Page 27 of Having the Bear's Baby

Before they got to the wilderness where the cabin was, they stopped at a store to pick up groceries. “What do you like to eat?” he asked her. She was quite petite, and he imagined her having a small appetite.

“Oh, I’ll eat pretty much anything,” she said. “I love eating meat, but I also eat a lot of fruit and vegetables too.”

“Are you sure you don’t have some bear blood in you?” he asked her with a laugh. All the foods she liked were his favorite foods.

They gathered their supplies and headed back out to the SUV. “Not far now,” he said as they headed into a forested area.

The road turned and weaved its way up into the hills. Every turn-off grew narrower and narrower until they were on a road that was barely a path. It ended at a single-story wooden cabin in a clearing surrounded by huge and ancient trees.

Liam heard Emma’s intake of breath as they pulled up. The cabin did that to people when they first arrived. It was wonderfully picturesque, with wisteria trailing over the front veranda. He was pleased to see it was blooming, its light purple flowers drooping down in long clusters, letting off a heady scent.

“It’s amazing,” said Emma. “This is yours?” she asked incredulously.

“It sure is.” His heart filled with pride. He was so glad she liked it. “As I said, bears like to get away on their own sometimes. This is my retreat.”

“Thank you so much for sharing it with me,” she said, turning to look at him. Her dark brown eyes were filled with tenderness and amazement. “I absolutely love it already.”

“And you’ve only seen the front,” he replied. “Wait until you see the rest. Come on.” He got out of the car, feeling a warmth spreading from his heart down to his toes.

He led her up the gravel drive to the front door, holding it open for her to enter. The main room was huge and took up most of the cabin. The floor was made up of huge flagstones with rugs scattered across it. A massive fireplace occupied the middle of the room. It was supported by four large, arched columns of rock with the fire pit at the center.

Liam carried the groceries to the well-equipped kitchen and put them away as Emma explored the cabin with squeals of delight.

“You still haven’t seen the best bit.” He laughed. “Come on, let me show you.”

He led her through the doors at the rear of the room and was thrilled to hear her gasp. The back of the cottage sat atop a tall bluff that overlooked hundreds of acres of pristine wooded mountains.

Emma did not say a word. After a while, he turned to make sure she was still there. She stood with a look of wonder on her face, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

“It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” she said quietly when he asked her if she was okay.

Next, he led her out into the yard. “That peak over there is called The Mountain of the Moon by my people,” he said, indicating the highest peak. “Our young ones have to climb it in bear form as part of their rite of passage.”

“It must be amazing to be able to shift,” she said. “You are going to have to tell me what it’s like, running around as a bear. I’d love to be able to do it.”

It was funny. Shifting was something he just took for granted. It was a thing he had always been able to do, and he couldn’t imagine what it would be like not to be able to. “I guess I don’t really think much about it,” he confessed.

“I do love it though,” he added. “All your senses come alive, and your purpose becomes much clearer. You tend to act on instinct rather than logic. All your human senses are still there, just in the background. It’s the same the other way around. When I’m in human form, I’m always aware of what my bear self thinks and feels about a situation.”

“So what is your bear self thinking now?” she asked, a smile playing around her lips.

His bear self was feeling protective of his mate, but he couldn’t say that in case he scared her off. Instead, he gave a lascivious grin. “That would be telling,” he said with a laugh. She smiled back at him, then turned back to the stunning view.

“I’ll go cook dinner,” he said after a while. “You stay here and relax.”

As he prepped their dinner, he marveled that he had found such an amazing mate. She was interested and interesting, and she loved to eat. Food was important to him, and he would not have known what to do with a woman who had a small appetite.

He set the table in the conservatory with candles and a bottle of good wine. He noticed her out the window, sitting on the bench at the end of the yard, watching the sun melt into the distant horizon. Ever since he met her, he had felt aware of her presence all the time. He wondered if she felt the same or if it was just his amplified bear senses that made him feel this way.

“Hey, do you want to come in and eat?” he called to her once the last rays of the sun had dipped beneath the horizon, leaving a red smudge across the sky.

“Oh, yes, I’m ravenous,” she said, making him smile.

He’d done a spread of roasted chicken and potatoes with honeyed carrots and greens. The aroma was tantalizing as he carved the chicken, offering her a portion almost as large as the one he took for himself.

“You are the most amazing cook,” she murmured as she dug into her meal. “This is all done to perfection. You must tell me what seasoning you use. This is fantastic.”

He felt his heart warm. “It was a recipe I learned from my grandmother,” he told her. “She was a fantastic cook. She would often go out foraging for the finest wild herbs and mushrooms. She would bring them home and dry them out for culinary use. And other things, too. Her house always smelled so alive with incredible scents.”

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