Briar on Bruins' Peak (Bruins' Peak Bears Book 7) Read online

  Bundles wrapped in burlap and ropes of onions hung from the ceiling, but this wasn't Vaughn's cabin. A painted landscape hung over the mantelpiece, and a laptop computer sat open on the table. What was this place?

  She tried again to sit up, but her eyes started to black out. She collapsed back with a groan. Just then, Riskin moved out of a corner where she hadn't noticed him. He wore a fresh set of clothes and clean steel-toed boots. His hair was shorter and no longer hung in his eyes.

  He sat on the bed and rubbed his hand up and down her leg. “You're awake. Thank the good Lord! Man, I was worried about you. You've been unconscious for days. You lost a lot of blood. I was just about to go for your ma to have a look at you, but you're starting to mend now. You'll be all right. I'm just glad you're awake so I can talk to you and tell you I'm here.”

  She couldn't lift her hand off the quilt to touch his precious face. “Riskin! What happened?”

  “You passed out, so I brought you here.”

  She moved her head back and forth, but she couldn't see. Lights flashed in front of her eyes, and her head weighed a ton. “What is this place? Where are we?”

  At that moment, a figure rose out of the rocking chair by the fire. A woman came over to stand next to Riskin. Briar stared up at her, but she could hardly believe what she saw. It was Aurora Cunningham.

  Aurora smiled down at her. “You're safe, Briar. This is our house, mine and Austin's. No one will bother you here. You can relax and take all the time you need to heal up.”

  Briar closed her eyes. Her head sank into the pillow. “I don't understand all this.”

  Riskin picked up her limp hand and pressed his lips against her palm. “I had to bring you here. We're in the no-man’s land between Farrell and Cunningham territory. This is the only place on Bruins' Peak where Rhys couldn't come after us. You were faint from loss of blood. I couldn't take you to Dodd Homestead, and I couldn't take you home. This was the closest place I could think of.”

  Aurora laid her hand on Riskin's shoulder. “You did the right thing by bringing her here. You'll be safe from Mattox here, too.”

  Briar's eyes widened. “Will Mattox come after him, too, if Riskin tries to leave the forest?”

  “No one knows,” Aurora replied. “You need a neutral place to rest until you figure out what you're gonna do and how, and that neutral place is here. Now, stop talking. You need to rest, and you need to eat. You haven't had a bite to eat or a drop to drink in three days.”

  Briar smacked her lips. “You're right. I'm parched.”

  Aurora pointed. “Go back to your chair, Riskin. I'll take over from here.”

  Riskin kissed Briar's feverish forehead. Briar summoned all her strength to take hold of his hand. “Don't leave. Stay here. I don't want you to leave.”

  “I'm not leaving. You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of me and my problems. I'm right over in that chair, but I don't want to get in the nurse's way. She would have my head on a platter if I tried to interfere.”

  Aurora laughed, and Riskin went back to his chair in the corner. Briar had to strain her neck to look at him. That's why she couldn't see him before. He smiled at her when he spotted her looking at him.

  She closed her eyes and relaxed into the bed. He was right there. They were together. She could open her eyes and look at him anytime she wanted to reassure herself he was still there.

  The fire crackled across the room and filled the place with pleasant warmth. Aurora moved back and forth before the hearth. Briar drifted in a haze of confused emotions. She barely knew Austin and Aurora, but this place surrounded her with a bubble of safety and comfort.

  Everybody knew the story behind this cabin. Brody Farrell built it for Star Cunningham so they could live somewhere neutral while their tribes resolved their long-running feud. Now Austin and Aurora lived here.

  Briar never imagined she would ever need to seek sanctuary from anyone. Now she and Riskin were running for their lives from his murderous brother. Riskin's words repeated in her mind. They were mated. They were joined for life against the world. His problems were her problems now, and she could never go home until they solved them.

  Aurora sat on the bed. A savory scent tingled Briar's nostrils, but she couldn't open her eyes. “I brought you some chicken soup. Here, have some. It will do you good, and then you can sleep.” A cool hand touched Briar's cheek. “Open up. You don't have to open your eyes. I'll spoon it into your mouth. I understand you're still weak.”

  Steam floated into her nose. Briar opened her eyes against the dim light. Even that hurt. Aurora smiled down at her and waved a spoon of steaming broth in her face. Briar opened her mouth like a baby bird and Aurora poured the soup down her throat.

  Briar winced when she swallowed, but Aurora only smiled and held out another spoonful. Briar groaned. “God, what's wrong with me? I feel like a wet dishrag.”

  “That's because you are one, honey. Those dogs tore you up pretty bad. It's gonna be a while before you get back on your feet.”

  “Thank you for doing all this.”

  “Don't thank me. I never turned away a Bruin in danger, and I'm not about to start now. You're lucky you had Riskin to bring you here. You would have been dead otherwise.”

  “Does my family know where I am?”

  “Not yet, but I'm going to tell them.”

  Briar's eyes snapped open. “You are?”

  “I have to. I'm going down to your Homestead in a few hours to get some medicine for you from your ma. I have to tell her you're here. I didn't think you'd mind.”

  “If Silas finds out, he'll send Rhys after us.”

  The smile evaporated off Aurora's face. “Rhys won't come after you here. No one will come after you here if they know what's good for 'em.”

  Briar sighed. “I wish I could believe you.”

  “Rhys would never trespass on another tribe's territory. He wouldn't dare come after you anywhere on this Peak if he thought anybody would find out. He's a coward.”

  Briar stared up at her. “You're the first person I've talked to who thinks that.”

  “Except you, right?” Aurora stuck her spoon in the empty bowl. “You finished it all. Good job. Now, go to sleep. I don't want to hear a sound out of you for the rest of the day.”

  Aurora went back to her chair by the fire, and Briar let her eyelids close one last time. Every fiber of her being released into that bed, but she couldn't get Aurora's words out of her head. So Briar wasn't the only person on Bruins' Peak who thought Rhys deserved a good kick in the pants.

  Riskin heard every word they said. Did he start to think maybe he shouldn't hide from his life anymore? Did he think about paying Rhys back for trying to kill him?

  Briar drifted into a dreamy half-world of nightmares and strange ideas. She didn't hear Riskin get up or see the light pouring through the door when he walked outside.

  Chapter 14

  Riskin raised his arms to the sun and stretched. Briar was awake. She was going to be okay. He let himself relax for the first time since he brought her to Austin and Aurora's cabin. He never let himself look the coming day in the face for fear he had to face it without her.

  Now, she would be all right. She would recover her old strength. Then what? She would start nagging him again to go back and face Rhys. She would work on him night and day to leave the forest. How could he turn her down?

  The world looked different to him, now that he could look forward to having her at his side. The world beyond the forest didn't look so scary and dangerous. He didn't need to hide from it anymore. He didn't want to hide from it anymore, but that raised more problems than it solved.

  Problem number one: Rhys. Well, that was really his only problem when he thought about it. Briar was right. Rhys wouldn't leave him alone, no matter what he did. He and Briar could live as bears in the woods for the rest of their lives, and Rhys would still come after them.

  As long as he lived, Riskin would pose a threat to Rhys's p
osition. Rhys would work day and night to eliminate that threat, and he wouldn't stop at coming after Briar if he had to.

  Riskin had a mate to protect now. If he couldn't act to save himself, he had to act to save Briar. He couldn't let Rhys hurt her again. Riskin made up his mind then and there. He would never run from Rhys again.

  Just then, a strapping tall man stepped out of the woods and crossed the clearing heading for the cabin. He stopped next to the chopping block and swung an axe to embed the blade in the solid wood. He jerked his head at Riskin. “How's the patient?”

  Riskin nodded. “She's better. She's awake. Aurora's tending to her.”

  Austin looked Riskin up and down. “Good. Then you can come with me and start earning your keep.”

  Riskin's head shot up. “What?”

  Austin grinned. “You've been sitting by her bedside for three days, and you haven't set foot outdoors since you got here. Let me guess. You haven't chopped wood since you left the Mackenzies’, so you can start now. I've been working at Farrell Homestead all day, and I'm tired, so you can do it for me.”

  Riskin pulled his head down between his shoulders. “Yes, sir.”

  Austin slapped him on the back. “Good lad. Come on. We've got all our winter firewood to split.”

  Riskin followed him. “I'll do my best, but I'm not good for much with this bum leg of mine.”

  Austin raised an eyebrow. “Why don't you let Briar take a look at it? She'll fix it up for you.”

  Riskin looked away. “She's tried, but I wouldn't let her. I don't know. I…I don't want her working on my leg.”

  “Why ever not? She's the best there is, second to her ma. Everybody knows that.”

  Riskin shrugged. “I guess I didn't want her to see me…you know…weak. I want her to think I'm…”

  “What? You want her to think you're strong?” Austin laughed. “Listen, son. Finding the right woman to mate with is the strongest thing you can do. Making yourself vulnerable to her and letting her build you up is the best way you can make yourself stronger. I found that out for myself.”

  Riskin stared at him. “Do you really think so? I felt that way, too. I just didn't want her to think I was…I don't know. I guess I didn't want her to think I was damaged somehow.”

  Austin rounded on him and murmured into his face, “You are damaged, son. Your leg is maimed. If you want to be strong for Briar, you have to get it fixed one way or the other, and she's the best person to do it for you.”

  “I know that.”

  Austin straightened up. “Good. Here you go. Split these logs and stack 'em in the shed. I'll be back in a couple of hours to check your progress.”

  Riskin's eyes widened at the mountain of cut logs piled behind the cabin. “This? You want me to split all this?”

  Austin walked away. “Do you have somewhere else to be?”

  Austin disappeared around the cabin, and the door thumped closed behind him. Riskin stood where he was. The pile of logs towered high over his head. He could split until doomsday and never split all this.

  He heaved a sigh. At least his leg wouldn't stop him splitting them, and Austin was right. Riskin had nothing else to do or anywhere to go except back to the chair at Briar's bedside.

  He went back around in front of the cabin and fetched the axe and chopping block. He set the block in front of the pile. No time like the present to get started. He set the first log on the block and split it. It sprang apart with a satisfying tink.

  He split the halves into quarters and picked up the next log. The more he split, the more the old familiar rhythm took hold of him. He understood this primal activity in his blood and bones. He'd been chopping wood as long as he could remember.

  His shoulders swelled with the work. He swung his back into it, and his legs dug into the ground. His injured leg didn't hurt so much, now that he got into the groove. He worked faster. He started to enjoy the strain on his muscles. He pushed himself harder. He would show Briar and the rest of the world he was strong.

  He chopped and split until the split pieces cluttered up the ground. Then he loaded them on his arm and stacked them in the shed. He worked all morning and didn't even notice the effort.

  The sun angled around Bruins' Peak. Riskin got the shed half full by the end of the day. He didn't stop until Austin came back at dusk.

  Austin nodded. “Good. Keep going tomorrow.”

  Riskin set the axe in the block and followed him to the door. “The shed's half-full already. Where do you want me to put the rest of the wood?”

  Austin waved his hand. “Stack it along this wall. You can stack it all the way up to the eaves if you want to. There's plenty there, and the more you get done the better.”

  A candle burned on the table inside. Riskin stood his boots by the door and went over to Briar's bed. She scooted up on the pillow when he sat down next to her. “Where have you been all day? I missed you.”

  He kissed her on the lips and took her hand. “I was doing some work outside for Austin. I thought you'd be snoozing the day away.”

  “I was, but when I looked over there, I didn't see you. I wondered where you were.”

  “I was right outside.”

  “Listen, Riskin. You heard what Aurora said. You can't hide from Rhys forever. You have to go back and fight him.”

  “I don't want to hide from Rhys forever, but I don't want to fight him, either. If there's a way to get him to back off, we should do it. I don't want to break my mother's heart by hurting him.”

  “He'll never leave us in peace. Don't you understand? Rhys would never have come after you with guns and dogs if he thought he had a chance of defeating you in an open Alpha challenge. You're stronger than he is. You can beat him.”

  “We'll deal with him, one way or the other. I won't let him come after you again.”

  She lifted her gaze to his face. “You saved me. I can't thank you enough for that.”

  He pressed her hand. “You don't have to thank me. I couldn't lose you. We're mates now. If I saved you, I saved myself.”

  “I'm worried about you. I'm more worried about you than I am about myself.”

  “What do you have to worry about me for? I'm all right.”

  She put out her hands to him. “I can't let anything happen to you, either. If you're in danger, I want to protect you.”

  “I should be protecting you, not the other way around.”

  She shook her head. “I want to make you strong so you can face Rhys. I want you to be as big and powerful as you need to be to face whatever comes.”

  “I am. I'm as big and powerful as I need to be because I have you.”

  She hugged his head against her chest. He stretched out on the bed next to her and pressed his ear against her heart. He couldn't lose this. His whole life beat in that fragile, little body.

  She pressed her lips against his hair. “Don't hide from him. Go to him and fight him. You don't have to kill him. Just beat him. Take the Alpha position away from him and take it for yourself.”

  “I don't want to be Alpha. You don't want to be married to an Alpha. I can't think of anything I'd rather do less.”

  She pulled his head up to stare into his eyes. “You're afraid. You're afraid he'll beat you the way Mattox did.”

  Riskin frowned. “I'm not afraid. I just…don't want to do it.”

  “You have to. We'll never have a life if you don't. Do it for me if you won't do it for yourself.”

  He tore his head out of her hands and laid it back down on her chest. Why did he hesitate to face Rhys? He told himself he wouldn't run away again, but when he really thought about it, he cringed from fighting his brother.

  Their brief confrontation in the woods, when Briar stopped them fighting, flashed before his eyes. He fought Rhys, but he never unleashed his full strength against his brother. He let Rhys drive him to the ground and pin him down on his back. Why did he do that? Why didn't he want to fight Rhys?

  He didn't really want to be Alpha. Who cou
ld bother with all that political stuff? Riskin wanted nothing but a quiet life in the forest with his mate. Why would God deny him that?

  Austin cleared his throat across the room. “Supper's on the table, lovebirds.”

  Riskin didn't move until Austin came over and clapped him on the shoulder. “Come and get something to eat, boy. A man can't work like that all day on fresh air.”

  Riskin peeled himself out of Briar's arms with another kiss. He let Austin lead him to the table. Once he started eating, he found he couldn't stop. He never remembered being that hungry. He kept eating long after Austin and Aurora pushed back their plates.

  Austin started talking to him while he ate. “I want you to come with me tomorrow. I have a job for you.”

  Riskin gulped down a mouthful of water. “Don't you want me to finish the firewood?”

  “You can do that in the evenings. This job is more important, and I can't do it myself.”

  “What is it?”

  “I'm harvesting timber in the woodlot I planted for Brody. I need you to supervise the loading platform and make sure all the trucks have the right paperwork for the mill.”

  “I can do that. I've done it a million times at the Mackenzies’.”

  “I know you have. That's why I'm taking you.”

  “Don't you have a manager to do it?”

  “I've been doing it myself, but I have to start another job tomorrow so I need a ringer.”

  “What's the new job?”

  “I'm building a new race at the mill. I have to be there to brief the construction crews. I designed the race myself, so I have to explain a few things to crew manager.”

  “Who's the crew manager?”

  “Mason Cunningham.”

  Riskin nodded. “I know him. He did a job for us at the Mackenzie ranch. He's good. You couldn't ask for a better man on the job.”

  “What did he do for you?”

  “He built a loading station for running cattle into trucks. Before he did that, the loading used to cost us days of rounding up and running them up some old chutes that weren't big enough. We always lost a few good steers on those chutes because larger animals would get stuck or they would injure each other in the yards. We asked Mason about it, and he designed and built a new station. All we had to do was drive the animals into this big yard. They would go straight into the chute and onto the trucks. They never came near enough to each other to hurt each other again. It was the perfect solution.”