Chapter Twelve – Buck

Buck backed away. Haley’s expression said it all. The seed of doubt had been planted and it was going to take a long time to weed it out. And he might have to accept the root would always be there, festering in her mind.

“Can I explain?” he asked. She looked so pale, like a wounded animal whose strength was seeping from its body.

“Yes.” She gave him a slight nod.

He looked down at the ground as he tried to figure out where to begin. “I had a few successful construction projects under my belt.” The events that followed sparked the worst time in his life. He’d buried those thoughts deep and pulling them out and exposing them to the light was not easy. “I was ambitious and hardworking. Willing to do what it took, sacrifice as many hours as I needed to to make the next step up in my career and earnings.”

Haley walked to the stairs and sat down, hugging her knees to her chest as she listened. He wanted to go to her and hold her close, but he was scared of chasing her further away. The easiness between them was gone and the distance seemed insurmountable.

“Go on.”

“There was a job. It was worth a lot of money and would boost my reputation as a contractor. I put in a bid. So did a couple of other companies.” He raked his hand through his hair, his breath shuddering through his body. “At the same time I met a woman…”

“Krella?” Haley asked.

“Yes.” He nodded, giving her a lopsided smile. “The beginning of my downfall.”

“How?”

“I knew she wasn’t my mate, but Krella was sweet, she was gentle, and she brought out the protective side in me. It wasn’t about sex.” He shook his head. “She was outside my apartment building one day and she knew how to get under my skin. She said she’d been thrown out by her boyfriend and needed somewhere to stay. What I didn’t know is she was working for a competing contractor.”

Haley’s hand went to her mouth. “You were set up?”

“Yes, this contractor really wanted the job. To do so, he tried to destroy my reputation. He also succeeded in destroying the marriage of one of the other bidders.” Buck pressed his lips together, his jaw tight as he went over the events all those years ago. “It was a tough lesson. People stop at nothing to get what they want. They don’t care who they trash, who they ruin.”

“Were the charges dropped?” Haley asked.

“Yes, I had an alibi. Mason. We were working our first job together and had cut the timescale on the job to the bone to get the contract. We were both pulling all-nighters to get it done. I was with him the night she walked into a police station and accused me of attacking her. I don’t know who hit her, but it wasn’t me.” He inclined his head. If anything would make her believe he was innocent, that surely must.

“Mason was your alibi, and then they dropped the charges?” she asked as if to clarify his story.

“Yes, but mud sticks and I lost the contract, just as the other guy lost his wife.” Buck came to stand before her. “I’m sorry you found out like this. It was so long ago…”

He kept his voice even, but in truth he was fighting to keep control of his bear who wanted to track down Harrison and tear his head from his body and grind up his bones until there was nothing left of him. The man was a threat and he needed neutralizing.

Not with physical force. Hurting Harrison would only exacerbate the situation. No, there had to be a way to prove to Haley that Buck was innocent and ensure Harrison never pulled a stunt like this again.

Haley sat for a moment, looking down at her clasped hands. Then she stood up, put her shoulders back and said, “I’m sorry you are on Harrison’s radar. I don’t know what he’s capable of. But this is what he does. He’s a bully.” She looked close to tears. “You don’t deserve to be treated like this when it’s me he’s mad at.”

“I can handle it. Even if he drags the whole sorry mess out into the daylight.” Buck nodded. “The press might run a story on it, but I doubt it. The accusations were proved untrue. Although the case was never solved.”

“The case. You mean the police never found out who beat up Krella?” A crease formed on her forehead. “But you said Krella worked for this guy who wanted the contract.”

“She did. I hired a PI who tracked her for a few days. I thought if I could find the real culprit, it would clear my name. This PI took photos of Krella talking to the other contractor. For me it was enough proof, but not for the authorities.” The local police had been sympathetic, but the photographs were not enough proof for them to take it further. Buck had quit trying to clear his name and instead set about squashing the other contractor and making sure he could never hurt anyone in the same way.

“Bastard,” Haley said as she closed the space between them and pulled him into her arms. “I’m sorry this has all been dragged back up.”

Buck tentatively wrapped his arms around her and sighed, burying his face in her hair and inhaling deeply. “As long as you believe me, that’s all that matters. Whatever your ex-husband has planned, I’m ready to face it. I’m not the same man I was when those accusations were made. I have money, I have lawyers and I will take him down if I have to.”

“Through the courts.” Haley pulled back and searched his face for the answer.

“Yes.” He pursed his lips. “Unless you want me to leave him alone. He is the father of your children…”

“No.” She placed a hand on his shoulder. “I think it’s time Harrison had a wakeup call and realized he can’t go around walking all over other people’s lives and dreams. Alicia and Marie deserve better.”

Haley moved away from him and went into the kitchen. Going to the back door, she opened it and peered outside into the back yard. “Maybe I should set a trap for him, so he doesn’t trespass on my property again.”

“A bear trap,” Buck said, his mood shifting as he sensed this current episode of drama had passed.

“A bear trap? You mean catch his foot in a metal trap?” she asked.

“No, I’ll wait here in my bear form and chase him.”

She laughed. “I think I prefer to imagine him permanently maimed by a trap.”

“I could maim him,” Buck offered lightly.

Haley shut the door and locked it securely. “Let’s leave that up to Harrison, shall we? If he lets this whole thing go then he gets to stay in one piece. If not… Well, that would be his choice.”

“Shall we get out of here?” Buck asked. “I’ve changed my tire…”

Haley put her hands to her mouth. “Do you think Harrison had something to do with that?”

“It was slashed,” Buck admitted.

“Slashed. You didn’t say that earlier.” Her face paled, but then anger sparked in her eyes.

“I didn’t want to frighten you,” Buck admitted. “I thought it was someone walking past, an opportunist, not your ex-husband.”

“Bastard,” she hissed.

“Make sure the house is locked up and let’s go. We can think of how to deal with Harrison later. Right now we should go check on your children.” Buck didn’t think Harrison would hurt Alicia and Marie, but what if he tried to remove them from Tiana and Mason’s house?

“You go ahead, I’ll follow,” Haley said, as if reading his mind.

“I don’t like leaving you here alone.” Buck closed the space between them.

“I’ll be okay.” She nodded and kissed his cheek. “I’d feel happier knowing you were with the girls. I’ll call ahead and alert Tiana and Mason.”

“Do you really think Harrison would do anything stupid?” Buck had to ask. The thought that Harrison might take his anger and frustration out on Alicia or Marie made his bear want to rip something, or someone, to shreds.

“No, I don’t. Harrison is a bully, no more. He hit me because I was an easy target. He knew how much the girls meant to me, how much my family meant to me. He didn’t think I’d ever leave.”

Buck’s fingers curled up into a fist. “He likes to bully people but taking the girls would be too much like hard work.”

“Exactly. I’d report him to the police, he’d get arrested. Believe me, that would be his idea of hell.” She gave a short laugh. “I wouldn’t mind him being locked up with some big strong men who don’t like wife beaters. But I know the girls would worry, and he is their father after all.”

“He doesn’t deserve them.” Buck couldn’t believe Harrison had thrown away his life with his wife and children. He had everything most men crave, and he just threw it away.

“No, he doesn’t. But that doesn’t change facts.” She kissed him on the cheek and then picked her cell phone up off the countertop. “I’ll be ten minutes behind you, that’s all. If Harrison shows his face again, I’ll call Brad, he’s the local sheriff. He knows about Harrison’s history of abuse.”

“Okay,” Buck said reluctantly. “Don’t be far behind me.”

“I won’t,” she promised.

Buck grudgingly left the house and went out to his truck. He went around it a couple of times, checking that it hadn’t been tampered with. Then he did the same to Haley’s car. He paid particular attention to the tires, he didn’t want her to get a flat on one of the back roads.

Satisfied their vehicles were fine, he got in his truck, looked up and down the street once more, and then drove away. He was certain the sense of being watched he’d experienced earlier was due to Harrison, but he didn’t get the same sensation anymore.

However, that didn’t mean the guy wasn’t waiting for Buck to depart before he came back to cause trouble. Instead of going straight to Tiana and Mason’s house, he looped around the block and came back around, driving slowly past Haley’s house to make sure Harrison wasn’t around.

Nothing.

Aware of his promise to Haley about watching the girls, he drove off, knowing if Harrison, or anyone hurt his mate, they would die a grizzly death.