Her Bear Protector Read online

  I breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the officers for their work. Soon the conversation turned to a somewhat lighter topic, with me telling them why I'd come to the cabin and what I hoped to accomplish during my stay, which was to paint several high-quality nature paintings to successfully sell for a decent price when I returned to Detroit.

  Sergeant Laine nodded, his thick-rimmed glasses sliding down his nose a little. "Well, you've sure come to the right place for that endeavor. I'm sure you'll find lots of inspiration up here. Now, if you ever get a bit lonely, of course you can make the drive on into town, but there's also some nice folks who live in a multi-cabin settlement of sorts maybe a mile-and-a-pinch northwest of here, a little deeper into the wilds. Good people, and all friendly, though they do tend to keep to themselves. They seem to just like the isolation; which, there's nothing at all wrong with that. From what they've told me, they spend most of their time hunting and fishing and doing some woodworking and furniture-making. And they're very good at it. The whole family, which in all is maybe a dozen or so of them, come in to town a couple of times a year to sell their furniture at different summertime events. And tourists and townsfolk alike just love their work. I've got a few nice oak rocking chairs made by them out on my front porch, actually. Highest quality stuff."

  One of the deputies made a discreet check of his watch, but Sergeant Laine still saw it.

  "Oh, all right, Stevens. I know you're wantin' to get back to town. And with your wife's meatloaf and mashed potatoes, I don't blame you." Sergeant Laine turned his gaze back to me. "Anyway, I just mentioned all this because one of the women in the family paints pottery to sell, and I thought you two might have something in common to chat about if you ever get a little lonely out here and want some company. The trail that shoots off in a northwest direction from the trail circling your cabin, here, will lead you in a pretty straight shot to the family's cabins. They're good, peaceful folk, not that I've spoken to them at length, or more than maybe a couple of times. But they seem very decent. There's six or seven men, all of them brothers or relatives of some kind, and some of the men have wives, maybe three or four of them do. But one of the single guys, even though everyone in the family seems to be pretty close in age, all maybe late twenties or early thirties or so, one of the single guys seems to be the patriarch of the family, the leader, so to speak, and his name is Aaron. Tall man. Big. And the deepest green eyes you ever saw."

  A slight shiver rippled through me. Deputy Stevens checked his watch again, and Sergeant Laine gave him a sidelong glance.

  "Oh, all right, Stevens. I'm about ready for some dinner, too."

  Sergeant Laine and the two deputies got up from the table and began heading to the door, Deputy Laine telling me to call them for anything, anytime.

  "Though hopefully, you won't have any more trouble."

  After wishing me a good evening, the two deputies filed out the door, and Deputy Laine turned to face me in the doorway.

  "But do maybe start taking that .38 Special you mentioned you have out with you on any hikes. That bear you saw was probably just a fluke, because they do usually stick to the areas a little farther north, but it is possible that you may run into him again. And if that happens, you have no way of knowing just how he'll act. Some of those bigger black bears can rip a man to shreds in a matter of seconds."

  I nodded. "I'll start taking my gun out with me, but I really don't think this bear would ever do me any harm. Remember what I told you on the phone? He pretty much rescued me from being raped and possibly murdered, and then he picked some coneflowers with his mouth and set them on my lap. And then he more or less, like, accompanied me home, almost as if he wanted to make sure I made it back safely or something. And the expression in his eyes...towards the end of him following me, I could just tell that he meant me no harm. His eyes almost had a human expression; you would've just had to have seen it. His eyes were a deep, deep green."

  Deputy Laine frowned. "Well, that's just not possible. There's no type of black bears that have green eyes."

  "I know, but I saw them, and they were green. I saw them up close. He set the coneflowers on my lap. He was literally only a foot away from me."

  Deputy Laine's frown turned to an expression that a parent might wear when dealing with an imaginative, storytelling child. His mouth twitched with just the faintest hint of a smile.

  "Well, I'm sure the bear's eyes seemed green, and I'm sure everything that you experienced with the bear, him picking flowers with his mouth and him seeming to accompany you home and all, I'm sure all that seemed to be happening the way you experienced it. But see, sometimes when people are under a great deal of stress, sometimes when people experience an intensely stressful event, like I'm sure you experienced when the Taggert brothers tried to attack you...well, sometimes all that stress can make a person's perception of reality a little ‘bendy,’ for lack of a better word. It's just shock. It's nothing a little peace and quiet and a good night's sleep won't cure you of."

  Deputy Stevens pulled one of two police cars from the little dirt drive in front of the cabin to right in front of the porch steps. Sergeant Laine glanced at him, making a little grunt of annoyance.

  "All this one ever thinks about is food. Better not keep him from it. Have a good evening, Ms. Everly. Ah, you told me to call you Kyla. Have a good evening, Kyla."

  I wished him the same and shut and locked the door, wondering if it was possible that he was right. That my mind had been playing a few tricks on me with the bear. I had to admit, my stress level that afternoon had been off the charts.

  I went over to the table and examined the cluster of coneflowers the bear had, seemingly anyway, given me, which I'd put in a clear Mason jar with a little water. I ran a finger along some of the delicate, tiny lavender flowers, recalling the almost-human expression in the bear's eyes. His impossible green eyes. But everything had seemed completely real. And I had experienced high levels of stress and upset before, like during the time immediately after my parents' deaths, without imagining things different than they actually were. But then again, I figured, maybe all the stress of the previous few months, combined with the day's events, was finally catching up with me. Maybe Sergeant Laine was right, that stress could make people's perception of reality a little "bendy."

  But what had he said about one of the woodworking men having "the deepest green eyes you ever saw?” Doesn't matter, silly, I told myself. Men can have green eyes. That's normal. It was just a coincidence that you thought you saw a bear with deep green eyes the same day a man with deep green eyes was described to you But something about me thinking I'd seen a bear with deep green eyes, and then Sergeant Laine describing a man with deep green eyes nagged at me. But I didn't have a clue why.

  After a quick dinner, I got out my oil paints again, set a clean canvas on my easel, and began a new painting. Its title: The Bear.

  I'd been painting since I was fourteen, when a high school art teacher told me I had talent. I'd graduated college with an art degree, specializing in painting landscapes, nature scenes, and animals. My art wasn't avant-garde; it wasn't groundbreaking or shocking. But it was what I liked. Since college, it had been fairly well-received by the Detroit arts community, but only fairly. I'd managed to make a decent living selling paintings, but just barely. Gallery owners often invited me back after showings, but not enthusiastically. At the most recent exhibition featuring my art, my art teacher from high school, the same one whose encouragement had caused me to take up painting, had declared my paintings "technically brilliant, but lacking something I just can't put my finger on."

  "A certain passion maybe," she'd later said. "But don't worry; I think you'll find it in time." I wasn't so sure.

  I worked until about eight-thirty, when the sun set, casting shadows all over the cabin, and I realized that the yellowish light from two lone lamps in the cabin wouldn't be enough light to paint by.

  After putting my paints away and changing out of my painting clothes
, I surveyed what I'd completed so far: half of a green-eyed black bear, several stalks of lavender coneflowers in his mouth.

  I went to bed that night with the image of the green-eyed bear in my mind. And despite the upsetting events of the day, I slept like a baby.

  The next morning dawned clear and bright, the sun's first rays painting the cabin and the red pines surrounding it in various shades of gold and pink. I enjoyed a cup of tea out on the porch, watching the sunrise, keeping an eye out for any wild animals or sinister people. But I only spotted two cottontail rabbits, hopping along in a patch of Queen Anne's lace bordering the dirt driveway.

  Several hours later, after I'd finished a painting session and then some lunch, a knock at the door made me drop a plate in the sink. Pulse thudding in my ears, I wondered if it could be Sergeant Laine with additional questions or info about the previous day. But I hadn't heard a car. And Sergeant Laine had my phone number.

  I tiptoed over to the kitchen window, which had a partial view of the porch, and took a peek through a one-inch crack in its gauzy cream-colored curtains. A man and a woman stood a few paces back from the front door. The woman, tiny and red-haired, appearing to be in her late twenties, held a ceramic planter of daffodils, a cluster of white daisies painted on the front. The man, tall, at least six-foot three, and dark-haired, looked at the door with deep green eyes. A fluttering sensation rippled through my stomach. I didn't think I'd ever seen a man more attractive in my life. I swept my gaze across his strong jaw and broad shoulders, the fluttering in my stomach intensifying.

  Realizing that the man and woman must be part of the nearby family Sergeant Laine seemed to trust, I wiped my soapy hands on a dish towel and then smoothed a few flyaway strands of my hair before unlocking the door and opening it. The man and the woman smiled, the man revealing perfect white teeth, and both said hello.

  The woman shifted the daffodils to the crook of one arm and extended a hand. "I'm Emily, one of your neighbors. ‘Wilderness neighbors,’ anyway. My family and I live about a mile away."

  I shook her hand, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Emily. I'm Kyla."

  She smiled. "Nice to meet you, too, Kyla. This is my brother-in-law, Aaron."

  Aaron extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyla."

  His voice, rich and deep, sent a current of something electric racing through my veins.

  I shook his hand, pulse accelerating while I looked into the depths of his deep green eyes. "Likewise, Aaron."

  His grip was firm and warm, and his large hand seemed to cradle my much smaller one.

  I invited them both inside, and they stepped into the cabin, Emily handing me the planter of daffodils, grinning.

  "For you, from our family."

  I took the planter, smiling. "Thank you so much. They're beautiful." I examined the bright white daisies on the front. "Did you paint these? Sergeant Laine was here yesterday, and he told me a bit about you all. He said one of you is a pottery painter."

  Emily nodded, beaming. "That's me."

  Soon the three of us were seated at the kitchen table with glasses of iced tea, and after I'd explained why I'd come to stay in the U.P, Emily and I began chatting about painting. She asked if I had any pieces of my work around that she could see.

  "Well -- none finished. But I guess I can show you the one I started on last night and worked on a little this morning."

  Emily said she'd love to see it, and I brought over my unfinished bear painting and propped it up in the empty chair between her and Aaron. They looked at it silently, and then exchanged looks I couldn't quite read.

  I sat back down in my seat and took a sip of iced tea. "Just getting started on it, of course. It'll look better once I finish with the trees and give the bear some hind legs."

  Emily said it was lovely. "You've captured the bear's eyes perfectly."

  I couldn't be sure, but I thought she gave Aaron just a tiny micro-glance.

  He nodded. "Yes, it's...." He cleared his throat, the sound a low rumble in his chest. "It's very nice."

  Emily took a sip of iced tea and tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear. "So what made you decide to paint a bear?"

  "Well, after an experience yesterday, I guess I just had bears on the brain. But one particular one, actually."

  Emily asked how come, and I briefly explained about the Taggert brothers and the bear.

  She nodded. "We saw police cars here yesterday while hiking, so we knew you must have had some trouble. That's part of the reason we came by today -- we just wanted to make sure you were okay. And actually, Aaron here was the one who knew about the -- the trouble, but he figured that maybe a lone man you'd never met showing up at your door the day after you'd experienced something bad might not be the very best thing for your nerves." She grinned, her big gray eyes twinkling. "So I got designated to be the tag-along, because even though I can hit five-foot-one on my tiptoes, I'm told that somehow, I'm just not that intimidating."

  I laughed, thinking how considerate it had been of Aaron to bring Emily along to put my mind at ease about his intentions. "Well, I'm glad you both came. It's been nice to have some company after yesterday."

  Emily asked how I was feeling and if my nerves had returned to normal.

  I nodded. "Yeah, for the most part. I definitely don't feel as rattled today. Yesterday, I was so shaken up that I was just interpreting reality in a really weird way, Sergeant Laine thought."

  Again, I couldn't be sure, but it seemed as if Emily gave Aaron just the tiniest of glances.

  "How so?"

  "Well – I -- it's hard to explain. But that painting is actually of the bear I saw yesterday, and as you can see, he's got green eyes, because that's how I saw them, even though I know that's not possible. Sergeant Laine said the stress I was under might have just made them seem that way to me, and I'm sure he was right. Although...." I thought back to the previous day, my gaze on the lavender coneflowers in the middle of the table. "Everything just felt so real. The bear actually brought me these flowers that are on the table and followed me home, almost like he wanted to make sure I was okay."

  Emily didn't say anything, her gaze on her glass. Aaron took a long, thirsty drink of his iced tea. Realizing I'd said what probably sounded like some pretty crazy things, and in front of quite possibly the most attractive man I'd ever met, I felt a little heat rise to my face.

  "Sorry, guys. I'm being weird."

  Emily said I wasn't at all. "I'm just so glad you're okay after yesterday."

  I gave her a little smile. "Thanks. Me, too. Things could have been a whole lot worse if the bear hadn't helped me. But I guess now, I'm just going to try to put it all behind me and enjoy the rest of my time here. And in fact, I was planning on a hike here in a bit. Getting right back on the horse, I guess. Would you both like to join me?"

  Emily said she'd really like to but would have to take a rain check. "I have an afternoon fishing date with my husband."

  But Aaron said he'd love to go with me. "That is, if you feel comfortable with it being just the two of us."

  I said that was completely fine, looking into his deep green eyes, hardly able to even speak to him without butterflies zipping around my stomach.

  Soon Emily left, hugging me goodbye, and after I'd changed into hiking clothes, tucking my gun into the waistband of my jeans as I'd promised Sergeant Laine, Aaron and I set out on our hike.

  "Now, I promise to fight off any bears we may encounter on this hike with my bare hands, if you'll promise to immortalize the scene in a painting."

  I glanced up at him, and I did really glance up, with him being nearly a foot taller than me, trying to gauge if he was being serious or not. He stared straight ahead, but his mouth twitched with a smile.

  I laughed. "Okay, it's a deal. But I hope your hand-to-paw combat skills are up to par, because if you don't survive, then I won't survive, and there won't be anyone to paint the scene of your heroics."

  Aaron glanced at me, his eye
s twinkling. "If I can't best any bears we come across with my bare hands, I'll try karate. Although I did forget my nun-chucks at home today. I'll write myself a note next time: Aaron, if even the slightest possibility of hiking with beautiful girl exists today, do pack nun-chucks. Do not forget."

  I laughed, my stomach doing somersaults because of what he's said about "hiking with beautiful girl." I wondered if he really thought that about me.

  We bantered our way down the trail, joking and laughing, for a long while, but I slowed to a stop when we approached the spot where I'd been cornered by the Taggert brothers the day before.

  "Sorry...this part of the trail. Just...yesterday. Bad memories." I took a deep breath. "I'm just gonna grit my teeth and go through it, though. Because this trail that runs in a loop around my cabin will be the one I'll probably hike on most often while I'm here, and I can't avoid this spot forever."

  Aaron nodded. "True. But gritting your teeth through it doesn't sound very fun. Especially not when we could go through it in a fun way, and make this part of the trail into a happy place."

  "What do you mean?"

  He turned, presenting me with his broad back. "Hop on. I'll give you a lift."

  "But -- but you've seen I'm not small, right?"

  I knew I was carrying at least an extra forty or fifty pounds on my frame above what was considered an average weight for my height.

  "I could carry three of you. Now, hop on, before I decide to make you carry me."

  Giggling, I jumped onto his back, wrapping my arms around his strong shoulders, my weight not even making him stagger or sway in the least.

  "Now, hold on tight, Kyla. Because on the off-chance that we encounter any bears, I'm going to have to run, and I can't promise that I won't make any wild leaps over ravines if need be. You'll want to have good, firm grip."

  I giggled again, and Aaron began walking with long, powerful strides.

  "Tighter, now. A pack of bears could leap out at us at any second."

  Laughing, I did wrap my arms around his shoulders tighter, pressing my cheek against his muscled back. Inhaling his scent, something woodsy and clean, I knew I was falling for him already. Hard.