“Come on, I want to show you something,” Darren said.
Kelly looked at him skeptically. They had been together for five days now, and still, they had not made very much progress together. Even though they were on the same page, neither seemed sure of what to do next.
“Where are we going?” Kelly asked. It was strange to be approached like this. Mostly, Darren was the strong and silent type. He kept to himself. It seemed strange that, all of a sudden, he would approach her like this and ask her to come with him. And yet, in a way, she was happy about it.
“I want to show you the mountain. Safely. So that when you decide you want to wander around on your own, you know where not to go.”
So, this wasn’t a romantic gesture, Kelly thought, laughing to herself. Why had she gotten her hopes up? That was ridiculous of her.
“Okay,” Kelly said quietly. “I guess it is good to know, in case I decide to stay.”
She cast a meaningful look at Darren, who seemed to ignore it, unless he was just completely oblivious. It didn’t make her feel very good, and she looked away quickly. She hated putting herself out there for people who were not receptive to her. It rarely happened, because she never got along very well with the people in her town, but those that she did attempt to form a meaningful relationship with sometimes left her in the cold and feeling more alone than she had ever felt before. Even if they were still in the same room together.
“Are you ready?” Darren asked. “I know you were caught off guard the last time I took you out like this. I can give you time. I don’t have to work. At least, not until later. What do you say?”
Kelly took a glance at herself in the reflection of Darren’s grandfather clock and gave him a small nod.
“I guess I can go out like this. As long as we’re not going anywhere fancy.”
“No, nowhere too fancy,” Darren said. “You should probably make sure you are wearing tennis shoes. It is going to be some walking outside. I want to show you good places and bad places. Would you like to see good places first or bad?”
Kelly considered this for a moment. “Show me bad first. If you show me the bad first, then I will have something to look forward to at the end of it. If you show me the bad last, then I will just leave off on that note. I don’t want that to be my last impression of whatever the day may bring; I guess I’m a little bit of an optimist.”
“Optimism is pretty good,” Darren said. “All right, I will show you where not to go first. What do you know about the dragon shifters?”
Kelly was startled. “Not much,” she admitted. “I know they are pretty elusive. They don’t show themselves very much amongst the human population. I didn’t realize they lived so close to here.”
“They live across from us on the other mountain, and are working toward taking over the valley. There are some rivalries. Turf wars, in a sense, I suppose. It seems like something you should know about. I have made them very angry. We are not on good terms at the moment, and if they know you are somebody I care for very deeply, they could become problematic. They may want to use you to get revenge on me. And that is why I wanted you to come with me to the bar. Not only to meet Jared, but to keep you safe.”
Kelly gazed at Darren, her heart constricting tightly in her chest. He truly was protective of her. And he truly did care about her. Even if things between them were strained and it was difficult for them to admit the way they cared about each other.
“I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time about that. I guess I haven’t felt in my element here. Everything has been a really big adjustment, and I guess I was feeling hurt. I’d been really excited about coming here and meeting you. And when things got so strange between us, I guess I just started feeling really miserable and bitter about it. I want you to know, though, that I don’t regret coming here and meeting you. I just hope that maybe we can get to know each other a little better.”
Kelly could feel her cheeks reddening as she spoke. She hadn’t expected to let her emotions out quite so transparently. But she had read before that the bear shifters were not very good at the nuances of human feeling. Maybe it was better for her to be simple and direct. It was an approach that most people back in her hometown had a hard time respecting and accepting. But here on Oak Mountain, it seemed that her natural state of expression was something that was much more easily understood, and probably better tolerated.
Darren seemed to confirm this when his face lit up in a broad smile, and she gazed into his eyes. He was a man who had accomplished many things in his life. She had read all about him. He was in his 40s and he was looking for a chance to settle down with the right person. He hadn’t been able to find that person. He was lonely and consumed in his work. But, there was more to it than that, and she could tell just by looking in his eyes. He was tired, and he was probably pretty close to feeling defeated. It was a sad state he was then, and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. There was something he needed, and it was something she could give them. If only they were able to get on the same page with one another.
“Thank you for telling me how you feel. I’m not quite as good at articulating my emotions as you seem to be, but I do want you to know that everything you have told me is something I will take into consideration. Thank you for your honesty.”
Kelly felt strange. Almost as if she had just finished conducting a business transaction with him. Wasn’t love supposed to be a little more romantic than this?
But she was dealing with a bear shifter, and knew she shouldn’t have any expectations whatsoever. It was silly of her to try to impose any type of conduct upon him that would be natural. And besides that, he was simply being as direct and straightforward as she was. Their approaches weren’t very different. Even if it lacked the same subtlety of human emotion that so many other women seemed to find so necessary in a fulfilling relationship.
“You’re welcome,” Kelly said, following Darren out the door to his car. Again, he opened the door for her and allow her to sit inside before he closed it. Even if they weren’t particularly good at human displays of emotion, the bear shifters had a tendency to be extremely generous and caring. That was her impression so far, at least with Darren. She hoped she would only see more of this as time wore on.