Bear The Blaze (Firebear Brides 3) (9 page)

She was still coughing, feeling like someone had shoved a chimney down her throat instead of a windpipe, when they pulled up in front of the Hassleback house. There was just one truck parked in front of it and the blue-eyed man who walked out of the building didn’t seem too surprised at all to find the three Hamilton brothers standing there, with a slightly scorched Abigail in the background.

Her eyes immediately went to his boots. They were the same kind of dark brown boots that she’d seen during the fire, but they were missing those bright yellow tags. Swallowing thickly, she went to stand beside Ragnar, not entirely sure what was going to happen next but knowing that she might have to be the voice of reason here.

“It’s not him,” she whispered softly, getting onto her tiptoes.

Ragnar’s hard expression contorted slightly at that.

“Where’s your brother, Sear?” Ragnar barked, his arms crossed over his chest.

“I’m not his babysitter. I don’t know,” Sear answered glumly, his brows furrowed. “And even if I did, why would I tell you?”

“Why? Because as far as we know, your brother’s the one running around setting half of Shifter Grove on fire,” Royce growled.

“Why just him? I think they’re both in on it,” Redmond huffed, exchanging a look with Ragnar.

“Someone set the workshop on our grounds on fire today, about two hours ago. Before that, a patch of forest went up as well. I don’t think this is an accident. Abigail almost died in the workshop fire and whoever lit the match heard her screaming in there. Anything you want to say about that, Sear?” Ragnar asked, his calm, deep voice trembling a little.

Sear’s eyebrows shot up, and for a second his cool, controlled demeanor wavered. He looked like he’d just gotten hit by a truck, his expression going slack, before he caught himself and brushed it off. Ragnar was almost vibrating with anger, but Abigail knew that the Hamiltons wouldn’t gang up on a single guy. That wasn’t the way they operated. But without real proof, they couldn’t drag Sear back for questioning either.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said grimly, shoving his hands in his pockets. “We’ve been living here all our lives. You three have waltzed back to Idaho like you fucking own the place. How about you leave me and my brother alone and we won’t have to have any more trouble?” he said through gritted teeth.

Abigail could feel Ragnar begin to jerk forward and she grabbed his arm quickly, shaking her head. She heard the surprise in Sear’s voice. Whatever else he may have done in his past, he hadn’t set that fire. And she got the feeling that he didn’t even know about it.

Abigail slipped her hand into Ragnar’s, giving it a squeeze. He looked down and the darkness in his eyes cleared, the deep brown that had flashed in there retreating and giving room to the hazel she loved so much.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” she said with a small smile, her voice a whisper. “Let’s be smart about this. You’ll find the evidence, and you’ll put them away if they did this.”

Ragnar stared at her for a moment, his hand squeezing hers almost painfully. Then, he took a deep breath and nodded, turning to look at Sear again.

“How about you let me know when your brother’s back. I want to have a talk with him. And Sear, I don’t know if you’re involved in this or not, but if you are, I swear I will hunt you down and we’ll settle old scores the way they were meant to be,” Ragnar said, a dark threat that couldn’t be mistaken now entering into his voice.

Abigail’s heart leapt into her throat. After the story Ragnar had told her, she had no doubt about what he meant by his words. This stern, quiet man had a beast within him that was waiting to be unleashed if anyone hurt the ones he loved, and it was clear as day that Ragnar had been pushed far enough for that. She put her other hand on his palm as well, trying to soothe him with her presence.

“Noted,” Sear said coolly, turning around and walking back into the house.

The guy had some nerve.

“Let’s go,” she said quietly, feeling a bit woozy from everything.

Years and years in LA had not prepared Abigail for the kind of excitement Idaho held. After all of the madness, she needed a moment to figure things out for herself. Looking up at Ragnar, it was evident that they both needed a chance to catch their breaths.

***

She wasn’t sure how long she slept, but it felt like a lifetime. When her eyes opened and she gingerly stretched out her body, she immediately felt eyes on her. Flipping around, she came face to face with Ragnar, who was sitting on the corner of her bed, smiling slightly at her.

“Morning,” he said gruffly, his voice growlier than usual. She liked it.

“How long was I out?” Abigail asked, propping herself up on some pillows.

Dressed in an oversized Los Angeles Fire Department T-shirt and some boyshorts, she should have felt underdressed in front of Ragnar. The way his eyes rolled over her form, hungry with appreciation, made her consider chucking the shirt off altogether.

“About fourteen hours, give or take a few,” he replied, shrugging back his shoulders.

The first rays of dawn were peeking into the bedroom and Abigail groaned slightly, shaking her head. That was a damn long nap she’d allowed herself. But at least her head was a little bit clearer. Scooting closer to Ragnar, she climbed into his lap and curled up there. She was beyond giving a crap about what her logic and reason told her. Her heart told her she wanted to be as near to him as possible, and dammit, she had to stop doubting herself at some point.

His warm embrace was soothing as it was a turn-on. Hearing his heavy heartbeat thumping in his chest, the breaths he took, and the way his body seemed to curve around her protectively like an outer shell made her core throb and her hands bind into his shirt. Why was he wearing one anyway? She much preferred him without one.

“I think we need to talk,” Ragnar said after a while of just holding her.

“So talk,” Abigail shot back simply.

No way in hell was she getting off his lap and give him another chance to weird out. Nope, she was staying right there and whatever he had to say, he’d have to get it out right now. He chuckled as her hands fisted around the material of his shirt, like she was intending to hang on for dear life.

“I haven’t told you everything about me yet,” he said.

“I’d hope so!” she laughed. “I’d like to think there’s more to you than a few conversations can reveal.”

“Sure, but I mean the big stuff. Abigail, I’m an addict,” he said, leaning back so their eyes could meet.

Abigail blinked a few times, looking at him. Ragnar Hamilton, the man so strictly in command of his feelings and actions, an addict? It was a surprise, no doubt. But thinking about it, it made sense. The way he took himself out of situations that could turn painful for him, how closed off he sometimes was… she’d known men who’d had that in their past, and a few who were addicts in the present. It wasn’t an easy way to live.

“Drugs?”

“Whiskey,” he said with a wry smirk. “I’ve been clean for years now, but you almost made me want to drink.”

Her cheeks paled as the blood rushed out of her face. Was that why he’d been so damn distant? That she was bad for his… sobriety?

“You have to explain yourself better than that,” she said softly.

“I intend to. Abigail, I think you’re much better for me than I could be for you. I have my problems and I’m not ashamed to admit that they run deep. My father, my past… it isn’t something I enjoy talking about. Royce and Redmond do not know about the drinking, but Rhodes does. And I’m not even sure if my older brothers ever realized what really happened to Dad. But I told you. I wanted you to know everything, and I still do.”

He paused, causing Abigail to frown. If she could have, she would have burrowed even deeper into his lap, hanging off of his every word as she was.

“What does that mean?”

“I know you’re my mate, Abigail,” he said, keeping his gaze steady as a million butterflies flooded her stomach.

She knew what that meant. Hell yes she did. Having worked in the fire department for as long as she had, she’d seen more than one firebear find their mate and their heart right along with it. Ragnar telling her that explained a lot, and made her realize that perhaps deep down inside she already knew. Wasn’t that why she’d allowed herself to fall so easily for him, or was the werebear magic rubbing off on her as well?

“Then why did you ignore me?” she asked, hating herself for sounding so silly.

“I didn’t want to. I thought you would be better off without me. Without my darkness. I’m not an easy man to love, beautiful, and from the bottom of my heart, I want what’s best for you. But what happened at the workshop changed things. I don’t want to pressure you into anything. That’s the last thing I desire, but I had to tell you. I needed you to know that however I acted, however I will act, it’s all because… I love you.”

It hit her like a mallet to the stomach. Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she stared up into his soulful hazel eyes, not a shred of dishonesty to them. She could always be sure that Ragnar Hamilton was honest to the bone. The way he held his heart out for her to see was amazing.

“I don’t want you to leave. I want you to stay with me, here in Idaho, and we’ll figure things out. If it doesn’t work, okay, but I want to know that I at least tried. And I wanted to be honest with you. It is, at the very least, what you deserve,” he said, his expression hardening.

Instinctively, her hand went up to his face, tracing the lines of his high cheekbones and the rugged sharpness of his jaw. God, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen and here he was, telling her he loved her after barely knowing her for a week and then dragging her out of a burning building. It was happening so fast, but it all felt… right. And it knotted her stomach up, knowing that what she wanted to tell him mirrored his feelings almost to the word.

“I don’t want to leave,” she said with a small smile, brushing away tears that threatened to come to her eyes.

His face lit up and he grinned widely, the warmest smile she’d seen on him yet. “Really?”

“Really,” Abigail nodded, scooting up a bit to be level with his face. “I don’t know what this is exactly, but I feel it too. I don’t want to walk out on you without giving this a chance to go where it’s going. I love your darkness, and if you need it, I can shine a light in there and make it a bit brighter,” she said with a grin.

“It’s a deal, then,” Ragnar growled, a different kind of spark coming to his eyes, one that promised something that Abigail had been craving since that hot afternoon in the workshop.

“Deal,” she whispered, and she kissed him firmly on the lips, not willing to wait a second longer.

Whatever came next, she was ready for it. Arsonist bears, crazy wills, bear family drama, you name it. Abigail Ramirez was the right kind of girl to tough it out. As long as she could be curled up in the arms of her very own firebear, she was willing to give anything a shot.
 

EPILOGUE

Ragnar

The road to recovery was always a long one. It was made all the more longer when there was a cloud hanging over one’s head. But having the right kind of people around sure made it easier.

Ragnar smirked to himself, tossing a heavy crossbeam on his shoulder like it didn’t weigh a thing and carrying it to the building site. Royce and Redmond were hard at work erecting the framing, and by the evening they hoped to have the structure mostly complete. Now that Abigail had decided to stay with them, setting up a decent workshop for her seemed like the first thing to do.

The last week or so had been pure heaven. He’d barely gotten out of the room, let alone the house because of the amounts of fun he was having with Abigail. Choosing to give the family some rest from their loud and passionate lovemaking, he’d moved both of them into one of the secondary houses on the farm. It was in as shoddy of a condition as Hamilton House, but everything could be fixed with time.

The only thing he did take time for was continuing his investigation on the Hasslebacks. From what he could tell, Slade still hadn’t returned and Sear was alone in their house. He’d seen the look on the man’s face. In retrospect, Ragnar should have realized immediately when he saw Sear that the bear at least had nothing to do with the fire that had almost killed Abigail, but he’d been too fucking angry to think straight at that point.

Good thing that Abigail had been there, because Redmond and Royce had been wound up just as tight. Having only recently found their mates, a threat to one of the women boiled over into a state of emergency for all three Hamiltons.