Chapter Ten: Martha

Chapter Ten – Martha

“I can’t believe someone can possibly live here in this weather.” Martha was shocked to think that someone had been sleeping rough at the shack in the cold winter.

Clint simply shrugged and replied, “Not necessarily.”

“Not necessarily?” Martha looked around in disbelief. The shack was a dilapidated structure with no insulation, no windows, and only one door that barely stayed on its hinges. There was no sign of a firepit or any other means of keeping warm. How could anyone survive in such conditions? “What do you mean, not necessarily? Do you think they cover themselves in leaves to keep warm?”

“Maybe,” Clint answered, but she could tell he was keeping something from her.

She kicked up a small flurry of dried leaves. There was no way someone could stay warm in here. Perhaps they didn’t live here. They might simply have hidden the backpack here...

But for what reason?

She didn’t like the idea of invading the person’s privacy, but she had to look inside. It was the only way of getting to the root of what was going on here.

“Let’s take a look inside here. We might find some answers.” She tugged at the zipper, her mind running in a million directions. She half-expected to find something menacing inside, but when she finally opened the bag, she found the contents belonged to a teenager. Her nerves calmed slightly, but her curiosity was piqued.

She could feel Clint’s eyes on her as she sifted through the backpack’s contents, looking for any clues about the person who had left it behind. There were a few basic necessities inside, like a change of clothes, some toiletries, and a few snacks. But there was no identification or anything else that could tell them who the backpack belonged to.

“These clothes look like they belong to a teenager.” Martha pulled them out one at a time to check the size on the label, as she did, something dropped on the floor.

“What’s that?” Clint leaned down and closed his hand around it.

“It’s a compass.” She looked over his shoulder as he turned it over in his hand. “Is that an inscription?”

“Yeah.” Clint rubbed his thumb across the smooth metal. “So you’ll always find your way home.”

“And the numbers?” Martha asked.

“Too worn to see.” Clint peered closer. “Maybe a phone number.”

“I’ll take a photo of it.” Martha took out her cell phone and snapped a photo. But even with it zoomed in, she couldn’t figure out what the numbers meant.

“Let’s put everything back as we found it.” Clint carefully wrapped the compass in a T-shirt that needed a good wash. Then he put everything back in the pack and placed it back under the leaves where they’d found it.

Martha felt a sense of concern and worry creeping up on her. She didn’t want to leave the backpack there, and leave its owner to freeze out here, but she also didn’t know what else to do.

“Do you think we should call the sheriff?” she asked, turning to Clint with a look of concern.

Clint shrugged his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the backpack. “Maybe,” he said. “I’ll give him a call when we get back.”

Martha wasn’t sure what the sheriff would do. She certainly didn’t want him to overreact. The backpack might belong to a teenager who had been up here with friends and had simply left it behind. There was nothing to say that the owner of the backpack had been causing trouble.

However, she trusted Clint’s instincts. She zipped up the backpack and straightened up, feeling a sense of trepidation and anticipation building inside her.

“Do you think we should call the realtor, too?” Martha couldn’t shake off the feeling of unease as she followed Clint out of the remote shack. The sight of the backpack and its contents left her feeling curious about whoever it belonged to. “Sammy might have an idea who owns it.”

Clint turned to face her, a serious expression on his face. “I don’t think so,” he said. “Maybe I’ll come back here with Brad and see if anyone comes back for that backpack.”

Martha’s eyes widened with surprise. “Do you think that’s necessary? There could be a simple explanation.”

Martha didn’t want Clint to put himself in danger. Whoever had left the backpack behind might be a kid, or the backpack might be stolen and whoever stole it could be dangerous.

When she got back to town, she’d go see the sheriff herself. He seemed like a good guy who would deal with the situation. With the help of his deputies, not the local lodge owner. Although, she didn’t doubt that Clint was more than capable of looking after himself if it came to a fight.

But then she drew a deep breath and reminded herself she was new in Bear Creek. She didn’t understand how things worked here yet, and maybe it was best if she left this to Clint. After all, small towns were different from the city, and she was an outsider.

Clint nodded, his eyes scanning the surrounding area. “It might be the only way we’ll be able to find out who that backpack belongs to.”

Clint seemed confident, and Martha decided to trust his judgment. For now. She just hoped he wouldn’t do anything foolish. “I don’t want you getting hurt because of this. Because of me...”

“Don’t worry, I can look after myself,” Clint assured her and flashed her a smile.

Martha felt a sense of determination welling up inside her. “Okay, in that case, I’ll help,” she said firmly. “We can take shifts watching the place.”

Clint shook his head, his expression grave. “No,” he said. “You can’t be here.”

Martha felt a sudden surge of frustration. “Why not? What’s going on here, Clint?”

But Clint was evasive, refusing to give her a straight answer. “It’s just better if you stay away,” he said, his tone final.

Martha was left feeling even more confused and frustrated than before. She didn’t understand why Clint was being so secretive, or why he seemed to think that she couldn’t be trusted. But she wasn’t going to give up that easily.

“Clint,” she said firmly. “I need to know what’s going on. Please, just tell me.”

Clint hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching hers. Finally, he let out a deep breath. “Okay,” he said. “But you have to promise not to freak out.”

Martha felt her heart racing at Clint’s words, and a shiver trickled down her spine. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what was really going on. As she looked at Clint, she acknowledged the connection she felt with him. It was something otherworldly, like it belonged in one of the fairy tales Clint had spoken about.

Come to think of it, ever since she’d arrived at Bear Creek Lodge, she’d felt as if she’d stepped into another world. She suspected that whatever Clint was going to tell her was going to be even stranger and more unbelievable than anything she could have imagined.

As a lawyer, she’d heard plenty of versions of events that sounded like make-believe, she’d just never expected to hear the same from a man like Clint, who seemed so solid and grounded.

Was she in way over her head?

But she wasn’t going to back down now. She had to hear Clint out, no matter what the cost.

“I promise,” she said. “I won’t freak out.”

Clint nodded, a look of relief washing over his features. This meant a lot to him.

Shemeant a lot to him. She could see it in his eyes and feel it in the air. The moment was charged with emotion and a lump formed in her throat.

“Okay then.” Clint ruffled his hair with a visible sigh, his movements betraying his uneasiness. He glanced around, seemingly searching for an escape from the situation—his eyes never quite meeting hers.

“But if you’d rather not...” Her voice faded away. She didn’t want to put him on the spot or force him to reveal something he’d rather keep hidden.

Clint seemed to sense her hesitation, and he shook his head. “I hadn’t planned on telling you today.” He drew a deep breath before continuing. “But I know you can sense there’s something between us.”

“Clint, whatever you have to say, just say it.” She was an expert at separating fact from fiction and lining it up in the right order. But Clint’s words? She knew they’d be a game changer, one that would alter the course of their relationship. Nothing he said could make her think less of him. Could it?

She shuddered with a mixture of anticipation and trepidation, wondering what he was about to tell her.

It was as if she were back on the edge of that precipice, the one she’d stepped off only this morning when she drove away from her old home, her old life.

Maybe it was fitting that Clint would share his news here in front of what she hoped to make her new home.

Martha took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I’m ready.”

The look in Clint’s eyes told her she might never be ready to hear what he had to say. But she stood her ground, nonetheless.

“Stay right there.” He held out his hands as if to freeze her in place. “It’s freezing out here and I don’t want you to run off and...”

“I’m not the running kind,” she assured him. It was true, she’d never run away from a challenge in her life, and she was not about to start now.

On the first day of her new life.

Clint locked eyes with her, as if trying to assess if she truly believed those words. “Okay then.”

He stepped farther away from her, and she tilted her head to one side as she watched him. “Are you running out on me?”

Clint rubbed the back of his neck and forced a laugh, but the sound was more strained than amused. “No, I’m just giving you some distance.”

Martha furrowed her brows in confusion. “Distance? Why do we need distance for whatever you’re about to say?”

Clint smiled, but it was a sad smile that tugged at her heartstrings. “It’s more of a show than tell,” he said.

Martha nodded and said, “Okay, show me!”

Clint stepped away from her and the air around him shimmered as if it was charged with electricity, the same electricity that had passed between them when they touched. Then he was gone.

She took a step back, reeling from the impossible sight she had just witnessed. How could it be that a man could just plain vanish?

But before she could come up with any kind of solution, a huge, shadowy shape formed where Clint had been standing. The shadow took form, and its features became more distinct.

A bear.

Or were her eyes deceiving her? They had to be, right? There was no way a man could change into a bear. But that was exactly what had happened.

Clint was a bear! And not just any bear, but a powerful one standing tall and proud in front of her.

Martha’s heart raced with a mix of shock and admiration as she watched the majestic creature before her.

“Clint?” she whispered, unable to comprehend exactly what she’d just witnessed.

A man changing into a bear was certainly the weirdest thing she’d ever seen in her life. However, she had no doubt it was true.

The bear nodded his head.

Not only had Clint changed into a bear, but the bear could understand what she was saying. Could he talk, too?

No, that would be too weird. She shook her head, the laughter bubbling up from her chest and spilling from her lips—a startling sound in the otherwise stillness of the mountains. But Martha couldn’t contain it, no matter how she tried. Her mouth widened in a silent scream as her sides shook with mirth, like she was on the edge of hysteria.

A bear. Clint had turned into a bear.

A bear that was now coming closer to her, rubbing his massive head against her hand as if to comfort and reassure her.

Martha tried to control the wave of emotions that threatened to overtake her. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stay still and calm. She slowly reached out and stroked the bear’s fur, marveling at the softness of his coat. She felt a sense of peace wash over her as the bear nuzzled against her hand, and she knew then that no matter what Clint had to tell her, she would still be there for him.

There was no denying that this moment was a turning point in their relationship, one built on trust. Because Clint must trust her implicitly if he felt safe enough to share this secret with her.

She felt like she was seeing Clint for the first time. Clint let out a low moan, as if trying to communicate with her.

She looked into the bear’s eyes and whispered, “You are amazing.”

The bear gave a short, slow nod and then let out a deep, throaty rumble, his lips pulling back into a predatory smirk that seemed to say he understood her words and found them amusing. Did he understand her words? Was he amused? Her breath hitched as she watched him and waited.

“And you can understand me, can’t you?” Martha asked.

The bear huffed softly and nuzzled against her hand with his velvet-soft nose. His whiskers sent goosebumps racing up her arm, and she shivered in delight. There was a quiet understanding between them, a connection that spoke louder than words. It wasn’t the same as the one she shared with Clint—that was a soul-deep bond—but it felt as if there was something eternal tying them together, a promise that nothing could break.

She dropped to her knees and cupped his head in her hands, resting her forehead against his broad head. She stayed like that for a long while until the cold seeped into her bones, but she was loath to move away from him.

Finally, with a deep breath, she pulled away and stood on her feet. The bear watched her with an intensity that seemed to say he knew exactly what she was thinking and feeling.

The bear retreated one step, then another, and the air around him sparked with some unseen energy. In an instant, he was gone, and in his place stood Clint, his broad shoulders blocking out the view.

“What the...?” she gasped, but she didn’t have time to process what she’d seen before Clint wrapped his arms around her in a hug that threatened to squeeze the breath from her lungs.

Clint finally broke the silence between them by saying softly, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

Martha shook her head and smiled up at him. “It’s okay,” she said gently. “It doesn’t matter how or when you told me—it’s just that you did.”

Was she okay? She’d never in her wildest imagination have dreamed that a man could change into a bear. It opened up the world to so many more fantastical possibilities.