Trevor frowned. Well, that explained his wet clothes. He must have been caught in the rain last night. But why had he taken his pants off? He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to remember more details from the night before, but his memories stopped abruptly after his second slice of pie.
When he opened his eyes and glanced around the parking lot, he realized that his truck wasn’t there.
“Shit,” he said aloud. He checked the pockets of his jeans, but his keys were not in there. He walked back into the hangar and looked around, hoping that he would find them. But they weren’t there either. He had no idea how he had gotten home, or where his keys were. Logically, the first place he should look would be the bar he’d gone to the night before. The only problem was that Zach didn’t remember what the bar was named or exactly where it was. The only clear detail he remembered was that the nurse’s name was Mindy and that she worked at the Red Valley Hospital.
Kicking himself for ending up in this predicament, Zach left the hangar. He walked over to the bunkhouse and changed into a fresh set of clothes, then snuck out and got his bike from the bike rack near the hangar. He probably could have convinced one of the guys to give him a ride into town, but he didn’t want to deal with apologizing for the night before. He knew that his crew was mad at him for the way he was acting, but they didn’t understand the deep heartache that he lived with every day.
Zach started peddling toward town. His heart felt heavy, but he didn’t know what to do to change things. Traci had taken so much from him when she walked out the day. Not only had he lost his chance to be involved in his child’s life, but he had lost the ability to truly be a part of his crew. He felt forever on the outside, hiding a deep, dark secret that was his alone to bear. He knew that if he told the clan what had really happened with Traci, that they would all be willing to go to bat for him. They would line up without question, ready to fight for him and for his child. But that loyalty was exactly why he couldn’t tell them the truth. If they started fighting for him, the clan would be destroyed. Traci would tell the police, or someone in the government, and life as they knew it would be over. Zach didn’t want that for his crew, and so he did what he had to do to keep them oblivious.
Zach knew Ian was right when he said that not all humans were out to get them. In fact, some amazing humans who headed up the United States Forest Service—the agency that the clan worked for when they were smokejumping—knew about the clan’s shifter status. As far as Zach could tell, those humans were loyal and truly interested in keeping the bears’ secret. That little qualifying phrase—“as far as he could tell”—was the problem though, wasn’t it? How the hell was he supposed to know whether his gut feeling about a human was right or wrong? Ian and the other clan members seemed to trust their human lifemates implicitly. But Zach had trusted Traci, and he had been wrong about her. You just never knew when you gave your heart to someone else whether you were signing away your happiness, or ensuring it.
Beads of sweat rolled down Zach’s face as he continued to pedal steadily toward the hospital. He tried to figure out what he would say to the nurse when he saw her. She had been a cute little thing, with curly, fiery red hair, and expressive green eyes. The skin on her face had been freckled and smooth, and she had just the right amount of meat on her bones. Traci had been stick thin, and that was one thing Zach had never liked about her. Zach liked to have something to hold onto on a woman. Not that it really mattered what Mindy looked like. She was human, and therefore off-limits.
Zach frowned, and pedaled harder. He had given up hope years ago of ever finding a shifter lifemate. There didn’t seem to be many shifter clans living around here, and Zach wasn’t going to travel anywhere unless the rest of his clan was coming with him. Besides, he spent most of his free time consumed with trying to find Traci or his kid. He’d put in hours of research, and gone down every possible rabbit trail. But he still found nothing. He had no idea how she had managed to disappear so completely. It’s like the freaking witness protection program had taken her in or something. But Zach wouldn’t stop trying. He couldn’t stop trying. His kid would be almost five years old now, and around age four or five was usually when bears in his clan had really started to show their shifter side. Without a parent around who understood how shifting worked, his little shifter cub would probably freak out about what was happening to him or her. Traci wouldn’t know how to handle questions about shifting.
Zach smiled for just a moment, remembering happier times when his clan had been larger, and the squeals of little cubs shifting had been a common sound. Back then, Zach had loved watching the little kids in his clan as they first learned how to shift. They would switch into bear form, and stumble around unsteadily on their unfamiliar bear legs. The effect was adorable, like watching a toddler learn to walk. Except, instead of toddlers, these were furry, sweet little bear cubs. It had been years, though, since Zach had seen a little bear. Most of his clan had been wiped out in a rockslide, and the Burning Claws smokejumpers were the only bears that had survived. Zach himself had almost died when one of the rocks hit him, and he still had the large, nasty scar across his back to remind him.
Zach frowned, and pushed thoughts of his lost clan members out of his head. Some days, he wondered if there was even a point to his life. It seemed like his existence had been filled with only sorrow, and it often felt like too much for one bear to take. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to just throw in the towel. He had to keep fighting, for his clan’s sake, and his kid’s sake.
Zach finally reached the hospital, and he parked his bike out front. He didn’t see a bike rack, so he chained the bike to a street sign and went looking for the front entrance. When he found it, he walked inside and made his way to the front desk. A receptionist sat twirling strands of hair around her finger and staring off into space.
“Excuse me,” Zach said. “I’m looking for a nurse who works here. Her name is Mindy. Can you help me find her?”
The receptionist shifted her gaze to Zach with mild interest. “What’s her last name?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, actually,” Zach said. “But I lost something important last night, and I think she knows where it is. Can’t you just look her up by her first name? There can’t be that many Mindys working at the hospital.”
The receptionist raised an eyebrow at Zach. “It’s kind of creepy to ask for someone just by their first name, don’t you think?” she said, still twirling her hair around her finger.
Zach sighed in exasperation. Maybe the direct approach would work better. “Look, I got drunk at a bar last night, and now I can’t find my keys or my truck. Mindy is the only person who I know for sure was there, and I’m hoping she can help me find the bar and my truck. Please have a little sympathy on me, and help me find her. I promise that’s all I want from her. I’ve got pretty much the worst hangover of my life and I really just want to get my truck back and go home.”
The receptionist started laughing. “Let me get this straight, you lost your truck, and you don’t even remember which bar you left it at? Sounds like someone had a wild night.”
Zach took a deep breath to calm his frustration. He opened his mouth slowly, trying to come up with a reply that didn’t sound mean. After all, he needed the receptionist’s help, so he didn’t want to tick her off. But before he could say anything, he heard a voice behind him that sounded familiar.
“Zach? What are you doing here?”
Zach turned around, and there she was. They say that alcohol makes people look better than they actually are. But today, sober and hungover as he was, Zach still felt the air go out of his lungs at the sight of Mindy. The bright, midday sun that streamed in through the large front windows of the hospital entrance lit up her hair from behind, making it look like it was actually on fire. Her skin glowed with a thin layer of perspiration, and her cheeks were flushed pink. She looked like she had been running. Her deep green eyes, so expressive and lovely, darted back and forth between Zach and the rec
eptionist. She raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Well, I’m glad to see that you at least remember my name,” Zach said. “Hopefully, you also remember the bar we were at last night, because I don’t. I’m not sure how I got home, but it wasn’t in my truck. I’m assuming I left the truck at the bar, but I don’t even know the name of the bar, let alone where it is. You’re the only detail I can remember from last night, so I came here trying to find you in hopes that it would help me find my truck.”
Mindy rolled her eyes, and started laughing sardonically. “Wow, you really were blackout drunk, weren’t you? Your truck is at Red Valley Booze Bar, which is also where your keys are. I dropped them off there before work this morning, because I know the guy that owns the place. He’s always there early to balance the books, or check the stock, or do whatever businessy stuff bar owners do. Anyway, he has your keys. Just like I told you last night that he would.”
“Wait, you drove me home?” Zach asked, starting to put a few more pieces together. He had a sudden, vague recollection of a woman pushing him through the rain into the door of the airplane hangar.
“Yes, I did,” Mindy said, and let out an exasperated sigh. “I drove you home in the pouring rain, and then I changed a tire myself, because we had a blowout in the middle of the monsoon. It would have been nice if you had been a knight in shining armor and taken care of the tire change for me, but you were passed out drunk in my passenger seat. So I had to do it myself. No worries, though, you did get out long enough to inspect the job and make sure I was doing it right. You also took a piss on the side of the road and completely took off your shoes and pants. Thankfully, you put your underwear back on. Oh, and let’s not forget that despite not being able to help me with the tire change, you were definitely able to go on and on about how beautiful you thought I was. So, that’s nice to know. It would’ve been nicer to have had hand with the tire, but I guess I can’t be too greedy now, can I?”
Zach stared at Mindy when she ended her tirade. Behind him, he heard the receptionist laughing so hard that she snorted.
“I, uh…um,” he said, and let his voice trail off. He didn’t know exactly what to say. He felt like he should apologize, but that seemed like a weird thing to do for events he couldn’t even remember.
“Look, it’s cool,” Mindy said. “At least I learned a lesson: don’t try to be a nice girl by taking the drunk guy home as a favor. You seemed pretty cool at the bar, and you also seemed like you’d had a bad day, so I thought I would help get you home so you wouldn’t have to wait for a cab. I guess that was silly, because, as blacked out as you were, you wouldn’t have even known that you were waiting for a cab. But, anyway, there’s my good deed for the month. Or year, or whatever. Your keys are at the bar. It’s on the corner of Main and Elm Street. Now, if there’s nothing else you need, I have a lot of work to do. Not all of us can get sloshed on a weeknight and then take the whole next day to recover.”
“Sorry,” Zach said weakly. “Thanks for driving me home, and for changing the tire. And sorry for calling you beautiful. That was all a product of my being drunk. I can assure you, I’m not interested in dating you, so sorry if I came onto you.”
Mindy raised an eyebrow at Zach. “I’m not sure I should be flattered by an apology where you tell me you’re sorry for calling me beautiful,” she said. “But, whatever. I honestly don’t really care if you think I’m beautiful or want to date me. I’m going to get back to work now. Have a nice life.”
Zach watched as Mindy stomped off. The anger in her voice had been evident. Maybe he hadn’t chosen the best words to apologize. He hadn’t meant that to come out the way did, but he wasn’t going to waste time worrying about it, either. Red Valley was a fairly large town, and odds were good that he wouldn’t run across Mindy again. At least he’d done what he came here to do. He knew where his car was, and he could go get it. No sense in hanging around here anymore.
And yet, Zach didn’t turn to leave right away. Instead, he watched Mindy as she stormed off down the hallway. He felt a rumbling within him, and he almost laughed. His bear wanted Mindy, that was obvious. But no way in hell was he going to go after another human. It did feel strange, though, after years of managing to avoid being attracted to anyone, to suddenly feel the warmth of desire flooding over him. Mindy turned a corner and disappeared from Zach’s view. He sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Oh, look,” the receptionist said in a sing-song voice. “It looks like someone is a little more interested in Mindy then he was admitting to being.”
Zach scowled at the receptionist and spun on his heel. “I don’t date,” he yelled over his shoulder. “Girls are nothing but trouble.”
Zach marched quickly away, rolling his eyes at how meddling and annoying human woman could be. He actually felt a little smug as he walked toward the exit. He knew he was a good-looking guy. He had to keep himself in top physical shape for his job, and women often expressed interest in him. But he wasn’t available for them, or the silly games they played. He had more important things to do with his time.
Just as he finished rolling his eyes, he felt a sharp whack on his forehead. Behind him, he heard the receptionist bursting into a fit of giggles. He rubbed his forehead and looked up to realize that he had walked straight into the glass exit door without seeing it. Angrily, he pushed the door open to step outside, turning to give the receptionist one more meaningful glare before he left. But, when he turned around, he saw Mindy standing back at the receptionist’s desk. Mindy’s green eyes were wide, and filled with a smug satisfaction. He didn’t know why she had come back, or how she had gotten to the desk so quickly. But she had clearly seen Zach’s klutzy run-in with the door.
“That was almost as graceful as when you got out of the car in the rain last night,” Mindy called out.
Zach scowled at her. She might be beautiful, but he didn’t have time in his life for sass like that. The last thing he did before turning and walking away from her for good was to smile as sweetly as he possibly could, and then raise his left hand to emphatically flip her off.
Chapter Five
Mindy slipped behind the driver’s seat of her car, and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She checked her reflection in the mirror, and sighed at the wild curls of red hair that insisted on escaping from the bun had she pulled them into. Her face looked unnatural to her with the little bit of makeup she had put on, even though it consisted of barely more than a light dusting of powder, some mascara, and some sheer lip gloss. She tugged on the long sleeves of her simple gray dress, and wished that she chosen something else to wear to this meeting.
Oh well, too late now. Good thing she’d at least had the foresight to bring these clothes with her to work. As it was, she was barely going to make it to the meeting with Mr. Stewart on time. An emergency had come up with one of her patients just as she’d been getting ready to clock out from her nursing shift. Everything had turned out okay, thankfully, but the half-hour she’d spent stabilizing the patient had eaten into any time she would have had to actually drive home and get ready there. So, she’d taken the backpack of clothes and makeup she’d packed “just in case,” and used the bathroom in the nurses’ lounge to change and freshen up.
She knew Mr. Stewart wouldn’t understand if she showed up even a minute late. He was looking for any reason to label her as irresponsible, and he wouldn’t care that her delay had been due to staying a few minutes extra at work to save someone’s life. He didn’t care about any of the details of her life or work. He only cared about the fact that she was single, and, therefore—in his opinion—not a good candidate to adopt a child. Mindy was sure he’d only agreed to this meeting because he was tired of her begging him to sit down with her and let her fully make her case for why she would make a good parent, even if there was no father figure in the picture.
Mindy started the engine on her car and began the thirty minute drive to Red Valley Orphanage. She had volunteered there at least once a
week for the last three years. To be honest, at first, she hadn’t thought she could do it. But Mindy’s therapist had told her that spending some time around children might be a good way for her to get past the overwhelming sadness she felt from knowing she would never have a child of her own. Mindy hadn’t been so sure about that theory, but, to her surprise it had actually worked. Mindy had fallen in love with the kids at the orphanage, and had realized that there were a lot of ways to become a mother. Giving birth to your own child wasn’t the only possibility.
And having a biological child was a possibility Mindy had lost forever. At the tender young age of twenty-four, she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Mindy was a fighter, and had beaten the cancer—but she hadn’t escaped without emotional and physical scars. The biggest scar the cancer had left behind was the one across her stomach, where the doctors had cut her open for a complete hysterectomy. All of her life, all she’d wanted was to be a mom. In the span of a few minutes, a grim faced doctor had crushed that dream when he told her, without sugarcoating it, that her only chance of surviving was to have surgery to remove her tumor filled ovaries and uterus.
Mindy had mourned the loss of her planned future for a long time. It had seemed so unfair of the universe to deal such a harsh, final blow to someone so young. But, as time went on, she learned to focus on the positives. After all, she had survived cancer. Other than her inability to have a child, she was a completely healthy, normal twenty-something. Mindy had poured herself into her nursing job, and then into her weekly volunteer sessions at the orphanage. She had begun to feel truly happy again, until she had taken on the grand idea of adopting from the orphanage. It seemed like an easy decision to her. There were several children who needed permanent homes, and she loved all of the kids there. The only hard part would be figuring out which of the orphans would be the best match to live with her permanently. She loved all of them, and would have taken them all in if she could have.
An Ember To Bear (Fire Bear Shifters 5) Page 4