Smokejumpers Werebear (Bear Shifters Of Flathead Forest #1) Read online

  Keene turned towards him. “Write this one down. Are you a campfire? Cause you are hot and I want s'more.”

  Chuck slammed the metal counter with his hand. “Hey!” he yelled. “Get your orders in already. I want to close up and go fishing.”

  Ellis glanced at the front door as Alexi went around the table taking their breakfast orders. She finally got to him. Keene had a grin on his face from ear to ear, watching, just waiting for him to say something stupid again. “Just a coffee please,” he said. His stomach was in knots around this beauty. There was no way he could eat.

  She nodded and gave him a slight smile. His eyebrows perked up as she walked away. Was that a smile?

  He watched her walk to the kitchen while he clung to a small shred of hope that he still had some little, minute, shred of a particle of an atom of a chance.

  Keene threw a packet of sugar at him breaking him out of his trance. “Wipe that smirk off your face kid. You have no chance.”

  four

  Alexi closed the door of her small rental house and locked it. She opened the tiny closet, looked behind the dusty yellow curtains and checked in the dated bathroom, moving the moldy shower curtain to the side. She sighed and slipped off her shoes when she was sure that there was no one hiding anywhere.

  This was a small town, safe and secluded. Plus Barbara was only a yell away in the house across the driveway, but a history of abuse had made her paranoid.

  She sank down onto the creaking sofa that was also her pull out bed and rubbed her heel. She wasn’t used to being on her feet for such long periods of time. Oh well just another thing to get used to.

  She turned on the old black and white TV. Nothing but static. She shut it off and tossed the remote control onto the table with a clang.

  She glanced out the back window at the tall trees. It was a beautiful day and the stunning forest was what drew her here in the first place. She decided to go for a hike.

  Barbara was outside sitting in an Adirondack chair drinking a can of beer. “Going for a hike in the woods?” she asked.

  Alexi nodded. “You know I spent my whole life indoors watching nature on TV. I’m thirty three. It’s time I go experience it for myself.”

  “There’s a beginner’s trail at the end of the road. Nice and easy, it will take you to a pretty river.”

  “I’m afraid I’ll get lost.” Alexi didn’t want to end up like those hikers she saw on TV specials, lost in the woods for days with nothing to eat.

  Barbara chuckled. “Just stick to the path and you’ll be fine. If you get lost I’ll come and find you.”

  Alexi tightened her shoelaces and headed off.

  “Take one of these for the road.” Barbara said, tossing her a can of beer. Alexi caught it, cracked it open, thanked her and headed off down the hiking path.

  She found the hiking path and was amazed at the denseness of the tall, thick trees. They were as high as skyscrapers, only older and pretty. She listened to the chirping of the birds overhead, wondering what they were saying to each other.

  A caterpillar was crossing the huge desert landscape of the walking trail in front of her. “Oh cute,” she said running up to it. She knelt down and stuck her hand out, blocking its path. The fuzzy orange caterpillar crawled up her hand and tickled her palm as he walked across it.

  She shook her head, wondering when the last time that she went hiking was. Her wealthy parents had brought her to Paris, London, Barcelona and New York as a child. She had been around the globe, to the world’s nicest cities, but she had never been camping. Never been in the real wilderness. Her parents were refined people who put culture and art above all else. Basically they stood around in art galleries and museums with their heads up their asses.

  Alexi had always been curious about nature as a child. She loved animals and wanted to run wild through the forests and live in a tree like the Swiss Family Robinsons. Her parents had educated her out of that savagery and brought her to the ballet and opera instead. Now that she was surrounded by nature, her interest came flooding back.

  She smiled as a chipmunk darted in front of her in a zig zag and scurried up a tree. It was nice to be out here in the fresh air. It would be nice to share it with somebody. No. She pushed that thought right out of her head as quickly as it popped in. Men are shit. They’ll just hurt you.

  Barbara’s son, Ellis, flashed in her head again. She bit her lip and shook her head trying to erase the image. I don’t need anyone. I’m better off alone.

  But she had to admit that it was pretty cute the way he had absolutely no idea how to talk to a woman. She stifled a laugh as she remembered him in complete shock when she had turned him down. These guys out here, raised in the backwoods, were definitely not as slick as the city boys that she was used to. It was a refreshing change though. At least they told you exactly what was on their mind, even if it was a little too blunt.

  He was so hot too. All of them were but there was something about him that she really found appealing. He was her height, but thick. Big broad shoulders, powerful legs and nice hard arms. He had a hard look to him that melted away when he flashed his warm smile. She could tell that he was a good guy, the way his friends teased him. Guys didn’t tease guys that they didn’t like. And Barbara was gushing about him all afternoon.

  She picked up a dry stick off the path and cracked it in her hands. She wasn’t here for that. She was here to get away from men. Not to run into the arms of another man who would treat her like a punching bag.

  She heard the gurgling of a river up ahead. It was the end of the trail. She walked towards the sound trying to focus on the beauty of the forest around her and not of the painful memories that she was trying to leave behind.

  The river appeared before her, fast and powerful, flowing over and around rocks, shaping them and rounding them with its current. She sat down on a boulder on the river’s edge, took off her shoes and socks and dunked her feet into the cold water.

  She got startled and then squealed in delight when a fish jumped out of the water in front of her. It disappeared under the river and was carried down stream by the fast current. She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the afternoon sun warm her face. She breathed in long and slow.

  This was just what she needed to help her move on. No more days surrounded by her shallow ‘friends’ talking about the latest, boring fashions and spiteful gossip. No more spending all her time at the mall buying things that she didn’t need, all just to try and make herself feel better. And no more being abused. No more taking shit. No more men.

  This was where she belonged. Surrounded by nature. She always felt like a fish out of water in the city. She finally felt at home here.

  Alone.

  She found it ironic that she felt more at home here by herself than she did surrounded by her family. Yeah well none of these trees called me a liar when I came to them for help.

  She studied a large rock jutting out of the middle of the river. It was round and smooth, with not a single edge on it. How many droplets of water did it take over millions of years to take a sharp, jagged rock and mold it into a polished and flawless stone?

  How many years will it take until my sharp, jagged scars are healed?

  She sighed. Probably longer than I’ll be alive.

  Alexi took her numb feet out of the cold water and slipped her socks back on. She tied up her shoes and returned back down the path.

  She walked for a while, approaching her place. She thought of work tomorrow and wondered if Ellis would be there. She hoped that she didn’t scare him off for good. Although she absolutely didn’t want a boyfriend or any kind of love interest, it would still be nice to have some friends, and they seemed like a good group of guys. They certainly made her laugh.

  She arrived at the end of the path and headed back up the road. She could see Barbara’s house up ahead. There was a shinny black car in the driveway that wasn’t Barbara’s and seemed really out of place compared to all of the rusty pickup trucks
and large SUVs around here.

  She jumped off the road and dropped to her hands and knees, hiding in the thick bushes on her neighbor’s property. She slowly crawled forward trying to get a better view.

  Two men in suits that she recognized kicked open the screen door of her rental and walked inside. She didn’t know their names but she knew that they worked for her fiancee.

  How did he find me?

  Barbara came flying out of her place. “Who the hell are you?” she yelled, sprinting across the driveway. Alexi’s mouth dropped seeing how fast she moved. She bounded into the rental and the two men flew out in the air in a flash of gray and black and landed with a thud on the driveway.

  The big man wearing the gray suit, with the shaved head, pulled a handgun out of his jacket and pointed it at Barbara as she stormed out of the house.

  Alexi’s view of Barbara was blocked by a large bush. She watched the men on the ground, petrified that they were going to shoot the only person in the world that was nice to her. She tried to get up to surrender herself but she wasn’t as brave as she had hoped. Her fight or flight reflex had kicked in and unfortunately for Barbara it chose the latter.

  There was a loud ripping sound that sent shivers down Alexi’s back, followed by a loud roar. The men’s faces turned ashen white. What is going on?

  The two men sprinted to their car, jumped inside and sped off, out of the driveway, before they had time to close their doors.

  Alexi jumped up and ran down the path to see if Barbara was okay. “Thank God,” she whispered to herself when she saw Barbara standing in front of her rental unhurt.

  “What happened to your clothes?” she asked. Barbara’s clothes were hanging off her body in shreds.

  “Do you know those men?” she asked.

  Alexi squished her eyebrows together, deciding to play dumb. “What men?”

  “Save the lies dear, I know you saw. I could smell you. Do you know those men?”

  She could smell me?

  “Yes,” she replied looking at her feet.

  “They obviously weren’t here for a social call,” she said, walking to her open cooler beside the Adirondack chair. She grabbed two beers and handed one to Alexi. “I’m not sure what kind of trouble you’re in but they looked like they meant business.”

  Alexi cracked open the beer and took a long sip. “My…the person who is after me…he always means business.” She took another sip. “I just don’t know how he found me.” She opened her arms and looked around at the forest. “I mean look at this place. We’re in the middle of nowhere.”

  Barbara glanced at Alexi’s Lexus, parked in the driveway. She walked over and stuck her hand inside the wheel well of the driver’s side. She shook her head and moved to the passenger’s side. She reached inside over the tire.

  “That’s how he found you,” she said, tossing a metal box on the ground.

  “What is that?”

  “A tracker.” She lifted up her heel and stomped on it. It smashed into pieces. She was able to do all that damage to a metal box with bare feet. She remembered the way that the man’s eyes changed colors this morning at the diner. What is with all of these people around here?

  Barbara downed her beer and cracked opened another one. “They’re going to come back for you.”

  Alexi’s shoulders slumped. “I know.” She didn’t want to pick up and leave again. She was tired of running. Why couldn’t Greg just leave her alone?

  He would never leave her alone. She would have to leave.

  But why was she so upset? Her rental was a dump and her job was nothing to get excited over. Ellis flashed in her mind, stuttering and standing awkwardly in front of her. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to stay. To get to know this man better. It was as if her body had already chosen him and her mind had no say in the matter.

  “Now they know where you live,” Barbara said. “And I can’t be here to protect you all of the time.”

  Alexi knew that she had to leave. She felt a pain in her chest at the thought of not seeing Ellis again.

  Barbara looked at her with a grin. “But I know who can.”

  five

  Ellis hung from his fingers off the side of the cliff. The fall was over eight hundred feet onto jagged rocks. Even his tough bear skin wouldn’t survive that.

  He was dangling by one hand over his death, hanging on by the tips of three fingers, and all he could think about was the new waitress, Alexi, from this morning and how his bear had reacted to her. It wasn’t just his bear. He was interested too. He couldn’t get her off his mind.

  And he had ruined his chances.

  He glanced down at the rocks below. I should just drop. What do I have to live for if I can’t have her?

  His bear grumbled at the brief thought of taking his own life. He hoisted himself up and grabbed onto the rock with his other hand. He continued climbing the vertical face of the tall cliff.

  His bear rumbled inside him. Dude shut up. His bear had been in a tizzy all day, huffing and fuming the entire afternoon. He was demanding that Ellis go back to the diner to claim his mate. His bear had chosen her and was furious that Ellis was keeping him caged up.

  Dude she doesn’t want you, Ellis told his inner bear as he leapt up to a rock over his head. He snatched it right on time. His body swung like a pendulum, his feet dangling in midair.

  This is no use. Usually Ellis went rock climbing whenever his inner bear was acting up. The dangerous height of the cliffs had always worked to quiet him in the past. It seemed that his fearless inner bear was terrified of heights.

  But today was different.

  There was no quieting him. Ellis raced up to the top of the cliff and started the jog home.

  He didn’t know what to do. How do you live when the person that you’re supposed to be with doesn’t want anything to do with you? He wondered if his life would ever be the same. If he could ever enjoy the little things without having her to share them with.

  A branch whipped across his arm, drawing blood, as he raced down the mountain. He didn’t bother stopping to bandage it. It would be healed in a minute or two.

  He pushed his legs, sprinting dangerously fast down such a steep incline. His bear egged him on, pushing him to go see her. To take her. To seize what was rightfully his.

  Ellis screamed out in frustration. Would his bear ever leave him alone again?

  Sweat trickled down his chest as the ground began to level out. He decided to ask Matteo for advice. The number two in the clan had been through something similar. His bear had found his mate but she left. He hadn’t seen her in years. Was that why he was so serious and angry all of the time? Did his bear make him like that?

  Ellis pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe the seat from his forehead. You better not make me bitter like that, he told his bear.

  His bear grumbled in response.

  He was nearly home. He could see the dirt airstrip and the old hanger that housed their Casa 212 airplane through the trees in the distance. Ten small log cabins were laid out in a line in the field. At one time they were all full. Each one of the ten crew members had their own. Three were empty now. It still hurt to look at the empty cabins of their fallen brothers. They served as a constant and painful reminder.

  Ellis emerged from the trees into the clear valley and saw the whole crew sitting around the fire in a circle. He could smell some venison cooking and a hint of something flowery.

  A loud growl rolled out from deep inside his chest. He sighed. He’d have to go speak with Matteo sooner rather than later.

  He froze in his tracks when he heard her voice. She’s here? Why?

  He glanced back at the safety of the forest and steeled his nerves. His bear urged him back.

  “Hey Blowmeo,” Keene called out to him. All heads turned around. Including Alexi’s.

  “I would have gone with Don Yawn,” Sander said.

  “How about Leonardo Dicrapio?” Finch asked.

  “Move over Cas
anova, it’s Casa-no-fucking-way,” Quint chimed in.

  Keene stood up and clapped. “Quint for the win.”

  Alexi was looking at Ellis laughing. Fuck this.

  He walked back towards the forest. It hurt too much to see her laughing at him.

  Footsteps ran up behind him. “Wait,” she said. “They’re just playing.”

  Ellis stopped. He took a deep breath and turned around. She was stunning. She had jean shorts on that showed off her shapely legs and a yellow tank top that teasingly showed off her deliciously tanned skin. It was the first time that he saw her with her long, auburn hair down. It fell in waves over her bare shoulders and framed her plump, gorgeous face.

  His inner bear was desperately trying to push him forward. To claim her.

  Looking at her like this, Ellis knew that for the rest of his life he and his bear’s main purpose would be to make her happy. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for her.

  No need unfulfilled.

  No request denied.

  Nothing but her pleasure and desires.

  Fulfilled.

  Forever.

  “I’m sorry about this morning,” he said. “Clearly I’m not used to talking to women.”

  She laughed. “Don’t even worry about it. Let’s just start fresh.” She touched his arm and his bear growled in delight.

  She snapped her hand back. “What was that noise?”

  His bear was ruining everything. Again.

  “It’s just ahh…I ahh…What are you doing here?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

  “I wanted to see more of the wilderness and your mom suggested that I stay with you guys for a few days.”

  A few days? Ellis wanted to shout out in happiness.

  That would be plenty of time for him to make a good impression.

  If his bear didn’t ruin it for him.

  Again.

  Alexi followed Ellis back to the fire. Her stomach panged in hunger when she got a whiff of the steaks.