Big Bear Daddy: Werebear Surprise Baby Romance (Sweetwater Father Bears) Page 5

  “I’m looking for someplace cheap to crash so I’d be really grateful if you could point me in the right direction. And I could definitely do with some food…”

  “Great,” he beamed at her, unable to contain his excitement.

  She smiled back at him and Colt was suddenly very glad he’d researched different types of accommodation before arriving in town, as he was now perfectly equipped to help her out. Score one for being prepared.

  “If you give me your phone, I can type in the address of a small hotel near the town center. It’s very budget-friendly without being a dump.”

  “That would be great,” she replied, fishing her phone out of her pocket.

  His fingers brushed against hers as she handed it over, sending a shockwave through his body. The way Jessy’s eyes widened for a moment told him she felt it, too. The buzz in his veins felt similar to being drunk, only his muscles were tense and his whole body on edge instead of being relaxed.

  What is this woman doing to me?

  After typing in the directions, fighting to keep his focus and composure on the screen instead of on her, he gave the phone back. He noticed Jessy was careful not to touch him this time. Yet her scent spoke of something entirely different than avoidance.

  The moment their skin had touched, he could smell her arousal in the air. It made him want to wrap her in his arms, right there next to the foldable shovels, and see if she tasted as good as she smelled.

  He bet she did.

  Some of what he was feeling must have showed on his face, as Jessy’s scent deepened further and she looked even more flushed, despite the air conditioned environment they were in.

  “Thank you so much for your help,” she hurriedly said, shoving her phone back into the pocket of her daisy dukes.

  Colt’s gaze followed the movement before travelling down her tan, shapely legs as he imagined kissing his way up and down her thighs. Working up all the self-control he could muster, he snapped his eyes back to her face.

  “No trouble at all. I’ll meet you at the fountain at seven and then we can decide what we’re in the mood for.”

  Jessy’s eyes became huge as saucers for a second, before she took to staring at the floor.

  “Oh, the food. Yes, right,” she mumbled, looking anywhere but at him. “I’ll see you then,” she added, before rushing past him and out of the store.

  Shaking his head, confused by her abrupt exit, he watched as she basically ran outside. As much as he didn’t want her to leave, he sure didn’t mind watching her leave.

  You’ll see her again, he assured himself, fighting down the urge to follow her out.

  They had both made quite an impression on each other and he couldn’t wait to see where they stood after dinner.

  After a moment of standing around, unable to remember what he was doing at the hardware store in the first place, he finally managed to shake himself out of the trance he was in. Picking up the tools he needed for further repairs on his father’s old cabin, he ran through the list of what he still had to get done before he and Lana could move into their new home.

  He had left his daughter at the local daycare again before driving to the mountains to work on the cottage a couple of hours ago and he was already missing her like crazy. As his mind began to clear, he realized two things.

  One, due to whatever fugue state he had been in while talking to Jessy, he hadn’t even introduced himself to her.

  Two, the daycare was closing and he didn’t have anyone to leave Lana with when dinnertime came.

  That might actually be a good thing, he mused, picking up a sander to complete his list and heading to the cash registers. I’m going to have to tell Jessy I’m a father anyway, so she might as well meet Lana right off the bat.

  He couldn’t stop thinking about Jessy’s eyes, and how they were a mirror image of Lana’s. A sliver of foolish hope lodged itself in his brain and no amount of reason or logic could get it out.

  Who knows, it might be a reunion.

  Ten

  Jessy

  What the hell was that? Jessy wondered as she all but stumbled out onto the street in a haze of hormones and fantasies.

  Heading back to her car, she replayed her encounter with Mr. Sexypants – though she wished her subconscious had come up with a better nickname for him - in her head, especially the part where their skin touched, making pure lust explode through her.

  Shit, I didn’t even ask for his name. I bet the chances of it actually being Mr. Sexypants are pretty low.

  It wasn’t like handsome men hadn’t showed an interest in her before, but this was different. Her mystery man wasn’t just nice to look at; he made her feel something deep in the pit of her stomach, something powerful and inexplicable. Everything from his musky scent to his deep voice drew her to him like flies to honey.

  Reaching her Toyota, she pulled the driver side door open, bracing herself against the stale, hot air that hit her in the face as soon as she sat inside. Pulling up the information the stranger had entered into her phone, she set her sights on the hotel, her heart still aflutter. The car groaned to life and off she went, her mind scattered.

  Why did I say yes to this date? My life is complicated enough.

  She hadn’t even meant to agree to dinner, the words just sort of… slipped out. And she had already decided to get some rest and start fresh tomorrow, so why shouldn’t she have said yes? A woman needed dinner, right? So what if it included a devastatingly hot man…

  Ever since her sister had gone missing, she had focused on finding her and put her own life on hold. First, it had cost her her job. Then, she started drifting away from her friends. And to top it off, her boyfriend had left her.

  She managed to alienate herself from everyone until it was just her, the car and the road stretching out before her. The sacrifices would be worth it if she could just track down Rachel and her daughter, though.

  The other option didn’t seem like something Jessy could even consider.

  Thinking back on how Charlie broke up with her still stung a little, but in the long run, it was for the best. He had called her efforts to find Rachel ‘obsessive’ and ‘selfish’, and kept complaining about how she didn’t make enough time for him.

  She recognized it was total douche behavior now, but at the time, it felt like she was being kicked when she was down, like she somehow deserved it. Just went to show that dating hipsters with a Narcissus complex wasn’t something she should do a repeat of.

  Mr. Sexypants definitely is not a hipster, she told herself reassuringly, rolling her eyes at the nickname.

  Charlie had never been particularly supportive or sensitive, but she had grown comfortable with their relationship, complacent even. Truth was, she was much better off without him. One thing she learned from the whole thing though, was that at this point in her life, she wasn’t ready for commitment. Not until she found out what happened to Rachel.

  It’s just dinner, she reminded herself. It’s not like Mr. Sexypants is gearing up to propose.

  Maybe after so many months on the road, a night of distraction was what she needed. She had been neglecting her own needs for a while, it wasn’t like a couple of hours in the company of a handsome man was going to make her a bad sister or aunt.

  Yet, she still felt slightly guilty when she pulled up to the hotel parking lot, Charlie’s accusations of her being selfish suddenly even clearer in her mind. With a sigh, she grabbed her backpack and got out of the car, dragging herself towards the entrance.

  Her head was becoming too muddled for rational thought as her exhaustion took over, now that the adrenaline rush from meeting Mr. Sexypants was wearing off.

  Maybe the world will make more sense after a couple of hours of sleep, she thought, approaching the front desk hopefully.

  Jessy woke up a little after six, stretching her muscles as she spread out under the covers. An actual bed felt like heaven after being cramped into a backseat one too many times. After grabbing a half-empty b
ottle of water from the nightstand and gulping it down, she got up, surprised at how refreshed she felt.

  Amazing what some rest and proper hydration can do.

  She had taken a shower after checking in and then fallen straight into bed with her hair still wet, so when she strolled into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, she looked downright crazy. Her hair was a tangled mess, pointing in each and every direction.

  Grumbling to herself, she upended her bag and spilled its contents all over the bed, searching for a brush and some hair ties. Despite being somewhat unsure about this date she was about to go on, she was going to make sure to look as sane and put together as she possibly could, damn it!

  Especially when her date was as sexy as he was.

  Butterflies crowded her stomach as she thought of him, making her feel like a teenager. There was something about him that made her act like a giddy mess, blushing and stammering, with her heart beating a mile a minute. It was exciting and scary and entirely exhilarating.

  Taming her wild hair with a comb and braiding it at the sides, she started to pick through the clothes and toiletries scattered on the bed. She pulled on the nicest shirt she could find, coupling it with a pair of navy jeans. Dating hadn’t exactly been on her mind when she packed up her stuff and hit the road, so she had to make do with what she had.

  Stepping back in front of the mirror, she checked herself out, pleased with how the red top skimmed her waist and flattered her ample cleavage. She even found an old tube of mascara in one of the smaller pockets of the bag and put it on, the gesture feeling odd because she hadn’t done it in a while.

  This is as good as it’s going to get, she thought as she took one last glance in the mirror before shoving her wallet back in her purse and leaving the room.

  The air outside was still warm, but it was no longer suffocating, so she took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. The sky was starting to take on a shade of pink as she walked to the center of town, her sneakers softly thudding along the cobbled road. It was a beautiful evening and she felt more hopeful and alive than she had in ages.

  She made it to the fountain with five minutes to spare and sat down on the edge, looking around and trying to locate Mr. Sexypants through the people strolling about.

  There he is.

  It wasn’t hard to spot him walking towards her as his huge frame made everyone else look freakishly small.

  The sight of him made her break into a grin and she stood to greet him, letting her eyes roam over his hard body. Tan skin and black ink peeked out from under the rolled-up sleeves of his white button-up and she felt like a girl with her first crush all over again.

  Okay, calm down, no need to make a fool of yourself again.

  As she was trying hard to keep it cool, something else about him caught her attention. Stuck on admiring him, she hadn’t even noticed he was pushing a stroller.

  He has a kid? she wondered, waving at him when he smiled at her.

  He stopped in front of Jessy, angling the stroller so she could see the child inside. Heart thumping, she stared at the little girl playing with her stuffed animal, a spitting image of Rachel.

  With the ground tilting under her, she sat back down speechlessly, her mouth agape. When her date spoke, the words almost didn’t register.

  “Hey, Jessy. I’d like you to meet my daughter, Lana.”

  Eleven

  Colt

  Maybe bringing Lana along on a first date wasn’t such a good idea after all, Colt mused, waiting for Jessy to finally speak.

  “You’re Colt Hennessy?”

  Well, it seems I’m missing something here.

  “How do you know me?” he asked, already connecting the dots in his mind.

  His heart suddenly beat faster and his grip on the stroller tightened. Jessy looked absolutely dumbstruck, with a blush on her cheeks and those lovely eyes of hers wide with surprise.

  Could this be really happening? Is Jessy Lana’s mother, come to find her daughter?

  Jessy gathered herself, looking back at Lana.

  “Denise told me where you moved to and that you were the one who adopted Lana. Mr. Hennessy, I think she’s my niece.”

  “I’m sorry, what?”

  Her niece? That’s a twist I didn’t see coming.

  Tearing her eyes away from Lana after a bit, Jessy stared up at him, a range of emotion flitting over her beautiful face. Tears sprung to her eyes as she hunched down on the edge of the fountain, slowly shaking her head.

  “Dad,” Lana squealed, reaching out her little hands towards him as she squirmed in the stroller.

  Picking his daughter up carefully, Colt sat down next to Jessy, not knowing what to say. That didn’t happen very often. He always knew what to do.

  If Denise had given this woman his location, there was a good chance this woman was Lana’s aunt. Denise wouldn’t give information like that out to just anyone. Especially since he’d told her to keep it to herself.

  Why didn’t Denise get in touch with me? he wondered, realizing a moment later that the reason for that was clear enough.

  He hadn’t left a phone number behind where he could be reached. It was one of those things he was ‘planning to do’ as soon as he could.

  Jessy looked at Lana, who was studying the woman curiously, before smiling and offering Jessy her stuffed bear.

  “’Eddy,” she announced brightly, pushing it towards Jessy’s lap.

  “Teddy? You’re giving me your teddy? That’s very nice, thank you,” Jessy said, accepting the gift, her eyes still shiny.

  Giggling in response, Lana tucked her face into her Dad’s shirt, coyly peeking at Jessy.

  “I can’t believe it’s really her,” Jessy whispered to herself, clutching the toy in her hands.

  “She must already like you. That bear is her favorite, she wouldn’t give it to just anyone,” Colt said softly.

  Jessy offered her a brittle smile before wiping her cheeks and squaring her shoulders.

  “I’m sorry, I just dropped this bomb on you without explaining anything.”

  “It’s okay. Take your time. Or not that much time, because Lana is going to get real cranky if she doesn’t get her dinner soon, isn’t that right?” he said, bumping Lana on his knee and making her laugh. “Don’t be fooled by her sweet appearance, once she gets hungry, it’s no longer a pretty sight.”

  The smile Jessy gave him was genuine this time, making her whole face light up. She was gorgeous, through and through, and he had to swallow a growl as his animal side obviously agreed.

  He didn’t know what to do with this bombshell she’d dropped on him yet, but Colt found one thing to be true. It hadn’t made Jessy any less attractive in his eyes. In fact, it was sort of the opposite.

  “Of course. Let’s go and sit down somewhere so we can talk.”

  “I called ahead to Maisy’s Diner and they’ve whipped up some mashed pasta and veggies for Lana. I hope you’re okay with burgers.”

  “More than okay,” she assured him before turning to look wistfully at Lana. “Are you ready for dinner, Lana?” she asked, and the little girl nodded eagerly.

  “Then let’s get you back in the stroller,” Colt said, standing and strapping Lana into her seat.

  There were a million questions running through his head as they walked to the diner. Like did Jessy know where Lana’s mother or father was? Or what took her so long to find her niece? And what’s going to happen now?

  Jessy must have had a lot on her mind as well, as they arrived at Maisy’s in confused silence.

  As they got inside, Maisy herself greeted them enthusiastically, cooing at Lana as she showed them to a table near the back. He’d barely been there a week now and Maisy was already Lana’s biggest fan.

  “Hello, little one, how are you doing today?” Maisy asked, crouching down by the stroller while Colt brought the highchair over.

  Jessy sank into the booth, smiling politely at Maisy and throwing him tentative glance
s. After Lana settled into her chair, Colt sat down opposite Jessy, trying to wrap his head around her possibly being Lana’s aunt.

  He’d had an inkling about them being related, but he’d brushed those thoughts aside as being nothing but daydream and fantasy, and maybe even an overactive imagination. To now have it confirmed as truth, or as close to it as they could get, was somewhat staggering.

  Maisy brought out Lana’s dinner and he and Jessy ordered their burgers, chatting with Maisy as a way to put off what they both really wanted to talk about.

  “So…” Colt started, scooping up pasta on a spoon and feeding it to Lana after Maisy had left.

  Sighing, Jessy looked from him to Lana, interlocking her fingers on the table before her. The red shirt she was wearing fit her like a glove, drawing out her hourglass figure and playing off her light blue eyes.

  Breathtaking, he thought, feeling a rumble start in his chest.

  “I don’t even know where to start,” she said, spreading out her hands.

  “Try from the beginning,” he replied with a reassuring smile.

  She seemed to relax a little at that, sinking more into her seat.

  “Almost a year ago my sister, Rachel, called me in tears. I was instantly worried, even more so because I knew she was pregnant. To my surprise, I heard a baby in the background, which was odd, since she wasn’t due for several more months…”

  Jessy trailed off, staring at the table for a moment before shaking her head, as if trying to get back on track. Colt’s insides twisted. The story was obviously a painful one and he immediately wished he could do something to ease Jessy’s pain.

  “Anyway, I could tell something was wrong but she wouldn’t tell me what was going on. After she hung up, I tried calling her back, but she had switched her phone off. That was the last time I ever heard from my sister.”

  “I’m sorry,” Colt said solemnly after a moment of silence.