"I'm sorry you lost him," Tino whispered.

"So am I." Howard's hand curled around the piece.

"I hope you'll have donuts tomorrow." Tino shuffled out of the room.

The gatehouse was packed full of people. Elsa had halted her work on the new island in the kitchen, for the wiring and plumbing crews had come in to do their job. Madge and the camera crew were also there, filming. As soon as the pipes and wiring were installed, The B Boys would finish floating the new ceiling on the ground floor.

She was in the utility room, checking where the wall had been removed and plumbing installed for a washing machine, when Alastair strolled in and came to a stop on the newly repaired floor.

"I just hired two more workers." He bounced on the b.a.l.l.s of his feet, testing the floor. "Howard says they have experience."

Her heart swelled at the sound of his name. "Howard is back?"

"Yes. The boys are his cousins. Apparently, he brought them back with him from Alaska."

"I see." A twinge of disappointment nicked at her. Howard had contacted Alastair but not her?

"The boys are Jimmy and Jesse Barr. They'll start work in the morning." Alastair sauntered from the room. "I hope Howard starts bringing us donuts again."

Jimmy and Jesse Barr Barr? Elsa slapped herself mentally. Why hadn't she realized Howard's last name was such a major clue? But she couldn't recall him ever mentioning his last name. These two cousins were probably were-bears, too. And berserkers.

Great. Now there would be three berserkers close by who could fulfill the curse. She shoved that thought aside. She wasn't going to let the stupid curse dictate her life. It only had power over her if she believed in it and feared it.

Howard felt the same way. So why hadn't he called? Maybe with all the noise in the house, she'd missed his call? She pulled her cell phone from her jeans pocket. No missed calls. No texts. She called his number, but it rang and rang. Was he busy? She left a voice message.

"Howard, I heard you were back. I'm so sorry about Harry. Call me when you get a chance. Bye."

She switched the phone to vibrate so she would feel it when he returned her call.

An hour later, he still hadn't called. Was he really that busy? Or maybe he was too depressed over Harry's death. Should she give him sympathy or give him s.p.a.ce?

Another hour pa.s.sed. An ominous feeling settled in her gut. This wasn't like Howard. He'd always been so determined to pursue her.

After another hour, the ominous feeling threatened to turn into panic. Now that she feared she might lose him, she realized how badly she wanted him.

She called again. It rang and rang.

"Hi, Elsa," he finally answered.

Her heart did its usual somersault at the sound of his deep, s.e.xy voice. "Howard, I was worried about you. Are you all right?"

"Yes." There was a pause. "I've been ... thinking."

The bad feeling in her gut returned full force. "You're in mourning now. You shouldn't be making any-"

"I don't want you to live in fear of me. It's not fair to you. And I've been putting you in a bad position, forcing you to lie to your aunts."

Her gut twisted. "Howard, don't-"

"I can't let you fall in love with me."

Too late! she wanted to scream. she wanted to scream.

"Not when I know it will end with regret," he continued quickly. "You tried to reject me several times. Your instincts were correct."

"What do you mean? You were planning to attack me after all?"

"No, of course not. I could never hurt you."

"You're hurting me now!"

There was a pause before he continued. "I'm sorry, Elsa. I'm sure if you think about it, you'll know this is for the best. You can have a full and happy life without any fears that the curse will come true."

"I don't care about the d.a.m.ned curse!"

"It's for the best. I'm really sorry." He hung up.

She stared at the phone. Was this really happening? Had he really dropped her? On the phone? Her heart pounded, thundering in her ears.

This couldn't be happening! The man who had pursued her without fail had suddenly failed on her?

It had to be the grief. With trembling hands, she stuffed the phone back into her pocket. This wasn't like Howard. The Howard she knew was always smiling and joking. But his jolly exterior simply masked how strong and determined he was. He never gave up.

She wandered past the other workers, not even hearing them, till she ended up on the back porch. Her gaze drifted to the spot where she'd had two picnics with Howard. And right there was the spot where he'd told her he loved her.

"This is all wrong," she whispered. It was all backward. From the moment they had met, he'd chased after her while she had wavered. And now that she was thoroughly caught, he was wavering? No, more than wavering. He'd flat out rejected her.

How could he? He'd stood right over there and told her he loved her.

"Dammit." She pulled her phone from her pocket to send him a text message.

What the h.e.l.l happened? she typed, then erased it. Too angry. The guy was in mourning. She should cut him some slack. she typed, then erased it. Too angry. The guy was in mourning. She should cut him some slack.

I thought you wanted to jump my bones? No, that made their relationship sound merely physical. It was much deeper than that. Their souls belonged together. She'd felt pulled to him the moment she first saw him. Just like her aunt Ula had said. The two of them, guardian and berserker, were tied together in a dance that was centuries old. It was up to them to give that dance a happy ending instead of a tragic one. Howard had always been up to the challenge. Until now. No, that made their relationship sound merely physical. It was much deeper than that. Their souls belonged together. She'd felt pulled to him the moment she first saw him. Just like her aunt Ula had said. The two of them, guardian and berserker, were tied together in a dance that was centuries old. It was up to them to give that dance a happy ending instead of a tragic one. Howard had always been up to the challenge. Until now.

How dare he toss their attraction aside? She'd come so far since her arrival here. She'd adjusted to being the Guardian of the Forest. She'd learned to accept him as a were-bear. She'd finally arrived at the point that she was ready to trust him. How dare he reject all the progress she'd made?

She typed another message. I know you're hurting right now, but don't toss me aside just to ease your pain. I never took you for a COWARD!! I know you're hurting right now, but don't toss me aside just to ease your pain. I never took you for a COWARD!!

With a wince, she deleted that. She shouldn't let her anger show. But dammit, she was was angry! angry!

She tried a fourth time. Don't give up on me. You proved you are worthy, and I trust you. Don't give up on me. You proved you are worthy, and I trust you.

Should she tell him she loved him? No, she'd rather do that in person. She studied the message, then took a deep breath and pushed Send.

She waited, but there was no response. Her mind raced, replaying what he'd said earlier on the phone. He thought she would regret being with him.

No, she would regret living the rest of her life without him.

She had to get him back. Luckily, she had an ally. She sent a long text to Shanna Draganesti. If all went according to plan, Howard would come to the gatehouse tomorrow afternoon.

Howard watched the sun set from his office window. Ian would be here soon to relieve him. And the twins should be back soon from their trip to Cranville. He'd loaned them his car and given them enough money to buy some tools and tool belts at the local hardware store.

He checked the time on his computer. They'd been gone over an hour. The town was a straight shot down the main road. They couldn't be lost. They were probably roaming around the small town, looking for girls. Or spending the rest of his money at the diner.

He'd spent the afternoon compiling his proof of Rhett's embezzlement from his late father's companies. When the report was complete, he e-mailed it to the editor-in-chief at Northern Lights Sound Bites Northern Lights Sound Bites. Then he called the editor and asked him to continue the paper's expose on Rhett Bleddyn.

Mr. West had agreed. He was worried about further retaliation from Rhett, but he thought he could solve it by writing an article himself that stated if anything happened to anyone at his paper, the police should immediately arrest Rhett. Using that as an insurance policy, the editor was eager to wage war on the villain who had killed his ace reporter Harry. Howard promised to send him all the ammunition he had.

He picked up his phone, and for the hundredth time, he read the text Elsa had sent. Don't give up on me. You proved you are worthy, and I trust you. Don't give up on me. You proved you are worthy, and I trust you.

Was he making a big mistake? Was he throwing away the best thing that had ever happened to him? He rubbed his brow. There was no doubt that he loved her. And wanted her. He ached for her.

But how could he live with himself if something happened to her? It had taken him years to get over Carly's death.

"Howard." Shanna rushed in with a gla.s.s of synthetic blood in her hand. She had obviously dressed in a hurry, by the looks of her T-shirt and sweatpants. "Tino tells me you stopped eating donuts."

He snorted. "It's not the end of the world."

"This is probably not a good time for you to go through sugar withdrawal."

"I'll be fine." He strode to the door. "You should finish your breakfast."

She took a sip from her gla.s.s. "I received a text from ... Alastair."

Howard stopped, noting the hesitation in her voice. Was she up to something?

She lifted her chin. "He wants you to stop by the gatehouse tomorrow afternoon at two for an interview."

"I'm too busy."

"You have to!" Shanna's eyes widened with alarm. "The camera crew is in town, and they won't be back for another two weeks."

He hesitated.

"You promised you would represent me," she added.

He nodded. "All right. I'll be there." He smelled a trap.

She grinned. "Great!" She downed the rest of her gla.s.s, then hurried back down the hall.

He sighed. No doubt Elsa would be at the gatehouse. And she'd insist on talking to him.

Definitely a trap. He should avoid it, even though there was a part of him that desperately wanted to be caught.

Chapter Twenty-three

Tall, long-legged, broad-shouldered, thick brown hair, and twinkling blue eyes. No doubt about it, Elsa thought, those two boys were Howard's cousins. A pang shot through her chest. She couldn't lose Howard.

It was the next morning, and all the workers had gathered in the parlor at the gatehouse. Aunt Ula was parked outside in the driveway. Aunt Greta would be taking her turn in the afternoon.

Alastair introduced Howard's cousins to everyone. "Thank you for bringing the donuts."

"No problem," one twin said. Elsa thought it might be Jesse, but she wasn't sure which one was which.

"Are you lads up to knocking down a few walls?" Alastair asked.

The boys smiled. "Sure."

Elsa figured they could knock down an entire house if they shifted into were-bears.

"Good. You'll a.s.sist The B Boys today," Alastair told them. "They'll be busting down some walls upstairs to enlarge a few rooms. Elsa, I'll give you the floor plans so you can supervise."

"Okay." She noticed the twins were grinning at her. Had Howard mentioned her to them? If so, that was a good sign.

"Oskar, make sure the wiring is completed for the bas.e.m.e.nt and ground floor," Alastair continued. "Did you finish sectioning off the bas.e.m.e.nt?"

"Ja," Oskar replied. "We have the walls up for the bedroom suite and storage room."

"Excellent." Alastair strode toward Elsa and handed her the upstairs floor plans. "Let's make some progress before Madge shows up at noon with the camera crew. Jimmy and Jesse, would you mind putting the leftover donuts in the kitchen?"

With that, everyone split up to get to work. The wiring and plumbing crews were concentrating on the bas.e.m.e.nt and ground floor. Elsa headed up the stairs behind The B Boys. The twins hurried off to the kitchen with the last two boxes of donuts.

With one more stair step to go, she felt a tap on her shoulder from behind. An instant burst of red-hot pain shot from the birthmark on her shoulder. She stumbled onto the second floor landing and turned to see Howard's cousins right behind her.

"I'm sorry," one of the twins said, his eyes wide with worry. "I didn't think I tapped you that hard."

"Yeah," the other twin said. "Sometimes we don't know our own strength."

"Howard would probably kill us if we hurt you," the first one added.

"I'm fine," Elsa a.s.sured them. "I just lost my balance." So these two boys had the same effect on her birthmark that Howard had. Not surprising, really, since they came from the same berserker family. But she didn't feel immediately drawn to them like she had with Howard.

Another good sign, she thought. It meant she was attracted to Howard not because he was a berserker but because he was Howard. Huge, handsome, hunky Howard.

"We wanted to introduce ourselves," said the one who had tapped her shoulder. "I'm Jimmy."

"And I'm Jesse."