Page 4 of Bear with Me
While standing beside the automatic doors, I discovered yet another mistake I'd made today. The adrenaline must have been rushing too fast for me to notice the cold back in Chicago. Here in Oregon, the gusts cut through my thin suit fabric each time the door swished open. I'd left my coat on the back of mydesk chair. Thankfully, I'd tucked my hat and mittens into my backpack, but they did little to protect my core.
When I finally hailed a taxi, outside in the bitter cold wind that drove snow shards as sharp as sand into my eyes, Mr. So Big and Tall He Blocked My Entire Side Profile swooped in and stole it from me by shoving his two carry-on-sized bags onto the seat with him. "Winter Wonderland Lodge," I heard him say to the cab driver as he shut the door.
I snorted a laugh and an unhealthy amount of snow. I coughed so hard tears came to my eyes again. Finally, a cab driver took pity on my hunched-over frame. I heaved my heavy full-sized suitcase into the trunk, and then we were on our way to the lodge, where I hoped I would see Mr. Sexy again, if only to tell him off for stealing my cab.
CHAPTER 3
OLLIE
I wassecond in line at the reception desk in the lodge's main cabin. On the outside, it looked like a rustic cabin with notch and pass edges, much like my log house back home. Inside, the furniture matched the exposed log walls: rugged and sturdy. The modern touches stood out. Two long and thin monitors faced the reception desk clerk. Along the wall, a raised bar table lit from above with can lights held several USB charging towers. A plastic sign holder displayed the instructions to log onto the lodge's Wi-Fi. Long hallways led to the right and left, and a short hallway framed by glass walls led out the back, where snow-covered cabins lined the glistening sidewalk. Thankfully, it looked wet, not icy.
The lodge's glass door reflected the cheery Christmas lights hung everywhere when it opened, and it blinded me for a moment. A now-familiar voice shouted, "Hey!" It was the guy from the plane, and he sounded pissed.
I must have died on that plane, and now he was my personal demon in hell. My super-hot demon in a sparkling blue suit that made his eyes look darker than they were.
"You stole my cab!"
"I did?" The snow had been whirling so hard I couldn't see, even with my enhanced bear vision. I'd smelled him, sure, but the scent was faint, like he'd already gotten into a cab and left. "I'm sorry."
"You … are?" He gaped at me.
"Yes. I didn't see you. If I had, I wouldn't have taken your cab. I'm really sorry."
"Well, okay." He blinked. "Thank you."
He wasn't all bad. I offered what I hoped was a soft smile before turning back toward the desk.
"Next!" the young man called as the deer shifter in front of me picked up his bag and hurried toward the main entrance.
"Hi. Ollie Beaman, cabin 123."
"Fantastic, Mr. Beaman. How many keys do you need?"
"Just the one."
He nodded. "Perfect, perfect. I'm Branson. Feel free to call and ask for me if you need anything." He looked me up and down. "Anything."
Was he hitting on me? I cleared my throat and pointed to the wall, where rows of numbered hooks held keys for each cabin.
"Right!" He spun, found the keyring for cabin 123 and handed me the first of two. "If you go out the back door past the restaurant, it's three cabins off the main path. You can't miss it." This time, he winked.
"Great, thanks." He was cute, but already my bear savored the smell coming from behind me. My bear wanted me to stay and eavesdrop on the hot guy from the plane. So much for thinking the beast didn't like him.
I extended the handles on my suitcases and followed the hall in the direction Branson had pointed. "If things are meant to be," I muttered as I walked the chlorine-scented hallway, "we'll see him again."
My bear hated chlorine, and he really didn't want to walk away from the man from the plane, but I didn't have a choice. Once I found my cabin, I needed a hot shower to ease my aching muscles. Even with more legroom, the seat had been cramped, and everything from my neck to my tailbone hurt.
Instead, I got lost. It was dark, and while cheery Christmas lights hung from every eave, not all porch lights were on. I found cabin 132 before I found 123.
By the time I backtracked to the right cabin number, the door was already open. I swore I was dreaming because standing in the cabin's main room was the man I'd been hoping to see again.
"Hi."
"Holy fuck!" He let go of his suitcase handle, and it crashed to the floor. "What are you doing here?" He gestured wildly around him. "This is my cabin."
"It's 123." I held up my key. "Mine."
He looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel in his forehead, but then he held up his keyring and compared our matching numbers. "I thought it was strange when he gave me the second key to your cabin." He must have been watching me. My bear puffed up with pride. "This can't be right, can it?"
