Bearly Loving: Foxhollow Den #2 (Alaskan Den Men Book 10) (7 page)

Carter strode back through the hardware store and exited to the front sidewalk. He crossed the empty Main Street and stood at the plate glass in front of Total B.S. Donuts. Samantha sat at a table going through some paperwork. She stopped to push her hands through her hair and arched her back slightly.

A small rush of excitement scampered through his body.

The twins pulled his truck in behind him, taking up three parking spots. They honked the horn three times in succession, and Samantha finally noticed him. The expression on her face went from wary to annoyed, back to wary.

Grant joined him at the plate glass. “What’s going on?”

His younger brother, Trevor, yelled from the driver’s window. “Now?”

Carter walked toward the truck window and tossed the rope and tape through. “Get him ready.” He looked to Grant. “Give me five minutes, and then be ready for a show.”

“This should be good.” Grant backed up against the front of Carter’s truck and leaned against the bumper. “As long as I don’t have a mess to clean up afterward.”

Carter entered the café and nodded to Bobbie who’d come out from the kitchen. A couple of other patrons occupied tables, enjoying their sugary confections. He walked up to Samantha and stopped in front of her chair. She didn’t stand or look directly at him. Edginess laced her voice when she spoke. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“You are owed an apology.”

“I told you over the phone. I’m good. And I really appreciate you signing the land over to us without any further argument. It means a lot to me and Dad. I hope your family will forgive you at some point.”

“But?”

“But I think we need to end it with that. It was a fantastically weird weekend and one I’ll never forget. I can’t be your passing-through girl, and you can’t be my stay-forever guy.”

“That doesn’t work for me.”

“I don’t know what else to say to you.”

“Just come outside for a few minutes.” He reached his hand down. “Please, Sammie.”

She stared at his hand for what seemed like the longest minute of his life before finally placing her fingers against his palm. He pulled her to her feet, and they continued outside the café to his truck. Ray had joined Grant at the front bumper. He got within a few feet of the truck, and the twins opened the back and pulled out Samantha’s surprise.

Everyone stared in quiet awe as Tony and Trevor shoved a tied-up Gregor to the front sidewalk. The few patrons inside the café pushed out the door with Bobbie following directly behind them.

Gregor stood in his boxers with his hands tied in front of him, his mouth covered in tape and liar written across the front of his chest. His brothers had gone a little overboard with the permanent marker, but if he processed the fact that they had technically kidnapped a man, it seemed the least of all the evils.

Carter interlocked his fingers with Samantha so she couldn’t run back inside the sanctity of her café. “Our family owes you a collective apology, and this asshole owes you the biggest apology of all.”

A low growl rumbled from Gregor’s chest, and every Wright brother took a defensive stance. He’d tried to shift twice on the ride over, and Carter had knocked him out with a well-placed punch both times, sending him back to human form. Shifting with a den of bears on the sidewalk would prove the man swam in a sea of idiocy.

Gregor’d tried to force himself on Samantha and had ruined his only sister’s happiness. He was the true cause of the Wright-Taylor family feud.
The deeper issue
. This black bear shifter deserved more than a punch or two.

The youngest Wright twins—Tony and Trevor—each grabbed an end of the tape over Gregor’s mouth and yanked, earning a screech from Gregor. The tape probably took off some skin and hair.

“You motherfu—”

“No.” Carter released Samantha and stepped forward, placing himself between Gregor and the other occupants of the sidewalk. “The next words out of your mouth should be an apology and the truth of what happened six months ago. Nothing else.”

Tony and Trevor both angled their smartphones at Gregor’s reddening face.

Tension released in small amounts throughout his body as Samantha relaced her fingers through Carter’s. They waited.

Gregor huffed. “Fine. I didn’t sleep with Samantha. I lied. There. Is everyone happy?”

Carter refrained from giving Gregor a third fist-to-face connection. “You’re going to need to leave town. Foxhollow doesn’t want you anymore.”

Gregor cut his gaze across the onlookers. “You’re all going to pay for this.”

Bobbie walked up to Gregor and flicked him on the nose. “The Wrights and Taylors don’t put up with bullshit threats. We’ll give you a week to get out of our town.”

Carter nodded to his brothers, and the remaining four Wright siblings taped Gregor’s mouth again and shoved him in the back of the truck.

Samantha pulled Carter to the side of the building and toward the back alley. She stopped at the back door of the café.

“A little excessive don’t you think?” she asked.

“Just following Dr. Holland’s advice and getting to the root of the problem.”

“I’m not sure that’s the only problem between you and me.”

He tucked his arms around her waist. “I think you are sexy and fun, and now all I want is for you to be happy. I knew you weren’t going to make this easy on me. That’s what I really love about you. You’re the challenge I didn’t know I needed.”

Her lips twitched into a smile. “You love me?”

“You know we shifters don’t do years of courtship. When we find the right mate, we know, even though I think you may have known longer than me.”

“But I’m bound to Foxhollow, and you’d rather be anywhere else than here.”

“And that’s something I’ll have to work on. I love to roam. I love the different challenging jobs. And I love you. We’re going to find a compromise.” Carter loosened his grip on her waist. He barely breathed, waiting for her to consider his words.

Samantha leaned into him and placed a hand on the side of his face. “Okay, mate. Let’s compromise.”

He released his pent-up breath and pulled her closer to his chest. “You know that’s not exactly an ‘I love you’.”

She kissed the side of his neck. “Of course it is.”

The End.

Dear Reader:

Thank you so much for reading Bearly Loving. I hope you are enjoying your time with the Wrights and Taylors. They are a loyal and fun group of werebears.

I bet you’re wondering where Caroline Wright is during all this drama? You’ll find out in the next Foxhollow Den novella Bearly Gone where she’ll meet her match when an unwanted rescuer shows up to bring her home.

If you want to see what else I have available, visit
KizzieWallerRomance.com
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Happy Reading!

Your friend,

Kizzie