Bears of Burden Complete Series Box Set

by Candace Ayers

  I opened my front door and stepped out, inhaling a deep breath of the warm Texas morning air. The roses in front of my house were fragrant and I smiled at them before strolling down to the sidewalk.

  That’s when it hit me. He’d been at Maggie Flenoy’s house. Hutch had been sneaking out of Maggie’s house in the morning. My chest suffered a painful ache that felt like the stabbing of a dagger. I stomped my foot, hurt and angry that a man I’d never even said more than a few words to could cause me that kind of intense pain. Mates sucked.

  4

  Veronica

  I knocked on Thorn’s door and held my breath as I waited. I couldn’t quite kick the shyness. It sure was easier to laugh and hang out with everyone after a few shots. I worried if we’d have anything to talk about in the light of day, while sober. I worried that it might get awkward and I’d just run back to my safe spot, the library.

  Before I had time to freak myself out enough to run away, Allie opened the door. Wincing, she grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. “I hate the sun!”

  I flinched at how loud she was. “Hungover?”

  She nodded. “Like a bitch. I have coffee, fried bacon, and enough Tylenol to kill someone, though.”

  Every one of those things sounded heavenly. I followed her to a large kitchen and went straight for the coffee. “You’re an angel.”

  She piled two plates full of bacon and eggs before adding a few pieces of toast and then setting them down at the counter. “We also have juice if you want some.”

  I shook my head and sat down. “Maybe we should’ve scheduled a lunch date, instead.”

  She wiggled her eyebrows at me as she took a long drink of coffee. “I’ll be fine as soon as this kicks in. How about you?”

  I grabbed at the medicine and groaned. “I never drink.”

  She laughed and winced again. “You drank like a fish for the past two nights.”

  “I know. You guys are terrible influences.”

  Thorn strolled into the room and planted a kiss on the top of Allie’s head. “From what I could see, you were the bad influence. I’ve heard about the videos online, what are they called, ‘Librarians Gone Wild’, but I never realized the stereotypes were true.”

  Allie smacked him on the arm while I blushed. Thorn just grinned, clearly proud of his little joke.

  “I don’t remember breaking anything last night.”

  “You did. You sent a chair flying across the room so hard it hit the jukebox and cracked the front casing.” He laughed a loud laugh that had both Allie and me cringing. “I should be pissed, but for some reason, I’m not.”

  I put my coffee down and covered my face in my hands. “I am so sorry. I’ll pay for everything, Thorn. I’m never drinking again.”

  Allie shoved a piece of bacon in her mouth and wagged her finger at me. “No, no quitting. You’re a blast.”

  The compliment went straight to my heart and I took a second to let it sit there. Allie thought I was a blast. Being the second youngest of seven children, in a big city, in a big world, hadn’t ever allowed me to find a very loud voice. I’d always had a quiet nature anyway, but with seven children, I’d gotten lost in the chaos. No one ever heard my jokes, or my opinions, or anything, for that matter. Having someone acknowledge that they considered me “a blast” was, pathetically, almost enough to make me want to tear up.

  “Maybe quit breaking my bar, though.”

  I nodded. “No more bar breaking. Promise. Let me pay for the damages, though.”

  He shook his head and then patted me on top of mine. “You’re not the first one to do it, you won’t be the last. Besides, you’re cool, kiddo.”

  I looked at Allie, but she looked just as shocked as I felt. I looked back at Thorn and he was smiling at me. Smiling. “What?”

  “Nothing.” He kissed Allie and backed away. “I’m going for a run. I’ll be back later.”

  She watched him go and then turned to me with a sigh. “He’s weird, but he’s beautiful.”

  I laughed and nodded. “He was looking at me like I was some kind of cute, fuzzy little animal. I think he pet me.”

  She burst into a fit of laughter that was contagious. “I guess it means he likes you. I don’t know. He likes so few people, it’s hard to tell.”

  I made a face. “Do bears keep pets?”

  She stopped laughing and cocked her head to the side. “You know?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course, I know. This town is full of shifters and I’ve read enough books to know that the idea isn’t crazy.”

  “Like paranormal romances?”

  “No, non-fictional books about real phenomenon like shifters. They’re less popular than paranormal romances, but they do exist.” I shrugged. “This town just feels different. I knew it as soon as I arrived. It didn’t take me long to figure out why.”

  “Wow, it took me actually seeing Thorn’s bear to believe. I’m still shocked sometimes. Georgia took it a lot better than I did.”

  I couldn’t contain the wistfulness in my voice as I spoke. “And, now you both have your mates.”

  Allie froze with a piece of toast halfway to her mouth. “I suddenly get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me.”

  I was saved from confessing by the sound of the front door opening. “Thorn? Allie? Please, be decent.”

  Heat scorched my face and I looked around frantically for an exit. I knew that voice. He’d only spoken directly to me once, but as long as I lived, I would never forget that husky growl. Brave Veronica was nowhere to be found, leaving only chicken poop Veronica who was horrified that I’d flashed the man my bare breasts just an hour ago.

  “In the kitchen!” Allie called out and then looked over at me. “You okay?”

  I dropped to the ground and prayed that Allie wouldn’t call me out.

  “Hey. Where’s Thorn? I need to ask—” There was the sound of sniffing and then a low growl.

  I knew I was busted. I knew he knew I was hiding behind the counter, but I couldn’t make myself stand up. My legs were jelly. If anything, I was considering crawling out of the kitchen and all the way home.

  “You need to ask…?” Allie acted as if there was nothing strange going on. Bless her.

  Heavy footsteps circled the island and work boots suddenly appeared in front of my nose. “What are you doing here?”

  I’m embarrassed to say that I acted like he wasn’t there. I was frozen in place, hovering on the ground, much like the pet Thorn seemed to consider me.

  “Leave her alone. She’s looking for something.”

  Brilliant. I pretended to grab something and stood up so suddenly that I was already dizzy when my head connected with his solid jaw. Pain shot across my skull and I yelped as the sound of teeth cracking together ricocheted around the room.

  Hutch swore vividly and when I looked up, I watched as he held his jaw and worked it back and forth. “You’re a goddamn menace.”

  I bit my tongue and tried to hide the pain his words inflicted.

  5

  Hutch

  I knew I’d hurt her feelings as soon as the words were out of my mouth. Her wide green eyes never even met with mine, but she chewed on her plump bottom lip and nodded once before turning to Allie. Allie was giving me the nastiest stink eye I’d ever seen on anyone, as though I didn’t already feel like a dick.

  “I should be going now. Thank you so much for breakfast, Allie.”

  Allie jumped up and tried to block Veronica’s exit, but there was no stopping the woman. “You haven’t even touched your food yet. Stay, Ronnie. Hutch is leaving.”

  Ronnie shook her head. “There’s some work I need to get done at the library. I’m sorry.”

  She hurried down the hallway and the front door closed softly behind her a few seconds later. She still looked different—her clothes, her hair. Her actions seemed back to normal, though. I knew I should feel glad about that. If she was back to normal, she’d start avoiding me again. Maybe she’d stop fla
shing me parts of her anatomy that I wanted to devour whole. Maybe I’d be able to get the woman out of my damned head instead of having visions of her plaguing me 24/7.

  Allie appeared back in the kitchen, her face red and blotchy. “You are the biggest bag of dicks I’ve ever met, Hutch Mallory. Ronnie is a nice girl. She doesn’t need you grumpy-growling down her throat for the smallest of things. Why are you so mean to her? Don’t think I didn’t see the pained expression on your face last night when Thorn asked you to help with her. What’d she ever do to you to deserve your shitty treatment?”

  I held up my hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’ve got to go.”

  “You need to apologize to her.”

  “Apologize? To her?!” I growled and made a beeline for the front door. “I’m not the one who’s been flipping her off,” I called over my shoulder, “I’m not the one who keeps flashing private body parts. Your friend isn’t as innocent as you think.”

  Allie sniffed. “If she did those things, you obviously deserved them.”

  I slammed the door behind me and stormed out to the sidewalk before hurrying to the other side of the street, into the woods, and shedding my clothes. I left them in a pile and shifted, letting my bear take over my mind and body.

  As a bear, I lifted my head and sniffed the air. My bear scented her immediately and chuffed. He wanted her. He was impressed with her, no matter how she acted. If she was shy and quiet, he liked that she would only come alive for us. If she was bold and flipping us off, he liked that she was tough and sassy and would be soft for only us. I heard all of it. I didn’t completely disagree with him. She was stunning, no matter how she was acting. But I needed to stay strong. I needed to control the beast.

  This newer, wilder Veronica was harder for me. She was in my face more and that wasn’t good for me. It had been hard enough just knowing that my mate was in town, so close, and catching the faintest whiffs of her scent here and there, and not acting on it.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t want a mate, but Veronica, the bookworm? Christ, I was already up to my damned eyeballs in stress and business. Add in a mate, and I might as well have been fifty, would I never catch a break? She deserved better than me, anyways. My life was responsibility-laden—work and more work. That was okay, because that’s how it had to be, but what the hell kind of thing was that to offer a woman?

  That didn’t stop my bear from doing what he always did—heading through the woods that ran around the town, and ending up sitting just beyond her back yard, inhaling deeply, searching for her.

  She was there, in her house. She’d lied about going to the library, lied just to get away from me. I couldn’t blame her. I deserved it, but I hated it. Jesus, I was fucked in the head over her.

  As if I’d summoned her, she came out wearing a tiny bikini and dragged her one and only lawn chair farther into the yard, away from the shadow of the house. She sat down and stretched out, opening a book and then she seemed to get lost in it.

  From where I hovered, she was all soft curves and smooth skin. I tried to leave. I knew I needed to, but I was glued to the spot I was standing in. My bear refused to budge.

  Veronica shifted her thighs against each other and her right hand trailed over her thigh seductively. The scent of her arousal hit me like a brick and I actually shifted back instantaneously, out of shock.

  I had smelled that sweet, addicting scent a few times before, when we ran into each other. Especially that very first time. She was more responsive than anyone I’d ever been with. Her body readied itself for me almost on sight and there was nothing hotter to a man than that.

  Jealousy bit at me like a rabid pack of Chihuahuas, slightly painful and annoying as fuck. Why was she turned on? Who had caused that reaction in her? Another man?

  Her hand slid up her stomach and lightly brushed over her small breasts. From where I stood, I could see her nipples respond immediately. Her lips parted and the smallest gasp carried across her yard to me.

  I should walk away, leave her to her privacy, but my feet wouldn’t budge. I didn’t even know if I could blink.

  She’d flashed me that morning when I was leaving Maggie’s house. I had the image of those perfect little breasts still burned in my brain. I wanted her to reach up to the nape of her neck and untie the string holding her top together. I wanted it so bad that I held my breath as her arm moved higher.

  A phone rang from inside the house and she jumped, startled from the shrill sound of it. She stood up and reached back to slip a finger into her bikini bottoms and hike them into a better position before heading inside.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding and scrubbed my hand over my face. I had to get to work. I couldn’t do this shit. I wasn’t the kind of guy who stalked women from their back yards. Jesus, what was happening to me?

  I was losing it.

  With a growl, I shifted back to my bear and trampled off through the woods towards my clothes. Maybe I’d be able to catch Thorn before he went inside and heard from Allie that I was a stupid son of a bitch.

  6

  Veronica

  Dinner at the bar. Dinner. Not drunk time where I embarrassed myself by being too rowdy for public. I adjusted the dress Georgia had come over and thrust into my face. I had no idea how she was able to wear this thing. She was taller than me and it barely covered my backside.

  Tight and black leather, it paired well with my hair. Huh, I looked like a Bond girl. The barely-there lingerie set I wore under it helped, too. I felt like a million bucks. If a million bucks had on a dress that was just slightly too short. My heels were strappy and dangerously high. I thought it was probably a little over the top for The Cave, but Georgia insisted.

  She was in a great mood. She’d worked things out with her mate and had decided to stay in Burden. It was great news. She’d done more for me in a few days than almost anyone else in Burden ever had. She also had something she wanted us all to talk about that night over dinner.

  I was eager to hear what she was cooking up. Georgia was like a hurricane when it came to making things happen. She was fun, she was full of energy, and she was infectious.

  I locked my door and stepped out of my house. Maggie was coming out of her house at the same time. Her eyes met mine and she smiled. I forced a smile in her direction and then headed towards the bar.

  Maggie fell into step beside me and smiled again when I looked over at her. “You look so great, Veronica. It’s insane what a haircut can do for a woman. I have an appointment with Brandi for Wednesday. I need a little of whatever she did for you.”

  I absently reached up and brushed my fingers through my bangs. “She does amazing things.”

  “Not that you weren’t completely cute as a button before. She made you look like a sex-kitten, though.”

  The ridiculous jealousy I felt towards her slipped somewhat and I bit my lip. “You think?”

  She nodded. “When I saw you in this dress, my mind immediately went to the sexy heroines in those books of yours. You’re missing a blindfold and fuzzy handcuffs, but other than that, you look the part.”

  I laughed before I could help it. “No, I’ve got those.”

  Her head snapped towards me in shock and her own surprised laugh nearly choked her. She covered her mouth and coughed, while still laughing, and shook her head. When she was able to speak again, she let me know how shocked she was. “I never would’ve imagined. You seemed like such a good girl.”

  She had no idea. Technically, I was a good girl. The best, if you were counting hymens. If you were considering how bad I wanted to be, I was a very bad girl. I had a flashback to the book I’d been reading and felt my cheeks heat and my feet stumble a bit.

  She grinned at me and then winked before we joined a crowd outside of the bar. She went in search of her friends and I found Georgia immediately.

  Georgia was standing with her fists planted firmly on her hips, glaring at Thorn. “You can’t just all of a sudden say you’re having a boy’s night. It
’s a public bar.”

  Allie was right there with her. “What’s this about, anyway?”

  Thorn was looking down at them with his arms crossed. “The guys want to be able to drink without worrying about you ladies breaking bottles over their heads or something.”

  “We weren’t ever that crazy.”

  I stepped forward and joined Georgia and Allie. “To be fair, I think I was the only one who broke anything.”

  Thorn suddenly grinned at me and reached out to pat the top of my head. I dodged it and he just grinned wider. “I was wondering when you’d show up. These two want to raise hell, so of course they bring in the sweet librarian to stir shit up.”

  I made a face at him and then noticed Hutch standing behind him. Bold Veronica was back. I scowled at him and put my hands on my hips. I was a fucking Bond girl tonight. I could handle a scary, hulking giant of a bear-man. “I’ve read all of the city ordinances and I’m certain I would remember if there was anything in them about it being legally permissible for a business owner to sort his customers by gender.”

  Sterling Mallory stepped forward and gave me a hot look. “I say we let her in. She can tutor me on all the ordinances so nothing like this happens again.”

  Thorn smacked the back of his head. “Cut it out.”

  Georgia hooked her arm around my waist and stuck her tongue out at Thorn. “See. You can’t keep all women out.”

  Allie nodded. “Not if you want to sleep in your bed tonight.”

  Hutch scowled right back at me. “Maybe just the one with the drinking problem should stay out.”

  Allie glared at him. “You’re still being an asshole, I see.”