Sam

Even in bear form, it was slow going. Traveling during a winter storm wasn’t ideal, but I would have braved far worse for a chance to find Chloe. This was the first real lead I’d had in a long, long time, and I would be damned if something as trivial as a few feet of snow was going to keep me from following it.

My thick fur kept me warm as my big feet and claws powered through the snow and ice that had brought human travel to a standstill, and I made it to Kelper’s Pass the next day without incident. There was a small touristy area there, popular with bird watchers and extreme naturalists in the warmer months.

Tired and hungry—it was winter, and I was half-bear—I shifted back to human and booked a room in the small motel/restaurant there. The roads were still closed, which was no doubt what earned me a curious look from the proprietor. When he asked me outright how I had managed to get there, I explained I was a naturalist tracking the movements of brown and black bears in the nearby mountains. He seemed satisfied with that story and told me that his daughter was a marine biologist down in Florida, so he understood. I guessed maybe she had to do some unusual “field work,” as well.

I had my pick of the dozen or so rooms available, so I selected the one on the end with the nicest view. The room was small and slightly outdated, but it was clean and well-maintained.

The owner, a sixty-ish human male, had offered to open the kitchen and make us some burgers. I was perfectly capable of going out and finding my own food, but taking him up on his offer was a whole lot easier ... and less suspicious. Besides, the old guy seemed to be looking for some company.

I took a quick shower, relishing the surprisingly powerful water pressure and hot water on my tired muscles. Then I changed into a clean shirt and met him for dinner.

The burgers were outstanding, and the company, pleasant. The old guy had been running the place for nearly four decades, he said. Right after he had gotten married, he and his new bride had bought the property, which had been a rundown hippie shack at the time, and turned it into a respectable place. I liked the way his eyes lit up and softened around the edges when he talked about her.

“She’s down in Florida now. Says she can’t stand to be so far from her grandbabies.” He chuckled. “I’ll be closing this place and heading down there for Christmas soon myself.” He laughed softly again. “I’ve been married to that woman for forty years, and I love her more than I did when she first took my name. You ever been in love, son?”

I wiped my mouth and finished chewing while I considered his question. It wasn’t such an easy answer. I had met Chloe when I was eight years old, and she had imprinted on me. That was how I knew she was my mate. But I’d been so young then, and I didn’t fully understand the significance of that. I knew only that I had liked being around her and our connection would continue to grow, and that someday, we would be together. It had never been a question of falling in love. It just was. Chloe was the one for me, and no other female had or would ever interest me in that way.

Now that I was older, I understood more about what being mated meant, and that once Chloe and I accepted each other and bonded, we would be bound by a love so pure and deep it defied logic.

I couldn’t very well explain that to the motel owner, though, so I told him I was still looking for the right one, which was technically true. I was looking for Chloe.

It was as I was leaving to go back to my room that I passed by the tiny gift shop and saw the small stuffed bear in the window. I smiled, remembering how much Chloe liked bears. She’d had one in her backpack the day I had found her in the woods. Even then, it had been old and ratty and missing an eye, but when she had gone to bed that night, she had clutched it like a lifeline.

I asked the owner if I could buy it, so he unlocked the glass doors and we went inside. While I waited for him to ring it up, I spotted a painting in the back. It bore remarkable similarities to the one Kayden had snapped a picture of. A landscape scene with lots of evergreens, though this one was centered around a lake and had a log cabin. A large brown bear, the same one that had appeared in Kayden’s photo, was peeking around the side of the cabin.

A closer look confirmed my suspicions. The name Chloe was scrawled along the bottom right corner.

I didn’t believe in coincidences. The same power that had determined Chloe and I were mates were bringing us together again, I just knew it.

“Nice piece, isn’t it?” the man asked when he saw me eyeing the painting.

“Yeah. Do you know the artist?”

“Sort of. Nice gal, came by a couple months ago asking if I’d be willing to put some of her stuff up for sale here in the gift shop. People seem to like them, at least in season. Not too many people come by this time of year, though, not since they put in the interstate bypass. The snow birds prefer the big lodges and ski resorts up north.”

“So, she’s local?”

“Last I heard, she was renting a place down in Two Forks. Not sure if she’s still there. She seemed like a wandering spirit, and I haven’t seen her for a while.”

“Consider it sold. Would you keep it here until I can get it back to my place?”

“Sure.”

I paid for the bear and the painting, then wished the man a good night before going back to my room.

Anticipation bubbled through my veins. I was getting close; I could feel it. After a brief rest, I would head to Two Forks and find my mate.