Kate followed, skirting the edge of the barn until she had a good view of the path back to the house. Mike kept walking.
Beside her, something approached, and she didn’t need to turn around to know it was a bear with red-tinged hair. “I don’t think Mike Greville has it in him to be the stalker.”
Red’s bear lifted his snout and pushed his head into her hand in agreement.
“I suppose we’d better carry on with our hike and see if we run into anyone else.” Kate turned around and retraced her steps back along the trail, while her ever-present protector ghosted into the trees, once more out of sight.
Chapter Eighteen – Red
Red was as proud as a mama bear watching her cub shift for the first time. Kate had stood up to Mike and made him retreat.
Happy she had found the strength to stand up to a man who had once tried to bully her, Red was also concerned Mike following Kate might have scared off their real attacker.
Although he was suspicious of Mike, and the man certainly had a motive, Red was certain he was not the one they were looking for. This was a prime opportunity to carry out his plan, which Red had thwarted that night in the park. But Mike hadn’t threatened Kate at all.
He doesn’t have a backbone, his bear told Red.
But he did a few years ago. He tried to get Kate thrown off the set then. All for the sake of his girlfriend. All for the sake of love.
Love does strange things to a man. His bear chuckled as if it was an inside joke. One Red had no idea of.
What does that mean?
It means you would do anything Kate asked you to do. You’d come running if she snapped her fingers.
And you wouldn’t? Red asked his bear.
This bear has more self-respect.
Yeah, right, Red answered.
They followed Kate as she walked along the trail, watching in front of her and behind her for any sign of trouble. Nothing. No one as much as breathed in her direction, they were out here alone.
Red followed Kate, hugging the tree line until their paths converged. Before he shifted back into his human form, he stopped and sniffed the air. At the same time, he listened for the sound of anyone who might be approaching. When he was satisfied they were alone, he shifted.
“Well, that was a bust. Unless Mike was playing a really good game.” She folded her arms across her chest and turned around to look down into the valley below. The rise and fall of her breasts were mesmerizing. “I don’t think you’ll find the person responsible there.”
His head jerked up to her face. “Sorry.”
A ripple of laughter erupted from her. “Don’t be. Just make sure I’m the only one you stare at like that.”
“The one and only. Forevermore.”
“You have a way with words.” She let her hands drop to her sides and turned to face him. “So what now?”
“Now we have some down time, away from everything and everyone.” He reached for her hand and pulled her close. “I have something I want to show you.”
“You do?” Kate followed him along the trail.
“I do. It’s a place I used to visit when I roamed the mountains alone. I like to think I’m the only person who knows it’s there, but I’m sure I’m not. But it’s very secluded.” His pace quickened, and he pulled Kate along behind him.
“I like the sound of secluded.” She kept pace with him, but he soon slowed when he heard her rapid breathing. He was so eager to get to their destination he forgot she wasn’t used to walking the mountain and her legs were a lot shorter than his.
They climbed steadily upward until a game trail forked off the main path. It rose up over a flat rock that was slippery to climb, which deterred hikers from following. But as a bear, he liked exploring the wilder side of the mountain and had leaped over the rock easily and followed the trail.
But he couldn’t go bear today. He had to climb in his human form and help Kate over the worst of the terrain.
Red went first, he found a shallow foothold in the smooth rock and wedged his toes in it enough to lever himself upward. His fingertips dug into the edge of the rock above his head and he pulled himself up. Not exactly graceful, but it worked. When he’d found a secure place to stand, with his feet hip-width apart for stability, he leaned down and held out both his hands for Kate to grasp hold of.
She put her hands in his and her trust in him. She couldn’t reach the foothold he’d used so she half walked, half scrambled over the flat rock, while he pulled her upward. A few short moments later, she stood by his side, proud of her accomplishment as they took in the view from their vantage point. The town of Bear Creek nestled peacefully in the valley below, the mountains rose up around it as if cradling the occupants and guarding them against the outside world. The low afternoon sun glinted off the thin strip of water that meandered its way down from the mountain and into the far distance.
“Where do you live?” Kate asked.
He pointed to the northeast of the town. “There, in a small apartment over a bakery. The smell of all those delicious cakes and pastries is wonderful. And I get fresh bread in the morning.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I don’t have a mansion or movie star status, but I relish the simple things in life like fresh bread and honey for breakfast.”
“That sounds perfect.” She leaned on his shoulder. “I’ve never needed anything fancy. All I want is a roof over my head and love in my heart.”
“That I can provide,” Red promised.
She dragged her eyes away from the view and turned to look into his eyes. “I have money, Red. Enough for us to never have to worry about anything again once Space Monkeys Four is made. And I want you to know I’d share it all with you.”
He smiled a tight smile and she cocked her head to one side and studied him. “I want to be the provider. But as a modern man, I love that you are an independent woman who has made her fortune.”
She slapped his chest playfully. “I had no idea you were so old-fashioned.”
“Not exactly old-fashioned.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “It’s the bear in me, he’s the old-fashioned one.”
Inside his head, his bear grumbled at the inference, but he let it go because it was probably true. His bear wanted to be the provider for their cubs and their mate.
“Tell him I’ll buy him a lifetime supply of the best honey money can buy.” She grinned.
“He says he can’t be bought. But he’ll take the honey anyway.” Red took her hand and turned away from the view. “We have quite a climb in front of us. But it will be worth it.”
“Is that a promise?” Kate asked.
“Yes, it is.” He took her hand and helped her over the rocky terrain. They climbed steadily higher until the game trail petered out, but he knew the way so well he didn’t need to follow a trail. This was the place he came to when he needed to think. The place he came to when he returned from a tour of duty and needed to put some distance between him and the rest of the world. But he was certain he would never come here to put distance between him and Kate. She was his life now.
“You know, you would never have to work again,” Kate said breathlessly as they crested a steep part of the trail. “You could spend your life walking the mountains. Or whatever else you wanted to do.”
He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. “I appreciate that. I really do. And I love the thought that we would never have to worry where our next meal is coming from, or how we’ll put the kids through college...”
“But…you need to work,” she finished for him.
“I do. I need to do something, to make the world a better place, even if it is in some small, almost insignificant way.” Helping people, protecting people, it gave him purpose.
“I get that.” She nodded. “And I love you for it.”
“You love me?”
Kate’s cheeks flamed red. “Wow, I actually said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“You actually did.” He laughed. �
�You can’t take it back, you know?”
Kate stood straight, her chin up. “I wouldn’t even if I could.”
“I love you, too, Kate. I have from the first moment I saw you.” Red cupped her face in his hands and lowered his head until their lips met. She was so sweet and the love he had for her was incredibly strong. His heart swelled every time he thought of her. He was the luckiest man alive.
Luckiest shifter alive, his bear corrected.
His bear was right. Both sides of him loved her, she filled a void in his life that only days ago had seemed infinite.
He nipped her bottom lip as their kiss ended, but he didn’t let her go, he wanted to gaze on her beautiful face for eternity.
But we also want to show Kate our special place, his bear reminded Red. And if we are not back before dark, people will worry.
“We should go.” Red dropped his hands to his sides and turned his head to look up the mountain in the direction they needed to travel. “Not much further.” He pointed to a small grove of trees that hugged the mountainside about two hundred feet further up. “That’s where we’re going.”
“Then let’s go. I want to see this place of yours.” She took a deep breath and took a step forward. The terrain wasn’t easy, they had to find footholds in the steep rocky slope and then test them to see if they would bear their weight. Working together, they soon reached the grove of trees, which earned him a bemused look from Kate. “Are these special trees?”
He chuckled. “Kind of.” Ducking down, he led her under the trees. The canopy over their heads prevented sunlight from filtering through the leaves, it was as if night was approaching and they were walking in endless twilight.
He always liked the gloom of the shade under these trees, it made what came after so much more magical.
“Do we just keep going?” Kate asked as they zigzagged through the trees and her foot snagged on an exposed root.
“We do. Not much further, though.” He reached for her hand and she took it, placing her hand in his and her trust in him. “Nearly there.”
“Wherever there is.” She sounded bemused, as if he’d dragged her halfway up the mountain for his own perverse pleasure.
“Do you trust me?” Red asked as they neared his secret place.
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
“Good.” His face cracked into a grin. “I’m feeling the pressure now. What if you don’t see what all the fuss is about?”
“And what if I do?” Kate shook her head. “Only one way to find out.”
“Here it is.” He watched the confusion cloud her face as she searched for what they’d come here to see.
“I don’t see it.”
Red stood behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Step to the right.”
He guided her one step to the right, Kate gasped as she looked between two ancient trees that grew so close together they formed a natural barrier between the small wooded area and what lay beyond. “Worth the climb?”
“You bet.” She stepped forward and turned sideways to squeeze between the trees. Red followed close behind. “How did you even find this place?”
“By accident. I followed a deer along the game trail some years ago. I was practicing my hunting skills.”
“As a bear?” Kate asked.
“As a bear, yes.” Red pointed to the gap in the trees. “I followed it into the trees and then it just disappeared.”
“The deer jumped between the two trees?”
“It did. I shifted back into my human form and followed it. And this is what I found.” He held up his hand.
“It is beautiful and incredibly secluded.” Kate walked forward and turned in a circle, her gaze capturing the high-sided valley with the sun illuminating it. Birds and small animals made their home here. The two trees stood like sentinels, keeping out large predators, which gave the animals a chance to thrive. “Is that a stream?”
“It is. Come on.” He took hold of her hand and pulled her forward. Like a couple of children, they ran across the vibrant green grass toward the stream which cut through the valley, before dropping down into a small waterfall and continuing its way to join Bear Creek below.
“I am going to dip my toes in the stream.” Kate let go of his hand and sat down on the bank of the stream.
“The water is really cold,” Red warned.
“I can take it!” Kate looked up with the excited face of a child. She pulled off her shoes and socks and dipped her toes in the water. A shocked gasp didn’t stop her from plunging her feet deeper into the water. “That is freezing!”
“I told you.” He sat down next to her but kept his shoes on.
“Aren’t you going to join me?” Kate asked.
“No.”
She turned her excited face toward him. “Please?”
“Do you really want me to?” He didn’t have to ask. Before she could answer he slipped out of his hiking boots and pulled off his socks.
“Thank you.” She leaned on his shoulder before she pulled her feet out of the ice-cold water. “My feet are numb.”
“What did you expect? Haven’t you ever put your feet in cold water before?”
“Not like this.” Her voice filled with emotion and it broke his heart to hear her excitement give way to regret. “My mom would never let me do anything like this. Once she pulled me from school and I only had tutors and actors as company, my childhood practically ended.”
“I didn’t realize.” Red slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her close. “When we have kids, you can experience all the things you missed out on.”
“Yeah. I’d like that.” She patted his thigh, unaware of how her touch affected him. “Ready to freeze your feet off?”
“Oh, yeah!” He grinned. “We should count down.” Now that he understood what she’d lost, Red was determined to do whatever it took to roll back the years and give Kate back the childhood she missed. Each day they would find new and wonderful things to experience. And when they had kids, he would make sure they had fun and knew how much they were loved.
Not for the money they could put in the bank, but for the people they were and the joy they brought to him and Kate.
And right now, making a child with Kate in this secret valley had jumped to the top of his to-do list.
Chapter Nineteen – Kate
“Three…two…one…go!” They plunged their feet into the icy water and she cried out as the shockingly cold water swirled around her feet and a thrill of excitement coursed through her.
Kate never considered how much of her childhood she had lost until that moment on the mountain with Red, with her feet going numb in the ice-cold mountain stream. At school she’d had friends, birthday parties to go to and girls and boys she could goof around with.
This had all been replaced by movie deals and spectacular sets. The initial thrill of being in the movie business had helped ease the transition until it became routine. A movie star was what she was. Who she was.
“Kate,” Red spoke her name softly and she dragged her attention away from the gurgling stream, which reminded her of the laughter of children. His expression was so full of love, so full of longing.
Kate cupped his face with her hand and leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. There was no need for words, all she wanted was to make love to him here in his special place. A place that was theirs and theirs alone. In this moment she knew who she was. Not the lost child, not the movie star, but Kate Kellan, mate of Redford.
She slipped her hand under his sweater, the warmth of his bare skin against her fingertips a startling contrast to the cold water swirling around her feet. This was so right. Made more special because it was her choice. She wasn’t being pulled by a movie studio or pushed by her mom. This was free will and she reveled in it.
Everything about Red told her of a promised freedom where they would live their lives together as one.
“Make love to me.” She whispered the words against his ea
r and he pulled back from her, stroking her hair away from her face with his large, capable hands. For a moment she thought he would deny her. Maybe outdoor sex wasn’t his thing.
But then he moved, scooping her up into his arms as he stood straight and carried her away from the stream. As he strode across the valley floor, she kissed his neck, nuzzling against him and inhaling his scent. All man. A heady mixture that conjured up images of a large grizzly bear who would protect her with his life if anyone dared hurt her.
Kate’s mind strayed away from those kinds of thoughts. She wouldn’t let anything, or anyone, spoil this moment between them. Wrapping her arms tighter around his neck, she swiveled her head around to look where they were going.
Red reached the edge of the valley floor and followed the contours of the landscape. Above their heads, birds circled on invisible thermals, while around their feet the sound of scurrying feet in dried leaves told of small mammals moving away. Could they sense the predator hidden inside Red?
Stepping over tree roots and weaving between trees, Red took them deeper into the valley, until they reached their destination. A small grove of trees, with a large grassy glade at its center, filled with soft mossy grass which cushioned her body as he lay her down. “I’ve explored every inch of this valley,” he told her. “And this is the most private, the most secluded place.”
“Are you afraid someone might see us?” she teased.
“Not for me. But the last thing you need is pictures of Kate Kellan, star of Space Monkeys Four, having sex outdoors.” He chuckled at her expression. “Don’t worry, I’ve been very focused on using my senses to make sure there is no one close by except for the wildlife. I know this place so well that if something were off, if someone else was here, I’d know.”
“You would?” Kate asked as she grabbed hold of the front of his sweater and pulled him down beside her.
“I would.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her lips. “The valley has a heartbeat all of its own.”
Kate placed the flat of her hand on his chest. The steady thump of his heart matched the hammering of her own chest against her ribcage. She thought she might explode, the sensations flooding her body almost too much and they hadn’t even taken their clothes off.
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