Brave Bear

by K L King

  “I think Tessa’s exaggerating,” Iris said, appearing embarrassed.

  “I’m not exaggerating!” Tessa huffed. “Girl, you have to learn to take a compliment! We can let Tessa’s Treats speak for themselves, can’t we? Hopefully, we’ll see you both soon,” the red-head said pointedly, looking Deacon in the eye.

  “Yeah, see you around,” May chirped with a bright smile. Iris smiled and nodded back to the two. Deacon just stared at Iris.

  As they both watched Tessa and the newcomers leave the pub, May returned to her seat and started, “Why was that shifter on a leash? Does she not know he’s a wolf shifter? And why is he staying on the leash like a poodle?”

  “Listen, sis, I have no idea. I just want to get home and hit the sack. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to get the answers to all your questions. I would wager a guess the sweet little bear has no clue she’s got a shifter as a pet, and I would guess the wolf is protecting her for some reason.”

  Oh, crap! Did I just say what I’m thinking?

  “Sweet little bear. I knew it!” May giggled. “Finally, my monk brother has the hots for someone. Oh, thank God. I’ve been really worried about you dying alone in some shifter nursing home with no wife by your side. Now I just have to find someone for Heath, and my work is done.”

  Deacon cringed. He was never going to hear the end of this from May.

  Chapter 6

  The next few weeks went by in a blur. It was exciting and a little scary, but most of all, super busy. Iris was cleaning the kitchen at Tessa’s Treats after preparing all the baked goods for the day. Tessa had been right; the people of Grey Lake loved their sweets. Her donuts were selling out by nine every morning. There was a constant flow of customers each day. During the week, the year-round residents came for coffee and donuts or pastries on their way to work, and many returned for pre-lunch snacks and coffee as well. On Saturdays, the vacationers came by with their families in tow. Right now, the bakery wasn’t open on Sundays or Mondays, but according to Tessa, that might change in the near future. With the construction on the computer company in town finished, more people were moving to the area than ever before. It made sense to extend their hours if their customer base grew.

  Tessa’s customers sure weren’t afraid to try different flavors either. While her conventional donut varieties like chocolate frosted, honey-glazed and raspberry jelly-filled were well regarded, the Lakers (as Tessa told her the people from Grey Lake were called) loved the more unusual varieties like pina colada, mojito, and caramel bacon. Every few days, she added a different flavor to her menu to try to get a handle on how exotic she could get, and to her surprise and joy, they ate everything from Nutella-filled to peach mango to lychee.

  While she was usually out back in the kitchen in her comfort zone, her domain, Tessa made it a point to call her to the counter a few times each morning to introduce her to the repeat customers.

  She saw at least one of the Officer Jensens each day. She met the tall dark-haired police chief, Heath, about a week ago, but it was May that came in most often. Iris wasn’t sure what she thought of Heath. He was always polite, but very much a man of few words. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something about him that put Iris on edge. There was just this air about him that made her want to keep a good distance away. May, on the other hand, was very friendly. Every morning, she came in for a dozen donuts and several coffees for the police station. It was her way of ‘boosting morale,’ she told Iris.

  She hadn’t seen Deacon again, and May mentioned he was working the night shift for the past couple of weeks. Iris was conflicted. On the one hand, the giant police officer was gorgeous in a scary kind of way. Her pulse raced just thinking of being close to him. Unfortunately, despite his ruggedly handsome appearance, he also was rude and bossy. She was sick of rude and bossy. Her father and brother had cornered the market on rude and bossy. She shook her head, trying to clear her head of these nonsensical thoughts. She was here to do a job, not moon over some guy who was out of her league anyway. He would never be interested in a mousy, meek baker like her. She pictured him with some beautiful amazon, someone who was bold and daring and brave. Someone not her.

  The one Jensen that she wasn’t at all at odds with was May. She found herself liking the young woman quite a bit. She was a tiny little thing, but the blond policewoman didn’t seem afraid of anyone. She, like Tessa, also seemed to be a very positive person, which was a big change from the people that Iris was used to back in Providence, including her own family.

  Each day when she came home from work, she took Riley on a long walk along one of the many well-marked trails in Grey Lake. The late summer and early fall weather in New Hampshire was beautiful, much more comfortable than the stifling heat in Providence. She loved walking among the trees and flowers and watching the wildlife. Riley seemed to like being in the woods as well; he especially loved jumping into the town’s namesake lake. He behaved like a happy-go-lucky puppy every time he got to leap into the crystal-clear water. She was so much more relaxed out here. She could breathe much easier out in the woods. Her head was clearer. It was almost as if she were a different person.

  Many of the nights since she arrived, she and Tessa took turns having each other over for dinner, which was also nice. She loved to cook, and it was pleasant to have someone to eat with besides Riley. She didn’t get anxious around Tessa. Even though she had a feisty temperament and never seemed to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time, Tessa was somehow soothing to be around.

  Iris put away her cleaning supplies and grabbed her purse to head out to her car. All of a sudden, it hit her. She hadn’t had a panic attack since moving to Grey Lake. So weird. Before this, the longest she went without some kind of anxiety attack since turning 13 or so was five days. Now it had been a couple of weeks. Pretty cool.

  She climbed into her jeep in a good mood and drove back to the cottage. She was planning to take a quick shower and then head to the hardware store for painting supplies. She wanted to give her new little home a freshening up as a thank you to Tessa.

  Iris dressed in jean shorts, a lightweight gray V-neck T-shirt and her Vans. She quickly wove her hair into a fat braid down her back as it was still wet from the shower. She loved her long, thick chestnut-colored hair but it took forever to dry, even with a hairdryer. “Come on, buddy,” she called to Riley, “we’re going shopping.” Riley had been sleeping after a late lunch. He lazily lolled onto his back and gazed up at her.

  “Come on. You know you love shopping,” she cooed to the dog, rubbing his chest.

  It was true. Riley loved to people watch. He was on alert each time they left their house, constantly observing his surroundings.

  He finally got to his feet and followed Iris to the front door. “This will be quick,” she told the dog as she locked up and walked toward the jeep. “I promise. Then you can go back to sleep, you lazy pup.”

  On Main Street, Iris maneuvered her jeep into one of the few spots left in the parking lot of Shanley Hardware. She had never been to the small store with the giant hammer on the sign above the door, but Tessa said they stocked everything you would ever need or they could get it within a day. She exited the vehicle and opened the passenger door for Riley, quickly attaching his leash to his collar. “Sorry, buddy, but you need to wear this inside. We don’t want to get in trouble,” she said, rubbing between his ears.

  She grabbed a shopping cart, and they meandered up and down the aisles, trying to find the supplies she would need to paint the inside of the cottage. As Iris was trying to decide between the twenty or so shades of ivory that were offered, an ice-cold, prickly sensation crept along her spine. She froze and then quickly turned around. Two tall, lanky men, who appeared to be in their mid-to-late twenties, were at the other end of the aisle, having a quiet conversation. They kept glancing at her as they talked. Those two were definitely out for trouble.

  Apparently, Riley agreed with her assessment since he’d moved b
etween Iris and the two men. He bared his teeth and emitted a low growl just as he had in the woods the day they arrived in town. Iris yanked on his leash and pulled him down the aisle into the next where there were more people. “C’mon boy, it’s OK.”

  As she moved down the aisle, the other customers quickly cleared away. She turned to see why and noticed the two men moving toward her with purpose. Riley crouched low and let loose another growl as the fur on his back stood straight up.

  The taller man with darker hair smirked at her. “Sweetie, you need to control your pet. He could get hurt going around threatening people like that.”

  Iris trembled and started to back away, pulling a growling Riley with her.

  “If he attacks an innocent person, he could get put down by animal control. You wouldn’t want that now, would you?” The other man, the one with blond hair, sneered as he continued moving toward her. Iris could see an old man turn to come down the aisle but then stop when he observed the scene in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed, and he rushed off.

  Iris hit the wall at the end of the aisle with her back. Shit, there was nowhere to go. Riley’s growling was becoming louder and more feral-sounding as the men got within a few feet of Iris. Finally, the dog had had enough and lunged at the fair-haired man, snapping his teeth at him. The man swung his arm at Riley, missing him by inches.

  Iris saw red. Before she knew what she was doing, her fist had hit the left side of his face, knocking him against the shelf and down to the hard floor.

  Iris gasped. She had never lifted her hand to hit anyone. She stared dumbfounded as the other man frowned at her. “Big mistake, sweets. We were just trying to be nice.” Before she knew what was happening, he hit the side of her face, knocking her head into the wall and causing her to sink to the hard linoleum. She saw more figures moving toward them now as the man turned and ran toward the front door. Riley raced after him like a lunatic. It was too much. Her head hurt, and she tasted blood. People had gathered all around her. Voices were speaking to her, but she couldn’t tell what they were saying. Was that growling? It didn’t sound like Riley. The sound was deeper, fiercer. I’ll just close my eyes for a little rest, she thought as darkness claimed her.

  Iris awoke with a start. She was lying on a small couch in a dark room. Sitting on a chair next to her was the old man that she had seen in the store.

  “I’m sorry, miss. When I saw those two troublemakers, I went to get Beau. By the time we got back to you, everything was over. I should’ve stayed. I’m sorry.” He kept rubbing his hand through his thinning gray hair.

  Iris sat up on the couch and grabbed her throbbing head. “No. If you had stayed, they would have hit you, too. You did the right thing by going for help. Wait, where’s my dog?” she said. She almost didn’t recognize her own voice; she sounded so panicked.

  The old man grasped her hand. “He’s fine. He’s just outside the office, guarding the door. He did a good job chasing down the one who made a run for it. He caught him by the leg and wouldn’t let go ’til the cops arrived. He’s got quite a grip.” He chuckled. “I’m Eddie, by the way. I’m Sadie’s dad. She told me she met you the other day.”

  Iris smiled up at him. “Thanks. Who’s Beau?”

  “Beau Shanley owns this store. He’s a big guy, too. He would’ve taken care of those two, but he was in the back office on a call. He didn’t see them come in. He’s good and pissed now, feels terrible you were attacked in his own store. This kind of thing has never happened before in here.”

  A firm knock interrupted, and when the door opened, Iris groaned. Deacon was standing there in his uniform next to another officer. Finn was the red-headed officer’s name, she remembered. Tessa had introduced him to her at the bakery one morning. She turned back to Deacon and gulped. He looked good and pissed off. His face was red and his jaw was tight.

  “Dr. Andrews is on her way to check you out,” Finn said. “She’ll know if you need to go to the hospital or not. Head injuries can be funny things.”

  “Where’s my dog?” she asked as tears filled her eyes.

  Deacon’s face became even redder than before. He closed his eyes and paused like he was counting to ten. But as he opened his mouth to answer, Finn beat him to it, saying, “He’s out in the store with Beau getting spoiled. Miss Williamson—”

  “Iris, please,” she said, closing her eyes. She wiped the tears that started to fall. Her head throbbed.

  A low growl sounded from close to the door. Did Deacon just growl at her? No, she must be going nuts, or maybe she was hallucinating.

  “Iris, we’ll need to bring you to the station after you get medically cleared to find out what happened. One of those men says you attacked him,” Finn said.

  “What?” Iris screeched as all three men in the room grabbed their ears with both hands.

  “We’ll talk later after the doctor sees you,” Deacon said firmly and then turned and walked back out of the office, slamming the door shut on his way out.

  Iris closed her eyes and lay back down on the couch.

  Chapter 7

  Deacon exited the hardware store and walked around the back of the business. He leaned against the building and rubbed his eyes with the back of both hands. He had to get a grip.

  He had been irritable for the past couple of weeks. Even worse, his wolf was all out of sorts as well. He was barely sleeping. Every time he calmed the wolf enough to get asleep, he would start to picture in his mind the pretty little black bear with the warm brown eyes. Then his wolf would want to go for a run through the woods right to Tessa’s cottage. He had been doing that several nights a week. After coming home from work and eating dinner, he would take a quick nap for an hour or so. He would then shift and head to Iris’s house to make sure she was OK. It didn’t make much sense; he hardly knew Iris. He only knew what May and the other members of his pack had told him. He knew she was a nice, quiet woman that could bake like nobody’s business. She mostly stuck with Tessa and her wolf-dog. She was a good person, he could tell.

  His wolf wanted him to go to Iris, but his human side refused in order to protect her from himself. He wasn’t worthy of a sweet mate—he was dangerous to her. She deserved better. Seeing Iris hurt by those bastard cougars nearly forced his wolf out of him. He wanted to rage.

  Deacon took a deep breath to calm himself and strode toward his cruiser. He wanted to radio the station to find out the status of the two assholes who assaulted Iris. He didn’t want her to run into them at the station. He needed them both locked up in cells before he brought her anywhere near the two bastards. He was just climbing into the driver’s side door when his cellphone rang from his back pocket. “Yes, May?” he asked in a slightly testy tone.

  “Listen, grumps, don’t take your anger out on me. I’m just trying to help.”

  “Sorry, I’m a little busy. What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Your mate just got arrested for assault at Shanley’s,” May said.

  “No, she didn’t. I’m at Shanley’s right now.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know you were there. I thought it was Finn and Cal. The word on the scanner is she assaulted Jake Conley and Pete Landry at the store. I’m sure she had a good reason to, though. Those two are trouble. Knocked one of them clean to the ground.”

  “That’s not entirely true. Why are you listening to the scanner anyway when you’re off duty?” he growled. He rubbed his temple. May made his head hurt.

  “No particular reason. I just like to.”

  “Oh, my, God, May! Stop listening to the scanner when you’re off duty. Relax, get a hobby. Never mind! And she’s not my mate,” he gritted out.

  “Relax, Deke. Sorry for calling you. You better calm down before you scare her or piss her off. Remember, she doesn’t know about shifters yet. She’s liable to think you’re a lunatic if you start yelling at her.”

  “Someone needs to yell at her. She has no concept of danger. She’s going to get killed,” he roared into the phone. He closed his
eyes and forced his breathing to slow. He needed to compose himself.

  “She’s a grown woman. Stop acting as if she were a baby. And you know she’s your mate. You wouldn’t be so pissed off if she wasn’t. No one else is freaking out like you. You don’t see Finn acting crazy,” May said calmly but firmly.

  At the mention of Finn’s name associated with Iris, Deacon snarled. “I need to go. I will get myself together. Don’t worry about it. Bye, May.”

  “Talk to you later,” her cheery voice replied.

  “I can’t have a mate,” he mumbled to himself as he ended the call. He picked up the handset of the radio and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

  About fifteen minutes later, Deacon hadn’t left his cruiser. He still needed to calm down. “What the hell?” Deacon said as he rubbed his temples with the first two fingers of each hand, elbows on his steering wheel. “This is a mess.”

  He heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Finn striding for the driver’s side door of his car. He was scowling at Deacon as he leaned against the door. “What’s the problem? Why are you still out here? We have to get her to the station. The doc’s almost done.”

  “I was busy,” Deacon snarled.

  “Why are you so pissed off? From what Eddie said, those two assholes were begging for trouble. It should be a case of simple self-defense. No biggie. We should charge those two idiots with assault,” Finn said looking back towards the store. “What are we waiting for? We should talk to her so she can get home.”

  “It’s not that simple. She hit and embarrassed the beta of the cougar pride. They’re not going to be happy. Iris put herself in danger with that stunt.”

  “Oh, so it’s Iris now?” Finn asked with a smirk.

  “Cut it out!” He turned and stared out the front window of the cruiser. “She’s going to get herself hurt even worse. Shit!”