The Bear Necessities (A Redwater Shifters Tale): Sequel to Bear With Me (Redwater Shifters Book 3)

by B. N. Kasner

  Whatever happened concerning the adoption papers the two of them would figure it out. Together. Together, they could get through anything the Goddess decided to throw at them.

  The End.

  Scott & Betty

  Everyone is wondering when Betty Callahan and Scott Harrison are going to finally become mates, including Scott himself. After moving in together, he thought mating bites were right around the corner. Nobody knows Betty’s first mate wasn’t the loving, tender man he appeared to be. In the dark corners of her mind, she worries Scott might end up breaking her heart. Scott’s at the end of his rope, with no clue how to win over the woman he loves.

  Betty

  Swaying back and forth on the swing in her backyard, Betty Callahan sipped her tea. The midday spring sun seeped into her, warming her down to her tired bones. Heck, even Betty’s heart felt tired. Living with a man again after being on her own wasn’t what had her spirits down. No, in fact, that was the easy part of her relationship with Scott Harrison.

  Sweet Scott. The secret nickname Betty had for him couldn’t have been truer. At first, it was a way for her to remember why she didn’t like him. Then, she got to know Scott and realized the man was as sweet as a jar of fresh honey. He made her forget about the past, made her want to mate again.

  Both of those things were dangerous to Betty’s heart. She’d gone down the mating road before. It hadn’t been all hearts and roses like everyone thought. Her own grandson didn’t even know his grandfather was one cold-hearted son of a bitch. Frank Callahan wasn’t the loving, tender man he liked to portray to others.

  He’d started out sweet and kind. But after Betty had their son, everything changed. Frank revealed his true colors, expecting her to be a dutiful little wife. Like she hadn’t come from a family of alphas herself. She was supposed to keep her mouth shut at home, and never ever, disagree with Frank in public. Thankfully, the man never hit her or the whole charade would’ve blown up in his face.

  No man would ever lay his paws on her in anger. The mating had taught her one thing however, to never open her heart to a man again. Until Scott barged into her life. She didn’t want to let him, but the bear had wormed his way into her very soul. And that was before he moved into her home.

  She couldn’t let another man bond her to him with a mating mark. Not unless Betty knew for sure his intentions were for the right reasons. Because he loved her, cared for her, wanted to be by her side for the rest of his life. Frank had only wanted the daughter of a powerful alpha. They had been true mates, but it didn’t mean shit.

  Knowing what she did now, Betty would bet her life savings Frank would’ve rejected her if she’d been born to a low dominance family. It was the type of man her first mate was. Shallow, cruel and a misogynistic pig all wrapped into one. Scott, on the other paw, acted like the complete opposite. Would Scott change if they mated?

  She prayed to the Goddess he wouldn’t. Scott didn’t seem like a bear who’d play her. If only her cautious heart could let Betty enjoy being with him. Old habits die hard. And her future. Sooner or later, Scott would want a definite answer on mating.

  Even though she thought of him as her mate, Betty wasn’t sure she’d ever want another mating bite. Not even from a man she already loved with all her heart, as much as it pained her to admit. What Betty needed to do was find a way to tell Scott about her past. Surely, he could put her fears to rest.

  Pouring her cold tea out, she steeled herself for having the conversation later. There wasn’t a need to drag things out any longer than she already had. Maybe, if she’d talked to Scott earlier in their relationship things wouldn’t be as tense as they were now. Betty just hoped she hadn’t pushed away a good man. A man she needed in her life like she needed air to breath.

  Scott

  Dipping his brush in white paint, Scott Harrison wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun had beat down on his neck and back all day. But, he’d promised Jackson he’d help paint the guy’s house. Jackson had joined the land of the living after finding out he was about to become a grandfather. The bear didn’t want his grandson visiting him in a beat up, barely standing home.

  Both his son, Gene, and soon to be son-in-law, Carter, were working on the construction part of things. While his daughter Grace helped with the decorating. Although, with Carter and Grace’s wedding only two days away, everybody was focused on that. Hell, Jackson could barely pay attention to where he slapped his roller. Scott wished he could tune into his old friend’s babbling about weddings and grandkids.

  Instead, his mind concentrated on the woman who owned him, heart and soul. Betty Callahan. The woman he loved more than life itself, but who didn’t love him in return. His time with her was running out. He just knew it. How much longer would she put up with his puppy dog looks before kicking him out?

  He’d done everything he could think of to show her how he felt about her. Well, everything except actually telling her his feelings. But how could he bring himself to tell her when he knew she’d reject him? Scott wasn’t a damn fool. Besides, maybe there was some way for him to win her love.

  Like Grace had done with Carter. He still remembered sitting down with her and coming up with a plan to win over their mates. Of course, Grace being the stubborn young woman she was, had indeed gotten her mate’s love. The two young bears were lucky to have a second chance at love. A chance, that as far as Scott could tell, made them both very happy.

  It sucked to be a seventy-six-year-old man and jealous of twenty-somethings. He hadn’t followed the plan Grace came up with. Scott should’ve told Betty that if she wanted him to leave, he would. Pretended he would move on, gotten Betty to realize how much he meant to her. There was just one problem.

  His heart. To him, it was better to keep her close for as long as possible then lose her altogether. Why plant the idea of him leaving in her head? The plan may have worked for Grace, but Scott could admit he was too much of a coward to go along with it.

  “Ah, speak of an angel and she will appear. Where’s my granddaughter?” Jackson chuckled, dropping his roller into the paint.

  “Carter took her fishing.” She paused to give Jackson a kiss on the cheek. “I brought over your tux for the wedding. You and Scott are doing a fantastic job with the house.” Grace handed the plastic wrapped garment bag to her father, then gave Scott a quick hug.

  “Both of you are sweaty. Let’s head inside for some lemonade, I need a break from all this wedding junk.”

  “Junk? I thought you were excited?” Jackson poured three glasses, setting them on the rickety table. It was the one piece of furniture the man hadn’t been willing to part with. Kind of like Grace and her mom’s old Ford.

  “Oh, I’m excited to be Carter’s wife. That isn’t the part of things getting on my nerves. Look, I love all my girlfriends like sisters, but they’re taking things a little too far. Just because mom is gone, doesn’t mean I need all these women hovering like bees on honey. I’d rather be fishing with Carter and Stella instead of running all over town to avoid my own friends.”

  Grace slumped into her chair, sighing deeply. “Honey, did you consider telling them to back off?”

  “You’re kidding me, right?” She raised a red brow at her father. “Ella will burst into tears since she’s pregnant again. Lani is so bull-headed even if I did tell her, she wouldn’t listen. Annie isn’t all that bad so she can stay.

  “Lily and Evie are new to us and I don’t want them to feel excluded. Vivienne and Grams think they know everything about everything…” She trailed off, giving Scott a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I know she’s your mate-”

  “We’re not mated.” Goddess, his voice had taken on that wistful, sad tone. The one which only seemed to come out whenever he talked about Betty.

  “Why the hell not? It’s been, what, two months and you still haven’t made a move?”

  “Grace Elaine. Leave the man alone, it’s his personal business.” Jackson chuckled, “And you say Lani is bull-headed.”
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br />   “It’s alright, Jackson. She means no harm, besides she’s just like your Isabella.” At first, Scott almost swallowed his tongue. Talking about Isabella Dodson in the past was a huge no-no. Now though, Jackson smiled at the comment.

  “That’s for damn sure. She’s her mama through and through, even down to the ‘wedding junk.’”

  “Really? Will you tell me more about her? Gene too, he won’t say anything, but I know he has a tough time remembering her.” Jackson’s face dropped some, he hadn’t been the best father. Drinking away his heartache and pain for over a decade.

  “Of course, I will. I have an old scrapbook of hers somewhere around here, you’ll have to remind me to pull it out.” He paused, sipping his drink, a smile coming over his face. “Your mama didn’t want a wedding, but your grandma did. So, for a year we went through the whole process.

  “Finally, two weeks before the date, we found out she was pregnant with Gene. The two of us ran off and got married the same day. Our families disowned us and we moved out here.”

  “I like that story. Thanks, dad.” Grace cleared her throat, wiping her face with the back of her hand. “Anyway, I gotta get going. Someone has to make dinner at the Montgomery house. Scott, tell Grams how you feel already and make the woman your mate.

  “Dad, I love you. Just think, the next time you see me, it’ll be my wedding day.” The men walked Grace to her old Ford. Carter had fixed the bullet-ridden windows, along with its dying engine for her. They must’ve been inside longer than Scott realized because the sun had already started to set.

  “I’m going to miss my dinner date if I hang around here anymore today. I’ll see you in two days, my friend.”

  “You know, my daughter’s right. Don’t pass up a chance for happiness, tell the old bat how you feel.”

  “Old bat?” Scott knew he should’ve been offended on Betty’s behalf, but he couldn’t help imagining Betty laughing at the intended insult.

  “Yeah, we’re all getting old. Now get outta here.” Jackson didn’t even bother for Scott to disagree with him, just went into his house and shut the door. Scott did laugh then; his friend had found a way to live again. If Jackson could muster up the courage to face people after all this time, then Scott could do the same thing with Betty.

  Betty

  Betty glanced at the clock, Scott was late. Every night at six they ate dinner together, it had become their thing. She twisted the dishtowel in her hands, pacing back and forth. Her bear made a big deal out of being on time. If he had a meeting he was ten minutes early, the same thing usually happened with dinner.

  He’d come strolling in from either working outside or in town and watch her set the table. She knew he would’ve helped with the cooking if she asked. Some women liked gardening, which Betty thought was boring. In her kitchen she got to see the results of her hard work in an hour or two. Sometimes six if she made a stew or roast, gardening took months to pay off.

  Nobody ever said she had patience. That lack of patience made her glance at the clock again, then at her phone. Mason bought her a cell phone after the shootings, but she hadn’t taken the time to actually learn how to use the darn thing. She could’ve tried him through the home phone. Only Betty didn’t want to nag the man.

  They weren’t mates. Betty couldn’t just call and badger him about where he was. Just as her resolve was about to crumble, Scott’s black SUV rolled to a stop in their driveway. “About time.” She muttered under her breath.

  Turning back to the counter, Betty hurriedly warmed up dinner. “Darling.” Goddess, her heart melted when he called her darling. The smell of fresh carnations mixed with her homemade ravioli, making her feel like a bitch for mumbling about him showing up late.

  Especially when the sweet bear had brought home her favorite flowers. “Sorry I’m late, Grace stopped over and all of us got to talking.” Scott laid a sweet kiss on her cheek. “Dinner smells delicious, like usual. I’m going to take a shower real fast, it was hot as hell out there today.”

  When she turned around, only Scott’s slightly sweaty scent remained in his place. “On second thought, we need to talk.” He came back around the corner, his eyes blazing the green of his bear. They weren’t lime green like Carter’s, more like a natural green. “I love you.”

  To say Betty was surprised would be an understatement. Betty knew he cared for her, but she’d never thought he loved her. This was more than she could’ve hoped for. “By the look on your face, I obviously haven’t done a fantastic job of showing you. I just…I needed you to know how I feel about you.

  “At least this way, when you kick me to the curb I’ll know I did everything I could to make you my mate.” He looked and sounded so sad. What the hell did he mean, when she kicked him to the curb? Did he honestly think she was about to let him slip through her paws?

  “Now you listen to me, Scott Harrison.” Betty poked him in the chest, using her no-nonsense grandmother voice. “You aren’t going anywhere. I will not live apart from my mate, damn it. You just get that stubborn head of yours out of your ass before I kick it into next week. Do you understand me?”

  “Your mate?”

  “Is that really all you heard out of everything I said?”

  “Of course it was. The woman I love, the woman I want to make my mate, just called me her mate.” Well, he did have a point there. “Now, tell me you love me because I know you do.”

  “That’s pretty cocky for a bear who only two minutes ago thought I was about to put him out to pasture.” Scott pulled her to him, melting her body to his. He made her tingle in places she hadn’t used in a long time. She wasn’t some spring chicken. At seventy, Betty’s body didn’t look too bad, shifters did age slower than humans.

  But she wasn’t in the best of shape. Hell, she hadn’t had anyone to look good for. Scott, on the other paw, looked fantastic for seventy-six. The bear still had abs. Betty knew, she’d seen him without a shirt on. “I’ll tell you, if you promise me something first?”

  “Anything.”

  “Promise me you won’t change, that you’ll still be my sweet Scott after you mark me.” Goddess, she sounded like a nervous eighteen-year-old girl again. Only this time, Betty didn’t feel like she was making a terrible mistake. Even back then, her bear was leery of Frank. She felt different about Scott.

  Everything about him was different, but in a good way. “I’d never treat you badly. That bastard really did a number on you, didn’t he?”

  “You knew?” Betty thought no one knew. That no one had heard the snide remarks, or seen the many human women Frank took out of town on ‘business.’

  “Betty Callahan, hopefully soon to be Harrison, I’ve had my eye on you for a long time.”

  “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

  “It’s wasn’t my place to challenge the alpha on how he treated his mate. Besides, you two knew how to play the loving couple part. Then I thought you were mourning his death, not building up a wall to protect yourself. All these years I watched over you. I made sure any male who might have caught your attention knew they didn’t stand a chance. And I was so certain I played second fiddle to Frank in your heart-”

  “Never. Scott, you mean more to me now than Frank ever did. It almost feels like you should’ve been my mate all along.”

  “We’ll have a conversation about those feelings another time.” He gave her a sheepish smile before his expression changed. Growing fiercer, more passionate. “Now, I want to hear my mate say she loves me.”

  “I love you, my sweet bear.” He kissed her then, making her feel young. Making her feel like with him at her side, she could conquer the world. “Make me yours forever.”

  “Oh mate, it’ll be my pleasure.” His voice held a silky, sexy undertone to it. “And yours.”

  “Oh dearie, you look breathtaking.” Grace radiated happiness. Her pure white, lacy gown showed off a dainty side Grace usually hid. Her red locks were pulled back into an intricate braid. Betty felt her eyes tearing
up. She’d acted like Grace’s mom for most of the girl’s life.

  Before Ella, Grace was the daughter she never had. Betty still thought of Grace as a daughter, but now there were more women for her to lean on. Currently in the small white tent, Grace stood surrounded by Ella, Lani and Annie. All of whom wore matching mint green bridesmaid dresses. Vivienne, Betty and Carter’s mom, Natalie, stayed closer towards the back.

  While Lily, a shy, brunette doe shifter stood with Evie. A fiery, orange haired fox shifter who didn’t hold her tongue. Lily snapped some photos, since technically, she was the wedding photographer. Although, Betty knew Grace had invited her into the tent because she liked the shy woman.

  Evie fretted over Grace’s gown. The fox had taken over Lucy Lu’s after the owner passed away in the fatal shooting two months ago. She also had an eye for design and had handmade Grace’s wedding dress. The two women chatted over their designer jobs, forming a quick bond. “Grams, Natalie, I got you both a gift.”

  Grace lifted two velvet boxes, opening them to reveal necklaces. Natalie’s was a small paw print pendant in all diamonds. While Betty’s held two small bears with both her and Scott’s birthstone encrusted in them. “Sweetheart, you didn’t need to do this.” Natalie bent at the knees, making it easier for Grace to clasp the necklace on her.

  When it came time for Betty, she knew the moment her mating mark came into view. It was as if Grace wasn’t the one getting married anymore. The hugs and congratulations caught her off guard.

  “It’s about damn time Grams, you deserve to be happy.” Ella, her beautiful granddaughter-in-law, hugged her close before kissing her cheek. “Mason is going to be thrilled for you two.” She squealed, her eyes tearing up. The woman was notoriously hormonal when pregnant. Her rapidly changing moods didn’t faze Betty.