Page 16 of Nanny for the Tiger Daddy

She moved faster than her brain could keep up. In the next second, she stood between the bear and Zara’s stroller. Behind her, Zara gurgled, though Kirsten couldn’t tell whether or not she was afraid. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was making sure Zara was safe.

A call came from the forest.

“Kirsten!”

Henry’s voice as he came to the rescue. She felt a rush of confidence now that Henry was here, probably with an ax or a chainsaw to fight the bear. It advanced on her slowly, taking its time to scare her into submission. Her body shook all over as she stood there between the bear and Zara, unable to move. Surely Henry would save them ... he would either kill the bear or frighten it away.

Except when he bounded onto the bank where Kirsten and Zara were, he didn’t have anything to defend them. Kirsten’s fear overcame her, and she cried out, flinging her arms wide to frighten the bear. It didn’t work. They were powerless.

But then something happened ... something unexplainable. Henry’s body started to shift ... his skin turned bright orange as fur erupted all over him. His body bent forward until he was on all fours, and instead of hands, he had paws. His face elongated and squished at once to become the face of ...

... the tiger Kirsten saw that night she ventured into the woods.

The tiger was Henry!

FOURTEEN

HENRY

Henry was furious, running through the snow and sending up sprays of white as the creature ran away from him, scrambling with terror. He ran for a few more minutes through the forest, light sliding through the canopies until he caught the scent of the bear escaping his vision.

It was simply that of a wild animal, not a human mixed with a beast. That meant the bear who had come upon Kirsten and Zara was actually just that ... a bear.

It wasn’t the shifter he had been tracking around his property. So Henry slowed down, stopping abruptly in the forest as the bear trampled away. He breathed in deeply, his breath seeping from his mouth and casting a billow of air before him.

He watched it move on, following closely behind it for a few miles until it reached the ridge just beyond his land. He let it go then, making a note in his mind about the wet bear scent differentiating from the shifter one he’d detected since Kirsten’s arrival a few weeks ago.

Henry was tired, yet satisfied, as he trotted back to where Kirsten and Zara had been ambushed. He then spotted the look on Kirsten’s face and remembered that he was going to have a lot more anxiety to deal with.

Kirsten stood in front of the stroller in her protective stance as he slowly walked up, still in his tiger form. She stared at him, the expression of pure horror painting her gaze.

She looked exhausted from the thrill and adrenaline of nearly being slaughtered and from seeing the man she was living with suddenly transform into a wild animal, too. He hated seeing her look so shocked, so afraid. So he shifted quickly, hiding behind a bush to shield his nakedness, then pulled on some extra clothing he’d had stashed nearby.

Henry approached her with outstretched hands, her eyes moving up and down his body in stunned amazement.

“Don’t be scared, Kirsten,” he said softly. “It’s me, Henry. It’s always been me.”

She locked eyes with him, the blankness evolving into a scowl. Her eyes wandered his, and despite the anger he knew she was feeling, he couldn’t help to notice how wonderful she looked in the early autumn light. She was confronted with this handsome, now clothed body in front of her and the fact he was a shifter who had lied to her.

“The tiger I saw? That was you?” she said, her voice shaking. “You are … a shifter?”

Henry nodded and took another cautious step toward her. She did not waver that time, letting him come closer to her as he continued to explain.

“I am, yes. I have also sensed a few other shifters on the property since you’ve come, and I’ve been trying to figure out who has been watching us.”

She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Someone has been spying on us?”

Henry dropped his hands, then moved in closer. Her essence was so inviting, so close, and the way her heart rate was slowing reassured him that he didn’t need to fear her fleeing.

“I think so,” he whispered. “I don’t know why yet, but I’m working on it.”

Kirsten took in a deep breath, then held her gloved hands out to him. Henry gripped her hands, holding them tightly, then pulled her in close to his chest for a snuggle.

“I knew something was going on here. I’ve sensed something supernatural this whole time.”

Henry nodded against her head. He was glad she wasn’t too freaked out.

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