Chapter Five – Lia

Was she flirting with him? Yes, she was. So much for keeping a low profile, and what was with the woman of mystery vibe she pushed on him? If anything was going to make him go digging into her past, that would.

But he’d given his word. And something about Sam Spencer told her he would not break that word. He was a good man, a loyal man.

He was hers.

Lia stared at the phone for a second as the call ended. Maybe there had been a reason she’d opened up to him. She wanted his help. Lia didn’t want to live the rest of her life looking over her shoulder, waiting for Mr. Delamere to catch up with her. That was no life.

But dare she open up and tell Sam the whole truth of why she was really here in Bear Creek, masquerading as a plain old secretary? Or would it put him in danger too?

Her heart ached at the thought of Sam being in any kind of danger. Perhaps she should marry him, take his name, change her appearance… She could cut and dye her hair. Her hand went to her soft silky hair. She’d always loved her hair, jet black like a moonless night.

Dark as death, her bear added helpfully.

There will be no death, she told her bear.

Unless Mr. Delamere’s men caught up with her. Damn, she needed to prove her innocence and get her old boss off her back. Only then would she be truly free to enjoy her new life with her mate.

“Lia,” Nevis called her and she turned her attention back to work. “Do you have the proofs I asked you for?”

“Sure, I have them printed off ready for you to look at.” Lia got up from her desk and gathered the proofs she had prepared last night before she went home. As she left her desk, Lia pushed all thoughts of Sam out of her head, along with all her worries about Mr. Delamere.

Since leaving her old life behind, Lia had become well-practiced at controlling stray thoughts that entered her mind. However, trying to forget about Sam was not as easy as trying to forget about her old boss. Throughout the day, thoughts of the towering hunk of a man would pop into her head and refuse to leave.

So by the time five o’clock came around, she was grateful to leave the office and head home. An unusual feeling for Lia, who often volunteered to work late, since all she did in the evening was hide away in her small rented house, all on her lonesome.

But not tonight, her bear reminded her, practically skipping around in her mind. Not a good look for a self-respecting bear.

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, while hiding a small smile, Lia mentally went through all the items in her kitchen cupboards. Did she have everything she needed to cook a decent meal for two? Lately, she had been making do. However, tonight was not a making-do night. It was a night in which she wanted to impress her mate. Her mom would be so proud of her little girl attempting to impress a man.

A wave of homesickness swept over her. Tomorrow she would risk calling home and letting them in on the news. Or maybe she should wait. After all, her parents might be so excited over their daughter finding a mate that they would get straight in the car and drive over to Bear Creek to meet Sam. Which, under normal circumstances, Lia would love. But if they were being watched…they might lead Mr. Delamere right to her door.

Crossing the street, she took her keys out of her purse and chanced a look around. There was no one watching her, no suspicious car parked on the street waiting to kidnap her. She was safe. She’d made it through one more day. And what a day it had been.

Inserting the key in the lock, she turned it, and pushed the door open, slipping inside. Turning quickly, her heart rate rising, she closed the door and locked it, putting the chain on for good measure. Then she stood still, catching her breath and listening. All was quiet.

Following her usual routine, refusing to let the arrival of her mate into her life make her sloppy, Lia went from room to room, checking that the windows were still firmly closed, and the back door was locked. After clearing the ground floor, she headed upstairs. When she was certain no one had been in the house while she was at work, she sat down on the bed and took off her shoes.

A shower seemed like the perfect plan, and then she would start on dinner. While she washed her body, and then her hair, Lia let her mental barriers down, allowing dreams of her evening with Sam sneak in. Once they had eaten, they could retire to the sitting room and talk. Lia made a mental note to check that she had a romantic track loaded ready to play softly in the background.

Or would that look as if she were trying too hard?

Getting out of the shower, she piled her raven black hair on top of her head, and wrapped a towel around it, while she surveyed her reflection in the mirror. Her normally pale skin was red and blotchy after her shower. Not the best look for a first date with her mate.

Sighing, she smoothed on a light moisturizer and then dressed in comfy jog pants and a T-shirt. Once she had dinner prepared, she would come back upstairs and dress properly and do her makeup. By then her skin should have calmed down, and she wouldn’t need to plaster on a lot of makeup in order to look good.

Small bubbles of excitement erupted inside her. She wanted to impress Sam. Lia wanted to look perfect, and for her cooking to taste perfect. It was important for Lia to get dinner right. After all, it would be a reflection on her mom, who had patiently taught her daughter everything she would ever need to know about cooking, and more.

Lia’s mom, Lorna, was a homemaker. She liked nothing better than to make sure her husband and their brood of children were happy. Maybe it was because she was a bird shifter. Lia’s father had always joked about his mate wanting to feather her nest.

The thing was, Lia wasn’t a bird. Instead, she had inherited her father’s ability to shift into a black bear, which meant she didn’t always see eye to eye with her mom. When she left high school, Lia made a decision to go to college and carve out a career for herself. She’d worked hard, both at college and at the part-time job she had taken to fund her education.

Pulling on the knowledge her mom had bestowed on her daughter, Lia rattled around the kitchen, getting out pots and pans, and cursing herself for only stocking her kitchen with the basics. But then she had not expected to stay long in Bear Creek. When she arrived in town, it was only supposed to be for a couple of days, a short stopover. From here she was either going to drive to the coast and lay low, or else she was going to leave everything behind and go live in the mountains.

She’d seen some photographs in a magazine that Nevis had taken of a cabin in the mountains. That’s what had given her the idea to disappear into the wilderness for a few months until Mr. Delamere forgot all about her. All hope of proving her innocence to her old boss was long gone.

Filling a medium-sized pan with water, she set it on the top of the stove, ready for later. Then she went to her poorly stocked pantry cupboard, dug around for the spaghetti, and placed it on the counter. Lia planned to cook it when Sam arrived, while they chatted over a glass of chilled wine. Or kissed. Kissing was always good for working up an appetite.

Fanning her face, which had grown hot once more, she moved to the fridge, letting the cool air cover her, before she took out fresh tomatoes. Soon, she had all the ingredients for a rich tomato sauce assembled, and ground beef frying in the pan. The fresh herbs growing on her window sill would add just the right amount of flavor to the ingredients.

As the meal came together, she began to hum to herself. It was a tune Lia had learned from her mother, who was never happier than when she was preparing a meal for her family. As Lia’s thoughts drifted back toward Sam, and her feelings for him, she began to understand her mom a little bit more.

There was something to be said for the old-fashioned values her mom clung to, despite the badgering her daughters had inflicted on her to become a more modern woman. Lia’s mom would laugh off any suggestions that her mate should take on and share the household responsibilities. Lia and her sisters had thought their mom weak, but in truth, she was the strongest member of the family, the heart of the family.

Lia stirred the sauce, her eyes becoming unfocused as a sudden realization hit her. Lia saw herself with a clarity she’d never experienced before. Since as long as she could remember, Lia always tried to help people with their problems. But sometimes, the problems Lia saw when she was looking in on someone’s life were not real problems. They were choices.

Only now, with her own choices taken away from her, Lia could see herself more clearly.

You are a busybody, her bear said bluntly.

Takes one to know one, Lia said in reply, which made her bear huff and puff.

But ultimately, by the time the sauce was ready, and Lia was sitting back in front of the mirror in her bedroom, applying light foundation, along with eyeliner and mascara to her eyes, with a dash of rose-red lipstick to finish it off, Lia and her bear were in agreement. They were inclined to poke their noses where they were not always well received. Was that why she had been set up? But who would want to see her run out of town?

Lia was no closer to an answer when the doorbell rang. She quickly finished dressing, opting for the only non-work-skirt she had in her wardrobe, and a floral blouse that emphasized her breasts. Then she dashed downstairs, her feet still bare, and pulled the front door open.

Cursing herself for forgetting to check who was on the other side, her breath caught in her throat. But she let it go when she saw the big hulking beast of a man that was hers filling the doorway.

A wave of longing passed through her.

Whatever feminist views she held when she was younger seemed to be slipping away. Right now, faced with her mate, she wanted nothing more than for him to gather her up in his arms and carry her to bed, and whisper in her ear he was going to make everything better, just like Prince Charming in so many fairy tales.