to her bed and sat down facing her.
“I’m so glad you get to go home today,” he stated simply.
She wanted to send him away, but she needed answers first.
“How long have I been here?”
“Two days.”
“And three days with the hunters?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to them?”
“They set that old mining cabin on fire, but got trapped inside and burned to the ground right along with it.”
She knew he lied, but she didn’t press him. He probably did it to spare her the gory details of the real events, and to protect himself and whoever had helped him find her.
“Who were you with when you found me?”
“Seth. The sheriff, Dave, Seth and the Garrison twins had been searching for you for three days. When I got back and found out how long you’d been gone, I attacked Gage. Luckily, he talked me down and we made a new plan. Part of that involved me searching for you, and Seth acted as my back-up.”
“Thank you for helping them. Do you know if anyone checked in on the bed and breakfast?”
“Yeah. Actually, that’s how they found out you were missing. A guest came to the sheriff’s office to complain that they couldn’t find you and needed to check-out. Sam and Darcy have been cleaning the rooms, and Dave and Gage have been handling the money. No one took any new bookings though. We were unsure of the process and didn’t want to overbook.”
“Meaning you didn’t know if you’d find me alive.”
“Yes,” he said, honestly.
She studied her hands as she thought about her time in captivity. Her wrists had started to scab, but she could still feel the tight rope cutting into her skin and her arm burned when she thought about her attacker pushing his knife through her skin.
The skin around her mouth felt raw, and she remembered seeing scabs around her lips when she leaned against the counter in the bathroom. Time would heal her wounds, both physical and emotional, but she felt confident she would overcome them.
Now seemed like a good time to start.
“Thank you for staying with me. I’m sure that cot wasn’t very comfortable, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll hire someone to help me with the bed and breakfast, and any heavy lifting,” she smiled, remembering the doctor’s words. “I’ll be as good as new in no time. You don’t need to stick around any longer.”
“Sara, I came back for you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re my mate, honey. The one woman in the world created just for me and my bear. I knew it almost from the moment I first saw you in the sheriff’s office, and though I didn’t want to believe it, I couldn’t deny how much I wanted you. I know I said some mean things, but when my bear took control and shifted to protect you, I freaked.”
“You called me a slut tried to make me feel ashamed of myself for having sex with anyone before you,” she accused.
“I know. I only said those things to push you away. I hadn’t shifted in nearly one hundred years and the bear was fighting for control to shift again. I thought if I got away from you, I’d get some of the control back, but it didn’t work. Once he got his way, he wouldn’t let me shift back until I came to terms with who and what I am.”
“You have a beautiful gift. Why haven’t you shifted in so long?”
“I fell in love with a woman, and I was prepared to spend the rest of my life with her. We could have had a happy life, but I knew from the start something was missing. When I told her about my bear, I figured out what it was. She ran from our tent, shouting and screaming my secret to the whole camp. Everyone, including men I’d called friends and comrades, chased me. I vowed in that moment to never show anyone my bear again.”
“Oh, Aaron. I’m so sorry that happened.” She wanted to be angry, but the pain and anguish on his face softened her heart.
“When I think about it now,” he shook his head, “I realize how ridiculous I’d been. I
“I’m so glad you get to go home today,” he stated simply.
She wanted to send him away, but she needed answers first.
“How long have I been here?”
“Two days.”
“And three days with the hunters?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to them?”
“They set that old mining cabin on fire, but got trapped inside and burned to the ground right along with it.”
She knew he lied, but she didn’t press him. He probably did it to spare her the gory details of the real events, and to protect himself and whoever had helped him find her.
“Who were you with when you found me?”
“Seth. The sheriff, Dave, Seth and the Garrison twins had been searching for you for three days. When I got back and found out how long you’d been gone, I attacked Gage. Luckily, he talked me down and we made a new plan. Part of that involved me searching for you, and Seth acted as my back-up.”
“Thank you for helping them. Do you know if anyone checked in on the bed and breakfast?”
“Yeah. Actually, that’s how they found out you were missing. A guest came to the sheriff’s office to complain that they couldn’t find you and needed to check-out. Sam and Darcy have been cleaning the rooms, and Dave and Gage have been handling the money. No one took any new bookings though. We were unsure of the process and didn’t want to overbook.”
“Meaning you didn’t know if you’d find me alive.”
“Yes,” he said, honestly.
She studied her hands as she thought about her time in captivity. Her wrists had started to scab, but she could still feel the tight rope cutting into her skin and her arm burned when she thought about her attacker pushing his knife through her skin.
The skin around her mouth felt raw, and she remembered seeing scabs around her lips when she leaned against the counter in the bathroom. Time would heal her wounds, both physical and emotional, but she felt confident she would overcome them.
Now seemed like a good time to start.
“Thank you for staying with me. I’m sure that cot wasn’t very comfortable, but you don’t need to worry. I’ll hire someone to help me with the bed and breakfast, and any heavy lifting,” she smiled, remembering the doctor’s words. “I’ll be as good as new in no time. You don’t need to stick around any longer.”
“Sara, I came back for you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re my mate, honey. The one woman in the world created just for me and my bear. I knew it almost from the moment I first saw you in the sheriff’s office, and though I didn’t want to believe it, I couldn’t deny how much I wanted you. I know I said some mean things, but when my bear took control and shifted to protect you, I freaked.”
“You called me a slut tried to make me feel ashamed of myself for having sex with anyone before you,” she accused.
“I know. I only said those things to push you away. I hadn’t shifted in nearly one hundred years and the bear was fighting for control to shift again. I thought if I got away from you, I’d get some of the control back, but it didn’t work. Once he got his way, he wouldn’t let me shift back until I came to terms with who and what I am.”
“You have a beautiful gift. Why haven’t you shifted in so long?”
“I fell in love with a woman, and I was prepared to spend the rest of my life with her. We could have had a happy life, but I knew from the start something was missing. When I told her about my bear, I figured out what it was. She ran from our tent, shouting and screaming my secret to the whole camp. Everyone, including men I’d called friends and comrades, chased me. I vowed in that moment to never show anyone my bear again.”
“Oh, Aaron. I’m so sorry that happened.” She wanted to be angry, but the pain and anguish on his face softened her heart.
“When I think about it now,” he shook his head, “I realize how ridiculous I’d been. I
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