“How long you thinking of staying then?” Kellie asked.
“I’m not sure,” Heather hesitated, “Can I get you a lemonade or anything?”
“Sure,” Kellie replied, snuggling back into the couch. Heather nodded and made her way to the kitchen.
As she was adding ice to the pitcher, Josiah came through the back entrance. Heather had never been so happy to see anyone in her life.
“Hi, Josiah. Can I get you some lemonade?” Heather asked the man a little too brightly.
Josiah’s eyes narrowed. Something wasn’t right. He noticed the slight tremble of Heather’s hand as she held the glass. “Be lovely, thanks, Heather. Tanner still in town?”
“Yes. They are, but… err… Kellie’s in the living room. Do you know her?” Heather turned back to the lemonade so the old man wouldn’t see her expression. She’d tried to make her question breezy, but it had come out a little too high-pitched.
“What? Yeah, I know her. Works at Jake’s Place. Excuse me a second, Heather,” Josiah stormed off through to the living room.
“Kellie Lane, what in God’s name you doing coming over to Tanner’s uninvited?” Josiah kept his voice down so that Heather wouldn’t overhear him. Kellie turned around in surprise at the man’s tone.
“He did invite me you old coot!” She stared daggers at Josiah, pursing her lips tightly.
“No, he didn’t, Kellie. Trust me, whatever he said, you clearly misunderstood. That woman through there is with Tanner now, so you can get back to whatever it was you was doin’ before you came here,” Josiah folded his arms across his chest. He’d known Kellie for a long time, and she wasn’t Tanner’s sort by a long shot. God only knows what garbage she’d been filling Heather’s head with. No wonder the woman looked so shaky.
“I’ll do no such thing. Tanner don’t want a woman like her,” Kellie spat out.
“Kellie Lane, if you don’t get out this minute, I will call your momma and she’ll come drag you out,” Josiah threatened. He played cards with Kellie’s mother every Friday night. She was a good, honest woman. He had no idea how Kellie had come out such a bad apple.
“Fine. But I’m telling Tanner how badly you treated a guest, and he will not be happy.” Kellie stood up, huffing and puffing as she flung her bag over her shoulder.
“Girlie, you’re delusional.” Josiah opened the front door, and as Kellie marched through, cheeks aflame, he shut it firmly behind her. That was enough of that, he thought.
Heather walked in carrying the pitcher with three glasses. She looked around for Kellie, but all she could see was Josiah standing smugly by the front door.
“Kellie had to leave.” The man winked at her, smiling. Heather couldn’t return the smile. She placed the drinks down on the nearest table.
“Thanks for getting rid of her. I wasn’t prepared to deal with that,” Heather replied.
“Don’t you worry. You know she’s full of hot air, right?” Josiah clarified, “Tanner’s been trying to avoid her since forever.”
“Oh, well, I didn’t think he would date anyone while I was around. He’s not that kind of man. Would you mind if I went upstairs, Josiah? I’m feeling a bit tired, must be the sun.”
“No, he wouldn’t date anyone else,” Josiah emphasized the point and continued, “Sure, go on. Is there anything I can get for you?”
“No, really. I’m fine. Thanks, Josiah. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you.” Heather turned toward the staircase leading up to the bedrooms.
“Well, you too, Heather. Long may it continue.” The man watched her go, puzzled by the finality of her comment.
18
As soon as Heather was out of Josiah’s sight, she hurried to her room. There, she quickly packed her belongings, what little there was, into her suitcase. She needed to get out now, while she still had the courage.
She knew that Kellie was most likely inventing stories about her and Tanner, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t stomach being forced onto him, not when his heart would always belong to a dead woman and the best she could hope for was a companionship. With any other man, she would have been happy. But knowing what an incredible man Tanner was, all that he’d been through, all that he’d become, well, she wanted that man’s heart in the same way she’d given hers to him. Anything less would be painful and humiliating.
Once packed, she made her way to the study, in search of a pen and paper. She couldn’t face seeing Chloe or Tanner before she left. Facing them again would make it too difficult to go through with her plan. But she owed them a goodbye in some form and an explanation for her behavior.
Hunting around in the desk, her eyes caught a piece of paper resting behind the computer. She recognized the handwriting as Chloe’s. At the top, she’d written “My New Mom,” and below was a list of all the attributes Chloe had dreamed Heather would have.
Must cook well.
Must have nice eyes.
Must smell nice, like sunshine and warm.
Must like to hug.
Needs to be nice to dad.
Let’s me stay up sometimes to watch shows, if it’s an important episode.
Must like to play games.
Needs to know about women things, like periods and hair. Really important.
Must love me.
Heather thought she heard the sound of her own heart breaking. She felt the hot burn of tears escaping her eyes for the second time that morning. She couldn’t leave, she couldn’t turn her back on Chloe. She didn’t want her growing up without a mother and missing out on all the love and care that Heather herself had been deprived of.
She was about to put the papers away when she glanced up and saw a photograph of a woman, smiling down at her from a plain gold frame. She could see the echoes of Chloe in that face and knew immediately that it was Chloe’s mother. Tanner’s one true love, the woman who he’d formed a bond with that couldn’t be broken.
No, it had to be done. Tanner was a good man and an incredibly handsome one. He would find a replacement for Heather, and Chloe would get her mother. It just couldn’t be Heather. She scribbled them both letters, taking care to keep her tears from staining the paper, then sealed them. She took the letters and her luggage downstairs, relieved to see that Josiah had left. She would have a lot of explaining to do if he were still here.
Heather realized she had absolutely no idea how to get out of Jackson Hole and frantically searched around the kitchen for a local taxi number. Finding nothing, she decided that she would make her way down to the main road. She recalled seeing a bus station somewhere, and if she could get herself to the town center, it would be easier to find someone to take her to the airport.
With a heavy heart, she took one more look around the kitchen, a place that had already started to feel like home, and made her way through the back door.
19
Chloe couldn’t keep still the entirety of the ride back. Her stomach was churning with excitement, and she regretted demanding the ice cream at Moo’s Parlor.
Her hands were clutched together tightly. Her dad had let her keep the ring safe. It was a beautiful, sparkling diamond and sapphire design, bought from the best boutique jeweler in Jackson Hole. Dad had said, after they exited the shop, that he’d need to import one from the city as this wasn’t quite special enough for Heather, but this would do in the meantime. That baffled Chloe, she couldn’t imagine anything more spectacular than the creation she held.
As soon as they parked in the driveway, Chloe tore into the house, ignoring Tanner’s yells to help him with the groceries. She slipped the ring box into her pocket. Her dad planned to propose later, when she wasn’t around. Even so, she still desperately wanted to see Heather.
The house felt quiet, though, and after yelling from downstairs, Chloe raced up to the bedrooms. She froze as she came to Heather’s room. It was empty. Thinking that maybe she’d moved her stuff into Tanner’s bedroom, Chloe barged in there, too. But it didn’t look like her things were there. Ope
ning the closet, she just saw her father’s work gear hanging like always. Chloe started to panic. She was frightened something had happened to her. They shouldn’t have left her alone for so long—what if she’d let in a stranger?
Chloe raced back downstairs, her heart hammering in her chest.
“Dad! She’s not here… her room’s empty! We need to call the cops… I think something’s happened.” The words came out a bit jumbled, and Chloe felt that this time the ice cream really was going to come out.
“She’s probably in the back yard, Chloe. Calm down, you’re making yourself sick.” Tanner came in carrying the bags and dumped them on the kitchen table, right next to two envelopes, one with his name, and as he moved it over, another addressed to Chloe.
Chloe saw them at the same time. She dove forward and grabbed hers, tearing it open. She quickly scanned the letter, coming to rest on Heather’s signature. Going back to the top, she slowly read the letter in its entirety.
Dear Chloe,
I’m so very, very sorry to do this. But I have to go. Please don’t think my leaving is in anyway a rejection of you. I love you more than I can say. You’re a wonderful, independent, perfect girl, and if I could give birth to a daughter, I would want her to be exactly like you. I know you’re going to grow up to be a wonderful woman, and I’m just sorry I can’t be there to see that happen. I would love to keep in touch. At the bottom, I’ve left you my cousin’s address in California, that’s where I’ll be.
You will always have a very special place in my heart, and I will never forget you.
My love always,
Heather
At the bottom was the address. Chloe felt her chest heaving, and strangled sobs wracked her body. She felt, as if from a distance, her father wrap his arms round her tightly, picking her up so her head rested on his shoulder. He stroked her back, and she could do nothing but cry into him.
“I’m going to get her back. This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, Chloe. I’ll fix it, I promise.” Her dad could fix anything. She couldn’t speak but nodded into him, forcing her sobs to subside. Of course, he could fix it.
“Tell Heather, please… that I’ll be really, really good. And I’m sorry I got paint all over her shirt, and I didn’t help you with the groceries, I’m sorry.” She burst into tears again, and her father put her down.
“Chloe, look at me.” Tanner forced her head up to meet his, “This is not your fault—this is me, it’s my fault, okay?”
Chloe nodded, “Aren’t you going to read your letter. She left one for you.” Chloe gestured toward the envelope and Tanner glanced at it, shaking his head.
“I don’t care what it says. I love that woman, and I’m going to get her back—for the both of us. Stay here. She couldn’t have gone far. Call Josiah on his cell, and get him to come over, okay?”
Chloe managed a small smile. “Yeah. Go, Dad.” She practically pushed him out of the kitchen, but he didn’t need much persuading. He picked the truck keys off the table and raced out of the door.
As he started up the truck, Tanner prayed she hadn’t gotten a cab or she’d already be at the airport by now. But considering he’d seen Paul Moore, the only taxi driver in Jackson Hole, standing outside of Bubba’s Barbeque earlier clutching a brown paper bag, it wasn’t likely.
He pulled out of the drive and made his way down the road toward the main town. He headed to the bus station, praying he would find Heather there.
At first, the station looked deserted, but as he slowed down he could just make out a figure sitting at the far end of the shelter.
“Heather?” Tanner jumped out of the truck, leaving it idling by the side of the road. Her face turned toward his, startled. He could see that her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and she looked so small and lost.
“Jesus, Heather, what are you doing?” He walked swiftly toward her, taking her frame into his arms, just as he’d done a moment ago with Chloe. She didn’t hug him back, but he just held on, feeling her body shudder with sobs.
“Tanner, stop.” She broke away from his grasp, hastily wiping her tears away, “I can’t do this. I’m so sorry. I wish I could stay, but I can’t.”
Tanner looked down at her, confusion written clearly across his face. “Heather, help me to understand. What’s going on?” His voice was gentle, and Heather was too fraught to hear the pain that simmered below the surface.
“I just… I can’t do it again,” Heather mumbled. She had covered her face with her hands, so ashamed at the dramatic state of events. She hadn’t meant for him to chase her here, causing a scene, disrupting the beautiful tranquility of his life.
“Do what again? Heather, sit down.” Tanner commanded her. He wasn’t getting any sense out of her like this. He ushered her back onto the station bench and sat quietly beside her. “Breathe. I want to know what’s going on.”
Heather took a breath and tried to calm herself. She looked into his eyes, seeing nothing there but reassurance and compassion. “I know that you want a companion, and when I came here, I was happy with that. Really, I was.” Heather hesitated, Tanner’s eyes had narrowed and his lips were pulled into a thin line of displeasure, “But now… now that I know… you, who you really are, I can’t. I just can’t.”
“Is this about my bear, about my past?”
“Yes,” Heather replied, “it’s about all of you. I’m completely in love with you, Tanner. Completely and utterly head-over-heels in love with you, and I can’t be your companion. It’s not fair to me, that’s not the way I feel.”
Tanner smiled at her words, he couldn’t help it. His entire body had heated on hearing that she loved him, some of the tension he’d been carrying since seeing the envelopes on the table left.
“Then I don’t understand. I feel exactly the same way about you, Heather.”
“But you’re bonded with someone else,” Heather cried out, exasperated, “You told me. You said that once you bond, you bond for life.”
“What are you talking about? Who am I bonded with?” Tanner was utterly baffled by the exchange. He thought he’d made his feeling clear earlier that morning.
“Chloe’s mother.” Heather whispered. She was less sure of her theory now.
“No! What the—how the hell did you reach that conclusion? I’d only known Chloe’s mother for a week! We had sex, but it didn’t mean anything. She was a dancer, I was about twenty-five, young and reckless. She was just traveling through, and we hooked up. Then she moved on. About seven months later, she turns up at my door saying that she’s pregnant. I laughed and was about to send her away, knowing I wasn’t able to father a child, but she collapsed on my front step. She wasn’t my mate, Heather. It’s you. You’re my mate. You’re the woman I’m in love with. We’re the forever, Heather, you and me, baby.”
Heather was stunned. She’d made such a huge mistake. “Oh, Tanner, I didn’t realize… I thought… I assumed…” she trailed off as a huge grin spread across her face. She blushed bright red and looked down at the ground, “I’ve been so stupid.”
Tanner barked out a laugh, “Yeah, you have. You can’t leave me, Heather.” His tone turned somber and he covered her shoulders with his hands, “I get it. I get why, after Bertram, you would think that way, but Heather, you’re what I’ve wanted all my life, the missing piece of me. I promise you, if you come home with me now, I won’t ever let you doubt that again. I will spend the rest of my life showing you how loved you are.”
Tanner bent his head down, not waiting for a response. His lips sought hers, and the answering kiss was sweet and salty all at the same time. Heather wound her hands into his hair, flooded with lust and a warm, tranquil contentment. She was home.
Epilogue
Chloe admired the gentle waves that the hairdresser was creating in Heather’s shiny chestnut hair. Her make-up had already been done, and she was chatting animatedly with the woman, occasionally glancing over at Chloe, a light, content smile resting on her lips.
Chloe looked d
own at her own dress; she was the flower girl, maid of honor and chief bridesmaid, all in one. It was easily the happiest Chloe could ever remember being, including the day that Heather had returned. That night, she’d tucked Chloe into bed, the engagement ring glinting on her finger, and Chloe had known then that everything was going to be okay.
She made her way over to the window, watching as the band set up in the back yard. The ranch and its substantial grounds had been completely transformed, wisteria weaving its way around every bench, table, and through the small pine pagoda where the ceremony would take place. Bouquets of peonies, calla lily, sweet pea, and hydrangeas covered the table tops and toppled out of the seat backs. Fairy lights, Chloe’s idea, were tacked everywhere, so come evening, the place would look like something out of a magical kingdom with Heather as its beautiful queen.
She searched for her father. He was talking to his brother, Uncle Derek, and looked incredibly handsome in his three-piece suit. She felt a rush of pride as she watched him. Not long after he and Heather had gotten engaged, they had told Chloe about his bear. She smiled to herself. She knew she’d seen a grizzly on the outskirts of the surrounding forest. She’d been sworn to secrecy, which she thought was awesome. It was something special that just her family knew. She was sad she’d never be a bear, but then, neither would Heather, so it was okay.
The guests were milling around, admiring the flowers, and she spied Wesley over by the stage, helping set up the sound system for Uncle Derek’s band to play later. Kellie Lane was hovering, but Wesley was completely ignoring her. Chloe hoped he noticed her tonight. Her dress was a lapis blue to match the flowers she’d be carrying. Both she and Heather had roughly designed it together before sending it off to New York to be made.
“Are you ready?” Heather had risen from the chair, her hair finished and tumbling down her shoulders perfectly. Chloe nodded and took her arm. Together, they made their way down the stairs.
Jackson Valley Shifters Complete Series: Bear Shifter Romance Page 8