“Your family must be really special. Genetically,Imean.”
“Not really. There are quite a few bear shifters in the Yellowstone area. Mostly brown bears, but there are a good number of grizzlies like myfamily.”
“How long has this been going on? I mean, were your parentsshifterstoo?”
“There have been bear shifters on this planet as long as there have been bears. We’re everywhere. Most of the polar bears on earth areshifters.”
She paused for a moment to take in the information. Now that he wasn’t in his bear form, she could take in the wonder of such a weird phenomenon. “Are you like werewolves, but justbears?”
He chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Not exactly. Werewolves live in packs and have some very stricthierarchies.”
She blinked. “Werewolves really exist? I thought that was justamyth.”
“No. When they reintroduced wolves to Yellowstone, the majority of them could shift. There are some animals that are not shifters, but it’srarer.”
“Why doesn’t the whole world knowaboutthis?”
“All shifters live by a code of absolute secrecy. Humans are afraid of what they don’t understand. That’s why seeing me shift was soscary.”
“That and the fact that you have huge claws and sharpteeth.”
“True. I’m sorry Iscaredyou.”
“I wish you’dtoldme.”
He frowned. “How would that conversation have gone? ‘Hey, Madison. By the way, I turn into a thousand-pound grizzly bear when I getenraged.’”
“Yeah, that would have been…awkward.”
The edge of his mouth tugged up. “I hope I didn’t scare you away. I still want you to stay and work for me until afterChristmas.”
“I don’t know. I’m pregnant with my ex’s baby and just found out my boss can turn into a bear. I don’t think staying here is a good idea. I don’t want Ben to come back and bother you again, and I need to figure out what I’m going to do now that I’m pregnant. I need toleave.”
Mack’s face fell. “Please just give me afewdays.”
“For what?” Even as she asked the question, the answer blossomed in her heart. Bear or no bear, she was falling forhim.Hard.
“I need you to stay. I think we’re meant to spend more timetogether.”
“Ican’t.”
She couldn’t risk another complication in her life. Even if she was falling in love with him, now was the worst possible time to take on a new relationship. Dating was hard enough without adding an ex-boyfriend, a baby, and a bear shifter intothemix.
“At least think about it tonight,” he said. “If you still want to leave in the morning, I’ll take you anywhere you wanttogo.”
* * *
The next morning,Mack woke to the sound of his cell phone blasting an Irish bar tune. He glanced at the clock. Six a.m. Damn, he’d overslept. He’d intended to get up and help Madison make breakfast. He considered sending the call to voicemail, but Steve never called him this early. Something might bewrong.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’sSteve.”
“You’re upearly.”
“I couldn’t sleep last night. I thought about calling you when the bar closed, but it was the middle of the night and the guy was so drunk, I didn’t think he’d come after you untilmorning.”
“What guy?” Mack asked. But he already knew. It had to be Madison’s ex. What would it take to get it through that loser’s head that she didn’t want himanymore?
