Bear Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire #2)(47)

“Lena,” he murmured, staring at the cabin. “Did you get us a home?”

She was smiling big as she nodded. “Link fixed it up last winter to live in, but he got work in town and bought a place closer to his job. We all pitched in and fixed it just how I wanted it over the last couple of days. Oh, Jenner, I love Elyse, and Ian’s so nice, and Link’s crazy, but he’s awesome, and with the money I paid in rent, Elyse will be able to buy more cattle, and I bought curtains the same blue color of your eyes and a nice mattress because this is our first bed together, and Elyse is going to teach me how to can salmon. And Jenner! Everything just feels so perfect. I get you, and I get a home, and I have two whole months with you before you go to sleep, and we’ll make the most out of every moment. Even if I have to tag along on your guided tours and call myself the Silver Summit Outfitters’ resident photographer, I will. I get to be with you Jenner. I’m the luckiest.”

She wasn’t, though. His sweet mate didn’t see that he was the lucky one.

“Are you happy?” He could see it in her eyes, but damn, he wanted to hear it right now.

“Yes. I never thought I could be so happy. I feel like I finally belong somewhere. You did that, Jenner. I don’t have to run anymore.”

“You won’t ever have to run again. I’ll take care of you.”

“And I’ll take care of you because we are a team.”

“Team Silver.”

She cupped his cheeks again and laid a lingering kiss on his lips. Easing back, she grinned and whispered, “Team Silver.”





Chapter Sixteen


She couldn’t pull her eyes from Jenner. It was his smile, a grin she’d only seen flicker across his face now and again, but here, in the glowing lantern light of their new cabin, it stretched across his lips, transforming his face.

Short, dark scruff graced his jaw, and she ran her fingertips against it. His dark hair had fallen forward over his forehead, making his eyes look even brighter in the fading evening light.

“You haven’t shaved since I left,” she accused.

“I haven’t done much of anything since you left except stare at this picture I took of you.”

Her stomach filled with a fluttering sensation that had her melting against him. With a sigh, she rested her cheek against his chest. “Why did you let me leave then? If it hurt so bad, why did you let me go?”

“It’s not that I didn’t want you, Lena. It’s that I wanted better for you.”

“Well, that’s not how love works, you ridiculous man. You don’t set someone free against their will.”

Jenner’s lips pressed against her hair, lingering as he swayed slowly from side to side. At last, he whispered, “Can I see the cabin?”

Lena nipped his chest, then pulled his hand, leading him up onto the small porch with just enough room for the two rocking chairs that swayed gently in the breeze. She pushed open the door and watched his face as he ducked under the frame and stood to his full height. The smile still lingered at the corners of his lips, but his clear blue eyes pooled with some deep emotion she couldn’t fathom. She’d spent the last two days frantically trying to fix it up, but tried to see the cabin from his perspective.

It was split into two primary rooms with smooth wooden floorboards and heavy log walls. There was a single couch in the small living room, right in the shadow of a stone hearth. The butcher-block kitchen counter took up the back wall, speckled with appliances, and on the wall by a two-seater table was a black and white picture of her and Jenner. It was her favorite, and she’d had it printed in Galena today as the finishing touch on this place. She’d thought they were both grinning at the camera when she’d taken it, but while she was cheesing, Jenner had his forehead pressed against her temple, eyes closed like he was taking in the moment with her. They both looked blissfully happy.

Jenner’s gaze hesitated on the picture, framed in rough wood, and the emotion in his eyes deepened. God, he was stunning.

“I always wanted a record player, but I haven’t stayed in one place long enough,” she murmured.

“I’ll get you one. We’ll find whatever records you want, maybe put it over in that corner,” he said, pointing to an empty space near the hearth.

“That’s what I was thinking, too. Do you want to see our bedroom?”

“Our bedroom,” he repeated softly.

She led the way, but turned at the doorway. “This is my favorite room in the house. As soon as I saw what Link had done, this place just felt like home. Ready?”

Jenner leaned down and sipped her lips softly, then nodded.

Lena pushed open the door and was taken aback all over again. Along one entire wall was a picture window facing the sunset, and on the floor was a large mattress, covered in new, warm, forest green bedding. A small, circular wooden table, grayed with age, sat beside the bed and matched a rustic dresser on the wall opposite the window. Jenner didn’t seem to notice anything but the window as he padded toward it.

She held her place near the door just to watch him. She’d imagined it, how he would react, but now that he was really here, this cabin felt complete. He stood against the sunset, his tight black sweater and dark jeans stark against the colors there. Jenner cut a powerful silhouette with his wide, muscular shoulders, tapered waist, and long, commanding legs. When he turned to glance at her over his shoulder, his eyes practically glowed with contentment.