Pleasant Valley Bears: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Pleasant Valley Shifters)

by Marlie Monroe

  George sat behind Stuart’s desk with his glossy black leather oxfords propped up on the surface. He looked up from the smartphone clutched between his hands. “About time you showed up, young man. I do hope you’re normally more punctual than this. It’s nearly ten o’clock.”

  “Actually, I came in around seven this morning. I was just out doing a bit of campaigning.”

  George took his feet off the desk and sat up. “Good. I’m glad to hear it. That’s actually why I’m here.”

  Here it comes, Stuart thought. “Oh really?”

  “Yes. Something occurred to me late last night when I was pondering how to improve your public image.”

  “I wasn’t aware I had a public image problem.” Stuart sat on one of the two hard-backed chairs facing the desk.

  George scoffed. “Don’t be glib. You know what I mean.”

  Stuart wasn’t too sure about that, but he knew better than to argue. “Go on.”

  “I think the public would think better of you if you settled down.”

  “I’m sure they would. However, pulling a woman out of my hat has proven a lot more difficult than a rabbit, Stuart.”

  “Very funny. You should keep your day job.” George leaned forward. “Oh wait... that’s what I’m trying help you do.”

  “I realize you’re only trying to help, and I certainly appreciate your efforts to support me, even if your latest suggestion is more than a little ludicrous.”

  “Finding a mate and settling down isn’t as asinine as you seem to think. You aren’t getting any younger. It’s high time you found someone and started a family anyway. I’m just suggesting you do so now rather than later.”

  “The election is in less than a month. Even if I stumbled into my mate today, hypothetically speaking, there still wouldn’t be enough time to court her and make things official before November third.”

  “Poppycock. If you met the right person, a nice young lady from a respectable shifter family, then she would understand the value of moving quickly.”

  Poppycock? Stuart smiled. He couldn’t help himself. “I don’t think so.”

  “I could introduce you to a few appropriate, eligible girls if you’d like.”

  Stuart shook his head. “It isn’t going to happen, so you might as well forget about it.” Besides, he’d already met the one and he doubted his uncle would approve of her as the perfect bride to win votes.

  “Well,” George huffed. “You can’t say I didn’t try to help you. You would be a lot better off if you would just listen to my advice and stop being so stubborn. Your father was the same way. Once he set his mind on something, there was no talking him out of it. You’re like him in a lot of ways.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.” Stuart didn’t remember his parents, but he’d always been told his father was a good man and his mother had been kind and beautiful. They’d died together in a head-on collision not long after Stuart’s third birthday. Afterward, Stuart had gone to live with George and his third wife, Yvette, who’d stuck around just long enough for Stuart to grow attached to her before she’d moved on to someone younger and richer than George.

  “You should.” George sighed and looked away. “I’ve monopolized enough of your time this morning. I’ll let you get back to work.” He rolled the desk chair back and rose to his feet.

  Stuart stood and opened the door. “Are we still on for Sunday dinner?”

  George gave a sharp nod. “I’ll meet you at the diner at six, like always.”

  Chapter Three

  Stuart spent the rest of the morning at his desk, stopped by the sub shop for a quick sandwich for lunch, and then rushed to the local high school for the annual anti-drug assembly. He gave his speech encouraging the kids to stay off drugs and then took questions, most of which were inappropriate and had nothing to with abstinence from controlled substances. There was always a smart-mouthed kid in the audience who’d thought it would be a hoot to ask him how many shifters he’d shot in the line of duty. This year there was a little slip of a girl who asked if people on bath salts were really face-eating zombies. At least that was something new.

  He slipped out of the auditorium as one of the state boys walked by him in a crime dog costume. It was almost ninety outside, unseasonably hot for October in Virginia. The officer had to be roasting his nuts off inside the bulky costume. Stuart wouldn’t trade places with that guy for a bucket of fresh honey.

  He headed down the hall, anxious to escape the sounds and smells of puberty that permeated every inch of the building and reminded him of his own wretched youth. Like most, he’d hated high school. Despite being one of the most aggressive and fearsome shifter breeds, he’d kept mostly to himself. He’d been most comfortable on his own or in the company of his one close friend, fellow grizzly shifter Rick Gideon. They’d naturally fell in together since they’d been the only two of their kind within their graduating class. Their bond had lasted through the ups and downs of high school and beyond, remaining strong well into the present.

  Something about being inside these walls again made him feel twitchy, as if he needed to keep his guard up unless he wanted to risk having the last fourteen or fifteen years’ worth of personal growth and experience fade away, stripping him back down to the insecure teenager he’d once been. He wasn’t that skinny, weak child anymore, and he didn’t appreciate the reminder.

  He hastened his pace, his every footstep echoing through the vacant hall. Upon reaching the back exit, he pushed through the glass doors and stepped outside and into a cloud of smoke. He winced at the offensive smell and looked around him, almost instantly spotting the source of the smell. Two scrawny teenage boys hid behind the tall shrubbery planted around the rear perimeter of the school. With their smell covered by the smoke and the denseness of the bushes in front of them, Stuart may have overlooked the boys if not for the bright, almost neon shade of their hair. One kid’s hair was lime green and the other was electric blue.

  Stuart shook his head. “Come on out of there boys.”

  The boys whispered back and forth, arguing over what to do. Stuart didn’t bother to tell them he could hear every word they said. After a couple of minutes they gave in to the inevitable and eased out from behind the bushes. They stood in front of him with lowered faces and hunched shoulders, reminding him of cowed dogs. Despite feeling sorry for them, he couldn’t ignore what they’d been doing. Cigarettes were illegal for kids their age. “Don’t you boys know better than to smoke? It’s illegal and terrible for your health.”

  The boy with the green hair raised his chin and glared. “Save us the lecture, man. I’ve heard it all before. Just do whatever you’re going to do and get it over with already.”

  “Justin,” Blue boy hissed. “Be cool. He’s a cop.”

  “So what?” Justin replied. “I’ve been in juvie before. It’s not big deal.”

  Blue boy looked up at Stuart, revealing large blue eyes lined with kohl and a silver hoop pierced through his septum. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t want to go to jail.”

  “How about we start with the principal’s office?” Since the kids were smoking on school grounds, he could let the administrators dole out punishment. They were used to dealing with rebellious teens. He pulled open the door and held it for the boys. “Lead the way, boys.”

  * * * *

  Getting personal calls while on duty was frowned upon at the hospital. Having to leave in the middle of your shift because your rebellious teenage son had been caught smoking on school grounds was worse.

  “I’m so sorry,” Lila repeated for the fifth time. She stood in front of Stacey, her coworker, and the woman who’d be picking up the slack on the floor while Lila was gone. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Go on.” Stacey shooed her away. “Things are quiet right now. Knock on wood.” She tapped her knuckles against the wall.

  “Thank you,” Lila said, already edging away. “I owe you one.” She turned and sped toward the elevator.

/>   Thank goodness the hospital was centrally located. It wouldn’t take her long to reach the high school or drive Quinn home. The biggest time sink would undoubtedly be at the school itself. Meeting with the administrators would take forever. She would know. It seemed like she’d spent more time at Quinn’s middle school than he had last year.

  Lila made good time. She parked in the visitor’s lot in front of the large building and hurried inside. She couldn’t believe her son was up to his old stunts again. As if it wasn’t bad enough he’d pierced that hoop through his nose and dyed his hair the color of a Smurf, now he’d taken up smoking of all things. Smoking.

  She wanted to wring his scrawny neck. She hadn’t uprooted both of their lives so he could develop more bad habits.

  She turned into the main office and immediately spotted Quinn sitting next to his buddy Justin. She shot him what she thought of as her patented mom death glare and continued past him to the desk, where she offered the attendant a smile that probably looked as fake as it felt. “Hi there. Could you tell Principal Logan that Ms. Foster has arrived?”

  “Sure thing, Ms. Foster. Principal Logan has someone in his office at the moment but I’m sure he’ll be right out to talk to you.”

  “Thanks.” She turned and made her way back over to her son. Squatting in front of him, she rested her hands on his knees and looked up into his baby blues. “Hey kid. You want to tell me what on earth you were thinking?”

  Before he could answer, the inner door to the office opened and the principal stepped out, followed by the handsome devil who’d been in her home earlier that morning. She stared, caught off guard by seeing the sheriff again where she least expected to run into him.

  His dark eyes widened when they landed on her. He frowned in confusion, swinging his gaze from her to Quinn and back again, and then his features smoothed out, as if he’d figured out the score. He nodded at her and headed straight out of the office.

  It wasn’t her fault if she accidentally caught a glimpse of his firm, round butt beneath the thin fabric of his work slacks when he walked past her. Or if she happened to like what she saw. After all, she was only human.

  “Ms. Foster,” Principal Logan said. “Thank you for coming. You and Quinn may come in now.”

  Lila glanced back at Quinn. “Come on, kiddo. It’s time to face the music.”

  Quinn rose to his feet and followed her into the office without any of his usual sass.

  Principal Logan walked over to his desk and sat down. He waved to the two chairs opposite him. “Please have a seat.”

  “Thanks.” Lila nudged her son forward. “Go on. Sit.” Once Quinn’s butt hit the chair, she sat down beside him. “So. What happens now?”

  “Well,” Principal Logan said. “As you know, Quinn was in possession of cigarettes and caught smoking on school grounds by Sheriff Watson. Lucky for him Sheriff Watson suggested we handle the boys’ punishment ourselves. It is my suggestion that Quinn spend the rest of today at home. When he returns tomorrow, he should report directly to the ISS room, where he’ll finish out the week.”

  Lila breathed a sigh of relief. In-school suspension was less than she’d suspected.

  “That sounds more than fair. You can rest assured that Quinn will be punished at home as well and that something like this will never happen again. Isn’t that right, Quinn?”

  “Yes, ma’am. It’ll never happen again.”

  “All right then.” Principal Logan nodded. “I won’t keep the two of you here any longer. Thank you for coming in, Ms. Foster. Quinn, we’ll see you bright and early in the morning.”

  Lila rose to her feet. “Come on, Quinn. Let’s get you home.”

  Silence stretched between them on the way out. Quinn kept shooting wary glances her way, no doubt nervous about whatever punishment awaited him. Lila didn’t speak for fear of screaming at her son. Hopefully she would be able to rein in her anger and embarrassment at his actions by the time they reached the house. Yelling certainly wouldn’t do a bit of good.

  She led Quinn across the lot toward her car. Halfway there, she spotted the sheriff sitting in his cruiser, talking on a cell phone. Using her key fob, she unlocked the car and ushered Quinn over to the passenger side. “Get in the car and stay put. I’ll be right back.”

  “What?” Quinn asked. “Where are you going?”

  “Don’t worry about what I’m doing. You just do as I say and get in the car.”

  “Whatever.” Quinn shuffled to the car and climbed inside.

  She turned to walk away and winced as the door slammed shut behind her. Somebody obviously wasn’t happy. Not that there was anything new about that. It would take a miracle to get Quinn to crack a smile these days. Her sweet baby boy had turned into a sullen, angry young man when she wasn’t looking and she’d be damned if she could figure out how to turn the tide. She would sell her soul to whoever could provide the secret to a happy, well-adjusted teenager.

  She strode toward the sheriff, intent on thanking him for letting the school discipline the boys. The last thing Quinn needed was a juvenile record on top of everything else. As she crossed in front of his cruiser, their gazes met. A smile spread across his handsome face, making him even more attractive.

  Without taking his gaze off of her, he spoke into the phone, poked at the screen, and then slipped the device into his shirt pocket. He climbed out of the vehicle and shut the door. “Hey Lila. You doing okay?”

  “I’ve been better.” She shrugged, not wanting to make a big deal of the situation. “I just wanted to say thanks for letting the school handle Quinn’s punishment. He’s really not a bad kid; he’s just having some trouble adjusting.”

  Sheriff Watson nodded. “Sure. That’s understandable, what with the recent move and all.”

  “Exactly.” She didn’t bother to mention that Quinn had been acting out long before they moved home. That his acting out was in fact why they’d moved.

  “Listen,” Sheriff Watson said, leaning in closer. “I like you. If you’re willing, I’d really enjoy getting to know you better. How would you feel about having dinner with me sometime?”

  Lila wanted to say yes. She really did. Stuart Watson was handsome, fit, and employed. The first three qualities she looked for in a man. Plus, her dad already liked him, which was one heck of a bonus. She glanced back at her car, where her son sat with shoulders hunched inward and his face pointed at his lap. He looked so small and miserable it just broke her heart. As much as she wanted to go out with Stuart, her focus needed to be on her son at the moment.

  “I’m sorry. I really wish I could say yes, but I don’t have time to get involved with someone right now.”

  A little frown line formed between Stuart’s brows. He parted his lips to speak.

  “I should get back to Quinn,” she blurted out, suddenly nervous to hear his response. She hurried back toward the car. Over her shoulder, she said, “Good luck with the election.”

  “What was that about?” Quinn asked as soon as she settled behind the wheel. “Were you begging the pig to take me to jail so you could finally be rid of me?”

  Lila started the car and looked over at her son. “Why would you say such a thing? I have never ever done anything but love you and take care of you to the best of my abilities.”

  Quinn looked away. “Whatever.”

  Lila exhaled and silently counted to ten. She put the car in gear, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed toward home. “Quinn, you are my son, and I love you more than anything else in the world, but if you don’t quit with the eye-rolling and the whatevering, then I swear I’m gonna lock you in your room until you’re eighteen.”

  Quinn snorted. “No, you won’t.”

  “Try me.” She hit the signal light and turned onto their street. “By the way, you’re grounded for two weeks for the little stunt with the cigarettes.”

  “Whatever,” Quinn said. “It isn’t like I have anywhere to go anyway.”

  Lila just shook her head and sig
hed. That made two of them.

  Chapter Four

  Stuart had been in a shitty mood all day. After a long, restless night, he’d woken up with a throbbing headache, and things had only gotten worse from there. He’s stubbed the little toe on his right foot on the way into the bathroom. His coffeemaker had malfunctioned, sending coffee grounds spraying from the top and water sloshing out of the bottom to soak the countertop and the wood cabinets beneath. He’d dressed for work and walked outside just in time for the sky to open up and piss rain all over him.

  Soaked and already aggravated, he’d walked into the diner for some much-needed coffee just in time to overhear Frank McGovern running his mouth about why he was more qualified than Stuart to be sheriff. He’d stood right behind McGovern and listened to him go on and on about how Stuart didn’t stand a chance at winning the election.

  Finally, when he couldn’t stand another second, he cleared his throat and tapped McGovern on the shoulder and asked if he’d be done stroking his own ego soon because Stuart wanted to place his order some time before Election Day. As fun as it had been to watch the man splutter and turn red, Stuart would have preferred to just avoid the hateful old cuss altogether.

  His work day was long, uneventful, and boring as hell, leaving him with way too much time to ponder over Lila’s rejection. He couldn’t lie to himself. Being turned down stung. He hadn’t seen it coming. If Lila had just been some random woman he’d asked out, it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. It wasn’t as if he’d never been told no before. However, Lila wasn’t just anyone. She was his mate, the one woman meant to be his, and getting shot down by her was difficult to fathom.

  If they were destined to be together, then how could she resist him? God knew being around her made him want to pull her into his arms and never let go. Just breathing in her sweet scent was enough to give him wood and make him ache to claim her. Not having the right to act on his desires was torture.

  He had to figure out a way to win her over. Failure was not an option when his mate was at stake. He couldn’t believe fate would be cruel enough to dangle his mate in front of him, only to snatch her away before he could ever truly get close to her. That was bullshit. All he had to do was find a way to convince her to give him a chance. If he could manage that, then everything else would fall into place.