Saving Her Bear: A Second Chances Romance (4 page)

Damn, should go into shock more often, she thought.

The return to the real world took a while, but soon, Catherine was sitting upright, watching the sparks dance from the dying fire. John was off at his truck, and Deacon was still at her side, doing what he could to get her chatting. She’d told a few stories – how she met Jean – at the ticketing booth of the Cougar Mountain Haunted Hay Ride; how she got the scar on her collar bone – angry cat, clawing her way to safety when an errant Maltese came after her beloved Mr. Fribble. They’d even asked what brought her up to Blackrock again. Luckily, Catherine was with it enough to stop that story before it started.

“You ready for bed, then?”

Catherine glanced around, her company having thinned by three.

It was Deacon speaking, standing over her as he offered her a hand to help her stand up.

“Looks like you’ll be sleeping on your own tonight,” he said, giving her one more gentle inspection before loosing his hands from her shoulders.

“What, in a tent? There’s a fucking bear in the woods. I can’t sleep in a tent. Alone? Did Jean already go to bed?”

Catherine sounded as frantic as she felt. She could just imagine the smell of the bear drifting through the canvas walls of her tent seconds before teeth crunched down on her skull. “Oh god, did she go to bed with Bennett?”

“Nope.” Catherine turned to find Bennett heading over from his own tent. He looked a little dejected. “She’s already in bed alright, but not with me.”

Catherine glanced over at the small group of tents. “Well, then where is she?”

“She’s in Paul’s tent.”

Catherine’s eyes went wide. “No! Oh my god, I’m sorry Benny. Where’s Jason going to sleep then?”

Bennett gave a half laugh. “Oh, he’s in there, too.”

Deacon coughed softly and turned away from them, politely avoiding the conversation.

Catherine stared at her cousin, realizing how Jean was spending her evening. “Holy shit. What the hell? I never get any action, now she’s getting double -”

“Believe me, what she’s getting isn’t action,” John said, appearing at her shoulder. “If you’re ready for bed, I’ve set up the truck for you.”

Catherine stopped, glancing back at John. “What do you mean?”

He didn’t answer, but instead took her hand and led her toward his Dodge pickup truck. The back of the truck had a hard top on it, the tailgate and window open in the back. Catherine stepped forward as Deacon pulled a rolled up sleeping bag from the back. She glanced in.

The interior of the pickup was filled with blankets, pillows, sleeping pads, and a half-filled air mattress. She turned to John shaking her head. “I couldn’t. That wouldn’t be right!”

John shook his head. “Please, I insist. Any bear that comes along, you’ll be tucked away nice and safe.”

She swallowed. Yeah, with a perfect view of the slaughter of all her friends right outside the window, she thought.

“Isn’t that where you were going to sleep?”

John glanced in and shrugged. “Naw, I was planning to crash in a tent with Deac. You’re not putting me out at all.”

She glanced in again, counting at least three sleeping bags and two pillows. If it wasn’t John that was losing out on his sleeping gear, somebody was.

She swallowed and prepared to speak, but then remembered the image of teeth and claws tearing through tent canvas to the sound of screams. She stilled her protests before they began. “Are you sure?”

He grinned. “Of course I am, lady. You know I am.”

He patted a hand on the tailgate and gestured for her to climb in.

The truck bed smelled of cedar wood mixed with a hint of tire rubber, but it was warm and bug free, a gentle breeze drifting through the screened windows. She settled onto the mound of air mattress and sleeping bags as John shut the tailgate, shutting her in her little cave. She listened to the rest of the camp settling in for the night. There was a strange rhythmic whimpering in the distance, and she cringed, remembering how her new friend Jean had decided to spend her evening.

Gross, she thought.

She wrapped the sleeping bags around her, trying to burrow in, as though burying herself would protect her from bears, and if not bears, at least it might drown out the sound of Jean’s ongoing threesome. The memory of the bear kept resurfacing, causing her to twitch and jerk as though she might fight the thoughts off with a well-placed kick.

It wasn’t working.

Then the memory of John’s solid shape stepping between her and the bear came to mind, of the way he held her behind him, overlooking his own safety in lieu of hers. He’d felt like stone then. The thought of it was the only thing that calmed her.

A few more exchanges passed outside and John appeared outside the window, smiling in as he spotted her awake.

“Sorry,” he whispered. “Deacon forgot his pillow.”

John unlatched the tailgate and rummaged through a bag by her feet. She watched him, willing herself brave enough to say what she wanted to say.

Catherine, suck it up. He was your best friend for years - more than your best friend. Just ask, damn it. Catherine, just ask!

John shot her a look, and a little bit of a side eye, then tossed the bag back inside and disappeared with the pillow. He’d left the tail gate open.

Catherine swallowed, willing herself brave. She didn’t want to sleep alone. She couldn’t sleep alone. Something would come in the night and tear her to pieces, tear the truck to pieces and there would be no pillar of stone between her and her demise this time. Just damn well ask!

John appeared at the tail gate and hopped up into the truck bed. He latched the tail gate behind him, tossing his own pillow onto the mattress beside her. She startled, watching him as he crawled across the truck bed and plopped down on the mattress beside her. She furrowed her brow at him in confusion.

“Were you not going to ask me to sleep with you?”

She exhaled in a startled laugh and smiled, almost tearful from relief. “Sleep with me? No! I’m not that kind of -”

“Slow down, Rambo. I meant sleep. Just sleep. I can go if you’re all set -”

He sat up, scooting back toward the tailgate.

Catherine grabbed at his sleeve. “No! No. Sorry, I’m sorry. Yes. I was going to ask.”

John nodded, padded his pillow on the mattress and plopped down onto it, making a point of fluffing it up as he kicked off his boots. With that, he crossed her arms and closed his eyes.

They lay there in silence a moment, Catherine watching his familiar face. “How’d – how did you know?”

John Fenn cracked an eyelid to look at her and smirked. “You never had a great poker face, Calhoun.”

CHAPTER THREE

“Storm’s coming.”

No one believed her when the winds kicked up that morning, turning every leaf on the trees upside down.

“Naw, weather said clear skies all weekend,” Paul Merlotte assured her.

Yet, Catherine stared up at the trees as another gust picked up. This was one of the many lessons she learned from her father, Philip, before he passed when she was twelve years old – if the wind turns up the leaves, the weather’s about to shift. Sometimes you have a day to prepare, other times, the sky rips open and gives you what for.

This was one of those days.

She didn’t even have a chance to say a proper goodbye to John as their camp disbanded and Bennett piled her into his truck to head for home.

John called to her as they pulled out. “Don’t be a stranger, alright?”

She’d smiled wider than she would have liked at this.

Catherine sat in the passenger seat of Bennett’s truck, soaked to the bone from the deluge that instantly put out their fire and soaked their breakfast. She’d scrambled to tuck in the tent poles, but the storm kicked up quick.

“What are you smiling about, girl? You look like a drowned rat.”

Bennett was in a bit of a sour mood. Not only had Jean decided on a wild night with Jason and Paul, she’d also opted to catch a ride with them that afternoon, heading down to Bangor to hit the casino before heading further south.

Catherine couldn’t help, but smile. She’d woken up feeling warm and safe, her body wrapped in blankets and sleeping bags and the smell of cedar and fir. She’d also opened her eyes to find her cheek pressed into the chest of John Fenn. She’d pulled from him the instant she realized - she’d been asleep in his arms.

They’d driven much of the way in silence, coming into Porter Split Road as the storm broke, giving way to a constant rain.

“Glad somebody got some action, last night.”

Catherine startled at the comment. “Oh god, it’s not like that. He’s not like that.”

Bennett scoffed. “Bull shit. All men are like that.”

“Not John,” she said, and she knew it to be true. She and John had spent hundreds of hours together when they were young; holding hands, talking about their dreams and their crazy ideas – despite the raging thunder of hormones they were both suffering from, never once had John tried to have sex with her. In fact, he only finally kissed her the day they drove to Canada together.

She never found out if it would lead to more. That trip to Canada was the last straw. Her stepdad wouldn’t have her running off to other countries with a Fenn.

“You’re lucky he didn’t kill you,” had been her mother’s comment.

Bennett thrummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Well, that might be a good thing. I’ve heard some crazy shit from the few girls he’s dated.”

“What?”

Yet, Bennett didn’t have time to answer her question as they rounded the last corner into the Calhoun family driveway.

Bennett took a deep breath, blowing out through pursed lips. “Alright, cuz. I’m gonna let you do the talking in here.”

“What? Why?”

Bennett shook his head. “You know my Dad.”

Catherine frowned. Though she’d never had any trouble with Uncle Bodie, she knew Bennett’s experience to be far different. Bodie was known for his temper, something even her mother mentioned from time to time. He apparently wasn’t the nicest big brother, either.

“You think he’s going to be mad?”

Bennett shrugged. “Let’s find out, yeah? In the end, it is Grampy’s house, right?”

Catherine turned to look at the old house she’d once known so well. Despite over ten years since last she laid eyes on the old homestead, it was just as she remembered it – save for the landscaping Armageddon. The old shed was now overgrown with raspberry briars and high grasses, only slightly less so where the doors opened at the front side. She could already guess what was within its confines – an ATV, a kayak, a snowblower, and some Lobster traps. She’d bet her life on it.

Clearly, her grandmother’s absence was felt dearly in the gardening department.

Bennett shut down the truck, glanced her way, then gave her knee a squeeze. “Come on, cuz. It won’t be so bad.”

They walked into the kitchen to the familiar smells of woodstove fires and seaspray, long settled into every board and window frame. Catherine followed Bennett through the kitchen into the living room, where they were greeted by the two older gentlemen, legs up, feet clad in leather L.L. Bean slippers, fully ensconced in the football game.

“Pops. Gramps. Look who I brought in from the cold.”

Uncle Bodie glanced over his shoulder, laying eyes on her and then returning his attention to the TV. Not the friendliest of welcomes from the heavyset fellow that used to throw her and her brother into Parkhurst Lake when she was a kid. She hustled across the room, stepping over the folded over edge of an old braided rug her grandmother made. She bent down to her grandfather. “Hey Grampy. It’s nice to see you.”

Henry Calhoun startled at the sudden appearance of a person at his side. Then his eyes went wide, one of his shaking hands reaching for hers, squeezing it with a bit more fervor than she’d ever expected from her grumpy relative.

“Who – what are you doing here?” He asked as she kissed his cheek.

“Thought I’d come escape in the middle of nowhere for a bit,” she said smiling down at him. His seeming pleasure at her presence was so strange, she began to wonder what they’d done with her grandfather. He wasn’t a cruel man in his life – not ever. Still, he wasn’t a warm creature, either. Not until now.

H turned around, pinning his finger into his hearing aid to turn it up and look at her. “Well, give us a proper hug, then. Christ’s sake, you haven’t been here in ten years, I think I deserve that, at least.”

Catherine bent down, wrapping her arms around her huge Grandfather. Henry Calhoun, or Hank as most of Blackrock called him, was a giant of a man. He stood 6’6,” and was built like a fire truck, with a face just as red. His thumb alone was the size of all Catherine’s fingers combined. He was in his seventies now, but still sporting a bushy full head of hair, now accompanied by matching salt and pepper beard.

“What brings you here?” He asked.

Her grandfather’s Maine accent turned the word ‘here’ into ‘heeyuh,’ and she smiled to hear it again after all this time.

“Yeah, what brings you here?”

Catherine glanced at Uncle Bodie. Apparently he did recognize her.

“I was actually hoping to come up and stay for a little while, if I could. Wanted to get away.”

“What? Of course you can! You’re always welcome, ain’t she, Bode?” Grampy was still squeezing her hand, shaking it excitedly.

Uncle Bodie didn’t speak.

“We got an extra bedroom,” Grampy Calhoun said, his voice booming with both a welcome excitement, and his hearing aid being set too low. He shifted in his chair, groaning as he hoisted his huge frame onto his feet. He stood over her to give her another proper hug. It felt like being hugged by a bear.

Grampy sauntered into the kitchen. “It’ll be nice havin a woman around again. Haven’t had a proper meal in this house since your grandmother died.”

He was looking a little thinner than she remembered. Bennett and Catherine shared a glance. It was common knowledge that Grampy Calhoun was still living in the fifties when it came to political correctness.

“Bodie, you want another beer?”