Caging Her Bear Lovers [Werebears of Shatland, Texas 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Naw, babe. You hit me.”

  “Like I said. No, I didn’t. I ran down a bear.” She didn’t bother telling him not to call her babe although she disliked it when guys did. She liked it better when they called her baby. Babe seemed too short, as if saying baby took too much effort. It was a pet peeve of hers, but she kept it to herself. Why antagonize him more?

  “Uh-huh.” He pivoted around, making a show of checking the area as she’d done. “If you hit a bear, then where is it? I don’t see any bear, do you?”

  “I guess he ran off. I’ll call and report it to the authorities. Besides, who can see in the dark?”

  “Naw. Don’t call anyone.”

  “Why not?” She pointed a finger at him as he attempted to move closer. “Stop.” He obeyed and she felt a split second of relief. At least he knew how to take an order.

  His voice held a hint of attitude. “Look. I know it’s hard to believe and I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, but it’s the truth. You. Hit. Me.”

  She’d guessed right. He wasn’t playing with a full deck of cards. Just to be safe, she’d have to be extra careful not to get him upset. “If that’s true, then why aren’t you injured? You don’t act like you’re hurt.” She swallowed as she allowed herself another carnal-indulgent trip down his body and back up. “And you sure as hell don’t look like a bear. The thing I hit was furry. Do you have any fur?”

  He blinked, the brightness of his eyes going away then coming back. Yet, strangely, his eyes had lost the amber glow. She picked up a hint of green, but in the dark she couldn’t be sure. “Okay. Whatever you say. I don’t have time to argue with you. Why are you out here in the middle of nowhere? Are you lost?”

  The change of subject threw her for a second. “Yes.”

  “Are you trying to go to Forever or to Shatland?”

  She swallowed. “I made a pit stop in Forever then got the hell out. I was trying to get back to the highway.”

  He laughed, but that died off fast. “Good idea. I wouldn’t recommend staying too long in Forever. But Shatland’s different. Better. At least, the people are.”

  “Good to know. But I’d still rather get back onto the highway. If I can get my car started.”

  “From the sounds of it, that’s doubtful. You’re going to need a tow.”

  She nodded. As much as she hated the idea, she knew he was right. The conversation had not only taken a turn into a different subject, but the tone of it had changed. It was as though he’d suddenly gotten over his anger that she’d run into him. Not that she had. She could tell the difference between a man rolling over her car and a big brown mass of bear.

  “As soon as I get back to my ranch, I’ll give the towing company a call. It’ll take them an hour to get here, but they’ll haul you into Amarillo. Getting your car repaired around here would mean you staying in Forever. Like I said. You don’t want to do that.”

  “So there’s no repair shop in Shatland?”

  “There’s no repair shop in either town. But Forever’s got a guy that’s a good mechanic. He helps folks out when he can, but I think your car’s going to be more than he can handle.”

  “Oh. Okay. I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”

  “No problem. Until the tow truck gets here, stay inside your car.”

  She had no intention of getting out anyway, but had to ask. “Why?”

  “You wouldn’t want to run into any more bears.”

  She shot him a hard glare. “Look. I know it’s hard to believe, but that’s what I did. I hit a bear.”

  “Okay, don’t get all riled up about it.” He turned to walk toward the pasture on the left, then twisted back around to face her. “Hey, babe. One more thing.”

  Again, she let the babe thing go. “Yeah?”

  “Slow the hell down.”

  He liked to take jabs at people. Or at least at her. That much was clear. She held down a retort. After all, she needed him to call the tow truck. “Will do.”

  She lifted her hand in farewell, but he didn’t move.

  What’s going on?

  When his silhouette started to change, to grow bigger, yet closer to the ground, she rubbed her eyes. Maybe she was injured. Enough to make her eyesight do funny things.

  The man was changing. His body blurred in front of her, and now that she’d rubbed her eyes several times, she was sure that the blurriness was real.

  Shit. Oh, shit.

  He was definitely changing. His shape was different as he dropped to the ground. His body was bulkier, thicker, with shorter arms and legs.

  She blinked, desperately hoping that her vision would clear. If it did, she’d see the man and not the animal that fell onto all fours.

  Her hand flew to her mouth, covering her gasp as she slid lower in the seat, trying to hide from the beast that turned its amber eyes toward her. Peeking over her door, she struggled to keep insanity at bay.

  She was hallucinating from a concussion. Or dreaming. Or lying in a hospital bed higher than a kite on drugs.

  Any of those choices would’ve been better than believing what she was seeing.

  Instead of a man standing on the side of the road, a huge grizzly bear lifted its head and let out a roar before running into the pasture.

  Chapter Two

  Present day

  “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

  How many times had Lizzy said that? “I know you’d rather be anywhere else. Thanks for making the trip with me. I don’t think I would’ve had the nerve to come alone.”

  Brynn glanced over at her older sister and gave her a thankful smile, then went back to looking for the sign for Shatland. Forever hadn’t had a sign noting its existence on the main road, so she doubted that Shatland would, either. At least this time she had directions from the real-estate man in Forever who’d found a rental house with a barn. The house was situated in between the two towns and close to the spot where she’d struck the bear. Or the man who could change into a bear.

  “You realize it’s all a matter of confusion. You have to know that.”

  Just as the man-bear had said, he’d sent a tow truck that had arrived an hour later and had hauled her and her damaged car into Amarillo. Her insurance had covered the tow and declared the car a total loss, but the insurance company couldn’t help her shake the memory of seeing a man change into a bear.

  Once she’d called her sister, Lizzy, and told her what had happened, Lizzy had phoned a friend who lived near Amarillo. Max Shrivner had arrived at the tow-truck business and had talked her into going to the emergency room at the nearest hospital. By the time she’d told Max and the doctor that she’d seen a man turn into a grizzly bear, she’d become the talk of the place, with staff and other patients sneaking glances at “the poor, crazy girl.” She’d shut up from that point on. At least while in public. At home, however, she’d kept trying to get her sister to believe her.

  That was a tough thing to do when she wasn’t sure she believed what she’d seen, either.

  “They checked me out for two days at the hospital and didn’t find anything. Not a scratch, much less evidence of a possible concussion.”

  “Doctors aren’t infallible. They missed something. No one imagines seeing a man change into a bear without something being off.”

  She couldn’t blame Lizzy. She wouldn’t have believed her if their positions were reversed. “I know. Which is why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

  “And it’s why, once we go to this hick town and find nothing, much less shifters, you promise you’ll give it up. That’ll prove that shifters don’t exist.”

  Shifters. Werewolves and, in her case, werebears, not to mention a whole slew of other animals that people could change into, were real. She’d done her research and had been astounded to find that stories of shifters, or skinwalkers as they were sometimes called, covered every part of the globe and every civilization. How could so many people be wrong?

  Yet she’d found no evidence to pro
ve that shifters actually existed. The thing was, she didn’t really care to prove it. Other than to herself and to her sister. The rest of the world, including the shrink her sister had insisted she see, could go to hell.

  “You will stick to your end of our agreement. Won’t you, sis?”

  “Yeah. I will. If we don’t find one, I’ll let the whole thing drop.” It was her Hail Mary pass. If her plan didn’t work, then she’d have to return to Lubbock and keep her mouth shut for the rest of her life. Maybe in time she could convince herself that she’d only imagined it.

  Lizzy patted her arm. Her sister was only five years older than her twenty-three years, but she acted like her mother at times. The thing was, she deserved to. Lizzy had taken over when their mother had died from cancer after Brynn had just entered middle school. Much to her dismay, her memories of her mother were fading, but Lizzy’s stories helped keep her alive.

  Lizzy leaned against the door, her short-cropped black hair curling around her sweet face. They didn’t look alike other than the color of their eyes and their round faces, but they were as close as two sisters could be. She owed her older sister a lot and wished Lizzy had had an easier time of things. She’d already been married once and had lost her husband in Afghanistan. Being widowed at twenty-six had taken its toll on Lizzy, and in Brynn’s opinion, it was the reason Lizzy had taken up, and then put up, with her fiancé Bobby White. The guy was a jerk who’d hit on Brynn the first day he’d moved in with Lizzy. But Brynn had blown it off, preferring, hell, hoping, that it would be a one-time thing.

  It hadn’t been. For the past three months, Bobby had grown more aggressive, hitting on her every time they were alone together. She’d tried to tell Lizzy, but her sister wouldn’t believe anything she said. Had, in fact, told her she was imagining that, too.

  That led to the one and only time they’d fought so hard that they hadn’t spoken to each other for days. After they’d finally exchanged apologies, Brynn had kept her mouth shut and made sure that she was never left alone with Lizzy’s asshole of a man.

  Although she felt guilty dragging Lizzy away from her work as a bartender, at least she’d gotten Lizzy away from him for a while. She could tell Lizzy wasn’t happy. She and Bobby fought a lot, but she was still clinging onto him.

  Her plan was a wild one, but she couldn’t think of anything else to try. Some way, she had to prove that she hadn’t imagined what she’d seen.

  I’m going to catch a grizzly. Even she almost laughed at the thought.

  She followed the directions that Lizzy read to her, and soon they were heading down yet another dirt road. Just being back on a narrow road running between two pastures brought back memories of the shifter.

  “There it is. Number five.”

  Brynn pulled onto the dirt and gravel driveway that led to the modest, ranch-style house. The house wasn’t much, just a small frame building that held two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a small living room that flowed into an even smaller kitchen. But it was clean on the outside, and judging by the photos the realtor had e-mailed her, it was just as neat and tidy on the inside. She’d rented it for two weeks, deciding that, if she couldn’t find what she needed in that time, then she’d pack it in and try to push the idea of shifters into the past. Her plan was a long shot, but if it failed, she’d keep her promise of never mentioning the man-bear again.

  “Cute house.” Lizzy pointed to the building set several yards beyond the home. “There’s the barn.”

  The barn door was open, which she hoped meant that her delivery had arrived. She’d put out a sizeable portion of a month’s salary as a salvage adjuster for an automobile insurance company to get what she wanted delivered. That, after signing a bunch of papers and answering questions in the vaguest possible way.

  “Hey, let’s move in first.”

  She couldn’t. She had to see if it was there. “After I check out the barn first. You can go ahead and haul in your suitcases, if you want.” Stopping at the side of the house, she was out of the car only moments after moving the gear shift into park.

  “Not a chance. I want to see this, too.”

  They were at each other’s side when Brynn pushed the barn door even wider. Although the sun was high, it didn’t reach the interior of the barn. Light filtered in from the roof, casting shadows around and making dust dance in the air. Empty stalls ran in rows on both sides of the barn.

  “Okay, I have to admit it.” Lizzy eased past her into the wide open space. “I really didn’t think you could pull this off.”

  “Me, either.” But she had. She’d gotten exactly what she’d wanted.

  She circled the large cage. Without having to measure it, she could tell that the enclosure was oversized, with plenty of room for either a man—or a grizzly—to move about. The bars looked more than sturdy while the floor was cushioned with a rubber mat filled with holes to allow drainage. Two access panels allowed for food to be set inside the cage without getting too close, while urination pans rested below the cage.

  “Sis, I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

  She didn’t answer. Her focus was still on the cage. If she was right, if the bear she’d struck her car with was actually a man, then the trap would work. It was unlikely that any other bear, any real bear would walk into a barn to get the bait she planned on putting inside the cage. She’d use several different types of bait, including fruits and salmon. If a werebear was in the area, she’d lead him straight into the cage.

  An intelligent human would know better than to get inside a cage. Hopefully, even if he was in a bear body. Still, she was counting on that same intelligence to lure him in, thinking he could outsmart the trap. She remembered the cocky grin on the man-bear she’d hit.

  Yeah. He’ll be cocky enough to think he can get away with it.

  “It’ll be all right, Lizzy. I’ve got this under control.” She turned away from the cage. Why hadn’t she asked before? “You didn’t tell Dad, did you?”

  Her father didn’t know anything about what had happened to her on that road, and unless she could prove it, he never would. He was Mr. Practical and Mr. Prove-It-To-Me all rolled into one. As a math teacher for the local high school, he based his beliefs on science and math, along with a good dose of believing in only what he could see and touch. Telling him without having any proof would’ve been useless. She’d started going to a therapist to placate Lizzy, but her father would’ve gone even farther. Maybe to the point of seeking professional, in-patient help.

  Lizzy shook her head. “I promised I wouldn’t. But now? I’m thinking maybe I should’ve. Sis, this is too much. Please, let it go. If I say I believe you, can we forget this craziness and go home?”

  Craziness. There’s that word again.

  Satisfied with the cage, Brynn stalked past her sister. “Nope. It’s too late. I’d know you’re lying if you said it now.”

  “But, sis, I don’t want to see you get hurt. Bears, especially grizzly bears, are dangerous. You’re playing around with wild animals.”

  Wild? And yet if she was right, was the animal part human? Would that make the man wild, too? Again, she flashed back to the memory of the man in the road and felt her body heat up.

  “I’m being careful.” Arguing wasn’t worth the effort. “It’s just two weeks. After that, it’s over, one way or another.”

  She beat Lizzy to the point, nixing her next protest. “Come on. Let’s get our stuff out of the car and see what the house is like. You can have whichever room is larger.”

  This has got to work. If it doesn’t, the memory of the werebear will haunt me for the rest of my life.

  * * * *

  Thankfully, the realtor had also given Brynn directions into Shatland. He’d suggested that she go into Forever instead, raving about Milly’s Coffee Spot, but after the strange impression she’d gotten the first time she’d gone there, she wasn’t in any hurry to return.

  “This is it? This is Shatland?”

  “Yeah. I know it’s
not much, but it’s kind of cute, right?”

  They’d parked their car down the street, deciding to walk a little before going to the diner. The sun was bright, making the world around them cheerful. Potted flowers decorated the street corners and many of the small businesses sported green awnings. The overall look gave the town a cozy, down-home charm with a nostalgic ambience that brought up memories of a by-gone era.

  “Oh, this is a nice place.” Brynn tugged on her sister’s arm, spinning her around to face the picture window of a dress shop called Maizy’s Boutique. Although some of the dresses were a bit out of date, they were simply styled clothes that fit in with the look of the town.

  “Yeah, I guess. If you like that kind of sweet, girl-next-door kind of thing.”

  A light, airy laugh came from behind them. “When you live in a small town like this, everyone is the girl next door. We all live so close together we’re all kind of next door to each other.”

  The girl couldn’t have been more than twenty, but she had a poise and confidence that spoke of a much older soul. “Hi, I’m Taryn Thomas. That’s my store. It used to be my mom’s—Maizy Thomas—but she passed it down to me.”

  “Hi, I’m Brynn Caraway and this is my sister Lizzy.”

  “Hey.” Lizzy shrugged. “I hope I didn’t offend you. And I’m sorry about your mom.”

  “You didn’t offend me and my store’s exactly how I want it. If you like it, that’s great. If you don’t, that’s fine, too. To each their own, you know? As for my mom, she’s not dead. Unless you consider hibernating in Colorado being dead. Which, by the way, I kind of do.”

  “Hibernating?” That was a strange thing to say.

  “Well, she’s not actually hibernating, of course. That’s just what I call her retirement. People around here retire to Colorado or Montana instead of Florida like normal folks do. Me? Once I’m old, I’m going someplace where it’s warm year round.”