Loving the Bear (2 page)

Chapter Two

Lilly had wanted to leave Mrs. Nelson’s condo as soon as the police had finished taking statements from her and Christopher. Just having them question her brought back memories she’d tried to suppress for more than a year.

Once they were done with her, s
he’d planned to collect her vacuum and cleaning supplies and make a swift exit, but Christopher had looked pretty shaken up himself and when he’d asked her if she’d like to go to his condo for a cup of tea, she’d been unable to say no. He’d been so sweet and she didn’t know what she would have done if she’d walked in there all by herself and discovered the woman dead in the chair. He’d saved the day and by the look of things, she’d be doing him a favor by keeping him company for a while.

“I suggested tea because I don’t drink coffee anymore, but is that
okay with you?” he asked peeking around the kitchen door.

“It’s perfect,” said Lilly feeling more like she really did need something to drink
with every passing minute. Good thing it wasn’t every day you stumbled upon a dead person.

While Christopher
busied himself with the tea, she looked around his living room. A table with sketches upon it sat by the window that overlooked the parking lot. She hoped he didn’t think her nosy, but she couldn’t help but look at them.

“You like them?”

She jumped. She hadn’t heard him walking into the room with two mugs in his hands.

“They’re wonderful. You an artist?”

“Sort of. I’ve been doing mostly graphic design for the last couple of years and now I’m trying to land a job with a game designer and they’re my samples.” He nodded at the sketches.

“Well, if they have any taste for talent, you’re the man for the job.”

He handed her the mug just as the doorbell rang. “I’ll be right back, make yourself at home.”

She co
ntinued to look at the sketches, so wanting to turn the pages over to see more, but scared she’d ruin them or spill her tea on them.

She heard Christopher talking to a man
, and as she turned she saw him walk in with a man she quickly recognized as Mrs. Nelson’s son who’d she spoken to two days ago when he’d asked her to clean his mother’s condo. Under his arm was Barney who had his nose in the air sniffing around.

“Ms. Banks, so nice to see you again,” he said. Barney was doing his best to wriggle out of his arms
, but he kept a firm grip on him.

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” said Lilly.

“Thank you, and thank you both for breaking in there like that.”

“I only w
ish we could have gotten to her sooner,” said Christopher.

“I don’t think it would have helped. They
think she had a heart attack and died in her sleep. The only thing I’m grateful for is you found her when you did. I’m heading out of town for five days so it could have been a while before she was discovered. Ms. Banks, I’d like to pay you for the cleaning.”

Lilly raised her hand. “No, absolutely not. I didn’t get to clean for he
r so you don’t owe me a penny.”

“But you still had to pay for gas to drive here.”

Yes, she was on a really tight budget but under these circumstances she wouldn’t feel right even taking money to fill up the tank “No, really. I couldn’t.”

He nodded. “I do have one favor t
o ask you. As I’m heading out of town I need to find someone to look after Barney here. I don’t suppose you could?”

Lilly loved animals and
havinga furry creature around would be great company, but the decision wasn’t hers. “I’d love to, but the apartment that I’m renting doesn’t allow pets.” She no longer had her own place and it made her feel sad but it was hopefully only a temporary situation.

Lifting Barney up higher
Mrs. Nelson’s son turned to Christopher.

“Me…I don’t know the first
thing about looking after dogs,” said Christopher.

Lilly looked a
t him and smiled. He had the most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen and his smile. Well, it made her want to smile too. “Oh, all right then, if it’s just while you’re away I suppose Barney won’t be any trouble.”

Mrs. Nelson’
s son handed him to Christopher who put him down on the ground and the dog ran around sniffing in the corners of the room making a sort of growling sound.

“Now Barney, you behave yourself. I have to be running al
ong. Oh, and Mother’s funeral will be sometime next week if you want to attend.”

“Sure, let me know the exact day and time,” said Christopher walking him out of the living room.

Barney sniffed the couch and then ran around one of the chairs. The poor thing would probably miss his owner.

“Here Barney.” Lilly sat on the floor and stroked the pooch as Christopher w
alked back into the room. She looked up at him. The dog was now on his back, begging for his belly to be rubbed. “That was nice of you to take Barney for a few days,” she told him.

“Yeah, I probably jumped in there a bit too soon. I’ve never owned a dog before.”

“Not even when you were growing up?”

Christopher
shook his head. Barney had now gotten back to his feet and sitting on her lap licking her face.

“Okay, that’s enough. I have to dr
ink my tea and be on my way.”

She stood up and drank the tea while it was still warm.
“Thanks so much for coming to the rescue like that,” she said handing him the now empty mug.

“Just glad I was around to help you. Would you like me to ca
rry the vacuum out to your car for you?”

“No, really, it’s no problem.”

“Actually I could do with some fresh air so you’d be doing me a favor.”

She nodded. “Bye Barney.
” They walked outside and Christopher picked up the vacuum as Lilly got hold of her bucket of cleaning supplies. They walked to the elevator and Christopher pressed the call button. It was already on that floor so they stepped inside. He pressed for the first floor.

They looked at one another, didn’t say a word
, but just smiled. She glanced at the door. The first time in forever she’d been around a man that she found attractive and she’d forgotten how to act.
Certainly not like this.

“So i
t’s your own cleaning business?” asked Christopher.

Thank
God, he’d finally said something because it was bordering on embarrassing. Lilly nodded. “Yes, and looks like I’ll have to go looking for another
first
customer again,” she said as the doors opened. Christopher held it and signaled for her to go ahead of him.

They
walked down the hallway and then stepped outside the condo building.

“That’s my white van over there,” she said. She knew it wasn’t much to look at
, but she’d purchased it at a bargain price knowing it would be perfect for hauling all her cleaning supplies.

She opened up the back and
let Christopher put the vacuum in there, followed by her bucket.

“Thanks once again for your help, the tea
, and carrying the vacuum.”

He put out his hand to her. She shook it and they looked into one another eyes.
Embarrassment rearing its ugly head yet again.

“I don’t suppose…” He stopped mid-sentence and shook his head
. “Sorry, I lost my train of thought,” he said.

He stood there as she got
into the van and remained on the same spot while she turned the key in the ignition. It sputtered, almost turned, but was stubborn. She pumped a few times on the gas pedal. That was the thing to do, right?

Still nothing, not even a sputter or a cough.

Shit, it just wasn’t her day.

Christopher tapped on the glass. She wound down the window.

“Is it always like this?”

“I hope not. I only bought it last week and it was running fine.”

“I don’t know much about cars and engines, but pop the hood and I’ll see if I can figure out what’s wrong.”

This
handsome guy was turning out to be a knight in shining armor. About time she had some luck in her life. She pulled the lever to open the hood before getting out to see if she could do anything. She stood beside Christopher as he looked under the hood. He smelled as good as he looked. Sandalwood cologne, she was sure of it.

He checked that there was enough oil in there, yes, there was.

“It’s got me puzzled, but someone in the group’s bound to know about cars. I can make a few calls if you like.”

“The group. Are you in a band?”

“No, it’s just a group of us who hang out together. You want to come back up to my place while I give a few of the guys a call?”

“I have to start my shift at the café in about an hour.”

“Okay, so why don’t I give you a ride there. I’ll get someone to take a look at your van and then bring you back to pick it up.”

“I couldn’t really. I mean…”

He put his hand on her arm. She almost pulled it away.
Almost.
The counselor had told her that she was going to have to learn to trust again. Be willing to be touched again. Especially by someone of the opposite sex. She recalled the mantra she’d been given to recite in times like this—
all men don’t want to hurt you.

His hand was on her arm.
She went cold, wanted to run, but couldn’t because she’d look like an idiot.

“Let me help you out,” he said.

Chapter Three

Christopher had never, ever been tongue
-tied around the opposite sex before. Lilly did something to him. Maybe it was because she was the first human he’d felt attracted to. He couldn’t understand it at first, but now he knew why his brother Aiden had become infatuated with Charlotte.

Standing by the van
, and before she was about to drive away, he’d tried to suggest they get together for a drink or lunch, but he’d lost his nerve.
Christopher Renner losing his nerve
. Unheard of, but he’d suddenly been afraid that this pretty young woman might say no and he’d be hurt.

Either way he’d thought that maybe he’d never see her again. Then fate had
intervened and with the van had refused to start and take her away from him.

He glanced at her as she sat beside him in his car.
She was so pretty with her long, golden eyelashes.

“The café’s just over here
on the left,” she said pointing across the road.

Christopher pulled into the parking lot. “
Sunday special breakfast just $1.99,” he said reading the sign on the window.

“You’ve never tried it? Two eggs, two slices of bacon, a sausage patty
, and toast.”

“All that for less than
two bucks? Maybe I’ll give it try sometime soon.”

She turned to him.
“I know I keep saying it, but thanks for all your help.”

“Give me a call when your shift
’s over and I’ll come get you and hopefully one of my buddies would have fixed the van,” said Christopher.

“I should be done by five if that’s not
inconvenient for you.”

“Nope, I work from
home, so no problem.”

She smiled,
got out of the car, and walked toward the restaurant.

He didn’t take his eyes off her and he knew he shouldn’t
, but he couldn’t help but watch her butt as she got closer to the door. She filled out the jeans perfectly. All bears loved curvy women.

As soon as she was out of sight, he b
acked out of the parking space and was already looking forward to seeing her again when he picked her up. Yeah, fate had been very kind to him today.

****

Lilly’s feet ached. The café had been busy and she’d been on the go since she’d started her shift. She’d thought that maybe the cleaning business would take off from the ground running, but today’s loss of her first client hadn’t been a good start.

Sh
e sipped her soda during her mid-afternoon break. Maybe she’d put an ad in the newspaper. Well, that was if she had any money left over at the end of the week. Hopefully, whatever was wrong with the van was fixable and low cost. She could ask her mom to lend her some money, but she was doing enough for her already.

Lilly rubbed her hand over the sole of her left foot. She hadn’t waitressed since she worked at the Downtown Grille during high school. This place wasn’t half its size
, but it was just as busy. She took off her other shoe and curled her toes inward hoping that would help stretch them out and ease the pain in the bottom of her foot.

She’d get used to it. She had to. This was her way of surviving
, and her future.

Christopher had been a life saver
twice today. He’d been in the right place at the right time on both occasions. Maybe her luck was changing and someone out there was looking after her. Moving to Kalispell had obviously been a good idea.

She peeped through the window in the kitchen area. Another customer at one of her tables. She downed th
e last of the drink, put her apron back on, and headed out there.

****

“Any idea what’s wrong with it?” asked Christopher.

The first person in th
e group he’d called upon was Sam. Sam, a wolf shifter and accountant, surprisingly knew the most about cars and engines. He was also a cousin to Christopher’s old girlfriend, Eliza, who had now joined a pack in Idaho and was about to give birth any day.

“Yeah, thi
s is a simple one, the battery’s dead. Looks like an old one. If you can go get a new one I can put it in for you.”

Dead battery
, why wasn’t that the first thing he’d thought of?

“Sure
, you want to tell me what type I need?”

“Why
don’t I run to the store with you and that way we’ll know it’s the right one.”

“You mind if I bring Barney along
? I’m looking after him. He belonged to the neighbor who died today.”

S
am laughed. “This I have to see, you and a dog. I’ll be waiting in my car for you.”

Christopher went back inside a
nd then up the stairs to his condo. He picked up his wallet and also Barney’s leash. The dog sprang to life and began jumping up higher than Christopher’s waist as soon as he heard the chain clinking.

“Just calm down there buddy so I can get this on you. We’re going to take a ride to buy a new battery for Lilly’s van.”

Dear God, he was already talking to the Pomeranian like it understood what he was saying. The dog stood still, so Christopher was able to hook the leash on the collar and soon they were heading down in the elevator and out the door.

Sam burst out laughing as soon as he got into the car and sat Barney on his lap.

“There’s nothing more stupid than a big six foot three guy/bear shifter walking a miniature dog.”

“Hey, I didn’t choose him
, and it’s only temporary. If I get myself a dog it will be a German shepherd or something even bigger.”

Barney began licking Sam’s
face. “Guess he knows a fellow canine when he sees one.”

“Maybe you should take him then,” said Christopher.

“No, a wife and two young ones are enough for me to handle.”

Sam
started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Did you know Becky was the right mate for you as soon as you saw her?” asked Christopher.

“Sure did. When you see your true mate you feel it in both your heart and cock.”

Yeah, he’d felt something in both those places the first time he’d set eyes upon Lilly.

“Are you asking me because you think you might have finally found
the one
?”

“Did you ever feel something for a human woman?”

“Ah, now I get it. It’s the human whose van I’m fixing. I thought there was more to this than you just playing the Good Samaritan. Are you following in Aiden’s footsteps?”

“He’s the happiest he’s ever
been. Charlotte’s his true mate.”

Sam nodded.
“I think your brother would tell you that it’s not easy being with someone so different.”

Christopher bit
the hangnail on his index finger. “I got so tongue-tied around her it was pathetic.”

“You
tongue-tied? The guy who can talk just about any woman into getting into his bed and opening her legs for him.”

“
It’s weird. My cock did react to her but having sex with her wasn’t a priority for me this time around. And soon as I look at her I don’t know what to say. She takes my breath away and I sort of become frozen.”

“Just ask her out and if she says no then you’ll know she’s not your mate and maybe there’s a shifter
out there for you. Maybe you and Eliza didn’t work out because it was the whole bear and wolf shifter thing. Perhaps you need to just date bear shifters.”

Christo
pher looked out the window. Eliza had been special to him, but he never felt the urge to settle down and mate with her. As far as bear shifter women in the group. None of them did for him what Lilly did when he looked at her.

Sam was right. It probably wasn’t easy
, but he was sure as hell going to give it a try.