A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan 6) (2 page)

“Alli,” he announced, pushing in front of the hunky stranger. “I have something for you.”

“Graham, can’t you see I’m busy?”

“Not too busy for this.” He looked up at the stranger, who was at least a foot taller, and broader, than he was. “This is very important.”

Alli cringed. Graham always thought whatever he had to say was more important than whatever anyone else might have to say or do. “Can’t it wait two minutes?” she asked quietly.

For some reason she wanted this passionate stranger out of her shop; he was altogether too distracting. He also cast Graham in a bad light. There was no comparison between the two men. None at all. But loyalty meant she had to be faithful to Graham until she ended their relationship. Which, with this behaviour, would be sooner rather than later. Her thoughts of marriage slowly dissipated.

Only for Graham to bring them sharply back into focus. Because with the words, “No. It can’t,” he did something unthinkable. He got down on one knee, and, much to Alli’s horror, in front of the small audience in her store, he pulled a box out of his jacket pocket, opened it to display a huge diamond ring, and then uttered the words she had wanted to hear a thousand times. “Alli, will you marry me?”

He clenched his fists to his sides. If he wasn’t very careful, he would grab that box from this idiot’s hand and throw it out of the door. Next, his fists would curl around the imbecile’s collar and launch him out of the door too. It would be the best way to get rid of the odious little man who had just proposed marriage to his mate!

Down on one knee, the man knelt before Kian’s woman with a ring in his hand. She was looking at it, but, as yet, had not answered; there was hope, especially when her gaze flitted up to Kian’s face. She had felt the connection between them. He knew she had. However, was it strong enough for her to turn down the man she had obviously been dating?

Behind her, Kian could see two women watching the scene in front of them unfold. They glanced at Kian; he held their gaze. Did they know who he was, what he was? He had kept himself to himself since he had moved here a couple of months ago with his sister. A sister he loved more than anything.
Except his mate
.

Trying to clear his head, he took a step forward. His mate looked at him again, her face worried.

“Graham,” she hissed. “Get up.”

“Not until I have an answer.”

“No,” Kian willed her to say.

“Can’t we talk about this later?” she insisted. Kian’s hope grew.

“I am not getting up until you say ‘yes.’ We both know it’s what you want.”

Her eyes told Kian that wasn’t true. Her face told him she was embarrassed, and people do the strangest things to escape feeling that particular emotion. She opened her mouth to reply, but he couldn’t bear to hear her utter her acceptance. So he stepped forward.

“I really am in a hurry,” he growled.

“Oh, of course,” she said, continuing to wrap the silver comb, while her boyfriend grovelled on one knee. And so he should grovel; he was obviously not good enough for this woman who was destined to be Kian’s wife, his lifelong partner. This little man had no idea about bonds. Unfortunately, as she finished her task, he realised that his mate didn’t either. This was not going to be easy.

The man got up, his face red with rage. “Do you mind? I am proposing to Alli; couldn’t you have waited one minute?”

Alli
. Now he knew her name. “I think the young lady needs time to think, or perhaps she doesn’t want to give you an answer in front of so many people.”

“Nonsense. Every woman likes an audience.”

Kian looked at Alli; her face was becoming a wonderful shade of pink. It spread down over the top of her luscious breasts, which were exposed by the open button of her shirt. It gave him a hint of the soft treasure hidden below. He longed to reach out and strip her clothes from her body to see if that pink flush travelled all the way down to her heated sex.

He took in a good breath of air; he could smell her arousal and knew it was for him. She had shown him her desire before her boyfriend had come in. He knew she wanted him, not this little man.

But that was the mating bond talking. In reality, he had nothing to offer her, other than his undying love. He certainly could never afford the big diamond ring she was being offered. He closed his eyes in defeat.

“Yes,” she blurted out suddenly, wanting this whole episode to end. Graham was wrong. She hated people watching her. The longer this had gone on, the more uncomfortable she had felt. It wasn’t just that Drew and Marjorie were watching. It was the man. The man who made her feel hot and excited. He was the kind of man who would never be interested in her. Too good looking and self-assured for his, or her, own good. Whereas Graham wanted to make her happy.

Graham got up, grasped her finger, and thrust the ring onto it triumphantly, not caring that it was a size too small. He just jammed it on as far as he could. Alli looked down at it. A huge rock, not the kind she would have chosen, but then Graham rarely considered her tastes.

Oh, goodness, what have I done?
she thought, her emotions conflicted. She had thought Graham was right for her and he was offering her the marriage she desperately wanted. Why had she picked today to decide that he was not
the one
?

Alli watched as Graham practically preened himself, king of the cocks. Beside him, the man looked as if he was going to rip her new fiancé’s head off. But why? It was none of his business. He had no right to look at Graham like that. Yet at this moment, she stood wearing the ring of one man whilst her traitorous body longed for the other.

Loyalty.
That was what the husbands and wives of Bear Creek had in common. They were loyal to their spouses. And if Alli had any hope of being one of those couples that never got divorced, then she had to be loyal to the man who had dated her for the last three months.

Three months!
What was she thinking, becoming engaged to a man after such a short time? Because that was how things worked in Bear Creek. Couples met, fell in love, and became engaged within weeks. Married within three months, or less.

So why did it feel so wrong?

Alli just wanted everyone out of her shop. She picked up the wrapped silver comb and handed it to the stranger. “Thank you, I hope Melanie loves it.” Something about saying the word love to him felt so right. She tightened her grip on reality. All romantic notions of this man sweeping her off her feet had to be quashed. She was engaged now. Yet, the rock on her finger felt heavy and false as he took the packet from her.

“Thank you,” he said, accepting the gift and brushing her finger with his. On purpose? Oh, yes. The now-familiar heat he drew from her body flooded her veins. He caught and held her eyes before she found the strength to drag herself away from him.

“Now, Graham. I have to finish up here.”

Graham came towards her and kissed her on the neck in his most sexy way, throwing a cold bucket of water on her arousal. Then to her horror, he whispered in her ear, “Tonight I am finally going to fuck you senseless.”

His whisper was loud enough for the stranger to hear. When her startled eyes met his, the look in his eyes declared that Graham fucking her senseless would be over his dead body. Or rather, Graham’s dead body.

“I’ll talk to you later, Graham,” she said, pushing him towards the door, for his own protection.

“I’ll make sure I have fresh sheets on the bed,” he said, grinning broadly.

Alli walked back to the counter, the stranger still staring at her. She couldn’t meet his eyes, but there was nothing for her to be ashamed of; why shouldn’t she sleep with the man she had just accepted a ring from? Because it was wrong.
He
was wrong. They both knew it. In that second, she dared lift her eyes to his, meaning to be defiant, and yet the hurt she saw there was deeper than the pools of passion from before.

Confused, she turned away, trying to ignore him. Thankfully, Drew and Marjorie approached the counter. The stranger turned to move, and then cast a “congratulations” over his shoulder and left.

“Well. You don’t do things by halves, do you?” Marjorie exclaimed.

“I am so sorry about that. Graham does get a little carried away.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about Graham. I was talking about the hunky guy who nearly ripped Graham’s head off.”

“I know. Very peculiar. I mean, what was his problem?” Alli cast a look out of the shop window, watching the guy as he crossed the street, got into a truck, and drove off. Why was it that she felt her heart went with him?

“So, can I have a look at the ring?” Drew asked.

“Sure,” said Alli, taking a proper look at it for the first time.
Vulgar
was how she would describe it. Her tastes were more subtle, as the many brides who had come through her door and tried on their dream dresses would attest to. If nothing else, Alli had good taste. In all but men. She sighed, long and drawn out.

“Wow. He’s out to impress,” Drew said, lifting Alli’s hand and turning it to the light. “That is one big rock.”

“Isn’t it.” Alli agreed, non-too happily.

Marjorie lifted Alli’s chin up, searching her face. “So why is it that you have just been proposed to, and accepted, I might add, and yet you look sad?”

“Shock,” she said, hoping that would explain her downturned mouth.

“Or is it because you said yes to the wrong man?”

“Marjorie!” Drew exclaimed.

“I’m sorry. The poor girl is one of us. She has no parents around to advise her, as far as I know.” She looked at Alli for confirmation. “As I thought. So I feel that we should be the voices of reason here.”

“I appreciate your concern,” Alli said, trying to find the words to tell Marjorie to mind her own business. But she couldn’t, because she knew what Marjorie had to say, and she already knew it was the truth. “But you don’t have to tell me I made a mistake.”

“Right. Now what are you going to do about it? Because one thing is for sure. You cannot sleep with a man just because he has put a ring on your finger. Even if he is going to put clean sheets on the bed.”

“You heard?” Alli gasped.

“We were meant to hear. Now, you have saved yourself for the right man, if I’m not mistaken, so don’t do anything reckless until you know which man is definitely right.”

Alli nodded. “Please keep this to yourselves until I can find a way of telling Graham.”

“I think the sooner the better. Go and tell him you made a mistake.” Marjorie’s face was set. How could someone looking in see it so clearly, when she hadn’t been able to until it was too late?

“But you have our word; we won’t tell anyone.” Drew pursed her lips before adding, “But once you do, you need to go and find Kian. He’s just moved into one of the farms that have been in need of renovation for years.”

“Kian?” Alli asked, her mind still fixated on how she was going to break off her engagement with Graham.

“You know, tall guy, big muscles,” Drew said.

“The one who fell in love with you at first sight,” Marjorie added.

Drew gave Marjorie a stern look and then said to Alli, “Go and see him, he’s perfect for you.”

“I can’t. What would Graham think?”

“Who cares? That man is only interested in what
he
wants. Has been as long as I’ve known him.”

“But he loves me. I can’t dump him and go out with another man straightaway; he’ll think I was cheating on him.”

“Listen, Alli. You have seen enough women come in here to know what they look like when they have found the right man.”

Alli nodded. “Yes, I have.”

Marjorie took a compact mirror out of her purse and opened it up, putting it in front of Alli’s face. “Does that face look like a woman who has found the love of her life?”

“No.”

“Then do yourself a favour and go after Kian. Because I can tell you that when he proposes to you, then you will see a different woman. A happy woman.”

Alli looked at Drew, wondering if a fantasy bug or something had bitten everyone. This was real life. “Drew, do you know how long I’ve waited for one man to propose to me? I think the chances of a second one, especially one like Kian, proposing to me in this lifetime are pretty slim.”

She twirled the ring on her finger, beginning to get used to the weight and feel of it. Right now, it seemed scary to rush into calling it off with Graham. If for no other reason than thinking a man like Kian would be interested in her frightened the life out of her. He wouldn’t have waited patiently for her, being content with chaste kisses, instead of pushing for sex.

OK. Content was not the right word. Graham had been pushing more and more for them to consummate their relationship. And tonight, now they were official, that was what he expected. Her mouth went dry. She needed time alone to think. She had some alterations to do, and she always found that helped her to clear her head and put things into perspective.

“Thank you for your concern, ladies. But don’t worry about me. You both have enough to do, with the wedding so close.”

Drew paled once more. “Yes. Good luck, Alli.”

“See you on Friday night when I deliver the dress, all pressed and ready for the big day,” Alli said.

She watched the two women leave, seeing how they stopped just outside and whispered to each other. Then they turned and looked at Alli once more. Drew gave her a quick wave, which she returned, and then they walked away.

As she picked up her sewing, Alli pondered what had happened with a heavy heart. Why had she said yes to Graham? The path to the truth was not one she wanted to go down. That way led to the inner turmoil she felt every time she watched another woman get married. A mixture of intense happiness and—well, not exactly jealousy, more of a fascination.

Alli often wondered if her parents would have stayed together if they had been married. Or whether it would have made any difference at all. Alli had been born out of wedlock and had never met her own father. Her mother had died some years ago, having refused to talk about him. Out of hurt or anger, Alli never knew.