Husband Fur Hire (Bears Fur Hire #1)(28)

“Shit,” Tobias muttered. He let off a loud sigh and said, “Well, tell me what she’s like.”

Ian straightened his spine and hooked his free hand on his hip. “She’s a foot shorter than me and skinny as hell. She’s had a rough go of it.”

“She sounds weak—”

“I wasn’t done. She’s headstrong and running a homestead by herself, and she doesn’t quit. She just doesn’t. She works hard and long, and she woke up this morning before dawn just to get her day started and f*ck it all, I respect her for what she’s done with this place by herself. She doesn’t need me emotionally, but I want her to.”

“What’s her name?”

“Elyse.”

“You’ve got the McCalls hunting you, man. I saw your den on Afognak.”

“What were you doing out there?”

“I like to go back home from time to time. I was checking that your shit is in order, and it definitely is not. You got Miller after you, and you’re shacking up with someone he can and will use as leverage. You get that, right?”

“Yeah.” Ian couldn’t bring himself to admit Elyse was Cole McCall’s claim. Tobias was actually holding a conversation with him—the first in years—and if he admitted how much risk he was really taking, Tobias would disappear and be a ghost in the wind once again.

“You gonna tell her what you are?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“It won’t work if you don’t,” Tobias said in a defeated voice. “That’s where Dad messed up with Mom. Secrets destroy pairings.”

“I didn’t know pairings were a thing for us.”

“Yeah, well, your dumbass is mated, so it must be, right? Text me the deliveries and I’ll get them taken care of. I’ve got to go.”

“Okay, thanks.”

“Ian?”

“Yeah?”

“She sounds real nice. Don’t f*ck it up.”

The line went dead, and Ian stared at the screen as it went dark. Holy hell, Tobias had actively participated in a civilized conversation with him.

A sharp yip sounded from the doorway, and he turned, startled. The puppy came bouncing toward him, nothing but a ball of black and white fire and a curly tail.

“No!” Elyse whispered as she stumbled out from behind the open barn door.

“Elyse! What are you doing out there?”

She bit her lip and looked guilty as hell. “What happened was…I was coming out here to see if you could help me fix some broken fencing near the horses’ gate, but then I heard you talking and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I just stood there, waiting until you were done.”

“So, eavesdropping.”

Her cheeks were flushed like cherries now as she nodded once. “I didn’t know you were talking about me at first, and then I couldn’t pull myself away.”

Panicked, Ian went over and over the conversation he’d had with Tobias, but he didn’t think he’d given anything away about the bear that lived inside of him.

“You said I’m headstrong and you respect me.” Her smile was faint as she looked up at him, then back down to his work boots.

Shoulders relaxing, he gestured her to him and hugged her close. “That was my brother.”

“You have a brother?” Genuine shock painted her tone.

“I have two.”

“Older or younger?”

“The same exact age.”

“You’re a triplet?” Her voice was so loud, it hurt his sensitive ears. When he hunched, she lowered her voice. “When will I meet them?”

“Probably never. We don’t get along.”

“Why not?”

“Well,” he said, searching for a way to tell her without spilling their secret. “We can’t. It’s an instinct thing.”

“You’re competitive?”

“Massively competitive,” he murmured, grateful she got it.

“Okay, so no holiday celebrations with them?”

Pain slashed through his chest as he thought about the holidays. He hibernated during the big ones, and he hadn’t thought about her being all alone on Thanksgiving and Christmas before now. Even New Year’s wasn’t doable. Shit.

“No,” he admitted low. “No holidays.”

“Well, I want you to meet Josiah. He’s good people. Maybe you won’t be competitive with him,” she said hopefully.

“Yeah, I want to meet your brother.” He wasn’t on a quest for friends, but Josiah was a big part of keeping Elyse’s cattle safe, and her brother should know he had back-up from Ian during the warm months if he needed it.

The puppy was tugging at the hem of his work jeans and growling as he shook his little fluffy head ferociously.

“I’ve named him,” Elyse said.

“Tell me.”

“Miki. It’s an Inuit name meaning—”

“Little,” he finished, approving. The little furry terror had released his pant leg and was now barking and bouncing around him, trying to scare his denim apparently. “It’s perfect. Do you want to bring him with us today?”

“Where are we going?”

“Far away.”