Her Big Bad Polar Bear (2 page)

Chapter 3

“I told you, Dad, I couldn’t call you on the plane because there was a lot of turbulence and the pilot kept the light on to not use electronics.” Andy held her phone up to her ear and turned away from the looks she was getting from her coworkers. She kept her voice low so no one would overhear. They would tease her endlessly if they knew her daddy was checking up on her.

“Are you sure this is a secure area? Should I come out there with you?” Her father’s voice was full of concern. She couldn’t blame him—she was his only daughter and he had never remarried. So she had kind of become his whole life. Maybe she was being a little selfish in wanting to spread her wings.

“No, I’ll be fine. I promise. I will call you tomorrow after I get settled in.” Her father started to argue. “Oh...I’ve got to go. The tour guides are here to take us to our lodging. Love you lots, Dad!” She hung up before he could argue with her some more. She would definitely have to call him again tonight, or he’d be on the next flight out there. She turned around to look for her co-workers and found the one she absolutely wished wasn’t there.

“Hi, Rhonda Lee. Are our guides here yet?”

“They are putting the bags in the van. I came in to get you. How’s Daddy?” Rhonda asked snidely.

“He’s fine.”

“Well, just an FYI. I’m calling dibs on the hottie loading the bags. Not that you would be any competition for him.” Rhonda giggled as she walked out of the airport.

God, she hated Rhonda Lee. Maybe it wasn’t Rhonda herself, just the image she presented. Rhonda dyed her hair blonde, and last year had boob implants. She acted like a ditzy blonde and flirted outrageously with the male managers. She got her way not by her intelligence or her abilities, but by manipulating anyone she could. Andy struggled and worked hard to get her bosses to notice her efforts, and it frustrated her that Rhonda could walk into the room and bat her eyelashes and make Andy disappear. Actually, it wasn’t Rhonda’s eyelashes that entranced men—it was her Playboy bunny body.

Andy looked at Rhonda’s form-fitting ski outfit. The white pants were tight and her short, fur-trimmed parka was fitted to showcase her hourglass figure. It was nothing like what Andy was wearing. Andy had never been anywhere as cold as this place was, so she had put on layers upon layers of clothing. She’d bought a larger parka than she needed to accommodate the extra layers, and she had thick lined and wide-legged pants to keep her legs warm. Her boots were steel toed and heavy, not fancy high heeled ones like Rhonda’s. Rhonda had white furry earmuffs that accentuated her curly blond hair. No one could even see Andy’s dark hair because she had it covered by her toboggan and the parka hoodie. Andy didn’t go for designer looks; she went with comfort and warmth.

She followed Rhonda outside and waited while the guy loading the van turned her way. When he did, she couldn’t help thinking what a hunk he was. He was tall and muscular. He wasn’t wearing a thick winter coat, just a simple thick coat made out of jersey material. The tight sweatshirt and his form-fitting jeans showed off his physique. He smiled and the dimples made him even more attractive, if that was possible.

“Hi! I’m Luka Vedar from Vedar Scout and Tour.” He reached out a bare hand and Andy took off her glove to shake hands.

“I’m Andy Johnson.” She shivered, taking her hand back after shaking his warm one. “Aren’t you freezing?”

He chuckled. “Naw, I’m used to the cold. Let me take your luggage so you can go inside the van. My sister has the heater on in there.”

“Thank you.” Andy turned and walked around to the side of the van and opened the door. Rhonda had stretched out on the second-row seating. That forced her to move to the third row and sit next to the other researcher, Denny Vega. Crap, she hated being that close to Denny.

It wasn’t that he was mean to her or anything. He actually liked her, just liked her a little too much. Since the moment she started working for her company, Denny had been asking her out all the time. She’d had a weak moment six months ago and agreed to go out with him. It was a disaster.

She was supposed to meet him at a local bar so that they could eat and have a few drinks. Andy was unprepared when he showed up at her apartment unannounced. They did go to the bar but at dinner he kept talking about their relationship. It was a first date and she hadn’t been that into him to begin with. He got too serious too fast. She refused to go out with him again, claiming that she didn’t want to mess up their work relationship, but he had refused to accept it. 

“You can sit back here with me, Andy!” Denny called out, scooting over.

She couldn’t avoid it now without making him mad or hurting his feelings. “Thanks.” She looked to the front passenger seat and saw a beautiful young blond woman watching her. “Hi. I’m Andy Johnson.”

The young woman laughed. “Andy? I saw the name on the list and thought you were a man.”

Andy laughed. “I get that a lot. My full name is Andrea Marie Johnson.”

“I’m Sage Vedar. It’s nice to meet you. Come on inside and get warmed up.”

“Thanks.” Andy climbed up and went to the third-row seating and sat next to Denny.

“This is so exciting! Except, I didn’t realize how cold it would be,” Denny commented.

“Yeah, I looked up this area online and what the weather would be like. We’re lucky it’s starting to turn warmer.”

“This is
warmer
?”

She nodded. “Yep. Can you imagine coming at the coldest time of the year?”

Denny shuddered. “No way. I want to get this thing done and go back home.”

Andy was hoping for the exact opposite. She wanted to spend as much time as she could here in the field. If she went back, she knew her boss would put her back on coffee duty again. This was her chance at freedom and she was taking it.

*****

Cosmo was in his polar bear form. He used his long claws and made a hole in the ice covering the lake and sat on his thick haunches, reaching into the hole and pulling out a fish. This was freedom. He was out in nature away from all the noise and pressure from his clan. He was in his element, hunting his food. He might even take a nap. His cell phone rang from the side of the lake. He sighed. He almost made it an hour before reality interrupted. His cell had been ringing continually. He couldn’t ignore it forever.

He tossed the fish back and stalked over to where he left his clothes. His muscles contorted as he changed back into his human form. He bent over and picked up the phone. The caller ID showed that the office was calling. He hit the callback button.

“Vedar Scout and Tour, this is Dahlia. How may I help you?”

“It’s Cosmo. What’s up?”

“Cosmo, I am so sorry for interrupting your break. Luka has been trying to get hold of you for a while now.”

“Why?”

“From what Luka could tell me, there’s a problem at the Fielding boarding house with the rooms. One of the new arrivals didn’t like their accommodations and started arguing with poor Mrs. Fielding. Sage stepped in and she ended up arguing with the newcomer. Luka sounds pretty worried that Sage may lose control of her bear.”

“Shit. Okay, call him and tell him I’m on my way.” He hung up his phone and grabbed his clothes. All shifters had to work on keeping their beast under control. His sister was still young and temperamental. If Sage lost control of her beast, she could shift right in front of the humans. That would put not only his clan in danger, but all shifters everywhere. Their shifter status had to remain a secret. This could be bad. Very bad.

Chapter 4

Andy watched the freak show going on in front of her with a bit of shock and embarrassment. The town they were in wasn’t big enough to have a hotel. All they were able to book without going outside the town were rooms in a small bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, when they arrived, the nice old lady who owned the boarding house only had two rooms available. She suggested that Rhonda and Andy could share a room. That was fine with Andy, but Rhonda went off on the poor lady.

“What do you mean by share? I am too old to be sharing a room with another woman. I refuse. Absolutely
refuse
,” Rhonda had yelled at the owner.

“I’m very sorry, but there isn’t anything I can do. The other two rooms were booked before yours,” the owner tried to explain.

The tour guide, Luka, stepped up in an attempt to calm things down. “That’s okay. We have a cabin on my family’s property that can accommodate Miss Lee.”

Rhonda, who previously flirted with Luka in the van over to the bed and breakfast, turned on him lightning-fast. “A cabin? Out in the wilderness? I don’t think so! What do I look like, Annie fucking Berkley?”

“I think you mean Oakley...Annie Oakley,” Andy corrected her, which earned her a glare from Rhonda.

“Berkley...Oakley...I don’t give a shit! I’m not staying in a run-down, dirty cabin!” Rhonda was fuming. The owner started crying. That’s when the sister to the guide, Sage, stormed up to Rhonda and started letting
her
have it. Things were getting worse and worse by the minute and if she wasn’t mistaken, Sage might have actually
growled
at Rhonda. The door to the bed and breakfast banged open.

Andy turned and stared in awe at the massive man walking in. He was dressed similar to Luka, with a form-fitting jacket and a pair of jeans. He walked right past her without a second glance. She could see him checking Rhonda out. Why were men so obsessed with Rhonda? Was it that she had a body like Jessica Rabbit? Damn Rhonda and her bionic boobs! Andy stepped back and leaned against the wall to watch what the stranger would do.

*****

Cosmo could hear the yelling as he approached the bed and breakfast from outside. His sister growled a couple of times, which was a sure sign that her bear wanted to break free. He heard the other woman’s voice and became infuriated with how she was talking to Mrs. Fielding and his sister. Who was this bitch?

He shoved the door open and stomped inside. A scent hit him that made him halt a step and glance to his side. It was a strawberry and cream scent, but it was faint. He saw a large, heavily dressed man to his right and dismissed the scent. It was probably someone’s perfume that had lingered. He turned his attention back to the three women in front of him that were making the chaos in his world.

“What is going on here?” Cosmo demanded. He looked the blonde over. She was attractive and built for fucking, but his bear didn’t want to have anything to do with her.

The blond looked at him with disdain. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Cosmo Vedar. I own Vedar Scout and Tour. Why are you yelling at my sister and Mrs. Fielding, the woman who’s like my second mother?”

The blonde’s demeanor changed immediately. She turned a dark shade of red. “Oh, hi. My name is Rhonda Lee. I’m sorry for overreacting. It’s just that I thought I would have my own room. I was told by this...by Mrs. Fielding that there are only two rooms and I would have to share.” She tried to make it sound like it wasn’t her fault. Cosmo wasn’t fooled.

Cosmo turned his attention to Mrs. Fielding and his expression softened toward her and he spoke with a gentle voice. “Hello, Mrs. Fielding.”

The elderly lady stopped crying and smiled up at him. “Now, Cosmo, you know you can call me Myrtle. Did you like the pie I left for you at the Scout and Tour office?”

“I did. I ate it in one sitting. Thank you for that. Do you want to tell me what happened here?”

“Yes. Well, we only have two rooms available so I suggested that two of them share a room.” She handed him her booking log.

“That sounds reasonable to me.” Cosmo looked at Mrs. Fielding’s book. “Andy Johnson and Denny Vega can share a room and Miss Lee will have her own.”

“Oh, hell no!” a voice from behind Cosmo called out.

He turned and his eyes locked onto a pair of soft brown eyes. The body was hidden, but he could make out her delicate facial features. He hadn’t seen a man when he first walked in, but a woman. “Who are you?”

“I’m Andy Johnson. I’m not sharing a room with Denny, or any other man, for that matter.” She tried to cross her arms over her chest, but the parka was too big and prevented her from doing it. He had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

“I apologize. I assumed Andy was a man’s name.”

“It’s Andrea Johnson, but I go by Andy.”

He stepped closer to her and the scent of strawberries and cream grew stronger. His bear was at full attention and prowling back and forth, wanting to come out to investigate. His sister cleared her throat, bringing him back to the matter at hand.

“Well then, Miss Lee and Miss Johnson can share a room,” he stated. When the room was awkwardly silent, he turned to his brother Luka. “What’s wrong now?”

Luka waved his hand at Rhonda then at Andy. “Miss Lee doesn’t want to share a room at all. I tried to offer her one of the cabins on our property, but she refused that as well.”

Cosmo narrowed his eyes at Luka. He would have to talk to him about offering humans access to their family and clan property. He would have to see if someone in town could offer Miss Lee a room in their home.

“I’ll take the cabin,” Andy called out.

He didn’t even think about it. “Yes, that’s the perfect solution.”

“Wait. I may have jumped the gun a little early on the cabin offer. I’ll take it.” Rhonda reached for Cosmo’s hand, but he pulled it away.

“The cabin has been spoken for. Miss Johnson, I can take you to your new accommodations if you like.”

“Great!” She tried to lift her suitcase handle to wheel it out, but the wheels locked up. “Dang it!”

    “I’ll get that for you.” Cosmo bent down and lifted her large suitcase in one hand. He turned to Luka and Sage. “Get the others settled, then head to the office. I’ll be there as soon as I drop off Miss Johnson.” He turned and headed out the door with Andy trailing behind him.