Even though she’d left her job, she was glad she was a short drive from home. So many of her friends and family had come to celebrate her wedding day that it made her heart burst with happiness to look out on the guests, sitting in the rows of chairs. In the clearing at the end of the aisle a waterfall poured below the domed glasses ceiling.
Leland waited for her in front the waterfall with the minister. A string quartet started the wedding march, and Sylvia's heart jumped into her throat. Her mother wrapped her arm through Sylvia's elbow.
"Are you ready?" her mother asked as Buck and her friend started down the aisle.
"I'm more ready than you could know," she giggled.
Jessie and her friend Mary started down the aisle next. Sylvia took a deep breath. She and her mother took the first step down the aisle toward Leland. He waited there in his tuxedo and cowboy hat, looking like a dream. She and her mom stopped at the end of the aisle.
The minister asked in a confident voice, "Who gives this woman to be married?"
"I do," her mother said.
Sylvia squeezed her mom's hand and smiled at her gently as she placed her hand in Leland's. He helped her step up the rise to stand with him in front of the minister. Her bridesmaids took her flowing bouquet. Leland took both of her hands in his as they faced each other.
The minister started the wedding ceremony, gathering the guests’ attention. Sylvia could feel everyone’s eyes on her and her mate. She loved how it felt to have everyone she loved and everyone Leland loved there for them in that moment.
"Do you, Sylvia Becker, take Leland Kincaid to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do," Sylvia said.
"And do you, Leland Kincaid, take Sylvia Becker to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"
"I do," Leland said.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Leland leaned toward her and swept her up in his arms, pulling her body against his and capturing her mouth in a passionate kiss. He inhaled her scent deeply. A moment later, with his big hand still firmly around her waist, he let her up for air. Sylvia was swept away in his embrace, her knees going weak. Leland’s strong arms were there to keep her up.
Everyone cheered and clapped, but she didn’t hear it. All she felt was Leland's embrace. They started down the aisle as the guests threw birdseed in the air. Out of the corner of her eye, Sylvia saw a colorful bird leap from a tree and fly into the air, singing across the crowd. “Beautiful!” it cawed.
Sylvia gasped, coming out of her daze. She gazed up at the domed glass ceiling of the atrium as a second bird jumped from another tree. "Gorgeous!" The second bird crowed.
The parrots swooped and dove over the crowd as Leland and Sylvia made their way out of the atrium. Sylvia held her bouquet in her hands. She smelled flowers as the bright blue sky stretched over the glass dome. With the birds flying overhead, her heart sang and her mind raced with anticipation for all the promise of her future with Leland.
They giddily made their way into the Fate Mountain Lodge dining room, already prepared for the reception. All of their old and new friends started to gather. Since joining the Kincaid family, Sylvia had met many of the other bears on Fate Mountain. They were unbelievably close.
Buck was good friends with Rollo Morris of the Bear Patrol. The bears on the Bear Patrol were good friends with the Rescue Bears, Fate Mountain’s search and rescue team.
Everyone was there that day with their children, wearing their finest party clothes. A band played on the stage and Leland swept Sylvia into his arms. He led her into the empty dance floor as the guests filed through the doors into the dining room.
Some guests joined the dance, while the others found their places at the tables. The waiters started to bring out the guests’ meals, and everyone happily drank and ate and laughed as they listened to the band play. Leland held one of Sylvia's hands and his arm gently curved around her waist. She rested her cheek against his chest, listening to his heart beat. It was the most beautiful sound, more beautiful than music. She could rest her head there for the rest of her life.
Closing her eyes softly, she let herself fall into Leland's rhythm as he guided her across the dance floor, feeling his strong body against hers as he gently held her. When the dance was finally done, he kissed her softly before guiding her to the wedding table where they started their meal.
When they finished their food, she heard the telltale ding, ding, ding of a fork on a champagne flute.
"I would like to make a toast," Buck started as he stood at the other end of the wedding table. "To my brother, the Alpha of the Kincaid clan. When you first arrived here, it was difficult for all of us, me in particular. I couldn't understand why dad would leave you the role of Alpha. Now brother, I understand exactly why it was the right thing to do.
Even though our dad made a lot of mistakes, making you Alpha wasn't one of them. You had the steady head and the heart to see us through this difficult time. Fate stepped in and lent us a hand at the very last moment.
“If you hadn't kept fighting for love and for the family, who knows what would've happened. Thank you for coming home," Buck said. “And congratulations to you both. You two inspire me."
Buck sat down, and Sylvia felt her heart pounding in her chest at Buck’s declaration of pride and devotion to his brother. It was exactly what the family needed right now. She wished that Cyrus could've been here, but that was probably too much to ask.
Then Jessie got up to say his speech. "I'm not the guy people usually ask to make speeches in polite company,” he started. Everyone laughed. “Everything Buck said, I say double. Leland, you were always the leader. Even when you left. It made Dad mad as hell, but you were right all along.
“Having you home is like old times. Now we just need to get Cyrus down off the mountain and the whole clan will be back together again. I, for one, can't wait," Jesse said, lifting his glass to his brother and then taking a long swig before he sat down.
Everyone clapped with approval, and there was laughter and joking throughout the audience. The music started up again, and the guests went out on the dance floor to dance the night away. Sylvia was overjoyed to have a quiet moment to focus on her husband as the rest of the wedding table left to dance to the band.
"I feel so happy, I don't know how to contain it," Sylvia confessed with a smile as she leaned into Leland and squeezed his hand.
He cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead.
"I know exactly what you mean," he said. "But I have a feeling it's only going to get better from here.”
Chapter 22
Leland gazed out at the pastures extending down to the river and the view of the rolling hills beyond. Snow carpeted the ground and dusted the green tree boughs. The sky was blue and bright with the afternoon sun glowing warm overhead. Leland took a deep swig of his morning coffee and breathed a steamy, satisfied sigh.
He turned and walked through the French doors of his new master bedroom and back inside. He gazed at Sylvia and their son: Henry Leland Kincaid, named after his father's father. Sylvia held their baby boy in her arms as he drank his morning breakfast. Sylvia’s cat Charlie nestled lazily at the end of their big bed. Leland walked across the room and sat beside her.
"He's hungry this morning," she said with a giggle. "He takes after his father."
"He has the Kincaid nose and chin, and your eyes."
"I think he has my father's cheekbones," Sylvia said caressing the back of her index finger over her baby's cheek softly.
Henry was a month old today. The last thirty days had been the happiest of Leland's life. He never would have imagined that he could feel greater love and fulfillment than the day he'd claimed Sylvia. But the moment his son was born, he felt as if he'd grown another heart.
A second heart large enough to contain all the unbridled love he felt for his family. Sylvia had done so much for him and given him everything. Since she had to come to Timber Bear Ranch, the company had become three times as profitable. She ran the farm's finances while he attended to leadership. The herd was healthy and strong, and they would have many calves in the spring.
"Do you need anything from downstairs?" he asked softly, patting her leg over the blanket.
"I would love another cup of tea," she said.
He kissed her softly on the cheek and grabbed her tea mug on the way out the door. When he got downstairs to the kitchen, he put the kettle on and started to go over his schedule on his laptop on the counter. There was a knock at the kitchen door and a moment later his brothers stepped inside.
"What is that?" Leland said.
"Today is the day we make our last payment," Jessie said.
"We wanted to be here to commemorate the moment,” Buck continued.
A slow smile crept over Leland's face as he finished Sylvia's tea.
"Is it ready?" Sylvia asked, walking into the kitchen in her warm fuzzy green wrap dress and insulated boots. Her hair was piled up on her head in a messy bun and she was wearing a thick pair of glasses. She couldn't have been lovelier.
"Yes, my dear," he said walking toward her to carefully hand her the hot mug. She took it with a grateful sigh and began to sip.
"I put Henry down for a nap," she said. "What are you guys doing here?"
"They want to be here to when we make the last debt payment," Leland said.
Sylvia started to laugh and nodded her head in agreement.
"That sounds like a perfect idea."
They all went into the dining room and sat around the big old oak table as Leland typed into his laptop computer. He went to the website form and filled out the form. His finger hovered over the mouse, the pointer hovering over ‘send’.
"This is it," he said with a big smile.
"Do it!" Jessie cheered.
“Yeah, do it," Buck encouraged.
Sylvia gasped and giggled and then took another sip of tea. Leland smiled at his mate and then his brothers before looking back at the screen. With a grin, he forcefully clicked his mouse button. The page loaded and it was done.
Jessie stood up and pumped his fist into the air with loud "I’m going to buy a new truck," he said.
"Hold on a minute," Leland protested.
Buck sat back in his chair and crossed his arm, shaking his head. He had a massive smile plastered on his face. Sylvia set her mug back on the table and giggled at the brothers’ excitement.
"We did it, guys," she said. “We really did it. You are all so brave. There were times when I wanted to run away, but each of you stuck it out. Now we have a future to look forward to as a family.”
"We just have to get these two mated off," Leland mocked.
"I've been signed up for that dating site for a long time," Buck grumbled.
"I don't need a mate," Jessie said. "I get all the girls I want."
"You may change your mind," Sylvia said with wide smile.
"I know you'll change your mind," Leland said. "Because in the end, what I want more than anything, for all my brothers, is for you to be as happy as I am with my dear sweet mate, Sylvia."
Sylvia reached across the table and slid her fingers into Leland's hand, squeezing affectionately.
"I know that all of you, even your brother Cyrus, have a future with love and happiness in it,” Sylvia said. “After everything we've been through, I know that love conquers all. And I know that it will, for all of you."
Saw Bear
Can Love Heal?
A loyal man ...
Buck Kincaid runs his family's timber business on Fate Mountain. He's hardworking, steady, and ready to settle down. It won't be that easy, though -- the morning after a human-shifter dating app finally finds his match, his mate sends him a message that they can never meet.
A wounded woman ...
Maria Reyes knows her sister is happily mated to a bear shifter ... but Maria doesn't feel worthy of a forever love. And that's before she's attacked by a mountain lion shifter. Hiding in the woods, scared and sick, she attacks Buck when he tries to help her.
A dangerous game
Buck won't give up on Maria, no matter how many times she tries to drive him away. She's his mate, and that's that. But when she's abducted, Buck has to save her from more than her own torment. Will he find Maria in time -- and if he does, can he persuade her to trust him?
Chapter 1
Buck Kincaid lifted a pint of Fate Mountain Lager to his lips and took a long draw, watching as his brother Jessie smiled and winked at a human girl at the end of the bar. She giggled with her college friends and glanced back at Jessie under her thick lashes.
“None of those girls is your mate,” Buck said.
“So?” Jessie replied, a twinkle in his eye. “That’s never stopped me before.”
He raised his eyebrows several times at Buck and headed over to the girls at the other end of the bar.
“What's that all about?” Drew Bock, owner of Fate Mountain Brewery, asked from behind the bar.
Drew wore a black fitted T-shirt with the Fate Mountain Brewery logo emblazoned across the front in old timey font. His long, ruddy beard almost touched the collar. He flashed a smile at Buck as he wiped the bar.
“Jessie is always flirting with the ladies,” Buck explained, feeling his phone buzz. He reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and pulled out his cellphone.
“That's going to catch up with him someday,” Drew said with a laugh.
“He says he doesn't care about finding his mate.” Buck flicked his finger over the screen of his phone.
“Congratulations, we've found your fated mate.”
When he read the text from Mate.com, he nearly fell off his barstool. Buck crushed the screen with his thumb, bringing up his newly discovered mate’s profile, and immediately he found himself growling at his screen.
“What is it?” Drew asked, crossing his tattooed forearms.
“My mate,” Buck said in a stunned voice. “I found her.”
“Your mate? Who is she? Where is she?” Drew asked, leaning over the bar to look at Buck's smartphone.
“Maria Reyes. She’s beautiful.”
Buck scrolled through the pictures of Maria on Mate.com. She had used her real name instead of a screen name and even revealed real information about her life.
She had long wavy brown hair and big, almond-shaped brown eyes. Her skin was dusty tan, and in his favorite picture it glowed in the sunlight of a spring morning. She wore a lacy white dress and sat on a park bench. Yellow daffodils grew all around her. She looked so innocent and perfect, but there was something haunting in her eyes. It called out to his own heartache.
“She studies botany at the Bright Institute for Shifters,” Buck said, opening the chat button on the dating app.
“I'm your mate, Buck Kincaid. I also live on Fate Mountain. I would love to meet you soon. I await your reply,” he typed out.
His heart beat hard in his chest. Buck had signed up for Mate.com seven years ago, right after the war. He’d waited all this time, but now she was here, looking like an angel sent straight from heaven. He couldn't wait to learn every little thing about her.
“What did she say?” Drew asked, coming back down the bar.
“She hasn't replied yet,” Buck said.
He stared at the screen without pause. The sounds and the movement inside the brewery faded away into background noise. There was nothing else but sweet Maria and her beautiful photo. He wanted to go to her right then and there. The Bright Institute for Shifters was just five minutes from the brewery.
“Maybe she hasn't seen it yet?”
“She just entered the system and got matched. I've been in it for seven years.”
“Maybe she was surprised that she found a mate so fast,” Drew suggested. “Sometimes that happens. I should
know. It happened to me.”
“Everything turned out in the end, didn't it?” Buck asked.
“Quinn and I couldn't be happier. That’s how things usually end up on Fate Mountain. But sometimes human women have a hard time accepting that they’re fated mates with a shifter. It's best to give them space.”
“What if I can't?”
“What if you can’t what?” Jessie asked, sliding into the barstool next to Buck.
“I don’t know if I can stay away from my mate,” Buck said, still stunned. “I just found her on Mate.com.”
“Let me see,” Jessie said.
Buck showed Jessie the picture of Maria in the white dress.
“She's really cute, man. You're lucky.”
“Of course I'm lucky. She's my mate. She's the loveliest woman I've ever seen.”
“What did she say?” Jessie asked.
“She hasn't responded yet.”
“Did you text her?” Jessie asked.
“I did,” Buck said.
“Maybe you should text her again,” Jessie urged.
“I told him he should take it easy,” Drew said.
“I'm going to call it a night, gentlemen,” Buck said. “My mate goes to the Bright Institute for Shifters. I'm sure that the beginning of our lives together can wait until morning.”
He pushed away from the bar and looked over his shoulder one last time at Jessie.
“Are you coming?” Buck asked.
Jessie looked down the bar at the college girls. The blonde he’d been flirting with giggled and gave him a little wave. Jessie turned back to Buck and shook his head.
“Nope,” Jessie said. “I don't think I’ll need a ride tonight.”
“Well, let me know if you need a ride in the morning,” Buck said with a scowl as he turned to leave the bar.
He loved his brother Jessie and knew he was a good man, but the way he chased human females made Buck’s stomach turn. Buck had been with women in the past, but mostly he just had long-term friendships with the women he'd been intimate with. He’d had a few short-term flings, but as a shifter, he longed for his one true mate. A lot of human women didn't mind that shifters only wanted “the one” for a true commitment. That always made Buck sad. Jessie on the other hand, just considered it a sport.
Fate Mountain - Complete Page 122