by T. S. Joyce
BEAR VALLEY VALENTINE
(BEAR VALLEY SHIFTERS, VALENTINE’S DAY SHORT STORY)
By T. S. JOYCE
Bear Valley Valentine
Copyright © 2015 by T. S. Joyce
Copyright © 2015, T. S. Joyce
First electronic publication: January 2015
T. S. Joyce
www.tsjoycewrites.wordpress.com
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Published in the United States of America
Prologue
Colin stomped snow off his boots and pushed his way through the door of the Dash Inn. The café had a few empty tables thanks to the frigid temperatures and tourist offseason.
A deep, low rumble rattled his chest when a man bumped his shoulder as he exited. He probably hadn’t meant to, but the gesture made Colin want to rip his throat out. Which is exactly why he was in the predicament he was in now. An out-of-control inner animal spelled trouble for the unsuspecting humans of Buffalo, Wyoming. He belonged in his old cabin up in the Bighorn Mountains.
The smell of chicken wings and ribs brought a grumble from his stomach that had nothing to do with the bear that lived inside of him and everything to do with the breakfast he’d missed this morning. He pulled his gloves from his hands and dusted them off on his thigh before he approached the counter and ordered a fish sandwich and some fries. With a forced smile for the man at the register, he took a seat at a booth in the corner.
For as much as he tried to convince himself he didn’t need companionship, he made his way to town at least three times a week now. It used to be less, but dammit, he was lonely. And even if he didn’t really talk to anyone, at least he could sit here among these strangers and pretend he was a part of something again.
The bell over the front door dinged, and the most alluring floral fragrance reached his oversensitive nose. He turned and looked over his shoulder, but he already knew that scent.
She was here.
Hadley Bennett was the prettiest woman he’d ever laid eyes one. A fitted parka that accentuated her curves gave her the perfect hourglass shape, and her dark hair was done up in some intricate braid that trailed down her shoulder. Today, she was wearing a white winter hat and reading glasses, and she smiled at a high school kid waving from a table on the opposite side of the room. Removing her scarf, she gave him a glimpse of that long, alabaster neck he couldn’t stop thinking about nibbling.
Inhaling deeply, Colin dragged his gaze away from her and forced his attention back on his food. She wasn’t his, nor was she meant to be. She was human. One who ran a nice flower shop on Main Street, probably had lots of regular friends and family, and didn’t need to be tangled up with the likes of him. She always seemed happy when he saw her around town. He’d do nothing but burn her up if he ever gave into his craving for her.
Hadley deserved better than some rangy mountain man with a pile of secrets.
As he ate, he did his best to ignore the woman and her young lunch partner, but the second she’d walked in, his food had gone tasteless. Impressive, since Dash Inn was known for its meals, but more likely his loss of appetite had to do with the fact that he could hear every damned thing in here. Including Hadley.
The way her breath picked up when she hugged her friend and the tinkle of her laugh, which was so adorable, had him shaking his head at the unfairness of it all. It was all bunnies and puppies and cuddly things even a grumpy bear like him wanted to hug up tight.
“I have something to tell you, but you have to swear not to be mad,” the girl across from her said.
Colin tried not to listen, really he did, but he couldn’t exactly plug his ears without looking like the town crazy.
“Okay, I swear,” Hadley said, her tone dripping with disapproval.
“I set up a profile on one of those dating websites for you.”
“You did what?” Hadley asked so loud, Colin jumped. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she asked again, “You did what?”
“You say all the time in the shop that there are no good men here.”
“That’s not true.”
“Just last week I asked you if you could see yourself dating anyone from here, and you said no.”
“Because I have dated people from around here. You know that. When it doesn’t work out, the whole town gets disappointed when a match isn’t made, and I have to answer embarrassing questions until someone else decides to ask me out. It’s a vicious cycle.”
“One you said you were going to take yourself out of,” the girl whispered back. “You said you gave up on settling down, and that’s a damned shame.”
“Language, Vona. Your mom will have my hide if she thinks you’re getting that from me.”
“The point is you shouldn’t give up. There is someone out there for you who is your perfect match. You just have to cast your net a little wider.”
Colin didn’t like the sound of her casting her net anywhere. His eyes were probably blazing the inhuman blue color they did when his bear was riled up.
Hadley sighed, and her chair creaked as she leaned back into it.
“Can I have your ketchup?” A woman asked from the booth behind him, successfully scaring the devil out of him. In one smooth motion, he slid a pair of sunglasses on and handed her the condiment with a friendly smile. At least, he thought it was friendly until the lady looked frightened. He did that to people.
“What is my name on the site?” Hadley asked.
God, he was an idiot. He was practically hanging out of the booth. With a conscious effort, he straightened and took the last bite of his sandwich.
“Flowerlady26. Get it? Because you run the flower shop, and you’re twenty-six.”
“Yeah, I got it. I just… Online dating is where I am now?”
“Hadley, you live in Buffalo, Wyoming, population four thousand. Most of the men here you grew up with and are like brothers. The others you’ve dated, and they haven’t been the one. Just try it. My mom is on this website and has had two dates in the last month, and neither one of them were creepers. She’s on the hunt for a stepdaddy for me.”
Hadley laughed a surprised sound. “Okay, and if I fall for some guy online who lives five thousand miles away?”
Colin snuck a glance just as Vona leaned forward over a mug of steaming hot chocolate. “If you end up finding the one, isn’t that the important thing?”
The thought of Hadley moving five thousand miles away twisted his gut. True, he’d never directly talked to her, but the thought of her missing completely from his life was something his bear balked against so hard, his insides were shredding. He was going to lose it if he stayed here much longer. Standing, he took one last swig of his water and headed for the front to grab a toothpick. Did he need it? No, but his dad had always chewed on a toothpick after every meal, and Colin had adopted the habit.
“I’m going back to the shop,” Hadley said.
The other voices in the restaurant had died t
o nothing but a murmur, but her words were still clear as the bell that hung from the front door.
“Wait. You’re not eating here?” Vona asked.
“I’ll get it to go. I need to get back and work on a last minute order. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Colin could make out the soft sound of fabric on fabric as she put her scarf and gloves on, and before he could change his mind, he pulled out his wallet and stepped up to the counter. “See that lady behind me?” he asked the local who ran the register.
“Yeah.”
“I want to pay for the meal she’s about to get. Keep the change.”
He handed him two twenties and nodded his head in farewell.
The man behind the counter called out, “You have a nice day, mister.”
He took the long way around the tables instead of walking past Hadley, then zipped his coat up when he stepped outside. The chilly breeze burned his lungs as he inhaled the mountain air, and snow crunched under his boots as he made his way to his old Chevy.
“Hey!” Hadley called, and he hunched his shoulders under the echoing sound of her voice. It should’ve taken her longer to order and wait on the food.
He turned slowly, thankful for the sunglasses that still sat perched on his nose to hide the color of his eyes.
“Why did you do that?” she asked, slipping out from behind the door. Her cheeks were rosy, like she’d rushed, and her dark eyebrows were drawn down, like she couldn’t figure him out.
“I don’t know,” he answered. “I just felt like it.”
“Oh.” She approached slowly. “You want me to get your change?”
“No.”
Hadley was talking to him. To him! His heart pounded like a drum.
“What’s your name?” she asked, canting her head. Her winter hat dangled from her hands, not doing her ears any favors, and he fought the urge to yank it away and pull it over her head. But humans didn’t like that kind of stuff.
“Why?”
“Because,” she muttered, pulling a business card from the little purse she carried. “I want to know the name of the man I need to thank for lunch.” She scribbled on the back of the card.
“Colin.”
“Colin,” she repeated with a curious tilt to her lips. “Here.” She handed him the card. “It’s good for a free bouquet, for whatever woman in your life you want to give it to.” She offered him a megawatt smile that just about locked his knees, then headed back toward the Dash Inn. “Thanks for lunch, Colin,” she called over her shoulder.
He stood there stunned, holding the business card for Hadley’s Flower Shop and Gifts as she disappeared inside. The way she said his name made him want to taste the words on her full lips. He dipped his gaze to the handwriting on the back.
Good for one free bouquet.
He could only think of one person he’d ever want to give a bouquet of flowers to.
Flowerlady26.
Chapter One
Hadley watched the giant man unfold himself from a rusted-out green Chevrolet pickup truck. Leaning on the counter, she clutched her cell phone in both hands. Colin was parked across the street from her flower shop in front of the post office. He came here every Monday around the same time. Not that she’d been stalking him or anything. She was just curious about the hermit was all.
Curious why he’d paid for her lunch, then showed no interest in coming by the shop to cash in his coupon.
Curious as to what he looked like under that dark beard.
Curious about the sunglasses he seemed to wear at all times, even when he was indoors or it was cloudy.
And she was definitely wondering what caused a man to live all the way up in the mountains alone without the apparent need for companionship. Oh, she’d asked around, and all that had accomplished was the man being clouded in even more mystery.
The northern half of him disappeared as he pulled a stack of small boxes from his bench seat, then he kicked the door closed with a heavy-looking work boot. Long, lean legs were hidden in dark jeans that fit his frame just right and hung perfectly from his tapered waist. She couldn’t tell much about the rest of him because he wore a thick jacket, but she tried to imagine how strong he was underneath.
What did he do up there in those mountains all day?
“Have you checked your profile lately?” Vona asked.
“Uhh, yeah, a little while ago.”
“And?”
“And I’ve made a friend.”
“A friend?” The disappointment in Vona’s voice was almost comical. “Look, Hadley, I’m graduating next year, and I won’t be here to monitor your dating life.”
When Hadley tossed a culled rose at her employee, she ducked out of the way neatly. With a put upon sigh, Vona snatched her phone. “What does this friend look like?”
Colin the Mountain Man had disappeared with the armload of boxes into the post office, so she gave her attention back to Vona. She was a pretty girl. Young and with little need for her caked on make-up. She had a smattering of freckles across her cheekbones, sandy brown hair and dark lashes that made the blue in her eyes look even brighter. Her delicate eyebrows drew down in a severe frown as she studied the profile Hadley talked to most often.
Hadley scrunched up her face and waited for the lecture that was sure to come.
“Bearman28 doesn’t have a profile picture,” Vona observed. “Out of all the candidates, you are choosing to hook-up online with a picture-less profile.”
“We’re not hooking up, Vona. We’re friends. He’s nice to talk to. Funny. He cares about what kind of day I’m having, and it’s nice to have someone to talk to who is also struggling with this dating stuff.”
“He’s probably a serial killer,” Vona deadpanned.
“Probably. Which is why I’m not meeting up with him or telling him where I live.”
“See,” Vona said, handing back the phone. “This is what serial killers do. They make you comfortable, take their time to set up a relationship where you feel safe, then…” Vona’s voice faded to background noise.
There was a new message in her inbox, and her heart rate galloped as she saw Bearman’s No Image Available icon.
Just wanted to say hi and hope you have a good day at work.
Hadley smiled and typed out a response.
Having a good day, but catching shit from my friend because you don’t have a profile picture. She says you’re probably a serial killer. Please post picture ASAP so she will get off my case. Pictures prove innocence, don’t you know?
She hit send and showed Vona the message. “Happy?”
“No, now he knows you’re onto him.”
“Don’t be weird. You were the one who told me to try this site out. I am, just on my own terms. I met someone nice who is easy to talk to. I’m calling it a success.”
“Hmm.” Vona didn’t sound convinced. “Look, I know a nerd. He can figure out this guy’s IP address and track him down. It’ll probably take a few days, but then I’ll know where to go when you turn up missing.” She pulled a length of ribbon for a bouquet and cut it with a practiced snip. “You know, I really thought you were going to take this seriously, but you picked the only profile with red flags all over it.”
“Don’t stalk the man. He’s never even asked for any personal information about me. Nor has he ever been inappropriate. He just seems…nice.”
Vona perked up and smiled cheerily at a customer who walked through the door.
Movement across the street drew Hadley’s attention, and when she looked up, Colin was exiting the post office. He checked his phone, and a slow smile took his lips. Or at least, she thought it did. His beard was pretty thick. He held his sunglasses in his hand.
Look up. She wanted to see his eyes. He always kept them hidden, like he didn’t want anyone really looking at him, and something about that bothered her. “Look up, look up, look up,” she murmured.
A frown took his face, and he glanced directly at her through the flower shop window. Sh
e gasped. His eyes were so light blue they looked white in the saturated afternoon light. He slipped on his sunglasses without taking his gaze away from her, then cocked his head.
Heart pounding, she lifted two fingers in a wave.
He turned away and opened the door of his truck, then disappeared inside with the same aloofness he’d showed her the day he’d paid for her meal. His engine roared to life, and he pulled out of the parking spot without another glance for her.
Inhaling deeply, she watched him drive away. His eyes were such a strange color. No wonder he wore sunglasses. They were probably overly sensitive to light. Maybe he had vision problems or some kind of degenerative disease that would eventually cause him to go blind. Pity washed through her, churning in her middle until she wanted to cry.
What a lonely life he must be leading up in those mountains all alone with no one to care for him.
****
Colin uploaded a picture of the bear he’d carved and set it on his front porch. Then sent Hadley a message that read:
Proof I’m not a serial killer.
She immediately responded by replacing her profile picture with a bouquet of flowers with a pair of opened scissors sitting in front of it.
He bit his thumbnail and grinned as he shut the laptop on his desk. A month ago, he would’ve thought it impossible for him to be any more attracted to Hadley. But she’d proven him wrong with her easygoing nature and sense of humor.
He looked around his cabin. It was small and neat but only big enough for one, and when he glimpsed his reflection in the entryway mirror, he winced. His eyes looked like bug lights, and no way in hell could they pass for human. And that’s what she was. A soft and fragile human who didn’t belong in his world. Who couldn’t bear the things he’d been through and would go through in his life just because of what he was.
“Shit,” he muttered. What was he doing? The best thing he could do for her is let her find a real match online instead of taking up her time.
A snarl ripped through him as his bear thoroughly disagreed.