by Anya Nowlan
Another sign? His bear certainly thought so.
GoneWithTheBear: I bet he won’t be as well versed in all things debonair as I am, though.
HoneysuckleStyle: Oh, I have no doubt about that. He seems to be more on the wild side. But isn’t that how it always is? You can’t have both? The good and the bad, the wild and the sophisticated. I wish you were closer, it would be lovely to meet you.
That sealed the deal. Rhett didn’t particularly care who it was she was going to go on a date with, but he knew that unless he was competing with his brother, he could outshine any damn shifter in this town of… well, fine shifters. At least he thought he could, and confidence was half the battle, right?
With determination, Rhett slammed the screen shut and fell back against the cushions of the swing. He rubbed his chin, feeling the slight stubble and enjoying the way it rasped against his skin. Yes, this was going to take some planning, but fate had smiled on him and brought the woman who had captured all of his thoughts right to his doorstop, and he wasn’t going to miss out on a chance to meet her.
She could have her date. Then, it was Rhett’s turn, and he was going to sweep her off her feet like a billionbear should.
He put the laptop down next to him and jumped up. Suddenly, he saw the wisdom in his brother’s plan. Sitting still was driving him batty with anticipation. Now more than ever, he needed to diffuse the energy bubbling up inside of him. It had been easier to deal with when he thought the curvy woman who looked like the perfect treat for him and Rush was far away, but knowing that she was just a few miles from him, he really couldn’t pretend to be in charge of his faculties anymore.
Rhett took one look at himself – he was wearing loose sweatpants and a tank (a far cry from his usual polished look) – and decided his current outfit suited his needs well enough. He burst into a run, jumping smoothly over the porch’s railing, and took off for the woods.
The green grass softened his step, and it wasn’t long until he reached the protective shadows of the thick forests surrounding his mother’s ranch. He and Rush had bought her a big piece of land and a house to match, just like the one they’d had in Mississippi, and it wouldn’t have been complete if it hadn’t been at least a bit away from all the nosy neighbors.
At least in Shifter Grove, no one would give them odd looks for wanting some privacy – it was the shifter way, after all.
As soon as he disappeared into the shadows, the shift took him. His form elongated and widened, starting from his torso and moving out rapidly. Thick fur sprouted out across him and the clothes seemed to melt into him as he grew around them, as if bulging at the seams. His strong chin turned into a wide, powerful jaw and his blue eyes turned dark brown, the animal being given control instead of the man.
In New York, there was hardly ever a chance to run free. Sure, the local billionaire shifters had pooled their resources to buy large areas of land as close to the city as possible, but that still meant impossibly long drives and the possibility of freaking out a random hiker or local. In Idaho, he wouldn’t have to worry about that. Anyone he met in the woods would be a shifter like him or at least expecting to see one.
The air always seemed purer to his bear than it did in his human form. All his senses seemed to be heightened, and his power brimmed and boiled, looking for a way to be let out, to be let loose. It felt fantastic. Rhett ran like the wind, giving himself free reign to go and do as he pleased. Nothing was going to hold him back, and he wouldn’t worry about a single thing other than enjoying the feeling of the forest in tune with his bear and his ancient powers being allowed to come forth in full force.
He never felt quite as good anywhere as he did in the forest, surrounded by nature. Though each generation of shifters had become more and more urbanized, something still brought them back to the arms of Mother Nature. None of them could reject the call, not really, not entirely. They might have tried – like Rhett did – by hiding himself away in the concrete jungle, focusing on building his empire and sparing no attention to anything else. But the moment they were given a chance to embrace their wild side, their animals took over.
Rhett had learned to enjoy the process, not fight it – though it had been a long and troublesome road. At first, after his father died, he had done his damndest to be nothing like him. To stray away from the simple life, to build, to accomplish, to conquer. But the older he got, the more he saw the error of his ways.
His father had been a handyman, a bear with golden paws. He could build or fix anything, and he’d been known for just that – a dependable man who would always come to one’s aid if it was needed. Somehow, Rhett had mistaken that kindness for weakness, and he was ashamed to admit that it had taken him far too long to understand his father’s wisdom.
He had despised the man for forcing a potentially unwanted marriage upon him and Rush. For years, he had lamented that they are nothing like the previous generations, that they are the new shifters – the better, more modern version of the ancient beings. That they don’t need a triad, that they could be more powerful and more in tune with themselves without it. Of course, the folly of youth was thankfully a thing that passed, and Rhett had begrudgingly come to admit that there might be something to this whole love and happiness thing.
He wasn’t entirely convinced yet, though. He’d had far too much fun sleeping his way through Upper and Lower Manhattan to consider giving up his ways quite so easily, but at least he was now open to the idea. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to Shifter Grove. Though, admittedly, considering how little time they had, he might as well not have come at all.
The bear ignored those morose thoughts. Rhett hadn’t noticed, but his step had become longer and lighter now, and he ran like the wind through the forest with surprising agility and grace. He had a purpose, a direction. The human in him was not yet sure what it was, but he trusted the bear.
The bear stopped for a moment, snuffing the air and letting the smells of the bright, sunshiny day fill him. As if drawn by some invisible force, he turned sharply to the left and broke into a gallop again, heading into thick brush and pounding through it like it was nothing but cobwebs and twigs. The forest rattled around him, but he didn’t care.
That smell…
It didn’t take long for him to reach his destination. In a matter of minutes, he had come to the edge of the forest, standing just outside a small clearing in the woods that hid a little cottage. He stopped, huffing in the air again. It smelled mesmerizing.
Like honey and heather combining together to make him absolutely wild. His paws yearned to walk him closer, to be bathed in that delicious scent, but rationality stopped him. Rhett considered the house before him. It was small, far too small to be chosen by a shifter, or a family, but it was quaint – the kind a woman would like and choose for her life in seclusion.
It was far from Shifter Grove – not too far, but far enough to be a trek instead of a leisurely walk away. It made him wonder what she was hiding from, what she was trying to get away from that she’s placed herself so far from the rest of civilization.
Most of all, though, he wondered who she was, and his bear was adamant about finding out. Something stirred within him, telling him that whoever she was, she was special. That he would have to get to know her, that he would have to meet her… If only to appease his bear. Never had he felt so passionate about someone, let alone someone he hadn’t yet met.
Rhett stood there for a long time, just smelling the air and letting the scent seep into his very pores in the hopes of having it linger with him longer. Finally, he reluctantly left, looking over his shoulder several times. He couldn’t venture closer – he didn’t want to scare her. But the confusion and desire in him only grew with each step that took him further from the house, further from her.
I must know who she is…
CHAPTER SEVEN
Danni
Oh my god, what if I don’t have anything to say? What if I make a complete fool of myself? I don’t know
how to date anymore… Especially with guys like that! He must be an Olympic athlete or something.
“You okay, Danni?” Aubrey asked, looking at her in the reflection.
Danni snapped out of her train of thought and realized she had been combing the same spot in Aubrey’s luxurious red hair for the past… far too long.
“Oh yes, sorry! I’m a bit foggyheaded today. Must be all this clean Idaho air. I’m not used to it, I guess,” Danni mumbled, grabbing the smaller mirror and showing Aubrey the back of her head.
Aubrey nodded with a kind smile as Danni took the sheet off of her. She took a few crisp bills out of her purse and handed them to Danni, putting both palms around her hand.
“You get used to it. And thank you again for choosing to come to Shifter Grove. Kacey’s a great nurse, but I can tell you that she’s no hairdresser! I thought I would have to start driving all the way to the city to get my hair done!”
Danni grinned at the compliments. She wondered if she would become so damn likable as well as she spent more time in Shifter Grove? She sure hoped so!
“No problem, Aubrey. I can tell you for a fact that you guys are helping me more than I’m helping you. Everyone’s just been so nice!”
She was about to say something else when the little bell rang and the door flung open. Danni looked at the visitor and her heart skipped a beat. Aubrey was her last client and it was just about closing time – Rush was just in time. And damn did he look good. Like, really, really good.
Like he should be put on a poster and stared at kind of good.
Aubrey laughed, drawing Danni’s hazy gaze back to her.
“The Idaho air, huh?” she said, winking and squeezing her arm. “You treat her right, cowboy, or you’ll have me to deal with!”
Aubrey waggled her finger at Rush, and he dipped his head good-naturedly, letting her pass.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way, ma’am.”
Aubrey disappeared from sight and Rush’s baby blue gaze fell back on Danni, stealing all of her focus again.
“Ready?”
“I think so,” Danni said, fumbling about and looking for her purse.
She grabbed it from the side table and hiked it over her shoulder, feeling all sorts of self-conscious. Rush just oozing sex didn’t make it any better either. The way he kept his eyes squarely on her and the wolfish grin he wore made her tingle with expectation. Though she wasn’t entirely sure what it was she was expecting. She was a good girl, at least so she thought, and even if he was entirely smoking hot, that wouldn’t mean anything, right?
But why can’t you just have a little bit of fun? Relax… Enjoy it!
The little devil on Danni’s shoulder was being far too convincing for Danni’s own good. They stepped out of the salon and Danni locked it behind her. As always, she gave one last, appreciative look at the place before stepping away. It felt good knowing that she had built this place and that she would come back to it the very next day and just pick up where she had left off, making it even bigger and better.
Rush took her hand in his like it was the most normal thing and started walking. For the first minute or so, Danni couldn’t get over the fact that he’d just done that – her skin was all tingly, and hot and cold flashes were running through her. When she finally got over the initial ohmigoshwe’reholdinghands! and she could pay attention to something else, she noticed that they were walking in the opposite direction of the only diner in the area.
“Um, I thought we were going out to dinner?” Danni half-stated, half-asked.
Rush chuckled, glancing at her. He was wearing a black dress shirt done up just high enough to show off some of his broad, hard chest and blue jeans that fit him just right. He cut a dashing figure of a cowboy – at least to Danni’s inexperienced eye.
“We are. I just thought we could do something a little bit… different. How does that sound?”
“Different can be fun,” Danni admitted carefully, unsure of what she was getting herself into.
They walked for a few more minutes before the small town was just behind them. There, in the rays of the slowly lowering sun, Danni saw what he had meant. She gasped and stopped for a moment to stare.
“Is that…” She didn’t know exactly what she was saying so she just pointed at the big, colorful hot air balloon, sitting in the middle of a field.
“Yup,” Rush confirmed, tugging her forward gently.
Rush walked her over to it and helped her into the basket. There wasn’t too much room, but when Rush undid the ropes and jumped in as well, she thought that it might have been a good thing – at least she’d have someone to hold onto when she got scared. And there was no one she’d rather cling to than Rush!
“Do you know how to fly this thing?” Danni asked, a little uncertain.
Rush laughed, letting the fire blaze hotter for a moment and take the hot air balloon into the air.
“No, I figured this would be a great time to learn, though!” he teased.
She wanted to smack his arm, but no way was she going to risk death like that! The balloon went higher and higher, and soon, all of Shifter Grove and the surrounding farms and ranches stretched out before her. It took her breath away. This little town that had been so good to her was now right in front of her in all its humble, subdued glory. She lost herself in its beauty until the clink of glasses dragged her out of her reverie.
Rush popped the cork on an expensive-looking champagne, poured her a glass and handed it to her. Danni looked at it dubiously and worry stirred in her when she saw the contents of the rest of the picnic basket Rush had hidden in the balloon – expensive dried hams, strawberries, little cupcakes and cheeses made for the perfect light dinner – and she had to wonder how he could afford it all. Not just that, but where had he got the balloon from!?
“You shouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” Danni said lightly.
Rush snorted with amusement, turning those blue eyes back on her.
“It was no trouble. Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy it. Now, how about a toast? To new beginnings?”
That sounded right.
“To new beginnings,” she confirmed, clinking the glass against his.
They both grinned and sipped at their champagne, and then, Rush gave her a plate of goodies to munch on. She balanced the plate in her hand and set the glass down in a little side-mounted holder on the basket (fancy!). The food, as expected, was absolutely divine.
“This is so good!” Danni said, after having taken a slice of cheese and one of those impossibly big strawberries.
“I like my food like I like my women – plentiful and mouthwatering,” Rush said, winking at her.
Danni blushed, and he chuckled again, but it was a kind sound, not a derisive one – so unlike Taylor, who seemingly had always been laughing at her, not with her. As if on cue, her phone buzzed. She fished it out of her pocket automatically, but before she could do more than just notice that it was Taylor calling her, Rush had carefully plucked it out of her hand and shut it off. He gave her enough time to protest, but she didn’t. In fact, she was sort of relieved.
“How about we don’t let whoever that is ruin your mood again, hmm? On our night. I’m going to be a little bit selfish here and want your full attention,” he said, smiling.
It seemed like he was standing so much closer all of a sudden, looming over her. Of course, there hadn’t been a moment on the balloon where at least some parts of them weren’t touching, but now it seemed so much more obvious. She nodded slowly, trying to calm the pounding of her heart to something that resembled her average heartbeat.
“So, how about you tell me what brought you here. What is it about Shifter Grove that caught your attention? I get the feeling you haven’t been here for too long.”
She was thankful for the distraction. “I wanted a place where no one knew me and no one could judge me. The past has been reluctant to let me go, but I want to let it go, and I didn’t think I could do it where I was. And I alw
ays wanted to be a hairdresser. I’d gone to school and learned the trade but never really dared take the plunge. It never seemed like the right time, you know? It was always something else that needed my time and my attention, but now, I figured I’d just do what my heart wants. And my heart wants to be here, I think.”
Hearing herself say that, she knew she was telling the truth. She did want to be there, and she was more than grateful for the chance of seeing her dream through, no matter if it crashed and burned horribly or kept her happy and under a roof for many years to come – at least it was her decision this time.
“What about you? I haven’t been here for too long, but I think I would have noticed you around.”
She swallowed the blush she felt coming on – Why do you have to blush so much!? Stop it! – when she realized what it sounded like, and popped a little ham roll in her mouth. Danni watched as Rush shrugged slightly, and for the first time, she saw him be anything other than absolutely straightforward.
He pointed at his glass and then at hers, saying, “New beginnings. I think that’s why everyone’s here. I don’t have much of a story though.”
She was absolutely sure that wasn’t all there was to it, but he wasn’t giving her any bad vibes that would have made her worry.
“I bet you do.”
“Maybe I do and just need more champagne before I’m ready to spill it?” he asked, teasing as he refilled their glasses.
“I hope you’re not trying to get me drunk!” she laughed.
Rush shook his head, and his copper hair fell on his forehead in messy strands.
“Wouldn’t dare dream of it. I want you perfectly aware of what we’re doing,” he said, and it sounded like a promise. “You said you want to focus on what you want. So what is it, other than the career?”
It was a provocative question, and Danni fell silent for a moment, pondering it over. What did she want? Honestly, there were far too many things to say. The champagne made her feel a little lighter, and he made her feel safe – or was it the other way around? Anyway, being so high up, surrounded by the fresh mountain air, floating slowly over Shifter Grove with no one to eavesdrop on their conversation, Danni felt like she could tell him anything. And so, she didn’t keep her thoughts back too much.