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.
Riley didn’t see Hunter again until later that evening, when the crew had a barbeque with grilled chicken, burgers, and vegetable skewers. Several different kinds of beer appeared on the picnic table behind the hangar, including the IPA Riley had picked up for Hunter earlier that day. Riley brought out a bottle of the wine she had bought, feeling a little weird for having wine when everyone else was drinking beer. But Charlotte let out a small cheer when she saw Riley holding the wine.
“You like red wine?” Charlotte asked, her voice filling with excitement. “I’m so glad. I’m always craving a good glass of wine, but I can’t finish a bottle by myself and I hate to leave an open bottle sitting for too long. None of these guys will share with me. They say wine is too sophisticated for the
m.”
Riley giggled. “I love wine. I’ll share a bottle with you anytime you want. Although, I have to admit, I have been known to polish off a bottle on my own. I didn’t find any wine glasses in the kitchen, either, which I’m assuming means there aren’t any?”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I guess since they never have wine the guys have never bothered buying any. We should get some and fix that. In the meantime, I’m perfectly happy to sip from a red Solo cup.”
Riley grinned and took the plastic cup that Charlotte handed to her. She filled Charlotte’s cup and her own with wine, and then held up her drink in Charlotte’s direction. “Cheers, to my fellow wine lover,” Riley said.
“Cheers,” Charlotte echoed as they thumped their glasses together.
“Oh great,” Zach said, coming up behind them as they each took a sip of wine. “Looks like we’ve got two wine snobs around here now.”
Riley shrugged at Zach, and was surprised to see a teasing smile on his face. He had refused to look in her direction since she’d arrived, and every time she’d seen him today he’d had a scowl on his face. But he seemed to be in a good mood now, which might have been partially due to the bottle of beer he currently held in his hand. Riley had a feeling it wasn’t his first drink of the night.
“He’s a jerk some of the time, but he does have his happy moments,” Charlotte whispered in Riley’s ear. She must have noticed the confusion on Riley’s face at Zach’s sudden jovial attitude.
Riley glanced around at the crew, and she felt a little thrill of happiness run through her as she realized that she got to be a part of this group. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and jokes and good-natured jabs were flying back and forth. Hunter and Ian were busy manning the grill, while Luke and Trevor were trying to organize the food on the picnic table enough to make room for all of the drinks and food.
“We need another picnic table, especially now that Riley is here,” Trevor complained. “One table is too small to hold booze and food for seven people.”
“Well, obviously, Ian should have to pay for the new picnic table,” Luke said. All of the guys except for Ian erupted into laughter, and Riley looked around in confusion.
“Did I miss something?” she asked.
“Oh, you missed something alright. You missed Ian and Charlotte getting frisky on the picnic table. Let’s just say we used to have two picnic tables, until those two broke the second one with their extracurricular fun,” Luke said.
“You hush your mouth,” Charlotte said to Luke, which only made him laugh even more. Charlotte’s cheeks were turning bright pink, and Riley had a feeling it was due to more than just the wine.
“Is he saying what I think he’s saying?” Riley asked Charlotte.
Zach jumped in before Charlotte could say anything else. “If you think he’s saying that Ian and Charlotte banged on the picnic table and broke it, then, yes, he’s saying what you think he’s saying.”
Ian and Charlotte both glared at Zach, while the rest of the guys clinked their beer bottles together and laughed loudly at their alpha’s expense.
Riley couldn’t help but join in the laughter, although she did feel a little badly for Charlotte, who clearly felt embarrassed by the teasing. But after the tense introduction she had received to the crew earlier, Riley felt relieved to be invited in to their jokes and banter. She felt like they had started to accept her, and maybe even like her. Riley glanced over at Hunter and caught him looking at her with a smile on his face, and her own smile grew. She let her worries about a job go for the moment. Things would work out the way they needed to work out. Right now, she wanted to enjoy having some time with Hunter and his crew.
When the meat had finished cooking, Riley joined the rest of the group in loading up her paper plate. She took some chicken, a burger, and a vegetable skewer. Then she filled in the empty space left on the plate with potato salad. She ate hungrily, moaning with delight as the first bite of her delicious, juicy burger hit her tongue.
“This sure beats Spam,” Riley said. “I haven’t eaten anything this good in weeks.”
“Well, maybe that’s because you haven’t tried Spam and Gatorade mixed together,” Luke said.
“Oh, give the Spam and Gatorade thing a rest,” Charlotte said, rolling her eyes in Luke’s direction. She started to try to explain the Spam and Gatorade to Riley, but Hunter jumped in.
“Riley tried it,” he said proudly. “Citrus Cooler flavor was her favorite.”
“Really?” Zach asked, surprise filling his voice. “You tried it? We can never get girls to try that.”
Charlotte let out a harrumph, but said nothing further.
“I did try it. It beat the protein bars, that’s for sure. But I can’t say that I’ll be indulging in Spam again anytime soon. I had enough to last me for a good long while.”
“Lucky you, that you don’t have to go on missions and eat crap,” Trevor said. “I love being a smokejumper, but the gross nonperishable food sure gets old.”
“Well, if you want something really good to eat, I think Riley made us a couple of pies. She’s a professional baker, so I’m sure they’ll be delicious,” Hunter said.
“Shut up, really? Is that why the kitchen smelled so good earlier?” Trevor asked.
“It’s no big deal,” Riley said. “I just made two strawberry pies. I wanted to show my appreciation for how you’ve all welcomed me to your base. I’ll go grab the pies. I think I saw vanilla ice-cream in the freezer, too. Should I bring that out to scoop on top of the pie?”
“Hell, yes,” Luke said. “Ice-cream and pie? It’s like a freaking holiday or something.”
Riley blushed and stood to head to the kitchen.
“I’ll help,” Charlotte said, following Riley in the direction of the bunkhouse. Behind them, Riley could hear Hunter bragging on and on about how talented Riley was, which she found amusing since he hadn’t had an opportunity yet to sample one of her pies. She winced when she heard him mentioning that he thought she should open her own pie shop in Red Valley. She had almost forgotten to worry about that, but she realized she’d have to tell him again later that she didn’t plan to open a shop anytime soon.
The two strawberry pies were a great success. By the time dinner ended, less than half a pie remained. Full and slightly buzzed, Riley lay on the soft grass between the hangar and the runway. She stared up at the faint stars and listened to her new friends talking and laughing. The awkwardness Riley had felt when she first arrived at the base had disappeared. Even though she had only been here for a day, she already felt like she had known everyone for a long time.
Eventually the crew members started drifting off to the bunkhouse, until Riley and Hunter were the only ones remaining out by the picnic table. Hunter lay next to Riley in the cool grass and smiled over at her as he laced his fingers with hers.
“Having a good time?” he asked.
“Yeah, your friends are pretty amazing,” Riley said.
“I agree. Although, they’re more like my family than just my friends. A clan of bear shifters is basically a big family of bear shifters.”
“I almost forgot you were a bear shifter,” Riley said. “You seem so, I don’t know…normal.”
Hunter sighed, and Riley realized that what she had said could come across the wrong way.
“Don’t take offense at that,” Riley said. “I don’t mean that you’re weird or not normal or anything like that. It’s just easy to forget that you’re a little different below the surface. That’s all.”
“I’m not offended. I just worry that you’ll all of a sudden think you can’t handle being with a bear shifter.”
Riley’s heart ached at the vulnerable look in Hunter’s eyes. She couldn’t imagine ever being afraid of someone so caring and sweet.
“I can handle it,” Riley said softly. “Your eyes are the same, even when you’re in bear form. I always know it’s you. I always know you see me.”
Hunter smiled, and lean
ed over to kiss Riley’s cheek. “I’m so lucky to have you,” he said.
They stared up at the sky for a few moments, enjoying each other’s company. Riley wanted to figure out a way to tell him that she had firmly decided against opening the pie shop using his money, but he spoke before she could say anything. He had already figured out her hesitation, and he wasn’t going to let her drop the matter so easily.
“Look, I know you’re unsure about the pie shop, but promise me that you’ll at least think about it for a few days with an open mind, okay? I know you want to do everything on your own, and it’s admirable that you take such good care of yourself. But being independent doesn’t mean that you never accept help. We all need someone from time to time. And if we don’t let the most important people in our lives help, then what’s the point of having important people in our lives. Don’t be so stubborn.”
Riley sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll think about it. But I’m just warning you that I have no intentions of changing my mind.”
Hunter kissed her again. “Fair enough. Although, I’m just warning you that I’m planning to use the three hour drive to your apartment tomorrow to pester you into accepting my help.”
“Well that hardly seems fair,” Riley protested.
“All’s fair in love and pie shops,” Hunter said, sitting up. “Now, come on. As much as I’d love to sit out here with you all night, we’ve had a very long day, and it’s past midnight already. We should get some rest so we can get on the road at a reasonable time tomorrow.”
Riley gave Hunter her hand and let him pull her up off the grass. She wished they could lie out here together forever, but she had to admit that sleeping in a real bed did sound awfully tempting right now. As soon as her head hit the pillow, all of her worries disappeared, giving way to the blissful peace of deep, dreamless sleep.
Chapter Ten
The next day, Hunter found himself on a three hour plane ride with his crew instead of a three hour car ride with Riley. Early that morning, headquarters in Boise had called the crew in for a small fire that had started in a mountainous area of northern Oregon. The small fire wouldn’t take the crew very long to put out if all went well, but it was located too high to be reached by foot.
Fire Bear Shifters: The Complete Series Page 16