Ronni’s face broke into a genuine smile. “Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there is hope for you after all.” She cocked her head to one side. “Perhaps if Santa sprinkles a little Christmas magic on your head, you might actually be the good guy here.”
He gave a short laugh. “Christmas magic has passed me by my whole life. I don’t expect that to change now.”
“I don’t know. We all need to believe in miracles.” Ronni stood up. “Look at this place. Only yesterday we were trying to figure out if we would raise enough money to buy the land and then some fairy godfather bid an astounding amount of money for a pet grooming service when he has no pet.”
Matthew smiled and drank his coffee. “Miracles do happen.”
“I hope you sincerely believe that. I really do. Because I don’t know about you, but they deserve it.” Ronni’s eyes misted with tears and she picked up her coffee and took a gulp to hide her emotions.
Matthew got up from the chair and walked to the door of the office. He stared out at the mountain in the distance and took stock of his life. He’d come here to knock down the shelter and build large, comfortable houses that he could sell as vacation homes to wealthy shifters. With that view, he could have charged a premium. Weirdly, he didn’t care that his plan had been foiled.
“Thank you.” He turned back to face Ronni.
“Thank me? For what? Accepting your money?” she asked sarcastically.
“No, thank you for being there for Sian. It sounds as if she needed a friend.”
“Needs a friend,” Ronni corrected. “I’m not going anywhere. I just want you to know that Sian and the girls are settled here. The town has been good for them.”
“It’s a good thing I bought a house then, neighbor.”
Ronni rolled her eyes. “If I hear one complaint from you...”
“You’ll what?” Matthew asked and then straightened, the conversation forgotten as his senses twitched. She was close, his mate was getting nearer. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared as he sensed her. Without thinking, he walked outside to stand in the parking lot, waiting for the first sight of her.
Sian drove up the short driveway leading from the road. The car slowed when she saw him but then she accelerated, turning into a parking space before she switched off the engine and got out. “Waiting for me?” she asked, her voice high.
“Yes.” He raked a hand through his graying hair. “Well, I came to make peace with Ronni. But I hoped I might see you.”
“Make peace.” She cast a glance over his shoulder. “And did you?”
“Did we what?” He frowned, a look of confusion on his face. “Oh, make peace. Yes, I think so.”
“Although I threatened to take him to the veterinarian and get him castrated if he hurts you,” Ronni called as she left the office and headed toward the kennels.
Sian smothered a smile. “It went well, I see.”
“She’s very protective of you.” He watched, enraptured as color spread across her cheeks.
“Ronni and the other volunteers have been very kind to me.” Sian hitched her purse higher on her shoulder. “I need coffee.” He watched her walk toward him. “You need to stop doing that.”
“What?”
“Staring. You bought a pet pampering session last night. You did not buy me.” She entered the reception office and put her purse down on the desk.
“I know I didn’t buy you,” he insisted, following her inside.
“Then stop looking at me as if you own me.” She turned to face him with her arms folded in front of her, as if to ward him off.
“Sorry. This is new for me.” He rubbed his jawline which was unshaven since yesterday and the stubble prickled his hands. “I’ve never...connected with another person before.”
The air puffed out of her lungs. “What do you mean you’ve never connected with another person? I doubt you’ve gotten to your age and had no connection with a woman.”
“Not really. Not ever.” He shrugged. “I don’t mean I’m a virgin or anything.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’ve never cared for anyone else?”
“No.” Now he did feel like a virgin, a forty-something-loser in love.
“Your parents?” Her gentle voice moved him.
“My uncle raised me. And believe me, he was not the kind of man you spent any longer in a room with than was absolutely necessary.” He grimaced. “I’m not good at sharing.”
“None of us are. It takes practice.” She pressed her lips together. “Love is the greatest thing in the world, Matthew. Without it, I don’t know where I’d be.”
“Do you still love your husband?” Matthew asked. “The guy from last night?”
Sian’s shoulders sagged forward. “Oh, him. No, I don’t still love Peter. I’m not a jilted wife who wants her husband back at any cost to her soul. But that’s not to say I’m not sad my marriage broke down. I loved Peter when I said I do. It just took a while for me to figure out the man I thought I said I do to didn’t really exist.”
“Do you know why he’s here in town?” Matthew asked, although it was none of his business. He would have to earn the right to be a part of Sian’s life.
“Nope.” She shrugged it off, but her expression was wary.
“If he causes trouble...” Matthew wanted to tell Sian she could call him any time, day or night, and he would gladly rip Peter’s head off his shoulders, but he decided to keep it less melodramatic. “Just call me. I have great lawyers.”
“Matthew...” Sian moved closer toward him and the honesty in her expression made his heart wrench. “I don’t know what you are looking for exactly and I have no idea what I can give you. When I came to Bear Creek, I was ready to face the rest of my life alone.”
“And now?” he asked hopefully. How cruel fate would be to take away the one thing he wanted in this life, to deny him the one thing he craved. After all the things he’d done for business and profit, was this some kind of payback?
“I honestly don’t know.” A frown creased her brow as she fought to find the right words. “I know what this means to you. We’re mates, aren’t we?” For a moment she looked unsure, as if scared she’d got it wrong.
“We are mates. I assume you know what that means even though you aren’t a shifter yourself.” Ronni and the guy she hung around with were true mates. Was he wrong in thinking they had explained the whole process to Sian?
“I didn’t know shifters existed until two weeks ago. Ronni met Lucas and I saw it... Love at first sight. At least that’s what I called it. Then Lucas showed me his bear and Ronni explained the mating bond.” She wobbled her head as if reliving the moment. “It was a shock, believe me.” She held up her hand as if to stop him in his tracks even though he was not moving. “The girls don’t know. I thought I should tell you. I have no idea how or when I’m going to have that conversation with them.”
He gave her a crooked smile. “I’m just happy you plan to even have that conversation with them.”
“I can’t promise when. And I have no idea how they will react.” Sian sat down heavily in her chair. “As they grew up I knew I’d have to have certain conversations with them. Boys, drugs, online security. But shifters. I did not see that one coming.”
“What do you see?” he asked as he took a couple of steps closer to her.
Sian clasped her hands in her lap and stared down at them for a couple of moments. “I honestly don’t know.” She looked up at him suddenly. “Something. Nothing. I don’t know. You have a reputation for getting what you want at all costs. So all I do know is that the same behavior is not going to work here.”
He hunkered down in front of her and took hold of her hands. An instant flash of recognition passed between them. “I promise you that I will honor and respect you and your children. I won’t do anything to hurt you, or push you into a decision you might regret.” He rubbed his thumb over her fingers. “But I want you to know that this is real. We are destined to be together.”
As
he held her hands and looked into her eyes, his only hope was that one day, he would find a way to prove to her that his intentions, for the first time in his life, were pure.
Chapter Five – Sian
Matthew Lewis had a reputation. And it wasn’t good.
After the stunt he pulled coming to the sanctuary under the pretense of wanting to adopt a pet, Sian had made a few calls to old colleagues inquiring as to what kind of man he was. Ruthless was about the nicest thing people had to say about him. Some of them spoke with awe, some with admiration, but no one spoke with liking.
Now, here she was faced with the prospect of building a relationship with the man, just because of some kind of mating bond that shifters believed in. Could she really abandon all reason and buy into something she couldn’t even feel for herself?
Or did she feel it?
When he touched her hands, she felt a connection with him. As he rubbed his thumb over her skin, it was as if he were touching her very soul.
“I can’t just lower my barriers and let you in.” Sian needed to protect herself, she needed to protect her children.
“I know. And I’d settle for you allowing me to dismantle those barriers one by one. I want to work hard to be the man you want, the man you deserve.” He lowered his head and pressed his lips to the back of her hand. Feelings, emotions, long since dead stirred inside her. Among those his kiss awoke was hope. Hope that there might truly be a man out there who could love her, unconditionally, for who she was. And who she could love unconditionally in return.
She nodded and pulled her hand from his to dash away a tear that trickled down her cheek. “I’m going to need time.”
He looked up at her, his soft brown eyes, threaded with amber, filled with kindness. “I can give you that. All I ask is that you give me a chance.”
“I can give you that.” She sighed and the breath shuddered through her body. “I have chores to do.”
Matthew rose to his feet and pulled her up to stand before him. “I have a house to fix up.”
“Kevin Jones’s old house?” Sian asked, sniffing loudly as she fought for control of her emotions. Matthew had stirred up a hornet’s nest of feelings she’d squashed flat when her relationship with Peter imploded.
“Yes. I planned to level the place and build luxury vacation homes on the land. But I’m having second thoughts.” He grinned and stroked her cheek. “I’m a new man already.”
Sian gave a short laugh. “You really want to live next to the shelter?”
“Don’t you?” His question took her completely by surprise.
“Me?”
“Yes, I figured since you loved this place so much and planned to open this pet grooming salon here that you might want to live close by.”
Sian reached for the back of her chair and sat down again. “I never gave it much thought.”
“One day we will live together,” he assured her.
“Confident and pushy. Your reputation precedes you,” she teased.
“And honest.” He held out his hands as if asking for mercy.
“I like honest.”
“I know you might have heard…things about me,” Matthew began, “but I want you to know I’m not a liar. I may be harsh and cruel, but I’ve never lied in business.”
“And that makes it all okay?” Sian asked bluntly.
“I thought it did. The end justified the means. But I’m willing to grow and learn. Are you willing to teach me?” Matthew asked her.
“Are you teasing me?” Sian asked.
“No. I mean it. I want to change. This is a new start for me. I’ve spent my life accumulating money, it was like a game because I had nothing else in my life. Now I have you. And your daughters. I promise you I’ll do my best for them.” His honesty choked her.
“They mean more to me than my own happiness,” she warned. “We are a package deal and if you hurt them, you hurt me,” she warned.
“Hey, I don’t intend to ever hurt them. Why would I? Children are the future. As a shifter, my goal in life is to find my mate and raise a family. If that family consists of children from another father, I don’t care.” His voice was hoarse with emotion.
“That’s more than their own father has ever done for them.” Sian put her hand over her mouth. The well of emotion building up inside her threatened to explode and she could not let him see her cry. Not really, ugly cry.
“I’m sorry,” Matthew sad simply. “For you and for him. He has no idea how lucky he is.”
“Was,” Sian corrected. “He is my past.”
“I hope I might be your future.” He gave her a boyish smile that made it hard to believe this was the same Matthew Lewis who tore his way through people’s lives leaving sadness and loss in his wake.
“Right now my future consists of cleaning out dog kennels.” She stood up and made for the door.
“When can I see you again?” he asked.
Sian turned around. “How about you come over for dinner tonight? It’s nothing special, but you are welcome to join us.”
“Really?” He sounded genuinely shocked at the invitation.
“Yes. I’ll see you about six.” She gave him a brief smile and drank in the image of him. It was the first time she’d seen him in casual clothes, and he looked equally as delicious in jeans and a sweater as he did in his smart suits.
“I’ll bring wine,” he offered.
“If you really want to make a good impression on my daughters, you could bring dessert, too.” With that, she slipped out of the office and went to find Ronni. She needed to talk to someone and Ronni was a good listener, she also understood the mating bond and since she’d only found her own mate a couple of weeks ago, she was as near to an expert in this area as anyone could get.
“There you are,” Ronni greeted Sian when she finally tracked her friend down to the nursery kennel where six playful kittens were being watched over by their harassed mom.
“Here I am.” Sian joined Ronni watching as the kittens tumbled over each other, biting and kicking their siblings with their little teeth and claws.
“How is Matthew?” Ronni asked.
“He’s good. At least he is good right now.” She arched an eyebrow at Ronni. “What do you think?”
“About what?” Ronni asked, picking up a small ball and throwing it for the kittens to chase.
“Matthew.”
“Any specific area you would like me to comment on?” Ronni asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sian giggled. “Well, I have my own opinions on his handsome face and long, lean thighs.” She blushed as she spoke, and Ronni collapsed into a fit of giggles.
“He sure is handsome. And strong. I always thought property developers were pasty-faced and wimpy due to all the time they spend inside doing big deals and ruining people’s lives.”
Sian drew a breath and let it out slowly. “Do you think he can change?”
“He already has.” Ronni turned her full attention on Sian. “The man that walked into the reception office this morning is not the same man who came here two weeks ago. Did that happen overnight? I suspect it did. Meeting you gave him a new focus, it gave his life meaning.”
“Can I trust him?” That was the most important question for Sian.
Ronni paused. “I think you can trust him more than anyone else in the world.”
“That’s a guarded answer.”
“It’s the only honest answer I can give. We can never know anyone, not truly. But what I do know is that Matthew would never do anything to intentionally hurt you, and that is something that could not be said for anyone else you will ever meet.” Ronni turned back to the kittens. “They are ready to go to their new homes.”
“The girls will be happy. Although my boiler is not working properly, and the house is freezing, so I might have to postpone taking them home for a couple of days.” Sian had woken up this morning to a freezing cold house. She’d lit the fire in the sitting room and they’d all huddled around it, but it ba
rely took the chill off the rest of the house.
“Do you have someone coming to repair it?” Ronni asked.
“I called the landlord and he said he would call someone out. But he isn’t always fast at picking up the phone and calling in contractors. So it might be a couple of days.” Sian shuddered at the thought. Bear Creek was cold in the winter, snow flurries had been covering the ground in a white sugar-like coating for days. “If the temperature plummets much more we’ll be coming to live in the back room at the shelter. At least it has heating.”
“I can ask around if anyone has some portable heaters you can use. If you are really stuck, my mom and dad can squeeze you all in, I’m sure.” Ronni put her arm around Sian. “What’s wrong?”
“This is our first Christmas on our own and it’s going to be pretty miserable if our luck doesn’t change.”
“Maybe Peter came to sign the papers for the divorce and you’ll get the money from the house. Plus a big maintenance check.” Ronni knew how tight things were financially for Sian and the girls since Peter had stayed in the marital home and refused to pay toward the girls. Sian had taken him to court, but that had further drained her finances even though the court had ruled in her favor.
“Peter is never going to do anything without being forced to. I have a feeling he is here to renegotiate. Knowing Peter, he’ll wait until we’re really miserable and then come in for the kill.”
“Can he do that?” Ronni asked. “I thought the courts had told him to sell the house and give you half.”
“The courts did, but Peter thinks he is above the court. He can’t understand why he has to sell the house since I was the one who walked out. He sees his affair as my fault. That I drove him into the arms of another woman because I no longer slept in the same bed as him. He can’t understand why. He can’t see how wrong his behavior was.” Sian took a breath. “But I’m not going to allow him to bully me anymore.”
“Good girl.” Ronni picked up one of the kittens and handed it to Sian. “Here, have a cuddle.”
Sian hugged the small kitten close. “You’ll be home with us by Christmas.” Possibly. Hopefully. If their rented house was fit for them to live in.
The Bear Buys a Bride Page 4