“That’s awful.”
“It was for the best,” I say, acting like it doesn’t hurt. “They didn’t want to put time into raising their kid. My grandfather did. He taught me how to build things, hunt, and take care of the land. When my teachers discovered I was an extremely slow learner, he paid for tutors, even though he had to sell stuff around his house to get the money.” My throat tightens at the reminder of all he sacrificed for me. I was such a burden to my parents, and even though I know damn well I was one to him too, my grandfather never once made me feel that way. “He was my everything when I had absolutely nothing.”
“And Bear Creek Cabins is a reflection of that.”
“Yeah.” I clear the frog in my throat. “The cabins were already old and beat down, but they went downhill faster once he got sick just after my twenty-third birthday. I couldn’t take care of him and the property in the ways they both needed me. The few employees we had were let go, because I couldn’t afford to keep them. I spent every waking minute either by his side or struggling to keep the cabins and property maintained. Something was always breaking. Then there’s the regular upkeep of our home to add to it. And hunting for meat during winter, collecting firewood for our heat, clearing the paths to the stream so we have more than one way out of here in an emergency. It was… a lot.”
When Grace doesn’t say anything, I look at her again. Unshed tears in her eyes make them glassy. She blinks, unleashing them down her face but swipes them away as if she didn’t want me catching her crying.
“I wouldn’t have traded one bit of my life for another, though,” I say, hoping that’ll make her feel better. “This place is heaven on earth. It’s worth the pain.”
A shaky exhale rattles out of her, and she settles back against me again. “What if you did win the lottery?” Her question is a soft, low, careful one. “Would you stay here?”
“I plan to die here one day. Hopefully when I’m an old, cranky, toothless man, just like my grandpa. And I’ll have someone spread my ashes into this stream just like I did his.”
Oscar proudly trots towards us with a ten-foot tree branch in her mouth, the end of it dragging across the ground. “Oscar, girl, you’re a menace.” Grace stands so I can get up and help Oscar when she gets her big stick stuck in a thorn bush. “You went the wrong way, goofball!”
Once I fix her problem, she prances to Grace, showing off her new toy. Only she spits out the branch and jumps up, knocking my girl to the ground. Grace cackle laughs while Oscar licks her face and literally gets on top of her, wagging her tail.
“No, Oscar!” I pull her back, but she doesn’t get the message. My dumb dog just pushes into me, and I stumble, tripping over her big stick and land hard on my ass.
Laughter fills my ears. Grace gets up and makes a run for it, calling for my dog to come get her. Oscar takes off. I get right again and run after them.
We chase each other up and down the stream bank, into the tall grass, and through the woods. When I finally toss a pinecone at Oscar’s butt, she gets distracted and runs in the opposite direction of us. Growling like a bear, I creep up behind Grace and wrap my arms around her waist, spinning her in the air. She squeals in delight, laughing again, which makes my heart feel like it has wings.
She turns and grabs me by the collar, smashing her mouth to mine and I walk us backwards until we’re up against a tree. Snow flurries land in her hair and long, black lashes, making her look like a snow princess.
“You’re stunning,” I whisper against her cheek.
Oscar barks in the background and I freeze. That’s not her happy bark.
Shit.
I turn around just in time to see a black bear approaching.
Chapter 14
Grace
I’m pressed against a tree with Dean blocking me from whatever is in the woods with us. Oscar quietly prowls closer on my left. Her head’s down, full attention directed at the same thing Dean’s got his eyes on and she freezes, her teeth bared as she growls.
I grip the back of his shirt like he’s my personal shield to wield. I probably should let go of him, but I can’t. I’m fucking petrified. What the hell is out in the woods with us?
A Skinwalker?
The Christmas Tree Killer?
Blood swishes in my ears and my palms get clammy.
“Grace,” Dean’s voice is barely a whisper. “Donotmove until I say so.”
He shifts a little to the left, tracking the threat, and I finally see what he’s protecting me from.
A black bear.
Aww, he’s so fluffy! I keep that remark on my inside though because Dean definitely won’t share that sentiment. Heat rolls off his body as he watches the bear move through the forest. The animal acts like he’s on a stroll, just meandering around with nothing else better to do. Or is it a girl bear? Either way, it’s got teeth and claws and as much as my inner child wantsto pet the floof, I’m not moving from this spot until Dean says I can.
It sniffs the air and makes a noise that shoots ice through my veins. Is it calling out to friends? Sending us a warning? I don’t speak bear! If it comes too close, what do we do? I can’t outrun that thing. And they can climb trees, so shimmying up this pine tree isn’t smart either.
