Unbearable: Russet Falls Series (4 page)

Gabby pulled off the highway and parked her car in a grassy
area. It wasn’t technically a part of the state park, but sometimes people parked
here and were able to hike the trails without having to pay admission to the
park. Gabby also liked the privacy since she had to change her clothes.

Standing behind her car, she quickly pulled off her black
work shirt and swiftly unhooked her bra before pulling a sports bra over her
head. She pulled on a tank top, expertly pulled her hair into a ponytail and
then pulled on a baseball hat to protect herself from ticks. Kicking off her shoes,
she wiggled out of her work pants and pulled on a black pair of form-fitting
workout capris. She had to squeeze her ass into them, but once the pants were
on, her ass felt tighter and she knew it wouldn’t jiggle as much.

She sat down to put on socks and her sneakers, and then she
was ready to go. She quickly laced her car key onto a string around her neck.

“There,” she said to herself, closing the car door. She took
off into the woods, quickly finding one of the park trails. She had an immense
and unhealthy fear of bears thanks to her father, but he had always assured her
as a little girl that she would be safe if she stuck to the trails.

She tried to not think about bears and instead focused on
the fresh air filling her lungs and the oxygen flooding her muscles as her legs
took long, powerful strides.

It was hard to not think about something when you told
yourself
not
to think about it.

Even as a little girl, Gabby remembered her father hating
bears. He talked about the animals as if they were the rodents of the animal
kingdom.
Filthy
bears,
disgusting
bears,
bloodthirsty
bears.

He had warned Gabby to stay away from bears, that they were
evil and cruel. It was strange language to use when referring to animals, but
Gabby didn’t question her father. And then, of all the terrible and awful
things she’d heard came true, a bear had killed her father.

How ironic.

Again, Gabby remembered how her mother pushed her away from
the door, but not before she had seen his body, had seen what the bear had done
to him.

But Gabby refused to let her own fear of bears keep her from
enjoying the beautiful parklands that covered much of the area. What kind of
life was it if she lived in fear?

She pushed on through the trail, loving the burn she felt in
her legs as the trail ascended higher. She reached a spot that she had always
loved—there was a small clearing and a large flat rock that was perfect for
resting. She didn’t actually need to rest, but the rock was so inviting, so she
sat down, trying to let go of the anger from the earlier incident with Lucy.

Why was Lucy being so foolish and careless? Was she acting
out for attention? True, Gabby had been busy with work, but she still managed
to see Lucy at least once a week. Was it not enough? Maybe Lucy was scared by
the quickly approaching graduation date. She clearly didn’t know what she
wanted to do next.

Gabby sighed, understanding how Lucy felt. And she knew that
Lucy living with Andrea certainly wasn’t helping the situation. Their mother
had more drunk days now than sober days. In fact, Gabby thought her mother was
drunk most days, and that the sober hours were becoming few and far between.

She rose to continue walking, and decided that she wanted
more of a challenge. There was another trail that moved uphill nearby, and
Gabby was pretty sure that she could find it. All she had to do was go off the
trail for maybe a hundred yards or so. Warning bells rang in her head, but she
knew she was capable, and she wouldn’t be off the trail for long. She just had
to get her senses in order and find where the other trail picked up.

Taking a deep breath, she hurried off the trail. She
recognized one of the bushes, and she knew she needed to head in that direction.

“Come on,” she whispered to herself, feeling her heart
pound. She kept hearing her father’s words ring in her head—
stay on the
trail, stay on the trail.
It wouldn’t be long, and she would be back on in
no time.

A twig snapped under her foot and she jumped. Chiding
herself, she hurried along, her ponytail swishing behind her. “It should be
right around here,” she murmured, as the earth began to move upwards again. All
she wanted was to find the trail that would provide her with a better workout.
Thinking she saw the trail up ahead, she hurried on, only to find a dead end.

“Damn, damn, damn!”

She stopped and looked around, hearing only the birds
chirping and her own heavy breathing. “Think!” she ordered herself. She now
felt completely turned around and was starting to panic. She needed to keep a
clear head so she could figure out her error.

No, she decided. She needed to try to retrace her steps and
get back to the trail that she had just left. If she wasn’t sure where to find
the new trail, she didn’t want to risk losing the old trail.

She turned quickly and began heading back in the direction
in which she came.

At least the direction in which she thought she had come.

Cursing, she hurried along, ready to jump out of her skin.
She stopped to survey her surroundings again. As she peered through the dense
forest, she heard a loud branch crack behind her.

Gabby froze, her heart hammering in her chest. She paused,
hoping it was just a small animal, and she looked in the direction of the
noise. There was no more movement, and just as she breathed a sigh of relief,
she saw a bush rustle.

“Shit,” she breathed.

As quietly as she could, she began to back away from the
bush, feeling lightheaded with fear. She no longer cared about finding a trail
now—all she wanted was to get away from the rustling bush.

To her horror, a massive black shape emerged from the bush.

Gasping, her hand flew to her mouth and she froze in fear.

Right before her eyes was a real, live, bear.

A very wild looking bear.

The bear stared at her with his beady eyes and she had the
strange sensation that he was more intelligent than a regular beast. How could
the animal stare at her with such intensity?

No.

She was simply losing her damn mind.

As slowly as possible, remembering all the bear survival
information she had heard, she backed away, trying not to make any sudden
movements and keeping her eyes focused on the ground. Gradually she lifted her
hands over her head, trying to make herself appear larger—anything to help fend
off an attack.

It didn’t seem to be working.

The bear moved stealthily forward, and Gabby wanted to yell
with fear.

She knew that she shouldn’t run—running was the absolute
worst thing you could do. Bears were instinctively inclined to chase prey and
the bear would surely run her down if she attempted to flee. Bears could also
run as fast as forty-five miles per hour, leaving Gabby no chance whatsoever of
outrunning this creature.

Yet, every muscle in her body was screaming to flee,
fighting against what her brain knew was best.

It was no use.

Her flight response won.

Shrieking, she turned and began to run wildly through the
forest. She felt a sob escape her throat and she raced through the bushes and
thicket, twigs scratching at her exposed skin.

The bear let out a terrible roar and she felt the ground
shudder beneath her as he began his pursuit. She ran harder, knowing that she
was going to die; there was absolutely no way that she could outrun the animal.

She pushed herself more, willing her legs to run faster, and
she cursed her big hips and ass. Her body was not made for running, but
regardless, she knew that it wouldn’t have mattered. She could never outrun the
predator.

She tripped, cutting her knee, and she cried out in pain,
looking back with panic as the bear came ever closer. She scrambled to her feet
again, crying as she ran blindly through the forest.

Gabby wasn’t one to pray, but she prayed hard, begging God
to help her. She could feel the bear closing in behind her, and she didn’t look
back now. She sent up a quick prayer asking that Lucy be watched over, and she
waited for the moment that the bear reached her. She closed her eyes as she
felt the beast’s thick arms wrap around her body…

Gabby screamed bloody murder as Zane caught her in his arms.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he said, holding her to him as she
quivered. “Leave. Now!” he barked at the bear, feeling the bear within him
shuddering just below the surface. It was taking every ounce of his willpower
to not shift back into his bear form and tear out the other bear’s throat.

Not only was the black bear on the Virtus clan lands, but he
was also chasing a human, which was completely forbidden among all bear tribes.

Luckily, Zane had had the sense to quickly shift back into
his human form, and was even luckier to be near one of the sites where he kept
extra uniforms stashed. He had picked up the scent of the trespassing bear and
just before he was ready to attack, he had picked up the scent of the human
girl. He still wasn’t sure how he was able to keep his wits about him to shift,
hastily dress and rescue the girl.

The bear growled deep in his throat, a menacing warning that
whatever was going on wasn’t over.

What the fuck?

What could the bear possibly want, and why would he be
chasing a human? Zane wished that Michael could pick up on his thoughts over
distance. There was so much running through his head right now, and he was
certain that Michael would have been able to make sense out of it.

He remembered the quivering girl in his arms.

“Oh my god, oh my god,” she was mumbling. “How did you make
that bear leave? Why didn’t it kill us? It should have killed us! It was
chasing me!” She was in hysterics, and Zane had to focus all of his energy on
calming her down and not raising her suspicions as to why a twelve-foot bear had
just listened to him and retreated.

Fucking idiot bear.

“You’re fine,” he repeated. “It’s gone.” He avoided the
other questions. It was then, as the girl was pressed close to his body, that
he really noticed her for the first time and felt her soft curves against him.

He looked down at her, noticing her big blue eyes hidden
behind the baseball cap, the large swell of her breasts, the smallness of her
waist, and the luxurious curve of her hips.

And her ass.

Holy shit—her ass.

It was unlike any ass he had seen before; it was just
begging for him to squeeze it, to spank it, to do
something
to it.

She looked up at him and noticed how he was ogling her
backside.

“Excuse you,” she said sharply, stepping back out of his
arms and shooting him a dirty look.

He wanted to apologize, but couldn’t bring himself to do so.
He wasn’t sorry for looking at an ass like that. Something like that on a woman
should be admired. And if she didn’t want people looking at it, she shouldn’t
have squeezed it into those tight workout pants. It’s like women wearing push
up bras and not wanting guys to check out their tits.

“I need to get back to my car,” she said stiffly, going to
move away, though her eyes betrayed her uncertainty.

“Wait a sec. You can’t go just yet. It’s not safe out there,
and I’m going to need you to come back to the park office and file a report.”
And
I’m going to need to speak to Michael
, he added mentally.

The girl rolled her eyes. “I’ve had a long day. I really
don’t have time for that.”

“Sorry, it’s not an option. And what were you doing off the
trails anyway?” Most humans were taught to stay on the damn trails.

She looked embarrassed, and he saw that she was still
trembling from the attack. “I know these trails really well. I thought I could
find another nearby trail, but obviously I couldn’t.” Then she stuck her chin
out just a bit, somewhat defiant, as if she was challenging him to say more.

“Let’s head back. You can get your car after you give your
report.”

She looked embarrassed again.

“What?” he asked, annoyed. Whatever it was, he didn’t have
time for this shit. He needed to get back to Michael and get the report from
this girl.

“My car isn’t parked by the office.”

Oh, so she was one of
those
people
.
The people
who didn’t feel like paying the measly four dollars to park within park grounds
and would rather park illegally on the side of the road.

“Whatever,” Zane scoffed, “I’ll give you a ride back to your
car.” He was eager to get back to Michael, and he started to walk away, not
bothering to wait for the girl.

“Sure,” she said sarcastically, taking long strides to catch
up with him, “I’d be happy to walk with you.”

He rolled his eyes, not having time to deal with her drama.

“Why do I have to fill out some stupid report? You saw the
bear. Can’t you do that?”

“It’s park policy,’’ he said bluntly, eyes straight ahead.
He knew if he looked over at her he wouldn’t be able to stop staring at her
chest, which he could now see bouncing up and down out of the corner of his
eyes.

“Okay. Well, it’s not my fault that a damn bear chased me.
I’d really like to just go.”

Zane stopped. “Fine. Then go.” He motioned back toward the
forest in the direction in which the bear had taken off.

She eyed the area nervously, clearly realizing that she
didn’t know the way back, nor did she want to encounter the bear again.

“Fine,” she agreed, turning back in the direction of the
office. “I’ll fill out your report.”

Zane let out a small laugh. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“You don’t have to be such a smart ass about it. It is your
job to look out for people in the park, isn’t it?” she quipped.

Zane gave her a dirty look. “Yes, it’s my job. And what’s
your job? To annoy the hell out of people and go off trails when everyone knows
there are bears in these woods.”

Shit. He had gone too far and he knew it.

The pretty brunette stopped and stared at him, her mouth
hanging open. “Wow. Great people skills. Yes, I’d definitely like to head back
to the park office. Maybe I can tell your boss about what a prick they have
patrolling the park.”

Zane started to say something back to her, but instead snapped
his jaw closed. He already had enough to tell Michael; he didn’t need to add
this shit to the mix.

“Sorry,” he muttered, but he knew he sounded anything but.

Gabby walked alongside the ranger in silence, annoyed that
he was being such a jerk. She didn’t know his name, and she didn’t really care to.
A bear had nearly eaten her and this jackass park ranger was giving her crap.
Of course, she shouldn’t have been off the trail, and she knew she was lucky
that he had been there to rescue her.

As if reading her mind, he cleared his throat. “I’m Zane, by
the way,” he said stiffly.

“Gabby.”

She kept her eyes down, fixating on Zane’s dark boots. It
was a different name.

It was a sexy name.

And Lord knew that Zane didn’t need any more help being
sexy.

Ugh. Why did she have to notice that, of all things? Of
course, it was hard
not
to notice how sexy Zane was. He was incredibly
tall with broad shoulders, and from the way his biceps bulged under his
shirtsleeves she could tell that he had strong arms.

His eyes were a warm brown that seemed to keep changing from
smoldering to angry. And of course, his chiseled jaw, and thick, wavy brown
hair didn’t help matters.

Focus,
she scolded herself.

She could see the large park office in the distance, and she
still fully intended to tell Zane’s boss that he had a shitty attitude. Her
heart was still pounding from her near-death experience and he wasn’t making
things easier.

“When we’re finished, I’ll take you to your car,” Zane spoke
up, clearly trying to play nice now.

“Whatever,” she snapped. She couldn’t help herself. She was
still pissed off by his attitude.

“Alright, look. I know I was a bit of an ass. I’m sorry,
okay?”

“Sure, sure,” she muttered. She just wanted to fill out the
damn report and then get on her way.

Zane strode up the large lawn to the park office, and Gabby
couldn’t help but admire his strong body as he walked. She quickly shook her
head, trying to clear it. This was no time for ogling park rangers.

They were approaching the building, and Zane pulled the door
open, motioning for Gabby to enter first. She rolled her eyes and walked into
the large building. It reminded her a bit of a museum. And it was so damn big!
What the heck did a state park need such a big building for?

“This way,” Zane said, clearing his throat and leading Gabby
to a small room. The room was comfortable, though shabbily decorated. She sat
in an overstuffed chair next to a rickety side table.

“I’ll be right back,” he said, before disappearing. Gabby
could hear his shoes clicking down the hall as he walked away, and she peered
down at her fingernails, making a mental note to paint them later. Maybe she
would put on some bad reality TV and veg out while painting her nails.

And definitely have a glass of wine.

At that moment, Zane came back with a piece of paper and
clipboard. He sat down in a chair across from her and began to write.

“So, tell me exactly what happened,” he asked.

“Umm, I was nearly attacked by a bear!” Gabby exclaimed.

Zane took a deep breath. “Explain to me what you were doing
beforehand.”

Gabby sighed, what a waste of her time. “I was walking on
one of the trails. I knew that there was another more difficult trail nearby
and I thought I could find it.”

Zane sniggered.

Seriously?
She thought. Gabby ignored it and plowed
through her story. “I decided to turn back, but once I did that, I heard
something behind me. Then I saw that enormous bear.” She shuddered. “I tried to
back away slowly, but it advanced towards me and I couldn’t help myself. I
ran.”

She stopped, feeling the fear all over again and remembering
the certainty of her death. She shouldn’t even be sitting here now, retelling
the story.

“How did you make that bear run away?” she asked,
remembering how the bear literally listened to Zane and turned around.

Zane’s eyes clouded over and he looked down as he scribbled
furiously. “I didn’t do anything. It was just luck.”

“But it seemed like the bear
listened
to you,” she
pressed. The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

“No, it didn’t. I think it was just afraid.’’

“But it was chasing me. Coming after me. And then all you
had to do was look at it and tell it to leave, and it just—just turned around.”

Zane looked up at her, his brown eyes dark and hard. “You
were terrified,” he said bluntly, his voice harsh. “The bear may have been
chasing you, but it was scared when it saw two humans. It ran away out of
fear.”

Gabby went to protest, but the hard look on Zane’s face
stopped her.

“Sheesh,” she muttered. “Touchy.”

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to go give this report to my
boss. Wait here please.”

Gabby jumped up. “I don’t want to wait here.” She had
initially wanted to give Zane’s boss a piece of her mind, but now all she
wanted to do was get the hell out of here.

“Sorry,” he said tersely. “You don’t have a choice. Wait
here.” He strode to the door and then turned back around. “I shouldn’t be more
than a few minutes. Then I can give you a ride back to your car.”

He pulled the door shut behind him.

Groaning, Gabby sat back down. Now that the adrenaline was
no longer coursing through her veins, she felt exhausted. And the thought of
having to be at work by six in the morning didn’t help matters.

She decided to close her eyes for a minute. Besides, Zane
said he would be back momentarily.