by Zoe Chant
"I was worried there for a moment," he told her in an undertone.
"Me too," Jessica admitted. "But it's the cavalry."
"Ma'am, I'm going to need you to stand back a little," Emily the EMT said, pushing her aside with a gentle but firm hand on her shoulder, her nerves apparently forgotten at the sight of a patient. She was all business when she set out her supplies, cutting the improvised bandage off with sure, practiced motions.
"Not that I'm complaining, mind, but how on Earth did you find us?" Alan said. "Ow," he added, when Emily started swabbing his arm.
"Well, after you hung up on Detective Smith in the middle of her questioning you about a hostage situation, she figured you were probably involved somehow, so she called in the FBI. Your employees told us the last they'd seen of you, you were riding like a maniac towards Kingshead mountain. Got a chopper, traced your phone, found it halfway up the mountain together with a mercenary who was raving about being attacked by some sort of half-man, half-bear monster."
Her tone sharpened at those last few words. "You were lucky I was already around the area and on duty. You know what a mess this could've been?" For a moment, her eyes showed that golden gleam again.
Alan gave back a steely look, an answering flare of gold in his eyes. "They were threatening my mate," he growled.
Agent Cross let out a long sigh. "You know, that's not even the first time I've heard that this month," she said. "What is it with you Mountainville bears lately? Do we need to hold some sort of intervention up here? No, it's fine," she added, when Alan let out a growl so low it was almost inaudible. "I know. I get it. I know what it's like when you're protecting your mate."
For a moment, her eyes flickered over to Emily, who was still focused on Alan's arm to the exclusion of all else.
"What's going to happen now?" Jessica asked.
Agent Cross crouched down, peering at Alan's arm over Emily's shoulder. "As soon as Emmy's done here, we're taking you down to the hospital in the helicopter. And then I guess someone's gonna need to transport up some heavy equipment to dig up that cave. You're going to need to make a statement. And yes," she added, rolling her eyes when Alan made a protesting sound, "I know, you'll be stuck to her side like glue for the next couple days, and you'll put up no end of a fuss if I try to separate you. God save me from angry bears." She pushed to her feet. "Emmy, let me know when you're done. I gotta check on the team."
Jessica watched her walk over to the SWAT team, shaking her head bemusedly. "So you're not the only animal shifter out there, huh," she said.
"There's quite a few of us, actually," Alan said. "Especially in law enforcement. It's good to have people who can help keep things under wrap when someone sees something they shouldn't have. And there's a couple species of shifters who are really drawn to that sort of job—protecting the pack, you know. Ow!" he added, when Emily yanked the bandage tight around his arm. "Please tell me you're going to be done soon."
"Done now," Emily said, snapping her gloves off. "Let's get you to a hospital. It's just a graze, but I'll feel better about it once it's been cleaned and stitched."
"You're not the only one," Alan said, casting a dubious glance at his arm. "You know, this was a whole lot less painful when I still had a bunch of adrenaline and bear rage going on."
"I'm so sorry. I'm the one who got you into this mess in the first place, and then you got shot defending me," Jessica said, ducking her head.
Alan reached out immediately, tangling his fingers with hers. "Worth it a hundred times over," he said. "Jessica… It might be too soon to say this, and the last thing I want to do is scare you off, but… You coming to Mountainville was the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"Me too," Jessica said immediately.
Alan's fingers tightened around her hand. "I love you," he said. "I want to stay with you. Whatever it takes. I'll move to New York if that's where you're going—"
Jessica's breath caught with sudden realization. "I haven't even told you yet! Alan, I'm staying. I'm not going back to New York."
"Jessica…" Alan started. His voice cracked. He yanked her into a hug.
"Watch it! Your arm!" Jessica said, but when he didn't let her go, she found herself clinging tightly to Alan's broad shoulders, hiding her face against his neck. Her eyes were growing damp.
"I love you," she whispered.
Beside them, Agent Cross cleared her throat. "I hate to interrupt, but I still really need a statement about what the hell happened here. Do you know who sent those men to kidnap you?"
"Octane," Alan said. A hint of a growl came through in his voice at the word, an almost subsonic vibration she could feel more than hear. It raised the hairs on the back of her neck. "We're suing them. They didn't like it."
"Octane as in the oil company? You're suing Octane International? Jeez, I hope you've got one hell of a good lawyer," Cross said.
"Well, as it happens, I do know a fantastic lawyer who's about to be looking for a job in Mountainville," Alan said. He squeezed her hands. "What about it, Jessica? Want a job?"
Jessica grinned. "Let's give them hell."
***
The courtyard in front of Alan's house was lit up with lanterns, a fire burning brightly in the middle of a circle of mismatched garden tables and benches. Almost the entire neighborhood had come together to celebrate the official opening of the lawsuit against Octane International.
Jessica sat with her back to the fire, feeling its warmth on her shoulders. Yesterday Alan and Joel had shorn the alpacas, so tonight Gwyneth, Alan's closest neighbor, had brought her little spinning wheel along and started spinning the wool into a fine, sturdy thread. Jessica watched her intently, fascinated by the archaic ritual of it. She'd never seen anyone spin thread in her life, and hadn't even really been aware that it was still something people knew how to do. It was hypnotic to watch: the clack of the pedal, the fluffy skein of wool turning into a smooth, even thread between Gwyn's fingers like magic.
"Do you want to try?" Gwyn asked, noticing her interest.
Jessica tentatively took her place behind the spinning wheel. It turned out to be a lot harder than Gwyn had made it look. She couldn't seem to produce so much as a foot of string without either tearing it or knotting up the fibers.
"I'm sorry, I'm ruining all this nice wool," she said, looking down in dismay at the snarl between her fingers. "Here, you take back over, I don't think I've got the talent for this. I don't want to waste your time."
Gwyn waved her off easily. "I'm retired, I got nothing but time. And wool grows back. Everyone makes mistakes when they start. It's just like riding. You mess up, you fall, you get back on the horse and try again."
Jessica thought back to her own horse riding lessons with Alan. He'd given her that same advice in his own words, too. And maybe she could finally let herself believe that it was okay to not be perfect at everything on the first try.
She took up the wool again, and managed almost a yard of thread this time before she tangled herself up again. It was a strangely soothing task, for all that she was turning out to be terrible at it, and it was nice to have something to do with her hands. Gwyn watched her patiently, occasionally giving some quiet advice. Beside the fire, someone had started singing, and a few other voices took up the melody. She could see Alan over by the stables, having a low-voiced conversation with Joel. Squeak was draped over his arm, her tail flicking lazily.
Alan looked up and caught her eyes. For a moment his entire face lit up with a smile.
This is what happiness feels like, Jessica realized, startled: this golden glowing warmth inside her chest. She couldn't remember ever having felt anything quite like it before.
Her phone rang, a piercing shrill sound that startled her into dropping the thread. There was only one person who'd be calling her this late in the evening. Gwyn gently reached out to take the tangled mess of wool from her suddenly nerveless fingers.
"I have to take this," Jessica said, her voice cracking a lit
tle. "Excuse me."
She walked over towards the dark line of the forest, waiting until she was well out of earshot of the party before she accepted the call.
"Hi, mom," she said. "I've been trying to reach you."
She'd called a couple of times, in fact, but only ever reached her mother's secretary. Well, it wasn't exactly new for Ruth to be too busy to have time to talk to her daughter. That had mostly lost its sting years ago.
"Well, I called as soon as I heard what's going on!" Ruth said. "Valentina just told me you quit your job to shack up with some farmer out in the boonies somewhere!"
Jessica felt her face harden into a mask.
Actually, I'm about to marry a billionaire, she could've said. She knew her mother would change her tune instantly. As if what mattered about Alan wasn't his kindness, or his unwavering loyalty, or his fierce protectiveness—just the size of his wallet.
I've been contracted by Navtech International to lead a lawsuit against a multinational oil company, she could say, and her mother would be pleased. Because as long as she was successful, it wouldn't occur to Ruth to wonder whether Jessica was happy.
She leaned back against a tree, the rough bark solid against her back. She could see the house from here, the yard lit up golden and bright by the campfire, shining like an oasis in the middle of the dark woods. Faint sounds of laughter drifted over from the party.
"What on Earth were you thinking, Jessy?" Ruth asked sharply.
And Jessica found to her own surprise that at some point in the last few weeks, she'd stopped caring what her mother thought.
Some devilish impulse gripped her; she could feel the corner of her mouth twitching up into a smile. "You want to know what I was thinking, mom? I was thinking I'm going to learn how to milk a cow," she said. Ruth made a startled sound. Jessica kept talking without waiting for her to respond. "I'm going learn how to muck out a stall," she said. "I'm going to shear an alpaca. I'm going have a baby, and be I'll there to see it grow up. I'm thinking, for once in my life I'm happy, and I don't care what you think about it."
She ended the call, walking back towards the courtyard in long strides.
Alan had sat down with Gwyn while she'd been on the phone, Squeak in his arms. Jessica walked straight towards him. He took one look at her face and set the kitten aside to pull her into his lap.
She curled up against his broad chest, breathing in his comforting smell. Squeak climbed up her thigh, tiny sharp claws pricking at her through her pants. Jessica ran her fingers through her soft fur.
"You okay?" Alan asked quietly.
"I want to learn how to muck out the stables," she said, perfectly aware that it was a non sequitur but not giving a damn just then. "And how to train the horses. And how to shear the alpacas!"
Next to them, Gwyn let out a peal of laughter. "Jesus, Alan, you gotta watch it with those demanding city girls. Next thing you know, she'll want to drive the fertilizer truck!"
"Hey, what the lady wants, the lady gets," Alan said, grinning."But seriously, sure, if you want to be more involved in the farm, I'm happy to show you whatever you want to know."
Jessica felt her tense shoulders relaxing all at once. Of course Alan was going to take her seriously when she told him something she wanted. He always did. She leaned her head against his shoulder, taking a deep breath.
Gwyn grinned. "Aren't you two a cute couple. Speaking of, let me see that ring again."
"You've already seen it!" Jessica protested, but she held out her hand anyway, smiling when the diamond caught the orange glow of the fire. She hadn't gotten tired of looking at it herself.
All of them turned their heads when they heard the sound of tires crunching on the gravel of the driveway. A car pulled to a halt on the edge of the yard, and all four doors flew open at once. Jessica's eyes widened as Helen and Isabella scrambled out of the car. "Surprise!" they called together. Tom and Ryan followed them at a slightly more sedate pace.
Jessica jumped up, setting an indignant Squeak down on the floor so she could yank both her cousins into a tight embrace. "Oh my God, guys, this is so great! I had no idea you were coming!"
"We would've been here earlier, but you wouldn't believe the traffic," Isabella said. She looked tanned and happy. The curve of her belly was very obvious beneath her blue summer dress.
Jessica smiled. "How's the little one?"
Isabella cupped a hand around her stomach, her smile softening. "Doing just fine. No thanks to you! Both of you almost gave me a heart attack! I can't believe how much crazy stuff has been happening to this family lately. First Helen, and now you, Jessy!"
"What exactly happened, anyway, Helen?" Jessica asked. "All Sally could tell me was you got mixed up with the mob somehow!"
"Well, it's a long story…" Helen said.
The guys were already pulling up additional chairs to the table. Jessica sat down, Alan's arms around her, their kitten in her lap, her cousins by her side.
Her heart felt light, filled with so much joy she thought she might burst with it.
Tomorrow, or the day after, or maybe in a week, she'd call her mother back and clear up the misunderstanding. Tell her what was really going on in her life. Make peace. Set some boundaries.
But tonight she was going to celebrate with Alan and her friends.
Tonight, she knew who her real family was.
THE END
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list. You can also visit my webpage, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
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Page down to read a special sneak preview of Honey for the Billionbear, the first book in the Honey for the Billionbear series!
The cover of The Bear and his Honey was designed by Augusta Scarlett.
More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant
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Zoe on Audio
Kodiak Moment – Audiobook - Workaholic wildlife photographer + loner bear shifter + Alaskan wilderness = one warming and sensual story.
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