“Ready?” He looked at her, his eyes hard as he said, “Last chance to change your mind.”
“I’m going with you,” she said firmly.
“Then let’s hit the road. It’s an hour’s drive, and I’d like to get there before lunch. Sheriff sometimes patrols the mountains in the afternoon.”
“Is he a shifter too?” Elise asked, checking for the third time there was no way Connor could wriggle out of his seat.
“Yes. Not hard to guess what, when the town is called Bear Creek. It’s a good town.” He went back to the house, locked the front door, and then climbed into the truck. Connor was in between them, kicking his legs excitedly. The baby loved cars, and when Beau started the truck, he giggled at the loud rumble of the engine and the way it vibrated through him.
“That’s my boy,” Beau said with a grin. “There’s nothing wrong with a big engine. It’s how you get places.”
Elise rolled her eyes. Was this what she had to look forward to if Beau helped raise Connor? Then she shook her head. Rather that, than the alternative of him being like his real dad: if he was nothing more, he was a man who got a woman pregnant and then left her. Not the worst thing a man could do, but unless he had a damn good reason, it was certainly not the kind of man she would want Connor to grow up into.
Again she questioned what kind of shifter he was. Or was he even a shifter at all? Maybe he was a normal human pretending to be a shifter. Weirder things had happened.
“Ready?” Beau asked, breaking into her thoughts.
“Yes.” She nodded, hoping the trip to Bear Creek might shed enough light on Gable that she might be able to walk away from this whole thing. If it turned out he was just some sad little man with a notion he could pretend to be something he wasn’t, then she would take Connor home and keep him safe. Yes, it would deny him the chance of knowing his real father, but it was the right thing to do, rather than let a non-shifter raise him.
“We’ll have some answers soon,” Beau said, as if reading her thoughts.
“Will we?” she asked absently. “Sorry, I was just thinking things over.” She sat up straight as he pulled out of his driveway and headed down the track onto the road that would take them into town. From there they would go west until they reached Bear Creek. Elise had a rough idea where it was, but had never actually visited the town.
“I hope so, Elise,” he said and the look he gave her, which he quickly covered, made her wonder if he had uncovered more than just the information on Gable.
Of course. By giving him her real name, he would have been able to do a background check on her too. Damn it, she should have lied about that too. But surely he couldn’t already know that Connor wasn’t hers. Could he?
“I really don’t know what to expect. What kind of man tells a woman he is her mate if it’s a lie?”
“If that woman was a human, then she would never know. If she was a shifter, then she would know the truth, because she would feel it too. Wouldn’t she?” he asked, probing gently.
“I’ve asked myself the same question over and over again,” she said, glancing at him, then turning to look out of the window. It was all he was going to get for now. Her story was unraveling and maybe that was for the best. Before this went any further, she was going to lay everything out for him and tell him the whole truth.
His question really was the crux of her confusion towards the relationship between Gable and her sister. Whether Gable was a shifter or a con man, Elise didn’t know. What she did know was that her sister was a shifter, and she was convinced Gable was her mate. It was what had helped kill her in the end: she had no will to live. Struck down with a mystery virus that attacked her immune system, she had nothing in her to fight it.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she turned to stroke Connor’s head and then kissed him, drowning her senses in his baby smell. As she lifted her head, her eyes locked with Beau’s, and the truth passed between them then.
But this wasn’t the time to talk about it. That could wait until later, when they had spoken to Brad and they knew more. Until then, she let her guard down and allowed her feelings for him to run free, and the relief she felt was so immense, she wanted to cry out to the world.
Chapter Eight – Beau
He sensed a subtle shift in Elise, but he didn’t mention it. There was no way he was going to trigger the barriers that had been lowered between them. This was the first time since she had turned up on his doorstep yesterday evening that he felt as if he had taken a step closer to where he needed to be. Which was right next to her, in all things. It wasn’t just her body he wanted, it was her life story, her pain and her laughter, her sadness and her joy. All of it.
They had traveled for miles, a long silence stretching out between them interspersed by gurgles from Connor. Yet it no longer seemed strained. They both had secrets, they both had to find a way to share those secrets, that other part of themselves, with a stranger. That was the weird part. Knowing they were to spend the rest of their lives together, and yet not knowing the first thing about the other person.
Other than they were both connected by the loss of a sister. In Elise’s case, maybe even the loss of a twin.
“This is Bear Creek,” he said as he turned off the highway and onto a country road that wound along the side of a mountain. In front of them the valley cut away, and they began to pass houses, at first dotted around the lower slopes in no particular order, and then they became closer together, until they entered a small town, with old buildings that told of a time gone by.
“It’s been here a while,” she said, peering at the stores as they went by, noting where the diner was, her stomach rumbled in appreciation. “Should we eat first?”
He looked at his watch. “We should go and meet up with Brad within the next hour. If you want, I can drop you off at the diner and go on alone. He might open up to me a bit more.”
“If you don’t have a woman with you?” she asked tartly.
“I was thinking because he knows me. We go way back. Me, my brothers… and my sister used to come over here and visit a distant cousin in the summer when we were kids,” he said, as he circled back around towards the diner.
“Then you can drop me off at the diner up ahead.” She suddenly agreed, surprising him, because he thought he would have to put up a stiff argument about why it would be better if he spoke to his childhood friend alone.
“I’ll help you out.” He stopped his truck outside the diner, and went around to the trunk to get out the baby bag, and then waited while Elise pried Connor from his seat.
“Thank you. It will be easier for you to talk to Brad on your own, rather than with me and Connor. I can almost guarantee this little man will start crying and demanding his bottle if I come too.”
“I’ll meet you here. I’m sure they’ll warm a bottle for you.”
“I’m sure they will.” She stood a little awkwardly, with Connor pressed to her body. Then she did something spontaneous, something that gave the whole game away. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, almost jumping back from him as if the touch of his skin had burned her. “Promise me you’ll tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out. I don’t need to be spared, I need the truth.”
“I promise,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, his skin inflamed, the touch of her lips forever seared into his memory. He put his hand on her arm, and touched her lightly, seeing the confusion on her face. Why she had lied, he could only guess, but now she had let him in; even if it was through the smallest of chinks in her defenses, he was going to make sure she never shut him out again. “We will figure this out. Whatever you need from me, just tell me.”
“Later.” She nodded once and then turned around and walked into the diner, not looking back, even though he stood there and waited until she was seated and the waitress came and asked for her order. She had put a spell on him, and he hated to walk away and leave her; the irrational fear that she might not be here when he came back was almost too much.
But where would she go in a strange town like this?
Not wanting to waste any more time, he turned quickly and headed across town to Brad’s office, walking instead of taking the truck, giving himself some air, and some time to clear his head. This was going to be a difficult meeting, not because of Elise, but because Brad would offer his condolences, would want to talk about Beau’s sister, which would open the wound afresh.
However, he had no choice. He had to find out the information Elise needed.
He could almost picture himself and his siblings, walking down this road. He would have been about fourteen, his sister hanging on the shirt tails of her older brothers, when they would have her stay at home, because she was too young, not one of the boys. Yet even then, she could take care of herself. Maybe that was one of the reasons they didn’t like her coming with them. At some point during the day she was bound to be quicker, stronger, or just plain better at doing things than her brothers.
This would grate on them, particularly his older brother, Wayne, who always wanted to be the biggest, the fastest, and the one to keep them all safe. He was a driven alpha in the making, which was why losing Louisa … her name lingered in his head, along with memories of her body lying broken in the ditch.
That was what he hated. He could never picture her face without seeing her dead.
“Beau.” A voice came to him, and he turned to see another childhood friend, Hal, coming towards him. His throat constricted. If Hal didn’t know about Louisa’s death, he would have to form the words, tell him that his beautiful sister had been killed by a psychopath who had never been caught.
“Hal. How are you?” Beau said. “Last time I heard you were living on the mountain on your lonesome.”
“Things change.” Hal smiled, and Beau saw instantly that he knew about Louisa. It was why he had become a relative recluse back home. The look of overwhelming pity in other people’s eyes broke him every time. He knew that was why his other brothers had moved away. To escape. But the family house was what made Beau stay; it was the only tangible thing he had to connect to Louisa. He was scared if he left he would forget her completely. Surely it was better to imagine her lying dead than not imagine her at all.
“They certainly do,” Beau replied. “Are you heading over to the sheriff’s office?”
“Yes. Brad said you might be stopping by. I wanted to catch up with you. Offer my condolences.”
There it was. Beau felt his throat constrict and knew it was a mistake to come back here. “Thanks.”
Hal slapped him on the shoulder with his big hand and then said, “Come on. I think Will is there too.”
“Must be bad if you are out in force,” Beau joked, but really it was good to see the people he had spent so many happy hours with as a young bear, in the days when life was carefree.
“You know what it’s like, any excuse to get together with old friends. Now we all have mates, it doesn’t happen as often as we would like.”
“I can imagine.” They walked the last hundred yards to Brad’s office, and there was the sheriff and Will, shooting the breeze. Will had a business suit on, feet up on the desk, looking every inch the city slicker Beau had heard he had become.
“You’re here,” Brad said, getting up from his chair, knocking Will’s feet off his desk and coming over to shake Beau’s hand.
“Good to see you both,” Beau said, and they shook hands before Will pulled him into a big bear hug.
“It’s been too long,” Will said, his voice filled with emotion. “We wanted to come over and see you when we heard, but when Brad phoned, Wayne told him you all needed some space.”
“I didn’t know that,” Beau said. “Wayne never said.”
“Always was the quiet sort.” Brad and Hal exchanged glances. Thankfully no one else mentioned Louisa, but he knew they all pictured her, remembered her as a beautiful young woman, and that made it easier.
“So you have news on this Gable O’Donnell?”
“Typical Beau, straight to business. We were waiting to hear about this mate of yours,” Will said, studying his old friend.
“How do you know I have a mate?” Beau asked, and Brad kicked Will in the ankle.
“We figured that was the only thing that would bring you out of your self-imposed retirement,” Hal said. “What, we can’t pretend nothing happened,” he added defensively.
“Hal’s right, so let’s get it out of the way now. We were all distraught about Louisa,” Brad said.
“Thanks.” Beau managed to maintain eye contact with Brad, and not let the lump in his throat erupt into a sob. He was not about to let them see him cry.
“She was a good cop,” Brad said. “I wish I could have done more to help track down her killer.”
“I know.” Beau nodded, needing this part of the conversation to be over.
Brad cleared his throat. “Which brings us to why we are all here.”
Beau noticed the shift on his tone and he focused on the sheriff. “What do you mean?”
“This Gable O’Donnell. He is an interesting character, and I wondered if you could fill me in on what exactly you are after him for.”
“A woman turned up on my doorstep yesterday… With a baby.” Beau collected his thoughts. There was no point holding anything back from these men. They were his friends, and he wanted their help. “She said O’Donnell was the father of the child and she was tracking him down to let him know. Because he had told her he was her mate, and she believed him.”
“This is the woman who is your mate?” Hal asked, sounding confused.
“Yes, Elise Arnold. Only… And she hasn’t admitted it to me exactly. She had a sister, Eleanor…. Deceased. I believe the child is her nephew, and she is tracking this O’Donnell because he duped Eleanor, who later died.”
“Duped? And they are like us? Shifters.”
Beau nodded. “I’m not sure how it happened. Maybe he’s the kind who doesn’t feel the bond in the same way. I don’t know, but he managed to walk away, and leave her with child. Never got in contact again.” Beau sighed. The whole day, coming here to a place so connected with Louisa, had tired him more than it should. He was emotionally drained. “Of course something could have happened to him to prevent him going to see her. But Elise is hell-bent on finding him, and the truth.”
He ran a hand over his face. Maybe if he hadn’t retired, his brain would be sharper. He thought he must be missing something, but he couldn’t see what.
“I did some digging. Going on the name, and came up with this man.” Brad put a picture down on the table in front of Beau.
“Eyes like the abyss…” Beau picked the picture up and looked at him. “He fits the description.”
“Goes by the name of Gerald O’Dowd now. Runs drugs out of a warehouse down on Harborside.” Brad looked at Hal and Will. Something passed between them and then he continued. “We think he was connected to Louisa’s death too.”
Chapter Nine – Elise
Elise fed Connor, while the ladies in the diner fussed over him, telling her what an adorable baby he was. Within no time she had coffee and bagels in front of her, with the promise of a nice substantial meal to keep your strength up on its way.
Her curvy figure never usually led to people offering to feed her up, but she wasn’t going to complain. Settling back in her seat, sipping coffee and nibbling on her bagel, while Connor drank his bottle, his hands clasped around it and a look of utter contentment on his face, she could almost forget why they were here. All she knew was she liked Bear Creek; she liked it a lot.
“Hi there.” A woman, pushing a stroller, came into the diner. Elise looked up, and realized the woman was talking to her.
She raised her hand warily, but then from behind her came calls of, “Hello, Abbi. I’ll get you your usual.”
Abbi took a toddler out of the stroller—she must have been about two years old—and came over to Elise. “Mind if I sit here?”
“Er… No.” Elise wanted to say yes
, that she was waiting for someone, that her mate was just a few streets away. But the smile on Abbi’s face was infectious.
“Thanks. Brad texted me and told me you were here. Asked if I’d come over and keep you company.” She settled the little girl next to her, and handed her some crayons and a coloring book out of her purse. “We have about ten minutes before the crayons lose their appeal and Sky starts wondering into the kitchen to help Arlene with the food preparation. It’s never pretty.”
“So Brad sent you…” Elise asked, shifting Connor’s weight in her arms.
“Yes, Beau is with him now. They are talking business, and he thought you might want some company.” She looked up as a waitress bought her a hot chocolate with cream and sprinkles, and placed a smoothie down in front of Sky. “Thanks, Arlene.”
“Thanks, Arlene,” Sky mimicked.
“You are welcome.” Arlene winked at Sky, who tried to copy that too, but it didn’t work. “You enjoy your smoothie, Sky.”
Abbi let Arlene get out of earshot, before she continued. “Brad told me why you are here. You’re looking for some guy who’s this little man’s daddy.”
Elise wasn’t sure how to answer. If she was done with lying to Beau about being Connor’s mom, would it be right to start off her friendship, and she sincerely hoped it was a friendship, with Abbi? She decided to keep the details as simple as possible, and not offer any more information than she needed to.
“Yes. That’s right.”
“I know Brad is going to tell Beau all the details, but he thought maybe you should know them too. So you know what you are dealing with.”
“Dealing with?” Elise shivered, although it was warm in the diner. She was beginning to worry exactly what she was dragging Beau into.
“Yes. You see this is going to open up some old wounds for Beau.” She studied Elise. “He’s going to need your full support.”
“Of course,” she answered. The lies were all gone. If he needed her, truly needed her, she would be there for him, no matter what. It had been stupid idea to lie about Connor and deceive Beau.
Her Bear and a Baby: BBW Bear Shifter Baby Paranormal Romance (Who's the Daddy? Book 2) Page 4