Bearllionaire(40)

The bear eyed her—she could swear it looked triumphant—and started to push its upper body through the window. Then its eyes widened and it howled in pain. The next second, it was gone, yanked back through the window by some unknown force.

She clutched the sheet around her and ran to the window. Outside, a tremendous brown bear with a shaggy pelt was fighting with the smaller black bear. The black bear didn’t seem to stand a chance, and he knew it. One massive swipe from the grizzly bear had the black bear running away from the cabin. It sent her one last resentful stare over its shoulder, as if it were promising it would come back, and then disappeared over one of the snowy hills in the distance. Her heart was still pounding, even when the bear was out of sight.

She could have died if not for the other bear.

What was it with her and bears lately?

The grizzly looked over at her, roared with its head back, and then shook off snow and ran off in the opposite direction of the black bear. She almost wanted to thank it, but that was crazy. For all she knew, this bear wanted to eat her too. She crossed the bedroom to the other side of the cabin and looked out. The grizzly was disappearing into the trees.

She ran to her phone. She needed to call someone. Anyone. She had to get out of here. She knew Leslie wouldn’t judge her for running. After she told her about the amazing Ryder Hart running away and leaving her naked and undefended, she’d be on her side for sure.

She didn’t want him to come back and apologize. He’d just sound like Scott. She hadn’t taken him for the kind of weak man that would hurt her and apologize later, like Scott was. But he’d sure acted like one. There was literally no good explanation for leaving her alone. He didn’t take his phone. He didn’t go for help, or if he had, he could have taken her. No, he’d just left her there like she meant nothing.

Right after he’d told her he loved her.

She dialed the number. No answer from Leslie. She tried Kylie. No pick up yet. Perhaps they were still driving down the canyon and didn’t have reception. The incident with the bear had felt like forever but could have taken place in mere seconds.

It was late, and she was alone in the mountains. Ryder might come back, but how could she trust him not to run again? And she couldn’t stay here with a broken window. The black bear might come back. The grizzly had weirdly seemed to be on her side, but the black bear… She knew it wouldn’t stop until it got her. She didn’t know why it wanted her, but it did.

There was one last number on her phone she could call. She had said she’d rather drop dead than ever ask him for help again, but she didn’t actually want to die in a bear attack. And right now, facing Ryder would be worse. After what they’d just shared, how vulnerable she’d allowed herself to be with him…

At least Scott was who he was. A worm. And though he’d been a little persistent over the last year, he’d never actually touched or forced her. He was a weakling and a cheat, but he wouldn’t make any move she couldn’t rebuff. Not if he wanted another chance with her.

She reluctantly dialed the number as a cold gust of wind blew into the cabin through the open window.

“Scott?” she whispered when Scott picked up.

“Janna? What the hell?”

“I need a ride.”

A pause on the other side. “Sure.”

“And you better not try anything.”

“Where are you?” he asked, sounding reasonable, like the Scott she’d first known.

“Up at the lodge.”

“Ah. With him.”

“Are you going to come get me or not?”

“I don’t know. You’ve been ignoring me.”

That was so Scott. Whiny and pathetic, but not threatening. “You owe me,” she said simply, hoping he still felt at least a tinge of the guilt he should feel.

He sighed. “All right. But after this, you owe me.”

She shook her head. If only her little town had cabs that weren’t affiliated with the lodge. “Fine.”

“A date?”

“Scott… don’t push it. I’m in cabin number three.”

“Fine,” he said. “See you soon. I’m leaving now.”

She hung up and set the phone on the bed, wondering when Ryder would come back in. What could he possibly say to excuse himself?

She got up, locked the bedroom door, pulled the curtains closed over the broken window, and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt. Then she began packing, shoving clothing haphazardly into her suitcase. When she was finished, she opened the door to the living room and picked up the clothing Ryder had scattered when he’d picked her up and started making love to her.