The two bear shifters stared into the crate where Martin slept, curled up like a kitten.
"Can you come back for his next feeding?" Rex asked.
"I have a date. But you can call me for backup if you need to."
"I always do," Rex said, patting Thomas on the back. "You know it."
As Thomas drove to the restaurant to meet Rachel, he thought about how much he had always liked infants, and wanted to have a brood of his own someday. If only Rachel really were his fated mate.
Why won't you ever listen to me, his bear said. The woman is our mate. You know it. I know it.
Rachel seemed like she would be a good mother; she certainly was loving with Martin. The more he thought about her, the more he wanted her to think well of him.
How was he going to explain to her that he wasn't the famous Dr. Rex, and was only an ordinary guy?
If only you were really a doctor, his bear said.
If only his bear actually said something helpful once in a while.
The Monarch Cafe was a tiny bar and restaurant that somehow was never crowded, despite its incredible food and a cheery staff. It was a local favorite, intimate, with only twenty-four tables draped in white tablecloths, and a shaded terrace in the back, which was the finest place to sit. Thomas got there before Rachel and asked for the table with the best view.
"I'm expecting a friend," he told the waiter, Greg, a young man who had worked there for as long as Thomas had been coming to the restaurant.
"Can I get you something in the meantime?" Greg asked. "Drinks, maybe?"
"Good idea." He wondered if Rachel preferred tea or coffee. She'd asked him for coffee, right? "We'll take a pot of coffee. Two mugs."
"You got it," Greg said.
But maybe Rachel preferred tea. "And tea."
"A cup of tea?"
"No, a pot. A pot of tea." He looked through the menu. "And a plate of scones. Oh! Do you have those banana-nut muffins today?"
Greg nodded. "Some chocolate chip cookies just came out of the oven too."
"Yes. Bring those." How to explain himself? I'm not a doctor and I don't even need to work. So I don't.
"Instead of the scones and muffins?"
"In addition." Thomas nodded. He hoped Rachel didn't think he was pretending to be a doctor. That would be awkward.
"The chef just made an incredible potato salad."
"Yes. Sounds great. Tell you what. Let's have a big platter of everything that looks good in the kitchen. And some ice water."
"I'll bring some of everything," Greg said as he turned on his heel and left.
Thomas would just come straight out and tell her. He didn't have anything to be ashamed of.
Oh, really? his bear piped in.
No. Really.
Thomas's father was a famous bear whisperer and his parents invested in real estate. He had inherited his fortune as well as his bear whispering skills—he was able to talk with animals and soothe them too. He didn't need to work. There was nothing wrong with that.
So why do you feel ashamed? his bear wondered.
Thomas took out his phone to scan the news headlines.
By the time Rachel showed up, their table was burdened with nearly everything on the menu.
"Well!" she said. "You must be hungry."
"Me? Not really. I thought you might be drained from your meeting." She didn't look at all drained. She looked completely energized and full of life. He hadn't noticed before, but she had a light sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her hair streamed in gentle curls over her shoulders and she was dressed in a red polka-dotted dress that crisscrossed over her breasts. Her breasts. Thomas tried not to stare.
She had changed her clothes for their date. That made Thomas happy.
Except she thinks you're a doctor, dummy.
You could try helping, he told his bear.
Compliment her, his bear said.
"You look pretty," Thomas told Rachel. "Coffee? Tea? Water?"
"Here I thought I was over-prepared." She laughed and lifted up her small suitcase of a handbag before placing it under the table and sitting down across from him. "Coffee, please. Is there cream? How is Martin?"
"He was sleeping when I left."
"Oh, good." She looked over the plates before picking out a chocolate cookie. She popped a small strawberry in her mouth. Thomas took one too. "Thank you for this bounty, by the way. It looks amazing. Did you leave anything for everyone else?"
"I try not to."
She laughed. Her smile felt like the sun, warming his entire world. She reached toward the strawberries, but instead of taking one, lay her hand palm up on the table.
"And you were so terrific with Martin. He really trusted you. You should have seen when the others were trying to get him out of my arms. There was no way. And then you walk in and just charm him right over," she said. Her hand was soft and pale, and he saw a smudge of blue paint on her wrist.
"I've seen a lot of cubs, but Martin's special. There's something so vulnerable and sweet about him. I think maybe he was traumatized." He leaned forward and placed his hand on the table too.
"What makes you think that?"
"Most cubs, even that young, are wild animals. They don't connect so readily with people. The way he wouldn't let you go. Not that I blame him." He smiled and reached towards the strawberries, brushing his fingers across her hers.
Nice one, his bear said.
Was that a compliment from his bear? There's a first time for everything.
Don't make me take it back.
She blushed, but didn't pull back. Their fingers were almost touching. "I just have to say. You're so impressive. A doctor who volunteers to work with bears. I've never met anyone like you before."
They sat and smiled at each other. He really liked her. Even his bear was quiet.
"Listen..." he said, rocking his fingers, so they barely touched her.
It was time to tell Rachel the truth. He wasn't a doctor. He wasn't even employed. After this, it would be obvious that he was deceiving her. Even to himself.
"Rachel—" he started.
His cell phone rang.
He ignored it.
"The thing is—"
It rang again.
"Sorry," he said, reaching into his jacket pocket. "I'll just turn it off."
But before he could switch it off, a string of text messages came in from Rex. Come to the Sanctuary ASAP, the texts read. I need you here. It's Martin. He won't let anyone else touch him.
"We have to get back to the Sanctuary," he told Rachel. "There's an emergency with Martin."
Thomas tossed a hundred-dollar bill on the table and took Rachel's hand firmly in his. Together they raced out of the Monarch Cafe.
3
Both their cars had been parked at meters in front of the restaurant, so they drove separately to the Sanctuary, which seemed dumb now that Rachel was alone in her car, but when they were rushing out of the restaurant, it made total sense.
Rachel stopped at a red light.
What had Dr. Rex been struggling to tell her?
Dr. Rex. Funny. She needed to stop thinking about him as Dr. Rex. That was just silly. Rex.
He was just a man, right?
He'd held her hand. It still tingled.
She shook her head and ran her fingers over her lips. He was more than just a man, wasn't he? A doctor and a bear cub rescuer. He was a hero.
The light turned green. She was so glad she'd been at the Sanctuary today. Rachel smiled and licked her lips.
Rachel arrived at the Sanctuary and bee-lined into the nursery. She could hear Martin crying the second she walked in. Another tall handsome man was with Lea.
Wow.
Forget online dating—Rachel should have started hanging out at bear sanctuaries years ago.
"Hi," Rachel said to him. "I'm Rachel."
Martin was curled up on a table. She walked over. "Hey, little guy." Once he saw her, the cub flew into her
arms. She cradled him to her chest.
Rex arrived and walked in behind her. He stood next to the two of them, putting his hand on her shoulder. Rachel looked up at him with a smile. She felt so touched that tears nearly came into her eyes. It was as though they were a little family and Martin was their baby.
Lea pointed to the new man and said, "I thought you two had met earlier. This is Doctor Rex Harris."
"No, it isn't," Rachel said, turning to the man standing behind her. "This is Doctor Rex."
"No. I'm Thomas," he said.
"I'm confused," Lea said.
"Who is Thomas?" Rachel stepped away from him, cradling Martin. "What do you mean?"
"You assumed I was Rex. But I'm not. I'm just myself. That's what I was trying to tell you."
"You were pretending to be a doctor?"
"I never said that I was the doctor. You said it."
"Well, you didn't correct me." She stepped further away.
"I was trying, Rachel."
"Who are you?"
"He's the bear whisperer." Dr. Rex finally spoke. "And my very good friend, Thomas Channing."
Although she realized it had nothing to do with him, Rachel glared at the real doctor.
"I'm not the bear whisperer," Thomas said firmly. "I'm just an ordinary...guy."
"A guy." Rachel stepped even further away from him, until she was standing right next to the real Dr. Rex. "And you're Rex?"
He nodded and she couldn't help noticing a gold wedding band on his left ring finger.
"Nice to meet you," Rex said. "Now if that's all straightened out, we've got a problem here. The cub won't accept food from anyone else. He won't let anyone touch him. He's very stressed. We need you two to take on his care for the time being."
Rachel held Martin tightly in her arms; she nodded. He needed her. "So we have to take turns feeding him? Every five hours, right?"
"It's more than that," Rex said. "He's appears to be suffering from some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder. Thomas left him with me, which was fine. But once he woke up, he began crying and hasn't stopped."
"He's like an infant. He can't be left alone. That's why I stayed here this afternoon until Rex showed up," Thomas added. "But if he'll only feed with us, too, we'd better stay with him ourselves."
"We have to stay here with him?" Rachel asked, looking at the cages and crates.
"We have living quarters in the back bungalow, a two-bedroom apartment that we rent out to donors who want to stay near the bear enclosure," Lea said. "You can both stay there."
"Both of us? Why both?"
"We could take turns, but he really needs around-the-clock care," Thomas said.
"Once he eats solid food—grapes, peanut butter sandwiches—he should be able to be left alone. And eventually he can join the adult bears outside," Lea said.
"How long will that take?" Rachel wanted to help, but she had a lot of work to do.
"If it's longer than a few days we can look at other options."
Martin cried. Of course she would help care for him. "He's hungry now," Rachel said.
"I'll make his bottle," Thomas replied, walking to the electric kettle.
Thomas. She would have to get used to that. Or, better idea: She would never see him again after Martin had recovered.
"Is he too attached to us to go back to the wild?"
"I'm afraid so. I think he was accustomed to people before he even got here," Rex said.
"Where did he come from? Does he have a mom?"
"We need to find out."
Rachel massaged the little bear's back. Nothing would come in the way of taking care of Martin. If he were too used to people to live in the wild, she would personally make sure that he never ended up in a zoo.
Martin mewled up at her.
"He was in my neighborhood, right? Can you tell me more about where he was found?"
"You'll need to talk with the officer who found him," Lea said.
"You should focus on soothing him. Whatever trauma he suffered appears to be life-threatening. At this point we need to keep him alive, and that means giving him what he needs. Your love," Thomas said.
"My love?"
Thomas nodded.
"So I can kiss his head?"
"Well..." Lea hesitated. "We don't want to treat wild animals like human infants."
Thomas nodded. "You can kiss his head."
She looked to Dr. Rex.
He nodded too. "Whatever Thomas says, goes. He's the expert, whether he'll admit it or not."
Rachel kissed the top of Martin's head. He stared up at her with so much longing in his eyes. So much need. She rubbed his back. "Hungry, little man?"
She took the bottle from Thomas and offered it to Martin. He grabbed on to it and suckled hungrily.
She smiled up at everyone. They were all gazing adoringly at the little cub.
Especially Thomas.
4
The Sanctuary's apartment may have been set up for wealthy donors, but it seemed more like a suite at the Motel 6 than the Hilton.
Each bedroom held basic brown pressed-board furniture and double beds with vibrant purple flowered bedspreads. The living area was sparsely furnished with a paisley couch and loveseat, and a large oil painting of Mount Rainier hung near the dining table. The apartment was clean, though, and right next to the bear enclosure, so they could hear the sounds the bears made. This wasn't a big deal for Thomas, of course, but he was amused to see Rachel open the window to the enclosure and say hello to the three female bears.
"Marcia! Jan! Cindy! Hello, girls! It's me, Rach!"
"Rach?" Thomas said with a smile. He placed Martin's cradle under the painting and gently placed the sleepy cub into it. Thomas rocked the cradle until the little guy settled.
"It's just something between us girls. Hey, if you're a bear whisperer, can you ask the girls if they're happy here?"
"Those bears? Happy?"
"Yeah. I mean, do they like it here? Or are they sad not to be living in a forest? Because I think they'd rather be in a forest, but maybe I'm just projecting."
"You mean you'd rather live in a forest? So why don't you? I mean, what's stopping you?"
Maybe she already has a boyfriend, did you ever think of that? his bear said.
That was the last thing Thomas wanted to consider.
"It's not that I want to live in a forest. But if I were a bear, I probably would. It's their natural habitat, right? How did you become a bear whisperer, anyway?"
"My father was a professional bear whisperer, so I grew up paying a lot of attention to bears. He traveled around to the national parks when I was a kid. I went with him. That's all. There's nothing magical about it."
"Why didn't you tell me? When we met, you must have realized that I thought you were Rex."
"I honestly didn't notice until you called me Doctor Rex when you were leaving." He sat across from her on the sofa. "Then when we met for coffee, I just felt awkward about it. Like you would think I had deceived you when that's the last thing I would ever do. I mean, I've known Rex for decades. Literally."
"So it was an innocent mistake."
"A misunderstanding." He nodded. But she still looked wary as if she didn't trust him, and he felt annoyance spreading in his chest. "Why did you care so much that I might have been a doctor? I mean, you seemed to think it was a very big deal…'you're a hero!' and so on."
She blushed. "I liked you. And I like people who do things that are not easy, to help make the world a better place. Like go to medical school and volunteer to take care of animals in their spare time."
"Like go to medical school."
She shrugged. "Is that so hard to understand?"
"Not hard to understand. Just typical." Thomas stood up and walked back to where Martin was sleeping, ignoring Rachel's angry expression.
"That's not fair!" she said.
She's right, his bear announced.
Who asked you?
"We'll take shifts s
o that we can both do whatever we need to outside of here. I'll take the next two feedings, so you can take off until tomorrow morning."
"I'm not some kind of snob. That's what you're implying."
"I've known plenty of women who think that only doctors and lawyers are worthwhile men."
"I'm not like that," she protested. "It's the deception that bothered me."
"I didn't deceive you. You jumped to a conclusion and hung on for dear life!"
"I did not."
"Then why are you still angry at me?" Thomas boomed. His voice became very deep when he was angry. Just like his dad.
Martin woke up, crying. Thomas and Rachel rushed to his cradle.
"It's okay, Martin," they both said at the same time. Their eyes met, and they both smiled. The tension vanished. Martin stopped crying and blinked up at them.
"We're just having an argument," Rachel cooed. "It's okay."
Thomas rocked his cradle while Rachel rubbed his back.
"It's like we're arguing parents and he's our baby," Thomas said with a wink. "If we can't get along, he might think it's his fault."
"That reminds me of being a kid. My parents broke up, and I thought it was my fault," Rachel said quietly.
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"Yeah. They fought all the time. Their divorce was for the best. But, still."
"Look, we can take care of him. We can do this. We don't have to fight."
"We both love Martin." Rachel nodded.
They gazed down at him while he fell back to sleep.
"I don't know about this name. Martin. All the other kids will tease him at school," Thomas said.
"What do you suggest?"
"How about something macho? Like Blade. Or Spike."
"Spike? He's the cutest little sweetheart in the world and you want to name him Spike?"
"Or Blade." He liked teasing her.
"Blade is even worse!"
"Is it? I like it."
"It's worse. And you have no business naming babies."
Thomas sat on the sofa. "I'll keep that in mind. Maybe warn my future wife about it."
"Oh, you have a fiancée?" Rachel joined him on the couch. She crossed her legs.
"Me? No. I'm single." He nodded. "Right, because we had a date, so. No girlfriend."
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