“What the hell were you thinking, Hunter? Why’d you bring her back here? Doesn’t she have her own home to go to? We don’t need another human around here, poking at all of our secrets!”
Hunter remained silent, trying to steady his breathing and remain calm. He hated confrontations with his crew, and he just wanted to get this verbal beating over with.
“Hunter, does she know that we’re shifters?” Ian asked, his voice much calmer than Zach’s although it was still laced with annoyance.
Hunter nodded, staring at the floor the whole time.
“Goddamnit, Hunter,” Zach shouted. “Are you ever going to learn that revealing our shifter status to humans is not a good idea?”
Hunter sighed. Before the Burning Claws Crew had taken the assignment as a smokejumping crew, they had worked on a ground crew with several other firefighters. Human firefighters. Hunter had accidentally let one of the human crew members see him shift, which had forced his clan to leave their jobs on the ground crew. Most of the crew had forgiven him for his mistake by now. After all, it had been a mistake, even if it was a careless one. And things had worked out pretty well for the clan in the end. The new gig as smokejumpers was prestigious and exciting. But Zach seemed unable to let Hunter’s blunder go, and he took any opportunity available to remind Hunter of how upset he was about it.
“She’s my lifemate,” Hunter said quietly. “I mated with her, and I had to tell her who I really was. But she was very accepting of me. She’ll keep our secret.”
“You mated with her?” Zach said, his voice rising even more. “Well that’s great. Just great. In case you haven’t noticed, smokejumping is our job, not a chance to frolic around and find pretty little things to mate with.”
Ian sighed. “I had a feeling this was going to happen. A bear can’t really go against his instincts, and your instincts were clearly driving you to rescue her and mate with her. So I don’t blame you for mating with her. If she is your lifemate, and she’s willing to protect our secret, then we have to be accepting of her. I don’t like the idea of another human hanging around here, though.”
“Neither do I,” Zach interjected loudly.
Hunter did his best not to roll his eyes at Zach. Instead, he looked bravely up at Ian and addressed his alpha with as much confidence as he could. “Ian, you know me. You know I like for things to be peaceful, and for everyone to get along. And I’m sorry for the trouble I caused by dropping off the helicopter and rescuing Riley. But, it’s like you said—my instincts took over. I had to save her. And then when I knew she was my lifemate, the drive to bond with her became so strong. She’s a good human, Ian. She loves me, and she won’t tell anyone that we’re shifters. You know as well as I do that humans can make loyal mates for bears.”
Ian nodded thoughtfully. Ian had taken a human lifemate when he bonded with Charlotte, so he understood that a human could make a good lifemate for a bear.
“I’m not happy that you jumped off that helicopter, and I’m not happy about the media circus we’ve got going on here now,” Ian said. “But I can’t exactly fault you for saving someone’s life. And if Riley is accepting of shifters, and you’ve bonded with her, she’s welcome to stay here with the crew.”
A grateful smile spread across Hunter’s face. “Thank you, Boss!” he said.
Zach didn’t share Hunter’s happiness. “Ian, this is nuts. We can’t add another human to the crew. You’re setting a bad precedent. Pretty soon the place is going to be overrun by humans just waiting for an opportunity to expose us as shifters.”
Ian gave Zach a sharp look. “Do you think Charlotte is going to expose us?”
“Well, no, but, we don’t know Riley at all. It’s different,” Zach protested.
“We didn’t know Charlotte at all at first, either, and she’s been an amazing addition to the crew. Hunter’s a good bear, and I trust his judgment. If he thinks Riley will be loyal, let’s give her a chance,” Ian said. His tone left no doubt that the discussion was ending. Ian gave Zach a lot of leeway, since Zach was second in command and Ian’s best friend. But Ian didn’t shy away from putting Zach in his place when necessary.
“Hunter, you’re dismissed. Find Riley a spot in the bunkhouse, if she wants to stay. I’m assuming she also has a home somewhere around here, but she’s welcome to stay in the bunkhouse as long as she wants. And don’t talk to the media at all, okay?”
Hunter nodded and stood to leave, doing his best to ignore the scowl that was still plastered on Zach’s face. “Thank you, Ian,” he said, reaching for the doorknob. He wanted to get back to Riley as soon as possible. Who knew what kind of shenanigans the other crew members were playing on her.
To his relief, when he got back to the first floor of the hanger, Riley was sitting at one of the sewing machines with Charlotte and Luke both leaning over her shoulders. Everyone on the crew was experienced with sewing, since they all repaired their own jumpsuits and parachutes. Charlotte knew what it felt like to be a human thrown into a group of bears, and she was going out of her way to make Riley feel more comfortable.
Riley looked up as Hunter walked toward her, and gave him a sheepish grin. “These two are trying to show me how to use a sewing machine,” she said. “But I’m terrified of the needle. I don’t think a career in sewing is in my future.”
“What do you do for work?” Luke asked.
“Um, well I was a baker,” Riley said, her face falling a little. “But then I got laid off from my job, so I don’t really know what I am anymore.”
Charlotte frowned. “Why do you have to have a job to be a baker? Open your own shop or something.”
“Yes!” Hunter said. “That’s what I keep trying to tell her, but she has a million excuses for why she can’t.”
“Valid excuses,” Riley said, giving Hunter a pointed look.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Hunter said, crossing his arms. But when Riley gave him another look saying he was about to be in trouble, he decided to back off. “Well, anyway, I came to tell you that Ian said you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like. I can show you the bunkhouse and showers, if you want. I’m sure you’d be interested in taking a real shower.”
Riley’s face brightened. “I’m dying to take a real shower,” she said. “Please, lead the way.”
Hunter took her hand and started heading toward the bunkhouse, but he didn’t miss the raised eyebrow Luke gave him as he walked off. He knew his friend would be wanting details on what Hunter’s long term plans were for the dark-haired beauty he had rescued from the fire.
Chapter Nine
Riley closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as the steaming hot water streamed against her back. Charlotte had loaned her some vanilla scented body wash, and the tiny shower stall felt and smelled like heaven right now.
Hunter had been so excited to tell her that his alpha had given her permission to stay at the Burning Claws’ base for as long as she wanted. Riley got the impression that she was supposed to be excited about this, and treat it as a great honor, but to her it just seemed like the nice thing for a boss to do. After all, the bunkhouse was huge, and there were only six other people living here besides her.
She wasn’t sure how long she was going to stay here, anyway. She loved Hunter, and he kept referring to her as his lifemate. But did that mean he wanted to get married? Or was it enough that they had ‘bonded’ as he said? All of this bear lingo was confusing her.
Riley squeezed some shampoo onto her hands and started lathering up her long dark hair. The river had been a nice way to get the dirt and ashes out of her hair while they were in the forest, but she was ready for her hair not to smell like river water anymore. Charlotte’s shampoo, like her body wash, smelled like vanilla. Riley took a deep breath to savor the scent. She was glad that the crew had at least one woman around, since the shampoo that Hunter had originally offered Riley had smelled like aftershave. Riley very much preferred vanilla.
Riley closed her eyes ag
ain as she let the hot water run through her hair, rinsing out the shampoo suds and gently massaging her scalp. Her heart felt heavy as she tried to figure out what to do about her current situation. Her apartment was a three hour drive from here. She didn’t want to live that far from Hunter, but she couldn’t just sit around all day without a job to do. Hunter had mentioned that a decent-sized town was about a fifteen minute drive from the base. Maybe there was a bakery in that town where she could work. Surely, she could find something. Then she could stay here and work in that town. Or, at least, get a little apartment that was a fifteen minute drive away. She didn’t want to overstay her welcome at base if some of the crew didn’t want her here. The large, burly man named Zach had made his displeasure at her presence painfully obvious.
Riley stepped out of the shower and toweled off, formulating a plan in her head. She would get dressed in the shorts and t-shirt Charlotte had loaned her—luckily, the two women were almost the same size, although Riley was taller. Then she would borrow a credit card from Hunter and head to town to get some essentials like clothes and toiletries of her own. She’d lost her wallet and phone in the fire, so she’d have to figure out a way to replace her own bank cards, but she didn’t think Hunter would mind loaning her a credit card if she promised to pay him back as soon as she had access to her bank account again. While she was in town picking up supplies, she would scout around to see what kind of restaurants or bakeries might be hiring.
Riley quickly got dressed, and, with a new spring in her step, went to find Hunter. He was in the hangar, inspecting his parachute and looking relieved.
“Hey you,” he said as she approached. “It looks like my parachute is going to be okay. Just a few spots where I need to do some repairs, and a pretty heavy smoke smell. But otherwise it seems to have survived the heat.”
“That’s great,” Riley said, looking at the blue and white fabric spread out across the hangar floor. “I still can’t believe you jump out of planes.”
Hunter shrugged. “Some days, I can’t either. It feels a little surreal when you’re up there doing it. But it’s actually kind of fun. How was your shower?”
“Amazing! And now I want to go shopping, so I came to see if can borrow your car and your credit card.”
Hunter laughed. “Well, that didn’t take long, did it?” he asked, fishing in his pocket for his wallet and keys.
“I’ll pay you back, I promise. I just don’t have any access to my bank account since my entire wallet is now a little pile of ashes somewhere in the forest we just left.”
“No worries, get whatever you need,” Hunter said, handing her his wallet and keys and leaning over to give her a soft kiss on the lips. “I’m just glad that you yourself are not a little pile of ashes somewhere in the forest.”
Riley stared at the keys. “Wow, an Audi?” she asked, looking at the logo on the fob.
“Yeah, but don’t get too excited. It’s a really old one. It’s black, and parked near the far south end of the hangar.”
“Thanks,” Riley said. “Old or not, it’s still cool to get to drive an Audi.”
“Yeah, well, don’t thank me until you see it. When I say old, I mean old. Have fun, though. Maybe tomorrow or the day after once I’ve got my gear organized and repaired, we can drive out to your apartment and get you some of your stuff. As long as the crew doesn’t get called in for another job right away, I should be free.”
Riley nodded. “That would be awesome,” she said. “Do you want anything from town?”
“Beer. Any IPA will do. I’m so ready to drink something besides Gatorade.”
Riley smiled. “Beer is added to the list,” she said.
When Riley got to the parking lot, there were still a few reporters hanging around. They immediately started following her and bombarding her with questions, but she just smiled and said she didn’t have time to talk right now. She located Hunter’s Audi and made a beeline for the car. It was ancient, just as he’d said. But it was clean and seemed to be in good working condition. The old school style gauges on the dash only added to its charm. Riley adjusted the seat and mirrors, and discovered to her great joy that the air conditioning blew ice cold air.
She started down the road that Hunter had told her led to the town of Red Valley. When she got there, she found a large superstore and went inside to grab a few things. She got Hunter the beer he had requested, and picked up a few bottles of red wine for herself. Riley wanted to have plenty of wine, so she could share a glass with Charlotte if her new friend enjoyed Cabernets as much as Riley did. Riley bought a few pairs of shorts and some tank tops from the clothing section, then got shampoo, body wash, toothpaste and a toothbrush from the personal care department. She started to head for the checkout line, and then had a sudden inspiration. She went back to the grocery section of the store and rounded up the ingredients she would need to make a fresh strawberry pie. Strawberries were in season right now, and Charlotte thought it would be a nice gesture to make the crew a pie. After all, they were being kind enough to let her, a near stranger, stay in their bunkhouse.
After Riley checked out, she returned to the car and drove around the small town for a while. She saw a mom and pop diner, and a few larger chain restaurants, but she didn’t see any bakeries or small cake or pie shops. She finally gave up and drove back to the hangar, feeling somewhat dejected. Thankfully, it looked like the reporters had given up for the day by the time she returned, and she made two trips to carry all of her purchases into the bunkhouse. Hunter had seen her coming back, and met her in the kitchen.
“What’s all this?” he asked as Riley put away an assortment of baking goods.
“Stuff to make strawberry pie,” Riley said. “I thought I’d whip up a few for the crew, as a little thank you for their hospitality.”
“That’s really nice of you,” Hunter said, walking up to Riley and putting his arms around her from behind as she set a large bag of flour onto one of the cupboards. He kissed her ear, setting little butterflies aflutter in Riley’s stomach.
“I do what I can,” she said with a shrug, turning around to face him and plant a kiss on his lips.
“You look a little bummed out,” Hunter observed, raising an eyebrow at Riley’s downcast expression.
Riley sighed. “I thought I had this great plan to get a job in town. I wanted to find something close by so I could work in town and live here, or at least live near you. But there don’t seem to be any bakeries, and there’s only one small restaurant that looks like it’s not a big chain. I don’t think there’s anywhere close by where I could get a job.”
Hunter gently pushed back a strand of hair from Riley’s face. “First of all, you don’t have to pay anything for room and board to stay here at base, so don’t worry about that. The bunkhouse has more than enough space, and one more person isn’t going to significantly add to the amount of food we need. Second of all, I understand if you want to work. Why don’t you set up a shop, like we discussed back in the forest? Red Valley is big enough to support a pie shop. I have money I could loan to you to get you started. I would just give you money outright, but I know you’re too stubborn to take it.”
“But what if I take your money and the pie shop fails?”
“I don’t think your shop will fail. I think there’s a good market for it in Red Valley. But if it did fail, then it just means I made a bad investment. It’s happened before, and I’m sure it will happen again.
“I don’t want to be a bad investment,” Riley said. “I would feel so badly if I lost your money.”
“Just think about it, okay?” Hunter asked.
Riley shrugged and nodded. “Okay. I’ll think about it. But no promises. Now get out of my kitchen so I can bake some pies,” she said, making a shooing motion in Hunter’s direction.
“Oh, all of a sudden it’s your kitchen,” he said. “I see how it is.”
Riley kept shooing him in response, and he rolled his eyes but left as he’d been told to do. Riley
started mixing ingredients for the pie crust, and she found peace in the familiarity of rolling out dough. The last few days had changed her life in unbelievable ways, so returning to the routine of making a pie felt comforting. Riley tried to put thoughts of finding a job out of her mind, but she couldn’t quite shake the pervasive worries running through her brain.
She couldn’t deny that Hunter’s offer to help her start a pie shop sounded appealing. Owning her own shop would be a dream come true, and being able to live close to Hunter would be the icing on the cake. Or the cherry on top of the pie, Riley thought, giggling to herself at her own bad pun. But she had never taken help from a man, unless you counted letting her dad pay for part of her college tuition, and that was different. She wanted to succeed on her own, without needing to borrow money from her new boyfriend. Or lifemate. Riley wasn’t even sure how she was supposed to refer to him.
By the time she had put the pies in the oven to bake, Riley had determined that she would not allow Hunter to finance anything for her. She would work farther away, if necessary, and make the commute for a while. From what Hunter had said, the summer tended to be a very busy time for the crew, anyway. He might not even be around base that often to spend time with her, since the hot, dry summers resulted in quite a few wildfires to fight. Riley determined to avoid the topic with Hunter as much as possible for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, she would figure out a way to convince him that commuting would work for their relationship, at least until the end of this fire season.
A Spark to Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 2) Page 7