9781631054747HerstoBearHoffa (2 page)

Chapter Two

Bern
walked her home and left her at the door with another kiss that curled her
toes. Man, she was making up for lost time. That man could kiss like nobody’s
business. Woo whee!

Jenna
toed off her shoes and wandered into the kitchen. She had never gotten the
honey, or her bread, but she really needed some coffee. She pulled the bag of
coffee beans from the cabinet and measured them into the grinder. The quiet
whirl of the machine calmed her rioting nerves. Once the coffee maker was
dripping, Jenna stood at the sink and stared at the view outside her kitchen
window.

Her
little rented house was on the edge of the woods and looking at the quiet
beauty usually calmed her down, but at the moment her mind was racing. While,
hypothetically she’d dreamed of finding her perfect mate as she read her
romance novels, reality was a bit different. Bern seemed nice. God knew he was
certainly sexy as hell, but it wasn’t instant love. At least not on her side
and she didn’t think it really was on Bern’s side either. A connection, and
instant lust, yes, but not love.

Jenna
wanted love. There was so much she didn’t know about shifters. Which of the
tales were true? Did they heal faster? Live longer? Would she age, while Bern
stayed young and handsome? That would suck. They really needed to sit down and
talk, hopefully at a time when she had her shit together and wasn’t feeling
like she was on a roller coaster. Maybe she should write down a list of
questions. She was a big list girl.

The
buzzer on the coffee maker sounded and she poured a cup, adding a generous
dollop of creamer and sat down at the kitchen table with a pen and paper. Then
a thought struck her. Should she call her mom and dad? Cripes. She’d never had
a
boyfriend,
she didn’t know what proper protocol was.
Did a mate constitute a boyfriend anyway? Or was it more like a fiancé or a,
gulp, husband?

More
questions. Alice! She’d call Alice. Her best friend would know what to do. A
glance at the clock told her that her friend should be home from work by now,
so she pulled the cell phone from her purse and speed dialed.

“What’s
up girlfriend? How are things in Bear central?”

Thank
God for best friends, this was just what she needed.

“Hi.
It’s so good to hear your voice. I miss you.”

“Uh
oh, whatza matta?”
Alice
said,
her Chicago accent thick and heavy.

Jenna
laughed. “No small talk
lead
up, huh? You got me
already. Well…it’s not really a
something
wrong,
just kind of a holy crap.”

“Spill
it, sista. I’m gettin’ old here.”

“I…kinda…umm…”

“Jenna
Marie Raynes!”

“Okay,
okay. Put a sock in it. I met my mate today,” she squeaked.

“Holy
shit!”

“Yeah,
that.”

“One of
those uber sexy bears ya said
are
all over that weird
little town? Damn, I need to move down there, or at least come visit.”

“It’s
not a
weird little town
. I love it
here. Stop being such an elitist snob! Miss city girl. Would you really
come
visit? Damn, I could really use you here right about
now.”

“Of
course, I’ll
come
visit, but I can’t come right now.
Work is a bitch. Stop trying to steer me off track. Tell me about the bear/man!
Is he cute?”

“Cute
is not a word I would use to describe Bern.”

“Bern,
Oh, that’s a sexy name. So, dish. I want deets.”

Jenna
sighed. “He is almost seven feet tall, with big, broad shoulders, and milk
chocolate eyes.”

“Oh
shit, you’ve got it bad already, don’tcha,
girl
?”

“I’m
afraid I do. That’s what I’m worried about.”

 
“Why are you worried? I thought this mate
thing was the perfect happily ever after. They mate you.
Are
always faithful, yadda yadda.”

“It is,
I guess, but…”

“But
what?
What
is the problem? You said the guy is cute, is he mean or something?”

“No!
Bern was very nice, sweet even. It’s just…”

“For
Christ’s sake, Jenna, will you just spit it out? You know I love ya, but I
haven’t got all day here.”

“It’s a
chemical reaction.
Pheromones.
It’s not love,” Jenna
replied sullenly.

There
was a pause on the end of the line and Jenna could just picture Alice pulling
the phone away from her face and staring at it. Finally she replied in a
surprisingly gentle voice, “Jenna, baby, how do
you
feel about this Bern? Do you think you could love him?”

“Yes,”
she murmured, in fact she was already falling for the big bear.

“So,
what makes you think it’s only pheromones on his part? Did you talk to him
about it?”

“A
little.
He
said the goddess wouldn’t choose us as mates if we weren’t meant to be
together.”

“Damn,
that’s so sweet I think you gave me a cavity.”

“You
are such a bitch.” Jenna laughed.

“So,
what are you going to do now? Fuck like bunnies?”

Jenna
could feel her cheeks heat, she cleared her throat. “Umm, yeah, well, that will
come, eventually, but Bern said we could take it as slow as I wanted.”

“Slow,
smoe!
Get to
the good stuff. Is he
big
all over?
Did you check out his package?”

Jenna
laughed again. “Well, if the baseball bat that was pressing into my thigh when
he kissed me was any indication, I might not walk for a week afterward.”

“Damn
skippy! That’s what I’m talkin’ ‘bout. You get you some of that. It’ll fix you
right up.”

“Alice
Louise Miller, I’m gonna tell your mother on you!”

“Shit,
Momma would tell you the same.”

They
both laughed because it was true, Mary Jenkins was a wild woman. Since her
husband had passed, she had a string of boyfriends a mile long. They all wore
broad smiles from her ardent attentions.

“Listen,
girl,” Alice
said,
a serious note in her voice. “This
is what you’ve been waiting for your whole life. Don’t fuck it up by
overthinking it. Give the guy a chance. Give yourself a chance.”

“Thanks.
I knew I could count on you. I wish you were here.”

“Hey,
you know I’m only a phone call away, and if I need to hop on a plane and kick
some bear ass, you know I will.”

“Yeah,
I know you will, but I’m not so sure even
you
could kick this bear’s ass.”

“I’ll
bring my Louisville Slugger.
Me
and Louis can take
care of any problem, together.”

“I love
you, Al.”

“I love
you too, Jen. I expect daily reports.”

“Daily?”

“Well,
maybe not daily, but every few days at least.”

“Okay,
I promise I’ll keep in touch. Thanks for listening.”

“Anytime.

“Oh,
one more thing, do you think I should tell my folks?”

Alice
was quiet for a few minutes.
“No, not yet.
I’d wait
until you’re sure everything is going to work out and then tell them.”

“That’s
what I thought too. Thanks.”

“Don’t
do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Well,
that leaves just about everything open.”

“That’s
the idea!” Alice replied with a laugh.

* * * *

Moments
after Bern dropped Jenna at her door he was on the phone. There were things he
had neglected to tell his erstwhile mate. He was the
Sippe Leiter
of Honey Corners, the Clan leader. That meant as his
mate there would be those who would try to use her as a pawn in the game of
shifter politics. He would have to put a guard on her, and he had a feeling his
feisty little mate wouldn’t like that idea one bit.

Martin,
his second, answered the phone on the first ring. “
Ja
, Bern?”

“Call
the
Sippe
.
Meeting.
My house.
Twenty minutes.”

“Yes,
sir.
Is
something wrong?”

A smile
spread across Bern’s face and he breathed in deeply, enjoying the residual
scent of his mate. “No, my friend, nothing is wrong. Something is right.
Very right.”

“Are
you drunk, Bern?”

“Ha
ha.
No…I
have met my mate.” Bern held the phone away from his ear in anticipation of the
explosion to come.

“Woo Hoo!
Holy Fucking Hell!
About God damn time!”

“I
thought you would be pleased.”

“Pleased?
I’m fucking overjoyed! Who is she? Do I know her? Is she a grizzly?”

“Slow
down, my friend. Her name is Jenna, she’s new in town.
Human.
I don’t know if you’ve met her.”

“Human?
The hot little school teacher?”

Bern
growled.

“Sorry,
boss. I was part of the committee that interviewed her for the post at the
school. She is…”

“You
best not finish that sentence, Martin, if you wish to keep your balls attached
to your body.”

“Yes,
sir.
Oh,
shit. She’s human. Have you marked her? She’ll need a guard.”

“Precisely
why I’m calling the meeting.
You best get off the phone with me and get to
making
those calls.”

“Are
you kidding me? All I have to do is call your sisters and the whole clan will
know in a micro-second.” Martin chortled.

Bern
joined in the laughter, his heart lighter than it had been in years. “That’s
true. I’ll be sure to cover my ears. I imagine their squeals will be heard all
the way to Asheville.”

“Asheville,
hell, my bet’s on Nashville, maybe even Dallas, Texas!”

Bern
rolled his eyes at his second’s good natured ribbing and hung up the phone
without bothering to say goodbye. He was almost home and he had a lot to do
before the
Sippe
arrived.
The Tudor style home sat atop a large hill overlooking most of the town. It was
the seat of power. The woods surrounded the back of the property, and a nice
stream, teaming with fish ran nearby. His bear loved the easy access to hunting
and fishing the property provided. The human loved the solitude of the
hundred-plus acres that kept the
Sippe
Leiter
safe and secure.

What
would his new mate think of his den? It was family property, passed down from
generation to generation. He had lived there all his life. His grandparents had
built the original house and his parents had added onto it over the years. Now,
it was a sprawling monstrosity. Empty and hollow, with children no longer
filling the halls and rooms.

He
couldn’t wait to fill it with life again.

Stained
glass filled the top of the heavy oak door, casting brilliant patterns of color
across the hardwood floors in the foyer. Bern stepped into the cool, dark
interior. The ceiling stretched the entire length of the two stories throughout
the entranceway and the living room, dormer windows allowed natural sunlight to
filter into the area, giving it an open and inviting feel.

Exposed
beams, crisscrossed the pale white stucco with deep chocolate. The staircase to
the second floor was all hand turned oak planks his father had lovingly shaped
and the banister was a work of art. Elaborate carvings of forest animals, with
a bear’s head at each end. A
Sippe
member had created the masterpiece.

Bern’s
mother, Marta, had loved to cook. One of the last things his father had done
for her, before the accident that took their lives, was to modernize the
kitchen. Stainless steel gleamed amidst the granite countertops. Everything was
top of the line, from the ceramic cooktop to the built-in double ovens and duel
refrigerators. A kitchen made for entertaining large groups of hungry bears.

He
briefly wondered if Jenna liked to cook, and then dismissed the thought. He
didn’t care. He could always hire someone if she didn’t. He had a mate.
Such a simple and complex thing.
His joy knew no bounds, but
he was overcome with fear too. Jenna would be a target. He needed to keep her
safe above all else.

Pulling
a bottle of water from the fridge, he downed half the contents in a single
gulp.
His mind already formulating his strategy.
The
front door flew open with such force he was surprised the glass didn’t shatter
and the excited voices of his sisters all calling at once assaulted his ears.