Big Bear Blunder: BBW Werebear Shapeshifter Suspense Romance (Sweetwater Brides) (5 page)

F
uck that
, Sara thought as the door closed behind Everett. She wasn’t just going to stand there like some shivering wallflower. Without more than a second’s thought, she rushed through the door after him.

She stepped outside to see a tall, muscular man with dark messy hair get out of a red pickup truck. He spread his hands towards Everett.

“You just can’t stay out of trouble, can you brother?” the man asked, chuckling.

Everett stepped towards him and the men hugged briefly, patting each other on the back.

“Hello to you, too,” Everett said, pulling away.

“And who’s this?” the man queried, noticing Sara standing at the front of the house and giving her a judging look.

Everett turned to look at her and sighed.

“Someone who should have stayed inside,” he said, walking towards Sara.

“Sara, this is my brother, Evan,” Everett said, gesturing towards the mountain of a man.

“Evan, this is Sara. Her truck broke down here after she made a delivery to the Clearponds and I’m fixing it,” he continued. “Oh, and I think she might be my mate,” Everett finally added, as if he was telling someone his Starbucks order.

Evan’s brows shot up to his hairline.

“Is that so?” he finally managed, sputtering, looking closely at Sara.

Sara shifted under his gaze. She knew how important brotherly approval could be. Suddenly, she was wrapped in a big bear hug, pun intended.

“Finally, someone else has to deal with the hurricane that is Everett Grimpaw,” Evan chuckled, giving Sara a quick squeeze before releasing her.

Sara smiled, touched by the warm reception, returning the embrace.

“It takes an army,” she said, earning grins from both brothers.

“Not that I’m not glad to see you, but why are you here?” Everett asked, addressing Evan as his arm slipped around Sara’s shoulders.

Evan clucked his tongue.

“Oh, were you guys in the middle of something?” he asked cheekily.

“Just get to the point,” Everett said, rolling his eyes.

“Maisy called. Said you got into a scuffle with Keith Clearpond right there on the street? Figured I’d come see what was up,” Everett explained.

“Yeah, I was going to call you. Why don’t we talk inside?” Everett said, leading the way to the cabin.

This ought to be good,
Sara thought.

E
van sat
at the kitchen table, brow furrowed. Everett had just filled him in on everything the Clearponds had been up to.

“I’ve had enough of these meddling mutts!” he finally thundered, making Sara jump in her seat.

Apparently Everett wasn’t the only Grimpaw with a bit of a temper.

“It was barely a competent effort,” Sara said, trying to smooth the tension palpable in the room. She didn’t want any more violence on her account.

“Still. I need to call Ethan,” Evan continued, getting up from the table.

“Ethan’s our Alpha,” Everett explained quickly.

Sara nodded, hoping she looked like she knew what that meant.

As Evan left the room, Everett dragged his chair closer to Sara.

“I know this is a lot to take in,” he said, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his thighs.

“It’s fine. You’re the one who’s going to be left dealing with this mess once I leave,” Sara said, managing a smile.

Somehow the prospect of leaving had turned into a big, scary chasm spread out in front of her. She half-hoped Everett would try and convince her to stay.

But would I?

“They’ve never been able to beat us, I’m not worried,” Everett went on, gliding over the topic of her leaving.

Sara shifted in her seat.

“Do you think we’ll see each other again once my truck is fixed?” she asked.

“Of course we will. I’ll visit you, you’ll visit me. We’ll make it work. This current between us is too strong. We wouldn’t be able to stay away,” Everett said, taking her hands in his.

He didn’t sound as convincing as Sara would have liked. However, she got the feeling that it had nothing to do with what Everett was or could have been saying, and everything to do with her emotions on the matter. Even the tiniest bit of stability could be a scary thing for someone who was used to being constantly on the move.

Evan lumbered back into the kitchen, giving Everett a look Sara couldn’t read.

“So, I gather you’re leaving soon?” he asked, turning towards Sara.

“Gotta get back on the road,” she replied with fake optimism.

“And the Clearponds are aware of this?” Evan continued.

“They should be,” Sara responded, shrugging.

“Then I guess we sit still for now; no need to inflame the situation,” Evan concluded, grabbing a beer from the fridge.

Just then, Sara’s phone started buzzing,
Matt
flashing on the screen.

“Sorry, gotta take this, it’s my boss,” she said before answering the call.

“Hey, Sara, I got the estimate. How are the repairs going?”
Matt’s voice flowed into her ear.

“Should be done in a day or two,” Sara responded, her brow raised.

She had already relayed this information over e-mail and her boss wasn’t the type to call just to chat.

“
Great, great, and uh… there were no problems with the shipment?”

“I already told you, I got the delivery done before the truck crapped out. What’s this really about?” Sara asked, growing suspicious.

“I don’t mean to put you on the spot, but we’ve had a formal complaint. Keith Clearpond called to say there were things missing from his shipment. Rotator blades, engine parts, expensive stuff like that,”
the voice continued, clearly uncomfortable.

“Are you accusing me of something?” Sara demanded, incredulous, feeling her cheeks getting red with aggravation.

“Of course not, of course not,”
he answered, appeasing.
“But we have to investigate these things. In the meantime, I suggest you try and talk to this Clearpond guy, make sure there were no misunderstandings.”

“Oh, there’s been a misunderstanding all right,” Sara gritted out, shaking with anger.

“Now, Sara…”
the voice managed to get out before Sara hung up.

Sara was furious, both with Keith and her boss. Several years with nothing but a stellar record, and now one douchebag makes a call and suddenly her reputation and capability to do her job is called into question?

Spineless bastard
, Sara’s inner voice growled when she thought about her boss.
Where would I put those damn parts? Decorate my damn bunk with rotator blades? Come on!

Sara could feel the men shift uncomfortably; Evan gave out a little cough. Sara relaxed her hold on the phone, noticing her knuckles had turned white.

“Is everything okay?” Everett asked, standing from his seat.

Sara turned to face the brothers. She couldn’t help the fury echoing from her words as she spoke.

“Gentlemen, I think the situation has just been inflamed.”

E
verett listened
to Sara relay her conversation with her boss with a rising temper. The wolves can take shots at him all they want but messing with Sara’s livelihood? They had definitely crossed a line.

“They know I’m leaving once the truck is finished, why do this now?” Sara said, thinking aloud.

“I’m guessing Everett hurt more than Keith’s jaw with that punch – he wounded his pride. Keith can’t take Everett in a fight, so now he’s trying to hurt him through you. Besides, the way Everett stepped up for you, they may think your plans have changed,” Evan said, typing something into his phone.

“Who cares what they think,” Everett rumbled. “Can I go kick some ass now?”

“For what? Because Keith made a formal complaint? Think about this for a second,” Evan noted, being the voice of reason.

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” Everett shouted in frustration.

Evan and Sara exchanged a glance Everett couldn’t read, Sara giving his brother a little nod.

“Why don’t you take me back into town. I need to hit a few stores, I’m running low on clean clothes and such. We can have dinner later,” Sara said, making her way to Everett’s side and wrapping her hands around his shoulder.

Her presence calmed him instantly.

“I’ve got to get going, too. I’ll talk things over with Ethan, see what he has to say. You try to keep your head on straight,” Evan stressed, pointing a finger at Everett.

Everett gave a resigned sigh before taking Sara’s hand and walking outside. Evan got in his truck and drove away first. Sara and Everett followed suit, climbing into Everett’s pickup in silence. They were halfway into town when Everett finally spoke.

“I’m sorry you got mixed up in this,” he said, gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly.

“I blame my truck,” Sara replied with a sly little smile.

“I should swing by the shop and see how Noah is doing. The faster you get out of here, the better. Who knows what else those mutts are up to,” Everett finished.

If Sara got hurt somehow, he would never be able to forgive himself.

“Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself,” Sara said, leaning on the passenger side door, looking a little morose.

“I know you can. I just don’t want to take any chances,” Everett sighed while rubbing his neck.

Every muscle in his body felt tight, like a coiled spring.

Everett dropped Sara off in the middle of town. She gave him a quick kiss before running off to do her shopping. Everett sat in his car, looking at her until she disappeared out of sight. The old truth still held. He hated to see her go but he loved to watch her leave.

Then, he made his way to the shop. He found Noah hard at work on Sara’s truck.

“How’s it going?” Everett asked, not sure what kind of a response he preferred.

“Would probably go faster if you were working on it instead of me,” Noah responded, humble as ever.

“I would love to get my hands dirty, but I have some other business to take care of,” Everett replied, looking over Noah’s shoulder at the rig’s exposed insides.

“Shouldn’t be more than a day or two,” Noah said with a shrug, wiping his hands on his overalls.

“Keep up the good work,” Everett sighed, patting the man on the shoulder before heading to his office.

Two days. That’s not a lot of time.

He was way behind on paperwork. Maybe that would distract him.

Everett did his best to concentrate on the task in front of him, but couldn’t keep Sara out of his thoughts. She was unlike anyone he had ever met and the attraction he felt towards her was almost overwhelming.

Was this how his brothers had felt when they met their mates? They didn’t tend to discuss their feelings much…

An hour passed before Everett couldn’t restrain himself any longer and texted Sara.

How’s the shopping going?
he typed, fidgeting with his phone until he got a response.

I hate it. Heading back to the motel now
, Sara’s message read.

Meet you there in a little while?
Everett fired off.

I’ll be waiting!
read Sara’s prompt reply.

Anticipation took over Everett’s mind. He finished responding to some e-mails before rushing out of the shop. He decided to walk over to the motel, maybe clear his head a little. Keith’s smirking face was still etched in his mind and he definitely didn’t want that image in his brain when he finally got the chance to hold Sara in his arms again.

No interruptions this time.

The closer Everett got to the motel, the stronger the scent of wolf became. He didn’t notice it at first, too preoccupied with thoughts of Sara and perhaps growing too accustomed to the stench of mutts all around as of late. Warning bells went off in Everett’s head as he picked up the pace. He grabbed his phone and dialed Sara’s number. She picked up after a couple of rings.

“Hey, you on your way?”
Sara asked, her voice slightly raspy and inviting.

“Sara, make sure your door is locked and stay inside,” Everett rattled off, not bothering with niceties.

“What? What’s wrong?”
she asked, alarmed and confused.

“Probably nothing. Just that the way to you is covered in the smell of wolf,” Everett said, trying to remain calm.

“Oh, is that all,”
Sara noted sardonically.

“I’ll be there in a couple of minutes,” Everett added before hanging up and bursting out in a sprint.

His bear beat down on the walls inside him, roaring and thrashing.

When Everett reached the motel parking lot, he immediately spotted two wolves stalking towards the building. The fur on their backs was bristling, their tails low to the ground.

“Hey!” Everett shouted, prompting the wolves to turn and snarl at him.

Everett sniffed the air. None of them were Keith, but the grey wolf’s scent was familiar. He had tracked it once before, starting from this same parking lot.

Everett let out a roar as the shift took him. Fur erupted from his skin, his body twisting and growing along well-known patterns. Power surged around him as his tall frame was replaced by that of a hulking grizzly bear.

The wolves stared at Everett tentatively, probably getting more than they had bargained for. The grey wolf took a step forward, saliva dripping from his gnashing teeth. Everett growled, getting on his back paws.

The grey wolf ran towards him, claws raking across the asphalt. He jumped up a second before reaching Everett, teeth aimed at his underbelly. Everett brought his huge paw down in a quick swipe. The wolf went flying backwards, whimpering as it hit the pavement.

The other wolf started slowly pacing in his direction, yellow eyes following Everett’s every move.

The grey wolf got back on its feet, lunging at Everett’s legs. He almost managed to sink his teeth into him, but not before the bear grabbed him by the throat and tossed him aside like a sack of potatoes. The other wolf stopped in its tracks, looking at the lifeless body of its companion. Next thing Everett knew, the remaining wolf sprinted across the parking lot and into the woods beside it.

Not letting you get away this time
, Everett thought before charging after him.