by Leela Ash
“What’s going on in the valley?” Estelle asked with a small frown.
Blaine shook his head. “It’s not your problem. Why don’t you go get Danny some water?”
“Please, ma’am. I’d appreciate that.”
Estelle nodded tersely, but Blaine could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn’t happy with him at all. But that couldn’t bother him. The last thing he needed to be was a damn people pleaser. Nobody needed to tell him how to take care of his mountain or ask questions that he didn’t feel like answering, and that was the truth.
Once Estelle was out of earshot, Blaine lowered his voice.
“You don’t think there was any magic involved do you? The portal is so close, Danny. I can almost smell it.”
“Oh, you’re right about that. But with a storm like this it’s near impossible to say how it happened. It’s kind of a perfect offense, you know. Untraceable.”
“We don’t know for sure that dragons can control the weather at all, but you just have to wonder…”
“Why?” Danny asked, sensing the guilt in Blaine’s voice. “Did something happen between them recently that we should know about?”
“Nah, nothing out of the ordinary,” Blaine said. But that was only a half truth. The fact was that the leader of the dragons had asked for some mercy, and he, Blaine, had denied it. Even if it was to the detriment of his men and his goal.
“Well then there ain’t any point in worrying about that,” Danny said with a shrug. “We’ve got enough on our plates without adding more dragon drama into the mix.”
“Right.”
Estelle returned to them with a small glass of water and they remained crouched together in the light rain until the truck arrived and Danny was put onto the stretcher.
“Don’t worry about anything,” Blaine promised as Danny was getting driven away, further up the mountain. “We’re going to get all of you taken care of. This is nothing. You’ll be back to work in no time.”
Danny nodded wearily and Blaine was left in an awkward silence with Estelle, who was clearly still miffed at him. But he didn’t have time to worry about what this silly human thought of him or her pathetically vulnerable feelings. No…there was real work to do now, and he was the only one who could be counted on to do it.
6
Estelle walked slowly to her car and sat behind the wheel for a few moments, contemplating Blaine and his gruff way of speaking to her. For some reason, she had thought that they had something more than that; that he would treat her as kindly and patiently as she wanted to treat him. But the sad fact of the matter was that what they had wasn’t special in the slightest. To him, she would probably always just an ignorant human, nothing more than someone convenient to help out when nobody else would.
It had been a lucky thing that her first task of the day had been to drive to each mine so she would learn her way around the mountain and begin to feel comfortable driving on the terrifying and narrow roads that wound around it.
The task had made her smile; had made her think that maybe Blaine was a considerate and kind man, a man with a good heart and minorly tender feelings toward her. however, upon encountering him at the disaster site, she realized suddenly that she was sadly mistaken. He was just being a practical boss, helping the helpless human and aiding her in being more useful. It was always the same with powerful men; make sure every gear is in the right position so that the machine will function as a whole. No matter what it takes.
She cursed herself for being so naïve before heading up the mountain toward Oak Mountain Community hospital, where she found Helen waiting outside fighting with her cell phone.
“No service up here,” Estelle said out her open windows, pulling up beside Helen. Helen got into the car and sighed, slamming the door shut.
“No shit,” she mumbled.
“So how are the other two guys doing?” Estelle asked. And why had Blaine refused to ride up with her to check on them for himself? He had glowered at her when she asked, and said he could make his own way up on his own time. Maybe he didn’t want to be held back by her inexperienced driving. Whatever the case, he could have just said so!
“They’re all right, actually. It looked close for the one guy, but the doctors here managed to save them. They’re miracle workers.”
“That’s great news,” Estelle said, feeling optimistic for the first time since Blaine had snapped at her. “I’ve heard that bear shifters heal much faster than humans do, but I guess I wasn’t sure if it was all rumor or not.”
“There’s so much we don’t know about shifters,” Helen agreed. “I wish there was some kind of public relations course everybody could take or something.”
“Yeah, that would be ideal,” Estelle agreed. “But it would work best if the shifters could get along amongst themselves too, you know? There’s always some kind of problem, whether it’s between the wolves and the bears, or the bears and the dragons…it’s hard to keep up.”
Helen nodded. “Stonybrooke seems to have its own set of rules regarding relationships between shifter species.”
“As does Oak Mountain,” Estelle said. “I just have to try to figure out what’s going on up here so I don’t get myself into trouble. I don’t think they trust me with the whole truth up here. They keep shifter business pretty secretive around here.”
“Who can blame them?” Helen sighed. “Considering how many humans like to stick their noses into things and think that their way is the only way, it seems safer just to deal with their issues on their own. I would do the same thing.”
“So would I,” Estelle said.
Still, the way Blaine had spoken about her had been harsh to say the least. She didn’t want to think about it, but it stung despite her thick skin. She was used to people insulting her because of her weight, but somehow it seemed worse to be insulted by Blaine. Even if it wasn’t about her weight, it didn’t feel good at all.
“Anyway, I guess we should get you back to work,” Helen said. “I have some things to do around campus tonight.”
“Thank you so much for all of your help,” Estelle said.
“Sure,” Helen said, before smiling mischievously at her. “So, what’s the deal with your boss?”
“What do you mean?” Estelle asked.
“I saw him come in just before you pulled up. He’s handsome! Have you noticed?”
Estelle’s cheeks reddened and she gripped her steering wheel hard. “It’s hard not to notice that kind of thing. But he’s a shifter. Most of them are attractive.”
“That’s a cop out. You like him, right? I heard it in your voice before when we were on the phone. And now I know why.”
“You’re full of crap,” Estelle laughed. She didn’t have to let on that she was attracted to Blaine. Besides, how could she possibly justify it if he was just going to treat her like some unwanted pest hanging around the mountain when it had been his idea to hire her in the first place? No thank you!
“Sure, sure,” Helen said, an obnoxious smirk still lingering on her lips. “You obviously don’t know what in the world I’m talking about.”
“I don’t!” Estelle insisted. And even if she did, that didn’t mean she had to be pathetic about it. She wanted a man who knew her worth; not a man who was going to treat her just as badly as her family always had. Screw that!
She was almost relieved when they reached her cabin and Helen got back into her own car and waved good bye. Somehow it felt wrong for her to be on this mountain with a human like Helen, who, although she had been able to help save the bear shifters lives, was really out of place up in a mountain full of bears. She was used to the wolf shifters, but that didn’t mean that she belonged on Oak Mountain. Neither did Estelle, for that matter. Blaine had made that much clear.
Estelle glanced at her watch once Helen was gone out of sight and cursed. It was time to get back to work. Now that the disaster was averted, or at least taken care of to the best of their abilities, she was going to have to hea
d back to the office. It was the last thing she wanted to do really, but what choice did she have? She had volunteered for this position, for better or for worse, and if she was going to keep it, she would have to get herself through it. Her whole college career depended on it, even if that meant dealing with the unpredictable Blaine again.
***
“Where have you been, Estelle? There’s paperwork on your desk I need dealt with at once!”
Blaine’s greeting to her was less than special, but she hurried to her desk where, indeed, a stack of papers was waiting for her.
“I need you to go over those documents. Just to make sure that all the conditions on this sheet are met. I know the lawyer means well, but I can’t take any chances.”
A confusing warmth surged through her as she studied the documents. They were private, official, really, and she wasn’t sure she was qualified to do this type of work. But for some reason, Blaine, who refused to look her in the eye, was asking her to double check his lawyer’s work to make sure it remained in the best interest of the company.
“Of course,” Estelle stammered, sitting promptly and putting on her reading glasses. “I’ll get these to you as soon as I can.”
She opened one of the folders and then froze, glancing up at Blaine, who was staring at her with a strange expression on his face.
“What is it?” she asked, frowning. “Because if you’re going to tear into me for no reason again, you should probably just get back in your little office and leave me alone.”
Blaine was surprised by the words but grinned at her, an expression that seemed to shock them both. He took it in stride though, and pointed to her face.
“You wear spectacles, huh?” Blaine asked, looking at her with wide, sparkling eyes.
“So, what if I do?” Estelle demanded, slapping the folder back on her desk. “Are you going to make fun of those too?”
“Make fun?” Blaine asked, his smile faltering in confusion. “I don’t think I ever made fun…”
“Nothing a simple human could understand?” Estelle went on, glaring at Blaine right in the eye. “You don’t find any issue with the way you were speaking to me out there?”
Blaine bristled visibly and for a moment Estelle almost regretted letting her temper out on him. But not for very long.
“Well I was worried about my men!” Blaine exclaimed. “Excuse me for that.”
Estelle sighed and shook her head. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter to me anymore. Just let me do my work in peace, will you?”
Blaine opened his mouth as if to reply but clamped it shut again, as if unsure of whether it was safe to continue. One warning look from Estelle seemed to be all he needed to make his mind up, and he turned away from her and headed back toward his office.
“You’re only here because I hired you, remember. Don’t get make me regret that,” Blaine said.
Of course, he was the kind of man who had to have the last word. Estelle scoffed, but somehow, the interaction made her feel a lot better. Whether he cared for her or not wasn’t even the question, it was whether they would be able to work together successfully. She would have to cut him a break. It was clear he had a lot on his mind, and if he wasn’t going to let anybody in on any of it, he was just going to get more and more aggressive. What he probably needed was a friend. And she could be a friend.
The only issue was, would he want a friend at all?
7.
“You’re doing it wrong,” Blaine grumbled, looking over Estelle’s shoulder to check on the form she was completing.
Estelle glared up at him and shook her head. “Actually, I’m not.”
“You are. See, you’re supposed to put the…oh.”
Estelle raised her brow at him and shrugged him away.
“I told you.”
Blaine pursed his lips and walked away. So, he had been wrong about a stupid piece of paperwork. Big deal.
“Blaine, we’re having some issues with the front-end loader,” Jake said, coming up from behind Blaine.
“For fuck’s sake!” Blaine growled. “What else is going to go wrong this week? You know we only have a month left in the season!”
“I’m heading down now,” Jack said, his voice quiet and even despite Blaine’s fury. “I know it’s been rotten luck, but remember, we at least found that quartz deposit. And there’s gold close by, I can smell it.”
“Yeah,” Blaine grumbled, closing the door to the office in Jack’s face. He wouldn’t be able to relax until the lawyers got back to him about the deed to the mountain. The dragons were honing in on the territory fast, and making it sound a lot like they wanted a fight. If that’s really what they wanted, he could give it to them, but there would be a steep price to pay…
“Blaine! Jack asked if I wanted to ride down the mountain to see the front-end loader. Can I?”
Blaine was torn from his thoughts by Estelle, who had come through the door without knocking. Wasn’t she even the least bit intimidated by him, for crying out loud?
“I don’t give a shit!” Blaine exclaimed. “I ain’t your daddy.”
“Well no, but…” Estelle looked at him, her eyes twinkling as she seemed to consider her next words.
“What, you’re thinking I might fire you for leaving during office hours?”
Estelle nodded, but an easy, beautiful smile lit up her face. It was hard to be mad staring at her, looking at him like that. He let out a deep sigh.
“All right then. Just get that shit to me before -”
“It’s already done,” Estelle said, pulling a small collection of papers from behind her back and walking them to Blaine’s desk. “I guess I’ll see you later then.”
“Yeah, I guess you will,” Blaine grumbled.
Estelle’s smile widened and Blaine shook his head as she turned away to follow Jack to the parking lot. That was some girl.
He sighed, trying not to think too much of it.
“You coming or what, Blaine?”
Jack was outside the window, looking in at Blaine with a mischievous expression in his eyes.
“What the hell,” Blaine sighed. It would be good to get out of the office for a while. It was starting to feel a bit stuffy. At least outside he could oversee what was going on and have a good idea of what to expect.
They rode in Jack’s truck, Blaine and Estelle sandwiched together between Jack as they descended Oak Mountain, until they made it to the bottom, where, sure enough, the front-end loader was sitting with its scoop dangling in the air and tufts of black smoke billowing out from the engine.
“So, what happened here, boys?” Jack asked, strutting down the steep incline and down to where the men had congregated, all of them avoiding Jack and Blaine as if they were the plague.
“Tad here broke the damn thing,” one of the men said quickly, shoving a scrawny man forward. Blaine narrowed his eyes, but the men started laughing. So, they were just picking on the kid.
“All right, well whichever one of you was driving needs to come up and tell me what you know so we can get this puppy fixed. You know we have a time crunch.”
The men mumbled their agreement and then got back to work, leaving everybody busy except for Estelle and Blaine.
“So, what’s this mine for?” Estelle asked, walking casually over to Blaine. “It looks different from the other ones.”
“Not much different,” Blaine said. “We’re mostly just testing the area. See that boulder over there?”
Estelle’s dazzling baby blue eyes scanned the side of the mountain until it located the boulder and then a beautiful smile lit her face. Blaine had to look away before she realized he was staring.
“I see it.”
“Well that means that there was probably a river around here in ancient times. We’re checking for gold here, see those machines?”
Again, Estelle’s eyes followed Blaine’s hand she nodded.
“We’re stripping off the overburden so we can test the area. It will help us to map
out the course of the pay dirt.”
Estelle contemplated this for a moment before finally turning to Blaine.
“What makes you so passionate about gold?” she asked, her blue eyes intent on his. Damn she was pretty. He had half a mind to take her right then and there. His claim on her must have been stronger than he thought. What the hell was wrong with that bear? Didn’t it care that she was half his age?
“You mean other than the money?” he asked, quirking his brow and doing everything in his power to tear his thoughts away from his attraction. But the bear wasn’t making that very easy.
“I guess so,” Estelle said with a soft laugh. “I would assume you wouldn’t care much about money… The shifter communities are usually really self-sufficient…”
“Well, we have our share of resources,” Blaine agreed. “I think what I really love about it is the adventure.”
“Adventure, huh?” Estelle asked, grinning.
Blaine held her gaze, the bear urging him to take charge of the situation. Maybe get her alone and find out more about her. But he was disgusted by its shameless efforts at advancement on the young girl. She was half his age!
“I’m an adventurous guy, believe it or not,” he said, unable to keep the flirtatious tone out of his voice. He glanced around at the men, embarrassed by the thought of being caught flirting with a kid, but they were all busy and hard at work. It took a lot of time to sample the area for gold, and he knew that they were on the right track. He could feel it.
“I believe it,” Estelle said, coming a little bit closer. Blaine cleared his throat.
“How’s it coming over there, Jordie?” he bellowed, ignoring Estelle’s face falling as he disengaged quickly from the conversation.
He just couldn’t let himself do this. No matter how much the bear wanted her, it wasn’t right. Blaine would just have to be stronger than his impulses, whether he liked it or not. He wasn’t going to get himself entangled with anyone. Especially not after the last time…