Brave Bear

by K L King

  Grey Lake Shifters Book 1: Brave Bear

  ISBN: 978-1-7343005-0-5

  Copyright © 2019 by K.L. King

  First electronic publication: December 2019

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Editing: Corinne DeMaagd

  Cover design: Damonza.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  A loud, high-pitched yip rang out right next to Iris’s ear, causing her to jump. Until that point, their long ride from Providence had been relatively quiet. She had just pulled off the highway and onto a winding country road when Riley, her dark gray Alaskan Malamute, finally expressed his displeasure with their road trip. The dog appeared to plead with his stark blue eyes as he continued to whine and pace in a circle as best as he could in the back seat of her old Jeep Cherokee.

  “Hold on a few more minutes, buddy. I just need to find somewhere to pull over.” Just as the words left her mouth, Iris spotted a vintage sign on the side of the road. Welcome to Grey Lake, NH was written in bright white on a dark blue background. The words Incorporated in 1779 were in smaller font underneath. “Great. We’re here.” Iris sighed loudly. She pulled the jeep over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. She clipped Riley’s leash to his collar and opened the back door to let the canine have a pee break.

  It was a beautiful late summer day. The sky was a clear blue canvas scattered with fluffy white clouds. Iris walked an excited Riley into the woods a short distance from the side of the road. They were surrounded by massive pine and maple trees with an occasional birch as well. Iris’s gaze wandered over the terrain as they meandered under the verdant canopy when, all of a sudden, Riley froze and refused to move. Iris tried to pull him along, but the wolf-like dog weighed close to a hundred pounds so it wasn’t that easy to move him when he decided not to cooperate.

  Suddenly, he crouched down, his pointed ears erect. His fur stood straight up in the air as he bared his teeth and emitted a feral growl. Goosebumps erupted on Iris’s skin. She had never seen him act like this. She crouched next to her pet and asked, “What’s the matter, buddy?” just as Riley sprinted out ahead of her, ripping the leash from her grasp and running like a bat out of hell.

  Iris screeched, “Come back!” as she plowed through the tree branches after the runaway dog. Running was not her favorite activity—actually, it was probably her least favorite activity – but she had no choice. The tree branches whipped at her bare arms and legs as she raced after him. She had to keep Riley in her sights so he didn’t get lost in the woods. He was a city dog. Riley had lived the last year with her in her small apartment in Providence. He wasn’t used to the wilderness where there were probably bears and coyote hunting for dinner. Iris’s lungs burned as she ran deeper into the dense forest. She came to a small clearing where Riley had finally stopped and was now sitting, staring up at a hill.

  Iris grabbed his leash and bent over catching her breath. “What the hell!” she wheezed. “I could have lost you! You could’ve been eaten!”

  “What the hell is going on?” a deep voice bellowed from right behind Iris.

  “Ayeeee!” Iris jumped and turned. Standing about five feet away was a man dressed in a dark uniform with a GLPD patch on the left side of his chest. Her face heated as she stared dumbly at a cross between a SWAT team member and a Norse God. The man was easily over six feet tall, probably 6’4 or 5 if she had to guess. He was huge and broad-shouldered. His light blondish-brown hair was longer, reaching almost to the collar of his shirt, making him quite a rugged sight. It was as if one of the Vikings from that television show she loved had sprung to life in the woods…in the woods of New Hampshire. Yeah, right. She shook her head and saw that Riley lay down on his stomach, peering up at who she guessed was a member of the Grey Lake Police Department. Iris finally came to her senses and noticed the imposing, yet very hot, cop glaring at her. “Who are you?” she demanded.

  The officer’s face remained almost frozen, but she swore she saw his eyes widen just a tiny bit before seeming to catch himself. “Who am I? No. I think the better question is who are you and why are you trespassing on private property?”

  “What?” Iris was dumbfounded. “I let my dog out of the car to go to the bathroom, and he took off. I chased him.”

  “So, is that your jeep illegally parked on the side of the road?” he asked.

  “What? No—I mean yes.” Iris sounded like a babbling idiot even to her own ears.

  The SWAT Viking smirked. “Well, which is it?”

  She groaned. “The jeep is mine, but I didn’t know it was illegally parked. I just stopped to let Riley out. I was coming right back to it,” Iris argued. She was normally very mild mannered—actually, too mild mannered. But there was something about this man’s disapproving glare that riled her up. She hated how he stared at her with disdain in his eyes. The look was familiar to Iris. Her father used it as one of his ways to make her feel worthless, as if she didn’t matter. “My dog took off and I chased him until he finally stopped. I just want to get him back to my car, officer. You’re with the police, right?”

  “Yes.” He reached into his back pocket and handed her a business card. “He just stopped right here?” The man, an Officer Deacon Clay according to his card, glanced at the surrounding woods.

  “Right here. He was just staring up at the hill over there.” Iris pointed to where Riley had been focusing when he finally stopped running. “Now, can I please bring him back to the car? I’m supposed to be meeting someone soon. I don’t want to be late.”

  He nodded without turning to face her. “Mmm. I’ll bring you back to your car.” He finally pulled his gaze from the tree-covered hill and stared at her.

  Oh, damn. That is one hot man. His eyes were grayish-blue and his arms, the parts she could see not covered by his tight-fitting black T-shirt, were covered in black tattoos that seemed to be some kind of tribal art. He smelled good, too, like the forest. Wait, what the hell was she thinking? Iris shook the crazy thoughts from her head. “Thanks, but we’re fine. We can find our way back,” Iris insisted, trying to pull Riley along. The dog, however, refused to budge. He was still lying on his belly, staring up at Officer Hot-as-Hell Viking.

  “I insist,” he growled. “This area is not safe.” He grabbed Riley’s leash and led the
dog back through the woods as Iris followed with her mouth open. Traitor, she thought, staring at the now obedient canine.

  “You need to be careful. You shouldn’t be running around these woods by yourself. There have been animal attacks nearby,” he continued.

  “I have pepper spray,” Iris grumbled under her breath. The man was practically scolding her like a child. He could only be a little older than her 26 years, maybe 30 or so, far too young to be treating her like this.

  He stopped walking and turned back to face her. “Do you have it on you?” he asked, glancing at her outfit. She was wearing jean shorts and a V-neck white T-shirt with her favorite Vans. His eyes roved her from head to toe, a little too slowly for her liking. She had left her purse in the car. “It’s in your car, isn’t it?” he asked with a hint of a grin.

  Iris couldn’t meet his eyes. This was so embarrassing. “I didn’t think I was going to be gallivanting through the forest after my very bad dog.” She glared at Riley.

  He turned away from her and once again marched toward the road. “Well, no matter. Pepper spray wouldn’t do much against these animals anyway.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, following a little bit closer to the hot, but rude, man. He was so dismissive, so annoying.

  He ignored her question and asked, “Where are you headed?”

  “My new job in town. I was just hired at a bakery. Why?”

  He stopped and turned to face her with a look of surprise before continuing to hike through the woods toward the road. “Grey Lake is a small town. We like to know when outsiders move in.”

  “How did you know…?”

  “Your jeep is full of stuff. I assumed you were moving somewhere,” he answered. “The only bakery I know is Tessa’s.”

  “Yes, she hired me. I’m her new head baker,” Iris answered as they reached the road where a police cruiser was parked right behind her dark blue Cherokee.

  He grunted. “Well, I’ll take you to Tessa. Just follow my car,” he ordered. He handed her Riley’s leash and stalked to his car without glancing back at her.

  “I have directions. I don’t need—” Iris stammered.

  “I insist, Miss…?” He turned, giving her a raised eyebrow as he opened his car door.

  “Iris. My name is Iris Williamson,” Iris answered, gritting her teeth.

  “Well, Miss Williamson, please follow me,” he said firmly, getting into his car before she could answer.

  Less than 15 minutes later, Iris followed the police car into a small parking lot in front of a russet-colored building. Iris gasped. The bakery seemed to have been transported from a fairy tale with color-filled window boxes, bright white shutters, and a stone chimney on one side. A smooth, pebbled stone path lined by beds of bright blooms led to the glass door with TESSA’S TREATS written in script. She left the car windows open halfway for Riley and climbed out of the car.

  She turned to lock her car door and screeched when she saw Officer Clay standing right next to her. “Eeek! You have to stop sneaking up on people!” Iris yelled. He cringed at her high-pitched yell then glowered at her, but he didn’t get a chance to say anything since the bakery door opened and a sprightly redhead walked toward them. The smiling woman had a glorious mass of curls pulled into a messy bun high on her head. Powdered sugar covered the pastel blue apron with TESSA’S TREATS written in large white letters. The woman was smaller than Iris, but almost all women were since she was 5’9. She appeared to be slightly older than Iris, maybe about 30 or so.

  “Good morning, Deacon.” The woman smiled at the still frowning policeman. “I see you found my new employee.” Before Deacon could answer, Tessa turned immediately to Iris. “Iris, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.” She grasped both of Iris’s hands in her own. “And this handsome beast must be Riley.” She leaned into the open car window and rubbed the dog under his muzzle.

  “Tessa Lane,” she said while continuing to scratch Riley with her other. “And I’m very happy to have you here to help with my shop. I’ve gotten too busy to be a one-woman show.”

  “Tessa, please make sure you have a word with your new employee about personal safety. I found her and her dog deep in the woods near Hanover Hill,” Deacon said, speaking to Tessa as if Iris wasn’t standing right in front of him.

  “Oh, don’t you worry. I’ll make sure to give her a tour of the town real soon. Thank you for keeping them safe,” Tessa said with a gleam in her eye as Iris’s face warmed with the combination of anger and embarrassment.

  “Well, I have to get back to the station. Remember what I said,” he said pointedly to Iris.

  Iris just scowled back at him as he got in his police car and drove off.

  Riley lifted his head lazily for the petite redhead to give him a more extensive scratch. Iris was shocked. “Riley never lets anyone but me pet him normally.”

  “Well, he must sense I’m an animal lover,” she said. “If this handsome gentleman wouldn’t mind moving to the backseat, I can navigate you to the cottage.” Tessa dusted the powdered sugar from her apron and climbed into the passenger front seat of the jeep as Riley nimbly vaulted into the back. “We can unload some of these boxes, and then I’ll show you the shop.”

  “Can you just leave the bakery empty?” Iris asked.

  “It’ll be fine. We’ll be back in a little bit. No one will bother anything. People here are pretty respectful,” she said with a wry smile.

  “OK, then. That would be great. Thank you so much again for giving me this chance.”

  “Don’t thank me yet, sweetie. You’re going to be very busy. The hours are early and the pay isn’t great, but I think you’ll like it here,” she said, closing the car door. “The people are nice, and even in this new health-conscious America, the good people of Grey Lake love their baked goods.”

  Tessa gave directions as Iris steered the jeep slowly, examining the town as she drove. “We need to take a right onto Main and then head two miles before taking a left onto Old Mill Road. I’m about three-quarters of a mile down on the left. It’s the big white house with green shutters, number eighty-four.”

  They drove past colonial-style houses of varying sizes, all with quaint, landscaped yards. The townsfolk obviously spent a lot of time maintaining their property. Lush, bright green grass and rainbows of flowers appeared to be the norm, even in the hot summer weather. Iris was most impressed with the amount of land surrounding each home. She felt her shoulders drop a bit as she breathed in deeply. Space, so much space here. She could breathe.

  “From the way you’re gawking, I’m guessing where you come from is pretty different,” Tessa reflected.

  “Yeah, so, so different. I grew up in Providence. My family lived in the suburbs, but I moved to the city for work after culinary school. Lots of gray buildings, tons of people, crime. Grey Lake, it’s so beautiful here. The houses are so cute. So many trees and flowers. So much grass.”

  She pulled onto Old Mill Road. Riley now was sitting up in the backseat, facing the window with his tongue hanging out. A bright white wooden fence with 84 in bold black numbers stood out against the greens and browns of the forest. The gate was open so Iris pulled the jeep down the long gravel driveway. A large white two-story home came into view. The cozy farmhouse had been well-taken care of. Iris was smiling as she pulled to a stop in front of the house. There was even a pine-green bench swing on the front porch.

  “You like the swing?” Tessa asked with a smile. “One of my friends is good with his hands. Makes custom furniture, beautiful pieces. He sells them online now, too. The cottage doesn’t have a porch, but maybe we can get you a couple of Adirondack chairs and a small table instead?”

  Iris was still gaping at the porch. She finally snapped out of it and let Riley out of the jeep. “That would be amazing,” she said excitedly.

  “The cottage is out around the back just a little ways. Let me show you around, and then we’ll come back for the boxes.”

  Iris followed Tessa with
Riley trailing behind, sniffing along the way.

  “This little cottage was originally built for the mother-in-law of the prior owner. When I moved in about ten years ago, I used it as an office slash test kitchen. Once I opened my shop, I really didn’t have the need for this extra kitchen. I’ve just basically been using it for storage since then. Once you accepted my offer, I had it cleaned out. It still needs some updating. I can reimburse you for anything that will increase the property value. Paint, new flooring, whatever. Let me give you the grand tour,” Tessa said, walking through the pine-green front door.

  “Let’s go see our new house, buddy,” Iris said, rubbing the fur along Riley’s back as she followed Tessa through the door.

  They walked into a small, bright living room with a dusky blue loveseat, matching recliner, and a flat screen television on a small dark brown wooden stand. There were large windows on two of the walls. Through the living room there was a short hallway leading to a furnished bedroom on the left, a bright white newly remodeled bathroom on the right, and a kitchen straight back.

  Tessa walked through to the kitchen. The kitchen was clean with new appliances, but in need of a coat of paint. There was a four-burner gas stove/oven and a bright white refrigerator along one wall next to a deep white farmhouse sink. Iris ran her right hand along the cool black granite countertop. “This is so nice.”

  “It needs some work, but it should be plenty comfortable for you and the pup,” she said while scratching Riley between the ears.

  “It’s perfect!” she squeaked. “There’s plenty enough room for the two of us. This kitchen is great. I can do a lot of test baking in here.”

  “Then let’s unload your jeep, and I can show you the shop.”

  Chapter 2

  “Would you just stop talking?” Deacon snarled at the man in the back of his police car.

  “I’m going to get a lawyer and persecute you for police brutality,” the dirty, strung-out young man screeched at Deacon.