Page 27 of Bearly Ever After (Bear Creek Forever #5)

“Does this mean Mila is leaving Bear Creek?” Finlay asked as they drove back to the ranch.

Does this mean we have lost our mate? Klein’s bear asked in an equally distraught tone.

“I don’t know,” Klein said in answer to both questions.

“Mila told me she had never met her father before and that he wanted nothing to do with her,” Finlay went on. “Did she lie?”

“No.” Klein glanced sharply at Finlay, then forced himself to soften his tone and smile. “Nicole told me the same thing.”

“So, why is he here?” Finlay asked, as if Klein had all the answers.

When, in fact, he had none.

To steal the limelight, Klein’s bear answered.

You really think he would use his daughter like that? Klein asked.

His bear snorted. You don’t?

I know it’s something I could never do, Klein replied.

But you would never have turned Nicole away in the first place, his bear reminded him. No, that man with his shiny white teeth and sleazy smile wants something. And he doesn’t care who he uses to get it.

They drove back to the ranch, each lost in their own misery. What was meant to be a joyous evening now stretched before Klein, as bleak as midwinter.

Was this really it? Had he lost his mate?

After waiting so long, he had imagined them spending the rest of their lives together. Instead, he would only have a handful of days to remember for the rest of his life.

They reached the ranch, and Finlay jumped out of the truck, shoulders hunched as he opened the gate. Klein eased his foot off the gas and rolled forward, his earlier anger replaced by a deep well of sadness.

A well so deep that it would last a lifetime.

Klein stopped the truck and waited for Finlay to shut the gate. As he did, a loud hum made Klein’s chest thrum.

The helicopter.

He opened the truck door and got out, staring up at the sky as the helicopter skimmed over the mountain.

“Are they in there?” Finlay asked.

Klein pushed out his senses, stretching them to their limit, but he couldn’t tell. “I don’t know.”

But he did know. Mila’s father had come to town and offered Nicole everything she’d always wanted, a chance for her daughter to have a relationship with her father.

The man who had, until now, done nothing except donate his DNA.

Anger stirred in the pit of Klein’s stomach as he turned away from the disappearing helicopter, now no more than a speck against the late afternoon sky.

Klein stalked back to the truck and got in. As he slammed the door closed, Finlay climbed in beside him, the teen’s eyes bright with unshed tears.

Say something, his bear urged.

“I’m sure they’ll be back,” Klein said, but his words didn’t sound true. Didn’t feel true.

Klein shook his head. What have we got to offer against…

Love, his bear said. True, eternal love.

But would love be enough?

Nicole had spent her life caring for her daughter, doing what she thought was best for her. And a relationship with her father...wasn’t that best for Mila?

Don’t be so sure, his bear answered.

Klein drove the short distance to the ranch house and parked the truck. As he switched off the engine, the ranch house door opened, and his mother stood there, her face a picture of happiness.

“We need to set up the tables!” Mary called out cheerfully.

“I’m not sure...” Klein glanced at Finlay. “Why don’t you go take that shower?”

“But if Mila and Nicole aren’t coming...” Finlay began.

Klein placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “You are still a hero, Finlay. The celebration was for both of you. And if Mila and Nicole can’t be here, then we’ll celebrate for them. Toast them. And hold them in our hearts.”

Finlay’s face cracked into a bashful smile. “Okay.”

“Now, go wash up,” Klein told him, giving him a gentle push toward the house.

“Klein?” Mary asked.

“Mila’s father arrived in town. By helicopter.” Klein couldn’t bear to look his mother in the eyes. He didn’t want her to share in the pain he felt. A pain that threatened to rob him of breath.

“Her father ?” Mary’s brows tugged together in confusion. “But I thought they were never in contact, that he had refused to have anything to do with Mila.”

“Well, it seems that when he found out his daughter was a local hero, he decided to fly his helicopter straight here and scoop her up for a round of TV interviews.” Klein sucked in a breath, seeking control over his simmering anger.

“Oh, Klein.” Mary wrapped him in her arms, just as she had when he was a child. “We heard the helicopter, but I had no idea who it was.”

“Yeah, they just left,” Klein said gruffly.

“She’ll come back,” Mary assured him.

“Listen, I’m going to go for a ride to clear my head.” Klein pulled away from his mother’s embrace. “Can you handle setting up for the party without me? I just... I need some time alone.”

Mary nodded, understanding. “Of course, honey. Take all the time you need. We’ll get everything ready.” She patted his cheek. “Have faith. Remember, you and Nicole are meant to be. She’ll find her way back to you.”

Klein managed a tight smile before striding toward the barn. The familiar scents of hay, leather, and horse enveloped him as he entered the dim interior. His loyal horse nickered softly, sensing his distress.

“Hey there, Maverick.” With deft, automatic movements, he saddled up and led his horse out into the late afternoon sun. Swinging up onto his back, he set off at a brisk trot, letting Maverick pick his way along the well-worn trail winding up into the hills.

The steady rhythm of hoofbeats and the gentle rocking motion began to soothe his turbulent emotions. Up here, with the vast mountain sky above him and the rugged wilderness stretching out in every direction, his problems seemed smaller. More surmountable.

We could follow Nicole and convince her to come back, his bear suggested.

We could. Klein guided his horse to the top of a ridge and turned in the saddle to look back at the ranch below. Is that the price we have to pay? Give up our life here for a life with our mate?

The Thornberg Ranch spread out below him—the weathered barns and corrals, the sturdy ranch house, the emerald pastures dotted with cattle. Generations of his family had carved out a life in this sometimes harsh but always beautiful land. Their blood and sweat were in this soil.

Could he really leave it all behind? Even for his mate?

He would. In a heartbeat.

“Come on.” He turned his horse’s head toward the ranch. “It’s time to stop running.”

But as he urged the horse forward, he sensed something in the distance.

Someone was coming.

Nicole.

Our mate. His bear was ecstatic. She never got on the helicopter.

Klein leaned forward in the saddle as he reached the bottom of the ridge, the mountain meadow spreading out before him.

There she was. He could see her now, riding toward him on Dusty.

His bear let out a triumphant roar. She’s here. She’s ours.

He spurred his horse forward to meet her, riding as though a storm chased at his heels. The wind whipped through his hair as he ate up the distance between them, his heart pounding in time with the thundering hoofbeats.

Nicole reined her horse to a stop as he approached. Her hair was windblown, her cheeks flushed, as she called out, “Klein!”

In one smooth motion, he dismounted and strode toward her, barely registering her doing the same. Then she was in his arms, her face buried against his chest as he held her tight, breathing in her scent. “Nicole,” he murmured into her hair. “I thought I’d lost you.”

She pulled back to look up at him, tears glistening on her lashes. “Never.”

Relief and love surged through him, rendering him momentarily speechless. He framed her face with his hands, brushing away her tears with his thumbs. “But Mila’s father... I thought...”

“I can only guess what you thought since you rode all the way out here while your family is preparing for the party.” She shook her head at him. “Don’t you realize how much you mean to me?”

“I do,” he said, his throat hoarse. “But I also know how much Mila means to you and how much you’ve wanted her to have a relationship with her father.”

“A father who only shows up when it suits him. A father who only wanted publicity.” Nicole shook her head. “That’s not the kind of man I want in her life.”

“And how does Mila feel about that?” Klein asked, not wanting this to tear a hole in Nicole and Mila’s relationship.

“Mila?” Nicole snorted. “It seems my daughter is a firecracker. She told her father that she already had plans for the evening. And those plans did not include a ride in a helicopter.”

“She did?” Klein asked, a wide grin breaking across his face.

“Oh yes. Mila told him that the most important man in her life was already waiting for her back at the ranch,” Nicole said, then smiled sheepishly. “I don’t think she meant you.”

Klein let out a loud guffaw. “Finlay.”

“And then she said she wouldn’t miss the celebration for anything.” Nicole threaded her hand through his. “And neither would I. Because the most important man in my life was also back at the ranch. Or so I thought. But when we arrived, it seemed you had decided to go for a ride instead.”

Klein ducked his head, a rueful smile tugging at his lips. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted you. It’s just...the thought of losing you...” He trailed off, shaking his head.

Nicole reached up to caress his cheek. “You’re not going to lose me, Klein. Not now, not ever. My place is here, with you, in Bear Creek. This is where I belong. Where Mila belongs.”

He turned his face into her palm, pressing a kiss there. “I love you, Nicole. More than anything.”

“I love you, too,” she whispered. “Now, what do you say we head back and celebrate properly? I think we have a lot to be thankful for.”

Klein grinned, the weight that had been pressing on his heart lifting. “I couldn’t agree more.”

Hand in hand, they mounted their horses and rode back toward the ranch, the setting sun painting the sky in brilliant streaks of orange and pink.

A shifter and his mate riding into the sunset. And a future. Together forever.