by Liv Brywood
“He’s hurt,” she yelled.
The long slash across his shoulder was covered in blood. She couldn’t see how deep the knife had gone. Drew’s brow furrowed as he groaned.
“What happened?” Cody demanded.
“My ex, he tried to kill me. And he stabbed Drew. But Drew…he was a…a…” She struggled with a way of describing what had happened.
“A bear?” Hank asked.
As she whirled around to face him, the whole world tilted on its axis. She fell forward against Logan, who quickly rushed to her aid.
“Hang on there. Why don’t you sit down for a second,” Logan said.
She let him set her on the ground next to Drew. As the brothers moved to help him, she could only stare. A bear? Hank said bear. Jesus. Why would he say that?
Her foggy gaze slid to Drew. Cody was putting pressure on his arm while Hank ripped a piece of his shirt off. He wrapped the cloth around Drew’s arm and tied it tightly.
“That should hold long enough to get him back to the house,” Cody said.
She looked from Cody to Logan. No one seemed surprised by Hank’s comment. Did they all know? Holy shit, were they bears too? How hard had she hit her head? Maybe she had a concussion.
As Logan scooped her up, she didn’t protest. Even if she’d wanted to walk, she couldn’t.
“I think she’s going into shock,” Logan said.
It was the last thing she processed before the world narrowed to a tiny pinpoint then went completely black.
Chapter 13
Cindy drifted in and out of consciousness for hours. Day turned into night. Concerned voices flowed through her, but she couldn’t decipher the words. Eventually, she gave in to the pull of sleep and drifted off.
When she awoke, her head pounded.
“Drink some water,” Drew whispered.
She peeled one eyelid open. He sat next to her bed in a chair. He held a cup of water to her lips. She took a tentative sip, not because she trusted him, but because her parched throat demanded it.
“I know you went through a lot yesterday,” he said.
“Yesterday?” she croaked.
“You were out all night and most of the day.”
She turned her head toward the window. Darkness greeted her.
“What time is it?” she asked.
“Ten p.m.,” he said.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“Your room at the B&B.”
“How did I get here?”
“Logan carried you.”
Confusion wracked her brain. She struggled to make sense of everything. Slowly, pieces fit together until she remembered the horrifying bear. She tried to move away from Drew.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I won’t hurt you.”
“What I saw…”
“You saw me shift.”
“You were a bear,” she said.
“A grizzly.”
“But… how?”
“It’s a long story. But basically, everyone in my family is a bear shifter.”
“Shifter?” she asked.
“We can transform into grizzly bears at will.”
“What? How?”
“It’s in our DNA. We don’t really know where it started, but there are some humans that can shift into animals.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” she said.
“It doesn’t change who I am. I’m still the same man you got to know,” he said.
“I’m pretty sure I told you the same thing when I told you the truth about my past.”
“You did,” he said.
“I don’t know what to think about this.” She lay back.
“Tell me it doesn’t matter,” he said softly.
“Doesn’t it?” she asked. “You turn into a huge animal. How do I know I’ll be safe around you?”
“I protected you from Liam.”
“Is he…”
“He’s dead. The sheriff ruled it an accident since he fell on his own knife.”
“I thought I killed him,” she whispered.
“You didn’t. He fell and managed to wedge the knife in his chest.”
Drew reached for her hand. She let him take it.
“He’s gone,” she said.
“Dead. He’ll never bother you again,” he said.
“And now I’m free.”
“You are. You can go anywhere and do anything you want without fear.”
She rolled onto her side and gazed at him. “I don’t want to go anywhere else. I want to stay here, with you.”
He rushed forward and pulled her into an embrace.
“Thank God,” he said. “I was so scared. I thought that maybe you’d want to leave now that you didn’t have anything to worry about.”
“I don’t ever want to leave,” she said. “I love you, Drew. With all of my heart. And I never want to leave the ranch. As long as you’ll let me stay.”
He looked up and smiled. The love in his eyes melted her heart. She didn’t care if he came with baggage. She did too. They’d both lied and both had hidden their secrets, but she didn’t care. She’d figure out the bear thing later. As long as she had Drew, she’d find a way to get over his furry secret.
“I love you, Cindy.” He kissed her hand. “And I want you to stay with me for the rest of our lives. I know we had a really messy beginning and that our relationship is anything but normal. But I don’t care. I know that we’re meant to be together. It’s fate.”
“I believe it’s fate too. Somehow everything will work out for us. I know it in my heart.”
“There are a lot of details to work out, but we can do it together.” He slipped out of the chair and got down on one knee. “This isn’t exactly the way I’d envisioned it. But I don’t want to wait another second. Cindy, I want you to be my wife. I promise to love and protect you and your daughter for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?”
“Yes.” She blinked back tears. “I’d love to be your wife.”
“I love you so much,” he whispered.
As he stood and leaned over to hug her, she smiled.
“I guess I really do get to be your mail order bride,” she said.
“In a roundabout way, I guess that’s true.” He grinned.
“Wait until I tell my mom, she’s going to flip her lid.”
“She won’t approve?” he asked with a frown.
“She will. She just needs to get to know you.”
“Good, because she called. Your mom, dad and daughter are all flying into Bozeman tomorrow. I’m going to pick them up from the airport. If you’re feeling up to it, you can come with me.”
“I can’t wait.”
“You should get some rest,” he said. “I’ll go tell Madison the good news. I guess I should apologize to her for being so pissed off when she first told me about you.”
“Tell her thank you from me too.”
“I will. I’ll bring some soup when I come back. I won’t be gone long,” he said.
“Okay.”
After he’d left the room, she snuggled into the blankets. Things could change so fast. One minute she’s on the run under an assumed name and the next she’s engaged to be married to a wonderful, incredibly sexy man. Finally, she had fate on her side.
***
The next morning, they arrived at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport an hour before the plane was scheduled to land. Cindy nursed a mug of hot cocoa as she watched the planes land. Drew sat by her side.
“I hope your parents like me,” he said. “I wasn’t really nervous until now.”
“They will,” she said before leaning over to kiss him.
“I can’t wait to get you home,” he whispered in her ear before dipping to nuzzle her neck.
“I don’t know how much of that we can do if my parents are in the next room,” she said.
“I’ll make sure we put them at the other end of the hall.”
She laughed.
The hour f
lew by and before she knew it, she spotted her daughter coming out of the gate. She ran toward her.
“Mommy!” Brooke shrieked.
Cindy scooped her into her arms and held onto her so tightly that Brooke squealed in protest.
“I’m sorry,” Cindy said as she set her down. “I missed you so much.”
Her mom and dad walked toward her. After hugging them both, she turned to introduce them to Drew. Her dad shook hands with him while her mom gave him a quick hug. They all stood silent for a moment before her mom spoke.
“We’re excited to meet you, Drew. We can’t wait to see the ranch.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said. “I can’t wait to introduce you to the rest of my family.”
Drew and her dad climbed into the front seat of Drew’s truck while the women hopped into the back. Brooke sat between her mom and her grandmother. The entire ride back, she chattered about how much she couldn’t wait to see the horses.
Cindy’s heart swelled with love. The most important people in her life were finally all in one place.
When they reached the ranch, Drew hopped out and circled around to where her dad stood.
“I was wondering if I might speak to you for a bit, privately,” Drew said.
Cindy raised a brow. What was he up to?
“Sure,” her dad said.
“Where’s the B&B?” her mom asked.
“I’ll show you,” Cindy said.
She took one last look at Drew who was leading her dad toward the barn before grabbing Brooke’s hand. She didn’t want her to catch cold, so she headed off to the B&B.
Once inside, she introduced her mom to Rachel, Kate, Carol, Abby, and Madison. Her mom cooed over baby Gregory until they let her hold him.
“I miss having a baby to fuss over,” her mom said.
“We have another one coming,” Rachel said as she placed her hand over her belly.
“When are you due?” her mom asked.
"In a few months,” Rachel said.
Cindy suppressed a smile. Rachel’s baby was half-shifter. There was no telling when he or she would arrive. Last night as she lay in bed with Drew, he’d explained everything he knew about shifters to her. If they ever decided to have a baby together, he had wanted her to know what she’d be getting into. Good luck explaining that little tidbit to her mom.
The women visited together until it was time for lunch. As Kate led everyone into the kitchen, Cindy glanced toward the door. Drew and her father had been gone a long time. She was starting to get worried.
Brady arrived with Jimmy in tow, giving Cindy’s mom another child to coo over. Jimmy was two years younger than Brooke, but she didn’t seem to mind. The two sat side by side at the table with their moms flanking them.
Cody, Hank, Logan, and Mack arrived to take their places next to their mates. The seat next to Cindy sat empty.
“Has anyone seen Drew?” she asked.
“He and your dad are out at the barn,” Mack said. “They said they’d be here for lunch. They were deep in conversation when I left.”
As the family passed potato salad and hamburger fixings around the table, Cindy’s worry grew. She was just about to get up from the table when the front door opened. Drew and her dad were laughing together as they stepped into the dining room.
“Your dad was just telling me about the time you chased that guy down Hollywood Blvd.,” Drew said.
“I thought it was Tom Cruise,” she sniffed. “I’d just seen Top Gun for the first time. What girl wouldn’t run after him?”
“I sure would have,” Kate said.
Logan gave her a look.
“What? I didn’t know you back then,” she said.
“Mmm hum.” Logan arched a brow.
Cindy’s dad took a seat next to her mom while Drew sat by her side. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. She searched his face for any clue as to what had happened between him and her dad.
“Is everything okay?” she whispered.
“Your dad and I hit it off. He’s probably going to come up and do some fly fishing with me during the summer,” Drew said.
“I hear the fishing’s great up here,” her dad said.
“We catch rainbow trout in the lake too,” Hank added.
“That sounds great,” her dad said. “Since I retired, I’ve been playing the same 18-hole golf course over and over. I’m ready for a change of scenery.”
“I love it up here,” her mom said. “The air’s so crisp and clean. We’ve been wanting to move out of L.A. for a long time.”
“Maybe we’ll move here,” her dad said before taking a huge bite of hamburger.
“What?” Cindy’s head snapped up. It would be amazing if they really wanted to move to Montana.
“I hear there’s some property around the lake for sale,” her dad said. “We might look into it. We can’t imagine not seeing our granddaughter all the time. You can’t just take her away, you know.”
“I know,” Cindy said. “I’d be so happy if you moved up here.”
“We’ll get it all figured out,” Drew said.
After lunch, most of the brothers and their wives left the B&B. Drew, Cindy, her parents and Brooke remained in the living room. Her parents sat together on the sofa while Cindy and Drew sat in chairs and Brooke played with a puzzle at the dining room table.
“Drew asked me for your hand in marriage,” her dad said.
“He did?” Cindy’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected Drew to jump right into making arrangements with her parents.
“I wanted to do things right,” Drew said.
“He told me you already knew,” her dad said.
“I did.”
“I didn’t.” Her mom skewered her with a look.
“I was waiting to tell you,” Cindy said.
“Well the cat’s out of the bag,” her dad said. “And, in case anyone’s wondering, I gave him my blessing.”
“That was fast,” Cindy said.
“I’m a good judge of character,” her dad said. “I didn’t spend twenty years in the service without learning a thing or two about people.”
“What branch?” Drew asked.
“Marines.”
“Army,” Drew said.
“See, I knew you were a good man,” her dad said. “Anyone who serves this country is right in my book.”
“Well,” her mom huffed. “I’m always the last to know about things.”
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Cindy said. “You can help me plan the wedding.”
“When do you think you’ll have it?” her mom asked.
“I don’t know. What do you think, honey?” Cindy asked Drew.
“Let’s wait until the summer after the snow has melted,” he said.
“That sounds good to me.” She laced her fingers together with his and smiled. She couldn’t be any happier.
***
Later that night, after spending a great evening together, everyone said their goodnights. Cindy’s mom and dad suggested that they share a room with Brooke so that Cindy and Drew would have some time alone. Her dad joked that since Drew was going to make her an honest woman, he’d let their sleeping arrangements slide. Cindy wanted to die of embarrassment as Drew led her to the bedroom.
Once inside, she turned to him.
“I’m so happy that my parents like you,” she said.
“Me too.” He drew her into his arms. “I can’t wait to marry you.”
“I can’t wait to marry you either. Do we really have to wait until summer?”
“The docket’s pretty full with all the other weddings we need to have between now and then. It wouldn’t be right if I jumped the gun and beat my brothers to the altar.”
“Didn’t a few of them have fast weddings?” she asked. “Madison told me something about a shotgun wedding.”
“Yeah, that’s what Logan and Kate called it, but she wasn’t pregnant or anything,” he said.
She yawned as she climbed into bed beside Dr
ew. She slid into his embrace as if they’d been sleeping like that for years. He tilted her chin up and gave her a kiss hot enough to melt the sheets. She returned it with a passion that stole her breath.
“I love you,” she whispered when she finally came up for air.
“I love you more,” he murmured.
“Are we going to be that disgusting couple that’s always mashing their faces together in public?” she asked with a grin.
“I hope so,” he replied.
As she snuggled in his arms, her heart swelled with happiness. She’d finally found an amazing man and she couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life with him.
Epilogue
Four months later…
June sunlight cast a heavenly glow across the people gathered for Drew and Cindy’s wedding. Cindy stood next to Drew as the minister said the last words in the ceremony.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
Drew lifted the sparkling crystal encrusted veil off of her face. He gazed at her with so much love that she went weak in the knees. His long, passionate kiss sent a rush of energy from her lips throughout her entire body.
“May I present, Mr. and Mrs. Drew Grant,” the minister said.
The gathering clapped and cheered as she and Drew turned to face them. They walked down the aisle, hand in hand toward the long table that had been set in their honor. Situated just outside the barn, it sat in front of the other tables. The edges of the cerulean blue table clothes fluttered in the breeze. Flower arrangements with yellow roses, white tulips, and Montana wildflowers decorated the tables.
Cindy waited as Drew pulled the chair out. As she sat, she silently congratulated herself on ignoring her mom’s insistence that she wear silk. It would have clung to her like a second skin in this heat. She’d chosen an aline dress with a sweetheart neckline and a corset back. A layer of white lace gave it the vintage feel she’d been looking for when she’d gone dress shopping. She kicked her white satin slippers off. In the last few months, she’d become more accustomed to wearing cowboy boots than girly shoes. Her feet were already killing her and they hadn’t even made their rounds yet.
“I can’t wait to carry you over the threshold and start the honeymoon,” Drew whispered in her ear.