Healing the Bear (11 page)

“Photos?”

“Of
her with a man that I assume was her husband and on their wedding day. I mean
she told me she’d lost someone but never said it was her husband.
 
Also, photos of her with a couple who I
guessed were her parents. And another one of her and what looked like a class
full of kids. Why hide them? Why not put them where you can see them all the
time?”

“Maybe
it’s a part of her life she wants to forget,” said Trent, dragging a French fry
through some BBQ sauce.

“Could
be, but in the photos her hair’s blond and it’s dark now. She colors it that
shade. I saw the bottle of dye in the bathroom cabinet.”

“Geez,
Dane, what else have you been going through at her place, her garbage?”

He
knew it sounded awful and he only upped his guilt factor.

“I
guessed something was up because the hair on her head didn’t match the color of
her…”

Too much detail
.
He blushed.

“Pubic hair.
Don’t you love
it? I’ve forbidden Emily to get hers waxed.”

Way, way too
much info
.
He blushed again.

“Lots
of women color their hair…I mean the type on their head.
 
Emily gets highlights all the time.”

“But
Melanie was scared when I mentioned two men showing her some interest while we
were at the lake.
Wanted to leave ASAP.
I didn’t think
about it at the time, but now I’m putting all these things together and I feel
in my gut that something’s wrong. I think she’s hiding from someone.”

“Bear
instinct?” asked Trent.

Dane
nodded. “If that’s the case I can help her.”

“Dane,
you know you’ve been given your one free pass. Don’t go doing anything stupid.”

Oh,
he knew all right.

“I’ll
tell you what, I can help you out. I’ll run some background checks on her.”

“What
if she finds out? I don’t what her to think I don’t trust her or I’m digging
into her life.”

Trent
put his hand up. “I can access some files and databases, and she won’t know a
thing.”

“Okay,
but be as discrete as you can.”

“You
know me, discretion’s my middle name. I’ll call you if and when I find anything
I think you might need to know about her.”

Chapter Twelve

Guess
she’d been on tenterhooks more than she’d thought because when Melanie’s cell
phone rang later that day she jumped and dropped two of the flowers she was
putting into the vase for an upcoming conference.

She
looked at the screen and saw it was Dane calling.

“Hi, Dane.”

“I
thought I’d make you the first person I’d share my good news with. I got the
job at the school.”

“That’s
great. I’m so happy for you.”

“I
start on Wednesday and I have a favor to ask you.”

“Sure
go ahead.”

“There’s
an open house at the school on Thursday evening and they want me to go along
and mingle. Don’t know if you’ve noticed it or not but I’m sort of shy when it
comes to mingling and wondered if you’d come along with me.”

“I’d
be happy to, although I’m probably not any more outgoing than you are.”

“But
it looks good to have a beautiful woman on your arm.”

She
smiled. That was so sweet of him

“Tell
me the time and I’ll be ready and waiting.”

“I’ll
come by and pick you up about five-thirty, that work for you?”

“Sure,
I can get someone to fill in for me because we have a conference here until six
but it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Okay,
I’ll see you then.”

“Sure
see you on Thursday.”

Melanie
put the phone down, hoping the next couple of days flew by.

****

Dane
was still whistling the tune he heard the kids rehearsing for the open house as
he headed to Melanie’s front door. He’d been fixing a few of the computers in
the next room and the song had stayed with him ever since. He knocked on the
door and smiled when he saw her wearing a red wraparound dress and black pumps.
Red was one of his favorite colors. He liked it even more now that he’d seen it
on her.

“Let
me get my jacket and I’ll be all ready.”

He
waited on the step while got her purse and manned the alarm.

“How’s
the new job?” she asked as they headed toward his car.

“So far, so good.
Lots of variety
of work and that’s what I like.”

“Me too.”

“Have
you always worked in this industry?” he asked her as she got into his car.

“Eh,
well sort of. I managed a bakery for a couple of years.”

“A bakery.
Wow, I’d be
tempted to eat all the cakes.”

He
started the car and they head out of the complex and back onto the main road
for Kalispell.

“Trent
and Emily are going to be there tonight and said they’re looking forward to
meeting you again.”

“Sure,
I remember them. Great dancers, right?”

“Trent’s
always been a show-off but nothing compared to some of our wolf...”

He
stopped. It was the first time in forever he’d almost slipped up. Damn, why
didn’t he just pull the car over, turn and face her, and tell her he was a guy
who just happened to shift into a bear whenever he felt like it.

In time, in
time.

He
thought about the song again and without knowing it started whistling.

“I
know that song.”

“You
do?”

She
nodded. “It’s what we taught the first grade kids.”

“You
were a teacher?”

“Um,
my sister was and I helped her teach them the song.”

“You
see your family often?”

“They
live in New York State so no, not that often.”

“So
you moved here to take the job at the Lodge?”

“It’s
getting
kinda
hot in here. Do you mind if I open the
window a little?”

Dane
didn’t think it was. In fact, there was an early fall chill in the air.
 
“Sure, but I can also turn on the air
conditioning if you want.”

“Nope,
window will be fine.”

He
glanced at her. She’d suddenly grown quiet and she was playing with the strap
on her purse, running it between her thumb and index finger. Maybe she didn’t
like all his questions. Bears could be too nosy for their own good sometimes.
He’d hold off and when she wanted to tell him about her past life, then he’d
let her do it on her own time and in her own way.

“It’s
going to be a full moon tonight,” he said. He didn’t know why because it had
little consequence to her. She wasn’t a shifter. Full moon was the best time
for a female shifter to get pregnant. He and Lucinda had made sure they had sex
every full moon and in the end it had paid off.

He
glanced at Melanie again. She must have sensed he was staring because she
looked at him and then put her hand over the top of his and squeezed it.

Dane
guessed she had something to hide just like he had and soon, very soon they
were going to have to sit down and reveal all.

****

Melanie
slipped her hand into Dane’s. It wasn’t true that he didn’t mingle well with
lots of people. He was a pro at introducing himself and chatting with staff
members and parents of the kids who attended the school.
Lots
of questions about computers.
Seemed everyone had an issue with theirs.

They
walked to the main hall and sat down, ready to hear the kids perform. Emily
stood in front and signaled for them to begin. A tear ran down Melanie’s face
as she remembered doing the very same thing.
The same song
.
Same aged kids.
How she’d loved those kids and the job.

She
held herself together. Crying would give
herself
away.
She’d almost given herself away in the car. She wanted to pull him outside and
tell him the whole story, her real name, her real everything, but wasn’t
allowed.

What
if she ever wanted to marry this guy? Okay, they were jumping the gun here, but
it was something she’d never thought about, never bothered to ask the agent in
charge. If she and Dane did end up together would the bad guys come after him
too? Would he have to take on a new identity? Always keep something a secret?

Keeping
secrets tore a person apart and that was the last thing she ever wanted to do
to him.

The
kids’ voices grew louder. She wanted to teach again. She wanted her old job
back. Maybe she’d ask if she could go back to school to get her teaching
license in her new name and start over again.

She
jumped when Dane squeezed her knee. “You look miles away,” he whispered in her
ear.

“Just
thinking how lucky Emily is. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.”

“There’s
no reason you can’t.”

“I
know.”

“There’s
the University of Montana in Missoula, that’s not that far. You could take
courses there.”

She
smiled. He made it all sound so simple.

“I
might look into that.”

He
winked at her.

She’d
ask the agent in charge if that was a possibility. A chance to do the job she’d
wanted to do all her life.

****

Trent
waved to Dane as they were in the line for the refreshments.

“I’ll
be right back,” he told Melanie.

“You
want me to pick up some cookies for you?” she asked.

“Yep,
make sure to get some of the chocolate chip ones.”

“I
think I’ll go talk to Emily while you’re gone,” said Melanie.

“Great idea.”

Dane
walked over to Trent.

“You
want to go for a run tomorrow evening? I asked Aiden if he wants to join us,
but he’s promised to go pick up Lilly and Christopher at the airport.”

Dane
knew run meant bear run and it would be the first time he’d run with his
buddies since he’d returned from his exile.

“I’d
love to.”

“Okay
I’ll pick you up about seven. Oh, and I did some checking on Melanie.”

Dane
had forgotten Trent’s offer to do that and now he felt bad that he was prying
into Melanie’s background without her knowing.

“Not
much to tell you. In fact, her information was skimpy to say the least. She’s
definitely not been married before, not been arrested. One parking ticket two
years ago, but besides that your lady is a model citizen.”

“So
the photos I saw...”

“Don’t
know what to tell you, but I mentioned it to Aiden and he thinks I should have
one of the other guys in my department do a little more digging just in case
she’s…”

“In
case she’s what?”

“Knows
about us and…”

“You’re
implying that she’s not interested in me and is playing me until I reveal what
I am and give up our secret?”

“Hey,
that’s not what I meant or what Aiden meant, but you know we have to be
careful.”

“Did
you check your own wife out, did Christopher, and did Aiden for that matter?
For all you guys know you could be married to undercover agents working to
flesh out aliens.”

“Dane,
buddy.” Trent grabbed Dane’s arm. Dane pulled away.

“I
don’t think Melanie has an agenda or is an alien hunter or whatever you want to
call it.”

“I
think you do, so consider our run tomorrow night cancelled.”

Dane
turned away and headed back inside. He’d collect Melanie and they’d leave. What
made those guys think their women didn’t have motives for being with them and
his did? Brown Bears were
all the
damn same. A bunch
of high and mighty assholes.

His woman.

He’d
just called Melanie his woman. Yeah, she was the big alpha bear’s woman and it
was a full moon.

Chapter Thirteen

Dane
had seemed in a mad mood since he’d gone outside to chat with Trent.

“I
think it’s time we headed home.” was all he’d said when he’d come back into the
building. Even the chocolate chip cookies she’d taken for him had remained
untouched on a spot next to the gearbox in his car.

“Something
wrong?” she’d finally asked.

“Buddies
who think they’re so much better than anyone else.”