Bears of Burden Complete Series Box Set

by Candace Ayers

  Jealousy had reared its ugly head and I was imagining shoving her off a cliff. Instead, I focused on my current task. Shoving all of my cute outfits into a giant, hideous knapsack.

  The three of us were gathering the others’ attention. I glanced around at them and noticed several men and even a couple of older women staring.

  “You two? When?” The woman sounded pissed and I hoped she’d just leave. Then, maybe I would be able to relax enough to leave, too.

  Wyatt started to talk but I spoke over him. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s nothing as serious as y’all.”

  “I wasn’t worried.”

  “Perfect.”

  “Good.”

  “Okay. Is everyone ready?” Wyatt’s eyes were glued to me.

  I finished shoving my clothes in the knapsack and then unzipped the front to shove in my other shoes and toiletries. I was instantly pissed at myself for playing the jealous woman. I’d shown my cards to Wyatt. He knew I was jealous and that pissed me off even more.

  I looked down at my bag and crossed my arms under my chest. I thought about just going back home. The pie woman could have Wyatt. I didn’t need a mate. I sure as hell didn’t want one.

  Wyatt clasped my elbow and held it as he talked to the group. “I’ve got to get a few last-minute things. Why don’t you all head up the trail? Sarah can lead the way. Stop at the bridge and wait for us.”

  Sarah, the awful pie woman, stroked Wyatt’s arm and smiled. “We’ll be waiting for you.”

  I watched as the group marched away from us and then turned to Wyatt. “I’m not going. This was a stupid idea.”

  He grabbed my other elbow and jerked me into his chest. “You’re going.”

  I started to argue, but he had to go and kiss me. It quieted my argument, for sure. His lips were warm and firm, his beard tickly. It was a simple kiss, just a pressing of his mouth against mine, but my heart was racing. My body responded like a raging wild fire. I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled myself closer.

  His big hands cupped my ass and squeezed until I gasped. When I did, he slipped his tongue into my mouth and I moaned into the kiss. A growl rattled his chest and I was shocked into a moment of clarity. Just enough of one to pull away from him.

  “Don’t you dare kiss me again.” I took several steps back.

  Wyatt glared at me. “It couldn’t be easy, could it?”

  I nodded my head in the direction the group had gone. “Seemed pretty easy with wild berry pie girl.”

  “You always get this jealous with men you just met?”

  I gritted my teeth and grabbed the knapsack. “Have fun on your little trip.”

  “Where do you think you’re headed?”

  “Home. Maybe even back to the East coast. Just so long as I don’t have to see you again.”

  He grabbed my bag and threw it over his shoulder. “You’re going.”

  I yanked at it, uselessly. “I am not going. Don’t think you can boss me around just because you’re my-”

  He snapped his head around to me so fast that I was surprised he didn’t get whiplash. “Your what?”

  I swallowed. “My guide. Tour boss. Whatever!”

  “Tour boss?”

  “Just give me my clothes back. They’re the only ones I brought with me. You can go on with your little nature group and I’ll go back and get drunk at the bar. It’s a perfect compromise.”

  He grabbed another pack and threw it over his other shoulder. It was about the size of me. “You come with me or you say goodbye to your clothes.”

  I stomped my foot. “Wyatt, I don’t want to.”

  A boyish grin tilted his mouth and his eyes turned soft. “Come on, sugar. I’ll make it worth your while.”

  I should’ve kicked his knees out from under him. I should’ve snatched my stuff and ran while I could. Instead, I crossed my arms and trailed behind him. “I’m only coming so you don’t give my clothes to Sarah.”

  “I wouldn’t think of it.” He glanced back at me. “Keep up. I’d hate to lose you up here.”

  I stuck my tongue out at his back and stepped over a fallen branch. “Don’t you clean up the trail? That could hurt someone.”

  “I’m afraid you don’t know what a survivalist is.”

  I had no clue. I mean, I knew, in theory, but I didn’t know what they’d do out in the Texas woods for a week. Hike up a trail, camp out, and then come home. Seemed easy enough. As I edged to the side of Wyatt’s wide back to look ahead, I gulped. The trail seemed to go straight up and I couldn’t see an end in sight.

  “Where is everyone? Did they finish without us?”

  He laughed. “No. They haven’t even started yet. They’re just up around that curve there.”

  “That’s just the beginning?”

  “Yep.”

  I was a dead woman. I needed to just chalk this up as a loss and leave. Who needed a mate? Sarah could have him.

  Then, he turned and smiled at me and I was done for. I followed him like the idiot I was.

  10

  Georgia

  I followed the pig-headed man up a damn mountain—a literal mountain. I didn’t know how I’d made it. In flip flops, I’d hiked up rocky terrain, hopped across a small river on slippery rocks, and even climbed up a rock face only to get to—more mountain. I was already sunburned, scratched, bruised, and damp from where I’d slipped on the rocks and fallen into the river. Not to mention my massively bruised ego. Sarah had been there the whole time to enjoy herself by laughing at me.

  Luckily, one of the other women, Martha, had come to my rescue. She planted herself at my side and graciously helped me along. We’d become fast friends when she helped me to pee in the woods for the first time.

  Wyatt was never too far off. He’d helped me up each time I fell and stayed away from Sarah, but I was still pissed at him for making me climb a mountain. Some mate he was. Allie had gone on and on about how mates protect each other, yadda, yadda. Wyatt clearly hadn’t gotten the “mate protocol” memo.

  Once we reached the top of the mountain, he’d tasked us all with finding a suitable campsite for the night. When I noticed the setting sun, a feeling of panic set over me. Everyone scattered and started putting together collections of leaves and sticks. I looked around and held my hands out. Where were the tents? Where were the sleeping bags?

  Martha tugged on my hand and pulled me with her. “Come on. You don’t want to be the last one to find a place. We could get stuck next to the shit hole.”

  I made a screeching sound. “What?!”

  She laughed. “I’m kidding. There are plenty of places. This is a big mountain.”

  “And the shit hole?”

  She winced. “That part is, unfortunately, a reality.”

  “Oh, god.”

  She led me into the woods and pointed out different things. “That’s an insect nest. You don’t want that branch. And that, up there?”

  I looked up at the trees above us. “What about it?”

  She pointed to one spot where a branch was broken and only hanging on by a bit of bark. “That’s called a widow maker. You don’t want to sleep under that accident-in-waiting.”

  I trailed behind her, slapping at things as I went. It felt like bugs were crawling all over me. “How do you know so much?”

  “I’ve been doing this for a long time. My late husband got me into it and I’ve continued to do it a couple of times a year.”

  She stopped against another rock wall and nodded. “Here’s a good spot for you. You’ll only need to lean some branches against the wall and rest some heavy leaves against it. It’ll be an easy set-up. I’ll be just farther up the slope there, if you need anything. Don’t stress, Georgia. Have fun with it.”

  I watched as she trotted off, and groaned. How the hell was I supposed to have fun when it was very probable that I was going to get myself killed? I kicked at a rock. Stupid Wyatt had gotten me into this and he wasn’t even around to help me. I groaned and looke
d around. I guessed it was time to start finding some branches.

  As soon as the sun set, the temperature dropped significantly. I dug through my bag and pulled on my sweater, but it wasn’t much help. I was leaning against the side of the mountain, shivering, when I heard a rustle of leaves. I let out a healthy scream.

  Wyatt appeared, alarm on his face. “Georgia?”

  I held my hand over my heart panting, “You scared the hell out of me!”

  He shook his head when he saw me. “Jesus, you’re going to die out here.”

  I pulled myself up and stumbled a bit when my ice-cold feet didn’t want to work. “I know! That’s why I wanted to go back home. You didn’t let me and now I’m going to die—because of you.”

  He shrugged out of his jacket and slipped it around my shoulders. “Hold on.”

  I gasped when he effortlessly threw me over his shoulder and carried me away. “Please tell me you’re taking me back down the mountain.”

  “Nope. I’m carrying you to my pack so I can dress you in some pants and socks.”

  I was almost too cold to appreciate the view of his backside. Almost. “I’d rather you carry me back down this mountain and deposit me inside my toasty trailer.”

  He carried me silently for a while and then let me slide down the front of his muscled chest. He knelt in front of me and grabbed stuff from his knapsack. “Lift up your foot,” he stroked his hand over my ankle.

  “Do you ever ask instead of just barking orders at people?”

  He looked up at me and frowned. “Lift your foot, Georgia. Now.”

  When I still didn’t move, he grabbed my thighs and lifted me into the air. I screamed at the sudden falling-off of the ground beneath me then found myself sitting in front of him. I gave him what I hoped was my pissiest glare as he slid a pair of too-large sweatpants on my legs, and I tried to wiggle away as he tugged first one sock and then the other on my feet.

  “Georgia!”

  I snatched my foot away. “I’m ticklish!”

  He grabbed my hips and yanked me forward until I was right in front of him on the ground. “I’m sorry. I should’ve checked on you sooner. Sarah slipped and sprained her ankle so I was helping her.”

  I wanted to hiss at him… or claw his eyes… or something. He’d been helping her instead of me. I turned my head away from him and pretended to inspect my nails. “Whatever. I didn’t need you. I was just about to get up and build a fire and everything. You can go back to Sarah now, if you want.”

  He caught my chin in his fingers and turned my face to his. “You’re pouting.”

  “I am not.”

  His thumb raked over my lower lip and I realized I’d been poking it out. “You are. It’s cute. I’m going to say this again, so you hear me. I should’ve come to you first. I’m sorry.”

  I tried to scoot away from him, the moment suddenly too intense for me. He wouldn’t let me, though. “Wyatt!”

  “Georgia?”

  I smacked his hand and scooted back until I was just out of his reach. “Are you going to take me back to my shelter?”

  “Not a chance. I looked at your shelter. It’s barely two leaves strewn over a twig. That thing wouldn’t provide shelter for a squirrel.” He stood up and pulled me to my feet. “You can stay in mine. It’s big enough.”

  I looked back at the twig tent he’d put together and frowned. “It doesn’t look any better than mine.”

  “You’re trying to hurt my feelings, now.”

  I laughed, despite trying not to. “Shut up.”

  “Come on. We’re going to have a little cook out at the main fire. Tomorrow things get serious, but tonight, we’ll all eat together.”

  “Things aren’t serious yet?”

  He chuckled, the sound sending tingles straight to my core. “Not even a little bit.”

  I frowned. “I don’t think I can do this, Wyatt. I shouldn’t have come here.”

  He tossed me over his shoulder again. “You can do it. You have a partner now. You’re stuck with me for the week, sugar, whether you like it or not.”

  I grumbled, but it wasn’t real. I was glad to have him close by. The woods were starting to terrify me and knowing I had someone as strong as Wyatt, someone who could turn into a fierce apex predator, gave me a little comfort.

  “Oh, I sleep naked, though.”

  I smacked the back of his thigh and groaned. “Take me back to my squirrel hut. You’re an animal.”

  “You have no idea,” he mumbled under his breath.

  I furrowed my eyebrows. Did he think I didn’t know what he was? I’d just assumed that he knew. If he wasn’t aware that I knew he was a bear shifter, then he also wasn’t aware that I knew we were mates. I’d been worried that he’d want me to commit to something sooner, rather than later. The way it stood, he thought I was still in the dark. Maybe I still had time to feel him out before I had to make any concrete decisions. I had time to search for that thing in him, that one thing that was off.

  11

  Wyatt

  I put my little mate down next to the fire, disappointed that I had to release her from my arms so soon. Not that I deserved to hold her at all. What kind of a bear would help someone else before getting around to his mate, letting her nearly freeze to death on the side of a mountain? I pulled the wool scarf from around my neck and wrapped it around hers, hoping the warmth from my skin would help increase her temperature.

  “You’ll freeze, Wyatt. Take this back.”

  I put it back around her neck and pulled her hair over it. “Leave it on.”

  She frowned. “You’re bossy.”

  I just shrugged. “Yeah. I am.”

  I stoked the fire and added a few more logs, determined to warm her up. I had about a million other ideas running through my head of ways I could warm her up, but I had to take it easy.

  I stood up and looked around, belatedly realizing that everyone was watching us. Almost all of them were repeat visitors and I knew they’d never seen me tend to a member of the group in quite the same way. I didn’t care, though. Obviously, Georgia was out of her league in the wilderness. Even if she hadn’t been my mate, she’d need special attention.

  “Wyatt? Can you come help me? I was hoping to be a little closer to the fire, but my leg’s still hurting.” Sarah blinked up at me from across the fire.

  “Bill, would you mind? It’ll be great practice for the week you finally convince that wife of yours to come up here and join us.”

  Bill nodded and headed her way. Sarah made a face at me, but I was done making that mistake. I needed to be focused on my mate.

  “I brought hotdogs for tonight. We’ll have a cushy dinner tonight to start off the week, but beginning tomorrow, we’re living off the land. You all know the drill.”

  Georgia made an unpleasant sound and shrugged when everyone glanced her way. “I tried to go back home. Somewhere where cushy isn’t used to describe hotdogs.”

  I sat on the log next to her and grabbed the pack of food. “This is going to be the best hotdog you’ve ever had.”

  She glanced up at me, the firelight reflecting in her eyes, and grinned. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”

  Laughter erupted from Bill, across the fire, and I had to bite back my own urge to laugh. I’d never presented anything other than a professional, serious demeanor while on the tour and I wasn’t sure how I felt about introducing a new, lighter side of myself.

  “Aren’t you cold, Wyatt?”

  I was going to throw Sarah off the mountain. I realized it was my own karma biting me in the ass, but I’d slept with her before I knew my mate was going to show up. Sarah was human; she didn’t know about mates. She could’ve at least had the sense to take a hint, however. Lord knows I’d given more than one.

  “I’m fine. Alright, everyone take a hotdog. There’s two more packs, so don’t be shy.” I took two out and passed the rest along. “I’ve got yours, Georgia. You just try to thaw out.”

  She held he
r hands out to the fire and sent me a grateful look. “Thank you.”

  I quickly cooked the hotdogs and wrapped them in the buns I’d brought along. I handed Georgia hers and watched as she took a bite out of it. My thoughts had been focused on my guilt for letting her suffer without my help, but watching her slide food, especially phallic-shaped food, into her mouth made me forget everything else. My dick hardened painfully against my pants and I couldn’t contain a moan.

  Her cheeks blushed and she narrowed her eyes at me. “Watch it, you perv.”

  I was. That was the problem. I tucked into my own hotdog and grunted. This was going to be a long week. I was going to be spending all of my time with her, making sure she didn’t kill herself on this mountain. A week without touching her would be damned near impossible.

  “We doing our normal group fire introduction?” Martha leaned into the fire and roasted a marshmallow she’d produced from a bag at her side.

  My bear drooled for the sweetness of the marshmallow but I resisted. The things gave me gas. My bear couldn’t care less about gas. “Sure. Why don’t you start?”

  “Well, most of you know already, but I’m Martha. I’ve been doing this sort of thing for almost twenty years. Hell, I bet I could just about teach Wyatt a thing or two.”

  I grinned at her. She was one of my favorites. She was also someone I’d come to care about enough to introduce to Mom. Almost every time she was in town, she came over after the trip to gossip and drink wine with Mom until they both passed out. “You want to teach, I’ll be happy to sit back and enjoy the warmth of my shelter.”

  She laughed. “No, thanks.”

  Bill went next, followed by a new person, Allen. When it got to be Sarah’s turn, I expected bad, but what she gave was even worse.

  “I just really connected with Wyatt last week after the tour and we shared something very special. I had to come back to see what it was between us. And after him helping me out so much tonight, I know it was real.”