Bear My Soul (Fire Bears Book 1) (2 page)

Anna held her hand out and helped Rory up, then hugged her shoulders. Against her ear, she whispered, “It’s no longer safe for Aaron here. It takes a village to raise a child, especially one as special as him. You need to find your village.” One more squeeze, and the teacher released her.

After Aaron had hugged his teacher goodbye and Rory had buckled him into the back of her junk car, she hesitated starting the engine.

Sound advice. Everything Anna had said rang with this sense of clarity. What if there were more bear shifters like Aaron? What if it wasn’t some mistake in his cellular make-up or leap in evolution?

But if she found Cody again, and told him, it meant bringing someone she didn’t trust into her inner circle. And at the center of that circle was her baby bear in need of her protection. This decision put him in danger.

But…

Rory leaned her head back against the headrest and looked into the rearview mirror at her son, a smile on his cherry red lips as he sang a song to himself and played with a toy car he’d left in his car seat this morning. His eyes were still the muddy color of something supernatural that dwelled within him.

She couldn’t keep him safe like this anymore.

Not alone.

Cody Keller was about to have some very big questions to answer.

“Are we there yet?” Aaron asked from the back seat.

Rory tossed a smile over her shoulder, relieved that this time, unlike the other eight hundred times he’d asked, she could finally give him the answer he wanted to hear. “Are you ready to meet Aunt Leona?”

“Yes!” he said, fisting his hands around two paperclips he’d found on the floor of the last gas station they’d taken a bathroom break in.

His megawatt smile brought on the nervous flutters that had been assaulting her since her front tires had passed over the Colorado state line. She could still back out of this. She could chicken out, and Cody would never know they were even in town. That thought settled her churning stomach as she turned onto Harris Street.

Aunt Leona’s house hadn’t changed one bit since the last time Rory had seen it six years ago. It was still the same color of periwinkle blue with white trim. It had always reminded her of the doll house her father had built her when she was a child. Grass didn’t grow very well in Breckenridge because of the altitude, but Aunt Leona had a green thumb that bordered on magical, and she’d somehow got an entire yard of wildflowers and hardy bushes growing in her front yard.

Rory took a deep, steadying breath as she put the car in park. Cody was here in this tiny town…somewhere.

“Come on, little buddy. She’s been itching to meet you, too,” Rory said as she unbuckled Aaron from his car seat.

Aaron grabbed his miniature backpack from the floorboard, then bolted up the gravel path lined with cedar fence posts to keep the wild foliage at bay. Rory laughed despite the nervous tremors that blasted up her spine every time she thought about what she was doing. After tugging the monumentally heavy single suitcase from the car, she shut the hatch back door, settled the luggage on its wheels, and rolled it up the path to Aunt Leona’s.

There was a long porch in front with three rocking chairs where her aunt and her two best friends probably watched the joggers and dog walkers who were headed up the street toward the mountain hiking paths. She imagined them giggling and guffawing at the handsome men who passed. Leona always had hilarious stories about Nina and Doris when she and Aaron talked to her on the phone on Saturday evenings.

Aunt Leona was already wrestling the screen door open by the time Rory bumped her luggage up the steps. She was beaming as she bent down and scooped Aaron up in a bear hug.

“You!” she exclaimed. “How are you so big? The last time I saw you, you were a tiny baby.”

Aaron giggled, then patted her bouffant hair. “Blue,” he observed.

Aunt Leona’s grin broadened, and she nodded. “Clever lad. My hair is blue. Do you want to know why?” She offered a wink at Rory over his shoulder. “One of my very best friends said she could dye my hair just the shade it used to be, but when she was finished working on it, it came out this color. Can you believe that?”

Aaron smiled shyly and shook his head.

“Well, I was mad as a hornet and wanted her to change it back immediately, but when she did, it was still this exact color. To make me feel better, my friends, Doris and Nina, dyed their hair the same color. When we went to a town meeting, someone called us the Blue-Haired Ladies, and the name stuck. Byron Crosby even wrote a play just for us to star in over at the local theater called
The Land of Blue-Haired Ladies
. And now the hair has to stay, because people would be sad if there were no Blue-Haired Ladies around anymore. We even got ourselves a float in the Fourth of July parade again this year.”

“A float?” Aaron said on a bewildered breath. “What’s that?”

“It’s a ride with lots of colors. And we get to throw out candy, so if you can beg your mommy to stay through the week, I’ll make sure to throw you extra on account of you being the most handsome little man Breckenridge has ever seen. And that’s saying somethin’, boy, because this town is chalk-a-block full of handsome men.” She lifted her chin and leveled him with her happy blue eyes. “Why do you think I’ve been living here all these years?”

Aaron scrunched up his face. “For handsome men?”

Aunt Leona poked his nose and nodded once. “See? I knew you were a clever lad. Hey, darlin’,” she said, pulling Rory in with her free hand and squeezed them both. “I’ve sure missed you, girl.”

And here in Aunt Leona’s embrace, Rory could finally admit to herself how blasted much she’d missed her, too. When Aaron had been born, everyone had jumped ship and bailed on her. Everyone except Aunt Leona. It had been way too long since she’d snuggled into one of her aunt’s legendary hugs.

When static rang from somewhere in the house, Rory frowned. “What was that?”

“Bulldog One to Alpha Six, do you copy?” A soft voice sounded through the noise.

“Oh!” Leona exclaimed, toting Aaron inside. “That’s Doris. She’s been tracking…” She looked down at Aaron, then shot Rory a look and mouthed
Cody
.

Just his name crashed another wave of dread through her. Aunt Leona picked up a walkie-talkie from the entryway table and pushed the button on the side. “Alpha Six, this is Bulldog One. I have Puma and Baby Cat with me. What’s your status?”

“Burly Mancandy is on the move,” came the whispered answer.

Burly Mancandy?
Rory mouthed through a grin.

She imagined Doris sitting in her old Buick, the one she’d driven years ago, hunched down in the front seat spying on Cody. She had to stop herself from laughing out loud at her imaginings.

Aunt Leona looked terribly serious as she asked, “Where are they going now?”

“It looks like the whole group is going to eat at the pizzeria.”

“Oh, fancy,” Aunt Leona said.

“Send Puma on down here. I can’t tell if they’re getting food to go or not, and I think Burly Mancandy is catching onto me.”

“Okay, she’s on her way.” Aunt Leona tapped the antenna of the radio on her chin and narrowed her eyes at Rory as Doris said, “Copy that. Alpha Six signing off.”

Rory pursed her lips so she wouldn’t giggle. “Why don’t you just use your cell phones? I hope you didn’t buy those radios just for this…mission.”

“Stop it with your logic, or you’ll suck the fun out of this,” Aunt Leona said, leading her into the small bedroom she used to stay in when she visited. She was still carrying Aaron, but settled him on his feet when she reached the door. With a flourish of her hand, she flipped on the light switch and exposed Aaron’s dream room. A refurbished bunk bed covered most of the back wall, and by the window was a giant teddy bear chair and shelf of books. Second hand racing cars, all scratched and rusted and perfect for her rambunctious boy, were lined up by the bed, and a painting of a monster truck hung over the dresser.

“Cars!” he yelled, then scrambled toward the toys. Aaron hesitated in front of the trucks, and ran back to Aunt Leona to hug her knees, then handed her one of his two paperclips. “I’ve been saving this for hours. I have one, too. Now we can match.” He showed her the one that still remained pressed against his palm. With a shy smile, he scurried off to play.

Aunt Leona clutched the little treasure to her chest and looked like she was going to melt into a puddle right then and there. Rory laughed and gave her a side hug, resting her cheek on her shoulder. “I should’ve brought him to you sooner. I just didn’t know how to deal with all the extra stuff here.”

“Oh, Rory, don’t you worry about that. I knew you’d come back sooner or later. I just had to be patient. I do hope you’ll stay for a while, though.”

“I’ve got enough saved up that I can visit for a week. Then we need to get back so I can find work.”

“A week,” Aunt Leona said with a nod of her head. “We’ll make every moment count. Now hurry scurry before Burly Mancandy takes his pizza pie and disappears into the mountains again. We’ve been tracking his movements all day.”

Rory shook her head and huffed a laugh. She shouldn’t be surprised that they’d been stalking Cody. Her aunt and friends were as man-crazy as they came.

After freshening up, she slipped into a shirt. One that was
not
covered in the orange chip dust from the snack she’d snarfed down on their way through Denver. Rory checked on Aaron one more time, then hurried out the door before Aaron realized she was gone. Likely, with the way he and Aunt Leona were carrying on with the toy cars, she’d be back before he even noticed her absence.

The pizzeria was right off Main Street and within walking distance. She tightened the lace of her tennis shoe and jogged down the sloping sidewalk toward the main drag in town.

Rory frowned at her beat-up shoes. Perhaps she should’ve put more thought into what she was wearing to see Cody for the first time. But then again, he probably wouldn’t recognize her anyway, seeing as how he’d been inebriated when they’d shared those six hours together all those years ago. Plus, dressing up meant she cared about what he thought about her, and she definitely didn’t. Absolutely not.

She had questions.

He hopefully had answers.

That was all.

Even though it was summer, the evenings were still cool enough that she should’ve brought a hoodie or light jacket. Crossing her arms over her chest, she lengthened her stride and inhaled a draw of fresh mountain air. She’d forgotten how beautiful it was here. The houses that lined the street were tiny Victorian style homes, many of which had been kit homes built in the 1800s when the gold mining town had first flourished. Down below, she could make out the tops of the buildings that lined Main Street, and back behind her were piney mountain passes where tourists and townies alike enjoyed hiking and biking. The sun was already half set over the trees. She’d loved it here as a kid. Hell, she loved it still, despite her unfortunate decisions when she’d been a wild-child twenty-year-old.

Rory smelled the high-end pizzeria before she saw it. The ski town was a hub of unique dining, but this place had always been one of her favorites to eat at during her childhood visits. It was tiny, seating only twenty or so at a time in cramped quarters, but the food and ambiance couldn’t be beat.

She rushed inside before she could change her mind and looked around. It was busy, and there was a wait in the small entryway, but she spied Cody immediately and was rocked back on her heels by how much he’d changed and how little, all at once.

He sat by a girl, surrounded by friends. He laughed at something the striking brunette said, then took a sip of water as he listened to the man across the table. His hair was shorter than he’d worn it before, but still obviously blond. He kept his waves a little longer on top, and his eyebrows were still so light in color they were baby blue in the dim lighting. His face looked just the same as she remembered. Strong nose, chiseled jaw, dimples when he smiled deeply enough. What she hadn’t expected was for him to be so muscled up. His arms fought against the thin fabric of the long-sleeved shirt he wore, and his neck looked strong enough that he could probably smash a pecan between his chin and chest. His fingers were graceful, though, as he traced condensation across the bottom curve of his water glass. The girl beside him whispered something into his ear. He stared vacantly ahead, his eyes filled with a faraway look as she spoke. He was practically looking at Rory, but apparently saw right through her, as if his mind was in outer space. As the brunette giggled against his neck, Rory stood frozen in the doorway.

“’Scuse me,” a man said as he sidled around her, “are you in line?” He pointed to the counter beside her.

“Oh, no. Yes. Yes, I’m in line. To buy pizza. Because that’s what you do here.”

The man frowned and canted his head. “Great.”

She couldn’t do this.

She couldn’t just walk over to Cody’s table when he was obviously with someone. What was she going to say? All those hours and miles in the car on the way from Oklahoma, and had she given a single fleeting thought to how she would broach the subject of his surprise child? No. She’d drowned her worries in cheese puffs and blared kiddie songs on a deafening level while Aaron slept like a stone most of the trip here.

This had been a terrible idea. Worse than terrible. Cody had a life now and couldn’t be trusted to keep Aaron’s secret. No. Nope, nope, nope.

Wuss that she was, she ordered a pie and hid in the corner behind a man in a giant cowboy hat while she waited for her order to be ready. And try as she might, she couldn’t keep her eyes away from Cody. It was uncanny how much Aaron looked like him. She’d meant to tell him about his son in person after she’d figured everything out. But then Aaron had shifted for the first time, and she’d realized she was truly alone in the world if she was to keep her baby safe.

Not even Aunt Leona knew what was sleeping inside of her boy.

Rory would bring the pizza home for dinner and tell Aunt Leona she’d changed her mind. She would enjoy the week, avoid Aaron’s father, and spend time with her aunt until it was time to go back to reality and find work. Yes, that was what she’d do. Good plan.

Or it was a good plan until Cody’s nostrils flared and his head jerked up, eyes landing directly on her before she was able to squeak and hide behind the cowboy beside her again.

He probably didn’t see her. And even if he had, he definitely wouldn’t recognize her. If she just squeezed her eyes tight enough, she could convince herself she was safe in this little corner.