The Bear Who Loved Me by Kathy Lyons Read Free Book Online Page A

friends had found a way to get what they wanted, and from there it was a downward spiral. Not all at once. There were better years and worse years. Nancy managed to get through high school and even hold a job for a while. But alcoholics dotted their family tree, and she eventually lost the battle against her addiction.
    She conceived Theo in one of those bad times but then made a valiant effort to get clean for the baby. Becca had helped all she could, but money had been beyond tight. They had squeezed every last dime to get by, which is when Becca had pushed hard for Theo’s father to help out. Nancy had refused. She’d said the man was an animal. Not ugly or violent. Just a freaking animal most of the time, becoming human only when it suited him. Only she hadn’t said animal. Her exact words were “grizzly bear.” Becca had dismissed it as an alcohol-induced nightmare.
    Until now.
    It couldn’t be true, and yet, everyone seemed so committed to the delusion, her own sister included. Fortunately, no one appeared violent except for the whole kidnapping thing. Which meant Becca was somewhat safe for the moment. Her best plan was to keep her eyes and ears open for an opportunity to escape. Until then, she just had to pretend to go along. She’d keep everyone calm—herself included—until she could get the hell out of Gladwin.
    That decided, she washed her face, brushed out her hair, and did her best to look like she was completely cowed. Next step: search the bedroom for any weapons. She’d barely gotten started poking through the desk when Mr. Max knocked on the door.
    “Tonya’s here,” he said through the wood.
    “Coming!” she called as she pushed a drawer of files closed. There were names there—neat little folders of people that included lineage, medical history, and lists of incidents. Many ended with phrases like “shot in the heart” or “lost challenge.” She had no idea what that meant, but she sure as hell didn’t want to see a folder with her name on it. Or worse, one with Theo’s name.
    But she didn’t have time to think about that as she straightened her clothes—dressy jeans and a now-wrinkled blouse—and headed out the door. Mr. Max was waiting for her, a big hulking presence by the door. He didn’t move as she stepped out, unless she counted the way his nostrils flared and his hands twitched in her direction. And she had to pass within a half inch of his body as she stepped into the main room of a very large house. But beyond the way his scent seemed to invade her senses at his nearness, everything else seemed eerily normal.
    He didn’t speak as he gestured for her to cross to the center of the main living room. The decor was male hunting cabin, complete with an extra-large refrigerator-freezer and a big-screen TV. No deer heads hung on the wood-paneled walls, thank God, but she saw a couple very old quilts on the overstuffed couch and one of the three huge recliners.
    There in the middle stood two women. The first was a police detective, her uniform crisp and her posture excruciatingly correct except for the way her head tilted slightly to the side whenever she looked at Mr. Max. Given that she was stunningly beautiful, Becca guessed that the stiffness was her only way to keep things professional in a male-dominated field. She’d been talking to a woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties with dark hair going gray. The older woman wore Crocs on her feet and a loosely tied dress that looked more like a sack with flowers printed on it. On odd pair of women, to be sure.
    And when Becca crossed into the center space, the detective’s cool gaze assessed her in every way. It was all Becca could do to keep from smoothing down her hair.
    “Good evening, Miss Weitz,” the woman said. “I hope you’re feeling recovered.”
    “From my kidnapping, you mean?” So much for pretending to go along.
    The detective’s lips twitched. “Yes. From that.”
    “I’d like to be taken home, if you