Bears of Burden: WYATT

by Candace Ayers

  She flipped through her biology and chem books, marking important passages with a tab before writing things into her notebook. There was another big test in biology on Monday and Emma couldn't afford to bomb it again.

  The only good thing to come out of the last test was that no one in class had passed it with anything higher than a C, so Professor Douglas had decided to grade everything on a curve, thus turning her F into a C. Mason, as it turns out, had received the highest grade in class, much to Professor Douglas's astonishment. He appeared to have decided that Mason was some sort of idiot savant, and was now trying to nurture his untapped scientific genius rather than make fun of him.

  Emma flipped back and forth between the pages of her bio book looking for the answer to question fourteen on the practice test Professor Douglas had given them. There were to be no surprises this time, he said, for which the entire class had thanked him.

  She was flipping back to chapter nine when something hit the side of her head. She looked down and saw a paper airplane fall to the floor. It toppled onto its side; written in bright pink letters were the words "Open Me." Emma looked around but didn't see anyone watching her. She unfolded the airplane and read the message:

  I love you. Please give me another chance. I'd do anything for you, including humiliate myself. Look up.

  Emma raised her head and saw Mason walking towards her, a feather boa draped around his shoulders, a pink bathrobe covering his body. A small giggle escaped her throat. She couldn't help it. He looked ridiculous. Someone next to her looked up, and that person nudged the one next to them. Soon the whole library had their eyes on Mason. He stopped in front of Emma, who was trying to hide her smile.

  "Mason," she said. "If you think that parading around in a bathrobe makes up for what you did to me..." But she couldn't hide the light creeping into her eyes.

  "I don't," he said. "But I'm betting this does." He jumped onto the table where Emma sat with her books spread out. "Here ye, here ye," he said, raising his arm like the Statue of Liberty. He had the total attention of everyone in the library, including the librarians and professors who were working there.

  "Mason," Emma whispered, tugging on his robe. "What are you doing?"

  He took a deep breath. "I would like to declare, right here and now, my undying love for Emma Davis." He looked down at her and she felt her cheeks burn. She really wished he'd come back down from the table now. She appreciated what he was doing. But apparently he wasn't done.

  "To prove my love for this woman, I would now like to perform a song just for her."

  There were laughs and groans. She saw Professor Douglas in the back, holding a book and watching with a surprised smile on his face. Then, before Emma knew what was happening, Mason removed the pink bathrobe. The library burst into a round of laughter and applause as Mason stood before everyone in a hot pink lace thong. He began to sing:

  "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,

  You make me happy, when skies are grey,

  You'll never know dear, how much I love you,

  Oh please don't take, my sunshine away."

  People stood up and began to stamp and applaud, hollering so that it didn't seem like a library anymore. It was more like a football stadium. Mason's cheeks were glowing. He looked down at Emma and reached out a hand to her. She took it.

  "Am I forgiven?" he asked.

  "Most definitely," she said, her face beaming.

  "Good. I have one last thing I need to do. Will you meet me outside my frat house tonight at seven?"

  "Okay."

  He smiled and gave her a kiss that made her heart race before raising his head back up and looking across the sea of students who were still applauding. The librarians were trying to get things under control again.

  "And just so this love of mine will never again doubt me..." he said, then he pulled the lace thong off in one swift move and jumped off the table, streaking through the library as the applause tripled and the librarians gave up.

  Emma's heart had never felt so light. Zoey came running up to her. "I got it all on video. What's your email? I'll send it to you."

  Emma couldn't hide the shock on her face as Zoey took her email down and seconds later Emma had the video in her inbox.

  "Thanks."

  "No problem," Zoey said. "Do you have a dress for tonight?"

  Emma shook her head.

  "Come on," Zoey said, closing Emma's books up. "There's not much time."

  An hour later Emma emerged from her dorm room with Zoey, who was now behaving like they were old friends rather than enemies. They walked across the grounds together, Zoey leaving her when she saw Mason approaching. "Good luck," she whispered.

  "Thanks," Emma said. The dress she wore was bright pink—Zoey said she should wear it in honor of Mason's love declaration—and hugged every curve of her body.

  "Hi," he said, taking her in his arms. "You look beautiful."

  He kissed her hard and her insides tingled. She was ready to forget the frat party and go back to her room. "Thank you for coming. You know I meant every word I said in the library, right?"

  She nodded. There was no denying his feelings for her anymore. "I love you," he said, pressing his lips to hers once more. She could almost feel his pulse as his mouth moved against hers.

  "I love you too," she told him. He smiled and took her hand. "Come on," he said. "My father is an alumnus. I'll introduce you, properly this time."

  "What if he hates me?" Emma asked.

  "I don't care," Mason said. "I'm not losing you, ever again." He squeezed her hand and led her inside. They didn't know what the future might hold, but they knew that from now on, they'd be facing it together.

  THE END

  NATHAN: BILLIONAIRE BEAR

  STORY DESCRIPTION

  What happens when a matchmaker meets her match?

  Chloe Carpenter is an account manager at a public relations firm and a natural matchmaker. She’s smart, funny and talented, but Mr. Right just hasn’t made an appearance. Not for her, anyway.

  That doesn’t stop Chloe from playing mix and match with friends.

  When Chloe sets up a weekend camping trip, her intention is to match up a coworker. But, while deep in the darkened forest, she comes face to face with a sexy-as-sin forest ranger who is the stuff of her own wildest fantasies.

  Nathan Varga is a bear shifter and a highly successful CEO of a multi-billion-dollar Fortune 500 company. His raw masculinity tempered by power, strength and control is enough to command the fear and respect of any Ivy League business competitor.

  Nathan always expected that he would one day meet his mate. He never expected that she’d be human. That complicates things. Not only does he have to figure out a way to explain his bear and reveal that he’s not really a forest ranger, but he also has to convince her that he is the match for her.

  Chapter one

  Jason’s lights flashed us from behind.

  “I think he wants us to pull over,” Tim stated the obvious.

  I turned my gaze to the left side window. Sure enough, a sign for a gas station emerged from the overgrowth of trees.

  “Great, I could use a coke.” I was dangerously low on caffeine intake, and felt that the responsibility of keeping this camping trip upbeat rested mainly on my shoulders. If I was going to play matchmaker, then I needed fortification.

  Both cars pulled into the parking lot and I hurried out of the backseat, instantly overcome by the ferocity of the afternoon heat. It was intense, practically suffocating, without a hint of a breeze.

  Tim and Jake, the two guys up front, followed me out. Laker, one of my coworkers who’d been riding in the back with me, groaned as soon as his shoes hit the hot pavement.

  “Chloe, you need to use the restroom. Don’t you?” Brianna approached me, her hands jammed on her hips. Behind her, Jason and the rest of his passengers were making their way inside the station.

  “Sure… um… yeah,” I replied brightly, feigning innocence.
I knew that Brianna was annoyed with me.

  We walked to the restroom in silence. Once we were inside Brianna checked the stalls and then turned on me.

  “What the hell’s going on?” She hissed, “Why am I riding in a car with complete strangers, while you ride with both Laker and Jake?”

  “You know Jason!” I replied defensively.

  “No, I met him a couple of times – but all those guys know each other, and its super awkward – not to mention that Janine is insanity personified.”

  Janine was Tim’s ex-girlfriend, and admittedly, a total nightmare. She and Tim dated for years before he finally managed to break it off, but she still seemingly refused to let him go anywhere without her.

  “Sorry ‘bout Janine,” I sighed, “I was really hoping that you and Jason would hit it off…”

  My sentence spluttered into silence as Brianna narrowed her eyes in a vicious glare.

  “Is this whole trip one of your match-making sessions?”

  Busted.

  “No! Not exactly – Bri, listen, I just think Jason is an awesome guy, and I also think that if you’d only talk to one another, you’d see the same.”

  “Chloe!” She hid her face behind her hands in frustration.

  “I’m sorry,” I was starting to feel a little bit guilty, “I really did think this trip would be fun. Work’s been so crazy, and we’ve hardly spent any real time together – I thought we could all do with some getting back to nature-type activity.”

  Brianna rolled her eyes at me, and then turned toward the mirror over the sink to inspect her make-up.

  “It will be fun,” she replied eventually, “It’s fine. But promise me you’ll ease up on the Jason thing, he’s really not my type and I don’t think he’s into me.”

  I smiled at her reflection. I had won. I also had it on good authority, from the man himself, that Jason was interested in Brianna. He just had no idea what to do about it.

  “So,” continued Brianna, putting the pieces together, “You suffered the torture of riding with stalker Tim so I could hook up with Jason?” She asked with a small, mischievous smile starting to spread across her face.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed, realizing I could win back some friendship points. “I did. Though to be honest, he’s been cool.”

  Brianna nodded, but didn’t remove her smirk. Tim had pretty much asked me out every month or so throughout college, and then for another three years after that – including while he was dating Janine. The first few times I declined politely, after that it had gotten offensive, and now I was left in a place where I point-blank ignored his come-ons.

  “That’s true friendship,” she laughed, “Okay. You’re forgiven.”

  “Can we leave now, so I can get a soda?”

  “Sure, but those things will rot your teeth.”

  I gave her a mega-watt smile showing off my perfectly white teeth to prove a point. She shrugged and muttered something about home whitening kits which I ignored. Soda was a necessity.

  Chapter two

  “It’s creepy out here,” Janine whined, cozying up to Tim on the fallen log. We’d set up camp as soon as we arrived, finding a spot at the base of the mountain we’d all climb tomorrow.

  The area was densely wooded, but we’d managed to find a small clearing where previous campers had artfully arranged fallen logs in a circle, around a burnt patch of soil. I thought we’d done really well on the set-up. The woods didn’t feel creepy at all; Janine was just using it as an excuse to get Tim’s attention. In a way, I was grateful.

  Laker and Jake had collected dead branches and dried leaves to start a fire, and then argued for about a half-hour on the best way to arrange it. I lost my patience and built it myself.

  Now our faces where lit by the flickering of red and orange flames, making us all look slightly sunburnt as we sat and roasted marshmallows on the end of spindly twigs.

  This was my favorite part of summer- the long evenings when it was still warm, the smell of wood burning and all of us speaking in low, muted tones so as not to disturb the creatures of the forest. I felt perfectly drowsy. We’d all had a couple of beers after dinner, and the alcohol combined with the hypnotic light of the fire sent me into a meditative state where time seemed to stand still.

  I smiled over at the figures on the log opposite me. Brianna and Jason were finally talking, sitting slightly apart from everyone else. Bam.

  As I watched, Brianna stood up and walked around the fire to where I was sitting.

  “Hey. What are you doing?” I asked quietly, “You’re finally talking to him. Don’t stop now!”

  Brianna sighed theatrically, “We’re just talking. I’ll go back later, but I need to pee. Help a girl out in her hour of need?”

  “Oh.” This was the major drawback of outdoor pursuits as far as I was concerned. But I wasn’t about to let Brianna walk off into the forest by herself.

  “Okay, fine. Let’s go. I’ve got a flashlight.”

  I dug around in my backpack and fished out the equipment we needed: hygiene wipes, hand sanitizer, and a flashlight. Brianna was impressed, but not surprised. My hyper-efficient organizational skills fluctuated between being amusing and awe inspiring to the other employees at Barefoot PR, the public relations firm where we both worked. To me, being organized was a necessity and came as naturally as breathing.

  “Are you sure you don’t have a porta-potty in there as well?” Brianna snickered.

  “You laugh, but I really wish I did,” I sighed as we walked off into the darkness of the forest.

  When we couldn’t see the camp lights anymore, I decreed that we’d gone far enough. We’d stayed side by side as the forest had become eerie with only a flashlight to guide us, casting shadows that shifted and moved as we walked.

  “Okay, now I think I’m too spooked to pee,” Brianna hesitated as she glanced around the chosen spot.

  “Don’t be silly. C’mon, Bri, the faster you do your thing, the faster we can be back at camp.” I reasoned. I held the flashlight by a tree and turned away to respect her privacy.

  “Chloe… I hear something,” Brianna whispered quietly. I turned back. She was frozen in fear as she squinted into the depths of the dark forest.

  I was about to tell her not to be so jumpy, when a low rumble seemed to shake the soil beneath us. I could hear bushes being thrashed aside and tree branches being snapped as if some great bulk of a thing was tumbling toward us.

  “What the hell is that?” I whispered back, too frightened to move.

  My legs felt like they were going to collapse beneath me at any moment. Instinctively I wanted to shine the flashlight in the direction of the noise, but I refrained. If whatever it was happened to be passing, then I didn’t want to attract attention. I threaded my arm through Brianna’s and flicked the light off.

  “What are you doing!”

  I hardly heard Brianna’s hysterical plea. The noise was getting closer, as if it were heading straight toward us. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I saw the trees tremble ahead, and then shake violently.

  A deafening roar, solitary and vicious, splintered the air. I ducked, shielding my face with my arm, as something flew out of the trees toward us. Whatever it was yelped on impact.

  I was able to focus enough to see a massive heap of fur lying motionless at our feet, no more than a yard away. As I watched, the furry heap moaned pitifully and rolled onto its back.

  Thick fur. A muzzle. Sharp claws… Grizzly. It was a huge grizzly bear. Its sheer size alone was terrifying. The fluffy fur, small ears and inquisitive eyes that I associated with a cuddlier version of the animal did nothing to quell my fear as I gazed at the eight hundred pounds of muscle and brute strength lying before us. As it moaned in pain, its jaw stretched to reveal a ferocious, blood-stained set of canines.

  “It’s hurt,” murmured Brianna, “The poor thing.”

  What?

  “Brianna, don’t – please don’t – go near it. We need to back away, quietly. C
ome on.” I tried to keep my voice at a whisper, but anxiety turned it into a high-pitched, sonar-like shrill instead. The bear turned its head in our direction.

  “We need to help it! I think it’s bleeding,” Brianna replied, completely ignoring me as she rose from her crouched position.

  “Or it’s just caused something else to bleed,” I spat, “We need to go.”

  She stepped toward it. It whined again, and tried to move off its back. Brianna paused. I could see her body, like mine, trembling in fear. But, she continued regardless, edging her way toward it, cooing softly as though it was a new born.

  I refused to abandon her. As much as every part of my body was desperate to turn and run, I wasn’t about to leave my idiot friend with a creature that could snap her neck in a matter of seconds.

  Chapter three

  “Excuse me ma’am, can you please step away from the animal.”

  The man startled me almost as much as the bear had. I jumped, emitting a strange squeaking sound, and landed badly, twisting my ankle on a small rock.

  I’d been so preoccupied with Brianna and the bear that I hadn’t heard him approach. He shone a flashlight in my face and I grimaced and covered my eyes, wondering why the hell I was the target for suspicion, and not the killer grizzly lying prostrate on the ground.

  “Can you not do that?” I replied haughtily.

  The man lowered his light, but didn’t apologize.

  “Are you a forest ranger or something?” I asked, relieved to have some back up.

  The man was silent for a moment before he replied, “Yeah, a forest ranger. You both need to go back to wherever it was you came from. I’m guessing the camp that way?”

  He waved his light in the direction we’d just come.

  “Yes.”

  “I think the bear’s badly hurt,” Brianna interjected, “What are you going to do? Do you have a truck or something? How are you going to help him?”