Bearly Loving: Foxhollow Den #2 (Alaskan Den Men Book 10) (2 page)

“Why can’t it be Grant or Ray? I can tolerate them. Why him? He’s as immature as the teenage twins of doom.” She pointed out the kitchen to where Carter milled around sampling more of their inventory than he’d ever pay for. He dropped a piece of donut on the floor and after checking to see if anyone was watching, toed it under the counter. Ten years ago, she’d have giggled and found his antics endearing. Stupid high school crushes. Not anymore.

“Listen to me.” Bobbie grabbed Samantha’s non-injured hand. “You have a chance to get this land thing settled in the next two days. Finished for good. Imagine if we get this done and Caroline back home all in the same month. Then a droopy cloud won’t be hanging over a fall wedding if I decide to have one.”

Samantha’s gaze cut back to Carter. Caroline was his younger sister and Samantha’s former best friend. Samantha had been blamed for Caroline’s failed trip to the wedding alter, and when Caroline took off to parts unknown, the spiteful land dispute followed. The five acres in question meant more to her family than it did to the Wrights, but that didn’t stop them from putting up a fight. Bears didn’t like giving up their territory, but it was more than that to her and Dad. Frustration scrunched her nose and lips together. “Dad will never forgive me if we don’t get that scrap of land back.”

“Remember how we took care of those poachers?” Bobbie asked.

Her cousin referred to her naked run through the woods as a distraction when the other Wright brothers had needed their help. An involuntary shiver whipped up her spine. Not a stunt she wanted to repeat. “You want me to go to mediation topless?”

“No. But the same principle applies. Guys are easily distracted from their main goals when a perky blonde is nearby. Use that, and you’ll have him eating out of your hand in no time.” Grant came back into the room with the first aid kit, and Bobbie leaned in close to keep their conversation private. “Embrace the conflict for a change. Use that creative mind of yours for something other than donuts.”

Samantha rolled her eyes to the ceiling and tightened her mouth. She could make it two days. At least there would be the mediator to keep Carter and his smart-ass comments in check. And she did want Bobbie to have a phenomenal wedding day. Someone in Foxhollow deserved a little happiness. But Carter had caused her a lot of angst in her teens, first with the teasing and then the love-her-and-ditch-her bit. He deserved a little angst of his own. With the forced proximity, it was time to show him she was anything but his
sweets
. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’m not doing the perky blonde thing. It’s time to give the pranking Wrights a taste of their own medicine.”

Carter guided his truck into the gravel parking lot in front of the lodge that housed Holland’s Mediation Services, thirty minutes’ north of Foxhollow. There were about seven other cars parked nearby, and he quickly picked out the small grey sedan owned by Samantha. The only reason she’d beat him was because he’d had to stop by the hardware store to get plastic and duct tape to cover the gaping hole she’d created. He’d never seen her so fired up, and after all Carter’d seen in his twenty-nine years while roaming, being surprised by anyone didn’t happen often. He expected her to be predictably constant like everything else in Foxhollow. He teased. She rolled her eyes. Rinse. Repeat.

She’d been super sweet back in high school, and he’d enjoyed their few dates. Even if now she pretended they’d never happened. He knew he’d hurt her feelings when he’d left after high school, but Samantha was the type of girl who settled down and raised a family of cubs. His life plan didn’t include settling down.

He grabbed a toothpick from his stash in the glove compartment and dropped it between his teeth.

At the hardware store his twin brother Ray reiterated the need for getting the land feud resolved in a quick manner. With a town as small as Foxhollow, some of the residents had begun taking sides, and it was affecting business. The Wright and Taylor patriarchs were stubborn and continued to make a mess of things. Carter didn’t have an investment in the hardware store or the land since he preferred the nomadic lifestyle, but he couldn’t stand by and watch his family suffer over a problem that should’ve never existed. Eventually, he’d catch up with his sister and blast her for causing the feud. Caroline never should’ve gotten involved with a man who couldn’t keep it in his pants to begin with.

The thought of Caroline’s fiancé sleeping with Samantha riled his territorial inner bear, but he quickly shut down that line of thought. It simply wasn’t his business, and Samantha didn’t belong to him. Back in high school he’d known better than to let it get that far.

But that didn’t mean he was going to let the Taylors win this fight, no matter how asinine a legal battle over five acres appeared. He may not be around for the day-to-day, but family loyalties trumped everything. His mom asked him to step in as proxy in the mediation, and he’d wear Samantha down until she gave them what they wanted. Using a mediator instead of taking the Taylors to court meant neither family wanted to drag this problem out longer than necessary.

Carter flexed his hands. He’d been on the rig for a couple of months this time, and he needed to go native within the next few weeks, or he’d risk the bear pushing itself to the surface.

He glanced over at the broken window. Samantha could probably use a week or two of native time too. It’d piss her off for him to mention it, so he made sure he’d remember to lead with that advice as soon they crossed paths. Keeping her in a constant state of irritation for the next two days would play into his plans of coming out on top.

Carter strolled to the front double doors of the large three-story resort-style lodge. He appreciated good architecture, and this building had obviously been built with a keen eye for detail.

Inside he noted his surroundings before making his way to a small desk with a petite brunette cradling a phone between her shoulder and ear. To his right sat a small dining area. To the left, a recreational room which housed a pool table and big screen television. A large staircase took up the corner of the building leading to the third and fourth floors. Large double doors were closed directly in front of him, and he decided the mediations probably took place there. He tilted his head left and right and inhaled deeply, but his bear senses told him there was nothing but humans in the building. Other than Samantha, who left a scent of she-bear and powdered sugar in her wake.

He approached the desk, and the brunette put her call on hold. Her smile stiff, she asked for his last name.

“Wright. Carter.”

She pulled a file folder out and stuck it in a metal basket. “You’re in room 203. Second room on the right. You’re scheduled for an appointment with Dr. Holland at 4:30 this afternoon, and again tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. Don’t be late. Dinner and breakfast are served at six and nine respectively. There’s a vending machine at the end of the hall if you need snacks. All mediation clients stay on premises. Dr. Holland doesn’t have time to hunt down clients who come and go as they please. Questions?”

Not a lot of warmth radiated from the woman, but Carter dismissed the notion of needing warmth from strangers. “No questions.”

“Good.” She picked up a slip of paper and handed it to him. “These are the house rules. If you break the house rules, you’ll be evicted. Understand?”

“Yes.” He didn’t like rules or restrictions, but he wouldn’t risk getting thrown out before an agreement on the land was made.

She flipped open a register book and placed a key on top. “Sign here, and you’re all set.”

Carter grabbed the nearest pen and scratched his signature in the book. The sloping handwriting above his read Samantha’s name—with the same room number.

“Why am I sharing a room with someone on the opposite side of the table?” he asked.

The brunette’s forehead wrinkled, and she tapped her lips three times with a pen. “Aren’t you here for the couple’s therapy with your wife?”

“Uh, no. We aren’t a married couple.” Carter half sat on the edge of the desk. The woman flipped back through the folder. He chewed on his toothpick and watched a rosy-hued blush creep across her neck.

“Oh my. I don’t know how I made that mistake. That’s right, you’re here for the land dispute mediation.”

“No, worries. I’ll sign for another room.”

“There are no other rooms. We’re booked up for couple’s therapy for the next two weeks. We’ll have to cancel your mediation and get you back in next month.”

“Whoa. I’m not waiting until next month.” He didn’t even know what part of Alaska he’d be in next month. He tossed the key up and caught it in his hand. “The not-so-Mrs. and I will make this work.”

Carter took the toothpick out of his mouth and tossed it in a nearby trash can. The mix-up could work to his advantage. He’d demand half the room and half the bed. He’d accuse her of staring at his ass with undeniable interest. He’d make her miserable, and by tomorrow morning, he’d have her giving in to all his family’s terms.

Piece of cake, or donut, in this case.

He took his time ascending the stairs practicing different comments in his head guaranteed to annoy.
I’ll take top bunk
.
The side of the room with the bathroom is mine
.
I sleep nude
.

The key turned easily in the lock, and he tossed the door open, a satisfactory grin pulling his lips up on each side.

The scene before him stopped his comments faster than diving into a frozen lake.

Samantha lay in the middle of the bed in nothing but her purple Total B.S. Donuts T-shirt and black lace panties. A pink frilly mask covered her eyes, and her long blonde hair fanned out across two white pillows.

She snorted and rolled over, giving him a full view of a luscious ass. Her thighs parted slightly, and he couldn’t stop staring at the small slip of black covering her sex.

He hardened and fought the urge to join her on the bed. He tilted his head and let her perfumed scent fill his nostrils. Carter backed out of the room and shut the door.

His heart beat an unnatural rhythm inside his ribcage.

Round one to Samantha.

After Carter backed out of the room, Samantha peeked out from beneath the eye mask and released a quiet laugh. Two hours she’d waited for him to show up to the room. On the drive up she’d embraced the idea to make him as uncomfortable as possible at all costs. His younger twin brothers, Tony and Trevor, had tortured Bobbie and her for weeks, and she’d picked up a few tips on how to irritate someone in the process of dealing with their crap. But it hadn’t come cheap. She’d offered Lisa, the main on-site coordinator, a year’s supply of fresh donuts to lie about all the rooms being taken.

Sharing a room wouldn’t be discouraging enough, but she knew that once he saw her positioned on the bed like a snoring slob sans pajama bottoms, he’d turn his bear tail and run. She’d been careful to toss clothes all over the floor and spread out a mile-wide of girlie products in the bathroom. Let him sleep in his camper truck without all the fun amenities, and he’d be ready to give in to her family’s demands by tomorrow morning. He’d made a big mistake by showing his paws when he told her earlier he looked forward to a real bed. With a little distraction, Samantha could break Carter’s focus and end this land mediation with a win.

Her stomach rumbled a short symphony of hunger noises. The clock on the nightstand showed she had two hours before meeting for their first mediation, and three-and-a-half hours before dinner. Unused to having time on her hands, she texted her cousin Bobbie and asked how the donut café was holding up. Bobbie responded she’d closed down early for wild animal sex.

Ew
. Happily-ever-after mated couples were the worst. Always wanting to force their happiness on everyone else. Bobbie could keep her mate, and Samantha would keep her sanity.

She removed the bandage from her hand, happy her shifter genes meant fast healing. For external wounds at least.

Earlier, Lisa mentioned a vending machine at the end of the hallway. It took a few minutes, but she’d dug enough change out of her purse to get snacks for before dinner and much later in the evening. Being a bear meant eating more calories than the average woman. Sometimes more than the average power-lifting man. After shaking her curves into a pair of cut-off shorts, she made her way to the end of the hall. She passed by the other rooms, and her heightened hearing picked up on a few marital arguments. Humming broke up the noise and canceled out the discovery of unwanted personal business. Mostly. Yet another reason to stifle any thoughts of mating for life.

She approached the end of the hall, and the snappy little tune died in her throat. Every row inside the vending machine was completely empty. The usual unwanted packages of gum at the bottom were gone too. She tapped the glass to make sure the image before her wasn’t a mirage.

She walked down the stairs intent on questioning Lisa about the empty machine and caught the heady scent of cooked meat floating out from the kitchen. Since Lisa wasn’t at her post, Samantha veered toward the back of the building. Maybe she could convince the cook to let her have a little something before dinner.

Happiness shined from the other side of the kitchen door. Several sterling silver pots lined an oversized stove. Her mouth watered double-time. Beef pot roast and vegetables simmered in each one. “Hallelujah.”

A woman in a white apron and a construction-orange bandana stepped out of the walk-in freezer carrying a large bag of frozen corn. “No guests in the kitchen.”

Samantha bounced on the balls of her feet. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind letting me have a pre-meal snack.”

The woman slapped the frozen corn down on the counter. “No.”

“No?”

Her eyelids fluttered. “Dinner is served at six. Read the guidelines again. I don’t have time to cater to busty blondes who can’t follow the house rules.”