Page 10 of Flare (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters #17)
Unwelcome Revelations
Emily breathed in the crisp night air as she made her way down the gravel path toward her guest cabin. She ’ d enjoyed dinner with the Swansons. It only confirmed that coming back to Bearpaw Ridge had been the right decision.
She tucked her hands into her jacket pockets as she walked, savoring the peaceful quiet of the ranch at night. The occasional hooting from a nearby owl and the soft whisper of wind through the trees planted around the houses were pleasant changes from the constant hum of traffic in Spokane.
Her guest cabin was a cozy one-bedroom with rustic pine furniture, a modern bathroom with a large tub and a shower, and a small but well-equipped kitchen.
She ’ d spent Friday unpacking the few possessions she ’ d grabbed during her frantic escape. Her clothes now hung in the cedar-scented closet, and she ’ d put her framed photo of Mom on her nightstand. Then she ’ d driven into town to pick up groceries and other essentials.
Main Street had been busy with Saturday shoppers, and she ’ d been pleasantly surprised by how many familiar faces stopped to say hi and welcome her back to town.
Barbara, the longtime clerk at Wallace ’ s Ranch & Home Supply, remembered her mom and asked how she was doing. The question had stung, but in a bittersweet way that reminded Emily Mom had been loved here.
She ’ d spent almost an hour in the town ’ s brand-new library, chatting with the reference librarian about the latest romance novel releases. After getting a new library card, she ’ d checked out three thick paperbacks.
Emily had stopped reading romances earlier this year after Andrew ’ s mother had mocked her reading tastes as “ Trash for your brain.”
Another thing I won ’ t miss about Spokane.
She was looking forward to catching up with her favorite authors this weekend.
Returning to the cabin, she ’ d spent most of the afternoon making herself a nostalgic meal of pierogies.
The smells of browned onions, butter, and potatoes had evoked happy hours in the kitchen with Mom every Saturday afternoon.
Andrew had turned his nose up when she offered to make them for him, calling them “ boiled starch pockets.”
But he wasn ’ t here now. And she no longer gave a hoot what he liked or didn ’ t like.
It was liberating to cook for herself, and only herself, again. And to enjoy her dinner in blissful solitude, with just her pierogies and a romance novel propped up on the table.
Last night, she ’ d babysat for Maggie and Cade, so they could go to a movie in town. Little D.A. had been a whirlwind of energy, showing her every toy car he owned and insisting they watch the same video about a bear family three times before he finally fell asleep on her lap.
When Maggie and Cade had returned, they ’ d found her still cradling their sleeping son on the sofa. Cade, usually so quiet and reserved, had smiled at her with genuine warmth. “ He likes you.”
“ And I like him. He ’ s a little charmer,” Emily had replied, reluctantly handing the limp toddler over. He didn ’ t wake up as Cade carried him upstairs to tuck him in.
The memories made her smile now as she continued walking to her new home. Tonight ’ s dinner had been another step toward feeling like she belonged here again.
And then there was Eddie… no, Ward , as he preferred to be called these days.
The shy, gangly boy she remembered had grown into a powerfully built man with shoulders a mile wide, but with the same kind hazel eyes and soft-spoken manner.
Her heart had done a silly little flip when she ’ d seen him in Elle ’ s living room, and she ’ d been hyperaware of him throughout dinner, seated directly across from her.
The way his large, callused hands had handled his silverware with unexpected delicacy. The way his cheek showed a dimple under his short beard when he smiled. The deep rumble of his laugh when Justin described his run-ins with one particular member of the Historic Preservation Review board.
Her cheeks heated. What was it about Ward Swanson that made her feel so fluttery inside, especially after everything that had just happened with Andrew?
She shouldn ’ t be noticing any man right now, let alone fantasizing about Ward ’ s strong carpenter ’ s hands.
Emily was standing in front of her cabin door when she realized she ’ d left her purse hanging on a chair in Elle ’ s dining room.
She groaned. “ Damn it.” Her car fob and cabin keys were in that purse, along with her wallet and phone.
She turned to look back at the Victorian. The lights were on in the kitchen, which meant Maggie and Ward were probably still cleaning up. Good.
She walked back and found the front door still unlocked.
Back when she ’ d lived here, no one in Bearpaw Ridge worried about security, unlike Andrew, with his obsessive alarm systems and surveillance cameras.
Emily slipped quietly inside the house, not wanting to disturb Elle and Justin if they ’ d already gone to bed.
As she tiptoed down the hallway to the dining room, she heard voices coming from the kitchen. Maggie and Ward .
When she reached the dining room, something about their tone made her pause. They weren ’ t angry, but there was an intensity to their conversation that caught her attention. Then she heard Andrew ’ s name and couldn ’ t help herself.
She tiptoed to the kitchen door and strained her ears.
“ You know mating bonds don ’ t work the same way with Ordinaries,” Maggie was saying. “ We can form a lifelong bond with them, but they don ’ t bond to us in return. They can walk away. Or take a second mate, like Matt sharing Sophie with Chris.”
Emily froze. Mate?
Andrew had used that word. Now Maggie and Ward, too?
“ I can ’ t. Not if Emily doesn ’ t know about bear shifters. Or mating bonds.” Ward ’ s voice, low and deep, sounded like he was growling.
Emily ’ s heart stuttered in her chest. Bear shifters? No. No, no, no.
She backed away from the kitchen door, heart racing. Bear shifters are real. And they know . Maggie and Ward know!
The memories she ’ d been trying to suppress for days burst through her mental barriers—Andrew ’ s body contorting, his bones cracking, his skin disappearing beneath a wave of golden-brown fur.
An enormous grizzly bear had stood in his living room, huffing angry breaths, staring at her with fierce golden eyes.
It had been real . All of it.
Emily panted. Her mind raced.
How could Maggie have let her come here without warning her? Her oldest friend had welcomed her with open arms, offered her sanctuary, all while knowing exactly what Andrew was. And what he could do.
No wonder Elle was so insistent that her family could protect me from Andrew.
Because they were the same as him. Because they could fight him on equal terms.
Emily darted her gaze around the dining room, suddenly seeing the Swanson home with fresh eyes. Generations of Swansons smiled back at her from the photos on the walls.
How many of them could turn into bears? All of them? Was that why they ’ d chosen to live out here, miles from town, with wilderness around them?
Tiny details she ’ d dismissed before suddenly took on sinister significance.
The way Cade had sniffed the air when they first met earlier tonight.
The strange golden glint she ’ d noticed in Elle ’ s eyes when Emily described her fight with Andrew.
The way Ward had tensed when he hugged her, almost as if he ’ d smelled something on her.
Andrew had called her his mate. The word echoed in her head, connecting to what she ’ d just overheard. Mating bonds. Bear shifters. Ordinaries —was that what they called normal humans like her?
She thought back to when she was in elementary school, and the stories the older kids would whisper around campfires or at slumber parties. Tales about the town ’ s oldest families—the Swansons, the Jacobsens, the Tringstads. How they were different somehow. Special .
How they could track lost hikers in the wilderness when no one else could. How they never seemed to get lost in the forest. How wild animals never bothered them.
Emily had laughed at those stories then. Now they made her blood run cold.
How many people in town knew about shapeshifters? How deep did this go?
She thought about the comfortable little cabin she ’ d settled into. A cabin surrounded by wilderness. A cabin far away from anyone in town.
A cabin where no one would hear her if she screamed.
Emily felt sick. She ’ d trusted Maggie and her family. Thought she was safe here.
She ’ d sat across from Ward at dinner, thinking how sweet he was, how different from Andrew. All the while, he was hiding the same monstrous secret.
Emily took a shaking breath. She couldn ’ t afford to fall apart now. She needed to think. To plan her getaway.
But where could she go?
Andrew had the resources to track her anywhere she fled. And if the Swansons were like him, what was to stop them from tracking her too? They had her scent now.
And is that even a real thing, or just something from movies?
She didn ’ t even know what was real anymore.
Run. Jump in my car, floor it, and never look back. The urge to get the hell out of Bearpaw Ridge was overwhelming. She had some cash left, plus her debit and credit cards. She could drive through the night, find a motel somewhere, and figure out her next move in the morning.
But first, she needed to get out of this house.
Emily tightened her grip on her purse and inched out of the dining room, trying not to make a sound.
She had made it two steps down the hall before a floorboard creaked beneath her foot.
“ Emily?” Maggie ’ s voice called from the kitchen. “ Is that you?”
Emily froze, heart in her throat. Caught.
Emily felt like a deer caught in headlights as the kitchen door swung open. “ I-I-I forgot my purse,” she stammered.
Maggie paused in the doorway to the dining room, her expression a mixture of concern and worry. A heartbeat later, Ward appeared at her shoulder, looking resigned.
“ You heard us,” Maggie said.
It wasn ’ t a question.
Emily nodded, her throat too tight to speak.
“ Emily, wait. It ’ s not what you think.” Ward ’ s deep voice was soft, almost pleading.
“ Really? Because it sounded exactly like what I think.” Her voice cracked. “ You ’ re… like him .”
She backed away, unable to stop herself from putting more distance between them.
Maggie flinched as if Emily had slapped her. “ We ’ re not anything like Andrew Brunborn!”
Emily clutched her purse to her chest like a shield. “ You knew .” Her voice rose as anger, hot and acidic, bubbled up through the sludge of her terror. “ You knew what Andrew was, and you didn ’ t tell me you were the same. You let me come here—stay here—without warning me!”
Ward and Maggie exchanged glances. The silent communication passing between them only heightened Emily ’ s sense of being nothing but an “ ordinary” in their secret world.
“ We ’ re trying to protect you,” Maggie said gently, taking a careful step toward her. “ I wanted to tell you. But you were in shock when you arrived, and I didn ’ t know how much Andrew had told you about us. About bear shifters. I was afraid we ’ d scare you off.”
“ You should ’ ve told me!” Emily burst out, continuing to back toward the front door. Her knees were shaking. “ I saw him change into a bear, and I thought I was losing my mind! I don ’ t know what to believe anymore.”
“ You can believe this,” Ward said, stepping forward, his voice low and steady. “ You ’ re not in danger here. Not from me. Not from Maggie. Not from anyone in this family.”
Maggie nodded vigorously. “ Grandma Elle promised you sanctuary. We Swansons protect our own. As long as you ’ re in Bearpaw Ridge, you ’ re under our protection.”
Ward ’ s hazel eyes locked onto hers, intense and unflinching. “ If Andrew comes here looking for you, he ’ ll have to go through me.”
“ Through all of us,” Maggie added.
The silence that followed rang in Emily ’ s ears. She stared at Ward, seeing both the boy she knew in high school and the man he ’ d become. A man who apparently could turn into a bear.
Emily ’ s thoughts churned in confusion. She should be terrified of the two of them. She should run.
Yet there was something in Ward ’ s expression that made her hesitate. A sincerity that even her fear couldn ’ t dismiss.
“ We ’ re not monsters, Em,” Maggie said. “ We ’ re people. Just… people with an extra ability.”
“ An extra ability?” Emily almost laughed, the sound threatening to edge into hysteria. “ That ’ s what you call it?”
“ What else is it?” Ward asked, his voice soft but steady. “ It ’ s part of who we are. Like having blue eyes or being left-handed. It doesn ’ t make us evil.”
Emily swallowed hard. “ Andrew…”
“ Is a bad person who is also a shifter,” Maggie finished for her. “ Not a bad person because he ’ s a shifter. There ’ s a difference.”
Emily felt confusion, terror, and—strangely—a sudden burst of hope battling for dominance inside her.
Who better to protect me from a monster… than other monsters?
Not that she was ready to voice that thought. Not yet. Not when everything she thought she knew about the world had been turned upside down in just four days.
“ I-I need to think,” she said. “ I just… I need some time.”
“ Take all the time you need,” Maggie said. “ We ’ ll be here when you ’ re ready to talk. Just… don ’ t leave the ranch, okay? At least not until tomorrow.”
Ward said nothing, but his eyes never left her face. There was something in his gaze—concern, yes, but something else too. Something that made her chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with fear.
“ Fine,” Emily said, then turned to wobble her way to the front door.
They didn ’ t stop her or follow her out into the night. And she wasn ’ t sure if that made her feel better—or worse.
The cool night air hit her face as she stepped outside. She gulped it in like a drowning woman. The stars overhead were the same as they had been a few minutes ago, when she ’ d walked down this path feeling safe and content.
But nothing was the same. Nothing would ever be the same again.