The Bear With No Name (12 page)
Read The Bear With No Name Online
Authors: Zoe Chant
Sally shook her head. "No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. All I know is a bunch of town gossip. And I may be a crazy old bee-keeping woman, but I’m not a gossip."
"Forget it, I shouldn’t have asked," Isabella said. She had her own heartbreak to nurse. The last thing she needed was to dwell on anyone else’s. Even if it did sound like it might be a terribly romantic story, the heartbroken billionaire all alone in his big deserted mansion. But she knew there was nothing romantic about heartbreak when it came down to it. It wasn’t beautifully tragic. It just hurt.
"Aww, now I’ve ruined your mood, and you were actually smiling for a minute there," Sally said. "But don’t worry, kid, it’ll get better. You just spend a little time with my bees, eat some delicious honey, you’ll feel better in no time."
"Don’t tempt me. You know I love your honey, but the last thing I need is to start comfort eating," Isabella said. "I mean, look at me."
"I am looking at you. And I see a beautiful woman with gorgeous feminine curves. Men like something to hold onto at night, you know?" Sally said. "One day, you’re going to find a man who appreciates what you have to offer. I mean, look at me! I’m a curvy woman and I was married for 45 very happy years."
"That’s different," Isabella said. Sally was tall and statuesque. Even now, at 63, she looked like a Valkyrie. She had the gravitas to carry off her full-bodied figure. Isabella, on the other hand, was small and plump and plain. But Sally would never see it that way. Isabella decided to change the subject. "Tell me more about your vacation plans," she said.
"Oh, I’m so excited!" Sally said. "Sweetheart, I can’t thank you enough for taking care of my bees while I’m gone. I’ve wanted to go on this trip since I was a little girl. My mom travelled to Australia on a cargo ship when she was young, and she always told me how exciting it was. I’ve wanted to do this since I was a little girl. It’s going to be so romantic—just me, the waves, a big ship, a couple burly deck hands with their shirts off…"
"Aunt Sally!" Isabella chided, laughing.
"What? I can’t enjoy looking at a nice young man? You’re much too easily scandalized, kid. I’m old, not dead. Your uncle Peter, God rest his soul, wouldn’t have wanted me to sit around and cry into my tea for the rest of my life."
"All right, all right," Isabella said. She was smiling. Aunt Sally had always known how to enjoy life. It didn’t surprise her that even as a widow, Sally had managed to hold on to her sunny nature. It was good to know that at least for some people, life went on, especially now that her own life had so abruptly crashed down around her.
***
Ryan’s bear had been restless for days. He’d spent too much time cooped up inside, hammering out business deals, and now his bear was desperate to get out and stretch his legs. He didn’t usually go out into the woods this close to town, too much risk of people seeing him, but the thought of spending an hour in the car after today was unbearable.
Shifting into his bear form felt like finally being able to breathe again. Ryan trotted out into the woods, feeling the fresh air on his pelt and the springy moss beneath his paws. It was beautiful outside, although he could already smell the upcoming storm in the air.
He froze when he heard steps in front of him. He always tried his hardest to avoid being seen. His enormous bear form tended to scare the hell out of people. But the woods were pretty sparse around here, and there wasn’t much cover. Ryan ducked behind a big tree, which didn’t do as much to hide his big bear form as he would have liked.
A woman was walking down the path. Her loose sundress flowed around her body, emphasizing the soft, feminine shape of her breasts and hips. Her hair fell in honey golden curls down her back. She was humming softly to herself. Ryan tilted his head to listen, charmed. He recognized her now. It was the honey delivery woman, the one who’d seen him swimming in the pond.
He’d only gotten a glimpse of her at the time: a small, curvy figure with wide blue eyes in a round, rosy face. When she’d seen him watching, she’d shied away like a startled deer. He’d been able to sense her sweet honey smell in the air long after she had left.
His bear recognized that smell now, and was straining towards it. Before he knew it, Ryan had taken a step towards her. He stopped himself immediately, but it was already too late. The woman turned around at the sound of the leaves rustling. Her eyes went wide with terror when she saw him.
Ryan sat very still, trying his best to look as nonthreatening as it was possible to be while wearing a form that was essentially a solid wall of muscles and claws. The woman slowly, carefully backed away from him. She had a lot of sense, Ryan thought approvingly. A lot of people started running at the sight of him in his shifted form, which, if he had really been a wild animal, would have triggered an attack for sure. She clearly knew better than that.
But then she slipped on a stone, and her feet almost went out from under her. Ryan lunged towards her, instinctively preparing to catch her, before he realized that while he was in this bear form, she certainly wouldn’t appreciate the attempt.
The woman made a terrified sound, whirled around, and started running. For a moment, the bear’s instincts almost overwhelmed him.
Don’t let her leave! Go after her! Protect her!
He took two great, pounding leaps after her before he came to his senses and got the bear under control. He couldn’t follow her like that; he’d scare her half to death.
The woman ducked into a thicket, and again Ryan admired how well she thought on her feet. If he’d been hunting her, he wouldn’t have been able to follow her into the dense brush.
He looked after her in mingled worry and regret. He really would’ve liked to talk to her. He hoped she’d gone somewhere safe. The wind was already picking up, and the storm was close. At least she’d run in roughly the right direction towards town. He hoped she’d make it back safely, before the rain started.
Fool! Why did you let her get away?
his bear grumbled at him.
Ryan trotted back to his house amidst the first drops of rain, and had barely ducked inside the door when it started really coming down. The rain pounded loudly on the roof. He thought of the woman again. He hoped she’d gotten home in time.
Look for her! Find her!
his bear urged him. Ryan gritted his teeth and ignored him. His bear had been lonely for a long time now, that was all.
Two hours later, Ryan was just settling down in his armchair in front of the fire when the crack of a bough started him upright. The woods had been noisy with the sound of the storm all evening, so he wasn’t sure why this particular sound felt so important. It’s probably nothing, just the wind or some kind of animal, he told himself. But his bear was urging him to investigate the sound, and the bear’s instincts were rarely wrong. Ryan pulled on his thick leather jacket and headed out into the driving rain.
A woman was staggering out of the woods, bracing heavily on an improvised crutch. With a jolt, Ryan recognized her as the honey woman. Her thin summer dress was soaked through and almost entirely translucent. She was limping badly, barely keeping herself upright. Ryan hurried towards her.
"Are you all right?"
"That’s a bear in the woods!" Her voice was shaking. "A huge grizzly—I swear I’m not making this up! I got lost running away from it."
Ryan cringed inside. Oh no! Bad enough he’d scared her at all, but apparently he was responsible for her getting lost in the storm, too. He hated to think that she’d gotten hurt because of him.
"You’re soaked through. Here, take this," he said, handing her his leather jacket.
She wrapped it around her shoulders with a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said.
***
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