Page 4 of Saved By the Grizzly Bear

“It’s a date,” I correct her, and she ducks her head, trying to hide her smile.

“I need to head inside and check in, but I’ll be right back. Just stay put, okay?”

“Got it.”

She nods, and I jog into the resort and up to the desk.

“Hey, anything that I need to know about?” I ask in a rush.

“Um, nope. No calls yet today.”

“Okay, I’m headed out.”

The guy behind the counter gives me a strange look, but I ignore him as I rush back outside to my mate.

“Ready?” I ask when I get back to Morgan.”

“I wish. I actually have to head in,” she says, tucking the cell phone back into her pocket.

My heart sinks and I scramble to figure out how to fix this. She doesn’t look like she wants to leave and I’m taking that as a good sign. Maybe she can feel the connection between us too.

“Are we still on for dinner tomorrow?” I ask her and she pauses, studying me for a moment.

“You didn’t give me a lesson.”

“I will. Name the time and day.”

She smiles and nods slowly.

“Alright. Dinner, tomorrow. I’m staying here.”

“I’ll pick you up. Six o’clock?”

“That works.”

“Let me grab your number. In case something comes up.”

She passes me her phone and I enter my name and number and then call myself.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says as she struggles to get out of her skis.

I grab one of her polls and push down on the release button. She blushes, her pale skin turning a darker shade of red.

“Thanks. Are you sure you still want to teach me? I think that I might be a lost cause,” she says with a laugh.

“Nah, I’m sure that you’ll catch on fast.”

She gives me a grateful look and then nods, bending to pick up her skis. She’s struggling to hold onto it all so I pluck everything from her hands.

“I’ll return it for you,” I tell her, and she smiles.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

I nod and watch her leave. My bear is pacing inside of me, angry that we’re just letting her walk away.

We’ll see her again soon, I promise him, but it doesn’t really help. He’s still upset.

Once she’s out of sight, I return the ski equipment and then head back to my snowmobile and go on patrol. I run into Flint as I head down a side trail, and he slows down.

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