Raising The Stakes (Heartwarming Romance) (18 page)

“His pet hedgehog. She disappeared while he was cleaning her cage and we searched half the day before finding her curled up in one of his slippers.”

Liam, rescuer of hedgehogs...and her... She shuddered as she thought of the fire and how he’d saved Button. Rescued them all. The house didn’t matter compared to that. She’d told him she didn’t need a hero, but it was wonderful to have one around. If only he would stay. When she sighed, his hand tightened on her thigh and she glanced from it to the dangerous road they careened over.

She placed his fingers back on the wheel. “Two and ten, mister.”

His mouth twitched. “That’s for kids.”

“And people with sense. Do you see this drop-off?” The car whizzed by a sign that proclaimed 2,500 feet.

“I could drive this road in my sleep. Plus that stone wall will stop a car going at this speed.”

She relaxed against the seat. “I want to live through my first date with you.”

His eyebrows lifted and his gaze swerved her way for a heart-stopping second. “First? Does that mean you’ve already agreed to more?”

She opened her mouth and closed it, unsure how to handle this flirtatious version of Liam. It messed with her head and her heart. “Just get us up there in one piece,” she managed.

He lifted a couple of fingers from the wheel and cocked an eyebrow. “This okay?”

She swatted his shoulder. “Knock it off, Liam.”

He shrugged. “For now,” he said, and the low baritone promise in his voice tiptoed down her spine.

A string of cars passed them, going in the opposite direction as they neared the summit. Suddenly a medieval-replica castle loomed into view, complete with gothic arches, glinting stone walls and leaded glass windows. A lone station wagon backed out of the now-empty parking lot and the driver gave them a cheery wave.

Vivie gazed around her in wonder when Liam pulled into a space. “It’s like something right out of fairy tale. I love it.” She scrambled from the car and dashed beneath the arched porticos to a waist-high fieldstone wall behind the castle. Another sign read 4,865 feet.

Smaller mountain peaks jutted around her and she turned slowly, taking in the breathtaking panoramic view. The sun rode low and heavy in the sky, a deep yellow ball that smeared the cloud drifts pink and orange.

“It’s gorgeous,” she exclaimed.

“You’re more beautiful,” Liam whispered in her ear, his arms encircling her, holding her tight against him.

She curled around. “What are we doing, Liam?”

His mouth twisted but his eyes remained serious. “Having dinner.”

“Right.” She gently eased away, not wanting to push this fragile moment. “Are we eating out here?”

He extended a hand and she grasped it, loving the weight of their joined fingers swinging between them as they walked. A girl could get used to this.

They reached a large arched door, and he held it open, gesturing for her to precede him. Inside, it was cool and dim and the light filtered through tall, narrow windows.

“We’re eating up there.” Liam gestured to a metal spiral staircase. He looked a little dangerous tonight in gray dress slacks and a black dress shirt that set off his vivid eyes. “After you.” He bowed slightly at the waist. His full lips curved into a smile when he straightened.

“Fancy,” she murmured, smoothing the yellow maxi dress she’d donned, glad her silver sandals dressed up her outfit even more.

When her head cleared the staircase, she gasped and rushed the rest of the way into the candlelit room. Her heart beat fast as she surveyed the large space. Flames sputtered in every corner, a long buffet table laden with sushi, fruit and salads dominating a far wall. Fresh flowers spilled out of a clear glass vase on a round table by one of the oversize windows.

Her heels clattered on the stone floor as Liam cupped her elbow and led her to the table. He pulled out her seat, then took his own. “What do you think?”

“How did you manage this?” she asked, though what she really wanted to know was
why
? He couldn’t have decided to stay here. Want a relationship...could he? Her heart swelled and she knew instantly that her answer would be yes if he asked.

She trusted him like no other. He’d done so many supportive things, large and small, these past two and a half months. After dancing to her mother’s restless tune growing up, then clinging to her home after her attack, she’d finally had the courage to open up, to believe again, thanks to Liam. Deep down, she knew she’d always want him near...if only he’d stay.

Liam poured something fizzy into her fluted glass, his handsome face shining above the flickering candle. “Sparkling grape juice, okay?”

“Perfect.”

He filled his glass and raised it. “‘May we have those in our arms whom we love in our hearts,’” he quoted.

She studied him for a long moment, not sure how to take his beautiful words. Did he love her?

They clinked glasses and their eyes clung as each sipped.

“I hope you like sushi. There’s also some local cheese. Bread from the bakery. Hummus, cucumber salad...”

She raised a hand. “This is amazing. How did you get it all up here?”

He grinned. “Had it delivered. Joe oversaw everything. Had his nephews set up the food and room. They don’t use this except for special occasions and since this is one... I rented it.”

She sipped her drink and set it down on the white linen tablecloth. “He must love Hermione.”

“Everyone needs someone to love.” The passionate flare in his eyes made her pulse race.

“Let’s eat,” she said when the silence stretched to its breaking point.

They filled their plates and returned to the table. “Yellowfin tuna. What a treat.” She dipped the fish in soy sauce and brought the chopsticks to her mouth. The tart, gingery flavor exploded on her tongue and her eyes closed in appreciation. “Wow. So good.”

When she opened her eyes, Liam was gazing at her, his expression warm and appreciative. “You look like an angel.”

“I clean up okay.” She deflected the compliment, feeling awkward, not knowing where this was going.

“Even when you’re mucking around on a hiking trail, Vivie. You’re the most beautiful woman in the world to me.” When he reached for her hand, she slid her fingers between his, her breath quickening.

“It’s been quite a summer.”

A tortured expression flitted across his face and vanished. “It’s almost over.”

“Soon you’ll be gone.”

His fingers tightened around hers and she nearly winced at his grip. “Vivie, I’ve done a lot of thinking. Since Kunar, I’ve been careful not to get attached. I’d lost too much and couldn’t bear to lose another person I cared for.”

The hair on her arms prickled. “And now?”

His thumb brushed the center of her palm, sending frissons of electricity through her.

“Now I know that I am attached. To you.”

“Oh,” her breath hitched and she couldn’t find the words to say anything more.

“You’ve changed me and I can’t go back to how I used to be. I don’t know how it happened. Or when. Maybe it was our work with Button, the fire, the wedding, or all the moments in between. But I know I’m a different man. A better one, I hope.”

“You’re perfect to me,” she found the courage to say and his eyes searched hers.

“No. Not perfect. But I’m crazy about you. Vivie. I don’t want to leave and always wonder how you’re doing.”

Her mind stuck on one thought, replaying it over and over. He was going to tell her he’d changed his mind. Wasn’t going to Yellowstone. Would stay here for her.

“I want you to come to Yellowstone with me.”

She stared at him, uncomprehending at first, her mind too full of bliss to absorb the blow. When it hit, however, it hit hard. She jerked to her feet and walked to the window, watching, without seeing, as the sun sank behind the mountain range.

He gripped her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. “Vivie. Will you come with me?”

Despair clogged her throat. Of course she couldn’t leave her home. She was no longer afraid. That wasn’t the issue. But she had responsibilities, people and animals who depended on her.

“I can’t. There’s too much for me here.”

The hope in his eyes dimmed. “I could give you so much in Yellowstone. All that I am. It’s yours.”

“And how long before you’d want to leave Yellowstone? Maybe move us to Alaska? Nova Scotia?”

He scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “I can’t guarantee that we’d settle down permanently, Vivie, but I would never leave you.”

Her shoulders slumped. “It’s not enough. I can’t give up everything I’ve built here. And there’s Button.”

His head rested atop hers and he gathered her close. “I haven’t heard official word about Button, Vivie. The vet report should be in soon. If she’s cleared for her jaw, then one of the refuges may take her or she’ll be released.”

Her muscles tightened as she imagined the impossible...letting Button go. But wouldn’t she have to do the same with Liam? Both were options too terrible to contemplate. She’d seen Button’s curious side-chewing motion. There was a chance she wouldn’t be approved for release and would stay in her enclosure. Become a permanent part of Vivie’s family. If only that family could include Liam, too.

“Is there any possibility you’d consider staying here?”

She glanced up at him and found it hard to look away from his soulful eyes.

He carefully brushed an eyelash from her cheek, then rested his palm against the side of her face. “I’ve been here long enough. I’ll only be miserable if I stay.”

“And I’d feel the same if I left.” She broke away and wandered to the buffet table, staring at the flickering candlelight. Deep down, she knew that Liam was the only man she’d feel this way about, but it wasn’t meant to be.

She smelled his outdoorsy scent before she felt his hand slip into hers. She turned to face him.

“You don’t know you’d be unhappy if you left. Yellowstone could be a new beginning for you. For us.”

Her lips twisted and she snatched her hand away. “Staying put could be a fresh start for you, too, but you don’t consider that. You only took me to the wedding to fool your family into thinking you’re stable. Doing all right.”

His brows crashed together. “I am all right.”

“Moving all the time, never allowing yourself to care about anyone, to build a life? That doesn’t sound okay to me.”

He paced away to the long, narrow window near the top of the stairs.

“I wanted you at the wedding with me. End of story.”

“No, it’s not. There’s more. Your family worries about you. Wishes you’d settle down.”

He turned and their eyes met across the shadowed room. His chest rose and fell. “They do.”

“Then stop putting this all on me.”

In a few strides he closed the distance between them and gathered her in his arms.

“You’re right. It’s both of us. Let’s take this one day at a time. See if you feel differently in the next three weeks.” With his head lowered, his words flowed over her lips.

“You might be the one to change your mind... But either way, we can at least enjoy the time we have left together,” she whispered back, and in an instant he was pressing his firm mouth to hers, sucking gently on her lower lip before capturing it fully. She breathed in his scent, the fresh pine smell that made her head swim. She clutched his shoulders as his kiss strengthened, her fingers twining in the thick hair that brushed his collar. He moaned low in the back of his throat and his hands slid up her back, cupping her head as he deepened the kiss until they both gasped for air.

His heart drummed against her chest and an electric lightness rolled through her. She’d never felt so vulnerable, yet empowered, in a man’s arms before. Intoxicating. When his mouth trailed down her jaw, her head lolled back. She shivered when his lips nibbled along her neck, lingering at its base.

“You feel so good,” he growled when he pulled away at last.

She grabbed the back of a nearby seat, feeling dizzy. “So do you.”

“Have I convinced you yet?” The excitement in his eyes was infectious. But how could she be anything but honest? Yes, he made her feel things no other man could. Still...it was a big decision.

“I need time.”

He lifted her off her feet and gave her another breathless kiss before setting her down again. “We have three more weeks and I’m making the most of them. You see...I love you.”

Her breath evaporated in her lungs and her heart somersaulted. He loved her. It was beyond imagining. Wishing. Did she dare say it back given her doubts about their future?

She put a hand against his chest. “Liam. I don’t want you to get your hopes up.” There was so much to consider...and would a refuge in Yellowstone be available for Button? One she could volunteer at perhaps? Would she be able to keep her family together? So many questions to work through. Three weeks might not be enough. But the thought of losing this...these moments with Liam...it hurt, too.

“Too late.” His mischievous grin was contagious and she returned it, pushing him away to return to her dinner.

“Impossible. That’s what you are.” She pointed her chopsticks at him before scooping up a California roll, her heart full to bursting.

“It’s all part of the charm,” he said with a wink before picking up his chopsticks.

And it was... That strong, thoughtful man who’d entrusted her with his deepest hurts, his hidden insecurities. It only made him more special to her.

She brushed away the last shred of her doubts. They had three weeks together and a lot could change. Better to enjoy this time and worry about the future when it happened. For now, she’d let go and live—for Liam, for her pet family and most of all, for herself.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

L
IAM
LAY
ON
his side and eyed the beautiful woman sunbathing next to him on the long wooden dock. A moist northern wind blew, rustling and fluttering leaves as a few early turners floated in colorful bursts. Another sign of approaching fall. The end of their idyllic three weeks together.

A heaviness drummed inside him. Vivie still hadn’t agreed to go to Yellowstone. Since their evening at Whiteface, they’d been inseparable. He envisioned driving west alone in three days and a ripping sensation tore through him—a rending inside if he left her behind.

He twirled a yellow leaf and peered at Vivie. They belonged together. Why hadn’t she made up her mind to see things his way?

A splash sounded from the bank and a large black animal paddled out to join them.

Button.

Of course Vivie struggled to leave when she didn’t know her bear’s future. As her certification supervisor, he’d been ordered to share that news with her today. He dropped the leaf in the water and watched it drift, wishing he could do the same...avoid telling Vivie the DEC’s decision.

“Hey, sweetie,” he heard Vivie croon, as the young bear’s large head appeared by the wooden platform. “Ew!” she squealed when a half-eaten fish flew over her stomach and landed between them. He tossed the rank object overboard.

Button snorted and Vivie sat up to stroke the animal’s wet fur. “Sorry. Just wasn’t expecting such a nice—uh—gift. Do you want your turtle?” Vivie reached into her bag and pulled out the mutilated rubber toy. It was barely recognizable, but Button reached eagerly. She got a paw on it, then went under when she lost grip.

“Button!” Vivie squealed and Liam grabbed her before she leaped into the river. It would be all kinds of dangerous to get close to a thrashing, nearly grown bear.

Button’s head broke the surface after a heart-stopping moment, the turtle in her mouth.

“Yay! You got Turtle.” Vivie laughed and her relief and excitement charmed Liam. How she loved that bear. She knelt and touched her nose to Button’s, leaning over the dock’s edge. “Did you eat some nuts?”

Liam scanned the bank of oaks and spotted a haughty pheasant strutting slowly by, nibbling at the grass and peering cautiously in all directions. They’d brought Button here to show her how to plunder squirrel hoards and forage for acorns herself. It was the last survival skill they needed to teach her. Since she’d remember her mother’s hibernation spot, the fattened bear could find a cozy sleeping spot without their help when snow fell.

Not that Vivie envisioned Button anywhere else than her sleep stall, he knew. She’d even mentioned wiring the barn for heat. Liam held in a sigh. Button would make her own warmth this winter. The department had slated her for release in a few days.

A spray of water splattered him and he watched Vivie splashing Button. Her giggles rang out as the bear swam in circles. Button swatted her large paws, sending plumes of liquid over both of them. He glanced away. Their joy in each other was painful to watch now that it had to end.

He didn’t doubt Button would thrive in the wild. Vivie, on the other hand, might not do as well, even though she’d grown so much stronger since he met her. Would she be able to eventually forgive him when she found out the plan? Understand that he was doing his job and what he knew was best for Button?

Suddenly, a lithe body snuggled close and he peered down at the woman he loved. Her autumn eyes sparkled up at him, her mouth too close to resist.

After a moment, he pulled back and traced her face. A crow’s rasping caw sounded far above in the sky.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“How happy you make me.”

She smiled. “These past three weeks have been perfect.”

“I don’t want them to end.” He touched his forehead to hers and her eyelashes brushed his.

“They don’t have to.”

He straightened, hope springing through him. Had she decided to join him? He’d steered clear of the topic, not wanting to spoil their time together, but with his departure near, it couldn’t be avoided any longer.

Still, he had to share Button’s news before they made plans. Make sure Vivie didn’t end up regretting it if she agreed to come with him before learning about the bear.

“My boss met with me this morning about Button.”

Her face tightened and she sat up, her arms crossed over her stomach. She glanced at Button who stood on the bank and watched them, shaking her wet fur.

“What did he say?”

“The vet report indicates there’s no serious feeding issue from Button’s jaw dislocation.”

Vivie’s eyes stayed on the bear. Button stuck her snout beneath a pile of rocks and gobbled nuts, oblivious to a chattering, agitated squirrel beside her.

“That’s good news. It means more refuges might take her. We’re still on waiting lists and I’ll keep her until we find a safe spot.” Her voice quavered and he wrapped an arm around her rigid back, her skin cool in the Indian-summer heat.

“They’re releasing her on Friday.”

The words felt heavy in his mouth, crushing as stone.

She didn’t move and her glistening eyes remained on Button. “But you said we’d try to find a safe place for her.”

“None of the refuges have space. They give priority to injured animals and Button can fend for herself.”

Vivie jerked from his arms, her angry exclamation making the bear lift her head and stare at them.

“What if she’s attacked? Her mouth doesn’t fully open. She couldn’t defend herself. She needs me.”

Hating himself for what he needed to say, he pushed on. “No. She doesn’t. Her food is out here. Her body is designed for the weather. Her instincts and memory will tell her when it’s time to hibernate. As for defending herself, the vet doesn’t see that as a problem given she’s at the top of the food chain and black bears aren’t aggressive, so she’s unlikely to be attacked by another bear.”

“But she won’t have love,” said Vivie in a watery gulp.

“Not from a human. No.”

“I’m her mother.”

“She’s almost an adult now. It’s time to let her go, Vivie, like any mother would do when it’s time for her child to leave home.”

“Something could happen to her and I won’t be able to stop it.”

“You can’t protect her forever. She’ll have to learn to fend for herself. You overcame all odds and it made you stronger. Button will do the same.”

Vivie shuddered and wrapped her arms around her knees, laying her cheek against them.

“I don’t want her going through that. The answer’s no, Liam.” She shook off the hand he placed on her shoulder.

“It’s not your call.”

“She’s my responsibility,” Vivie cried, her voice breaking over him like shattered glass.

“You’ve prepared her,” he said, trying to soothe her. “Trust in that and don’t hold her back.”

A tear dripped off her chin followed by another. “She’s happy with me.” Something lay across her voice, a long shadow.

He pulled out a handkerchief but she ignored it. “Of course she is. But it’s not natural. Button needs to be with her own kind.”

Vivie peered up at him, her expression both wounded and furious. “And you agree with this? Believe I’m not enough for Button?”

Here it was. The easy way out. He could blame it on work and still get the girl. But what kind of man used deceit to win another’s affections? Not him.

“Button needs freedom. You can’t keep humanizing a wild animal, imagining that she thinks like we do. She’ll need to come and go on her terms, not yours.”

Vivie pierced him with a look. “Why do I feel like we’re talking about you as well as Button?”

He jerked his head from side to side. “Not a chance. I want you with me. In Yellowstone.”

Her laugh sounded bitter. “Then why haven’t you pushed for my answer? Didn’t you think I’d need to make arrangements by now?”

“I didn’t want to pressure you.”

“You didn’t want to pressure me or yourself?”

Each word was a stab to the chest. Realization detonating in his gut.

“You’re not coming with me.”

Her hair fell across her forehead when she shook her head. “Neither one of us would be happy. I’ll never understand why freedom is more important to you than love.”

“I want to be with you,” he exclaimed as she stuffed her belongings in a tote.

Her anguished expression nearly undid him. “If you really loved me, you’d want to stay.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “You know that’s impossible.” The pressure in his chest built to an unbearable ache as he imagined the claustrophobic feeling he’d experienced in Kunar, the sense that he was trapped. He didn’t want that associated with Vivie.

“Then we don’t work,” she whispered, tears in her voice. “I wish it could be different.”

He held her limp hand until she pulled away. “Will you at least think it over? I don’t leave until Friday.”

“The same day they’re coming for Button. How convenient for you,” she said, her voice broken.

He nodded slowly, guessing it would appear to her as if he’d orchestrated everything.

Her mouth turned down. “I should have known.”

“I never planned on this.”

“But you hoped for it.” She pointed at him, her face white. “Admit it.”

His head bobbed and her eyes narrowed. “I always wanted Button where she belonged.”

“And you never imagined that could be with me...no wonder you can’t see yourself staying, either.”

“Vivie, that’s different.”

“Is it? My business, my pets, my home...that is me. You have to care about all of it. I don’t come piecemeal. I’m not some doll you can put in a box and truck around the country whenever the mood strikes you.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but wasn’t that, in a way, how he had pictured their life together? Pulling up stakes whenever the urge to leave returned, Vivie by his side? He knew she’d lived that life with her mother, but he wouldn’t have made her leave things behind in the dead of night, uproot her without closure. It would have been different, if only she’d let him prove it.

“You can’t take Button from me, too, Liam. Please. Stop the DEC.”

He shook his head slowly. “There’s nothing I can do.”

Her head dipped and he saw her brush her cheeks. “There has to be something.”

Helplessness swept over him. There was no way to fix this. He’d been wrong to think he could prevent casualties, even when it came to his own life...or Vivie’s.

“There’s nothing.”

She stood up and the wooden platform rocked. “I see.” Her eyes resembled dead brown leaves. “Then there’s nothing left for us, either.”

She turned on her heel and strode away. Button joined her when she stepped back into the forest and out of his life.

* * *

T
HREE
DAYS
LATER
, Vivie woke with a start in Button’s pen. Her head rested on the bear’s side, which was softly rising and falling. She glanced at her watch—8:00 a.m. The DEC would be here any minute and would take this beautiful animal away from her. Worse, Liam would be leaving, as well. As betrayed as she felt, it hurt to envision her life without him.

Everything inside her recoiled. Soon they’d haul away a member of her family and dump her in a strange location, leaving her frightened and alone. Button would be as scared as she’d been the day she’d lost her first mother. As for Liam, he’d be starting over without Vivie.

Tears formed in her eyes and she blinked them away. How could she stop this? Liam had made his own decision, but for Button, Vivie’s home was all she knew. Remembered. How would the bear manage on her own? Protect herself? Even though the vet and the DEC believed Button would be safe, Vivie knew the forest was a dangerous place—look what had happened to Button’s mother.

Vivie shuddered when she imagined Button wounded. Bleeding. Possibly dying alone in the wilderness. The life Liam thought she needed. Bile rose in her throat when she recalled their last conversation. She’d hoped once they’d started a relationship, he’d change his mind. See a life here together with Button.

How wrong she’d been. He was as wild as the animals and countryside he supervised. How stupid to think she could change him, or heal the war wounds hidden inside. He’d always reject feeling penned in and wanted Button to be just as free.

She swiped at her nose and buried her face in Button’s warm side. Where would her sweet bear sleep tonight? On rocks? Under a tree? It’d be nothing as soft and secure as a hay-filled barn. Worse, Button wouldn’t know where she was. How to get home. The DEC was dropping her miles away. Would she think Vivie had abandoned her?

A sob tore from her throat. Button’s snores stopped and she lifted her head, her brown eyes rolling back to meet Vivie’s.

“Hey, babe,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. Vivie sat up and ran her hand over Button’s silky ears, her pointy snout and moist nose. Was this the last time she’d see her bear? Touch her? Was today the last time she’d ever see Liam?

The thought tore through her heart and she gasped at the pain of it.

Button lurched to her feet and nosed Vivie’s hands, sniffing for a treat. Vivie pulled out a bag of strawberries, Button’s favorite. The bear’s soft lips swished across Vivie’s palm as she gobbled the snack. Their last meal together.

“They’re not in season, but still pretty good, right?” Vivie babbled, hardly knowing what she said. But what sense could she make when she was about to lose what felt like her child along with the only man she could ever love? There were no words.

Button snorted and sniffed Vivie’s pockets then up her sides. “That’s all I’ve got,” she croaked, wishing she had more. The DEC officer had given her strict instructions not to feed Button breakfast. Something about incentivizing her to leave the drop-off area in search of food.

Vivie shivered. Button loved to eat, but she cared about companionship more. No matter how hungry the bear felt, she’d be confused and disheartened once the men left her on her own. Vivie couldn’t picture Button galloping off to some random bushes once released. She’d search for the caregivers who loved her...and whom she loved back. That was the reason Liam couldn’t oversee the drop-off.