Reforming the Bear (11 page)

“Is
she…?”

Liam
knew what was coming next and he cut Sam off before he could get the word
bear
out.

“She
sure is. And she makes wonderful pies.”

He
wanted to see Maureen again. He hadn’t visited her for a year. He’d promised
he’d go check on her every couple of months now that Stan was gone but he
hadn’t. He wanted her to see Sam, see what a fine boy Danny had produced.

“Okay,
then.”

“You
okay with that, Lucy?”

“Are
you sure you want me tagging along?” asked Lucy.

“Absolutely,
and do you mind if we take your car so I can see how it’s running?” asked Liam.

“It’s
fixed already?”

“I
think it is.”

“You
want me to drive?” asked Lucy.

“You
feel up to it?”

She
nodded.

“Okay,
then. Let me go wash my hands and we’ll set off.”

****

Lucy
believed her car ran better than it had before. It seemed strange being back
inside it. She shook off the horrible memory of breaking down and that creep of
a trucker stopping and…

Liam
put his hand on top of hers as if he knew what she was thinking and recalling.
How weird was that?

“You’ll
have to give me directions,” she said, turning to look at him.

“Just
head out on Highway 90 and keep driving until I say to turn. Does the car feel
and sound okay?”

“Perfect.
In fact, the engine doesn’t seem so noisy.”

“Yeah,
I made a few adjustments I thought it needed.”

“Have
you always loved fixing cars?”

“Just
about. Danny and I both loved anything with an engine.”

Sam
chose that moment to scoot forward and rest his arms on both front seats. “How
come I don’t?”

“Maybe
you will in time,” said Liam ruffling his hair.

“Bear’s
going to get me a new bike,” said Sam.

Lucy
smiled. He was lucky that he had an uncle that clearly adored him, and a soon-to-be
stepfather who obviously took good care of him.

Sam
slid back on the seat and Lucy could see him fingering the zip on the bag. Yes,
she should have left it safely at home but she couldn’t. She’d sneaked it into
the car when Liam was washing up in the bathroom.

“What’s
in the bag?” asked Sam.

Her
heartbeat picked up its tempo as his fingers slid along the zipper.
 
Lucy glanced in the rearview mirror. For one
awful moment she thought he was about to undo the bag.

“It’s
my dirty laundry and other girlie stuff.”

She
knew he hated girls, so figured that should do it.

“Yuck,”
he said, pushing it to one side.

Liam
laughed.
 
“I bet he won’t be saying that
in about ten years’ time,” he whispered to Lucy.

He
was probably right. Lucy glanced back at Sam. He was now sitting with his arms
folded, looking at the scenery as it whizzed by.

Disaster
averted.

****

Liam
detected the smell of pie being baked about ten minutes before Lucy pulled into
the spot close to Maureen’s new cabin. He put his nose in the air as he got out
of the car and stretched his arms in the air. Huckleberry, if he wasn’t mistaken
… his favorite.
 
He looked around the
place. Maureen had planted a vegetable garden since the last time he’d stopped
by. Washing hung on the line that stretched between two trees. The place was
wonderful, quiet, peaceful, hidden, and the surrounding woods would be perfect
for a run. Maybe he’d come live here too when he retired.

He
put his arms around both Lucy and Sam as they headed to the front door. Proud
to suddenly show both of them to the woman he and Danny had come to know as
Mom
. He tapped on the glass in the door.

Maureen
headed toward them, wiping her hands on a dishcloth and smiling.

“Well,
look who’s here. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I would have made some
effort to look more presentable,” she said opening back the door. “Whom do we
have here?” she asked, looking at Sam.

Maureen
had been the first person he’d told when he’d discovered that Sam was Danny’s
son.
You have a grandson
, he’d told
her.

She
wasn’t really a blood relative but when she and Stan had lost all three of
their children in the crash that had brought the shifters to Earth, and Liam
and Danny had lost their parents, it seemed only fitting they should adopt the
two boys and raise them as their own. Many other suddenly childless and
orphaned shifters had gotten together like that. In fact, there were just as
many blended families as there were regular ones.

“This
is Sam,” said Liam.

“Well,
let me take a good look at you. Come inside.”

The
three of them stepped into the hallway and Maureen got down on her knees and
put her hands on either side of Sam’s face.

“My,
my … you are such a handsome little boy. I can see your father’s devilish but
very good looks. I have so many stories to tell you about your father.”

She
kissed him on the nose and Sam wiggled out of her hands and wiped his face with
the back of his arm. “Yucky! I only let Momma kiss me like that.”

Maureen
laughed. “Yes, just like your daddy. He used to do that when I kissed him goodnight.”

“Sam,
what do you have for Maureen?” asked Liam.

Sam
lifted up the bunch of flowers and offered them to her. Lucy had suggested they
buy them when they’d stopped for gas.

“For
me? They’re beautiful.” She put them up to her nose. And then she looked at
Lucy.

“And
who is this beautiful young lady?”

“This
is Lucy Hunt. Lucy, this is Maureen, who I’ve been telling you about.”

Lucy
held out her hand but Maureen chose to hug her instead.

“Come
on through to the kitchen because I’ve just taken a huckleberry pie out of the
oven.”

Liam
nudged Sam in the back. “You hear that, Sam? Maureen’s pies are legendary. In
fact, if you ask her nicely she might let you take a slice home with you.”

“Do
you have ice cream too?” asked Sam.

Maureen
turned around and laughed again. “There’s no mistaking that he’s Danny’s son.
You know, young man, your father used to steal all the ice cream and blame it
on your grandpa.”

Liam
licked his lips as Maureen sliced up the pie, put it on four plates and then
topped it with a scoop of ice cream.

“Why
don’t you and Lucy go outside and sit on the bench while Uncle Liam and I make
some lemonade and we’ll be right with you,” said Maureen.

“Okay,”
said Sam, leading Lucy out to the patio off the kitchen.

“So
what do you think of him?” asked Liam. He guessed that Maureen wanted to talk
to him in private–– hence her subtle way of getting him on his own.

“You’re
so lucky to have found him. I know Danny and Stan would both be…”

She
wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Liam took her hands and squeezed
them. “We both have Sam now. I think he’s been sent to help us with our loss.”

Maureen
nodded. “Maybe you’re right. And he’s okay now. You said he was ill?”

“Good
as new, as long as he shifts regularly.”

“And
Danny never knew he’d fathered Sam?”

“No.
He must have been conceived less than a month before he was killed.”

“And
Sam’s mother. She’s human, but marrying Bear McWilliams.”

Liam
nodded.

“And
you, young man, I heard that you were causing trouble for Aiden Renner and
stirring up a big fuss with the other members of the group. Some sort of
rebellion you wanted to get started.”

He
looked to the ground. Maureen had always had a way of making both him and Danny
feel guilty when they’d done something stupid. The investigative agent, Ava,
who’d been sniffing about had set him off, making him fear for himself and the
others. Ava was now married to wolf shifter Nick, and he guessed that made her
one of them. Sometimes he spoke before he thought.

“You
know I’m always thinking of other people’s welfare,” said Liam.

She
raised her eyebrows. Neither he nor Danny had ever been able to bullshit
Maureen, or even Stan for that matter.

“And
the young lady, Lucy?” she asked, and nodded her head toward the window. Liam
looked outside and saw her and Sam chatting away while they ate their slices of
pie.

“Human,
smelled her even before I opened the door. When I saw you were with her, well,
I was surprised. I know you’ve not liked living among humans.”

“She’s
different.” The words flowed over his tongue without him having to think about
it.
 
Was she really any different to the
other humans, or was it
his
perception
of her? Maybe her vulnerability that night had made him see humans in a
different light. Or perhaps her beauty had. Or maybe, just maybe, she’d
understood his pain when he’d cried about his brother and finding the
medallion. Perhaps that had won him over. Humans and shifters weren’t really
that different.

“So
what’s her story?” asked Maureen, pouring four glasses of lemonade.

“I
found her crawling along the highway. Her car had broken down and some trucker
had tried to rape her.”

“The
beast. I don’t know what the world’s coming to. I’m so glad I have my refuge
and slice of heaven here. Don’t know if I could tolerate town or city living
without Stan.”

Maureen
placed the glasses on a tray.

“And
you’re smitten with her.”

He
could argue and deny it but Maureen knew better than that. He knew better than
that. He was smitten with her.

Maureen
handed him the tray. “You think she’s your mate?”

“I
don’t know.”

“She’s
very pretty and I don’t want you letting a little thing like her being human
get in the way of your happiness.”

He
smiled. Maureen smiled too as she opened the back door and signaled for him to
head outside.

Lucy
looked up at him as he placed the tray on the picnic table. Sunlight danced on
the highlights in her hair. He suddenly wanted to kiss her but they weren’t
alone. He sat down and their knees bumped.

“Maureen,
this is the best pie I’ve ever eaten,” said Lucy. “What sort of berries did you
say were in here?”

“Huckleberries,”
said Maureen taking a bite of her pie. “They grow all around here so I’m making
a pie just about every day. My freezer’s full of them, so I’d like you to take
a couple home with you.”

“And
for me too?” asked Sam.

“Of
course for you. You’re a growing boy,” said Maureen.

“Did
you tell Maureen that you’re going to be giving your mom away at her wedding?”

“Well,
young man, what a task.”

“Bear
will give her back, right?” asked Sam.

“I’m
sure he’ll share her with you, yes,” said Maureen.

“I
have to wear a silly suit and the sleeves are way too long.”

Liam
smiled and Maureen winked at him.

“How
about after we’ve eaten we let Liam and Lucy go for a stroll so they can take
in the scenery, and you and I will sit down and look at some photos of your dad
and Uncle Liam.”

“Can
I keep them?” asked Sam.

“Oh,
I think we can find some for you to take home with you.”

It
was Lucy who winked at him this time and just that little gesture made his
heart flip.

****

Lucy
hoped that Liam hadn’t seen her glancing in the back of her car peering at her
bag and then double-checking that the door was locked.
 
She knew she was being completely paranoid.
Maureen didn’t have neighbors for miles. This place was about as far from
civilization as possible.

“You
ready?”

Liam’s
voice made her jump. She turned around to see him look at the car and then back
at her.

“Something
wrong?” he asked.

“No,
it’s fine.”

He
put out his hand to her. She slipped her into his palm, feeling his big firm
fingers wrap her around her knuckles. Something about him, his touch, his
calming voice, always made her feel safe.

“Maureen
said there are some great views around here, but I told her you probably can’t
go far because your leg’s still healing. However, she told me if we just walk
to the hill there, we’ll be able to see the beginning of Glacier National
Park,” said Liam.

“Have
you ever been there?” asked Lucy as they slowly set off toward the hill.

“Nope,
never have.”

“But
you’ve lived here all your life. I mean in Montana?”

He
hesitated for a bit. “We moved here when Danny and I were young.”

“And
Maureen raised you?”

“That’s
right. How about you? You have family? In fact, I hardly know anything about
you.”

Lucy
balked. How much should she tell him?

“My
parents live in Hawaii, both retired. They had me and my brother, Mike, late in
life.”

“And
Mike has a family?”

Sure,
it was okay to talk about her brother.

“Yes,
two children, but he’s divorced. He got a girl pregnant while he was in high
school. He thought getting married was the right thing but after their second
child was born, well, she ran off and left him. He’s been a single father ever since
… but a great one.”

“And
what does he do for a living?”

All
the questions suddenly panicked her and she stopped dead in her tracks.

“Your
leg hurting you?” asked Liam.

“It’s
fine.”

They
began walking again. She’d hoped he’d forgotten about asking her the question
that was still unanswered but he hadn’t.

“So
what does your brother do?”

“He
works for a research company. Mostly drugs and medical devices.”

There,
it was out and it was the truth. She hated lying to him. She’d already told a
whopper about her being an interior designer.

Liam
stopped and pointed. “Maureen’s right. Will you take a look at that view?”

Lucy
had to admit it took her breath away. Valleys, mountains, and a horizon that
seemed to stretch on forever lay before them.

“Maybe
one of these days I’ll take Sam there. And maybe you’d like to come along too.”

She
looked at him. So he was planning on this being a long-term thing. She suddenly
wanted that too, but when Mike called her to bring the bag back to Philly she’d
have to leave.