“Hi, Matt.”
“Are you OK?” he asked quickly. Hearing her voice confirmed his suspicions, something was wrong. His bear reared up, sniffing the air, ready to go to war if needed for their mate.
“Yes. I’ve just… I’m tired, why don’t we meet tomorrow?”
“Can I see you?” Matt asked. “I want to see that you are OK.
“I am,” she said, with a crack in her voice that wrenched his heart.
“You don’t sound OK. Listen, if something has happened, you need to tell me.” He opened the car door and got out, shutting it and locking the car, before going to stand outside her door. “Please, Grace, let me in. Or at least come to the door and let me see you.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Grace said.
“I’m outside your door, Grace. I can’t go anywhere until I know you are all right.”
“I am, I just need an early night.”
“It will take you two minutes to come to the door and let me see you, then I promise you, I will go.” He knocked lightly on the door. “Please, Grace.”
He needed her to understand there was no way he could go away without seeing her. She was his mate and if she had a problem, he was there for her; he would help her, he’d break down walls and smash through doors for her.
“Matt, I’m OK.”
“I can tell that you’re not. Let me in, Grace, I love you, don’t leave me here like this.”
He heard her sigh, and the sound of movement. The line went dead, as the door in front of him was unlocked. There she stood, the light in the hallway not turned on, which left her face in shadow. “I’m OK. Satisfied?”
Matt pushed against the door, taking her by surprise, and he caught a glimpse of her face as the streetlight illuminated it. “Why have you been crying?” he asked.
“I just got a bit down.”
“Grace,” he said, placing his hand in her cheek, feeling the heat of her inflamed skin. “Tell me.”
Grace had never once sought out the comfort of his arms, but she did now. Falling into him, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed. His world closed in on him. Whatever had happened, or whoever had hurt her, he would find them and rip them apart, before spitting them out piece by piece. No one hurt his mate like this, no one.
Easing her backwards, he shut the front door, and then lifted her up and cradled her in his arms. Trying to control his temper, when all he wanted to do was tear someone to shreds, he climbed the stairs to her small apartment, and sat down on the sofa. The room was sparse, only the barest of furniture, old and worn, occupied the room. It struck him how little in the way of personal effects there was. No family pictures, no little knick-knacks. It brought home to him how isolated Grace must have been before she moved to Bear Bluff.
“Shhh,” he said soothingly. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I need to leave, I’m bad news,” she said.
“Bear Bluff? Or me?”
“Bear Bluff, you, all of it. I’m no good for any of you.”
“Says who?” he asked.
“No one, but you know it’s the right thing for me to do. You have all these plans with Dylan and I’m just going to jeopardize them. If I hadn’t come here…”
“Said who?” Matt asked. He needed to know where this was coming from, because it sure as hell wasn’t him. Mentally going through the people he knew worked for Dylan, he tried to figure out who it was who would make Grace so upset. There was no one, but then he didn’t know everyone who worked for Dylan.
“It doesn’t matter who,” she said, hiccuping.
“Tessa, is this from Tessa?” he asked, remembering the dossier sitting on the backseat of his car. She was the only person he had met in Bear Bluff who was capable of making Grace feel this way. When Grace didn’t deny it, he knew he was right. “Whatever she said, it makes no difference to us. You and me, we’re a team, we’re mates and for better or worse, we are staying together.
“She is going to write an article. She wants to damage your project.”
“It won’t, we’ve been through this. It doesn’t matter to me or my family.”
“It’s more than that. She’s going to drag Dylan and everyone else into it. She wants to ruin it all, and it’s all my fault.”
“It’s not. Now, I’m going to deal with this, but first I have something for you.” This was not exactly the romantic proposal he had planned but it would do. As long as Grace said yes.
“Matt, I don’t need a gift.”
“Good, because I haven’t bought you one.” He took the small box out of his pocket. “What I do have is my grandmother’s engagement ring.” He took it out and moving Grace over to sit on the bed, he went down on one knee, and asked, “Grace, will you please do me the honor of being my wife?”
“Matt. I can’t.”
“You can. There is no way that woman is going to win. We belong together.”
“What about your family?”
“What about them? I’ve told them about you, and they’re OK with it.”
“When they know the whole truth, they won’t like it.”
“They won’t care. I spoke to them today. They said as long as I was happy, it didn’t matter what you’d done. Of course, if you weren’t a bear shifter, they might have other ideas. As it is, if you give them plenty of grandchildren, they’ll be happy. It’s why my mom gave me her mom’s ring to put on your finger.”
“She’s going to make it sound much worse than it is.”
“Let me handle her.”
“She wants you to pay her a big lump of money.”
“She’s blackmailing us?”
“Yes.”
His temper flared and he struggled not to get up and pace around the room. That job went to his bear, who was roaring in his head, threatening to find Tessa and make her pay for this. But there was another way to make her pay.
“Where is she staying?” Matt asked, needing to deal with this now.
“I don’t know. She gave me her card and told me to tell you to call her when you are ready to make a deal.”
“Let’s call her.”
Grace slid off his lap, looking unsteady on her feet and fetched a card which, when she passed it to Matt, he saw had her number on it. “Let’s end this now. To threaten to write the article is bad enough, to want money is another.”
***
“And here we are,” Tessa said, looking pleased with herself. Her smug gaze passed from Caleb back to Grace, in a cat-who-got-the-cream kind of way. “I always like to do business before bed, it makes me sleep so soundly.”
“Sit down, Tessa.” Matt barely had control of his temper, but he was not going to give this woman any more ammo. They had arranged to meet her in a local café, Tessa thought she was about to get paid a substantial amount of money. She was about to get that dream shattered, and he couldn’t wait to see her face when she found out what he did have for her.
“Of course. Oh, dear, has Grace been crying?” Tessa smiled. “Don’t worry, Matt here’s going to whip out his checkbook and it will all be over.”
Matt placed his hand over Grace’s and squeezed it, comforting her. “I think I have something that will cheer Grace up.” He placed the envelope on the table, and slid it towards Tessa. “You might want to look at this.”
Tessa’s smiled faded for an instant, and she looked unsure, but then she fixed it back in place, and slid the envelope back towards Matt. “I’m not in the mood for games.”
“No. You were when these photographs were taken. Weren’t you, Tessa? Or should I call you Madame Tessa.” He slid the envelope back towards Tessa, whose face looked pale, making her make-up look like a mask.
She picked up the envelope and slid out the photos. “So, what if I like being a little naughty?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being naughty at all.” Matt smiled and sat back in his chair. “As long as whoever you are being naughty with isn’t a minor.”
“He told me he was eighteen,”
she insisted.
“Kinky sex with a minor. What kind of prison sentence would that carry?” he questioned. “Quite a long one, once the father of the child you had sex with finds out.”
“He wasn’t a child. He was weeks away from his eighteenth birthday.”
“Legally, he was. And his dad has deep pockets. If this gets out, you will be hung out to dry.” Matt leaned forward. “I may even donate towards the prosecution fees myself.”
“So that’s it, the great Matt Hargreaves is a bully, just like all other businessmen.”
Matt got up, and took hold of Grace’s hand, pulling her to stand beside him. “When you threaten those important to me, I will act. You have a choice, Tessa. Leave us alone, or go to prison. Because if you write an article that puts the program I’m starting in jeopardy, I will dig in the dirt until I bury you. From what I gather, this is just one sordid story among many others.”
Without giving her a chance to respond, Matt and Grace walked away.
He could feel Grace shivering by his side. “Let’s go to my room.”
He led her down the street, and into his hotel. “Can I order some champagne, please?” he asked the man working the night shift on reception.
“It’s very late.”
“Henry,” Matt said, reading his name badge. “We have just got engaged, and if you could get me a bottle of champagne, I will give you a big tip.” Matt pulled out a wad of notes and peeled two off.
“Sure. I’ll go and get that for you now, sir.”
When they were alone, he pulled Grace into his arms. “It’s over. She won’t print the story.”
Grace looked down at the ring on her finger. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” He took hold of her hand and placed it on his heart. “This heart beats for you. And only you. We face everything together; we accept each other for who we are. And we show the world what we can do. You and me.”
“Fuck it!” she said. Her face broke into a smile. “Fuck it. I’m not ever going to let anyone put me down or make me feel bad about what I’ve done. I paid for it once, I can’t keep on paying for it every day.”
“That’s my girl. You now get to pay it forward instead.”
“When do we start?” she asked enthusiastically.
“Right away. There’s a special launch project that’s come up.”
“A special launch project?” she asked.
“Yes.” He looked up. “Thank you, Henry, we can take it from here.”
Matt took the bottle of champagne, and Grace took the glasses. “Thank you, Henry.”
Then they got into the elevator, and went up to Matt’s room. There, over champagne, he told her his plan.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s the perfect way to make people sit up and take notice.”
Chapter Seventeen – Grace
“Who would have thought a rabbit and a bear could be so well suited,” Grace said, as she watched Zoe’s brother, Tony, and his new mate, Alice. They were working together, sweeping the path leading up to the front door of their new cabin. It had been built over the last few weeks by the Bear Bluff Construction Crew, as Dylan and Matt had named the ever-expanding workforce, who had all given their time for free, so that the young couple could afford a place of their own.
Matt had purchased the land and Dylan had paid for the materials, and Tony and Alice were paying them back as a loan. It was the only way they would be able to buy a home of their own, unless they saved up for years. That would mean them either living with relatives or renting in the meantime, which would eat into their earnings.
“It just shows you anything is possible.” Matt put his arm around her shoulder. “Especially since Alice is the bear and Tony is the rabbit. I’m not sure how I’d feel in their place. I like the thought of being able to protect my mate.”
“If she needed protecting,” Grace said.
“You do need protecting,” he said, his voice low, his lips close to her ear. “From me.”
She laughed. “Get your mind back on the job.”
Matt pulled back and stood surveying the cabin that was almost complete. “I can’t believe we’ve actually done it!”
“That’s what teamwork is all about,” said Dylan, coming up the drive towards the cabin. “Are we nearly ready?”
“Yes. Tony and Alice are just cleaning up. For now, if anyone needs to get inside, they’ll have to use the back door.”
“Yes, we want it looking perfect,” Dylan said.
“What do you need me to do?” Grace asked, ready to help with any last-minute jobs to ensure everything went to plan. The local press were going to be here, and so were potential sponsors. Word of the program had spread, particularly within the shifter community, and available job placements were due to shoot up in number.
“I need you to go home and put a pretty dress on,” Dylan said.
“Never happening,” Grace said.
“Except for our wedding,” Matt said. “I’m not telling you what to wear, but one day without jeans and work-boots wouldn’t hurt, would it?”
“Don’t remind me,” she said. They were due to be married in three weeks, and the days seemed to be disappearing so fast, every time she thought about it, she felt sick. “Right, if you don’t need me, I will go and put some clean work clothes on. I want people to see me as I am, I don’t want to pretend to be something I’m not.”
“You wouldn’t be, because you can be anything you want to be,” Matt said, quoting their slogan.
“The marketing man has spoken,” Dylan said. “OK, just make sure you know what you are going to say. That is the most important thing.”
“I have it all prepared.” Grace said confidently.
“Have you written it down?” Matt asked.
“Nope, It’s all in my head.” She tapped her skull.
“Have I told you how much I love you?” Matt asked. “And how proud I am that you are doing this.”
“Once or twice.” She kissed his lips, and then said, “I should go and get changed.”
“Do you want me to help?” Matt asked. “I’m particularly good at taking clothes off.”
“Mine, or your own?” she countered.
“If there was no one else here, I’d undress us both. As it is, that may have to wait until tonight.”
“That will have to wait until tonight.” She smiled, and went to the car and grabbed her bag. Then she headed inside the brand-new house. She would change clothes in the bathroom, and then wait anxiously for when she had to make her speech.
Going in through the back door, she glanced around the kitchen; it was compact, but had everything Tony and Alice needed. Passing through into the hallway, she admired the way the stained-glass window over the door illuminated the space, casting colors over the walls and floor, giving it a sense of warmth.
The stairs, a little ornate for a house this small, had been installed by Caleb and Tony, who were partners in all things wood. Tony was a natural at carving wood, and his carpentry skills were already sought after both in Bear Bluff and the neighboring towns. He was a success story, and Grace could not be more thrilled. Dylan’s project was a success, on a scale he had never imagined.
Peeling off her work clothes in the new bathroom, she quickly washed and changed, making sure she left everything scrupulously clean, before she went back downstairs. Outside, she could hear voices, lots of voices. Most of them were familiar, and she smiled as she heard a baby crying.
“How is my favorite little man?” Grace asked.
“I’m well, thank you. I could do with a good night’s sleep, though.”
“I did not mean you, Jed,” Grace said, trying not to laugh. “I mean this adorable baby of yours.”
“Would you like to hold him, Grace?” Amanda asked.
“Yes, please.” Babies had never been her thing, but since Arthur, Jed’s son, had been born, she’d changed her mind. Something Matt was incredibly happy about.
“How are the nerves?�
� Amanda asked, settling Arthur in Grace’s arms.
“OK. I’ll be OK.” She looked up from gazing at Arthur’s face and tried to smile. “What’s the worst that can happen?”
“You could…” Jed began but a look from Amanda silenced him.
“You will be perfect. And if anything goes wrong, just remember, we’re your family and friends, and we’ll still love you, no matter what happens.” Amanda’s words made her heart ache.
“I never thought I’d have all this,” Grace said, her eyes misting up. “Until I came here I thought I’d live a lonely life.”
“Hey, no crying today,” Matt said, coming to stand by her side and coo at the baby. “This is a day of celebration.”
***
Matt was right. It was a day of celebration. Long after Grace had made her speech and the keys to the house were handed over to Tony and Alice, all the people who had been part of building the cabin were enjoying a BBQ, courtesy of Tony and Alice, and her brother Ace, who took on the role of chef.
As Grace sipped a cool beer, and looked at the happy faces around her, she was finally ready to sever the last strands of fear that had gripped her heart since she was seven years old. Never again would she feel unloved, or unlovable. All the people whom she counted as friends would always be there for her, because of who she had become.
A friend, a co-worker, and a fiancée. They liked her, they loved her, in a way she had never expected to experience. It was unconditional. If she messed up, they wouldn’t abandon her, because that’s not what friends and family do. She knew that now.
“Are you daydreaming again?” Matt asked, sitting down next to her and passing her a plate of food.
“No, I don’t have to daydream anymore. Because my dreams have come true.”
“Mine too,” he said as he kissed her. Looking around, he added, “There must be something in the mountain air of Bear Bluff, because from what I see, a lot of dreams have come true.”
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