“So how did he sound?” Bonnie asked.
Ruby shrugged and leaned on the desk in defeat. “Not at all like the profile. I think most of it must have been a joke, thank heavens. But he sounds hot,” she said, sighing. “So hot. Crazy hot.”
“You can’t, Ruby,” Bonnie said, sounding just as drunk.
“I can.” She looked at her friends. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think I’m supposed to go out there. I think I’m supposed to meet him. I can just feel it.”
“Well, you’re not going alone,” Harmony said, leaning back in the chair. “I can take a week’s paid vacation. How about you?” she asked Bonnie.
Bonnie frowned and then nodded. “I’m pretty sure I can.” Bonnie had a veterinary degree and shared the practice with another vet. Harmony was a lounge singer, so she was probably joking about the paid time off thing.
“Besides, I’m kind of interested in seeing what this womanless place looks like,” Harmony said, pushing dark hair out of her eyes. “I mean, my main goal is obviously stopping you from being murdered. But I’ve never been somewhere rugged like this.”
“I can’t believe we’re going to do this,” Bonnie said, shaking her straight red hair back and forth.
“Montana,” Ruby said, looking at her friends. “Come on. Don’t you think there has to be more than enough hot cowboys there to go around?” She scanned the ad again. “Besides, it says anyone who mentions the site can get a discount on the lodge at the ranch, so we can have a cool, western vacation either way.”
Bonnie raised a skeptical eyebrow. “I don’t know. You know, half of this profile seems like it was written by a perfectly reasonable person. And half seems like you’re dealing with a five-year-old. How do you know what you’re getting?”
“I’m getting an adventure,” Ruby said, leaning back in her chair. “So are you in or out?”
Bonnie’s pale skin flushed, but she swallowed and nodded, setting down her wine. “I’m in. Anything if it will help you get over Bill.”
“Already over him,” Ruby grumbled.
“I’m in for sure,” Harmony said, tossing her dark hair flirtatiously. “Hopefully your hot cowboy has a brother.” She grinned and pushed in front of Ruby, pulling up an airline website and buying them tickets before Ruby could protest.
“Watch out, Montana. Here come three curvy New York girls to shake up your world.”
Ruby looked between her friends and laughed. They would be together. They would be getting the break they desperately needed and an adventure in the bargain. What was the worst that could happen?
Shane couldn’t get the voice of the woman on the phone out of his mind.
Even as several days went by, full of paperwork, running the ranch, and long walks on the land, up through the pine-covered hills all around, he couldn’t stop recalling the low, husky tone of her sweet voice.
He had no idea what to picture when he thought of her. She'd asked if she should follow the profile, and he'd said yes, so hopefully she would be sending him a message soon about an online chat or a phone call. He didn’t have long, but he wasn’t about to make some poor woman fly out here or fly himself around the country before having a good, long conversation.
He still wasn’t even sure how to explain his own unique situation. He imagined most women wouldn’t take kindly to being married to save a piece of land. Even one as special as the one Bear Haven rested on.
He shoved a hand through his dark hair and printed off a copy of the weekly financial report and set it on the desk in front of him.
If the woman didn’t want to call back, so much the better. She'd sounded slightly drunk, and besides, her area code said she was calling from New York. There was no way things would work out between him and a city girl. She’d hate it here for sure.
So why couldn’t he get her out of his mind?
The log door to his office swung open, letting in cool mountain air as his brother’s large silhouette filled the doorway. “I’m going to town.”
“Maverick?” he asked as his brother walked in, in his human form as he rarely was. His dark hair was shaggy and long, and his face was partially hidden by a scruffy, thick, dark beard. Unlike Shane, he had dark-brown eyes, so dark they were almost black, and they were piercing beneath his severe brows.
“I’ll be quick,” Mav said cryptically, folding his large arms and leaning against the doorframe. “Just gotta pick something up.”
“Okay…” Shane said, giving his brother a measuring glance. “Be back by nightfall.”
Maverick gave a quiet nod. Between his rugged look and his piercing eyes, he was the perfect guide for the city yuppies who wanted the experience of being in the Wild West.
Maverick turned to go, but Shane couldn’t resist calling out to him. “What exactly are you picking up?” he asked, a prickle of unease running through him.
“It’s a secret,” Mav said, scratching his head. He was wearing a flannel shirt and tight, worn jeans with thick work boots. Shane hoped he wasn’t going anywhere except the general store at the base of the mountain, or he’d probably scare the locals.
“I’m not sure I like that,” Shane said, standing and walking around the desk. “Why don’t you let Jesse go down for supplies? He goes Tuesday and Thursday. You can just add it to his list.”
Maverick shook his head. “Jesse doesn’t know about this.”
Shane lowered his eyebrows and glowered at that comment. It wasn’t like Maverick to be suspicious. Well, suspicious when not in bear form. And right now, despite his serious expression, there was a twinkly satisfaction in his eyes that made him look much like a bear who’d found a beehive.
And Shane didn’t trust that one bit.
Why would Maverick suddenly be keeping secrets?
“Well, I’ll just be going, then,” Maverick said gruffly, disappearing out the front door before Shane could reach for him. He leaned on the door and sighed as his brother jogged away toward the large garage where they kept their vehicles. A moment later, he heard the truck pull away from the cabin and onto the dirt road that led down the mountain.
Shane put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. Whatever Maverick was up to, he wasn’t likely to find out until his brother got back.
But he couldn’t help feeling that prickle of unease that crept up his back as soon as he turned to go back into the cabin.
He strode to his desk, slumped in his chair, and drummed his hands on the gnarled wood in front of him, which had been expertly polished and finished. Feeling the natural texture of the wood was soothing at times like this.
For some reason, a pair of blue eyes floated to the front of his thoughts. Wide, worried, like she was in danger. It made him think of the phone call he’d had, the laughing, sultry voice on the other side.
He forced himself to go back to reviewing the report on his desk, figuring he had to focus if he wanted to be done with his duties by the time the sun was down.
But he couldn’t focus, and he found himself clicking open the internet and typing in the name of the dating website where she’d found him. But when he went to log in, nothing happened. Wrong password.
That was odd.
Another prickle of nervousness shot through him as he tried again and a third time.
Maverick wouldn’t. He had a computer, but…
Shane quickly hit the password reset button and then retrieved the password from his email. Then he logged into the website and went to look at his profile, trepidation building in him the whole time.
When it loaded, his face twitched in shock. Someone had rewritten huge swaths of his description. It no longer represented Shane at all. Protecting cubs? Providing food? Shane groaned and shoved a hand through his thick hair. That was all Maverick. Maverick’s messed-up ideas of meeting a woman.
Speaking of which… Shane scrolled down and saw instructions for getting in touch, which mainly included a meeting here in Montana at a well-known bar.
Shit.
&nb
sp; Today.
So that’s where Maverick had gone, looking all secretive.
Shane slammed his hands down on the desk and stood up, shaking his head and cursing as he put on his hat and stormed out of the cabin.
Whatever Maverick intended to do with the women he attracted, Shane intended to put a stop to it. Hopefully he’d be there on time.
Chapter 3
In a small lodge at the base of the mountain, Ruby paced back and forth over the wood floor, holding her arms and wondering what to do.
On the flight over, Bonnie had caught something. And as they’d been driving from the airport, she’d gotten consequently more sick.
“I’m sorry,” Bon said, holding her waist as she sat on a chair next to the bathroom, waiting for the next wave. Harmony put hand to Bonnie’s head and sighed.
“It’s a bad fever. Some kind of flu or food poisoning,” Harmony said. “I can’t leave her here.”
Ruby sighed, hiding her disappointment from her friends. She didn’t want to give up her chance to meet the man on the phone. The one with the stunning green eyes.
They’d come all the way to Montana. Surely there would be another time to meet him. But there was no way her friends could come with her tonight.
“It’s okay,” Ruby said, sitting on the bed and looking out at the orange sun setting over the beautiful trees.
She was already falling in love with Montana. From the moment they’d landed—no, even seen it from the plane as they flew over—all three women had fallen in love.
They’d all grown up in the city, and there was nothing like this there. Wide-open spaces. Cool air. Miles between towns.
“You have to go,” Bonnie said. “I don’t want you to miss it for me.”
“I’m sure you can meet him some other time,” Harmony said. “Maybe you could call him.”
“It was just a time and place listed on the profile. Other women might show up.” The competitive side of her flared. No one else was going to take her mountain man.
“We’ll still have a good vacation. We can go stay up at the lodge,” Harmony said. “We’ll still get to meet your cowboy.”
“I don’t want to move Bonnie just yet,” Ruby said. “We’ll probably be here a few days.”
“Not that I mind,” Harmony said, looking around the little cabin they’d rented. It was spaciously appointed, with a flat-screen TV and a full bathroom and kitchenette. “I could totally get used to this for a break.”
“Not exactly your apartment, is it?” Ruby asked.
Harmony shook her head. “Nope. Not enough cockroaches.”
“It’s a little small for what I’m used to,” Bonnie said quietly, looking around. “But I have to admit it’s charming.”
Bonnie looked tired, her pale skin extra pale, a contrast to her blazing red hair that belied her shy personality. Bonnie came from old money, and her degree in veterinary sciences made for a good living and a nice apartment in a much different part of town than Harmony lived and worked as a lounge singer.
Harmony rummaged in her purse and then pulled out a small pink pouch and handed it to Ruby. “If you really want to meet your man, take this.”
“Your Taser?” Ruby said. “Are you sure?”
Harmony nodded. “And your cell phone to call us if anything seems off. It seems like a pretty safe little town, but just in case.”
“Do you really think it’s okay?” Ruby asked.
Harmony pursed her red lips. “I don’t know. But I can tell it’s going to break your heart if you don’t get to see him.”
“I know it’s silly,” Ruby said. “I just have a feeling about it.”
“I hope so,” Harmony said, folding her arms. “Because now that we’re in the middle of nowhere, on break from our jobs, something better come of this.”
“I don’t know,” Ruby said, shrugging. “I do know I’m not thinking about Bill.”
Harmony grinned wryly at that. “Well, it’s all worth it, then. That cheater isn’t worth your time.”
“Or a demotion,” Ruby said gloomily.
“Maybe it all happened for a reason,” Bonnie chirped. “Maybe you—ugh…” She ran for the bathroom. After a few moments and some running water to clean up, she stumbled back to her chair. “Maybe everything was supposed to go wrong so you would be willing to drop everything and fly out here when you saw that profile. Maybe he’s the one.”
Harmony rolled her eyes, but Ruby couldn’t help feeling a little bit excited.
After years of unsuccessful dating, who didn’t find the idea of one man of your very own, meant just for you, romantic?
She was certainly okay with it.
“It’s a quiet town, and we saw the restaurant. It seemed safe,” Bonnie said, her voice insistent. “I don’t want you to wait.”
“I don’t want you to go alone,” Harmony said grumpily, pulling her curly hair back into a ponytail. “But that Taser should put down anything short of a full-grown bear, so I would think you’ll be safe. Plus, according to the map, the restaurant is pretty much in the middle of town, so there should be plenty of people around.”
“Maybe I will go,” Ruby said hesitantly, her heart leaping at the thought of it. She didn’t want to be stupid, but she felt so drawn to the man. She didn’t even know why.
And she was tired of playing it safe. She’d done everything by the plan, and all it had gotten her was a cheating boyfriend and a career where they took advantage of her skills and never gave her the recognition she deserved.
She was going to a bar in Montana. “I’m going to get dressed.”
Bonnie clapped her hands, then looked slightly pale and steadied herself. Harmony whooped.
Ruby grabbed an outfit out of her suitcase, changed in the bathroom, and then presented herself to her friends, twirling.
She wore a peach silk blouse with light-colored skinny jeans that hugged her curves. The color of the silk set off her pale, creamy complexion. She swiped on coral gloss and shrugged into a black motorcycle jacket that added just a bit of edge to the look. Her light-blond hair was fluffed and perfect. When she completed her twirl for her friends, they clapped in approval.
“Bill is so stupid,” Harmony said.
“Agreed,” Bonnie said, rubbing a hand over her waist. “Man, I’m nervous. I wish we could be there with you.”
“I’ll call you as soon as we’re done. I’ll tell him I can’t stay long, but if there’s another woman there, I’m going to have to figure out how to outlast her.”
“Good girl,” Harmony said. “Though, I think you might be the only woman crazy enough to come all the way out here just to meet some mountain man.”
“My mountain man,” Ruby joked, tossing her hair. “I’m taking the rental car. That okay?”
“Of course,” Harmony said. “And make sure you drive yourself at the end of the night. Don’t get into cars with strange men, no matter how hot they are.”
Ruby saluted. “Got it, Mom.”
Harmony scowled at her and then laughed. “Get out of here. You’re gonna be late.”
“Okay,” Ruby said, feeling nerves hit her as she grabbed her purse and slid the Taser inside. She wasn’t so much nervous about something happening as she was about the fact that she was about to meet a stranger who her crazy fantasies said might just be the one for her.
She waved to her friends, shut the door behind her, and then walked out to her car.
Time to woman up and go on an adventure by herself.
When Ruby pulled up to the restaurant, she felt her courage attempt to abandon her.
There were motorcycles parked all around the place, and the loud sound of country rock blared from inside. There were people, sure. But it didn’t sound like there were many women, if any.
There were large trucks parked all around, surrounding her small rental car, which she parked close to the entrance in case she needed to make a quick getaway.
She put her hand on the door handle, and trepidatio
n filled her. What if these men were rough, difficult, and nothing like the smooth city men she’d experienced? Then again, smooth city men could be pretty uncouth when they thought they could get away with it, putting their hands in all manner of places they weren’t invited to.
Perhaps the men out here would have some outdated code of chivalry?
She heard a raucous shout and the sound of a stool being turned over and paled slightly. No, it didn’t seem so.
But she could see Shane’s reassuring green eyes in her mind, and for some reason, she felt if she could just find him, she’d be fine.
She took a deep breath and walked out of the car. Her boots sank in the soft soil beneath her, and she stumbled as she walked up to the front entrance. Rough wooden steps met her, and she took deep breaths, determined to fake the courage she certainly didn’t feel.
When she opened the door to the bar, she felt the full stupidity of the moment wash over her.
What had she been thinking?
A dozen or so men looked over at her. They were varying degrees of rugged, and she could see in their hungry eyes that it wasn’t often they saw a woman like her. The bar went silent, and she could sense a heavy tension in the air that made her skin crawl and urged her to run.
A man at the bar, seated at the counter, looked up at her with golden eyes. Golden eyes. He had dark-blond hair and a face shaded by stubble. He had several lackeys with him, and as he stood, they walked forward. But before they could reach her, a man pushed out of a booth to the side and walked directly in front of her.
She looked up into striking dark-brown eyes and a face she almost mistook for Shane's before realizing it was all wrong.
This man was the epitome of a mountain man, covered in a shaggy, thick beard with dark, unruly hair, intense eyes, and wearing thick flannel. She almost expected him to pull a log out of his pocket and split it right in front of her.
His dark eyes stared at her as he took her by the arm and led her to his booth, sending a dark glare at the men around them, who grumbled but slowly went back to her seats.
The bartender visibly relaxed, as if he were aware some sort of altercation had been avoided. She could still feel the cold, appraising gaze of the blond man at the bar, but she tried to ignore it as the large man helped her into the booth and sat across from her.
Bear to the End (Bear Claw Security Book 5) Page 14