Mary and the Bear (3 page)

For a human, she did an admirable job of hiding her reaction to his size. People quivered with fear upon first seeing him. They equated his largeness with violence. Then, there were the women. The ones whose eyes would measure the size of his body before falling to his crotch like they had x-ray vision. Those wanted to see if his penis was a match for the rest of him. It was, but they'd never know. Aggressive women were not attractive to him.

He knew his size was intimidating. It was something he used to his advantage when needed, like while he served in the military. Like all were-bears, he was very large and very strong. In bear form, he was over five hundred pounds of pure muscle. Despite his appearance, he was a gentle man until riled. Fortunately, it took a lot to spark his temper.

One more hour and he could pack up and go home. Again his thoughts wondered back to his tenant. She was a little bitty thing. He admitted to himself that she probably didn't appear small to anyone else, but it was all comparatively speaking. He was six-seven and weighed in at over three hundred pounds of solid muscle. To him, most women were small, especially this one that barely managed to come up to his sternum.

This one managed to bring out his protective instincts. There was a sadness in her eyes that punched him right in the gut. He didn't know what her story was, but could tell she'd recently been through the wringer. If her eyes hadn't given her away, the dark circles under them and her pallor would have. He made his spiel about the apartment as short as possible because she was so tired, she'd swayed on her feet. It made him want to gather her close and tell her everything would be alright.

He would have to pick her up to kiss her
. The thought stopped him in his tracks.
Where had that come from
? He couldn't remember the last time a woman managed to catch his interest sexually. The hours he put in at the diner were long. He had neither the time nor the energy for a relationship. Yes, he had needs but he was past the age where he needed sex just for the sake of sex. He was at a time in his life where he was looking for a long-term relationship, something that would lead to marriage and kids. He was looking for a mate.

His tenant was off limits, for several reasons. First and foremost, Alex requested that he watch out for her. That meant she was under Hugh's protection. Also, she was living in his building and it was bad business to start something sexual with someone he was in a business relationship with. Lawsuits had been won over less. Besides, she didn't need any attention from him. Soon, she'd have men coming out of the woods to take a good sniff at her, literally. Young, single women were in short supply in Refuge. The human men in town would be checking her out to see if she was a potential conquest. The male shifters would be sniffing her to determine if she was their One—their true mate. He would not be one of them.

Finding a true mate among humans was rare. True mates were humans whose DNA was compatible with the shifter to whom they destined to be mated. The odds of his finding a human female match was between slim and none. The lack of compatible mates was one of the reasons shifters as a whole were dying out. There'd be no true mate for him. He didn't have one. As far as he knew, the true mates discovered to date had all been for wolf shifters.

The thought saddened him because his species was nearly extinct. Their birth rates were extremely low. In his lifetime, he'd only run across three other were-bears, and those were all male. Breeding with a female of another species was not an option. Just as in nature bears didn't breed with wolves, the same was true for shifters. While he could and did occasionally have sex with females of other species, he couldn't procreate with them. If he took a woman from another species—including humans—as mate, there would be no children, and he wanted a family.

He was proud of who and what he was. He was determined to do all that he could to continue his species. To that end, he'd been hunting for a female were-bear. He'd managed to find an on-line dating service that matched shape-shifters with others of their species. The service was a well-kept and closely guarded secret. Many of his kind used it in an effort to find compatible mates. So far, the service managed to find two promising prospects.

He'd been meeting with the two ladies in a supervised chat room, trying to get a feel for them. He had no idea what they looked like or where they were located. He was hoping one of them would accept him as mate, but competition was stiff. There were several males for them to choose from. They could afford to be picky and take their time.

Almost closing time. Mary Elizabeth must be too tired to take him up on his offer. He wasn't exactly sure what made him do it. It wasn't like him to offer free or discounted meals—to anyone. He never discounted a tenant's meal. She got to him, and that wasn't good. He'd have to be careful. He was determined to have offspring and she was a threat to all of his carefully laid plans.

A trip to the grocery store to stock her kitchen was first on her agenda. Then, the apartment needed cleaning from top to bottom. She also needed to see what was available in the way of paint and supplies around town. She was glad Hugh gave her permission to fix the place up any way she liked.

There was nothing she wanted to eat in the kitchen. She picked up her purse and headed to the diner. The heavenly aroma of cooking food hit her nostrils as soon as she opened the door, making her stomach rumble. She sat at the counter and studied the menu to see what her choices were.

"What can I get for you?” There was a different waitress on duty this morning.

"A ham and cheese omelet with toast on the side. A cup of coffee to drink."

The waitress's name was Anne. After placing her order in the window, she came back and poured Mary Elizabeth's coffee. “You must be the new tenant Hugh told me about. You're the friend of Alex's mate, Kiesha?"

"Yes, that's me. I arrived last night."

"That's what Hugh said. Well, welcome to Refuge. There's not much to it, but the folks here are friendly. You need anything, you let me know, ya hear? I can give you directions and help you find your way around until you get settled."

"Thanks. I appreciate the offer. I need to buy groceries and paint. I saw the grocery store on the way in. Is there anyone around here that sells paint?"

"The hardware store closed down a few years back, but there's a Home Depot about forty-five minutes away in the next town over. You might want to get your groceries there, too. The store here is fine for some things, but for a major stocking job like what you're needing, I would do my shopping at one of the stores there. Bigger selection, greater variety and better prices. I can give you directions on how to get there so that you don't get lost."

"Thank you. I appreciate the help and the advice."

"Oops, got to go. There's your food. I'll have the directions wrote down for you before you go.” She walked off to see about her other customers.

Anne was really nice, a true example of small town friendliness. She was an older woman, in her late forties maybe? Her ash blonde hair was liberally streaked with gray. She had a kind face, and the lines around her mouth and eyes suggested that she spent a lot of time smiling. There was a motherly look about her, and her manner enforced Mary Elizabeth's opinion that this woman was the nurturing type. She was looking forward to getting to know her better.

Polishing off her plate, she allowed herself one more cup of coffee before going to the register to pay. Anne handed her the directions as promised. Mary Elizabeth gave her a hefty tip then collected her truck and went to do her shopping.

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On her second day in Refuge, she reluctantly called home to let her parents know she arrived safely. Her reward for being considerate was another thirty-minute lecture from her mother on what a big disappointment she was as a daughter and how Babs would have never gone off and left right when she was needed most. Her dad earned her undying gratitude when he got her mother off of the phone.

A couple of days later, Charles called. Mary Elizabeth was covered in paint at the time. “Hello?"

"How's the new job?"

She sat down on the floor. “I haven't started yet. Kiesha is giving me time to settle first."

"You know, I never realized how big a part of my life you were until you left. I miss you. I wish you'd come home."

"Charles, I just arrived. It's only been a few days since I left. Besides, it's not like we spent a lot of time together before Babs died.” After her death, Charles was constantly at her apartment. Mary Elizabeth understood how difficult things were for him and hadn't complained. He was a welcome addition when he chipped in and helped her prepare to move.

"But I knew you were there, and now you're not. Why didn't you call and tell me you were okay?” He sounded hurt.

"I honestly didn't think of it. I called and spoke with mother. Didn't she tell you?"

"Yes, that's how I got this number. But it should have come from you. Don't I mean anything to you?"

"Ummm..."

"I'm still family, aren't I? Even more than that, I thought we were friends."

Damn, now she felt guilty
. “You're right. I should have called. It didn't cross my mind that you would worry. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you. Have you given any more thought to what I said?"

"About...?"

"About us. I told you, that wasn't the alcohol speaking. Lately, I've been giving it a lot of thought."

"Charles, we can't recreate the past. You're my brother-in-law and my friend. Let's leave it at that."

"You give it some thought. I know you're busy, so I'll go and let you get back to what you were doing."

"Charles ... Charles!” He hung up. She didn't understand this need of his to revisit the past. When the split first happened, she was so hurt, she would have been happy to hear that he'd made a mistake, but that was almost eight years ago. It was too late to change things now.

She hadn't told her mother about the incident with Charles. She would just accuse Mary Elizabeth of being jealous, a scheming seductress out to steal Babs’ life now that she was gone. She hoped Charles didn't go to her mother with this nonsense.

It was funny really. While she'd never been jealous of Babs a day in her life, at times she'd wondered if her twin could say the same. Babs had convinced people that Mary Elizabeth couldn't bear to be separated from her. In truth, it had been just the opposite. Babs needed Mary Elizabeth because she made Babs shine. She'd refused to enhance her own natural beauty because it intimidated Babs and left her feeling insecure. Babs needed to be the focus of attention and, with the exception of their mother, Mary Elizabeth could have cared less who noticed her.

Growing up, their mother focused so much attention on Babs’ looks that her life had revolved around her image. Babs needed to believe in her beauty because she was convinced it was all she had. Her mother had taught Babs to use her beauty to get what she wanted in life, and Babs had learned her lessons well. That's how she nabbed Charles.

After the fiasco with Charles, Mary Elizabeth turned her attention to earning her degree and becoming financially stable. She was saving money to purchase her own home. She'd been saving for her dream house since high school. One day, she would have it. It would be hers, on her land, built to her specifications. She had enough money now to purchase the land and put a good down payment on the house. She was looking for property when the call came about Babs.

Now that she was in Refuge? Well, time would tell. Life was short and she wasn't getting any younger. One day, she'd have children and give them all the attention, love and acceptance she never received as a child, with or without a husband. There were a lot of children in this world that needed a loving home. She was more than willing to adopt and remove some poor child from the system.

Enough introspecting. She'd been cooped up in this apartment long enough. It was time to get out and meet some of the locals. She'd start by eating dinner at the diner. From there, she'd find out what Refuge had to offer in the way of entertainment. If nothing else, there had to be a local watering hole. She didn't drink, but even the bar scene would be better than spending another night at home.

Anne called out to her as she rushed by with a platter full of food. “Grab a seat, Hon. Be right with you."

"What are you still doing here? I thought you got off at three?” She grabbed her usual seat at the counter. She and Anne had become friends over the last week. Mary Elizabeth came down for breakfast every morning, more for the company than for any other reason. She usually stayed for an hour before going back to the apartment to finish whatever project was slated for that day.

"Cyndi called in—again. Hugh didn't have anyone else so I'm working a double.” She distributed the food and rushed back to the window to pick up an order that was ready.

Ouch, that had to be rough
. Business was picking up as the dinner crowd streamed in. Coming to a sudden decision, Mary Elizabeth grabbed Anne on one of her passes by. “Point me to an apron and an order pad and I'll help."

"Oh, that's sweet honey but you don't have to. I can handle it. This is not the first time this has happened."

"Let me help. I don't mind. I was tired of being upstairs. This will give me something to do and let me meet some of the locals. Besides, I know what I'm doing. This is how I supported myself in college."

"Okay, Hon. If you're sure you want to help, the aprons are over there and the pads are under the counter. You handle the counter and I'll handle the tables. Is that okay with you?"

"Sure. Whatever you say."

Finding the items right where Anne said, she donned the apron right as the first dinner rush began. Behind the counter she took orders, greeted customers and basically handled herself like a pro. She could see Anne watching her closely, but once she saw that Mary Elizabeth knew what she was doing, she stopped and concentrated on her own customers.

The next few hours went by quickly. Many of the male customers chose to sit at the counter where the pretty new waitress was serving. It had been a long time since men flirted with her. She actually found herself enjoying it, not taking any of the things they said seriously. She was a lot more mature and self-confident then she'd been in college when she'd last done this.

Finally business slowed down and even the men lingering at the counter ran out of excuses and were forced to leave or appear foolish. When business trickled down to just a few customers, she made Anne sit down and take a breather while she took their orders. She knew Anne had to be tired. She was slightly tired herself and she hadn't been on her feet for twelve hours. She placed a ticket in the window and then sat at the counter beside Anne while she waited for the order to come up.

"Thanks, Hon. You're a life saver."

"Is it like this every night?"

"Most nights, yes. I think we had a few more tonight than usual. There were folks coming in to check you out, but for the most part, this was normal."

"And there's only the two of you? I mean, doesn't Hugh have more waitresses?"

"Actually there are five of us, two for each shift and one relief. Candy is out on maternity leave and won't be back for another two weeks. Misty had to go out of town unexpectedly to see about a sick relative and we aren't sure when she'll be back. The other girl quit. Hugh is going to have to hire some more help. I can't keep doing this and that Cyndi's getting more and more unreliable."

When the bell rang, Mary Elizabeth got up and took the food to her waiting customers, checking to see if they needed anything else before coming to sit back down. “Will he have any problems finding help?"

"Lord, no. Jobs in Refuge are hard to come by and Hugh pays good. The tips are decent, too."

"Speaking of tips, where do you want me to put yours?"

Anne looked at her in astonishment and then shook her head. “Hon, you keep the tips. They're yours. I appreciate the thought but you've more than earned them."

Prepared to argue, Mary Elizabeth let it go when she saw how adamant Anne was. The longer she sat, the more she realized how hungry she was. It was close to nine. It was a little later than she liked to eat, but she was hungry. She wrote out an order for a burger without the fries and stuck it in the window. Anne took advantage of the quiet spell to eat as well.

Instead of placing the food in the window, Hugh brought it out of the kitchen and sat it on the counter. He usually came in to help with the lunch and dinner crowds before disappearing into his office to handle the paperwork. He was surprised to see his new tenant helping out in the diner, and doing such a capable job of it, too. He hadn't seen her since the night she arrived. Hugh set the plate down in front of her, grabbed a cup of coffee for himself, and then sat on a stool next to them.

"Dinner's on the house. It's the least I can do for all your help. You handled yourself well. Where'd you learn to waitress like that?"

Anne spoke up, beaming like a proud parent. “She used to waitress in college and I was glad for the help. Hugh, you have to do something. I'm too old to keep working these kind of hours."

He smiled at the idea of Anne being old before responding. “You're not old and I'm working on the problem. When I get into the office, I'll pull some applications and see if any of the applicants are still interested. Thanks again for staying over. I know it's not easy."

He finished his coffee and moved to get up. He still had paperwork to do in the office. Before he could rise, Mary Elizabeth placed her hand on his arm. Her action caused him to stop and stare at her hand, which she snatched back. “I need to give you my rent and deposit, but I left it upstairs. When do you want it?"

"If you have it ready and you're done eating, I'll come up and get it now."

"Now is fine.” She finished her drink and said goodbye to Anne before leaving. He was right behind her. He waited while she stopped to take a deep breath of fresh air before continuing up the stairs to her apartment.

Mary Elizabeth opened the door and stood aside to allow him to enter before crossing over to the table where she'd left the check. He stopped right in the doorway. The difference in the place was amazing.

"You said I could fix it up. I took you at your word. I hope you don't mind?"

Her words snapped him out of the daze he was in and he looked around. He closed his eyes, and then looked again. The change was incredible. “
This
is what you've been doing up here all week?"

"Yes, I only have two weeks to get settled in before I report to work. I wanted to get everything situated."

"You mind if I look around?"

"No, help yourself. It's your place after all."

He walked into the kitchen and took in all the changes. He liked what she'd done with the hooks, displaying the pots while at the same time placing them within easy reach. On the counter was a mouth-watering, chocolate cake, a favorite of his.

"You made this?"

"Yes. Would you like a piece? I like baking but haven't learned the art of making smaller portions yet."

Rubbing his hands in anticipation, he sat at the kitchen table while she served him a slice. He moaned in pleasure as the rich chocolate flavor exploded in his mouth. Man, this was good. It was so moist that it was melting in his mouth. All he needed was a glass of milk and he'd be set. He wondered how he could get more without appearing greedy. “This is really good. My customers would love this."

"You want to take it down to the diner? If it sits here I'm just going to eat it and I certainly don't need the extra calories."

Her comment drew his attention to her body. He gave it a slow once over from head-to-toe, smiling when she blushed and started fidgeting. “If you're sure you don't want it, I'll be happy to take it with me."

He rose and placed his dirty dishes in the sink. Then he turned and looked the place over again. “Did you do anything to the bedrooms?"

"Just mine. I haven't decided what to do with the other one, yet. I'm thing about making it into an office, but I really don't work much from home. Of course, that may change with this new position. I'll just have to wait and see. You can see it if you'd like."

He headed for the bedroom, curious to see what it looked like now. The rest of the place looked great. The blue/green color scheme she'd chosen was very relaxing, creating a homey feel to the place that wasn't frilly. It was a place a man could kick back and relax in. He could easily picture himself spending time here.

When he stepped through the doorway of the bedroom, her scent permeated the room, almost driving him to his knees as his beast stirred, it's interest roused. His cock hardened and lengthened, and like a homing beacon, sought the source of that amazing smell. Lust hit him hard, and his eyes began to shift as his beast rose to the surface, demanding he take action. He backed out of her room quickly, holding his breath until he was back in the living room where the strong scent of paint, chocolate, and the perfume she wore lingered, covering her natural fragrance.

She stared at him like she was questioning his sanity, but he couldn't be concerned with her impression of him. Let her think he was a lunatic. He had to get out of here before he threw her down on the floor and fucked her.

From his beast's reaction, one would think she was his mate, but that just wasn't possible. There was no way that she could be his One. He didn't know what to make of it. He'd never had that strong of a reaction to a woman's scent before. All he knew was that he had to get out of here and do it now before he did something criminally stupid.

He snatched the cake off the counter. “The place looks great. Thanks for the cake. Gotta get back to work.” With those words, he rushed out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

He hurried down the stairs and into the diner, not stopping until he was closed in his office. His breathing was labored and his hands shook. He'd fought for every step he'd taken away from her, his beast fighting against him to remain and take what it wanted. He leaned against his office door and stared at the cake in his hands, sweat pouring down his face. He didn't know what it was about her that triggered this reaction, but it couldn't be allowed to happen again.