Boarlander Boss Bear (Boarlander Bears #1)(26)

And she heard it. That strong, steady tone that he’d told her to listen for.

Down to her marrow, she knew that Harrison—her Harrison—was telling the truth.





Chapter Ten




Audrey ducked out of the way as Mason hustled out of 1010 with an armload of lumber. Beaston had settled the old trailer on a concrete pad at the end of the road, facing the entrance, and overlooking the rest of the park.

“Oh, sorry,” she murmured, dodging Bash as he filed out of 1010 balancing an impressive stack of what looked and smelled like fresh cut two-by-sixes.

Bash adjusted the stack and ruffled her hair as he walked by, his grin catching. At least one of the Boarlanders was happy she was here. Clinton was still nowhere to be seen.

“Ten-ten looks best with a deck,” Beaston said from right behind her.

Audrey jumped and clutched her chest. Thanks to her animal, she wasn’t often snuck up on, but Beaston was scary quiet.

He stood right behind her with his arms clasped behind his back. “I want to help build it for you, but I have to get back to Ana. She’s pregnant.” Pride tinged the last part.

“I know. I felt the baby move last night, remember?”

“Yeah, I just like saying it. She’s having my raven boy. I don’t like to be away from her.”

She ducked her smile. Beaston always sounded snarly unless he was talking about his Ana. Then his voice went all soft.

“We’ll build the deck,” she said. “You go on back to your mate and tell her ‘hi’ from me.”

Beaston jerked his head in a nod and turned for the now empty big rig, waiting in the middle of the gravel road.

“Beaston?” she asked.

He turned with a frown on his face. “What?”

With a sigh, she approached and put her arms around his shoulders carefully. “Thank you.”

Beaston froze under her hug. “For what?”

“For helping me get to Harrison at Sammy’s bar last week. For bringing ten-ten.” She squeezed harder. “For seeing more than other people do.”

Beaston softened and lifted his hands to her back, then pulled her close for a moment. Head cocked and green eyes blazing, he gave her a half smile and walked away. Over his shoulder, he asked, “Do you like knives?”

“Uuuh,” she stumbled. “I used to carry a pocket knife.”

He climbed up the eighteen-wheeler and hung from the door. “Good,” he murmured just before he climbed in behind the wheel. He stuck his head out the window. “I almost forgot. Nards lives in ten-ten. Don’t hurt him.” Engine roaring, the truck drove slowly away and back under the park sign. Beaston was a bit of a wild bear, and an odd one, too, but she liked him.

Harrison wrapped his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on top of her head as they watched the truck disappear through the trees. “You ready to see your trailer?”

The boys were going in and out like a line of worker ants, but she and Harrison ducked inside between them. Kirk grinned as he scooped the last bunch of wood. “There she is. Queen of the trailer park, queen of our hearts.”

Audrey snorted and crouched down when Kirk swung the wood wide to angle it toward the door. When he left, only she and Harrison remained. He shut the door gently and watched her face with an expression that said it mattered what she thought of this place.

The walls were painted white, and the dark laminate wood floors under her feet felt a little squishy. The couch, kitchen table, and chairs were all bound together for the journey in the middle of the living room, and to the left, a white-washed country kitchen with faux wood countertops bisected the living space and a bedroom. She giggled at a miniature refrigerator that took up roughly a third of the space for a full-sized one.

“We’ll get you a big one,” Harrison promised.

“This one is fine for now. It’s just me in here. This place is a lot bigger than I thought.”

“Yeah, you’ll have the biggest trailer in the park.”

“My castle,” she murmured, glowing from the inside out with pleasure.

The kitchen was full of boxes, all bound together, and when she opened one, there were dishes packed neatly. When she meandered through the kitchen, touching the smooth countertop as she went, and made her way into the bedroom, she was shocked into stillness, right there in the doorway. The bedroom was huge. It had a built-in dresser and a queen-size bed. The mattress was bare, but a stack of sheets and a thick cream and blue floral comforter was folded neatly in the middle and bound with thick twine. The linens smelled good, like fresh breeze laundry detergent, and as she made her way to the bathroom on the other side, she couldn’t contain her grin. There was a washer and a dryer inside, right across from the sink.

“You like it?” Harrison asked.

“This is going to sound silly, but I haven’t had my own washer and dryer before. When I moved out of my dad’s trailer, I was living in this tiny apartment that didn’t have hookups, so I’ve used a Laundromat for years.” With a happy sigh, she turned and leaned on the door frame. “I love it.” She looked up at the slightly sagging ceiling and shrugged. “I can’t explain it, but this place feels homey to me.”

“You’re an amazing woman, Audrey,” Harrison said from where he rested his hip against the built-in dresser. “I never imagined a lady would be okay living out here in my park. Not the way it is.”