Bears of Burden: HUTCH

by Candace Ayers

  “I guess we do seem a little whipped,” he admitted with a smile.

  “A little?” Marsha scoffed, “Everly, this man has never brought a single girl home for me to meet, and you have him eating out of the palm of your hand. He’s most certainly whipped.”

  Connor stopped and turned Everly so that she faced him, so that he could look into her beautiful eyes.

  “Well, Marsha,” he spoke to her, but his eyes never left Everly’s, “For the first time in my life, I’m thinking that being whipped is just fine with me.”

  And it was.

  THE END

  BEAR’S (mail order) BRIDE

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  Lilly needs a way out. The mail order bride agency may be her only hope of escaping the clutches of her cruel and abusive husband. But, will any man want a jaded, “no longer fresh” 27 year old woman?

  Eli doesn’t want a wife, but he needs one. The wealthy bear shifting brothel (ahem… saloon) owner needs to present an image of respectability. He needs a wife—in name only.

  Lilly sounds perfect. Older and widowed, she’s not some young virgin preoccupied with illusions of love and romance.

  Unfortunately, once his bride-to-be arrives, Eli can think of little else but disrobing her and claiming her as his wife in every sense of the word!

  Chapter One

  Eli stepped out onto the front porch of the saloon, the freshly painted doors swinging shut behind him. A woman was perched on the edge of one of the rockers, her hair artfully curled and piled high atop her head, cheeks and mouth a painted pink color. She greeted the men who came close enough to be tempted by her buxom beauty and husky, suggesting voice.

  Flowers spilled out of the window boxes, their fragrance another heady reminder of Eden and temptation, and Eli swept a critical eye over the whole building. Everything about it was fresh and beckoning. The new shutters, the candles in the windows. He could find nothing amiss. This was just the kind of place a hungry man might come when he was looking for some sweet, feminine company, and a good time.

  The woman on the porch drawled a greeting to him, and he felt her eyes linger on his body as he stepped off the porch, her own hunger for him palpable. He pulled his hat low over his eyes, in what he hoped was close enough to a response. “Ma’am,” he said, not pausing or inviting conversation.

  The countryside spilled out in front of him, an endless view of gorgeous sunset, mountains draped in the background. Nevada had certainly been a wise choice for him. Just the kind of place he needed to take his newly found wealth for a fresh start.

  He’d found a lot more than just the gold in Sacramento. Although, it certainly wasn’t the thing that had changed his life the most. He didn’t linger on the dark thought for too long, just long enough to remind himself of why he’d come out here in the first place. It certainly wasn’t for the women. His eyes drifted toward the mountains in the backdrop. They were why he’d come here, after all. Refuge.

  He shook his head. It was up to him to seem like any other entrepreneur, searching for a way to invest his money wisely — not like a man skulking on the edge of society and trying to hide his secrets.

  So here he was, in the outskirts of Reno, putting his money to work. And so far it was working pretty damn hard. And in the process he’d been able to create a life that supported his…specific needs. He was grateful for all of that because he knew that hadn’t been a guarantee, but, if he continued to have to dodge these tiresome come-ons from these pretty working girls, he was going to lose his mind.

  Eli knew what the real problem was, of course. Aside from the problem that had led him to Reno in the first place. He was unattached, and it was an open invitation to be pursued. He’d tried to suggest gently he wasn’t interested, but those women looked at him like he was a walking piece of gold. He tried less gently. He was downright rude. Nothing seemed to work. And whether he claimed disinterest or not, they wanted to believe they were going to be the one that was different from all the others. Or that he was playing hard to get. Or that he just didn’t know the kind of opportunity he was passing up.

  When it became painfully clear that claiming he didn’t want a woman wasn’t the answer, he’d tried to tell them he had someone waiting back in California, anxiously waiting for him to send for her.

  That hadn’t worked either. Out of sight, out of mind, and the girls assumed she didn’t mean that much to him if she wasn’t there in bed beside him.

  Desperate times called for desperate measures. Having a wife in the traditional sense just wasn’t an option for him. How would he explain his unaccounted for nocturnal activities? His unusual proclivities. Even before Sacramento, he had enjoyed the occasional woman, but never thought he was the marrying kind. But being single was clearly not the option he had thought it would be.

  He stalked through the back of the property toward the simple cabin he called his home and resolved to put this whole damn woman issue behind him, whatever that might take.

  Lilly arranged her hair just so. She was trying to place her bonnet strategically so her face was in the deepest shadow possible. She’d done her best to cover up the bruises, but the harsh truth was, no amount of powder could hide the swelling, the creeping blue and yellow. She would just have to keep her head down and not make eye contact.

  She was going to be just another woman walking into the broker’s office, and, God-willing, there would be a man out there who would take a chance on something other than a wholesome, fresh-faced girl, unbroken and not yet ravaged by life.

  She certainly didn’t have that to offer anyone.

  Lilly sat through the interview the best she could, trying to ignore the throbbing across the side of her face and the stiffness in her shoulder, hoping nothing she did would betray her secrets.

  As far as the broker was concerned, she was a young window, her husband tragically lost to a timber accident. Their region of Canada was in the midst of a building boom and it happened all the time. She was just one of many women out there, looking for a man who would be willing to take care of her.

  But the set of her mouth and the pain in her eyes wasn’t left over from sickening grief, the loss of a mate. The broker didn’t need to know that, though. It was Lilly’s burden to carry, and she was finally in a place where she felt she could do something about it.

  The broker shuffled some papers and said he would be in touch, letting his eyes linger on her, and Lilly wondered if he was thinking she would be easy to place or if she would prove to be one of those women who sat on a shelf and didn’t move. She desperately prayed it would be quickly. Every day there was a little bit less of her left to get her through to the next morning.

  Eli leaned back in the uncomfortable chair. Lawyers weren’t known for wanting to keep their clients around, and he was fairly certain they picked the furniture for their offices with that in mind.

  He’d flipped through the applications and interviews. To be honest, he was having a hard time investing the kind of energy and interest you would expect someone picking out a wife might have. He wanted to tell the lawyer to choose for him. Who ended up in his bed meant nothing at all to him.

  In the end he settled on a woman called Lilly. There was no photograph and just a vague description. There was nothing at all to set her apart from the other papers in the stack. Except her age. The deciding factor. She was the only one over 20, the only one of the bunch who was widowed. If she was anything like any of the other women he’d known, she would be the type to settle right into the life he already had. She wouldn’t come sweeping in, expecting romance or to be able to change the way he lived or who he was.

  Certainly, a twenty-seven year old woman in mourning would be just the kind of woman Eli could step into a marriage contract with. She wouldn’t want anything from him, and he wouldn’t want to take anything from her. That seemed to be the ideal circumstance.

  After all, he’d known many eighteen year olds; he didn’t need one of those harping at him under his
own roof.

  Lilly had been making the trip twice weekly.

  She knew she couldn’t wait for him to come to her. There was no telling whether or not he would be seen. Whether or not she would be in any condition to answer the door. She’d figured he would come to expect her arrival and it wouldn’t even cross her mind that he should track her down.

  Now, he stood when she pushed open the door to the office, and smiled, like she was just the person he’d been waiting to see step through the threshold.

  “Lilly. Wonderful! I was just going to make my way out to you.”

  She nodded and tried to swallow her horror at the idea. How fortunate she’d made the journey earlier than usual today.

  He stepped around the desk, shuffling through sheaths of paper.

  “I’ve just had some paperwork arrive. I have great news; you’ve been selected by a man in,” he took another look at the papers, as though he’d barely glanced at them beyond checking out the commission he would make on the placement. “Nevada.” He smiled up at her. “Quite the trip. I hope you’re ready.”

  Her heart was hammering, and she reached for the papers, hoping the trembling she felt in her fingers wouldn’t be noticeable to the broker. Her very prayers had been answered.

  Eli Walker. That was the man’s name. She imagined the weight of the name on her tongue, vaguely aware that it would become her name as well.

  She breathed a heavy sigh and refrained from embracing the papers or the man in the office. “Wonderful,” she murmured instead. “When am I to be expected?”

  He looked down at the papers again. “Immediately. He’s sent the funds for your stage fare.”

  In a daze, she took the papers from him. She had already paid the man his fees when she’d first applied to be a bride. It was money she had scrimped and saved, scrounged up from the depths of laundry and from taking on extra mending. She was dreading the next installment because she wasn’t sure she’d be able to provide any more without raising the suspicions of her husband. That needed to be avoided at all cost. She knew she had only this one opportunity, and she couldn’t risk losing it.

  And now she had this. An acceptance. Fare for the stage. She could cry in relief.

  The broker put together the last of the paperwork, and she knew he would receive an additional commission fee from the man who had purchased her. Brokering women was a lucrative business; Lilly wasn’t so naive as to not know the truth of her situation. She wasn’t above using it as an exit strategy.

  With the paper packet in hand, she stepped out of the office in a daze, stopping by the station for a schedule and purchasing her ticket. There was a late night stage coach leaving, and she knew her husband would be out, doing God knows what, and coming home mean and drunk.

  It would be the perfect time to leave.

  Back at home, Lilly packed sparsely, leaving as much as she could behind. She didn’t want the reminder of who she was, who she had been, or the things the man she’d endured for years had bought her.

  With her satchel packed, Lilly set it near the door and tried to be patient, waiting for the darkness to shield her desperate exit.

  Chapter Two

  Lilly settled back into the bench on the stagecoach. No amount of cushion was going to make the ride comfortable, but she felt the tension beginning to ease out of her as they worked their way farther and farther away from the place she had called her home.

  After dark, when the house was eerily quiet, and she could hear only the sounds of her own breathing and the ticking of her time piece — no matter how much she strained her ears — she made her way out into the night, clutching her bag, her feet moving quickly over the ground.

  She’d chosen her darkest dress and a matching bonnet, hoping to hide as many distinguishing features as possible and had lied about her name and final destination when she had bought her ticket. She wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if James discovered her whereabouts.

  There was only one other pair on the stage with her and the darkness had lulled everyone into silence. Lilly tipped her head back and closed her eyes, feeling at peace for the first time in a long time, her future unfolding before her.

  Eli sat patiently at the station, waiting for his new bride to arrive. They hadn’t corresponded, but his lawyer had assured him she had made it on the initial stage and, while it was quite the trip from Eastern Canada to Reno and a multi-week endeavor, Lilly was expected to make her appearance tonight, nearly a month after her acceptance.

  He checked his pocket watch. He’d considered not coming at all, to maybe send someone else to pick her up in his stead. But he knew that would do little to alleviate the advances of the women who worked for him. He had to at least appear interested in his woman’s arrival. Plus, he needed that time alone with Lilly to iron out all the little details and to create their backstory. It would do him no good at all if everyone knew he had ordered a woman he’d never met and cared nothing for. It would do even less if they knew he had no intention of consummating that marriage. She needed to know all the particulars if this was going to have a half chance in hell of working.

  Eli alternated between sitting on the provided bench and pacing the space. He was getting that unsettling urge that accompanied the oncoming night. There was little he could do to curb the urge to move, to resist the call of the woods and the nearby mountains. The hair on the back of his neck felt electrified, current sweeping over and through his body. Dusk was well into settling when he saw the first puffs of dust that indicated the stagecoach’s impending arrival. A growling in his stomach highlighted the fact that their arrival wasn’t quite as on time as had been promised. Like he needed the additional reminder.

  The horses pulled up, lathered and eager to slow. One let out a loud whoof of air as the driver disembarked and swung open the carriage door.

  She was the only one to exit the carriage, carefully navigating the steps while using the driver’s extended hand for balance.

  He could hear her murmur a thanks to the driver as he reached for her bag and Eli stepped forward to give the man a tip.

  “Ms. Lilly,” Eli said with just enough of a lift to the words to make it a question and not a presumption.

  She turned toward him, the rustling of her skirts the only real sound. “And you must be Mr. Eli?” she responded in assent, nodding in his direction.

  In the gloom it was hard to make out much of his features, but she could hear what sounded like a wry smile in his voice when he said, “Please. There’s no reason to be calling your husband something so formal. Eli will do well enough.” Something about how he spoke to her settled her nerves. After the initial thrill of her escape she had begun to worry that maybe this savior wouldn’t be everything she imagined him to be. After all, what kind of man ordered a wife? That had been the least of her worries at the time, however.

  As the driver moved the horses forward, heading toward the livery to unharness and bed them down for a well-deserved rest, Eli gathered Lilly’s single bag and extended his arm to her.

  “No doubt, you are ready to be finished with your journey, but there is still a little ways to go yet.”

  She dipped her head in another practiced demure response and followed him to where he’d hitched his own horse pulling a small shay. It would have been faster to bring a pair of horses, but Eli hadn’t been sure what sort of luggage she might have with her, and whether or not she knew how to sit a horse. Had he known it would just be the one bag, they could have done with one animal between them.

  The ride was quiet, the night air brisk against their skin, Eli’s horse fresh and quick. Of course, the horses never settled as well around them as they used to. Their sensitive noses quivered at his arrival, the whites of their eyes on display, aware he looked like a man, but harbored something they could not see. He had always thought they were a good judge of character.

  “I hope your trip was pleasant enough; I know you cove
red a great distance to get here.”

  “Yes, it was quite fine.” Lilly had had a series of stage mates and drivers, and with each turnover, she had celebrated a little at moving further away from the ties that had bound her to James and Canada. Each step the horse took forward felt like there was one less chain binding her to the past.

  This close to her, he was distracted by a sweet scent that seemed to linger on her, and even though their bodies did not touch, she could feel a heat and power emanating from him. She was surprised to note that it did not worry her. She had come to associate power with fear and pain. This was the kind of power that drew you in, that you didn’t realize was there until it was too late, and Lilly found herself wondering if that was a danger in itself.

  “I was glad to hear you’d accepted my offer,” Eli began, realizing now how ill-equipped he was to talk to her about their arrangement, and how awkward the whole thing was by its very nature. The fact that he was painfully aware of that sweet scent didn’t help matters at all, either. “I have contracted you because I am in need of a woman to perform wifely duties, and to provide the appearance of a fully functional marriage. All aspects.”

  He paused to allow her a moment to respond, wondering where he should go next with his explanation. She seemed to be taking his words very well, but somehow distant from the conversation at the same time. When she said nothing, he continued on. “I do not expect to use your body, but will expect you to sleep in my room. My house — the house,” he corrected, as though that would include her more fully, “is very close to my business and it is of the utmost importance that we appear happy, and as though we’ve known each other a very long time. We are very much in love. And I’ve told them all you have come from California. I would appreciate it if you would indulge those discrepancies, or at the very least, if you feel you cannot lie to them directly, let them continue to believe that is the case.”