Bear's Gold (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) Page 6

  Jack reached in and pulled out the bag she indicated. Moving to the truck, he handed it to Theo who took it out of his hand and went to the bed of the pick-up.

  Opening the front side door, she took out the spare key from her glove compartment. It was the key Fred originally had when they were dating that she had slipped from his keychain one night while he was drunk and passed out before the TV.

  “Thanks again, Jack.” Riley approached the mechanic and handed him the spare.

  “You’re welcome. I’ll do my best. I can’t make promises on time though.”

  “I understand.” Riley moved to the truck, where Theo was holding the door open for her to get in on the passenger side. The boys were already in the cab chattering away.

  “I’ll park in town by the sheriff’s office.” Theo slid behind the wheel and started up the engine of the big truck.

  There wasn’t much for her to say. Here she was stuck in this town for the next, God only knew, how many days with the sexy, virile man beside her. Thank goodness for his two sons that could act as a buffer and make it easier for her to keep her hormones in check.

  What about last night? her mind taunted.

  Last night had been different, she hadn’t met the boys. Now, she had and she could keep everything in perspective.

  A few moments later, after driving down a road with a variety of stores and businesses, they pulled into a parking lot behind a brown brick building. They all got out and walked along the side street until they got to the front and on the main street. She looked up to the sign and read PAW TRACKS STREET.

  “This is the main road through the center of town. I’ll take you around after we finish.” Theo moved them to the front door that had 'Den County Sherriff’s Office' stenciled on the glass.

  “I don’t want to hold you up if you need to get to work or the boys to daycare. I can wander around and you can meet me somewhere later.” She passed by him as he held the door open, making sure no part of her body touched his.

  “No work this week, because of the festival. Most places will be closed tomorrow with only those things pertinent to the family activities still open.” Theo stepped into the large area, the gap between them becoming smaller. “Besides, you’re under my protection until you can get out of town.”

  She could smell the robust woodsy scent that always surrounded him. It was making her warmer and her mouth parched. She swallowed and lifted her chin to meet his dark gaze, instead of stepping back like she wanted to, but she didn’t want Theo to know she was uncomfortable. “I don’t need anyone to protect me. I’m a grown woman. I can do that all by myself.”

  He only tilted his head, but to her it seemed as if he’d moved closer to her somehow. “You’re all woman. That’s right.” He paused as if allowing her to remember how much of a woman he’d made her feel the night before. Those golden flecks were back in his coal black eyes when he said, “But I also recall how petrified you were when you thought something was after you when you arrived at my house.”

  The fact that he’d nailed her insecurity with his words was like someone dropping an ice cube down her blouse; she reared back and stepped away from him. “I was slightly shaken up. That’s all.”

  Turning, she wanted to wipe the half cocked smile off his mouth. The infuriating man was going to drive her crazy if she had to be around him for twenty four hours, let alone anything longer. Marching over to the woman sitting behind a receptionist desk who was giving the boys a lollipop and chatting with them, Riley introduced herself.

  “Well, welcome to Den County, Riley. I’m Natasha Bearinger. You’ve come at an exciting time.” The dark-skinned black woman with hair just as dark smiled and was practical dancing in her seat.

  The woman was dressed in a suit instead of a uniform as Riley would have expected.

  “So I’ve heard.” Riley looked around the front area, which looked more like that of a medical office with the only other furniture two short couches facing each other with a coffee table in the center. There was only one other door in the room, closed. It had 'Sheriff; on it.

  “She won’t be here that long, Natasha,” Theo told the receptionist.

  Facing the other woman, Riley said, “Speaking of that. You all wouldn’t happen to have a cell with a comfortable bed and three square meals, would you?”

  “Gracious, no. Who would need that?” Natasha’s light brown eyes were wide and her mouth gaped in shock.

  That gave Riley pause. Why would a woman that worked in a sheriff’s office be shocked by a cell? “Um, me. I seem to be in need of a place to stay since you all don’t have any hotels around here.”

  Natasha shifted her gaze to Theo’s as if looking for some type of explanation.

  “We don’t have cells in Den County, Riley, and you’re already staying with me.” Theo’s voice was firm, not leaving space for any argument.

  Deciding to save the battle for another time, she turned back to the woman. Unlike most receptionists’ desk, there was nothing but an open file folder on the woman’s desk and behind her on a smaller desk was a silver CB radio. The radio made an occasional low crackling sound in between the murmuring of voices. Discussion that Riley could not clearly hear from where she stood.

  “I was told you all have a phone here.”

  “We do. It is in the Sherriff’s office. He’s out right now, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have a problem with you using it.” Pushing her chair back, Natasha crossed the floor and directed Riley to follow her.

  Entering the large office after the other woman, Riley took in what she saw. It was like a mini court room. On one side was a tall judge's bench, a witness seat adjacent to it, two small desks, with chairs behind them and one long bench seat along the far wall. The other side of the room where Natasha was now standing, had a standard oak desk with papers and other material on top of it with another radio, this one playing a little louder. Riley actually could make out a conversation of a woman checking on an order of dresses for her daughter who would be having ‘first outing’ at the festival on Friday. The woman chattered on about how time flew and how it seemed as if the girl had just been born yesterday, but it was actually twenty-two years ago.

  “Here’s the phone. Feel free to call where you need to.” Natasha pointed at a black phone in the corner behind the desk on an end table.

  “Thank you. I shouldn’t be long.” Riley stood next to the phone and waited for the other woman to leave.

  Smiling, Natasha turned the radio down. “It’s Sheriff’s job to stay abreast on what goes on in the county.”

  Few moments later, Natasha pulled the door closed behind her and left Riley with privacy.

  Reaching for the phone, Riley brushed off the dust that had gathered on the receiver from lack of use. She then dialed the only person who knew that she was out traveling the road, her brother. “Danny.”

  “Hey, Riley…I thought you’d be here today.” Danny paused for a moment. “Where are you calling from? I don’t have this number in my cell.”

  It felt so good to hear a familiar voice. Her brother had always been her anchor in life; she almost wanted to weep. Taking a breath, she pulled herself together, because she didn’t want her brother to worry. Besides she wasn’t actually in any danger. Well, as long as she didn’t consider danger of her own hormones running wild again.

  “Actually, I should have gotten in last night. I had decided to drive straight through. I’m in a little town about three hours or so from our hometown.”

  “What are you doing there?”

  Riley could hear the machines in the distance from the factory where her brother and a lot of men in Sans Town worked.

  “I had an accident—”

  “What? Are you hurt?”

  Riley rushed on. “No, no, nothing like that. Just my car needs some repair work.”

  “Oh, okay.” The relief in her brother’s voice could be heard through the phone. You still planning to move home?”

  “Yeah. It wi
ll just take me a few more days than I hoped.” She twirled the cord around her finger as she leaned her back against the wall.

  “How bad was your car banged up?”

  “Tire, light, radiator…front end, not much.”

  “That sounds like much, Riley. A front end. You sure you're okay?”

  She exhaled. “Yes. I’m good. No worries. You should see the tree.” She tried to make light of it.

  “You want me to come and pick you up? We could go back in a few days to get your car.”

  She tapped her foot on the floor and stared across the office to the door leading to the sexy, but determined male in the front room and his two adorable boys. Leaving with her brother would solve one of her problems, keeping her distance from Theo. However, it would also inconvenience her brother. He’d have to take off from work to come get her during the day. Not to mention their parents would probably get wind that she was coming home, by way of her brother’s wife, Molly. Molly and Riley’s mom were very much alike and very close. Same reason Riley hadn’t called her older sister, Stevie.

  “No. I’ll be fine here for a couple more days. The people are nice.”

  “Well, keep me posted. I don’t mind coming to get you. I have plenty of vacation days I can use.” Danny assured her.

  “I will. Look, my cell can’t catch a signal very well around all these trees, so I’ll call you each day.”

  “Make sure you do. I’d hate to have to come and track you down, just to find you picked up a job and decided to stay.”

  Riley let out a little laugh, but her brother’s words stung. It was how her family viewed her. The flighty child. One that was always prone to pick up roots and start a life somewhere else in a blink of an eye. It was true that she traveled a lot after college and rarely stayed at one center longer than a year, but she didn’t think she was that bad. She just wanted to find a place that felt like home to her. Sans Town never felt that way to her.

  “Got it. Look, I’m on someone else’s phone, and I don’t want to hold up the line.” Like that was an issue.

  “Okay. I love you, squirt.”

  “You too, my big brother.”

  Hanging up, Riley pressed her head back against the wall. She pondered the same question that had weighed on her mind for the last two weeks since she’d decided to move back home. Was this really what you wanted to do?

  However, she always arrived at the same conclusion; she had no other choice. If she returned to Oregon, she would have to continue to live her life looking over her shoulder for Fred. Without a job anywhere else, she was at a loss. There was only so much money in her savings account since her dastardly ex had been ciphering from it behind her back. So, just finding another place to live until she found work, her usual M.O., was not an option this time.

  Taking a deep breath, she pushed it out forcefully and headed out of the room. Just a couple more days in Den County and she could leave and start working on a new life. The only thing she needed to do was avoid the sexy man in the house and treat her time in the area like a much needed vacation. Simple.

  Yeah, right. Her body screamed as she pulled the door open and stared at the tall, attractive man who seemed to dwarf everyone else in the room around him. Including the man in a tan uniform that was standing beside Theo. As if knowing she was staring at him, Theo looked over his shoulder and held her immobilized with his arresting dark gaze.

  Heat infused every cell of her body and her stomach clenched tight with need. She wanted to fan herself or jump naked in a lake to cool off. Instead she rolled her shoulders back and kept her composure.

  “You reach everyone you needed to?” Theo asked, shifting his body in her direction.

  “I did. My brother was happy to hear I was okay.”

  Giving a brisk nod, Theo introduced her to the man he was speaking with. “Sheriff Smokey, this is Riley…”

  When Theo frowned after he said her first name, she realized that was all she’d given him. With Fred always following her moves, trying to finding out everywhere she went, she'd gotten used to just giving what was necessary. However, she would be residing in this man’s house and with his kids, so the least she could do was provide her full name.

  “Gold. I’m Riley Gold.”

  Sheriff Smokey moved closer to her and held his hand out with a smile. A good looking man, younger than Riley expected for the head law official in a town. He looked to be around late forties.

  Wrapping his fingers around her hand, the officer smiled. “Well, it is a treat to meet such a pretty visitor to our county.”

  The sheriff was charming and Riley could not help returning the smile. “Nice to meet you.”

  There was a low toned sound from Theo who still stood beside the other man. Riley ignored the intense man and the strange sound.

  However, she did notice a subtle twitching and wiggling Sheriff Smokey was doing with his nose and she pulled her hand away. Nervous that he may attempt the ‘Den County custom’ of sniffing the back of her hand.

  She shoved her hands into the small pockets of her jacket, just to keep them away from the men in town.

  “I hope you plan to join us for the festival. You’d be a delight on the last day,” Sheriff Smokey said.

  “She’ll be gone soon.” Theo spoke first, the texture of his voice gravelly as if he had a handful of rocks in his throat.

  Staring in his direction, she ground her teeth. This overbearing man was beginning to get on her last nerve. She could speak for herself. His adamant demands that she wasn’t staying for whatever the excitement of this festival was made her want to contradict him and stay. She’d always lived life on her own terms and when someone else tried to control that she did whatever the hell she wanted to do anyway.

  If it weren't for the fact she was on borrowed hospitality of the infuriating man, she would have announced that she planned to stay, just to show him she was in charge of her comings and goings.

  Rolling her eyes, she looked back at the lawman. “Sorry, Sheriff, I do have pressing plans. Maybe the next one since I’m just a little over three hours from here.”

  “Next time then.” Turning to Theo, he said, “I’m sure this lovely lady would like to see more of Den then my office.”

  “We’re on our way out. Come on, boys, let’s go and see what entertainment is happening at the fairgrounds.”

  “Yea!” The twins, who had been chatting with Natasha as they drew on sheets of paper the receptionist had given them, began to jump up and down.

  “Thanks again for allowing me to use the phone.” Riley said to the receptionist as she walked past her desk and out the front door.

  Chapter Six

  Theo didn’t know what in the hell was wrong with him. He was acting as if he’d never been around a human female before. Even though they didn’t get many visitors to Den, he still traveled to various areas to pick up supplies or other items on occasion and had contact with other females. But, he felt as if he was going to crawl out of his own skin around Riley. Last night had been bad enough. His reaction then he couldn’t sort out, but if that wasn’t fucking bad enough, now he was acting as if he had some type of claim to Riley.

  A claim that he as a Were-bear should not be trying to make on a human woman. Fuck. It was too complicated to acclimate a taker to their way of life; especially with winter home hibernation coming up. He’d heard stories of how newly transitioned Were-males and females became claustrophobic being stuck in the dwelling for six months. Some going insane or even leaving. Those first six months were important for gestational time of a pregnant female as well as securing the family unit. Because of their species bear and human genes everything within them was accelerated and most women only carried for six months, bringing forth two to three children before the Fish Moon in late Spring. Most new parents took their infants out and bathed them in the river before the moon and experienced the baby’s first shift with them.

  Shifting from his shoulder to his back against a tree at th
e edge of the playground where Riley was pushing both the boys on the swing as other children ran around them, a vision of the beautiful black woman swollen with his cubs made his spine tingle and his gut ache.

  Riley Gold. Her name fit her. With all that beautiful soft brown hair and golden highlights sparkling in the sun. Even the honey gold brown of her skin was remarkable, tempting his eyes to feast on her. His tongue recalled the taste of all the warm, smooth flesh when she was bare before him. His cock twitched and stretched.

  Exhaling he shook his head. This woman was not the one. He needed to be fixing his sights on the available females in the county. Maybe selecting a Were who would be experiencing her first outing on Friday night. He’d heard talk that the Grizwalds youngest daughter would be joining in this year. Shayna was young, twenty-two as most ‘first outer’ women, but pretty with her deep ebony skin. He hadn’t missed the few skittish looks she’d given him along with a few other males in town as she sashayed by them.

  For some reason his mind didn’t display a picture of her carrying his seed.

  Yup, his mind was truly messed up.

  “Papa, I’m hungry!” Bernie launched himself out of the swing and came sprinting to him.

  Theo pushed away from the tree and his wayward thoughts and scooped up his son and hugged him. “Hungry. Didn’t I already feed you today?” Theo tickled him.

  A peeling laugh came out of his son. “But, grandma said I’m a grown boy.”

  “A growing boy,” he corrected as he moved closer to Riley and Aubrey who were leaving the swing. “You ready to eat, too, Aubrey?”

  “Two plates. I’m grown, too.”

  Setting Bernie down, he poked Aubrey in the belly. “Then if you’re so grown how about you pay for lunch.”

  “But, I have no money.” Aubrey pulled out the insides of his jean pockets showing that they were empty.

  “That may be a problem.” Theo rubbed his chin as if he were pondering the issue.

  “Maybe Mrs. Riley can pay,” Bernie volunteered.