“I understand, Mrs. Graham,” Ryan said politely. “This business is best sorted on our land anyway. Jeanie I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her cheek and left.
Jeanie let her breath out and sagged. Mrs. Graham offered to make her a cup of chamomile tea but she refused. She had something she desperately had to do.
Up in her room Jeanie dialed George’s number. He answered but sounded asleep.
“Shit Buchanan! Don’t you own a watch? It’s two AM here!”
“Sorry George. Did you manage to find out about the rights and get the mineral survey for me?”
“You called me at this time of night about that? Hell you need to get a life!”
Jeanie sighed. She was getting one, that’s why she needed the information. “Well?”
“Fine. Fine, yeah I got it. I was going to send it on tomorrow. But since it is tomorrow I’ll just get up out of my nice warm bed and go send it to you. How about that?” He was being sarcastic.
“That would be great!” she said pretending she hadn’t noticed. “Hey George, I owe you a big one for this.”
“Massive!” George said and hung up.
Ten minutes later the Wetransfer link arrived in her inbox. As Jeanie waited for the download she paced to and fro. She was in for a long night.
Outside the wind picked up, blowing in loud gusts. Jeanie hardly heard it. When it started to rain, the drops pattering on her window, she looked up but didn’t really see them. She could do this. All the data said that her plan would work. All she needed was a little help and a lot of luck.
Her next phone call to George was at eight AM his time and he sounded more genial. “So?”
“So I have it. But I need you to do something for me, urgently.”
George listened as Jeanie laid out her plan. He gasped. “You sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah! It’s the only way.”
“Fine,” George said. “Get your report in now and I’ll take care of the rest. This is going to cost me every favor I have saved up, you realize that?”
Jeanie nodded and then remembered he couldn’t see her and said, “Yeah. Well, now I owe you a solid.”
“More than…”
“Much more. Just please get it through.”
“Hey I’m Miracle George,” he said and hung up.
“You’d better be,” Jeanie said to her phone.
She was so tired but she couldn’t sleep, so she got in her SUV and with directions from Mrs. Graham drove out to Ryan’s house.
He lived deep in Sun Valley which was mostly dirt tracks and trees. There were open fields, a few small stores and other buildings but they looked more like they had sprung up from the earth herself than having been built by men.
She found his house, a log cabin on the edge of a clearing surrounded by tall spruce and pine trees. The weather was still grey and bitterly cold. She stopped outside his house and wondered if this was such a good idea. But she had to set her plan in motion now or it would be too late. But what if he wasn’t alone in there? What if he had played her just to get her to help them save their land?
“Morning.”
Jeanie jumped in surprise. Ryan was standing next to her window. He was dressed in jeans and flannel as usual and looked as fresh and well rested as ever. She was sure she looked like a train wreck but that wasn’t important now.
“Hey Ryan,” she said opening the door and hitting him on the legs with it. “Oh sorry. Listen I really need your help.”
They sat in Ryan’s living room. He had made instant coffee that Jeanie was chugging down like it was the only thing keeping her upright, which it was. Ryan listened as she laid out her plan. When she’d finished he leaned forward and kissed her. It totally derailed her thoughts.
“What was that for?”
“For being brilliant!” he said and his voice sounded husky and sexy. Jeanie bit her lip and smiled at him. He leaned in and kissed her again. Jeanie’s heart hammered in her chest and before she knew it, they were entangled, kissing pulling clothing off each other.
“Woah! Woah!” she cried. “We don’t have time for sex now. We have to go and get Marcus and the others. Come on!”
Ryan sighed and pulled his shirt back on. “Fine, but later you’re all mine.”
“Deal. Let’s just go save your home first.”
Time was of the essence, so Ryan sat on his landline phone calling everyone they needed. With that done they climbed into Jeanie’s SUV and drove back into town to City Hall.
When they arrived the place had just opened up and Mr. Jeff Headley was standing on the steps in his grey suit. “Your manager called me this morning at an unearthly time,” he told Jeanie once she’d introduced herself. “He said you had a counter proposal. Why this could not be conducted at a decent hour is beyond me.”
“I apologize for that,” Jeanie said trying not to shake with all the caffeine in her system. “But I’m eager to get this done.”
“As am I.” He led Jeanie and Ryan into a conference room. They had just sat down when Marcus, Paul and another lady, who was introduced as Eugenie, entered the room.
“This had better be good,” Paul snapped sullenly. “I’m missing my breakfast for this.”
“It will be worth it, Paul,” Ryan said.
Ten minutes later the rest of the human council filed into the room. Jeff Headley did the talking. He laid out Jeanie’s plan and she only had to interrupt him to correct him once or twice. But in the end even Paul was smiling.
“So you accept the terms?” Jeff Headley asked.
Marcus, Paul and Eugenie put their heads together for a moment and then smiled. They nodded. The paperwork was ready and they had all just finished signing and initialing when the door burst open.
Calvin strode into the room, looking angry. He turned his cold gaze on Jeanie. “What is going on here?”
“Council business young man,” Jeff Headley said smartly. “It doesn’t concern you.”
“I believe it does. If this has anything to do with Sun Valley.”
The door opened again and two men entered, one white, one grey. The atmosphere in the room became icy as a morgue. Wolves and Bears glared at each other.
Jeff Headley however smiled. “Welcome gentlemen, seems you’re too late.” He held up the document. “Seems these nice folks whom we all have known our whole lives, will be keeping their land after all.”
“But we had a deal,” Mr. Snow said. His voice was like an ice flow.
“Did we?” Jeff Headley asked. “I cannot seem to recall anything in writing.”
“We had a deal and you know it, Mr. Headley, and our lawyers will take you to the cleaners for this,” Calvin spat, waving his thick black finger under Jeff’s nose. Jeff removed it and smiled even more broadly.
“Well they can try, but since you were so insistent that there be no paper trail…” he spread his hands in supplication. “There is no proof, is there?”
“I demand justice,” Mr. Petersen said. His voice was quiet, calm but Jeanie could see something raging within him. “One of their number, a woman named Jess Lincoln, killed my son in cold blood. I demand justice for this outrage!”
Jeff turned to Marcus. “Is this true Marcus?”
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, she shot the sonofabitch,” he said. “But not before he attacked her. He followed her from New York and destroyed property, threatened her life and the life of a bear, Wyatt Wade. We were within our rights to handle this in the Clan.”
Jeff nodded sagely. “Well there you have it.” He said. “Clan law is clan law and you can all sort it out on your own land.” He sighed looking at the paperwork with a lot more affection than Jeanie thought a man should feel for pieces for dead tree. “I believe we’re done here.” He stood up as did the rest of the human council and they left the room.
Mr. Petersen and Mr. Snow watched them go.
The bear council put their heads together again.
“What’s going on?” Jeanie aske
d.
Ryan held his finger to his lips.
Then a moment later Eugenie, her hair in long braids turned to the wolves.
“You’ve called for justice as is your right,” she said. “So we will settle this the old way. The Pack will offer a warrior to face the Clan’s chosen warrior. It will take place at sunset today. We will give you directions.”
Petersen nodded, then he turned and left.
Jeanie watched with her mouth open and suddenly felt that she was out on a limb dangling over a hole in the world.
The bears called a clan meeting. It was held in the market field, where they usually had Christmas carols, farmers’ markets and other social gatherings. Jeanie was allowed to attend so that she could explain her plan to everyone and they could all thank her for saving them.
She really didn’t think she deserved all of that. After all it was a silly little idea that had turned into gold. And that was it really. Gold. The latest mineral survey that Snow had had done on the area showed a promising vein of precious metal. It was estimated to be enough to pay for Sun Valley six times over. All it took was a deal declaring that the Sun Valley residents would run the mine and the profits would be split fifty-fifty to pay for the land and then some. No messy relocations that the council would have to pay for, no law suits, everything could be done peacefully by people who had been raised together.
But now there was this business of clan justice for the death of Petersen’s son, Conrad. And that was where it had all gone to hell according to Jeanie.
Eugenie stood up and addressed the Bears. They were all sitting in a massive many ringed circle. She stood in the center and addressed them all.
“A wolf has called for clan justice. He has called for the old way,” she said. “He said that one of ours killed his son in cold blood. We know what happened and it was self-defense, but this wolf won’t stop until he gets blood. He is the one who tried to steal our land, take our homes from us. He has called for justice, but its vengeance he craves. And we know that revenge will only grow and fester in his heart.”
“Can we speak to him? Make him see sense?” a woman asked. She was sitting two rings out with a man and two children. They reminded Jeanie of the bears she had met in the woods on her first day out in Sun Valley and she wondered if it was their family portrait she’d taken.
“No Elmarie, if this one has a heart, it’s made of cold stone,” Eugenie said sadly. “So I have to ask all able bodied young men, all clan warriors to step forward and place their names in the hat.”
She held up a floppy black felt hat.
It was a sad and solemn pageant watching the men scribble their names on strips of paper and place them into the hat. Jeanie felt fear rise in her throat as Ryan wrote his name and then placed it in the hat.
“I have to,” he said.
“Sure,” Jeanie answered, knowing she had no right to be sullen and moody with him but she felt it anyway. She stood on the outskirts of the circle with the other non-bears watching, Wyatt, Kyle, Tyler and Jesse all put their names in the hat too.
Eugenie waited for the last name and then shook the hat.
Marcus stuck his hand into it and drew out a piece of paper.
“Our warrior is…Ryan Hunt. And his second is…Wyatt Wade.”
A round of applause went up as Ryan and Wyatt stood and shook hands.
Jess burst into tears. “You should just let him have me!” she cried out. “I killed Conrad! I’m the one…” Jamie wrapped her arms around Jess and led her away.
Jeanie was amazed to see not one look of judgement on any of the bear clan’s faces. All she saw was compassion and kindness. No one there would ever think of sending Jess off to her death for this. They supported her, a human, wholeheartedly and it made Jeanie want to cry too.
When the meeting dispersed Ryan and Wyatt were led away.
Jeanie was left with nothing to do and nowhere to go. She tried to follow Ryan but Eugenie stopped her. “They have to prepare.” She said.
“So I can’t talk to him?” Jeanie asked.
Eugenie shook her head. “Look, this is a lot of traditional stuff and you and Ryan aren’t married so…” she left it hanging. Then she placed a consolatory hand on Jeanie’s arm. “He’s a good fighter. Don’t worry.”
“Right,” Jeanie said feeling morose.
With nothing to do and nowhere to go Jeanie sat in her car. She passed the time by seeing how many species’ full Latin names she could remember out of her head. It was just her luck to find a man she could love just before he fought a dual to save someone else’s fiancée. Typical!
Hours passed and Jeanie must have dozed off. Reciting Latin names always put her to sleep anyway, better than counting sheep. Her eyes popped open when she heard a crunching sound next to her car. A big black SUV had just pulled up next to hers.
The doors opened and Calvin, tall and dark stepped out. He was followed by Mr. Snow and then last Mr. Petersen. Two other men stepped out and they all made their way onto the field.
A crowd was gathering. Jeanie decided to sit on her SUV’s roof. If she dented it she was sure a big strong bear could knock it back out for her. It was the only way she was going to see anything. Valerie appeared in the crowd with Kyle and she waved to them. They joined her on her roof.
“So what happens now is basically a fight,” Kyle said. “They can fight as men or as animals. Up to them. If for some reason Ryan can’t fight, then Wyatt will step in.”
“Bet he wishes it was him fighting for Jess,” Valerie said.
“What happens if Ryan loses?” Jeanie asked feeling her fear building.
Kyle swallowed hard, “Well then Petersen can decide what happens to Jess. He’ll probably kill her. Then it’s all done. Wyatt loses the love of his life and there’s nothing he can do about it.”
“Your laws are strange and barbaric,” Jeanie said hotly.
Kyle shrugged. “I’m going to go help out in Ryan’s corner.” He jumped down off the roof leaving Valerie and Jeanie alone.
Valerie took her hand and patted it. “It will be fine, I’m sure.”
Jeanie wasn’t sure. He was going to fight and possibly die and she wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye. It just wasn’t fair.
Things were happening in the center of the crowd. There were a lot of bears milling around all broad shouldered and tall, but also a lot of wolves, lithe and quick. They must be from the local pack. Jeanie could feel the tension between both sides.
When the fight began she was surprised. There was no fanfare, no smack talk like in WWE. Ryan and Calvin entered the open space and simply went for each other. They were both dressed in loose fitting track pants, their chests bare. Of course Calvin was Petersen’s champion, he was big and muscled and violent.
Jeanie could barely think. The crowd were jeering, screaming and roaring for their champions. The sound seemed to bore into her and each time Calvin hit Ryan her heart thumped in fear. She gritted her teeth and began to chew the corners of her thumb nails. He was going to die.
There wasn’t going to be a happy ending for her. No falling in love and getting married. She was going to be the spinster scientist environmentalist forever. Valerie was talking to her but she couldn’t hear. All she could see was Calvin hurting the man she loved more than anything. Ryan was fighting well, but Calvin seemed to ooze a horrible evil power that seemed to be overshadowing Ryan’s light. They drew blood. Red flecks on black and white skin. And the fight carried on and on. Ryan’s left eye swelled up, his lips split and he was favoring his right leg. Calvin stood strong, but he was bleeding from a gash on his arm, and another by his right eye. They flew at each other again and this time Ryan threw Calvin to the ground, twisting his left arm at a horrible angle. Calvin twisted out of it and got Ryan in a head lock. Jeanie looked away, scrunching her eyes shut.
Bearly Christmas Page 187