with a yard for children to play in and maybe a swing in the front yard. If their children didn't inherit the bear shifter trait, they could ride on his broad shaggy back; if they did, he could teach his cubs to swim in the icy water of the sound, while April watched from shore and took pictures.
He was jarred out of his pleasant fantasy by the ringing phone. After that, it seemed that he'd never have a moment to himself again. Word had gotten around the little town about the crash, and his phone was soon ringing off the hook with worried neighbors, reporters for the town's one small paper, and relatives he hadn't talked to in years. They were calling him on both his cell phone—which he eventually turned off—and his office phone.
After telling the same story no less than twenty times, he found himself longing for the quiet solitude of the tundra.
A truck door banged outside, and Lee walked into the office with a fat folder filled with paperwork. He stopped when he saw Nathan's face. "Hey, man, you look grouchy as a—"
"Don't say it," Nathan growled. "No bear jokes. I'm not in the mood."
Lee grinned. "All right, no bear jokes. But you'll have plenty to complain about once you finish filling out all the reports on the crash." He dumped the folder on Nathan's already overloaded desk.
Nathan groaned.
"There's a couple of crash investigators coming out later to take a look," Lee added. "I was going to ferry them out there in Bill's plane, and while I'm at it, maybe see what we can salvage. You wanna be along for that?"
Nathan shook his head. "Nah, I got some things to take care of here in town."
"Some things ... that have anything to do with a certain pretty wildlife biologist?"
Nathan bared his teeth.
"I'll take that as a yes," Lee said, and ducked when Nathan semi-playfully threw a stapler at him.
Just then the phone rang again. Lee grinned at the look on Nathan's face. "That bad, is it?"
"I tell you, man, you crash one plane ..." He ignored the phone, letting the answering machine pick it up. "Apparently the story made the national news this morning. I'm discovering relatives I didn't even know I had, not to mention people I haven't thought about since I went to high school with them. Or grade school. It's not quite the explosion of newfound relatives and long-lost best friends that I got when I inherited my uncle's money, but it's pretty close."
"Listen, man," Lee said, getting serious for once. "You look like you're about to snap and grow fangs right where you sit. Not to mention, I got a good night's sleep, which I'm guessing is more than I can say for you; those bags under your eyes have luggage of their own. So, listen, I'll hold down the fort for awhile, and reassure everyone that you're perfectly fine. You can go have breakfast with your biologist lady. If you don't happen to come back today ..." He shrugged. "I'm not your keeper."
"Lee," Nathan said, heartfelt, "you're the best, man."
"Just remember you owe me an alibi the next time Great-Aunt Caroline tries to set me up with one of her bingo buddies' grandkids."
Nathan laughed. "Deal." He clapped Lee on the shoulder and, with a spring in his step, went out to his truck.
9. April
After very nearly spending a night on the tundra, April had thought she would sleep better than she did. All she could think about was Nathan. Nathan with his arms around her; Nathan making her body rise in pleasure; Nathan holding her hand.
Nathan as a giant polar bear ...
It had seemed so much more normal out there in the wilderness. Now she found herself plagued with doubt. How could Nathan be a bear ? How was that possible? Maybe she'd hit her head in the crash. Maybe the whole thing was nothing but a strange dream brought on by panic and exposure.
Out on the tundra, she'd felt so sure. She had never met anyone who made her feel like Nathan did. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But now uncertainty began to hammer at her. She barely knew him, and
He was jarred out of his pleasant fantasy by the ringing phone. After that, it seemed that he'd never have a moment to himself again. Word had gotten around the little town about the crash, and his phone was soon ringing off the hook with worried neighbors, reporters for the town's one small paper, and relatives he hadn't talked to in years. They were calling him on both his cell phone—which he eventually turned off—and his office phone.
After telling the same story no less than twenty times, he found himself longing for the quiet solitude of the tundra.
A truck door banged outside, and Lee walked into the office with a fat folder filled with paperwork. He stopped when he saw Nathan's face. "Hey, man, you look grouchy as a—"
"Don't say it," Nathan growled. "No bear jokes. I'm not in the mood."
Lee grinned. "All right, no bear jokes. But you'll have plenty to complain about once you finish filling out all the reports on the crash." He dumped the folder on Nathan's already overloaded desk.
Nathan groaned.
"There's a couple of crash investigators coming out later to take a look," Lee added. "I was going to ferry them out there in Bill's plane, and while I'm at it, maybe see what we can salvage. You wanna be along for that?"
Nathan shook his head. "Nah, I got some things to take care of here in town."
"Some things ... that have anything to do with a certain pretty wildlife biologist?"
Nathan bared his teeth.
"I'll take that as a yes," Lee said, and ducked when Nathan semi-playfully threw a stapler at him.
Just then the phone rang again. Lee grinned at the look on Nathan's face. "That bad, is it?"
"I tell you, man, you crash one plane ..." He ignored the phone, letting the answering machine pick it up. "Apparently the story made the national news this morning. I'm discovering relatives I didn't even know I had, not to mention people I haven't thought about since I went to high school with them. Or grade school. It's not quite the explosion of newfound relatives and long-lost best friends that I got when I inherited my uncle's money, but it's pretty close."
"Listen, man," Lee said, getting serious for once. "You look like you're about to snap and grow fangs right where you sit. Not to mention, I got a good night's sleep, which I'm guessing is more than I can say for you; those bags under your eyes have luggage of their own. So, listen, I'll hold down the fort for awhile, and reassure everyone that you're perfectly fine. You can go have breakfast with your biologist lady. If you don't happen to come back today ..." He shrugged. "I'm not your keeper."
"Lee," Nathan said, heartfelt, "you're the best, man."
"Just remember you owe me an alibi the next time Great-Aunt Caroline tries to set me up with one of her bingo buddies' grandkids."
Nathan laughed. "Deal." He clapped Lee on the shoulder and, with a spring in his step, went out to his truck.
9. April
After very nearly spending a night on the tundra, April had thought she would sleep better than she did. All she could think about was Nathan. Nathan with his arms around her; Nathan making her body rise in pleasure; Nathan holding her hand.
Nathan as a giant polar bear ...
It had seemed so much more normal out there in the wilderness. Now she found herself plagued with doubt. How could Nathan be a bear ? How was that possible? Maybe she'd hit her head in the crash. Maybe the whole thing was nothing but a strange dream brought on by panic and exposure.
Out on the tundra, she'd felt so sure. She had never met anyone who made her feel like Nathan did. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But now uncertainty began to hammer at her. She barely knew him, and
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