Page 7 of The Bear's Forever Mat
Her smile faded, and he realized he’d been staring without moving as his brain worked overtime.
“Something wrong?” she asked quietly.
There was no way to deal with this other than bluffing his way through. They were in a public place, wearing five layers of clothing—she was, at least. Of course they could spend time together without him giving in to the animal urges that continued to grow inside.
Heh. Animal inside. Don’t you think that’s a little clichéd?
Cooper wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall, but there wasn’t one readily available.Please don’t start on me today.
You need to learn to relax,his bear taunted.Animals are good at relaxing. Maybe if you curled up with a sweet little thing who smells like heaven—
It wasn’t easy to put a chokehold on his bearandforce a smile, but he did it so he could answer Amber without growling. Or jumping her. Jumping would be really bad.
Difference of opinion on that one, his inner beast grumbled a half second before vanishing in a huff.
Smile. Focus on the smile. “The change of plans threw me for a moment, but I’ve got it now.”
She was still examining him with unease, so he focused on all the things she did that made his life easier, instead of how much he was looking forward to being able to share his other feelings with her somewhere down the road. Real warmth had to have reached his expression because the concern on her face faded.
Amber nodded decisively. “Come on, let’s go see who needs help.”
Around them, students donned safety gear then dove into their projects. New shapes appeared as the edges of the blocks were cut off, slivers of ice raining down in miniature snowstorms. With only three hours to work, no one was going to be able to finish anything hugely detailed, and they all knew that.
Creativity and boldness would be rewarded.
Cooper paused beside a table where three girls had turned their block into a triangle-shaped object with a large bulge on one side. Two of the girls were making faces while the third spoke rapidly, her hands moving in an attempt to describe what she thought needed to happen next.
One of the girls shook her head, turning to Cooper and Amber. “It sort of makes sense, but I don’t see how we can do it without ruining the entire piece of ice.”
Cooper hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to help with their idea, either.
Amber placed the box she’d been carrying on the table beside them, listening carefully as the third girl tried again to explain. “I see your problem.”
She flipped open the case and pulled out what looked a lot like an electric knife. It was—and a noticeably powerful one. She hit theonbutton and quickly moved to the front of the triangle.
A couple cuts later the girls were nodding excitedly, their voices rising with eager suggestions.
But Amber turned off the tool and pointed to what they had to work with. “Now that I’ve got you started, carry on.”
Instead of a vague triangle with a lumpy bump, the clear outline of a necklace lay against a display shelf. A very suitable project for a contest sponsored by two diamond companies.
The girls went to work eagerly, their small tools clinking against the ice as they chattered like a gathering of squirrels stashing away nuts.
Amber strolled beside him toward the next workstation, a satisfied grin on her face.
“I didn’t know you knew how to do that,” Cooper admitted.
She glanced up. “I have many talents.”
“ThatI already knew. And thank goodness for them.” His tone was dry yet slightly teasing, and her face lit up in a way that sent a thrill through him.
Dammit, this was so unfair. Hewantedto do things that made Amber happy. He wanted to put that kind of expression on her face every single day, but he couldn’t. Not yet.
They kept walking, Amber stepping carefully over the uneven ground, her boots sinking into the powdery snow. “I went to a number of ice-carving events with one of my foster families. Mom was a decent artist and always interested in trying new things. Mason and I learned alongside her.”
“Mason. Your brother?” He’d heard parts of this story, but it was good to get extra details.
Amber nodded, but before she could say anything else, they were called to help a group of four who were creating an Inuksuk from their block of ice. The man-shaped structure had tipped slightly when one of them accidentally removed too large of a chunk from one side.
