Scott had expected his boss to say something along those lines, and he was prepared for the possibility that he might actually lose his job. His boss was right. If he lost his job, then no one else in Pine Springs would hire him, and he’d be hurting financially. But Scott had decided it didn’t matter. He’d find some way to make money, and he knew that his friends on Bear Mountain wouldn’t let him starve. That community stuck together and took care of their own. If Scott told them that he’d lost his job trying to protect his lifemate, they would make sure that he was taken care of, if for no other reason than to spite the people of Pine Springs.
With this in mind, Scott stood tall, squared his shoulders at his boss, and made it clear that he wasn’t taking any shit. “Go ahead and fire me, then. You know that if you do, all of your other security guards who come from Bear Mountain will quit as well. You’ll be without a good security force. You only have a few guards here who aren’t from Bear Mountain, and you know as well as I do that they aren’t as good as the guys from the mountain are. Before you know it, your club will be suffering from security issues. When word gets around to the tourists that Club Euphoria isn’t safe, no one’s going to want to come here anymore. You’ll lose your business, all because you can’t man up and stand up for the fact that people from Bear Mountain don’t deserve to be treated the way we’ve been treated.”
Scott saw the fear flicker in his boss’s eyes. His boss knew he was right. Without Bear Mountain’s help, the club would be in serious trouble. Still, his boss tried to argue with him.
“It’s nothing personal. But you can’t deny that you guys are different, and it’s not that surprising that our communities stay separate. We work together when we need to for business purposes, yes. But that doesn’t mean we need to combine our societies completely. The separation is a good thing for all of us.”
Scott snorted with disgust. “That’s a copout. It’s just an excuse to allow you and everyone else here to treat us poorly. But I’ll tell you one thing: I’ve had enough with people from Bear Mountain being treated like we don’t deserve to be treated as well as the people from Pine Springs. We work to contribute to the economy here just as much as anyone else. We never hurt anyone, or cause any trouble. There’s no reason for us to always be treated like there’s something wrong with us. So here’s my line in the sand. Either you call up the fair organizer and get my friend a booth, or I quit. And if I quit, everyone from Bear Mountain quits with me. You said yourself that you only work with people from Bear Mountain when it makes good business sense. Seems to me like right now it would make good business sense for you to help me out. Otherwise, your business is going under for lack of security.”
Scott watched as his boss’s face turned pale.
“That’s blackmail!”
Scott shook his head. “I don’t think it’s blackmail. It’s just me refusing to work for someone who doesn’t treat me with as much respect as he treats people who aren’t from Bear Mountain. Trust me, if you help this girl get a booth, you won’t regret it. Her jewelry is amazing, and she’ll be quite popular at the fair. Convince the fair organizers to give her a chance, and she’ll make the tourists happy. That’s what the organizers want for their fair, isn’t it? For the tourists to leave happy?”
Scott’s boss didn’t answer right away. Instead, he scratched his chin as he mulled over everything Scott had just said. Finally, he looked up at Scott and asked, “Do you really think I treat the Bear Mountain folks like second-class citizens? I swear, that was never my intention.”
Scott shrugged. “Well, whatever your intentions are, you definitely come across as not treating people from Bear Mountain as well as you treat people from other places. But if you’re serious about the fact that that wasn’t what you wanted to do, then this is a good chance to take a step in the right direction.”
His boss nodded slowly, then smiled. “You’re really serious, aren’t you? You’re going to quit if I don’t help out this friend of yours?”
Scott nodded. “I’m done being pushed around. I’m not going to work for someone who writes off a request just because it makes him look like he supports Bear Mountain. I don’t see anything wrong with supporting Bear Mountain.”
Scott stood a little taller as he spoke the words. It felt good to say this. He had been too quiet and too respectful for far too long, but he was standing up for himself now. He wasn’t intentionally trying to cause trouble, but he was no longer going to sit by while the people of Pine Springs treated him this way. And he definitely wasn’t going to sit by while they treated Caroline this way. If ever there was anything worth standing up for, it was her.
To Scott’s relief, his boss was slowly nodding. “Alright, I’ll call the organizer for your friend. Don’t worry. The guy owes me a lot of favors, so he won’t refuse me. Consider it done.”
Scott felt a rush of joy and relief. He nodded and thanked his boss, then ended the conversation as quickly as possible so he could leave and tell Caroline. He managed to wait until he was outside to let out a whoop of excitement, because he hadn’t wanted to act overly giddy in front of his boss.
But now, he couldn’t contain the joy he felt. With hands shaking from excitement, he pulled out his phone to call Caroline. To his relief, she didn’t ignore his call this time. When she answered, he let out another whoop.
“Are you alright?” she asked with a laugh.
“Better than alright. You’re still at your apartment, right?”
“Yes, why?”
“Stay right there. I’m coming over, and I’ve got some really good news for you.”
Scott once again drove much faster than he should have. But this time, it was due to excitement rather than anger. He could hardly wait to see the look on Caroline’s face when he told her that her summer jewelry sales weren’t done yet, after all.
Chapter Eleven
Caroline looked in disbelief at the bare shelves of her booth. She’d sold out of every last piece of jewelry she had. The morning of the Pines Springs End of Summer Fair had brought torrential rain, but that hadn’t stopped the tourists from coming out. They’d trudged through the muddy pathways with colorful umbrellas over their heads, and had ravenously bought up whatever the booths were selling.
Caroline’s booth had done exceptionally well. There were still two hours left before the fair officially ended, but Caroline didn’t have a single thing left to sell. She wiped at her eyes, trying to hold back tears of joy as she began to pull down the signs that decorated her booth.
At first, when Scott had told her that he’d gotten her this booth, she’d resisted. She’d told him that getting the booth for her counted as helping her, and that she didn’t want any help. But he’d quickly told her to get over herself.
“No one goes through life completely on their own. Standing on your own two feet doesn’t mean that you can’t be grateful when someone offers you a hand up. That’s all this is—a simple hand up. You still have to do all the work of making and selling the jewelry yourself. All I did was help you get the booth where you can sell that jewelry.”
Caroline decided that he was right, so she accepted the booth and promised herself that she would do her best to make the time worthwhile. Scott had told her that the End of Summer Fair was the best place to sell. She’d heard other Pines Springs residents talk about it as well, but she’d never dreamed she’d actually be able to get a booth at the fair. The organizer of the fair was known to be exceptionally picky about whom he allowed to sell, because he didn’t want subpar vendors to ruin the tourist experience and give his fair a bad name.
Caroline was proud to see that the tourists had enjoyed her booth more than any of the other booths around hers. In fact, halfway through the day, the organizer of the fair himself had come by and invited her back for next year. Things were definitely looking up for Caroline.
“Well, well, well. Looks like somebody had a decent day of sales.”
Caroline smiled as she looked up. She knew
even before she saw Scott that it was him. Over the last few days, his voice had become one of her favorite sounds in the world. They hadn’t spent much time together in person, since Scott had been busy with his job at the club and she’d been busy getting ready for the fair. But they had talked on the phone every night, and had texted almost constantly. Caroline knew she was falling for him, and falling fast.
He’d made no secret of the fact that he had fallen for her. But still, she worried about the wisdom of dating him. The words of the security guard and owner from the shopping mall still echoed in her ears, and she didn’t want Scott’s life to be difficult because of her. Scott insisted that he wasn’t afraid of the owner or the security guard. But still, Caroline worried.
But it was hard to truly worry standing here now. Scott’s smile stretched a mile wide, and Caroline was pretty sure that hers did, too.
“I sold out of everything! I can’t believe it.”
“Does that mean you’ll be staying around for the winter?” Scott’s voice sounded so hopeful that it made Caroline’s heart ache a little. But she wasn’t quite ready to commit to him. She still had her doubts about how the two of them could make a life together here without her inadvertently dragging him into trouble.
“It means that I have enough money to last me the winter, but I haven’t decided where I’ll be staying.”
“You’ll be staying with me,” Scott growled.
Caroline felt her stomach flutter. She loved the way Scott got so possessive of her. She’d never had a man who had been proud to call her his. Scott wasn’t just proud to say that Caroline was his, he insisted on it. They hadn’t even come to any sort of official agreement on where their relationship stood, but that didn’t seem to matter to Scott. He took every opportunity to tell Caroline that she belonged to him, whether she liked it or not.
She was pretty sure she liked it.
What she wasn’t sure about, though, was how they would make things work between them. Despite everything that Scott had done for her, she still felt gun shy when it came to men—and the fact that everything seemed so complicated with Scott because of the way everyone in Pine Springs hated everyone from Bear Mountain certainly didn’t help things.
But Caroline had explained this to Scott dozens of times, and each time he seemed completely unimpressed. He told her over and over that he’d been dealing with people from Pine Springs his whole life, and that they didn’t bother him. He told Caroline not to worry about it, but she couldn’t help but worry. If she was honest with herself, her true worry was that when things got too difficult between them, Scott would second-guess his commitment to her and give up on them.
She didn’t want to think of him as anything less than loyal. After all, he’d been nothing but good to her. But Caroline had seen too many times how quickly a relationship could go south, and she didn’t want to be caught up in a painful breakup with Scott. She didn’t think her heart could take it, and so a big part of her thought it was easier not to take the chance.
But Scott seemed determined to take the chance whether she wanted to or not. He smiled at her lazily as he asked, “How long will it take you to close up here? I’ve got something to show you.”
“I only need a few minutes. Since I sold out of everything, I don’t have any inventory to pack up. I just need to finish taking down my signs, and then I’ll need to check out with the folks running the information booth.”
“Good.” Scott hopped onto Caroline’s stepladder to pull down her remaining signs. “I’ve been waiting all week for a chance to have you to myself.”
Caroline felt a rush of excitement go through her at his words. Her head screamed at her that she shouldn’t go with Scott. She was only leading him on and making him think they had a chance. But her heart told her that she should at least go with him and see what adventure he might have planned.
She decided to listen to her heart. Perhaps she was a fool for doing so, but after the day she’d had, she felt like she deserved at least one day of fun. If she was going to have to say goodbye to Scott, then she might as well do it in style. She already knew there was no way she would be able to just sneak out of town without letting him know. If she tried that, he was sure to come after her. He’d been clear enough about that.
And so, less than half an hour later, Caroline found herself in the passenger seat of Scott’s truck as he drove toward Bear Mountain Pass, the road that led all the way up Bear Mountain and through Bear Mountain Village, which was where Scott lived.
Caroline felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness. The people of Pine Springs had told her so many times about how strange the people of Bear Mountain were, so she couldn’t help but wonder just what she was going to find when she got to the village with Scott. Scott seemed normal enough, but was he the only one? Were there others on Bear Mountain who were indeed strange, and who had rightfully given Bear Mountain its reputation as a strange place?
Caroline was about to find out.
Scott drove up to a small diner in the village with a sign out front that read “Bear Paw Diner.” He pulled into the parking lot and killed his engine, then looked over at Caroline with the brightest smile she had ever seen.
“This is the most popular place in Bear Mountain Village. Everyone in the village eats here on a regular basis, and it’s the best spot to come for gossip and news about the village.”
Caroline stared at the front door of the diner with interest. “You’re introducing me to your village gossip mill?”
Scott’s face turned serious. “Yes, and I want you to understand what this means. Once I walk in there with you, the whole village is going to know within a matter of an hour or two that I found girl.”
Caroline’s hand froze on the door handle, which she’d been about to open. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea, then. After all, we haven’t really talked about what our relationship is going to be. I’m still worried about whether things can work out between us without causing trouble for you.”
Scott shook his head in exasperation. “I don’t care how much trouble it causes me. I can handle trouble. What I can’t handle is a life without you. I’ve had enough of you trying to protect me. What you don’t seem to understand is that the only thing that could truly hurt me is losing you. No matter how much you keep hesitating about us, I’m not going to lose you. I can tell you that right now.”
Caroline looked down at her lap. She desperately wanted to believe that what Scott said was true, but experience had taught her that men weren’t trustworthy. But then, as though Scott could read her mind, he reached over and grabbed one of her hands. The warmth from his hand spread across Caroline’s entire body, and she felt instantly at ease.
Scott looked at her with burning eyes full of undeniable desire, making Caroline tremble. She still had a hard time accepting that a man like Scott could be so passionate about a woman like her. But there was no mistaking what she saw in Scott’s eyes. He wanted her.
He wanted her desperately.
Maybe, for once in her life, she should believe that she was worthy of this. After all, she was a good person. She was smart and kind, and she’d worked her ass off to dig herself out of the bad situation she’d been in before Pine Springs. Was it too much to believe that a good man like Scott saw her good qualities and believed in her?
Caroline looked up at Scott and knew in that moment that he did see her for the good person she was. If he was willing to take a chance on a life with her, even though it might mean some difficulties for him in Pine Springs, who was she to question that? He was a big boy, and she was a big girl. They knew what they were getting into, but perhaps the risks were worth the potential rewards.
“Trust me,” Scott said as his eyes burned into her soul. “I promise you that whatever hurdles lie ahead, we’ll handle them together. All I’m asking from you right now is for you to let me show you my world. And yes, showing you my world means that my world will see you, and will know that I’ve fallen hard for
you. But I’m not ashamed of that. I want them to see that. I want to shout about you from the mountaintop. You’re mine, Caroline. I know you’re having a hard time believing that, but it’s true. I’ve claimed you as my own, and you’re my lifemate. Come with me into this diner, and see what a life with me will be like.”
Caroline slowly nodded. She felt like she was standing on the edge of the rest of her life, and she decided to take a leap of faith and jump in. Scott had done so much for her. She at least owed him this chance.
She followed him into the diner, feeling like she was following him into her future. She was surprised to find that the diner had only a few empty seats. It was a bit on the early side for dinner, but the place was packed. All across the room, people were laughing, talking, drinking, and eating. Everyone looked like they were having a great time, and everyone looked exceptionally friendly. There was a warmth in the room that Caroline had not experienced anywhere in Pine Springs.
As her eyes scanned the room, she couldn’t help but wonder why the people of Bear Mountain were so reviled. No one here seemed weird or dangerous. Instead, everyone seemed down to earth and neighborly. Even the way they were dressed was more relaxed than the way the people of Pine Springs dressed. Everyone wore simple jeans or shorts with t-shirts or tank tops.
The only exception to the shorts and t-shirt outfits was the woman working behind the counter. She was a large, curvy woman with sparkling honey brown eyes and shiny dark brown hair that was pulled back into a mess of a bun. She wore a large, brightly colored dress with a floral print on it, and that dress swayed over her generous curves as she moved back and forth down the counter. She had a large nametag on that said “Poppy,” but Caroline had the feeling that everyone here knew her name without the help of that nametag.
Not only did the people in the diner look welcoming, but the food smelled delicious as well. Caroline’s mouth watered from almost the instant she walked into the room. Suddenly, she found herself wondering if perhaps she should make an attempt at a life here with Scott. This seemed like exactly the sort of place she would want to call home.
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