Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan 1) by Harmony Raines Page B

be safe.
     
     

Chapter Three - Brad
    Brad switched the engine off. Before he got out, he sat for a few minutes watching her sleep. He hoped he had done the right thing by bringing her here. Would he be able to protect her from whatever it was she was running from?
    It might have been better to take her into town. Locked up in a cell, she would be safe. He could have asked a few of his friends to help him guard her. Out here, he was more exposed.
    He sighed. He knew exactly why he brought her here. To get her to trust him. Locking her up in a cell would make her hate him, and he couldn’t have that. Not when he was her mate. As much as he liked to be in control, he did not intend to force her to accept him.
    Getting out of his truck, he went around to the passenger side, and carefully opened the door. He had to support her weight to stop her falling out. She was leaning on the door, but she didn’t stir, she was exhausted. He looked down at her long chestnut hair. He wanted to run his fingers through it, to lift it away from her neck so he could kiss her there softly. Brad pulled himself back to the present, and made himself concentrate on her safety. Rather than all the intimate things, he would like to do to her. Not an easy task when all of his male hormones were clamouring to make her his.
    Lifting her carefully, he took her into his house. Then he hesitated. Should he put her down on his sofa, or risk taking her upstairs to his bed? He didn’t want her to get the wrong idea about what he was doing. If she woke up in his bed, she might think he wanted to force her into mating with him.
    He chose the sofa. At least that way he could keep an eye on her while he made her some warm food. Hopefully, once she’d eaten, she would begin to feel a lot better. Then she might feel like trusting him with whatever it was that scared her so badly.
     
     

Chapter Four - Abbi
    The smell of food woke her. She tried to keep her eyes screwed up and imagine she was tucked up on the sofa at home. Not the poky little apartment where she lived now, no, her childhood home. She remembered when she was ill, her mom used to wrap a blanket around her, and tell her she would soon feel better. Just the sound of her voice would help. Pulling the blanket under her chin, she hung onto that dream.
    “How are you feeling?”
    She wanted to ignore him, but her stomach was rumbling and her mouth watered at the smell of his cooking. Damn he would make a fine husband, protective, handsome, and he could cook. However, she wasn’t looking for a man. She was trouble. The days of imagining she was ever going to get her happy ever after were gone. Taken by the beast that hunted her.
    She opened her eyes, knowing that she had to do the right thing and get out of this guy’s life. If the men that were after her found her here, he would end up dead. Ripped apart by those animals.
    Looking up at him, as he bent over to check on her, she knew that would a tragic. He was one of a kind, dark hair, tanned skin and eyes that made her go weak at the knees. So soft and kind, and yet she could see the hidden strength there.
    “I need to leave.” She sat up, but the room swam. Gripping the arm of the sofa, she tried to take deep breaths to steady herself.
    “You need to eat. Then we’ll discuss what happens next.” He came to her, and put his hand under her arm, helping her up.
    She didn’t have the strength to argue. He was right, she wouldn’t get very far if she didn’t have something to eat and drink. Allowing him to help her, he half carried her to the kitchen. There he had set out two plates, knives and forks by the side of them. It could almost be an intimate meal for lovers; all it needed was flowers and wine.
    Abbi told herself to stop thinking like that. She was no good for him, but it didn’t stop her dreaming. In her half delirious state, it seemed much easier to lose herself in what might be, than to remember the reality of her life.
    “Sit