Page 5

Chapter Five

Tegan

“So…this is it?” I asked as I walked into the tiny cabin, cringing at how ungrateful I sounded.

Barrett nodded.

“It’s rustic. And kinda cute.” The bed had a calico print spread and a chunky knit blanket at the foot. There were a couple of velvety chairs by the window, and two built-in bookcases flanking the fireplace. The cabin was perched on the edge of some farmland, and there was a breathtaking view of the Sawtooth Mountains from every window. “With a little love, a few plants, and a spicy candle, it could totally have a cottage core aesthetic.”

This bear shifter was also a little rough around the edges and with some love…

No. No, no, no. I still wasn’t convinced that Gideon wouldn’t pop out of the shadows at any minute. He’d have to do a really good job hiding in this tiny place. But I wouldn’t put anything past the slippery wolf.

And if Barrett was the real deal, and he’d done the job I’d hired him to do—even though he’d picked the most banana pants way to pull it off—he still royally pissed Gideon off. If I’d learned anything about my former boss, it was that he insisted on getting the last word.

“How long do you plan to keep me here?” I cringed again as I sank into one of the chairs. I’d asked Barrett to get me out of a terrible situation, and he’d done so. In my defense, I was exhausted. I hadn’t slept at all last night, trying to manifest a way out of marrying Gideon Silverclaw. I could check that off the list of things to do. But now my body hurt—adventures like this weren’t so easy on the north side of forty.

It was a total tease to be marooned from Moonlight Mates so close to The Real Werewives , but being near where they filmed my favorite show gave me hope that this might work out okay after all.

“You’re free to go any time you want,” Barrett rumbled and ran his hand over his beard. “But you hired me to keep you safe, and I plan to see that mission through. As long as it takes.”

Comforting. Sort of.

“The Silverclaws won’t let this go quietly,” I said, more to myself than him.

Barrett took a step toward me and crouched down so we were at eye level. “What do you want to do about it?”

Sweet moon, the simple move was way hotter than it should’ve been.

“I want to expose them.” It was my turn to growl. “Stop them from destroying more lives.”

“Do you have evidence of what they plan to do?” he asked.

“Not exactly proof.” This was where things got tricky. “Gideon’s obviously decided I know enough to be dangerous. I think I know where to find the evidence.”

Barrett’s expression darkened. “But nothing solid in hand.”

Why did I feel like I’d let him down?

“I have a couple of pictures on my phone. They’re blurry, but…” I patted my thighs, remembering that I was still in this stupid wedding dress. “My phone! I left it behind.”

I was out of my chair, full panic mode activated. There was no way that thing wasn’t in the hands of production. But it wasn’t like I could’ve tucked it into my bra when I’d planned to walk down the aisle. Even I wasn’t that trashy.

“Someone needs to invent a wedding dress with pockets.” I groaned, shaking my head. The mic pack was still hooked onto the back of my dress, but the wire had been torn away when Barrett had ripped me from set. So production wouldn’t know what had happened once we left the ranch, but they had access to everything that had happened up until that point.

Which was seriously not good.

“We can get you a new one.” Barrett was way too calm about this.

“All the proof I have on the Silverclaws is in there. I texted you, and you called me back on it. They’ll know who you are. We have to get it.” I was in a full blow panic.

“We can have it wiped.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “How?”

“Bellamy is more than just a getaway driver.” He grinned. “He’s a world class systems analyst.”

“Hacker,” I corrected.

“He gets the job done and I appreciate that.” The rumble was back in Barrett’s voice.

“And he’s working here?” Sweet moon, I needed to stop talking. One more faux pas and Barrett would bring me back to Moonlight Mates . “I mean, with skills like that, it seems like he’d be doing bigger jobs.”

The bear let out a low chuckle. “You have no idea how much trouble you’re actually in.”

That wasn’t true, I thought to myself stubbornly. After all, I was the one who’d spent the last three years with Gideon Silverclaw in some capacity. But from the hard expression on Barrett’s face, the slight rumble that kept slipping out of him, and the downright protective vibe… “You know something I don’t.”

“We wouldn’t have taken this job if there weren’t big implications,” he added.

My ruined wedding dress offered no defense against the chill that went down my spine.

“Are there clothes here?” I asked, motioning to my wedding dress. “I keep expecting this thing to wind up around my waist. Be thankful you don’t have to ever wear a strapless bra. They’re the absolute worst.”

Barrett unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his muscular chest. There was a healthy dusting of hair on his pecs and his abs, but not enough to hide the impressive definition. He slipped the shirt down his shoulders, and I turned toward the window to keep from staring.

But the bear had a way of drawing me back in. I turned to find him with the shirt hanging from his finger. An offering. From a half-naked security guy I wasn’t sure I could trust.

But moon knew I wanted to.

“You can sleep in this tonight, and I’ll get you clothes tomorrow.” The rumble was in full force now, like it increased in proportion to how much clothing he wasn’t wearing.

Wouldn’t you like to find out?

“I can come shopping with you.”

His expression said hell no.

“I can be hard to fit.” I lobbied for my freedom. Surely he didn’t mean that I’d have to stay in this cabin indefinitely. “Women’s sizes don’t make any sense.”

“I’ll figure it out.” Oh, the bear had an answer for everything. “It’s best that no one knows you’re here.”

“They know I’m with you,” I reminded him. “What about you? Are you willing to stay here indefinitely? Don’t you have a family to go home to?”

His expression went dark at the word family. He bristled, and he’d never been more bear.

“Want to talk about it?” The answer was most definitely no, and most likely not with me, but I had to at least try to make it better.

He let out a long sigh. “I do have someone to go home to. But she’s away right now.”

Why did my stupid heart just sink? It wasn’t like Barrett was a contestant on Moonlight Mates . I’d paid him to rescue me. This was his job.

But there had been something about the way he’d held me in the helicopter when I was absolutely terrified that made me feel safe.

Okay, it made me feel more things than safe, but I needed to push that deep down into a place I’d soon forget about.

Of course Barrett was happily married. The bear was gorgeous and successful, and he seemed like a pretty nice guy. I needed to remind myself not every man I met was an eligible bachelor. Life wasn’t a reality show.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. I didn’t specify what part I was sorry about.

A dreamy smile spread across his face. “Natalie, she’s my daughter, wants to be the first bear shifter to go to the moon. And beyond that, because why limit yourself to one planet, right? So she begged me to go to a semester of space school. How could I say no?”

“There’s no way you could.”

He shook his head, and he looked like he was about to burst with pride. “Absolutely not. But sometimes, I start talking to her, forgetting she’s not here. It’s gonna take me a while to get used to it.”

“I bet. How is your wife dealing with it?”

Any good feelings that had been evoked by talking about his daughter descended into darkness. “She passed away. Three years ago. Cancer.”

I could feel the pain in every word. “I’m so sorry. I lost my mom to cancer too. Nothing’s ever the same.”

He shook his head, like he was lost without her. “That’s the truth. You just gotta keep going, and the hard part is, so many people don’t see the gaping hole in your life that will never be filled.”

“I get it. It’s not the same as losing a mate, but my life has been…pretty much a disaster since I lost my mom. She was my rock. She would’ve been the one that kept me out of this mess.” A yawn overtook my entire being. We’d gotten to the cabin right before sunset. “I’m so sorry. My body is about to shut down. Can’t party like I used to now that I’ve turned forty.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” He chuckled. Maybe it was the distraction we both needed. “You should get some sleep.”

I was still holding onto his shirt. His strong, earthy scent radiated from it.

“Don’t you need this back?” It looked like we were in a valley, and nights would get cold quickly. “So you can go home?”

The question seemed a little cruel after the conversation we’d just had.

“Nope, I’m staying. It’s not safe for you to be here alone.”

I eyed the bed. “How do you want to do this?”