My Heart Laid Bear (Blue Moon Junction) (3 page)

              “She works for my company doing social media marketing,” Sam’s voice boomed out from the doorway.

              Clover started. She had been so distracted by Bonnie’s inquisition that she hadn’t even heard Sam pull up.

              Sam strode across the room and sat down next to Clover. The couch creaked and groaned under his weight; he was a big, solid man.  Clover found herself sliding up against him and desperately tried to scooch away, but the couch was slanting downward towards him. He was wearing cologne with notes of cedar and lemongrass in it, which mingled with the animal scent of his own musk. 

              She leaned to the left so she wasn’t pressed right up against him, but her leg was still pressing against his. He was like solid rock.

              “Oh, Mr. McCoy!” Bonnie simpered. “I didn’t see you there.” Then her expression turned doubtful. “She just arrived in town yesterday, and already she has a job with your family?”

              “I believe that’s what I just said thirty seconds ago, yes.” Sam’s voice had an edge to it. “She came to our property today, applied for the job and we hired her. She starts tomorrow. Nine a.m. sharp.”

              He glanced at her for confirmation, and Clover nodded in agreement, at a loss for words. Why would he help her?

              “Well, they’re living in a boarding house.” Bonnie frowned doubtfully.

              “Which is not illegal. It is a very clean and well-kept residence, which has been run by the same family for generations. A very well-liked local family. Are you saying there’s something wrong with this boarding house?” The edge in Sam’s voice had gotten considerably sharper.

              Bonnie wilted visibly. Sam could get away with saying that kind of thing; Clover couldn’t have.

              “Not at all,” she said. She stood up and glanced back at Clover. “But who will watch the children while you’re at work?”

              “I will.” Imogen’s normally sweet voice had turned hard. “We’ve already worked it out. The youngest is ten and the oldest is thirteen, so legally they could supervise themselves, for that matter, but they will be under my supervision.”

              Bonnie harrumphed. “I’ll need to interview the children right now, to make sure that everything is in order.”

              Clover tensed. Her siblings wouldn’t interview well, she was sure of that. They were nice to everyone who was nice to them, but like her, they tended to be on the defensive side when snooty authority figures looked down their noses at them. It came from growing up with ragged hippie parents who proudly wore hand-me-downs and vowed not to be oppressed by the man.

              “Then you’ll need to bring a lawyer.  And all of my employees have access to the family law firm,” Sam said coldly.

              Bonnie’s expression turned frosty and indignant, but she gave a short, sharp nod and turned and left the room.

              “Breathe,” Sam said, and Clover realized she’d been holding her breath.

              “She said that someone called her and reported some concerns about my family. At first I thought it was you, trying to run us out of town.” She looked at him accusingly.

              “It most definitely was not me,” Sam said. “I don’t use underhanded tactics. If I want someone to leave town, I’ll tell them to their face, and I’ll tell them why.”

              She had a feeling that was true.

“What brought you over here in the first place?” she asked.

              He held up her wallet. “You left this in my office. Fell out of your purse.” She took it, and realized that her hand was shaking. Mingled anger and frustration swirled in the pit of her stomach. Now she owed Sam a favor, and she hadn’t even resolved the issue with her sister, and…

              “She’s left the property,” Imogen said, looking out the window. “Shall we go give the children the all clear?”

              “You are a lifesaver.” Clover rubbed her face with her hands. “Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you so much for your help.”

              “Oh, pshaw. I didn’t like that interfering twit from the second I saw her climb out of her car.” Imogen left the living room.

              Sam turned to smile at Clover. She was still sitting so close to him that they were crushing up against each other. She could stand up now; Bonnie was gone. Why didn’t she stand up? Any minute now, she’d stand up.

“Actually, you might want to make it 8:30,” Sam said to Clover. “So you can fill out the paperwork.”

              She stared at him as if he’d grown two heads. “Huh? Did I miss part of the conversation somehow?”

              “You need to fill out paperwork,” Sam said patiently. “For the job.”

              “You… Oh, I thought you were just saying that to cover for me.”

              “Nope. We really do need someone to do social media for our company. Should have brought someone in a long time ago.”

              Was he making fun of her? No way he really wanted to hire her. “I promised my sister I’d go to the doctor with her tomorrow afternoon. I already told you that.”

              “Then just get set up tomorrow morning, and start your first full day the day after tomorrow.” Great. He had an answer for everything. Except the one thing she wanted to know.

              “Are you ready to tell me what you have against my sister?” she demanded.

              “Not yet.”

              She stood up so she wouldn’t be pressed up against his hot, hard body anymore. “You are a control freak and an asshole.”

              He stood up too, towering over her and standing way too close. “Could be. But I’m also handsome and charming and I grill a kick-ass steak .” He flashed a winning smile. “And don’t even get me started on my blueberry pie. You should try it sometime. It melts in your mouth.”

              She maintained her stony glare, which was hard to do because she was struggling not to salivate. Was it the thought of that blueberry pie or his delicious scent or the heat from his body that was making her knees weak?

              “Am I cracking those walls even a little bit?” Still smiling down at her. Bastard

              Yes, he was. If he were to accidentally brush against her she might burst into flames.

She put on her best poker face. “You’re strengthening them. With reinforced concrete.”

              “Ouch.” He put his hand to his broad chest.

              “Why would you even hire me, of all people?” she asked suspiciously. “There are other social media marketers out there.”

              “I saw your online website, with your blog posts on social media marketing.  Your website is very attractive and professional, your blog was funny and engaging and it explains social media in a way that even a numbskull like me could understand.  You know your stuff. You went to one of the top schools in the country. I assume you left early to take care of your family?”

              She shrugged. Might as well tell him what had happened; that would put the kibosh on the job offer for sure.  Yes, she needed a job, but she didn’t think she could work on the same property as this infuriating bear.

              “My parents let my uncle move in with them a few months ago. He’d been in prison, all kinds of drug arrests in the past, I told them it was a terrible idea. They swore he was turning over a new leaf. The next thing we know, cops are kicking down the door to their house looking for my uncle, claiming that he was growing and distributing Somniatus, and my uncle has disappeared. My parents were afraid that they would be considered guilty by association. They decided to lay low and try to raise money for a lawyer before they resurface So I had to go get the kids and take a leave of absence from college.”

              She saw the look on his face. Somniatus was a major problem for bears.

Somniatus was a relatively new drug that had only been introduced a couple of years ago. It was highly addictive and caused powerful hallucinations. It was created by taking a plant that grew naturally in the wild and caused a mild high, and altering it in a laboratory, creating the powerful, addictive version.

It only affected bear shifters. One of the worst things about it was that sometimes it caused bears to become violent – and there had already been a couple of human deaths as a result.

The Enforcers, the national law enforcement body that dealt with shifter affairs, was determined to eradicate its producers and distributors before it caused a major rift in human-shifter relations.

              “And you feel confident that your parents weren’t involved?” Sam raised an eyebrow, studying her face intently.

              She struggled to keep her temper in check. He had just saved her butt.  She was probably obligated to be nice to him for at least the next five minutes – or at least refrain from chewing his face off.

              “My parents have had minor skirmishes with the law, I can’t deny that,” she said heatedly. “Let me emphasize the word
minor
. They mostly make a living selling jewelry at fairs, but from time to time they have been accused of some pool hustling, some card sharking, and okay, maybe some shoplifting. But drug dealing, and something like Somniatus? That’s huge. They’re not on drugs, I would be able to tell and I wouldn’t stand for it. They wouldn’t bring that kind of lifestyle into our home with my brother and sisters.”

              He didn’t look entirely convinced, but he nodded. “Well, I hope things work out in that area. And I’ll see you tomorrow at 8:30.”

              “I don’t know how long we’ll be here,” she protested. “I only came to town to deal with this thing with my sister. Once my sister and your brother get married, I expect we may pack up and leave.”

              He didn’t bother to comment on that. “Will you agree to stay long enough to get us up and running with social media?”

              “I mean…yes, if I took the job I wouldn’t leave until everything was in place.” She paused. “I’ll take it on one condition. You tell me why you are attempting to prevent the marriage.” 

              It occurred to her that if she took this job, which would be located on the McCoy property, it would make it much easier for her to track down Jeffrey and tell him how much he’d devastated Sapphire and how hard she cried every night. He’d have to come around then, wouldn’t he?

              “In one month, if you still need to know, I’ll tell you. “ He stood up abruptly. “I’ll be seeing you. Your office is right next to mine.”

              “Next to yours?” she squawked in dismay. “Absolutely not! As far as I’m concerned, you and I are at war.”

              He replied with a slow, lazy grin that made her knees quiver. “I’m fine with that. Think how lucky you are to be stationed right next to enemy headquarters. You can gather all kinds of valuable intel.” He turned to go, then paused and gave her another one of those slow, appraising looks that heated her from head to toe. “Just know that when I really want something, I fight very, very dirty.”

              Arousal  pulsed through her body, throbbing between her legs. She barely choked down a whimper of desire as he left the room.

              So far the morning had been blessedly Sam-free. That was a good thing, but it was also making Clover nervous. She kept expecting him to burst in the door and start that flirting with her again.

              She sighed and turned her attention back to Blue McCoy, the family matriarch and Sam’s aunt.  They were sitting in Clover’s office, with the McCoy’s website pulled up on her computer screen.

              Blue had brought her daughter Jemma with her to help out, since Jemma was a high school student and therefore able to speak the language of computer. Jemma had dark hair with blue tips. She was alternating between watching them and checking her cell phone.

              “We need to start with your website,” Clover said. “Right now, it’s very plain and simple, it doesn’t have a blog, you don’t have a newsletter signup form, and you’re not optimized for search engines at all.  I can recommend a couple of excellent web design companies. While they’re redesigning your website, we’ll be working on the content for the site and for your newsletter. I’m also going to be creating a Facebook page and Twitter and Instagram accounts.”

              “Oh, dear. I understand some of it, but the rest of it…I feel like you’re speaking Martian.” Blue sighed.

              “That’s because you still haven’t entered the twenty-first century,” Jemma said. Tap tap tap went her fingers on the phone screen.

              Blue shot her daughter an annoyed look, then returned her attention to Clover. “What will we put on our new website?” Blue wondered.

              “We need to take a bunch of pictures for the website.” Clover studied the screen. Dull brown and tan colors, a picture of the outside of their store, minimal text. “A good family portrait of you all standing in front of a blueberry bush. Pictures of you guys picking berries. Pictures of you at your farm stand and the store that you have in town, serving customers.  And then a bunch of pictures of berry bushes, baskets of berries, jams and jellies being made…it needs to be mouthwatering. And then you need to give people a reason to want to visit your website again and again. The best way to do that, for your type of company, is to create a recipe section and post new recipes featuring your products on a regular basis.  I’d also recommend that you hold monthly contests. First prize could be something like a free cookbook or a case of assorted jams and jellies.”

              “Okay, I understand all of that.” Blue brightened up considerably.

              “You definitely want to think of holidays. Recipes for the fourth of July, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas…and your monthly prizes can be holiday themed on those months, too. And to get people to sign up for your newsletter, you need to offer them a freebie. I’m thinking a free downloadable mini-cookbook with twenty recipes, all of which would use your products. Jam tarts, raspberry lindt cookies, that kind of stuff.”

              Clover glanced at Jemma clicking away on her phone. “And because so many people use their phone as their computer these days, we need to make sure that the website design is responsive. That means that it will look good whether it’s on a computer, a cell phone or a tablet.”

              “I like,” Jemma said, nodding, her gaze still glued to her phone. “She knows her stuff.”

              “Aren’t we lucky we found her?” Blue beamed at Clover with approval.

              Fine, so Sam’s family was nice. Whatever. Sam was the devil in a bear suit, and she was still contemplating various ways that she could eviscerate him.

At noon, Jemma came to fetch her for lunch. Apparently lunch was provided for employees, and everyone ate outside at picnic tables on nice days. She followed Jemma out of the building, checking nervously for signs of Sam, but he was nowhere to be seen.  She didn’t see Jeffrey either, unfortunately.  She’d give it a couple days and then start casually snooping around and see if she could find out where he was hanging out these days.

              There was a group of big picnic tables in the middle of the green by the office building, with a couple of dozen or so bears and humans already sitting down and chatting and eating.  She and Jemma loaded up their plates with sandwiches and cookies from a buffet table, and sat down.

              The chocolate chip cookies were freshly baked and gooey, and Clover stuffed one in her mouth and washed it down with ice-cold milk that Jemma poured for her from a ceramic pitcher. Working here did have its perks, she had to admit.

              An older bear couple who looked familiar settled in across from her, with vaguely disapproving looks on their faces.  They were introduced as Marjorie and Michael Thomas, distant relatives of the McCoy family.

              “So, I understand you’re from the Jones family,” Marjorie said, arching an eyebrow, her words dripping with honeyed venom.

              Oh, good. Here it comes, Clover thought.

              “And I understand you’re from the Thomas family,” she replied.

              Marjorie looked momentarily confused. “Well, yes. I just introduced myself,” she said.

              Clover ignored her and dug into her sandwich. 

              “You’re coyotes and bears. That’s an
interestin
g combination.” Marjorie sounded out every syllable of the word “interesting” and stared intently at Clover, as if expecting her to sprout wings or grow horns on the spot.

              Yep. They were half-breeds, all right. Clover was feeling more and more out of place. She should have known this would happen.

              “So, what is your family up to these days?” Marjorie continued.

              “Well, I’m working here.” Clover took another big bite.

              “Yes, I see that.” Marjorie answered condescendingly. “What about the rest of your family?”

              “They’re fine, thanks for asking.”

              “I used to see your sister with Jeffrey all the time. I haven’t seen her here all week. How has she been?”

              “Doing quite well.”

              Jemma shot her an annoyed look. “Is the interrogation over now? Our guest might like to eat her lunch.”

              Marjorie let out a small huff of annoyance and turned to talk to her husband. “The preparations for the Jamboree are coming along quite nicely,” she said. “All of the
finest
bear families will be there.”

              The national Jamboree was a gathering of bears from all over the country. This year it would be held in Gainesville, Florida, and the McCoy family, as usual, would be major sponsors. It was an invitation-only affair that had been held since the early 1900s, and only shifters of impeccable pedigree were invited. In other words, not the Jones family.

              “It’ll be a wonderful opportunity for the men in our family to meet some
appropriate
young ladies from good families, won’t it?” Marjorie said just as the conversation around the table reached a lull. She’d spoken in a deliberately loud voice, and everyone turned and stared at her.

              Clover felt her cheeks heating up. She got the clear message. She wasn’t appropriate, her sister wasn’t appropriate.  This went a long way towards explaining why Sam wouldn’t let her sister marry his brother. Someone from the Jones family, at the notoriously snooty Jamboree? It would never happen.

              It was also quite clear that no matter how much Sam flirted with her, he’d only use her and cast her aside. Apparently that was the McCoy style. People like her were good enough to screw, not good enough to marry.

              Marjorie favored Jemma with a huge, beaming smile. “I’m sure you’ll be attending, won’t you, young lady?”

              Jemma gave her a frosty look. “The only people who go to the Jamboree are boring, stuck-up twats with sticks up their asses. So no, I won’t be going.”

              Marjorie choked on her iced tea, her husband glared, and Clover pushed back her chair and stood. She’d lost her appetite, which was quite uncommon for a bear. “I need to get back to work,” she said to no one in particular, and walked quickly away from the table.

              “What?” She heard Marjorie’s loud, smug tone behind her. “We just got rid of one of them, and he has to invite another charity case onto our property? Remember to count the silverware, that’s all I have to say.” She deliberately raised her voice at that last part.

              Jemma ran after Clover.

              “Ignore that old bitch,” she said. “She’s got three daughters she wants to marry off to a McCoy, and if she could get Sam to marry one of them it would be the coup of the century. It’ll never happen. She’s paraded them in front of him a million times and they’re not his type.”

              “What is his type?” Clover asked, then cursed herself for even wondering. Why did she even care? She’d be working here for a month, tops, and then she’d get out of here.

              Jemma considered the question. “You know, it’s hard to say. He dates a lot of women but none of them ever seem to last for very long. He says it’s because he’s married to his work, but I think it’s just because he hasn’t found the right woman yet. I think what he needs is a challenge; the second he meets a woman, they usually drool all over him and act like idiots.”

              “Thanks for sticking up for me back there,” Clover said, pausing in the doorway of the office building.

              “No probs. Seriously, I’d rather poke my eyes out with a stick than go to the Jamboree. It’s like an eighteenth-century debutante ball where everyone’s trying to marry you off to someone from a quote unquote good family. Puke.” Jemma made a face.

              Clover hesitated, then said “What about his brother Jeffrey? Is he a good guy?”

              “Oh yeah, super nice -  too nice for his own good. He’s kind of shy, the opposite of Sam. Their parents died when they were young and Sam’s really protective of him.”

              So why was a super-nice guy dumping his pregnant girlfriend? Clover wondered.

              “He was dating your sister, right?” Jemma said. “I don’t know what happened there. It was – I mean, no offense, it was kind of an odd combination. She’s very – uh, self-confident, I guess? Assertive?”

              “Yes, she can be very pushy,” Clover admitted. And Sapphire usually didn’t go for shy guys – she went for biker dude assholes who did drugs and slept with all her friends.  Maybe Jeffrey’s family wealth and status was the main attraction; Clover hated to admit it, but it was a possibility. And Sapphire was charismatic and beautiful, a much more slender version of Clover; she could picture Sapphire totally dazzling some quiet, shy bear and making him fall head over heels for her.

              But still…she was pregnant. And the McCoys were apparently more than ready to leave her out in the cold.

              “Jeffrey and her were together all the time,” Jemma continued, “and then last week I saw him come home looking really mad and him and Sam were yelling at each other, but I couldn’t hear what it was about, and the next day he left with a few of his friends, went on some vacation to Europe.”

              Europe.
Great.

             
Her heart sank. No chance she could casually come across him here on the property and talk to him face to face.

              In her office, Clover called Sapphire to make sure she was ready to go to the doctor’s office.

              “I can’t make it today,” Sapphire said. “I’m out job hunting.  Did Jeffrey say anything about me?” Her voice sounded hopeful, and Clover’s heart sank. It made her want to pound Sam into the dirt. Unfortunately, that would probably result in her early termination.

              “I haven’t seen him yet,” Clover said. She didn’t want to tell her that the coward had fled the country. Maybe if she could at least get his phone number, Sapphire could call him and he’d grow some
cojones
and come back. He’d been angry when he left; obviously Sam had forced him to go.

              “They’re keeping him from me on purpose.” Sapphire’s voice was bitter. “They’re brainwashing him against me.   We’re not good enough for the fancy McCoy clan.”

              “You’re too good for him,” Clover said firmly. “You’re gorgeous and fun and…” She tried to think of something else. Smart, reliable, trustworthy, a great friend…none of that was actually true, and Clover made it a point to be truthful to a fault, to set a good example for her family.  “Anyway, we’ll fix this, I swear. I don’t believe he’s going to want to turn his back on his own cub. I think he’ll come around.”

              “Where are you right now?”

              “I’m on the McCoy property.” She had tried to call her sister the night before to tell her about the job, but her sister hadn’t answered. Typical Sapphire. Sapphire tended to up and run off every time she faced any kind of obstacle, which worried Clover.  She’d really, really been hoping that having a cub would force Sapphire to settle down.

              “So you’re going to see him today?” Sapphire asked excitedly.

              “No. I, uh… Well, I’m working here.  Sam McCoy hired me to do social media for their company.”