Bear Cove: Asher’s Story

By Ellie Walters

Asher is one of three brothers, all bear shifters, in the community of Bear Cove. He has no time for a mate , especially a frail human one. His bear disagrees when he sees the new girl in town, Cassie. Cassie is an artist who has come to Bear Cove for the inspiration of the local mountains and scenery. As fire chief, Asher must inspect her studio and ends up re- wiring it for her. Asher's nephew, Lucas, is living with him and Cassie mistakenly thinks Asher must be married even though she is wildly attracted to him. Eventually, Asher must reveal his bear side to Cassie, but fears her total rejection. In addition to this trauma, someone is setting fires on the mountain which ends up putting the town and its citizens in grave peril.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 30, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098386962

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© 2021 Ellie Walters

No part of this book shall be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or by other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

ISBN: 978-1-09-838696-2

Dedicated to all those who believed in me

Table of Contents

CASSIE

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Epilogue: Two Months Later

CASSIE

It has to be today. I am at the end of my wits. Totally. No more, I said to my good friend, Jeanne. My bags are packed in my old black SUV, the kiln is safely tied down, and every last vial of paint and brushes is dutifully placed in a large box. Okay—several large boxes. Today is the day.

Just one last drink before you go, Cassie, stay the night and leave in the morning, Jeanne pleaded. She is a good friend—the best—but she cannot understand my insistence on leaving the city. She loves the nightlife, the stores, the shopping, the crowds at Christmas, all of it. I know she thinks if I stay one more night, she can convince me to stay another and another.

Jeanne, I will call, and you can visit, but no, today is it for me. She waves, face saddened, and a single tear rolls down her eye . . . and finally, after months of saving and planning, hoping I have the courage to follow through, I am off. Off on a totally new adventure and lifestyle. Off to a lovely place of solitude and off and away from cheating men.

Bear Cove, in the mountains, near a river, where my little painting shop awaits me. Quiet, fresh air, and no city noise. And best of all, no boyfriend to tell me I don’t make enough, I don’t clean enough, I don’t exercise enough, I am not enough. I am too fat. My hair is too wild . . . done. Forever done. All the while, he is cheating on me. Done with cheats forever. Done with men in general. Plus, it’s time I go on with my life. Doing what I want to do, not just a job but a real calling.

ASHER

Time to wake up, Lucas. School starts in one hour. Breakfast is ready. Bacon . . . your favorite, I grumbled as he rolled over and snuggled into me. I swear this child could sleep through an earthquake. Come on, buddy. Spelling and addition await, I cajoled.

Mppgghthfar, he mumbled and burrowed deeper. I shook him more, and slowly, one eye opened. Come on, sleepyhead. Time to get moving. Got stuff to do today.

Man, I thought this would be easier. When my brother and sister-in-law died suddenly in a plane crash, Lucas was left homeless, but no nephew of mine was going to be without his family. So, my brothers and I took him in and became instant dads. Well, that was the original idea. Case, the middle brother, slept at the fire station most nights, and my youngest brother, Dax, was running a bar—always late nights, not to mention the ladies constantly in and out of his bed. Intentions were good, but I ended up with little Lucas. Mom is always ready to take Lucas, but she runs a bakery shop and has her hands full with that alone.

MATE.

Stop it, bear. I know. I get it. The last thing on earth I need or want is more responsibility. I barely have time to sleep as it is. Not now, if ever. No. A mate is out of the question for me right now, and besides, who is there in this sleepy little town? Mates don’t just suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Lucas rolls out of bed, climbs up on the chair, and immediately begins with bacon—his favorite—and moves onto the stack of pancakes and three eggs, over easy. He is a growing bear, I think. Hope he does not eat me totally out of house and home.

Whatcha doin’ today, Asher? Can I skip school and come with you? I don’t wanna go to school again, he moans.

Sorry, buddy. Spelling test today on all those words we practiced last night. Maybe after school, you can go with me to inspect the wiring in the new store in town, I replied. It’s always fun to meet new people.

He is only eight and doing well for a cub who lost his mommy and daddy so suddenly, but I know school is tough for him. He really wants to be in the forest, running wild and free, sniffing at turned-over logs, and rolling in the dewy grass.

Hell, don’t we all want that? I sure would love nothing more than that every day, but I got responsibilities galore. Being fire chief is not the glamorous job the media makes it out to be. Even in a small, remote town like this, there are papers to fill out, inspections to make, not to mention the occasional forest fire. Since we only have a couple of half-assed wolves that act as a police force, the duty of a fire chief is also to act as a quasi-mayor with no pay and little power to enforce anything.

But a mate? No way in hell. I don’t have time for that, and besides, there are precious few she-bears in this territory anyway, and humans are too frail, too skinny, and break easily. I don’t care what Bear wants; he can grumble, complain, and keep me restless at night, but a mate is not in the cards for me.

Thankfully, Lucas gets himself dressed in jeans and a red flannel shirt and grabs his lunch box full of two peanut butter sandwiches, grapes, two bananas, two cartons of milk, and some cheese crackers—and just for fun, one honey stick. That boy can eat! Finally, at the drop-off, he hugs me and says, Member, we will introspect that new store after school. Don’t forget.

I won’t, buddy, . . . it’s you and me. And maybe then we will catch a bite at Pop’s Diner for dinner.

YAAAAAAAA! Thank God he is still so easy to please.

CASSIE

This place is just what I needed. My realtor did one hell of a job finding it for me. Bear Cove is out of the way and fairly remote, but it does have a budding tourist industry because of the scenery and skiing. There is the Bear Cove Lodge up on the hill that, hopefully, will be a great outlet for some of my art.

The best thing is that there is a teeny apartment above the storefront, so I can live and work all in one place. It’s not much, but I don’t need much. Just a place to eat, read, and sleep. Quiet. Solitude. Great scenery. Inspiration.

Although Jeanne was my best friend, she never understood that an artist needs inspiration daily. And the city never gave me anything but headaches. Headaches upon headaches . . . a job running blood samples at the hospital and a dead-end doctor boyfriend. I was a convenience to him. Nothing more.

Coffee. I need coffee. I need a coffee maker. Venturing out and walking a couple of blocks, I am thrilled to find a little coffee shop and the pastries there. Oh, my God . . . the smell hits me as I open the door.

Welcome, said the older lady. Welcome to Sweet Delights. You’re new here.

Yes, thanks. I am opening up the art studio over on Belmont. Cassie’s Creations. It smells heavenly in here. What’re a few more pounds when you can enjoy croissants, hot coffee, cookies, and muffins?

My name is Delilah, and I am the owner of this little place of heaven, she smiled. Glad to have an artist in our tiny community. Now, what can I tempt you with today?

Are those croissants? I will have one of those for breakfast and a cup of white chocolate mocha and maybe one of those ham and cheese panini to warm up for lunch.

Great choices. We open at five in the morning for the early risers and don’t close ‘til seven at night, so feel free to stop in anytime for some coffee and conversation, she said. And since your new in town, the first cup of coffee is on me.

Wow, thanks. I think I will be a regular customer for sure now, I smiled.

I spent the rest of the day dusting and cleaning and organizing my paints and papers. I needed to set up places for students to work—that is, if I have any who want to learn watercolor, pastels, or porcelain painting. I know it will take a while to get established, but I saved enough to be good for a whole year. The rent is cheap, and I can easily live on ramen noodles if necessary. I can make it. I know I can make it. I have to make it. Because I am not going back to the city. Not when I have a quaint, little town like Bear Cove.

There is Delilah’s place and a hardware store down the street. I am hoping there might be a tearoom for conversation and crumpets. I saw a little grocery when I drove in, and it seems like the big-box stores have not found a place here in the mountains. The streets are a bit narrow but lined with trees and sidewalks, so I can easily exercise by just walking around town. It is perfect.

ASHER

I spent the day in the office doing paperwork. I hate it. Thankfully, no calls out, and all is fairly quiet. Time to pick up Lucas and inspect the new place. Boring as hell, but he will love it. He loves meeting new people.

"Lucas, how did the spelling test go? Ready for