The window opened, the world outside entirely white as more snow fell from the sky. Once the window was completely open, Melanie took one last look at Alli. She looked so pale, Melanie knew she had to get out of the car and try to find help; staying here was useless. Although she wasn’t looking forward to her next choice: she either stayed by the car and hoped someone passed by, unlikely when the road was usually quiet and the snow would make it even more so. Or, and she couldn’t bear to think of this one, she left Alli and went to fetch help. Would Kian ever forgive her for leaving his injured mate here alone in the snow, with their unborn child?
Still, once she could get out, things might become a whole lot clearer. Standing on the seat, she put her hands on the roof of the car, and boosted herself up. In a rather ungainly way, she got one leg out of the car, struggling to find a place to rest her foot; the bottom of the ditch was far below her, and the bank too far to the right.
Swinging her leg, she managed to get a grip, although she knew it wouldn’t hold long; the snow had made the earth slippery. Hoisting herself up, she got her other leg out, but suddenly she felt odd. The world seemed to close in on her. Damn, don’t say she had hit her head and was going to pass out. If she did, she might well freeze to death in the snow. And what about Alli?
Shaking her head to get rid of the feeling, she tried once more to free herself from the car. But just when she thought she had succeeded, a strange feeling covered her and she fell. Right into the arms of the man she had seen driving the truck earlier. In this, of all places, she had come face-to-face, or back-to-face, with her mate.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice choked with emotion.
She struggled against him, frightened by the way his hands felt on her body. This was no time to lose her mind over her mate. She had to help Alli, had to help her unborn niece or nephew. “Let go,” she said, pulling away from him and nearly landing head first in the snow.
Once more, he took control and caught her, his strong hands going under her arms and saving her from a dunking in the freezing cold water in the bottom of the ditch.
“Hey, careful. I won’t hurt you,” he said, and his voice was low and sexy, so seductive.
“Stop it,” she said to herself, although it came out loud.
“Sorry,” he said, holding his hands up. “I was only trying to help.”
The look in his eyes told her how confused he was by her reaction, and she felt so bad for speaking to him so unkindly when he was only trying to help.
“No, I’m sorry,” she said, trying to avoid his eyes. “I need to help my friend, she’s hurt. And she’s pregnant.” The hitch in her voice told him how upset she was, and since she was his mate, he had to act, had to make everything better for her.
“Let me take a look,” he said, going to the car.
“I can’t open the door,” Melanie said.
“I’ll try.” He went around to Alli’s side of the car and brushed the snow off the window. Taking a moment to see if Alli was OK, he then pulled the door handle and braced himself, heaving at the door. It opened a little, the corner scraping against the bank of the ditch. However, the car rocked dangerously.
He stopped, taking a step back to assess the situation. Melanie, trying to hold herself together, went to join him. “What do we do?”
He looked at her, really looked at her, and she got caught up in the emotions he evoked in her, but then he pulled his eyes away from her, switching back to the task in hand. “I don’t think the car will fall any more, so we are going to have to risk pulling the door open. There is no way we can get her out through the window.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Yes, well, I can’t be certain, but it’s either that or I run for help.” He looked up at the sky. “But I’m worried about the weather and how cold she’s going to get.”
“OK.” Melanie looked around the outside of the car, seeing where it was caught on the bank of the ditch. “I think you’re right. So let’s pull together and see if we can get the door open.”
“Ready?” he asked, touching her briefly on the shoulder.
She looked up at him and nodded. The place where his hand had touched her felt hot, as if he had burned through to the skin underneath. Alli, she reminded herself. “Ready.”
He took hold of the doorframe and indicated for her to do the same. “One, two, heave.”
Together they pulled for all they were worth, the door digging into her hands as she tried to open it. Then suddenly it gave, and they both went tumbling back into the snow. She lay for a moment breathless, scared that they would see blood when they looked properly at Alli. But he didn’t let her sit for long. Instead, he was up on his feet, offering her his hand, which she took, that same electricity passing between them.
“Alli,” she said, trying to ignore the way he made her feel. There would be time later to assess her emotions, right now she had to help Alli.
“Let me check for broken bones,” he said, and reached around to check Alli’s legs, arms, and then her head. “I can’t see any obvious damage.” Once more, he looked up at the sky, the snow falling in his face, sticking to his long, dark eyelashes. “I think we should move her. She needs a doctor.”
Melanie thought about it. The hospital was nearest, but she hated that Kian would be at home waiting for them, worried out of his mind. “OK. Let’s get her to the hospital.” Although she didn’t know how they were going to accomplish that with no car and no signal on her cell.
He undid Ali’s seat belt and eased her out, picking her up effortlessly and cradling her gently against his chest. Melanie reached in for her purse, checking her cell once more; she knew it was futile, but she hoped for a miracle. Still out of range. But if they walked back along the road, she would no doubt pick up a signal and be able to phone for an ambulance.
“Ready?” he asked, and they began the slow trudge through the snow.
“Thank you,” she said, as they walked. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come by.”
“I felt you,” he said simply.
She swallowed her nerves. “I felt you too.” She lifted her eyes to his, smiling shyly. “I’m Melanie.”
“Nice to finally meet you, Melanie.” He grinned, despite the cold snow settling on his face. “I am Taylor.”
“This should be the best day of my life, meeting you. But I can’t be happy. What if I’ve hurt Alli or the baby?”
“It’s not your fault.” He tried to reassure her.
“Yes, it was. I lost control of the car. It’s my fault we ended up in the ditch.”
“She’ll be OK,” he said.
She looked down at her phone’s screen. “I’m getting a single bar; let me see if I can call an ambulance.”
Chapter Four – Taylor
“Listen, it’s fine. You go in the ambulance, and I’ll go and get Kian. Tell me how to find the house.” He hated the thought of being apart from his newly found mate, but he knew she wanted to stay with her pregnant friend, who was now being treated in the back of an ambulance.
“You follow the road; it’s the first farmhouse you come to. There’s nothing else along this road. You can’t miss it.” Her eyes told him she wanted to stay with him, her hand outstretched to touch him, but not daring to.
He leaned forward and kissed her cheek softly. “After Alli wakes up and this is over, we need to spend some serious time together.”
“I know,” she said, looking at him, her desire barely covered by the concern for Alli. “I just hope Kian forgives me.”
“He will,” Taylor said, and then pulled back from her. “I’ll bring Kian to the hospital.”
“Thank you,” she said, dragging herself away from him. Could she feel the pull too, the part of her that wanted to stay with him forever? The bond between them was so great, it felt unnatural for them to be apart even though they were strangers who had only just met.
“She’ll be OK,” the paramedic said, helping
Melanie into the ambulance. He wanted to rip the guy’s arm off for touching his mate, but he knew that was his bear talking. The paramedics needed to get Alli to hospital; the guy had no claim to Taylor’s mate. Anyway, Melanie would never give herself to another man, not now.
Watching the tail lights disappear into the distance, he let his heart calm down; it beat erratically in his chest for her. Then he turned and began to jog slowly back along the road. Once he had his emotions under control, he let his bear loose, changing in mid-air to run faster in the deepening snow. He let his bear senses tell him where the road finished and the ditch began as the snow fell down, settling on his coat, covering everything and obscuring all landmarks.
The miles disappeared and then he smelt wood smoke; he could see it ahead, a soft plume rising up against the snowy trees. Picking up the pace, he ran up the tree-lined track leading to the farmhouse, changing as he approached, hidden under the canopy of trees. However, he didn’t need to knock on the farmhouse door, because there in the drive was a man, his face filled with worry and mistrust.
“Kian?” Taylor asked, although he knew there was no need. The man in front of him bore a great resemblance to Melanie; they had to be siblings.
“Yes.” A thread of mistrust laced the word.
“There was an accident. Alli is on her way to the hospital.”
“An accident? I was worried when they were so late. Is she OK?” Pain and fear crossed his face.
“Yes, I think so, she was unconscious. But the paramedics treating her say they can’t see any damage to her or the baby. Just a possible concussion.”
“And Melanie?” Kian searched Taylor’s face for information.
“She’s gone in the ambulance too, but she’s unharmed. A little shook up, but not injured. She tried to phone you, but she couldn’t get through. So I said I would come and fetch you.”
“And you are?”
“Taylor. Taylor Munroe.”
“Are you from Bear Creek? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” Kian was understandably suspicious, but he was moving back to the house to get his keys.
“No, I’m from Bear Bluff.” And I’m Melanie’s mate.
“What are you doing this side of the mountain?” Kian asked, pulling the farmhouse door shut and heading for his truck.
“I came over to visit the bar.” Now he sounded as if he was just after a good time. But he didn’t think it was his place to tell anyone about his bond with Melanie, not when they hadn’t talked about it first.
“Thank you for coming up to tell me. Want a lift into town? You can tell me what happened on the way.” Kian wasn’t so much asking as expecting Taylor to go with him, and Taylor realised that Kian didn’t trust him entirely.
“Sure, thanks.” He planned to go and wait at the hospital for Melanie anyway, so he might just as well save himself a trek through the snow. It also gave him an opportunity to get to know Kian, his mate’s brother. Damn, he had never felt so nervous in all his life.
Kian pulled off, taking it slow; the snow was getting thicker up here. The farmhouse was on the lower slopes of the mountain and the wind was beginning to blow it into small drifts. At first they drove in silence, Taylor not sure what to say and Kian too preoccupied with thoughts about Alli.
Only when they passed the car in the ditch did Kian speak. “How did it happen?”
“Melanie skidded off the road. She climbed out through the window, and then we managed to pull the door open and get Alli out.”
“The ambulance didn’t get this far up?” Kian asked, looking at the snow, which had no tire tracks in it.
“No. I carried her along the road until Melanie got reception on her phone.”
Kian looked at Taylor, appraising him. “Thank you,” he said again.
“Anyone would have done the same.” For their mate.
Chapter Five – Melanie
“I was so worried,” Melanie said in the ambulance, stroking Alli’s hair away from her face.
“I’m fine,” Alli said, and then her face contorted in pain. “I know I wanted the baby to be born, but not like this.”
“We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes.” The paramedic, who had introduced himself as Dermot, checked the monitor once more, smiled, and said to Alli, “I hope your mate’s on his way, or he might miss the birth.”
“Kian will make it,” Melanie said trying to comfort Alli.
“I hope so. He’s been looking forward to the birth so much,” Alli replied as her contraction passed.
“I’m sure Taylor has got there by now.” Melanie took her phone out and checked it again. She had a signal, but when she rang the phone at the farmhouse, there was still no answer. She took that as a good sign: Kian must be on his way. If Taylor had gone to the farmhouse to find him and not just disappeared back to wherever he came from. He’s your mate, she reminded herself.
“So my saviour just appeared from nowhere?” Alli asked again.
“Yes. I was climbing out of the window, and he was just there.”
“Great timing,” said Dermot.
“Yes, it was,” murmured Alli. “Where did he come from?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, he was just there.”
“You’re sure he wasn’t the driver of the other car? The one that we swerved to avoid,” Alli asked.
“Certain. There was no other car on the road when we walked back to meet the ambulance. That driver was long gone, probably didn’t even realise what had happened,” Melanie insisted.
“So he just came out of nowhere?” Dermot watched Melanie’s face for her reaction.
“Yes.” She blushed at the question, and the way Dermot was watching her.
“I see,” the paramedic said.
“What … do … you see?” Alli asked as another wave of pain swept over her.
“Nothing. It was just lucky for you that he was there. This baby going to make an appearance very soon. You’re lucky it’s not about to arrive in a snow drift.”
The lights of Bear Creek appeared in front of them and the ambulance made its way, as quickly as it dared in the snowy conditions, to the hospital. There, Dermot and the other paramedic wheeled Alli in, taking her straight to the maternity ward where Dr. Ben was waiting.
“Hello, Alli, your baby decided to come after all. I wasn’t expecting to see you for a couple of days.”
“It’s definitely on its way.” Alli’s voice was tinged with pain as another contraction passed.
“I was told you had an accident, so I think the best thing would be if we get you in a bed and examine you. Let’s see where we are in terms of time and hope we can put things off long enough for Dad to get here.”
A wave of pain crossed Alli’s face as another contraction swept over her; they were coming closer together. “I don’t know if the baby is going to hang on for too long,” Alli said.
“We’ll get you settled and go from there. Melanie, if you would step outside for a few minutes while we get Alli comfortable? Then you can come back in and keep Alli company.”
“OK. Sure, Dr. Ben.” She kissed Alli on the cheek. “It’ll be OK. Everything will work out.”
“I know, thank you, Melanie.”
“For what? Crashing the car.”
“No, for getting me here.”
“That was Taylor’s doing, I would never have got you here on my own.”
“I know. We owe Taylor big time.”
Melanie left the room, thankful that Alli had got over the notion that Taylor had been responsible for the accident. He wasn’t the driver of the other car, she knew that. His being there was purely coincidence.
No. That was wrong. He was there because she was there. Of course. He must have sensed her, known where she was in the same way she had known who he was when she first saw him weeks ago. They were mates.
They were mates.
Now she had a chance to calm down, she let that knowledge sweep over her. It was then that the terror set in—she had a mate
. Just when her life had settled down, it was about to be turned upside down again. She was happy for the first time since forever; she had a job she loved, a partnership, really, with Alli in Bear Brides. Then there was Kian; she loved the farmhouse and sharing it with him and Alli, and now the baby, when it arrived. The thought of uprooting and moving again terrified her. Especially since it would be with a man she didn’t know and had only just met. However, the look his eyes told her he meant to claim her.
Taylor’s face flashed up in her head. Damn, he was handsome, his body toned. So strong: she had seen the way he carried Alli, with such ease, though the snow. He was also handsome, but then she would think that, he was her mate. Yet his short hair emphasised his strong angular jaw, covered in stubble to soften it. She longed to run her fingers along his chin to feel it scratch her fingertips. Then her lips would press to his… Sudden heat filled her body. A knowing, an awareness of another creature that ran so deep, it penetrated her soul.
“Melanie.” Kian’s voice came from behind her. She turned and saw Kian, and Taylor, coming towards her.
Colour flooded her cheeks, and her heart rate quickened until she thought she would pass out. She tried to look at Kian, but her eyes kept slipping past him to gaze with abject longing at Taylor. Mentally she slapped herself across the cheek; she had to calm down and take care of her family, of Kian, Alli, and the baby. Because looking at Kian, it would appear he wouldn’t be much use to anyone. Not until he knew Alli was safe.
“Kian, I am so glad you are here.”
“How are you, is Alli OK?” He took in the whole of his sister, noting the colour in her cheeks.
“I’m fine, really. Alli is in there and Dr. Ben is examining her. The baby is on its way.”
Kian went white. “I should have brought her maternity bags with me. We have nothing here.”
Complete Bear Creek and Bear Bluff Box Sets: Including brand new exclusive book Best Man Bear Page 63