”
She’s already getting in her car at this point, setting the paint on the passenger seat and lowering herself into the driver’s side.
“No thanks, I got things to do.”
She’s started her car and pulled out of the space before he’s thought of a rebuttal.
And then she’s gone. Once is an accident, twice a coincidence.
All he has to do is see her three times for it to be a pattern.
Ash. The most beautiful name for the most lovely woman.
She’s just as tall and lithe as he remembered, long brown hair pulled up in a messy ponytail, big doe eyes. Lovely.
He’s back at the lodge when Axel finds him under the sink in one of the guest rooms.
“Raif. Raif!” He yells, making Raif jump and bang his head.
“Fuck. What the fuck are you yelling for? I can clearly hear you.”
“Hearing me and coming out from under the sink are two separate things.”
Raif clambers out from underneath the sink and turns it on and off for good measure, making sure the leaks are gone.
“What Ax, what do you want?”
“Chloe tells me you’ve been a little stressed. I think she said ‘lonely’. Do you need to take some time off?”
“No, you know I don’t need that. There’s a list a mile long of shit to get done around here, and it’s my job to do it.”
“Look, brother, I appreciate everything you do, sincerely. But you need some help.”
“Fuck I do.”
“You do, this sink was leaking for three weeks before you got to it. Business is good, better than good. And we need someone else to help with the grounds and repairs.”
“I can do it.”
“I know you can, Raif. Damnit, I’m trying to help you.” Axel sits himself down on the guest bed, elbows on his knees, and hands scrubbing his face. “Look, we can hire someone else, someone to help you out, even part-time if you want. But you have to get out of the lodge.”
“What do you mean by ‘get out of the lodge’? What the fuck, you don’t want me here anymore?”
“Damnit, Raif. I know you met your mate. Go find her, become friends with her. Hell, make some new friends in general, God knows you could use some.”
Raif shoots his brother a glare and folds his big arms over his chest.
“I don’t need friends.”
“Everyone needs friends. Get a hobby, a job, go do something that doesn’t involve this fucking lodge and working here. Go...be happy.”
“I’m…” The words get stuck on his tongue. He’s happy, right? He has his brothers, Chloe, and his job. He might not have friends or a hobby other than reading, but he’s happy, he’s fulfilled, right?
He can feel the frown on his face in full force. He needs to shift, to leave. It’s been too long since he’s been in his bear form. He needs out.
Handing Axel the wrench, he turns to leave the guest room.
“I didn’t mean right this moment, Raif.”
“I gotta shift.”
Axel nods in understanding, and Raif is out the door and down the stairs.
He moves through the grounds, pulling off his clothes as he goes, dropping his shirt on the forest floor, followed by his belt.
Only stopping to toe off his boots and drop his pants and boxer briefs.
Naked as the day he was born, he continues on, pushing his muscles as fast as he can go before shifting mid-stride.
It feels glorious to be in his bear form.
Big, hulking, and strong as fuck. Powerful jaws, big, wide middle.
He lets out a roar that shakes the trees before lumbering on towards his cave.
His cave, the most precious place for a bear shifter.
Only he knows the location, and he can tell from scent that no other shifters, humans, or animals have ventured into it.
It’s just as he remembers, even though he hasn’t been here in a year.
Large open cavern, roof just high enough for him to enter in his bear form, dusty brown walls that are smooth from years of wear.
The perfect jut of rock for him to rub his back on.
When he brings his mate here, he will decorate it with soft blankets and pillows.
Maybe even a bed for them to make love on.
He will stock it with her favorite foods and make it wonderful for her.
It will be the place that he can bring her to think.
A place she can find comfort in, a place just their own.