Chapter Two – Carter

It was another beautiful day. Partly because of the weather, and partly because it was all his, to do with as he, or his bear, pleased. So what if a small sliver of him craved human company? That small sliver was not enough to make him come down off this mountain and go back to his old life.

That life was gone, finished. He barely revisited it in his thoughts, he certainly was not going to revisit it for real. Yet sometimes, when the nights were long, and he sat out on his porch looking up at the stars, he wondered what it would be like to share his world with someone who cared about him. Really cared about him. Not his career, not his money, but cared for Carter Eden, and who he really was.

He doubted such a woman existed. Everyone he had ever met had been tainted by either his acting career, or what had followed after. The what followed after was why Carter had come here to the mountain and shut himself off from the human race, in every way he possibly could.

OK, so he did think about his past more than he liked to admit. He turned his thoughts to the future, and the fish he had caught only an hour ago, and how he was going to cook them over an open fire, while drinking beer. Or his excuse for a beer. It tasted good, and left him feeling chilled and relaxed, not only while drinking it, but while making it too. His change in lifestyle had certainly made him embrace all aspects of survival, and he had come to the conclusion that homebrewed beer was as vital to him as food.

Carter chuckled to himself as he neared his cabin, he was finally going insane, talking to yourself for three years did that to a person. He hefted his pack onto his back, feeling the satisfaction of having caught his own dinner creeping through him. Damn, if his management team could see him now. Gone were the days when he only had to mention he wanted something, and a runner would go get it for him, before he had a chance to change his mind.

Anything, everything, food, drink, women. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed it all. Until that day…

A scent came to him on the breeze as it shifted to the west, someone was here. Had they purposefully stayed upwind of him so he wouldn’t know they were here? Now the wind had betrayed them.

He stood still, undecided. Did he run, or did he see what they wanted? He so very rarely had visitors, the world could be on the brink of disaster, a meteor strike, or some other cataclysmic episode and he would never know. Which was good. Who would want to know the end was coming?

Hey, wasn’t that a plot for one of the movies he’d starred in?

“Mr. Eden?” A voice came to him—female, strong. Yet gentle, with a hint of something else… Something that compelled him to stay, and not run.

She was sitting on his porch, her pack by her side, a water bottle in her hand. She did not look like the sneak-up-on-you type, she also looked as if she was capable of hunting him down no matter where he went.

“Yes.”

She got up, put her water bottle down, and brushed her hands off. Did he imagine the slight tremor in her hands, or the way she looked at him nervously, as if expecting him to explode? Or was it a shiver of recognition?

He sniffed the air, a habit his human form had picked up over the years. Carter had never thought much of it, but now he saw himself through her eyes. Saw the mountain man, with his scruffy beard, his worn clothes, patched up with mismatched fabric where he had worn through the knee of his favorite combats. He could not remember the last time he had combed his hair. But at least he had washed, plunging into the ice-cold river earlier, after he had caught his fish. He always had his priorities in the right order.

She stepped off the porch, and introduced herself. “I’m Caroline.”

“That tells me your name, but not who you are,” Carter stated. His heart rate increased, his nostrils flared, and his bear woke up inside his head, alert as he too recognized this woman for who she was.

“Who I am?” she asked, musing over his question.

“Don’t you know?” he teased gently. She was dressed for the terrain, in good walking boots, maybe even army issue, and dark green combat pants, which did not look as if they had been put on as a fashion statement.

Her expression showed her confusion. “Up until six months ago, I’d have said yes. But lately, I’m not so sure.”

It was an honest answer, and honesty meant a lot to Carter, he’d lived in a fake world and his tolerance level was low. “So is this a pilgrimage?” he asked, edging closer to her, wanting to touch her, to feel a connection with a human being, with this particular human being.

“A pilgrimage?” Her expression cleared and her eyes widened. “You mean a pilgrimage to see the great Carter Eden?”

He laughed. “You would be surprised.”

“OK, let me set you at ease there, Mr. Eden. I have no interest in you…”

“Are you sure?” he asked, taking another step closer. “You were honest in your answer about not knowing who you were. Please don’t blow it now.”

“Blow it!” She straightened her stance, he’d upset her. “I didn’t come here to bare my soul to you.”

“I’m not asking you to,” he said quickly. “I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “Being on my own so long has made me rusty where it comes to social etiquette. When you are the only person you speak to all day, unless you count the squirrels, then you expect straight honest answers, because there is no reason to hide anything from yourself…”

He looked up apologetically. “And when I do come into contact with another human being, I tend to talk too much.”

She smiled, a hint of pity in her expression, but he didn’t want anyone to take pity on him. This had been his choice, but when she spoke he realized it was not pity, it was understanding.

“I’ve recently left the army.” She took a nervous sigh. “Which means getting used to the way civilians behave. It’s been difficult. For them and me.” She frowned, but humor danced across her eyes. “Do you know, that people take offense, if you tell them to do something now? I’m trying to get used to asking, rather than ordering.”

“Ahh, so that is why you don’t know who you are,” Carter said, with sincere understanding. “A shift in circumstances does that to a person.”

“It does.” She held out her hands. “Is that what you wanted to know?”

He shook his head. “You know what I wanted to know.” He took a risk, and if he had it wrong and she wasn’t a bear shifter then he would just put it down to being up here too long on his own. “Speaking as one bear, to another, I think you feel the connection as much as I do.”

Her frown deepened and she sighed. “This isn’t what I’m here for.”

“I guessed not. I could sense you were my mate when I entered the clearing. But even a soldier couldn’t scent me from the foot of the mountain. It would be romantic if you had, but that’s not how these things work.”

“No, it’s not,” she agreed. “Carter. May I call you Carter?”

“Caroline, you are my mate, you can call me anything you want, and probably will by the time our life together is over.” Did he really say that? Was he truly ready to give up his life of solitude? For his mate, the answer was yes, and always would be.

“I came to ask you about your property in Bear Creek.” She shrugged. “I’m not the kind of woman who skirts around things. I’m blunt and to the point. So I’m going to ask you straight. I work for Will Frasier and he is setting up a learning center for young people who need a new start, need to learn a new skill.”

“The house isn’t for sale,” Carter said quickly.

“We don’t need the house,” she said. “We are interested in a parcel of the land. A small area, it would link the center to a field that Will has bought.”

“No,” Carter said, shaking his head.

“No. Just like that?” She reached into her pack. “I have drawings, and photographs for you to look over. It won’t affect your views.”

“Not interested,” Carter said.

“Why?” she asked. “Why not even look at the plans?”

“Because I like my life the way it is. I don’t want to get involved in anything… no matter what, or who asks.”

“I see.” She straightened up and smiled at him. “OK. I hoped you might have at least considered the proposal. I see I’ve taken up enough of your time, so I’ll be going.”

“What?” he barked.

“I said I’ll be going,” she repeated.

“Oh, I see. This is a game, you think if you play hard to get, I’ll come around. That I’ll sign over the land to you, because of our bond?” he asked.

“No,” she replied. “Mr. Eden, I am not that kind of a woman. I’m a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of a gal.”

“I may just put that to the test,” Carter said, his face serious.

“Is that a challenge?” Caroline asked.

“Maybe it is.” He nodded, and took his pack off his back. “I have fresh fish and beer. Want to share? You’ve had a long hike up here, the least I can do is feed you and offer you my bed for the night.”

“Will you be in it?” Caroline asked.

He threw his head back and laughed, a sound he had not heard for some time. “That is up to you, Caroline.”

“Deal,” she said.

“Deal.” He held out his hand, and she took it, the sparks flying between them. Carter hoped this was the beginning of … the rest of his life. Wherever that led.