Connected (Gem Creek Bears Book 5) Read online

  I swung the stick again. It made a whipping noise as it sliced through the air, but it didn’t detour Marshall from stepping closer like I wanted. He was too close now. I moved to take a step back, but my heel butted against the bear trap behind me. I almost fell, but righted myself at the last second. My gaze snapped back to Marshall. He paused in his pursuit, blinked, and then lunged at me. I gasped and squeezed my eyes shut while I swung the stick like a baseball bat, hoping to connect with him.

  Instead, I connected with air as a gust of wind flew past me.

  A deep, low growl sounded, and I opened my eyes. A giant bear stood in front of me, blocking me from Marshall. I didn’t have to see its eyes to know who it was. I could feel Rafe’s presence.

  When the hell had I learned what his presence felt like?

  Rafe let out a deep breath, the sound pushing past his nostrils hard and fast. He was pissed. I could sense his anger rippling off him. It hung heavy in the surrounding air. Marshall lunged forward, his jaws snapping. I took a step back, wanting to give the two of them space to go at it, and nearly stepped on the bear trap behind me. I used my stick to push it out of the way and then jammed it in its center. Its metal jaws and razor-sharp teeth snapped together, breaking the stick in half.

  Holy shit! That could have been my leg or my face.

  Another bear came to join the fight. Two on one was no match for Marshall. I stumbled back to give them more room as they tore into him, and my ankle gave out. I fell, landing on my butt. When I tried to stand again, my ankle protested with vigor. I winced as my gaze scanned over it. While I couldn’t see much, given the darkness and the tiny bit of light from the moon, I could still make out how swollen it was.

  It was twice its normal size.

  Shifter magic pulsed through the air, drawing my attention back to the scene in front of me. Rafe was in the process of returning to his human form. In an instant, he was at my side.

  “Shit,” he spat. “That looks bad. Let’s get you to a doctor.”

  “It’s not that bad,” I said. “It looks worse than it feels.” Such a lie. It hurt like a mother.

  Rafe ignored me and scooped me into his arms. He carried me like I weighed nothing through the woods. I draped my arms around his neck and tried to focus on his strong arms holding me instead of my throbbing ankle.

  “This is a first,” I said, sounding winded.

  “Of what?”

  “Being carried through the woods by a naked man at night.”

  Rafe laughed. It was contagious. “First time for everything.”

  “Very true.” I grinned.

  When we made it back to the campground, Rafe took me straight to his cabin. All the lights were off, and when we stepped inside we were met with silence. Rhett must be sleeping.

  “You can put me down now,” I said as Rafe carried me into the living room.

  “You shouldn’t put any more weight on that ankle,” he said before carefully placing me on the sofa. “Not until someone looks at it first.”

  I dreaded the thought of heading to the hospital. Doctors weren’t my favorite at the moment. I highly doubted they ever would be again. While I knew it wasn’t my mom’s doctor’s fault the cancer had taken her from me, I still couldn’t sever the cord between the two in my mind. It was too soon.

  Rafe switched on a lamp. “I’ll be right back,” he said, covering his crotch with a throw pillow from the sofa. “Let me get some clothes on. Then, I’ll take you to the hospital.”

  I wanted to argue with him that I didn’t need to go, but from the look of my ankle in the light it was clear something might be broken. The swelling was even worse than I’d thought.

  “I’ll be here,” I grimaced.

  Rafe turned and headed for the stairs, his bare ass showing when he walked away. My lips twisted into a smirk. “Cute butt,” I called.

  I heard him laugh in reply.

  After hours in the emergency room, I was finally discharged. My ankle wasn’t broken, but it was severely sprained. The doctor on call said ice, over-the-counter pain medication, elevating it, and rest were all needed. She’d said it could be two to three weeks before I was healed and had given me a set of crutches to help keep weight off it for at least the next week or so.

  I was not happy about the crutches.

  “You should stay with me,” Rafe insisted as he hovered close to me while I attempted to walk with my crutches to the parking lot. “At my place.”

  “Why?” I asked, even though staying with him sounded mighty tempting.

  “Because you’re going to need help getting around.”

  I nodded to my crutches. “That’s what these are for.”

  We neared his truck, and he slipped in front of me so he could pop the passenger side open before I reached it. He tossed all my paperwork inside and then stepped away so I could climb in.

  “Yeah, but it’s going to be hard trying to get around with those things,” he said.

  I shifted so that both crutches were beneath one arm and fell into the truck with less grace than I thought I would. “It would be just as hard trying to get around with them at your place.”

  “Well, at least I have a bathroom you could use without having to walk a mile,” he countered, taking my crutches from me and tossing them in the back.

  He had a point there. It would suck having to hobble to the bathhouse every time I had to pee.

  “Just come stay with me,” Rafe pleaded. “You can stay in my room. It has a bathroom off it.”

  I grinned at him and arched a brow. “Is this a way to get me into your bed?”

  “I can think of more ways than one to make sure that happens and none of them involve using your injury as a ploy.” A softness entered his eyes, warming them. “This is because I care about you, and I want to make sure you’re taken care of.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “Oh.”

  “It’s something my bear wants too,” Rafe insisted, running a hand through his hair. “It’s something he needs.”

  “Why would he need that?”

  “Because he likes you.” He lifted his gaze to lock with mine. His eyes brightened as though his bear was there, resting just beneath the surface, agreeing with his words. “And, so do I. I really like you, Penny Daniels.”

  Warmth rushed through my veins. I leaned forward on instinct and gripped the collar of his t-shirt, pulling him down to my level. Then, I kissed him. My lips moved against his in a smooth rhythm. When his tongue brushed against my bottom lip, my insides trembled and I knew right then that this—touching him, being with him—all felt impossibly right. We hadn’t known each other for long but it didn’t matter. I knew right then that I loved him.

  Something landed on my arm.

  I broke our kiss to see what and spotted a ladybug. A tear slipped free, and I closed my eyes, knowing it was my mom giving me her blessing and letting me know she was happy for me.

  The ladybug was all the proof I needed.

  Chapter Nine

  I signed my name near the bottom of the final paper and exhaled a slow breath. Once I faxed these back to my lawyer in Opal Pine, my childhood home would no longer be mine. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

  “You okay?” Rafe asked.

  We stood in the office of the campground. Liam had let me use the fax machine and computer so I wouldn’t have to drive back to Opal Pine and sign the papers in person. A video call with my real estate lawyer and the notary were all that were needed beyond a printer and a fax machine to do everything remotely.

  Thank goodness for technology.

  While my ankle had healed over the last two weeks, it still bothered me if I overworked it. I figured I needed at least another week of light walking and rest. Driving to Opal Pine wasn’t on my agenda. I wasn’t ready to go back yet.

  “Yeah. I think it’s all hitting me,” I said. “I can’t believe I don’t own that house once these go through.”

  “Are you having doubts?”

 
I shook my head. “Selling it is the right thing to do, but it doesn’t make it easy.”

  I knew the family buying it would breathe life and happiness back into it like it deserved. The house would be fine and so would I. I had my memories. That was all I truly needed.

  “No. I’m good.” I shifted to the fax machine and placed the signed papers in the tray. Then, I dialed the number and hit start. Once all the papers went through, my cell rang. It was my lawyer. “Mr. Greenman, hi. Did everything go through okay?”

  “It did. The Donavans will be happy when they learn they’re the new owners of 31 South Street,” he said. “The money should be directly deposited into your bank account by the end of next week.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Thank you, Miss Daniels. It was nice doing business with you. Again, I’m so sorry for your loss. Take care.”

  “Thanks.” I licked my lips and then hung up.

  Rafe pulled me into a hug, knowing before I did that I needed to be held. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes while I fisted the back of his t-shirt.

  “You sold the house, but the memories you made there with your mom are always with you. They can’t be sold. They’re yours forever,” he whispered.

  I shifted so that I was looking up at him, and then lifted to the tips of my toes. “I love you,” I whispered before kissing him.

  It was the first time I’d ever said I love you to a guy. I’d expected it to feel awkward or strange, but it didn’t. Instead, it felt right.

  Rafe pulled away, breaking our kiss long enough to look me in the eye. “I love you too, Penny Daniels.” His lips brushed against mine again, picking up right where we’d left off, and I moaned into his mouth.

  Someone cleared their throat. Rafe and I pulled apart to see Tris and Liam standing near the door, smiling like fools at us. Tris’s smile fell, and her expression grew serious as she wiggled her index finger at me. She made a tsking noise.

  “No hanky-panky in the middle of a public place during daylight hours you two,” Tris teased, tossing words I once said to her and Liam in my face.

  “Ha, ha. Funny.” My cheeks flamed. I glanced at Rafe when I heard him chuckle. He was smiling like a dang fool, that beautiful dimple of his on full display.

  “How did it go?” Tris asked. “All the paperwork go through okay?”

  “Yup,” I said, still feeling slightly uneasy about it.

  Tris’s eyes narrowed. “You okay with it?”

  “Yeah. It just feels strange.” I shrugged.

  “I’m sure. Hey, how about we commemorate the moment and honor your mom,” Tris insisted, her face lighting up.

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked.

  Her eyes flashed. “Tattoos.”

  My lips twisted into a smirk. I’d nearly forgotten we planned to get tattoos together that said grit and grace.

  “I’m in,” I said, my smirk growing. “Is there a tattoo place around here?”

  “The only one I know of is at the other end of town,” Liam said. “It’s called Ink Lifer.”

  “Nice name.” I beamed. “When do you want to go?”

  “Right now,” Tris said. “I don’t have anything else to do.”

  “Sounds perfect.” I spun to peck Rafe on the lips. “I’ll be back. With some ink.” I winked.

  “Remember, we have a date at seven,” he muttered between kisses.

  “I won’t forget.” How could I? It was our first true date. Sure, we’d had takeout together and hung out at his place while I was healing, but he claimed this was a real date. That he was taking me somewhere special. A place he refused to give me any hints about. “Promise.”

  “I’ll have her back in time. Don’t worry.” Tris grinned as she looped her arm through mine. “So, should we take Myrtle or my Jeep?”

  Myrtle hadn’t been shown much attention since I got her back from Cato’s shop, but that was because it was hard to drive when my ankle still felt sore.

  “Let’s take your Jeep. I have no clue where I’m going in this town yet,” I said.

  She steered me toward the door. “Neither do I, but we’ll find it.”

  Forty minutes later, we sat in the lobby of the tiny tattoo shop, trying to decide which font we should use for the lettering.

  “Are you thinking something blocky and bold, or swirly and feminine?” Blake, our tattoo artist, asked us. He was in his twenties with nearly every inch of his body covered in tattoos and short-buzzed hair. “I have this set of fonts I can use too. They’re new. Check them out.” His biker boots clunked against the tile floor as he made his way around the desk to hand us another laminated print out.

  I took it from him and skimmed over the choices.

  “I like this one,” I said, pointing to a simple handwritten font with thin lines.

  Tris leaned over to look. “Oh, me too. It looks delicate and pretty.”

  “I think that’s the one.” I handed the printout back to Blake and pointed to the one we’d picked.

  “Nice choice. That will look good.” He folded his arms over his chest and stroked his jaw. “Are you wanting color or is black okay? Anything else you ladies want to add to it?”

  “A ladybug.” The words fell from my lips without much thought. “Can you add a small ladybug above mine, please?”

  “Your mom loved ladybugs,” Tris said, her tone soft. She flashed me a small smile and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “She did.”

  “I can do that. Sure. Who’s going first?”

  “I will,” I said, my pulse quickening.

  “All right. Come on back, ladies.” He started down the narrow hallway, and I limped in that direction with Tris following behind me. My stomach fluttered with nerves, but there was no way I was backing out of this.

  I situated myself in the chair and glanced at Tris. She looked just as nervous as I felt.

  “Thanks for doing this with me,” I said to her while Blake set up.

  Tris stepped closer and placed a hand on my knee. “Thanks for letting me. I loved your mom and it will be nice to have this reminder of her, but also this memory with you. Bestie.” She grinned.

  “Definitely.” I squeezed her hand. “Besties for life.”

  “You lost your mom?” Blake asked me.

  I nodded. “Recently. Stage four ovarian cancer.”

  He didn’t wince the way I expected when I said the dreaded C word. It was a surprise.

  “I lost my mom three years ago. Stage four breast cancer.” He washed his hands in a little sink in the corner and then slipped on some gloves. “I get what you’re going through.”

  “It sucks,” I said, even though the words didn’t do what I felt justice.

  “I got this to commemorate her.” He nodded to a sunflower on his forearm. Words were tattooed in the center of it. “Sunflowers were her favorite.”

  “What does the middle say?” Tris asked before I could.

  “Stand tall and always seek the light,” he said. His lips twisted into the hint of a smile. “It was something my mom always said.”

  “That’s what this is—something my mom always said.” I grinned. “Give yourself grit and grace. The grit to get through this, and the grace to do it with kindness.”

  “I like that. Your mom sounds like she was a cool lady,” he said as he wiped the inside of my wrist with an alcohol-soaked cloth. The stench tickled my nose. “Ready?”

  I exhaled a puff of air. “As I’ll ever be.”

  The tattoo gun turned on, its buzzing echoing through the room. I held my breath, waiting for the first twinge of pain from contact with the needle. When it happened, it didn’t hurt nearly as much as I’d thought it would. It felt like a bee sting. Well, a bunch of tiny bee stings all in the same area.

  When my tattoo was done, I stared at the lettering and the tiny ladybug Blake had added. Everything about the tattoo was perfect.

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling energized from the adrenaline rush that came w
ith getting a tattoo.

  He grinned. “No problem.” Then, he shifted his gaze to Tris. “Ready?”

  Her lips pursed together. “I guess.” She glanced at me. “You made it look easy. Didn’t it hurt?”

  “Not really.”

  “Nine times out of ten, people tell me it doesn’t hurt as much as they thought it would,” Blake said while he sanitized everything he’d used. He washed his hands again and slipped on a fresh set of gloves before positioning himself on the stool near the chair again. “I’m ready when you are.”

  “I’m ready,” Tris said. Her voice didn’t quiver, but her eyes flashed with her bear for a split-second. I didn’t think Blake noticed. Thankfully. “Let’s do this.”

  Once her tattoo was done, we made our way to the parking lot.

  “That was fun,” Tris said once we slid into her Jeep, buzzing with adrenaline and excitement. “That font was a great choice. I love it.”

  “I know. I love it too.” I glanced at the tattoo inked on the inside of my wrist, loving the way it looked. “The tiny ladybug Blake added is perfect too.”

  “It really is,” Tris said as she started her Jeep. She backed out of our parking space and cut a right out of the lot, heading toward the campground. “So, what do you think Rafe has planned for you two?” She cast a quick glance my way and wiggled her brows.

  “I have no clue,” I said, laughing. “But I’m excited to find out.”

  Chapter Ten

  It was ten minutes till seven when I dashed out of Ruby, heading toward Rafe’s cabin. My ankle ached as I cut across the gravel road, so I slowed my speed. I waved to Rayna sitting at the pond with Tobin, fishing, and nearly plowed into a girl coming out of the bathhouse at breakneck speed. I noticed her yesterday. While I didn’t know her name, I knew she was new to the campground. She’d rented the RV one down from mine in lot number two.

  “Sorry,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  I flashed her a smile. “It’s okay.” I opened my mouth to offer my name, but she skittered away before I could. I stared after her, wondering what her deal was, before continuing toward Rafe’s.