Reforming the Bear (4 page)

****

Liam
pulled his truck in front of Lucy’s car. The road was one of the busiest in the
area and cars and trucks would start their morning commute soon, making the car’s
position somewhat of a hazard. He’d set out early knowing the sooner he got it
either fixed or towed back to his auto shop, the better. He’d known a few disabled
cars to get sideswiped when big semis had misjudged the width of the road. The
last thing Lucy needed was her car getting totaled.

He
got out of his truck, walked back to her car and opened the door. He pulled on
the lever to pop the hood. He raised it and secured it so he could do a quick
visual check. Liam couldn’t see anything that had broken or snapped. He checked
the oil and saw it was fine. Spark plugs and filters could both do with
replacing, which he’d get to when he got the car back to the garage. However,
he didn’t think that was the problem. He got inside the car and tried to start
the ignition, but nothing happened. It was too dangerous to be under the hood
out here on the road. Plus, it was already beginning to get hot. He’d tow it
and then do a more in-depth inspection in his garage.

He
looked around the car and found an open map of Montana sitting on the passenger
seat. He folded it and put it into the glove compartment, which was empty apart
from a half-eaten bag of jellybeans. He smiled. Both he and Danny had loved
jellybeans when they were kids. The shifter couple who’d adopted them always
made sure the boys had the biggest jar he’d ever seen sitting under the tree
every Christmas morning. Even when they’d turned into teenagers the jar was
there without fail. He could still taste all the flavors and recalled Danny and
him combing them to come up with their own weird combinations.

A
tear ran down Liam’s cheek before he’d even realized he was crying. He still
missed Danny and always would. It also reminded him that it had been a long
time since he’d gone to visit Maureen, the lady who along with her husband,
Stan, had raised him and Danny. Stan had passed away five years ago and Maureen
had retired and now lived in a cabin close to the entrance of Glacier National
Park. Maybe he’d take Sam to meet her. Yeah, she’d probably love to see Danny’s
child. If he knew Maureen, she’d spoil Sam like he was her grandchild … which
in a way, he was.

He
closed the glove compartment and got out of the car. He walked to his truck to
set up the equipment to attach to Lucy’s car in order to tow it. Thinking of
Stan, he’d been the one to introduce him to cars and Danny to motorbikes. Liam
could be cynical and say that maybe if he hadn’t, his brother would still be
alive, but in his heart he knew Danny had loved riding those things. And maybe it
was true what they said: when your time is up, it’s up, and it didn’t matter
where you were or what you were doing … your life was destined to end at that
point. So Danny riding his bike on the same night the drunk driver was heading
in the opposite direction wouldn’t have mattered. Danny’s life was supposed to
end that day. Not that Liam believed in karma or whatever you called it, but it
sure as hell helped you get through some of the darkest days when you lost
someone. It also took away that guilt that weighed heavily on your shoulders. Like
the thought that maybe, just maybe you could have done something different that
day.

Liam
hooked everything up, making sure it was all secure before he got back into his
truck and pulled out onto the highway with Lucy’s car now behind him. Bright
red, a little sporty and from the little he knew about her, it seemed like her
ideal sort of car.
 
When he’d been
attaching the hitch he noticed the car bore Pennsylvania plates. He wondered if
that’s where she was from. If so, she’d driven a long way.

Liam
rounded the corner onto one of side roads. He’d opted to take another way home
because it wasn’t so hilly and made towing a car easier. He usually avoided
this road whenever possible, because driving it meant he’d have to pass by the
ravine where Danny’s broken body had laid for two days after the accident.

That
fucking drunk hadn’t even been aware he’d hit anyone, let alone hit him so hard
he’d sent his body and bike flying down the side of the road where no one had
seen him. Liam tried not to look at the spot as he drove by, but he couldn’t
avoid it. He bit his lip while doing his best to fight back the tears.

In
two months’ time, it would be the eighth anniversary of his brother’s death. Liam
always spent that day at Danny’s grave. He took him flowers and small talk,
filling him in on what had been happening. This year, and with Hannah’s
permission, he was going to take Sam. He was going to show Danny the son he’d
never known he’d created with Hannah. Wouldn’t he be proud of what a fine bear
he’d produced?

Swiping
his eyes with the back of his hand, he rounded the next corner and headed onto
the main highway into Kalispell. If Danny would have lived, Liam was pretty
sure he’d have married Hannah once he’d found out about the baby. Danny was a
wild young man but he’d always done the right thing. A human as a sister-in-law
… wouldn’t that have been weird. He and humans, well, they had never been a
good mix, and things had turned even more septic after Danny’s accident.

He
thought of Lucy. She was a human, and yet he’d wanted to stop and help her. It
was probably because she was hurt and when he’d found out that a human piece of
scum had attacked her, it made him all the more determined to see that she got
safely to the hospital and was checked out. If only someone would have seen
Danny, maybe they could have saved him. Why did humans have to do such
despicable things?

Liam
pulled onto the side road and approached the garage and his property from the
back alley. He’d check the car, see what needed fixing, and if necessary he’d
send out for parts and then stop by to see Lucy. Something he was looking
forward to more than he would have ever imagined.

Chapter Four

Lucy
decided to check out the crutches that Bear had given her last night. She’d
never used them before, and hoped she could get the hang of the damn things.
He’d told her she’d probably need to use them for at least a week and to avoid
putting weight on her foot so the leg had a good chance to heal. She put the
crutches under her armpits and leaned on them. She tried to get her
coordination together so she didn’t look like an idiot hobbling along the
hallway while she gave them a test run. She stopped by a window and peeked in,
seeing two babies in cribs, and guessed it was the nursery. They both looked so
cute. She remembered when her niece and nephew had been that small. Lucy moved
on to another area and saw a chart on the wall with anatomy she hadn’t seen
before. Was that a wolf’s outline and the next one a bear?
 
How strange for a hospital to have that
hanging on the wall…

“Lucy?”

She
jumped, letting go of one of the crutches when she heard a woman’s voice behind
her.

“I’m
sorry for startling you like that.”

The
woman who was wearing scrubs picked up the crutch and handed it to her.

“It’s
okay … no problem.”

“I’m
Dr. Charlotte Renner. Dr. McWilliams, Bear, told me you’d arrived here last
night and to check on you this morning.”

“Hi,
nice to meet you,” said Lucy, trying to get the crutch back under her armpit.

“You
want to walk back to your room and we can chat and I’ll check you out to make
sure everything’s okay?”

Lucy
nodded.

“Are
you handling the crutches okay? I know they’re tricky at first.”

“Just
about.”

“By
the end of the day, using them will be second nature to you. So, how are you
feeling this morning?”

“Much
better than I was when I came in here. I think I was tired more than anything.”

“You’re
from out of town?”

Lucy
wasn’t sure how she’d handle any questions.

“Yes,
I’m thinking about moving to Montana.”

Why
had she said that? Mike had gone through the script for what she’d say if
anyone asked why she was in Big Sky Country.

“I’m
not from here either, but it’s a great place to live. I even met my husband
here shortly after I arrived.”

“Is
he a doctor too?” asked Lucy as they got back to the room. She saw a nurse
moving the bag and panic set in. “Leave that where it is!”

Both
the nurse and Charlotte looked at her.

“Sorry,
but I’m still a bit jumpy after what happened last night.”

“I’ll
put it here so I can set your breakfast tray here,” said the nurse.

“Sure,
that’s fine,” said Lucy, sitting on the side of the bed.

“To
answer your question,” said Charlotte. “Nope, I’m the only doctor in the
family.” She pulled up a chair and sat. “In fact, you’re my first patient on my
first day back from maternity leave.”

“A
new mom? How exciting. Did you have a boy or girl?”

“Girl
named Bridget, and I’m already missing her like crazy.”

“Bridget.
I like that name.”

“Thanks.
In fact, I have a photo of her here.”

Charlotte
pulled out a snapshot from the pocket on the front of her scrubs and handed it
to Lucy.

She
was adorable, with dark curls and big blue eyes.

“She’s
very pretty.”

“Yeah,
we think so too.”

Lucy
handed the photo back.

“Have
you thought about reporting the incident with the trucker to the police?” asked
Charlotte. “Sexual assault is a serious crime, and I think this guy should be
charged.”

“No,
no, please … I don’t want to cause any trouble.” She glanced over at the bag
and then back at Charlotte.

“Seems
like the trucker was the one causing the trouble, not you,” said Charlotte.

“I
know, but I’m okay … and besides, he’s probably long gone. Maybe in another
state by now.”

“Okay,
I won’t pressure you … but if you change your mind, Bear and I are here to help
you and we can offer the police details of the injuries you sustained.”

“I’ll
keep that in mind,” said Lucy, hoping they could get off the topic of getting
the police involved. The last thing she needed was a paper trail leading to
where she was.

“So
where are you staying until you find a new home?”

“I
was just going to stop at a motel and get used to the area for a bit, and then
start looking for something more permanent.”

“I
do have a friend who’s a realtor in Whitefish, if you’d like her business
card.”

She
had to continue with her story, so she’d play along. No other choice.

“That
would be great.”

“So
when you leave here today, you’re going to be alone in a motel room?” asked
Charlotte.

“Yes.”

“I
don’t think that’s a good idea. I mean your leg needs time to heal, and when
you’ve had a shock like that, well, I think it’s nice to be around other
people. Maybe you can…”

“She
can stay at my place.”

Lucy
looked up to see Liam standing in the doorway, holding a box in his hands.

“Morning,
Charlotte,” he said. “Lucy, it’s great seeing you again.”

“Liam,
I heard you were the hero of the night,” said Charlotte standing.

“Just
happened to be passing by.”

“He’s
being modest. He was a true hero, even to the part about carrying me to the car,”
said Lucy.

“Now
I really am impressed. So you think you can keep an eye on Lucy until she’s
fully healed?”

“He
really doesn’t have to,” said Lucy, thinking how nice these people were … but
she didn’t really want them getting involved, just in case there was trouble
like Mike suspected.

“No,
but I want to. I have an apartment at the back of my property that’s just
sitting empty … and your car’s going to take a few days to fix, so you might as
well use it.”

“Sounds
like the two of you have it all worked out, so I’ll be on my way to the other
patients. Lucy, whenever you want to check out go ahead, but call me or Bear if
you need a refill on your pain meds or have any problems with the leg, or if
the scrapes look like they’re infected,” said Charlotte.

“I
will, and thank you … and please thank Dr. McWilliams.”

Charlotte
winked at Liam as she left the two of them alone.

“You’ll
have to let me pay you rent as well as the repairs for the car,” said Lucy.

Liam
raised his hand. “The repairs are on the house, and you using the apartment won’t
cost me a thing, so I wouldn’t think of charging rent. Oh, and I hope you don’t
mind that I looked in your glove compartment and saw that you like these.”

He
handed her the box. She lifted the lid and smiled when she saw a large bag of
jellybeans sitting in there.

“I
like them too … my brother Danny did as well. Have you tried their new banana
split flavor? Well, if you haven’t I took the liberty of asking them to put
some into the mix.”

“Are
you kidding? I love both their banana flavors. How about their peach melba?”

“Good
choice, and here––they do a huckleberry one too, and it’s very addictive.”

“Huckleberry,
as in in Huck Finn?” asked Lucy.

“I
guess so. They grow just about everywhere in this part of Montana, and we bears
… I mean the bears, love them.”

We
bears? She almost wanted to laugh because Liam did remind her somewhat of a big
strong bear who’d come to her rescue. Maybe that’s what he thought about
himself too. A big cuddly bear.

“I
guess I should put these away until after I’ve eaten the breakfast the nurse
left for me.”

“Let
me get that tray for you,” said Liam, pulling it around for her.

“Oatmeal,”
she said.

“With
a good helping of honey,” he said.

“How
did you know that?” asked Lucy.

“I
can smell it.”

“Wow,
my nose must be blocked or something, because I can’t detect that at all.”

She
put her spoon into it and took a bite. “Yep, you’re right … now I can taste it.
So, what’s wrong with my car?”

“Needs
some new parts that had rusted through and they should be arriving in a couple
of days.”

“And
you said you fix cars for a living,” said Lucy, taking another bite of the
oatmeal.

“Yep,
and have done since I left school. How about you … what do you do?”

What
had she and Mike decided upon as their story? She’d already forgotten. Damn,
she was terrible at this.

“I’m
an interior designer,” she finally said.

“Then
you’re going to find my place in need of a makeover. I’ll also warn you ahead
of time that I’m a messy bachelor.”

“Well,
at least you’re honest.”

“Did
I overhear you telling Charlotte that you’re looking to move here?”

She
had to keep to the story or someone might grow suspicious.

“Yes,
and she said she knows a realtor.”

“If
you need any advice on what’s a good area or spot, just let me know. I’ve lived
here for longer than I can remember.”

“You
are too nice, Liam.”

In fact, too
nice to be lied to.