Page 34 of Bear Creek Thanksgiving (Holiday Mates #3)
Sunday afternoon, Pocono Ridge Resort
At three minutes before one o’clock, Gruff and Dustin arrived at the resort’s main lobby to find Ryder waiting.
He greeted them with a smile and a brief scenting before escorting them to a small conference room—part of Dash Hawthorn’s private office suite.
Ryder opened the unmarked door to reveal a round table, four plush chairs, and the man they’d been expecting.
He was a clean-shaven human with short salt and pepper hair, wearing a pair of stylish glasses and a disarming smile. He appeared to be in his fifties, professionally dressed, and undoubtedly well-prepared. The attorney stood and approached as Ryder began the introductions.
“This is Randall Gorman, representing the firm Richardson, Hopper, and Smyth. Mr. Gorman, allow me to introduce Gruff Cunningham and his mate, Dustin Mowry.”
Gorman approached Gruff first, holding still so he could be scented. Gruff did so briefly, suppressing a growl which might be misinterpreted, and then extended his hand. Gorman shook it, and then nodded politely to Dustin.
“I am very pleased to meet both of you and bring this delicate matter to a successful conclusion. Be seated, gentlemen, and we’ll get started.”
Gruff faced Gorman across the table, with Dustin and Ryder on either side. In front of the attorney lay a couple of colored folders, along with a closed cardboard box. The man began speaking once everyone had settled.
“It has been a privilege to work on this case, and I was pleased to learn that a Kennedy heir had been found. I’m also grateful to Mr. Sinclair for his thorough explanation of the unique circumstances surrounding these events.
However, I understand the personal, and possibly upsetting, nature of the information we will be discussing today.
If any of you have questions as we go along, please feel free to ask them. ”
Dustin tightened his grip on Gruff’s hand as the man huffed several times before settling back in his chair with a resigned moan. Dustin gave Gorman a nod, and the man continued.
“Hugo Kennedy was raised in a Bureau of Shifter Affairs orphanage in Frankfort Springs—not far from Pittsburgh, near the West Virginia border. Unfortunately, the records of his time there were destroyed in a fire some years after Kennedy was grown and gone. Much of the information I possess has been gleaned from numerous interviews, school and employment records, and word of mouth. As far as we can determine, he had no known family in the state of Pennsylvania. When he was of age, he attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, earning an undergraduate and master’s degree in environmental engineering. ”
Gruff was surprised to know his father had been an orphan and impressed by his credentials and occupation. Gorman continued.
“When his schooling ended, Mr. Kennedy began working for a firm in Pittsburgh, specializing in water quality issues. By all accounts, he was well known and respected in the industry, popular with his co-workers, and eager to find a mate and raise a family. Early in his career, he made three important decisions. One was to join an ancestry search site, hoping to find blood relations—something shifters rarely do, as I understand it. It was this record which enabled us to positively identify you as his heir.”
The revelation shocked Gruff. There was nothing intrinsically wrong with the practice, but it suggested Kennedy’s desperate need to find his family.
His father must have known that the chances of finding his relatives on such a site was extremely remote.
Unaware of Gruff’s thoughts, Gorman proceeded with his narrative.
“Second, Mr. Kennedy purchased a large piece of wooded property as a future home site.
It is located in Washington Township, one hour northeast of Pittsburgh along the Allegany River.
At the time of purchase, it was rural and undeveloped, though now the property is considered prime real estate and is quite valuable.
His former co-workers have confirmed that Mr. Kennedy spent most of his free time there as a bear, using a one-room cabin as his base.
“Third, he established an investment portfolio to secure his financial future and make provision for a mate and cubs. Until his disappearance, Kennedy made regular, sizable contributions which created quite a nest egg. Over the last two and a half decades, the value has increased significantly.”
Gorman paused to slide two folders across the table and explained what they were.
“The blue one is a summary of Kennedy’s investment portfolio from PWM.
All the figures were accurate up until one week ago.
The red one contains information, including maps, of the Washington Township property and its current value.
You will find a list of firms included who are eager to purchase or develop the land, though you are free to do as you wish.
Together, they offer you a number of enviable financial choices for a man your age.
My advice is to consult with professionals before making any final decisions. ”
While Gruff was naturally curious, he decided to look at the material later with Dustin and Ryder. Right now, he was more interested in what else Gorman knew.
“What can you tell me… did you learn anything about Kennedy and my mother?”
Like any good attorney, Gorman had anticipated the question.
“The information I have has been pieced together from various sources, and I cannot vouch for its complete accuracy. As I understand it, Kennedy became more despondent with every passing mating season. By the time he’d reached his late thirties, he began visiting new areas of the state, hoping to increase his chances of finding a mate.
In the year that you and your littermates were conceived, he traveled to the Elk State Forest and met your mother.
“Very little is known about her, other than she lived in bear form virtually all of the time and lived exclusively in the wild.
Apparently, Kennedy spent every weekend of the mating season with her, and after learning that she would bear his cubs, he claimed her.
He then left briefly to make arrangements for a home to be built and informed his friends and coworkers that he had found his mate.
“When he returned to bring her back to the city, she was nowhere to be found.
We now know she fled to the Williamsport area, some ninety miles to the east, and gave birth to three cubs the following spring.
Meanwhile, Kennedy was desperate to find her, methodically searching central Pennsylvania in an ever-widening circle.
It took him thirteen months to locate her and the cubs.
By then, he had become distraught and dangerously unstable without his mate.
“Based on other similar cases, we presume the woman refused to accept Kennedy or return to the city with him. It must have been the last mental straw, and in his madness, he attacked her and the cubs. Gruff survived because two hunters stumbled upon the scene and shot Kennedy, thinking he was a natural bear. The injured cub, who was unused to shifting, did so the next day and was immediately placed in the local BSA orphanage, under the care of Jay and Esther Cunningham.”
The room remained eerily quiet as Gruff sat still as stone, eyes closed as he tried to sort out his feelings.
Dustin had been right about his father. He wasn’t a mindless killer, but an intelligent and resourceful man who’d carefully planned for a future with a mate and cubs.
What had happened was the result of a known, but rare, quirk in shifter psychology which Kennedy couldn’t control.
At the same time, Gruff’s traitorous mind conjured up the unwelcome possibility of Dustin rejecting and abandoning him.
A paralyzing wave of fear and desperation washed over him, and he blindly reached for his mate.
Dustin saw it coming and climbed onto his lap, ignoring Ryder and Gorman as he sought to comfort Gruff.
He’d been afraid that all of this would trigger a reaction as the poor man trembled and moaned beneath him.
“I won’t leave you, Mate. Listen to me, Gruff—you’re mine forever!”
Gruff’s arms held Dustin tight as he breathed in the man’s scent. Comforting thoughts began replacing the fear.
I am not my father.
Dustin won’t leave me.
What we have is real and lasting.
We belong together, always.
Gruff took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Dustin’s scent was a mix of worry, love, and the tears that had dripped onto his shoulder.
“Don’t cry, Dusty. We’re going to be okay.”
Dustin pulled back to search his face, gently stroking both furry cheeks until they wore matching smiles. Leaning in, he placed soft kisses on Gruff’s mouth, whispering “ mine” in between each one. After another warm hug, Dustin turned to find Ryder and Gorman missing.
“Oops. I think we scared them off. Let me go see.”
Dustin slid off of Gruff’s lap and opened the conference room door. The men were standing nearby chatting quietly and Ryder paused to address him.
“We thought you needed some time alone. Everything all right?”
Dustin smiled, waving them back inside.
“We’re good, and thank you.”
Once everyone was seated, Dustin got them restarted by asking Gorman another question.
“Gruff is twenty-four. Can you tell us why it took so long to track him down?”
Ryder must have already known the answer, but Gruff’s curiosity had him growling in agreement. Gorman suspected the topic would come up and began the twisted tale.
“There were a number of factors in play during those years, including a change of ownership at Pittsburgh Wealth Management, lost records, new inheritance laws, and updated regulations regarding shifter rights.
Records show that early investigators encountered a lack of cooperation among the shifter population, and the fact that Gruff was not using the Kennedy name made searching for him nearly impossible.