Hunt (The Grizzly Brothers Chronicles Book 1) (4 page)

S
he didn’t know him
. I was positive now. Her story about not wanting people to be buried alone was true. It was clear in her eyes and her voice. She cared about people she didn’t know, and that was both completely foreign yet refreshing.

I wasn’t sure why Jozef called her. It had to have been him. He’d arranged everything for us. Maybe his conscience got to him because he knew the rest of us couldn’t show up. It was the way of things. Jozef made his own decision to break the rules by calling Mara, and there would be consequences. But I’d broken the rules too. I’d shown up when it was the last place I should have been. And she’d seen me. And I’d seen her. And now we were in a situation that had no rules. At least not when it came to me.

“Hey, do me a favor?” I pulled in through the wooden gate that served as the entrance to my family’s ranch. Although weathered from years of sun and snow, the gate would last many more years to come.

“What is it?” She rested her chin in her hand.

“If we run into my family, don’t mention you saw me this morning.”

“Uh, we’re seeing your family?” Her whole body tensed.

“Maybe.” I pretended to ignore her evident discomfort. “But if we do.”

“Wait a second.” She held a finger up.

“What?” I asked.

“You live out here.”

“Yes.” I nodded. I thought that much was obvious.

“Then why did you walk all the way to the cemetery?” Her brows furrowed.

Damn. I’d messed up again. I couldn’t think straight around this girl. “I drove into town and parked. I got my coffee and walked. It’s my thing on Sundays.”

“Yet you don’t want your family to know?” She eyed me warily.

“I skipped church.”

Understanding crossed her face. “Got it. I won’t say a word. If you do the same for me.”

“You don’t want people knowing about your creepy hobby?” I teased.

“It’s not a hobby.” Her face fell. Maybe she was more sensitive than she looked.

“I know, sorry. That was stupid to say. I think it’s good you do what you do.”

“It’s something my grandfather always did. So I do too now. But let’s drop it. This is your place?”

I wasn’t going to push the subject any further. It wouldn’t help either of us. “Our ranch.”

“How big is it?”

“1500 acres.” I was proud of our land, and I cared more than I should have about whether it impressed her.

“That’s huge.” She was impressed, and I liked it.

“Yup.”

“Makes my old farm seem dinky.”

“But we don’t have goat’s milk here. You have that.”

She laughed. “Goat’s and cow’s milk.”

“A milk lover’s dream.”

She relaxed again. Thankfully. I didn’t like watching her upset. It hurt me in a way it shouldn’t have. I should have turned around and taken her home. I didn’t need any information from her about my brother. She had none to give. But I still had one other excuse beyond the jolt and her connection. She was in town for a legal case. And I needed to know everything possible about her involvement.

The case was my reason for giving her a tour. Well, that and her getting pissed and telling Mrs. Peterson on me. That wouldn’t help me out either. So I had two perfectly good reasons that had nothing to do with her body or the jolt from physical contact with her. Nor her pretty face. None of them. Because I could resist her and let fate lead her in another direction.

I pulled up in front of my log-cabin style house. My brothers mostly lived in more modern homes, but I wanted rustic. Nothing beat a roaring fire in the winter, so I saw no need for heat. And the cool summer evenings made air conditioning entirely unnecessary.

Mara pushed open her door as soon as I turned off the truck. I met her around on her side when she jumped down. “Don’t say a word. I wasn’t going to wait for you to open the door for me.”

I laughed. “How do you know I was going to say anything?”

“That frown on your face.”

“Was I frowning?” I was too busy watching her hair blow in the breeze to notice. I needed to snap out of it. And fast.

“Yes. You’re good at that.”

“I’m good at frowning?” What was that supposed to mean?

“Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder. “The first time I saw you. You didn’t exactly look happy.”

“I was trying to figure out who you were.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t recognize you.” I was careful this time. I couldn’t let her know who the burial was really for.

“Do you always scowl at strangers?”

“You didn’t act very friendly either.” She’d moved on so fast I’d barely had a chance to see her. “You ran away.”

“It was raining.”

“Maybe that’s why I was frowning.”

“You just said it was because you didn’t recognize me.” She put a hand on her hip. “Get your story straight.”

“That and the rain.”

“The rain you were walking in?” She rolled her eyes.

“The rain you were standing in.”

“So this is your house.” She nodded toward my cabin.

“Nice conversation change.”

“I don’t want to talk about that anymore.”

“Ok. Then yes, this is my house.”

“I like it.” She walked closer to it.

“It does the job.” It was a single story cabin only about a thousand square feet. It was more than enough space for me.

“It does the job?” She turned back to look at me. “That’s a funny way to describe your home.”

“How would you describe yours?”

She froze. “Right now home is a crappy apartment in Philadelphia.”

“What happened to the dairy farm?”

“It’s still there being rented out.”

“Can’t you go back then?” The last thing I wanted was for her to run back to her farm, but I wanted to know more about her.

“No. I can’t go home.” She walked off in the opposite direction of my house.

“Where are you going?”

“Can I walk around while you change?”

“You can wait inside.” I wanted her inside. She belonged there whether she knew it or not. Whether I was willing to accept it or not.

“I don’t know you. I can’t go inside your house.”

“What are you worried about?” I ached to reach out and touch her.

She seemed to mull over my question. “It’s not that I’m afraid of anything in particular, but I know I shouldn’t.”

“Or you think that you shouldn’t.”

“What does it matter?”

“It doesn’t, but it’s not living if you don’t live.” I threw out the saying haphazardly, but it was one I’d had spoken to me more than once.

“Great words of wisdom.”

“You can stay out here if you want.” I wasn’t going to force the girl inside. Even if my body and my bear was begging me to do that. What better way to get to know her than bringing her to my bed? I went hard thinking about it. Not what I was hoping for.

“Ok. I’ll be here.”

“I’ll be right back.” I took one long glance at her before heading inside.

I was losing it. Mara wasn’t the type of girl I could fuck around with. There was no question about that. Someone had done a number on her, and I wasn’t going to add to the mess. At least I shouldn’t have.

I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled a white t-shirt from my drawer. If I were staying on the ranch I wouldn’t have bothered with a shirt, but we were eventually heading back into town. Unfortunately. I’d have much rather spent more time with her on my land. The ride in the truck had been enough to make things crystal clear. I wasn’t giving her up. Mara would be mine.

After stepping into jeans and putting my boots back on I hurried outside. The front of the house was empty. Mara was gone. I was inside five minutes and she’d already wandered off?

Then I heard her voice. I followed it around the back of the house.

“What are you doing here?” I greeted my brother Tyler.

“And nice to see you too, brother.” Tyler hopped down from the fence he’d been sitting on. He was dressed in his usual attire of jeans and a cowboy hat. He was barefoot and shirtless.

“I see you met Mara.” I walked to her side.

“Yes. I’m a little bit disappointed you didn’t tell me about her, but I understand why.”

Mara wrinkled her brow. “He just met me, so he couldn’t have told you about me.”

Tyler chuckled. “Moving fast, big brother.”

“Oh no.” Mara shook her head. “We’re not. I’m not—”

Wow. She was quick to shoot down the suggestion. Was it really that bad of an image to her? It wasn’t to me. “Mara is renting out Mrs. Peterson’s guest cottage for the summer.”

“You’re the legal secretary?” Tyler stepped toward her.

“I’m not a secretary. I’m a research assistant.” Her response was calm. She wasn’t insulted, just setting the record straight. I liked that. I liked that she didn’t view herself as better than others.

“What’s the difference?” Tyler put a hand in his pocket.

“I’m in law school. It’s a summer job.”

“A law student, eh?” Tyler grinned.

“Yes.” Mara wrapped her arms around herself.

“I was going to give Mara a quick tour and then we’re heading back into town.” I took a step closer to her.

“What brought you two out here?” Tyler’s tone said more than his words did. He was already sizing up the situation to see whether I’d made a claim on her.

“He’s being nice by helping me out, and he needed to change,” Mara answered for me.

“Is that the story he gave you?” Tyler raised an eyebrow. “Usually he just tells the girl he wants to get her in his bed.”

Mara looked down at the ground. “So, we should probably go.”

I glared at Tyler. “Absolutely. I’ll show you around another time.”

“Aw, come on. I was only playing,” Tyler whined. Sometimes he sounded so much like a little kid, but he knew he was in trouble, and I wasn’t the sort to want trouble with. It wasn’t going to end well for him.

“We really do need to go. We’re having dinner with Mrs. Peterson, and we still have some errands to run.” I put a hand on Mara’s back.

She gave a smile. “Nice meeting you, Tyler.”

“A pleasure meeting you, Mara.” He stepped toward her. “I look forward to seeing you again.”

She glanced up. “Same to you.” She hurried back toward my truck, and Tyler laughed.

If Mara wasn’t waiting on me I would have taught my brother a lesson then and there, but that would ruin everything. She’d run away scared, and it would destroy any chance for getting information about the case brought her to Crestview and into my life.

“Don’t be a stranger, Mara!” Tyler yelled after.

There was another reason to keep her close. If I made it clear she was off limits, she’d be safe from the most dangerous men in Crestview: my brothers.

I
normally didn’t get embarrassed
. I could handle guys and any of their stupid games, but Tyler unnerved me. There was something about the way he looked at me and joked with Ian that made me feel like there was something going on I wasn’t aware of.

I was glad to get back into Ian’s truck headed toward town.

“How many brothers do you have?” I asked as soon as Ian turned onto the road.

He opened his mouth and then closed it. After a pause he finally answered. “Five.” He hesitated with his answer which seemed odd.

“Wow. Six boys? Any sisters?”

“Just us six boys. My mother had her hands full.”

“I bet.” I didn’t ask about his father. I’d learned to hate questions about my family.

“I’m sorry about Tyler. He can be a little bit intense.” Ian rested his hand on the seat between us.

“A little bit?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Yes.”

“I didn’t tell him about the graveyard even though I can’t imagine he’d worry about you missing church.”

Ian laughed. “He doesn’t look like a church-goer to you?”

“Church goers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but he didn’t sound like one.”

“He isn’t. I’d been more worried about my mom.”

“And you thought your brothers might tell her?” I struggled to understand the family dynamics at play there. My family situation had been so simple—Grandpa and me.

“Pretty much.”

“Sorry to make us leave so fast.” I played with a loose string on my gym shorts. They were the oldest and rattiest pair I had. Of course they were the ones I’d chosen to wear.

“I understand. You weren’t comfortable.”

“I wasn’t,” I admitted.

“But you’re comfortable around me?” There was a hopefulness in his voice that surprised me. He shouldn’t have cared.

“Comfortable enough.”

“Well, to ride in my car. Not to step into my home.”

“Maybe next time.”

“Next time?” He raised an eyebrow.

I felt blood rushing to my face. Was I blushing again? “You told me you’d give me a tour next time.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“I’m not actually holding you to it. I still don’t really understand why you’re showing me around today.”

“I already told you.”

“Yes. Being nice and welcoming.”

He laughed. “Something like that.”

He rolled the windows down as we made the drive toward town. It was easier to relax now that we were headed back. I may have been stupid to drive out to his ranch, but it was going to be okay. We’d get the flowers, fix Mrs. Peterson’s lawn, and then I’d probably never see the guy again. I wouldn’t go into town more than I absolutely had to.

The downtown of Crestview was only a few blocks long, but it packed a lot in those few blocks. Three restaurants, a coffee shop, an ice cream parlor, a small grocery store, and a feed store made up the most central part of the strip. Across the street was a dance studio, a bar, and the nursery. A few other stores lined the streets one block further in each direction.

Ian effortlessly pulled into a parking spot right out front of the nursery. One nice thing about Crestview was there was always parking. It was very different from my neighborhood in Philadelphia. I’d given up on parallel parking my truck into the tiny spots available around my apartment after only a few tries. It wasn’t going to happen.

I watched a group of kids running around in the grassy area beside the store. They were singing a nursery rhyme I hadn’t heard since I was a kid. I was so distracted that I was still sitting there when Ian came around and opened my door.

“And they say you can’t teach old dog new tricks.”

“Are you calling me a dog?” I stepped down, refusing the help of his hands. It’s not that I minded the help, but it seemed too much like giving in to do it.

“Of course not.” He paled.

I laughed. “Ok, let’s find these hollyhocks.”

“Ian, when did you get back into town?” An older man wearing a pinched front cowboy hat walked over.

“Hi Mr. Hamilton. I’ve been back about a day now,” Ian explained.

“And you brought a girl home?” Mr. Hamilton sized me up.

“No. I found Mara here.” Ian grinned. “She’s staying in Mrs. Peterson’s guesthouse.”

“So, you’re the law student?” Mr. Hamilton took off his glasses and put them back on. “Where have you been hiding out this whole time?”

“I’ve come downtown before.” I had been to the grocery store once. “But I’ve only been here a week.”

“Well then, I guess it’s lucky you have Ian showing you around. Maybe it will get you out and about more.”

“Maybe.” I smiled, hoping it would end the conversation even though I highly doubted it would. I’d grown up in a small town, and I was quickly realizing this one wasn’t any different. I’d probably started a whole lot of gossip by showing up with Ian.

“Are you two going to go to the Beet festival together?” As expected Mr. Hamilton wasn’t ready to drop the conversation.

“You know, I hadn’t asked her yet, but that’s a very good question.” Ian’s eyes twinkled. “So what will it be?”

“The Beet Festival?” I vaguely remembered Mrs. Peterson talking about it when I first arrived. I wasn’t a big fan of beets, but evidently they were grown all over town.

“Yes. The highlight of the summer here.”

“Uh, sure.” I didn’t have a real excuse not to go. Any I could have used in private wasn’t going to work in front of a crowd. And there was a crowd developing around us. I didn’t realize that many people even lived in Crestview.

“Ian’s brought home a girlfriend?” An older woman asked.

“No, she’s the law student here with those suits,” Mr. Hamilton explained.

“Funny, Mary never mentioned her tenant was looking to date. I could have introduced her to my son when he was in town on Wednesday.”

“Oh. I’m not looking to date.” That was exactly what I didn’t need. No matchmaking.

“But you told Ian you’d go to the Beet Festival with him.” Mr. Hamilton stared me down, daring me to contradict him.

“Quick work, Ian. Your Ma said you just got back into town last night,” another man I didn’t recognize said, although I didn’t recognize any of these people, so that wasn’t a particularly good description.

“Well, you know what they say about those who procrastinate.” Ian put a hand on the small of my back. “Speaking of which we have shopping to do. We will see you all later.” He led me inside the shop.

“What happens to those who procrastinate?” I raised an eyebrow.

He chuckled. “I don’t know. It sounded like a good line.”

“Were you purposely implying that we’re somehow involved?” It should have bothered me more than it did, but it didn’t. If I was going to be gossiped about, it was better with him than many other men.

“Would you have preferred to have had everyone setting you up with their sons and grandsons?” Ian walked further into the store.

“No.” I mulled over his words. “Thanks, I think. And of course I get why you asked me about the festival. That was to help me out, so feel free to go with whoever you want.”

Ian stopped in his tracks. “Whoever I want?”

“Yeah.” I wondered who he usually dated. Everyone in this town knew him, and I assumed the young women were no exception.

“I guess it’s good I already asked.” He winked.

“Be real.”

“I am. I’m looking forward to it. You’re going to be the talk of the town now that you’ve ventured outside.”

“I’ve only been here a week. You people make it sound like I’ve been holed up for months.” I glanced around at the rows of flowers and other plants.

“A week is a long time here.”

“Hello, Ian.” A woman in her mid-thirties appeared from one of the aisles. She wore her salt and pepper hair in a long ponytail down her back.

Ian smiled. “Hi, Miss Nelson.”

“Can I help y’all with anything?” Miss Nelson spoke with a southern accent that sounded almost jarring compared to everyone else in town.“I’m not from around here either, honey.” She held out a hand. “I’m Lauren. And you must be Mara?”

I accepted her outstretched hand. “Pleasure to meet you, but how did you know who I was?”

“How many newcomers do you think we get here?”

“Oh. I just assumed because no one outside knew—”

“And I heard Ian say your name from outside. The glass isn’t as thick as it looks.”

I smiled. “Oh. Ok.”

“How’s Crestview treating you so far?”

“It’s been friendly.” That seemed like a safe way to describe it. Ian had certainly been friendly enough. Had I known Connor was going to jet off the second I arrived I would have held off on coming here, but he’d given me no warning. Kind of like how he gave me no warning on the salary.

“Well, if you ever need a break from that friendliness find me here.” Lauren grinned. “I happen to have a different breed of friendliness.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“She’s trying to tell you she won’t judge you, and she has booze.” Ian grinned.

Lauren laughed. “Did you have to tell on me, Ian?”

“Oh.” I’d had absolutely no idea what she’d meant.

“Ok, you two must be here for a reason.” Lauren put a hand in the pockets of her light-blue jeans.

“Yes. I ran over Mrs. Peterson’s pink hollyhocks with my truck, and I need to replace them.”

“We need to replace them,” Ian added. “Don’t waste your time going into your ‘treat a lady right’ speech, Lauren. I’m not leaving her on her own with this task.”

“Did you help her drive over them?” Lauren turned to him.

“No, but I’d already offered my help to Mrs. Peterson before she fessed up.”

“I didn’t wait that long.” The way Ian made it sound I’d waited days.

Lauren smiled. “Don’t let Ian get to you. He does this to everyone.”

I smiled back. “Good to know.”

“Don’t listen to her.” Ian leaned in. “You’re special.” There was something behind his eyes that made me wonder if he was trying to compliment me rather than joke.

“We’ve got plenty of hollyhock. What color? Pink?”

“Purply pink if that makes sense.”

“How many do you need?”

“A dozen would do,” Ian supplied.

“Great. I can get those sent over for you. You didn’t need to come all the way in for that.”

“I know.” Ian smiled

“You did?” I whirled around to look at him. “Then why are we here?”

“I thought you might want to see more of the downtown.”

“Make sure to take her over to Davie’s. He’s selling double scoops for the price of one today.” Lauren jumped in before I could respond.

“What’s the occasion?” Ian asked.

“He’s a Daddy. Maggie delivered late last night.”

“His wife had a baby last night and he’s working?” I assumed we were talking scoops of ice cream, but whatever scoops it meant working a job.

“Of course. I’m surprised he even left long enough to go to the hospital for it.” Lauren rolled her eyes. “Davie the third is a hard worker. Just like his dad and his grandpa.”

“Davie the third?”

“Originality in names isn’t his family’s specialty.” Lauren adjusted a table display of seeds. “You’ll understand what I mean when you see the different ice cream flavors.”

“If we head over there I’ll check it out.”

“There’s no if about it. You don’t give up two for one scoops. It doesn’t happen often.” Ian looked out the front window.

I followed his gaze. The crowd had left. “Is it good ice cream?” I was picky. Nothing could beat the stuff we had in my hometown.

“The best.” Lauren rubbed her stomach. “Can’t beat it.”

“She’s from a dairy farm.” Ian pointed to me.

“I thought you were a law student?” Lauren wrinkled her brow.

“I am. I moved to Philadelphia for college, but I grew up on a farm.”

“Well then there’s a small chance you’ve had better, but Davie’s is the best I’ve ever had.”

“I’ll have to let you know what I think.” I liked Lauren, and I had a feeling I’d be taking up her offer for her brand of friendliness.