Chapter Five – Caroline

Her bear ran after him as they broke out of the trees. Carter was sure-footed and true as he made his way across an open plateau, despite the darkness all around them. The moon had risen, but was the smallest sliver and cast no real light on the mountain. Caroline pressed on faster, catching up with Carter’s bear and sticking close to his heels, taking comfort in his presence.

Or maybe she just wanted to be near him and needed an excuse. Caroline had, after all, faced much worse than an open plateau.

Carter slowed, and she drew alongside him. They ambled along, like two lovers, comfortable invading each other’s space. Her bear pressed closer; he turned to look at her, and licked her snout. Her bear grinned like a lovesick fool, ready for them to give themselves completely to their mate. However, Caroline was not ready for that. Not yet.

But he is our mate, her bear insisted.

And we have plenty of time, Caroline replied.

We thought we had plenty of time to set our relationship straight with Rich, her bear reminded her.

I know, Caroline answered sadly. But I can’t rush blindly into a relationship with Carter.

Why not?

Because he is hiding here from something. Or someone. And just because we are mates, does not mean I am willing to fall in love with a man who has secrets.

Excuses, her bear accused.

Maybe her bear was right. She was simply making excuses.

Carter took them through a narrow gully, and she fell back, walking behind him, his bear a dark silhouette in the night. Then they broke out onto a narrow ledge, and he stopped. Caroline stood next to him, and followed his gaze.

There, above their heads, were a billion stars or more. She had never seen so many, even when she was in the remotest part of the world. Looking tentatively over the edge of the ledge, there was nothing below them, only darkness. She hadn’t realized they were so high up.

They stood together in silence. The wonder of the stars above made her eyes prick with tears. When she was a child, she used to think that the stars were candles, held in the hands of all of those who had passed away. Was Rich up there somewhere, with Mary by his side? If he looked down, would he know how bad she felt at not telling him she was happy he had found his mate?

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Carter asked. He had shifted back into his human form and stood looking upward, his fingers buried in her fur, making her shiver.

She nodded, not ready to return to her human form, not ready to talk. Her throat was constricted, a sob waiting to erupt, and she didn’t want him to ask her why. Her love for a dead man somehow made her feel as though she was unfaithful to Carter. Unfaithful to her true mate.

“This is my favorite place,” Carter went on. “I used to come here a lot when I first came to the mountain. I’d sit here at night and just stare at them. It put my life into perspective.”

She could understand why. The more she looked, the more inconsequential she considered herself. This mountain, the stars, they had been there long before man walked the planet, and would be there long after Caroline’s life ended.

Her bear sighed, and let her human side come forth. Moving closer to Carter, Caroline rested her head on his shoulder. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“My pleasure. If this is to be my last night on the mountain, then I wanted to come here, to say goodbye to the stars.”

She chuckled. “The stars will still be there.”

“But will we remember to look up at them?” he asked.

She understood his meaning. Her thoughts of Rich were enough to remind her of how caught up in everyday life she had been before she set foot on the mountain. “Then we should make a deal, and come back here when we can, and stare at the stars.”

“Deal.” He offered her his hand, and she took it. Carter pulled her close, and she tilted her head back, moistening her lips. “Seal it with a kiss?”

“Yes,” she breathed, her hand going to the back of his neck.

His lips pressed against hers, in a soft, gentle kiss. Caroline slid her tongue along his bottom lip and he shivered at her touch, his hand going to the small of her back and pulling her into him. Their bodies were like one as they stood beneath the stars, lips locked together, lives entwined now they had met and acknowledged their fate.

Carter moved his hand lower, and she arched her back, exposing her neck to him. He planted kisses down her exposed flesh, continuing along her collarbone, then lower, his teeth grazing the hardened bud of her nipple through her clothes. Electricity pulsed through her body as her nerve endings picked up every movement of the air across her skin.

She wanted him. Right now she was willing to sweep everything aside and let him claim her. But so much was uncertain, both inside and outside of their relationship, that she could not abandon reason. Her training had taught her to act on information, not emotion. Pulling back, she stood breathless, her heart racing, her vision fuzzy as she regained her breath.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I got carried away.”

“It’s OK. And I’m sorry too.” She put her hand to her lips. “I’m just going to need some time to get used to the idea of us.”

“Of course.” He smiled ruefully. “I’m going to blame it on my lack of interaction with a female for so long.”

“Lack of interaction,” Caroline repeated.

“Sex,” Carter admitted. “I haven’t been near a woman for years. I just wanted you to know that.”

“OK…”

“That still didn’t come out properly.” He took a deep breath and tried again. “Even before I decided to become a recluse. I realized people, not just women… That they wanted a piece of Carter Eden. Not the man. The movie star.”

“One thing you can be sure of, is that I only want the man,” Caroline stated. “Oh, and the bear. But the movie star… I am probably your worst fan, since I have never seen one of your movies.”

“I like that,” Carter said. “But other people will still want a part of me when I walk down off this mountain.”

“Are you sure you aren’t a washed-up has-been who just doesn’t know it yet?” Caroline asked.

Carter chuckled and nodded. “I wish.” Then he shrugged. “You may have a point. Everyone might have forgotten all about me.”

“You know, there are not many people who want to be forgotten,” Caroline said.

“I am most definitely one of them. I have enough money to live off for the rest of my life. Maybe I can live under the radar. People will think I’m still that crazy man who lives on top of a mountain.”

“Maybe they will,” Caroline agreed. “Especially when you flash them that scowl.”

“I don’t scowl,” Carter insisted.

“How did you ever act if you don’t know what your facial expressions are doing?” Caroline grinned at the confusion on his face.

“I can’t tell if you are joking.”

“That is because you have hidden yourself up here for too long. You are going to have to relearn how to deal with people, and technology.”

“Or I could just put a big wall up around my big house,” Carter suggested.

“Or you could let people in.” Caroline stroked his cheek and pressed her lips to his.

Carter groaned and pulled away. “Come on, let’s go back to the cabin, before I throw you to the ground and kiss you into submission.”

“I’m not that much of a pushover,” Caroline insisted, but deep down, she knew it would not take much for her to let him claim her. Or maybe she would claim him. She was all for equality.

He took her hand and they walked together in their human forms, back along through the gully, and out across the plateau. Then they shifted into their bears and meandered back down the trail, until they reached Carter’s cabin.

Caroline still marveled that he knew which trails to take, even in the dark. She would never have found her way back to the place her mate called home on her own. The trees all blended in together, the rocks and boulders all looked the same. She knew which direction was east and west and had some knowledge of navigating by the stars, but they were mostly hidden by the trees above their heads.

But Carter knew the way. Sure-footed and steadfast. Was that how her relationship with her mate would be? She would not know, until they found out what waited for them at the bottom of the mountain.

They reached the clearing where his small cabin stood, a dark hulking shadow against the trees. Carter shifted into his human form and mounted the steps, opening the door of the cabin for her. Caroline shifted too, and slipped past him into the cabin.

“Will you miss this place?”

“I will,” he answered honestly. “The cabin itself was here when I arrived, but it was empty, parts of it rotted. I spent the first few weeks camped out under a tarp. Then slowly I rebuilt it, made it watertight, added the furniture one stick at a time.” He pointed to the chairs. “You should have seen my first attempts.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, when you get down off this mountain, you have a house to fix up,” Caroline told him as she stood, arms folded across her chest.

“That bad?” he asked.

“The house still has four walls and a roof,” she offered.

“That’s a start,” Carter said.

“Speaking of starts. Tomorrow we need to be up early, it’s a long walk down the mountain. So we really ought to get a good night’s sleep.” Caroline wasn’t sure what the sleeping arrangements were. Did he expect her to share his bed?

“We’re leaving tomorrow?” he asked.

“That was my plan.”

“I am going to need some time to get everything packed away.” He looked around. “I’m going to need a couple of days.”

“I’ll help you,” Caroline offered. “That means we can get it done in one day. Then we have a two-day hike down the mountain…” She caught the look on his face. “Unless you’ve changed your mind.”

“I want you,” he admitted, fiercely. “But this is where I belong. I came here for a reason…”

“You can keep telling yourself that, or you can come with me.” She took a step away from him. “I have to leave. I have responsibilities. I don’t expect you to understand, and no, I’m not trying to blackmail you into coming with me. I said we needed to compromise… And so here it is.” She took a deep, shuddering breath, suddenly weary. “If you choose to stay up here, I will split my time. Half here, half in Bear Creek.”

He closed his eyes, and shook his head. “Not enough,” he ground out.

What did he mean? Was he going to keep her here? Shut her away so she could never leave his mountain?

“What then?” she asked cautiously, ready to make a run for it, although Caroline knew she would not get far. He knew this mountain too well.

“I’ll come with you. We are meant to be together, not for half a life, but for a whole life.”

“And if you hate it?” She could not bear the thought of Carter being unhappy.

“Then we both split our time, half here, half in Bear Creek.” He reached for her and pulled her close. “Until I can persuade you the mountain life is all we need.”

“Won’t happen. I have family, friends who need me. And when we have kids…” She placed her hand on his cheek. “They will need other children.”

“We can make lots of children.”

She laughed. “We can.” She pulled back from him. “But right now, I need to sleep.”

He nodded. “OK. Right, you take my bed.” He put his hand up to stop her speaking. “I insist. I can take the lumpy sofa.” He turned to look at the door. “Or maybe I’ll spend a night under the stars.”

“Whatever you need,” she said.

“You,” he answered simply.

“Smooth. See, there is still some of that movie-star magic about you.”