Wolves, Witches and Bears...Oh My!

by Nicky Charles

  “No. It’s fine. A… Achoo!” He sneezed again. “Excuse me.”

  “Yeah, gesundheit and all that. What do you want to eat?” She looked tired and impatient, her pencil hovering over the order pad in her hand.

  “The specials of the day, what are they?” He gave her his best smile.

  It didn’t work. Her attitude showed no signs of thawing.

  “It’s all listed over there.” She jerked her head towards a chalkboard mounted on the wall. “You want coffee?”

  “Yes. Please.” He tacked on the last word out of habit. An herbal tea would have been his preference, however he doubted such a beverage was served here. His nose twitched again. Obviously, his tolerance of city air was low.

  He scanned the daily specials choosing a burger and fries.

  When she came with the coffee, he was ready for her.

  “You want gravy on those fries?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Fine.” The waitress—he noticed her name tag said Gin—left without another word.

  He took a drink of his coffee. It wasn’t bad. Maybe there was hope for the food. He cleared his throat which was still feeling scratchy and scanned the building, noting the water stains on the ceiling and the cracked tile floor. Yes, the place had seen better days and the environment was likely unhealthy to work in.

  Minutes ticked by. Lucy still didn’t appear. He resisted the urge to drum his fingers and instead eased back in his seat barely holding back a grimace. It felt too small for his large frame. Like most bears, he was big-boned and well-muscled, preferring large spaces and sturdy furnishings. Crowded places such as this made him feel awkward and out of place. He rubbed his neck; his shorter hair was still unfamiliar. Early this morning he’d had his hair and beard trimmed, as per Ryne’s suggestion.

  Such fussing is unnecessary, his bear had grumbled.

  He’d ignored the complaint, the only concession being that his hair remained long enough to be tied back. Growing up, proper grooming had been insisted upon as they’d often had unexpected and prestigious guests dropping in, however he was the rebel in the family, much happier in his jeans, plaid shirts and ‘wild man’ look as Ryne liked to call it.

  Or at least he had been. Now he was preening like a peacock trying to attract a female. Well, not exactly preening, though he was hoping to capture a mate. If she ever reappeared from the kitchen.

  His meal arrived. Lucy did not.

  Where is she? His bear shuffled its feet impatiently.

  Beginning to worry, he raised his hand, catching the attention of the waitress.

  “You have another server working here. Lucy. I’m a friend of hers and would like to speak with her.” He ended the sentence with another sneeze.

  Gin looked at him suspiciously whether suspecting he was contagious with a summer cold or wondering why he was so interested in Lucy. She took a step back before replying. “I’ve never seen you around here before.”

  “I flew in this morning.”

  “She didn’t mention you.”

  He smiled in a way that he knew made his eyes twinkle and thickened his accent. “Mon voyage — my trip — it was…unexpected.”

  “Yeah. Right.” She rolled her eyes, clearly not impressed. “Well, we don’t have a Lucy, only a Louise and she went home sick.”

  “Sick?” He flicked a look behind the woman still expecting to see Lucy…or rather Louise; Ryne had mentioned the name change but he couldn’t wrap his head around it. “She was here just a few minutes ago.”

  Gin shrugged. “Well she’s not here now. Are you going to want dessert?”

  “No, this will be fine.”

  She slapped the bill down on the table. “Pay at the register when you leave.”

  For a moment he sat there fuming, not due to the waitress’ rudeness but because Lucy must have noticed him and run. It was too much of a coincidence that she’d become ill the minute he appeared.

  Had she left because she didn’t want to see him, or had she merely been surprised? Either way, her behaviour was out of character. Back home, she would have stalked over to the table, given the customer a piece of her mind, and then ended the scolding with a wide smile that would have left the offender bemused and doling out a larger than average tip.

  He stroked his beard. Yes, it would seem she had changed, and it went deeper than glasses and hair colour.

  Why had she decided to start a new life in Chicago rather than returning to him when he’d finally expressed his interest? It was a point he’d considered many times throughout the ten-hour drive to Toronto and the two-hour flight to Chicago.

  As soon as he’d seen her as a young woman, he’d been drawn to her. At the time, she’d barely been old enough to work at the Broken Antler, yet he’d immediately been captivated by her smile and sunny disposition. He’d given her a job and then…then he’d waited. His bear had not been pleased but had been persuaded of the wisdom of the decision.

  “A relationship needs more than instant attraction,” he’d explained to the animal. “A mate should be your friend as well as your lover.”

  And so he’d set about creating a foundation for their future, inviting Lucy to join him in planting a vegetable garden behind the Broken Antler in the spring and going ice-fishing in the winter. One year, he’d taught her to drive…

  ~~~

  “This is loose gravel, the tires have less traction! Slow down! And watch out for the potholes.” He winced as the truck bounced and swerved down the road.

  She flashed a wide smile at him. “You’re a worrywart, Armand. This is fun! Like a ride at the county fair.”

  “The truck fish-tailing is not fun. We aren’t in a smash-up derby!”

  “Fine.” She eased off the gas.

  He exhaled in relief and relaxed his grip on the arm rest. “Much better. We’re coming to a main road. You need to come to a complete stop, not a rolling one like last time.”

  “You know, you aren’t this bossy at the bar.”

  “At the bar you aren’t catapulting thousands of pounds of metal down a road with the potential to kill both of us.”

  They turned onto the main highway which, thankfully, seldom had traffic on it. The breeze from the open windows ruffled her hair, the sun streaming in and highlighting her features. As always, her beauty caught his attention and he had to force himself to focus on the road.

  “You know, Armand, this driving stuff is pretty easy.”

  He nodded. “It is when there are no other cars around. Be sure to stay in your lane and watch your speed.” His eyes widened as he checked the speedometer. “The sign said 80 kilometres per hour.”

  “I saw that. It’s a good suggestion.”

  Suggestion? He shook his head and was about to give a lecture on speeding when he noticed her silent laughter.

  “Are you enjoying making me go grey?”

  She reached out and tugged a lock of his hair. “I like it just the colour it is.”

  Her hand so close to his face had him catching his breath and it took a moment before he realized she was still looking at him.

  “Eyes on the road. Both hands on the steering wheel!”

  ~~~

  Yes, the driving lessons had been a hair-raising experience and surely removed years from his life, yet when she’d hugged him and beamed with pride after receiving her licence, it had all been worth it. He’d felt they were becoming friends. Good friends. But, at the end of the day, it was another man she’d gone home with more often than not.

  This time, however, it would be different. His patience had gotten him nowhere, now he needed to act, to ensure she saw him in a romantic light. Lucy was meant to be with him. He just needed to convince her of the fact.

  Chapter 6

  Lou walked home as quickly as she could without breaking into a run. She hadn’t dared hang around waiting for the bus.

  “Excuse me. Pardon me.”

  She pushed her way through the crowds not caring that people were
shooting her annoyed looks. At traffic lights, she worked her way to the front of those waiting to cross, tapping her foot impatiently and then taking off across the street as soon as the light changed colour. She probably looked a sight; her eyes wide, her face pale, but she didn’t care. Getting to the safety of her home was all that mattered. What she’d do once she was there, she didn’t know. All that mattered now was that the apartment represented security.

  When she finally entered her building, she breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against the newel post to catch her breath.

  “You okay, Lou?” Jimmy poked his head out the door of his apartment. His eyes were bloodshot and the stench of beer wafted from his breath.

  “I’m fine, Jimmy. Just tired.”

  “Probably this damned heat.” He wiped his face on the edge of his stained white undershirt. “You let me know if you need something. Roxi told me about the mugging. I’m keeping an eye out for anything suspicious, even checked the hallway twice last night just be to sure.”

  “Thanks for watching out for me.” She turned to leave and then stopped as his words registered. “You checked the halls last night?”

  “Yep. It’s my job to keep tabs on things.”

  Well that was a relief. The sound she’d heard the other night must have been Jimmy. She gave him a nod and began to climb the stairs as quickly as possible.

  One flight of stairs, two…three…

  Her apartment appeared. She unlocked the door and slipped inside then pressed her back to the wooden surface as she caught her breath. Home safe and sound and, thankfully, with no sign of Armand.

  This was Ryne’s fault, her inner voice decided. Mentioning the mugging had been a mistake.

  Yep. She should have lied and said she needed a new ID because she dropped her purse in the river or at least waited until she wasn’t feeling panicky. Ryne might be a sexy, annoying bastard, yet under the attitude, he had a protective streak a mile wide. He must have picked up on something in her voice that caused alarm bells to ring and, for some inexplicable reason, decided Armand was the one to send.

  She wished he would have chosen Bryan or Daniel.

  They were nice boys—

  Well, hardly boys anymore after all this time—

  But it’s easy to handle them. A smile and some batting of eye-lashes and they’d have been doing our bidding without even realizing it.

  “Lulu? What are you doing home?” Roxi appeared in the hallway, food in hand. “You’re early.”

  “I wasn’t feeling well.” She pushed off from the door. “A stomach bug or something.”

  “Uh-oh.” Roxi took a step back. “Don’t breathe in my direction.”

  “I won’t.” She dropped her keys into her purse.

  Roxi took a bite of her snack, a chocolate chip muffin from the look of it, then spoke with a muffled voice. “Hey, you don’t know anything about someone coming around to fit our window for an air conditioner, do you?”

  “No.”

  “That’s what I figured. Some guy was knocking at the door this morning saying he had an appointment to measure the windows.”

  “Probably some kind of scam.”

  “Yeah, I figured you couldn’t afford A/C. Plus, he didn’t even have a tape measure or clipboard or anything. It would have been a nice birthday present though.” She sighed dramatically and then slid a meaningful look at her roommate.

  “Forget it. Your birthday isn’t until the fall.”

  “I know.” She gave a cheeky grin. “It never hurts to plan ahead.”

  She rubbed her temples, tired of Roxi’s chatter. “Listen, I’m going to go lie down. If anyone stops by, tell them I’m asleep.”

  “Who would be stopping by?”

  “No one.” She answered quickly, regretting her words. Damn, she shouldn’t have said anything. Now Roxi’s radar was on full alert. Then again, it was probably better to warn Roxi ahead of time. If Armand knew where she worked, he must know where she lived; Ryne would have shared that information, too.

  Roxi cocked her head. “Yeah. Right. Is no one some guy?”

  “Maybe.” She shrugged, refusing to cave in to Roxi’s unspoken demand for information. “Just…just send him away. Please.”

  “Okay.” Roxi nodded seeming to accept the request and licked the chocolate stains from her fingers before speaking again. “Oh, by the way, you left these sitting on the table in the entryway.” She handed over a box of tampons. “The fake A/C guy was eyeing them. Some kind of perv, I bet.”

  “Thanks.” She took the box as she headed to her bedroom, having completely forgotten about bringing it home from work the other day.

  Roxi followed behind. “So, about this no one...”

  She sighed. The girl was like a wasp around a bowl of sugar; she just couldn’t be distracted. “Give it a rest, Roxi. Please?”

  “Can I at least say I’m surprised? You’ve never been involved with anyone the entire time we’ve been roommates.”

  “So I’m full of surprises today.” She shut the door firmly before Roxi could speak again. Tossing the box on the dresser, she sat down on the edge of her bed.

  It was understandable that Roxi was questioning her. She had led a quiet life during the time they’d been roommates. Roxi was the wild one. A smile tugged at her lips as she thought of how they’d met.

  After leaving the hospital, she’d rented this place but hadn’t felt comfortable living alone. Her advertisement for a roommate had produced a few inquiries. Then Roxi had arrived. She smiled at the memory...

  ~~~

  A knock on the door had her glancing at her watch, confirming the person was probably the next roommate interviewee. She’d already met three potentials. They’d all been near her age and had seemed nice, but she hadn’t felt a connection to any of them.

  “Hello.” She opened the door after looking through the peephole and seeing a young woman with dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. “Roxanne?”

  “Yep, that’s me. But call me Roxi.” The girl cracked her gum, bent down, picked up a large suitcase and a backpack then walked in. “You’re Lou?”

  “Yes,” she nodded eyeing the bags.

  “I think I’ll call you Lulu.”

  “Um…okay.”

  Roxi looked around. “Nice enough place. Not too much of a dive.”

  She blinked. “Well, the rent isn’t much—”

  “Yeah, that’s what I liked about the ad. Cheap suits my budget perfectly.” Roxi smiled at her and tilted her head. “So, where’s my room?”

  “It’s the second door from the end of the hall on the left but—”

  Roxi wasn’t listening. “The kitchen is dated but clean. The living room furniture…who chose that flowered sofa and those chairs? They scream ‘grandma lives here’. Oh well, slipcovers can do wonders.” She walked down the hall and poked her head in the bathroom before heading into the bedroom. After a glance around, she nodded and set her suitcase on the bed and the backpack on the floor. “This will do. I’ll bring the rest of my stuff tomorrow.”

  At that point, she knew she had to take back control of the situation. She folded her arms and used a look that had put more than one drunk man in his place. “Now wait just a minute. This is just an interview, remember? You are not just moving in here.”

  “You’ve had other people looking at the place?”

  “Yes. Three in fact and I—”

  “But you didn’t like any of them, did you?”

  “I didn’t dislike them.”

  “So why not me?” Roxi held her arms out and turned around. “Check me out. I’m young. I’m healthy. I’ll pay my half of the expenses. I won’t have parties here unless we throw one together. What else do you need to know?” She gave a cheeky grin.

  Something about the girl had her smiling. Bold, brash…like she’d been in her early days in Stump River. “Well…”

  “Come on, give me a chance. You won’t regret it.”

  She took a deep breath trying
not to be sucked in by Roxi’s energy. “Where do you live now?”

  “At home. With my mother.” Roxi made a face.

  “How old are you?” She eyed her up and down.

  “Nineteen. I know, I know, I look younger but I’m not.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And before you ask, I’m leaving because my mother and I don’t see eye to eye. She wants me to go into the family business, but I have no talent in that area.” A shadow passed over the girl’s face. “I’m the only one that doesn’t fit in, doesn’t meet their expectations. I’m tired of hearing about it so I’m going to make a fresh start.”

  A fresh start. Those were the words that had tipped things in Roxi’s favour. She knew all about fresh starts…

  ~~~

  Well, her fresh start was about to be ruined. She flopped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling. It was her own fault. If she’d been paying attention, she wouldn’t have been mugged. Or she’d at least have used some of the self defence moves she’d been taught. Her ID might have been saved and she wouldn’t have had to contact Ryne.

  Damn that mugger!

  Armand walked down the street, eyeing the buildings with disdain. Lucy had given up Stump River for this? He shook his head, not understanding the appeal.

  There are hardly any trees or grass. No open space. No cool fresh air. His bear sneered in disapproval.

  He gave a mental nod of agreement. This place did not suit him. If Lucy preferred the big city, he didn’t know what he’d do. There was no way he could live like this.

  At the corner he paused, took a deep breath and then turned left following her scent. Yes, Ryne had given him the address but flagging down a taxi on the busy roads had seemed a complicated affair. Besides he preferred to walk and, as a bear, his sense of smell was acute. People always went on about the abilities of tracking dogs, yet most didn’t know that bears, as a species, are considered to have the best sense of smell of any land mammal.