Page 45 of Marrying the Nanny

“Oh!” She grabbed his sleeve as she realized that dark blob about three hundred meters down the slope was moving. It was a bear rooting under a log like a wild pig.

“We’re fine,” he murmured, handing her the bear spray from his belt.

She goggled at him, wanting to scream, Fine? And what the hell did he expect her to do with this?

He gently cupped his hands over Storm’s ears before letting out a piercing whistle.

The black bear stood straight up on his hind legs, looking exactly like a guy in a bear suit. Emma would have laughed if she hadn’t been petrified.

“We see you,” Trystan called out, picking up Emma’s wrist and holding out his other one. “Now you know we’re here, you do your thing and we’ll do ours.”

He spoke conversationally, but firm and loud.

“What’s his thing? What’s he going to do?” Emma darted a look toward the nearest tree. It was short and gnarled and wouldn’t hold her. Definitely wouldn’t hold Trystan with Storm. “What do we do if he charges?”

“He won’t. He’s hungry, but too dopey to work hard for a meal. He just woke up.”

“How do you know?”

“Skinny. Looks like a cheap pimp in that coat. Comb your fur, buddy,” he called. “Girls aren’t going to be interested in that.”

The bear grunted and dropped onto all fours, then stumbled into the underbrush.

Emma chuckled, but it was a release of nervous energy. “How do you know it was a boy?”

“No cubs.”

“What if he circles around and comes after us?”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because you were rude to him?”

“He’s like Reid in the morning,” Trystan dismissed. “Needs coffee before he even notices you’re insulting him. You go ahead of me if you’re nervous.”

“Thanks.” At least they didn’t have to come back this way. Trystan had shown her the looping trail on the map before they left. He had pointed out a couple of obvious landmarks so she could find her way back if something happened. He really did plan to survive.

“Was he always like that?” she asked. “Reid, I mean.”

“Grumpy in the morning? I guess.”

Was it her imagination or had he instantly withdrawn?

“I guess I’m curious how it was for the three of you, growing up in such an unconventional situation.”

“Are we not normal? It’s just like them to think I’m too young to understand and keep it from me.”

Emma smirked over her shoulder. “Reid doesn’t employ as many comebacks as you and Logan.”

“Reid has always had a little more to deal with than we do. Which is saying something.”

Emma digested that, then asked, “What’s your mom like? I only met her briefly at the service. She seems nice.”

“She’s quiet. Shy. Funny, if she decides to be. She was really young—naïve is the better word. Twenty-two when she had me. She took the first half of her biology degree through distance learning and only went to a small local college to sit a couple of exams. She was planning to move to Victoria in the fall to finish her degree, but got a contract for the summer with Fisheries and Oceans. She had family in Bella Bella and stayed with them. Dad was volunteering with search and rescue. Sometimes he was out on the boats with her and sometimes they were alone.”

“He was married to Glenda, though?” Her heart panged at the unnecessary hurt of it all. “How much older was he?”

“Than Mom? Ten years. Yeah, he was married to Glenda. Logan was a year, no two, I guess. Glenda was trying to have another baby and it wasn’t going well. Reid was in Victoria with Miriam, not that Mom knew that. She doesn’t talk about Dad much. Not because she feels like a victim, although I think any guy that age going after a kid like her…” His contempt was clear.

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