Jackson Valley Shifters Complete Series: Bear Shifter Romance

by Candace Ayers

  “I was careful, Mom, just driving past in the car,” Audrey white lied, not mentioning that she had gotten out of the car, but was standing nearby it when she actually spotted the bear. No sense in worrying her mom needlessly. “So no harm done.”

  “Hmmm, well, you be careful. Don’t let Zach go off into the woods on his own.”

  “Mom! Like I would do that,” Audrey rolled her eyes. It was the last thing she’d let happen. Especially after the bear sighting.

  “I know, I know, you just have to be careful in those parts, Audrey. It’s not like Chicago. There’s lots of wilderness.”

  “I hear you, Mom, I will. Don’t worry.”

  There was a pause on the line. Her mom obviously wanted to say something but was holding back. Audrey waited patiently. Her mother always said what she wanted to say in her own time.

  “So, I called earlier,” her mom continued, a faint wobble in her voice. “And I don’t want to worry you, especially not on your vacation, but I’ve been getting calls from Jerry.”

  “Jerry?”

  Audrey was floored. She hadn’t heard her ex-husband’s name in a long time, especially not out of the mouth of her mother, who loathed him as much as, if not more than, Audrey herself.

  “What did he have to say for himself?” Audrey asked.

  “Well, as usual with Jerry, it was a whole load of bile and not much else. Sounded drunk most of the time—”

  “Most of the time? Mom, how many times has he been calling?!”

  “Just four or five. He’s been saying that you’ve taken Zach away from him and that he wants his boy back. Calling you every name under the sun, of course. I told him where to shove it, and that I’d call the police if he kept harassing me, but I don’t think he’s been deterred at all.”

  “Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry.” Audrey held her head in her hands, clutching the phone close to her ear. She couldn’t bear the thought of what her mom had gone through. She knew firsthand how scary and intimidating Jerry could be.

  “Don’t you be sorry, sweetheart! It’s that good-for-nothing who needs to be sorry. I just wanted to warn you in case he called your cell.”

  “I haven’t had any calls, thank goodness. He doesn’t have my cell number. I didn’t have this phone when we were together. He’s probably been calling the house and not getting an answer, so he’s chosen to hassle you instead.” Audrey tried to keep her temper in check. Jerry was such a total jerk.

  “Well, that’s good. Leslie’s son came over to help show me how to block his number from my phone. So, he won’t be bothering me anymore. If he doesn’t have your number, then at least you can enjoy your time away in peace.”

  Audrey nodded, sighing. It would be a mess she’d need to sort out when she got home. She’d have to involve the police. Fortunately, the law was on her side, so there was little to worry about in terms of Jerry’s threats having an impact beyond being a nasty hassle.

  “Did he mention why he suddenly was interested in his son after all these years?” Audrey asked.

  “He didn’t, no. The way he talked, he made it sound like he’d been battling for Zach since the moment he left. A load of horse manure,” her mom replied indignantly. “He didn’t care about that boy one iota.”

  Audrey sighed loudly in frustration. Her mother was right; he’d never wanted Zach. When the custody issue had come up in divorce proceedings, Jerry had made no effort to keep any sort of visitation schedule. He’d agreed to pay child support, but then never sent a penny Audrey’s way. When he suddenly filed for custody a few years later, his track record spoke for itself. Why in the world he was at it again was anybody’s guess.

  “Well, don’t let it spoil anything. We’ll sort it out when you’re back. I just wanted to let you know, just to be on the safe side.”

  “Thanks, Mom. And I really am sorry that he’s been hassling you. It’s not right.”

  “Nothing about Jerry is right. He’s been all kinds of wrong since day one. But let’s thank God you met him anyway, because we wouldn’t have my lovely grandchild if you hadn’t.”

  Audrey smiled. “You’ve got that right.”

  “Of course, I do. I love you, sweetheart. Give Zach a big kiss from Grams in the morning, and I’ll call to talk to him tomorrow.”

  “Love you too, Mom.”

  Audrey hung up. Her after-Derek buzz was completely gone. Jerry had that effect—sucking out all the good things in life just by breathing.

  She went to check on Zach again, watching him sleep soundly, still clutching his toy. She would never in a million years let Jerry hurt Zach. Even if the courts did a one-eighty and decided that Jerry should have some sort of unsupervised visitation with his son, Audrey would take him a thousand miles away and keep on running if that’s what it took to keep Zach safe.

  Audrey showered and got ready for bed. She took one last peek at Zach, reassuring herself that all was okay. She had an agitated, nervous feeling in the pit of her chest after the call with her mom. There was no immediate harm or reason to be worried, but she couldn’t shake her feeling of unease. Just the mention of Jerry’s name brought up bad memories, stuff she’d done her best to forget, and for the most part had succeeded at. Now he was no longer buried in the shadows of her past, Audrey felt a sickly feeling grow inside her, tainting everything that had been good about today.

  12

  Derek shifted half a mile away from the apartment. He couldn’t even make it home. The tugging, urgent need of his bear to emerge was too great to suppress. He practically rolled out of the car, shifting as soon as his body, hands, and knees hit the ground.

  It was a relief.

  The only way he was going to remove the overwhelming urge to claim his mate was to replace it with the overwhelming urge to hunt. He allowed his muscles to stretch and flex as he crashed through the forest, reaching Hoback Peak in a matter of minutes. There, at the top of the peak, he let out a gut-wrenching bellow of frustration and pent-up need. The forest responded by falling silent, all creatures suddenly trying to avoid detection as he turned his attention to finding prey.

  A protective, half-conscious instinct made him avoid the town; knowing that Audrey had been freaked out by his bear earlier meant that he could deliberately turn his attention away from the apartment this time.

  When he’d finished hunting, he sauntered back to his car again. He shifted back, dressed, and drove back to the cabin for what promised to be a deep, restful sleep with dreams full of Audrey, of a happy home with Zach and maybe more children running around. It was only a dream, he acknowledged—never to be a reality—but it was the best kind of dream he could conjure up and a peacefulness of finally, after long last, knowing exactly what it was his heart desired above all else.

  Even if he’d never have it.

  * * *

  Derek woke to the sounds of the house phone ringing.

  He staggered out of bed, making his way through to the kitchen. It was barely dawn and he couldn’t comprehend who would be calling the house at this hour.

  “Derek?”

  It was Audrey’s voice, giving him a warm feeling. He smiled sleepily and had an instant erection.

  “Hey, Red.”

  “Derek, you’ve got to come immediately. I need you, please.”

  In all the time he’d known Audrey, he’d never heard such sheer fear and panic in her voice. Not to mention, hearing her say that she needed him. He instantly focused, mentally brushing away his hazy morning sleep state.

  “What happened?”

  “It’s Zach,” she stuttered, “I can’t f-find him.”

  “You checked the entire apartment?”

  “Yes, of course. I checked the entire building and the grounds. I’ve called the police as well. He’s not here! Oh, Derek, I don’t know what to do!”

  “Just try and stay calm. I’m leaving now. I’m on my way. He can’t have gone far.”

  “Please hurry, please. I don’t know what to do.”

  He heard w
hat sounded like Audrey starting to hyperventilate. She was clearly in a state of complete shock, and he couldn’t imagine the terror she must be going through. He wished he was there already, that she wasn’t having to go through this alone.

  “I’ll be there as soon as possible. Just breathe, okay, Audrey—breathe.”

  He hung up, not waiting for an answer. The best he could do for her right now was to be right beside her.

  Racing into the bedroom, he hastily pulled on jeans and last night’s T-shirt, grabbed his car keys off the side table, and headed for the SUV.

  In the car, he pulled out his cell.

  No signal.

  He was hoping to reach his brother, Tanner. If the boy had gone off wandering, he and Tanner could help search the area and hunt him down—before anything else did.

  Derek drove far above the speed limit. Panic kept rising in his chest and being transferred to the gas pedal. For the first time in his life, Derek was experiencing fear on behalf of another human being. It was a wretched, cold sensation that made him feel entirely helpless and out of control.

  The normally hour-long drive from his remote cabin to Audrey’s apartment was the longest of his life—even if it did only take him thirty minutes.

  When he arrived, he pulled his truck up to the curb and raced to Audrey’s apartment door. It was already open, with two county sheriff’s deputies standing in the kitchen.

  “We’ll search the area, ma’am, but if he’s a runaway—” Derek heard one of the officers say.

  “He’s not a runaway!” Audrey stressed, “He’s five years old. Even if he was a runaway, it’s not safe for him to be out alone.”

  Derek entered the kitchen, striding over to Audrey. He hugged her tightly, and she buried her face in his chest. She immediately started to tremble, her shock giving way to fear as soon as she had someone there to lean on.

  “Officers,” Derek turned to them both, “please. He’s a little kid. He doesn’t know the area. There’s no way he’d wander off on his own.”

  “Well, I’ll be doggone. Derek Holt!” one of the offers exclaimed. “We heard you’d come back for a visit lately.”

  “Can we focus on the matter at hand?” Derek asked with deadly calm.

  The offers shuffled in embarrassment under Derek’s glacier gaze.

  “I would appreciate it if we could start a search party,” Derek continued. “Get the word out. So if anyone sees him in town, or out hunting, they’ll know who he is.”

  “We don’t have the manpower for that, Holt,” one of the officers protested. “We can’t legitimately call out a search party unless it’s after the twenty-four hours. The sheriff just won’t allow it.”

  Derek was furious that two green officers had answered the call. They needed to be speaking to someone who could actually make decisions. He decided to call Tanner. Tanner knew the county sheriff and could maybe pull some strings.

  “Is there anywhere he would be likely to go, ma’am? Any friends whose houses he might visit, or something else we should know?” One of the officers, the younger, slightly more helpful one stepped forward, regarding Audrey with compassion.

  “There’s nowhere he’d go,” Audrey replied slowly. “We’re just visiting the area. We don’t know anyone, really. He’s mainly stayed here in the apartment, or gone for walks with Chloe. Well, there’s the park, but he wouldn’t be able to get there alone. We always drove. He’s been to the History museum a bunch as well…” Audrey looked helpless. “There’s one other thing—” at this she paused. The trembles grew greater, involving her entire body. Derek embraced her more firmly, trying to hold her together as she fell apart. “My ex-husband. He’s been calling my mom a lot, saying that he wants Zach back. But I don’t think he knows we’re here. I mean, he has no way of knowing.”

  “You mom didn’t tell him, did she?” the officer replied.

  “No. No way. She would never. My ex, Jerry, he’s bad news. He left Zach when he was born and only popped in every couple of years to cause trouble. The courts granted me full custody.”

  The officer nodded, writing down the report in a notepad.

  “This changes things,” said the older officer, clearing his throat. “We can also see if your husband’s been in the county, just to be on the safe side. What’s his full name?”

  “Ex-husband. His name is Jerry Ennis. He’s thirty-four.”

  “Okay,” the officer scrawled the name in his notepad and snapped it shut.

  “And I’ll cover the cost for a full-on hunt,” Derek added. “I mean it. I don’t give a darn about the twenty-four-hour rule.”

  The older officer sighed.

  “The sheriff isn’t going to like this, but I’ll see what we can do. Maybe if he knows the cost is going to be covered, he might be more amenable.”

  “Let’s hope he is.”

  Derek wasn’t in the mood to be generous to the officers. Now that Audrey had mentioned her ex-husband, things were starting to look increasingly dangerous. He knew that it was highly unlikely Zach just woke up and decided to go for a walk in the dark.

  “Was the door open this morning?” he asked Audrey. “Any sign of forced entry?”

  She shook her head.

  “That’s why I thought Zach might have left by himself. I know I locked the door last night… I don’t get it.”

  “But the apartment manager would have a spare key, right?”

  Audrey went white.

  “Yeah.”

  Derek looked at the officers.

  “We’ll get right on it. You two, sit tight, we’ll call when we know anything.”

  “I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” Audrey protested. “Please, can’t I come with you?”

  The officers shook their heads.

  “No, ma’am. It’s best if we talk to the manager ourselves. Besides, if Zach comes home, you’ll need to be here.”

  Derek could tell Audrey was conflicted, but she backed down. The two officers showed themselves out, shutting the door behind them. He took a good look at the door frame but couldn’t see anything amiss either.

  “I’m going to call my brother. They’ll all want to help with the search. Can I get you anything, a drink, some water?”

  “I’m fine,” Audrey replied blankly. She wandered aimlessly off into the living room. Derek took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair in agitation. He wanted to stay and comfort her, but what she needed more than anything was to have her son back. Comfort wasn’t going to help her near as much as finding Zach was.

  He dialed his brother’s number.

  “Tanner? I need help. Red’s kid’s gone missing. Will you get Chloe over here to sit with her? We need to get a search started ASAP. The Sheriff’s Department is doing what they can, but we’ll need to cover as much ground as possible.”

  “I’m on my way. I’ll bring Heather and Chloe too.”

  Derek breathed a sigh of relief. Heather and Chloe could comfort Audrey better than he could.

  He paced the kitchen while making Audrey a cup of tea. It was the only thing he could think of that might be remotely helpful.

  He carried the cup into the living room where Audrey was sitting on the sofa, staring into space and hugging a stuffed cat toy.

  “He didn’t wander off,” she whispered quietly. “I know he didn’t.”

  “We’ll find him. I promise.”

  Audrey looked up, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

  “Please,” she replied. “We need to find him. He’ll be so frightened on his own.”

  She clutched the toy closer to her chest and started to cry, the sobs so violent that they racked her body. Derek put the tea down and just held her. He didn’t know what else to do. Each of her sobs felt like a knife cutting into his skin. He wished he could take away her fear, worry, and panic. He’d gladly bear her pain for her if it were possible. He pressed his lips to her head, breathing in the scent of her hair and her own beautiful, complex scent.

  “
It’s going to be okay,” he murmured against her hair. “It’s going to be okay.” He prayed that it would be.

  13

  When Derek answered the door, Tanner, Heather, and Chloe stood on the other side looking almost as alarmed as he felt. Chloe rushed in, making a beeline for Audrey, who was still on the sofa. They hadn’t had any news since the officers left.

  “How’s she holding up?” Tanner asked, concern written across his features.

  “She’s okay. We’re just waiting to hear something from the officers on the job. I can’t get through to the sheriff, thought maybe you could try?” Derek replied.

  “Of course, I can,” Tanner said instantly. “But are you okay?”

  “Never mind me,” Derek snapped. “It’s Audrey and Zach I’m worried about.”

  Tanner and Heather exchanged a look, which he couldn’t quite comprehend, and then Heather reached forward and embraced him.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said sadly. “I can’t imagine what Audrey’s going through.”

  “Will you keep her company with Chloe?” Derek asked.

  “Of course.”

  Heather made her way into the living room, and he could hear the hushed tones of her greeting Audrey, and then she and Chloe discussing how they might arrange the search party.

  Derek ushered Tanner into the farthest corner of the kitchen where they wouldn’t be overheard.

  “We need to shift,” Tanner stated. “And I need access to the boy’s room. I just want to get a good scent on him. I can’t imagine all the dangers that could befall a five-year-old out lost in the woods. And if he’s scared, lost, and panicking, there’s a good possibility he’s turned around and heading deeper into the woods every minute.”

  Derek nodded.

  “We do, but we should wait until the others go out. You put in a call to the sheriff so we can coordinate our efforts and make sure we’re not all covering the same ground. They can cover the closest territory while we go further afield. There’s something else. There’s a possibility that Audrey’s ex-husband has taken the kid, and if he has, he’d be smarter to travel through the woods than risk being seen in town.”