Second Chance Bear Read online

  “It’s simple. Using these planks, you have to follow the course of the stream.” He grinned, his boyish charm shining through. “Let’s go down to the water and you’ll see how to use them.”

  Marcus scooped up the planks as if they were matchsticks and put them under his arm as he led them down to the river, which seemed to be chuckling to itself this morning as if it knew someone would fall in. Luckily the place Marcus had chosen for this task was very shallow and the most they would get was wet feet.

  “I could walk across that,” Stu announced.

  “You could. You all could. But then you wouldn’t have solved the problem together, which is why we are here.” Marcus dropped the planks on the ground. They clattered together, and he bent to pick one up, standing it on its edge with his hand on the top. “This is all about helping each other.”

  He pointed to a string of small stepping stones that led downstream. The top of each stone was almost submerged in the water, which meant if they stepped on it they would get wet feet. They were also spaced too far apart for anyone, even Chuck, to step from stone to stone.

  They were, however, ideally spaced for one of Marcus’s planks to rest between.

  “I get it,” Reece exclaimed excitedly. “We have to build a bridge.” He rushed forward and picked up a plank from the ground. “Can I?”

  “Go ahead.” Marcus waved Reece forward and followed him to the stream.

  With an intense look of concentration, Reece placed the furthest end of the plank on a stepping stone and then placed the other end on the stream bank. “There.” He held his hands out to keep himself balanced as he crossed the plank. “Someone pass me another one.”

  Winnie rushed forward and picked up a plank. It was heavy, and her arms sagged, but Stu went to her aid. “I’ll help.”

  Joanna smiled at Kylie and Chuck as the children passed the next plank to Reece. They were working as a team.

  “Tabitha, will you help me with the next one?” Jude asked.

  “No, this is stupid. All we have to do is make a bridge. Where’s the challenge in that?” Tabitha asked petulantly.

  “What if I tell you something no one has realized yet?” Marcus asked.

  “What?” Tabitha asked sullenly, although she looked interested.

  “There are not enough planks to make a complete bridge. There are only five planks and you have a longer distance to go to reach your destination.” Marcus’s words were kind of cryptic and he looked as if he was having far too much fun.

  “So what do we do?” Jude asked.

  “That is for you all to figure out. But remember, it takes teamwork and every member of the team has to get to the finish.” Marcus stood back and let the two families collect all the planks. As Joanna bent down to retrieve one of the planks off the grass, heat rushed to her face. The closeness of this man was overwhelming.

  “Tell me,” she began, “what do you get more pleasure from, watching us succeed or watching us fall in the water?”

  Marcus chuckled. “For me, the best outcome is for you all to work together to figure it out.”

  “Do you double as a diplomat in your spare time?” Chuck asked as he picked up the last of the planks.

  “Being the oldest of three, it’s always been my job to make the peace and keep the peace.” Marcus swung his head around to look at Tabitha. “Come on, they need your help.”

  “No, they don’t. They’ll figure it out just fine on their own.”

  “But they’ll fail if you don’t help,” Marcus reminded her. “You all have to get to the end.”

  “I’m not playing,” Tabitha said, and she turned her back on them.

  “Let me try talking to her,” Joanna offered. “You all go on.”

  She clutched the plank tightly under her arm and carried it over to Tabitha and leaned it toward her. Joanna wasn’t sure if she could get through to Tabitha, she wasn’t even sure if she was the right person to attempt to get the young girl to join in, but she desperately wanted to try.

  “I’m not doing it.” Tabitha crossed her arms over her chest like a barricade.

  “Why not?” Joanna could give Tabitha a million and one reasons to join in, but what she really wanted to know was why the young girl refused to be part of the team building event.

  “They don’t need me.” She shrugged and hugged herself tighter.

  “How do you know they don’t need you?” Joanna asked.

  “Because they don’t. This is easy to figure out. They don’t need a child to tell them.”

  Joanna looked over her shoulder to where the others were placing the planks down and walking along them, getting further and further away from the bank. “Did you ever think that needing people is not just about getting the task done?”

  “That’s totally what this is about,” Tabitha replied.

  “No, it’s about us having fun while we do the task and work together. If you aren’t part of this, it’s like there’s a part of the team missing. We won’t enjoy it because you are not enjoying it with us.” Joanna frowned. “I’m not good at making myself clear.”

  “I’ll just screw it up if I join in.”

  “I thought you said this was easy to figure out.” Joanna studied Tabitha closely. “You think they don’t enjoy having you around.”

  Tabitha’s head jerked up. “They don’t. Before I came along they were happy, they were a family. I’m an outsider.”

  Joanna sighed and sat down on the ground. “I felt like that with my family my whole life.”

  “You did?” Tabitha asked. She plonked herself down next to Joanna.

  “Yes. My mom and dad thought they wanted a child. They thought that having me would complete their lives. But honestly, their lives were complete without me. So I spent my whole life on the edge, never being let in.” Joanna inclined her head toward the stream. “The difference between my parents and yours is that they want to include you. They are trying their hardest.” A lump swelled in her throat, but she swallowed down her tears. “I would have given anything to have parents who wanted to do stuff with me.”

  “I don’t know how.” Tabitha’s raw honesty cut Joanna’s heart in two.

  “Well, it’s like anything else in life, you have to give it a try and keep trying until you get the hang of it.” Joanna stood up and offered Tabitha her hand. “What do you say?”

  Tabitha looked across to the stream where only Chuck was left on the bank. “I don’t know…”

  “Just give it a try. For me.” Joanna hunkered down next to Tabitha. “Although really, you should do it for you. And for them, because it would make them so happy and you know what?”

  “What?” Tabitha asked, shuffling around as if she was sitting on an ants’ nest.

  “Seeing other people happy can make us feel happy.” Joanna frowned. “Not that you should always do things to make other people happy…”

  “It’s okay. I get it.” Tabitha nodded and put her small hand in Joanna’s. With a tug, Joanna pulled Tabitha to her feet. “I shouldn’t do things just to make other people happy. But making other people happy is a good thing as long as it doesn’t hurt us.”

  “That’s right.” Joanna slipped her arm around Tabitha’s shoulders. “Believe me, I know from experience. I used to do everything to try to make my parents happy. Even as far as studying to be a doctor even though I hate the sight of blood. But I just wanted them, one time, to look at me and be proud.”

  “Did that ever happen?” Tabitha asked, her hand still gripping Joanna’s as if she never wanted to let go.

  “No. But there’s still time… And if not, it’s their loss.” They reached the bank of the stream where Marcus and Chuck were waiting.

  “Here we go, the last team members are here.” Chuck grinned at Joanna and Tabitha. “Are you ready?”

  “We are.” Joanna looked down at Tabitha. “Shall we go across the bridge?”

  Tabitha nodded and stepped onto the first plank. She stood for a moment to get her bal
ance and then continued on. Joanna followed, and Chuck brought up the rear. They kept going over the first four planks and then Tabitha stopped. Kylie stood in front of her.

  “Hey there, have you got the next plank?” Kylie asked.

  “Here.” Joanna passed the plank to Tabitha who passed it to Kylie. It was then passed along the line to Reece who was in front. “Now what?”

  “We have to pick up the first plank and pass it along,” Tabitha said. She kept her eyes down as if scared she might have gotten it wrong. For all her bravado, Tabitha was a scared kid who needed to be accepted and loved for who she was. Which was exactly what her new family was offering her. All she had to do was reach out and take it.

  “Good idea, Tabitha. Chuck, can you lift the first plank? We can pass it along to Reece who can put it down between the next stones.” Kylie beamed at Tabitha, a smile so bright it might eclipse the sun.

  This family had taken the first step on their way to becoming a complete family unit. All because of a little water and some planks of wood.

  They worked as a team, refining their system until they were like a well-oiled machine, Chuck picked up the last plank and passed it to Joanna, who passed it to Tabitha. The young girl worked hard concentrating on the task fully with no complaining even when the plank slipped from her hand and splashed into the stream.

  “Don’t panic,” Kylie instructed as she bent down and grabbed the end of the plank. “If you grab the other end we can lift it up together.”

  Tabitha bent down and curled her fingers around the wet plank and pulled it out of the water. “Does this mean we’ve failed?” she asked, her lip trembling.

  “I think we’re okay as long as we don’t get our feet wet,” Joanna said with encouragement. She glanced across to Marcus, who was wading through the water next to them. “Is that right?”

  “Yes, just keep those feet dry,” Marcus replied. “And you get extra points for good teamwork.”

  “And that was some good teamwork.” Kylie nodded her encouragement at Tabitha who gave an unsure smile.

  “The best,” Joanna added. “Now, let’s complete the task and get to the finish. I hear we might get some hot chocolate when we do.”

  Marcus grinned. “Sounds like a good prize to me. Let’s go, team.”

  They all upped the pace, the prospect of successfully completing their first task, and the promise of hot chocolate, spurred them on. The stepping stones led them ever closer to the opposite bank to which they started, and the team sensed victory.

  “Which way?” Reece called behind him as the other boys all joined him on the small patch of raised ground in the middle of the stream. From their vantage point they could see three stepping stones within their reach that led to the opposite bank.

  “You have to choose. Only one way is the right way. If you pick the wrong way you have to turn around and come all the way back and start again.” Marcus grinned mischievously at the group as they huddled together on the island.

  “Do we just pick one and see if it’s right?” Stu asked.

  “Yes. Pick one, try it, if it’s wrong, you all turn around and come back to the island and try again,” Marcus explained.

  “Can you count the stones for each route?” Kylie asked.

  The children all counted. Two routes had seven stones, one had five stones. It didn’t make their choice clearer.

  “The stones all lead to different points along the banks,” Chuck said, trying to reason it out. “Can we gauge the distance of each route? Or see if one section of the bank is more well-used than the others?”

  “Not easily,” Stu answered. “The bank is at an angle and cuts across. There might be a trail leading off from the middle route.” He pointed across to the opposite bank to the one they started on.

  “Maybe it’s that way.” Tabitha’s small voice made them all turn and look at her. She visibly quaked at the attention, but she breathed in and repeated her idea. “If we go to that bank, we are on the wrong side of the river, we’ll have to cross back. Marcus never said we were crossing the river. He only said we had to get to the end.”

  “That is such a good idea, Tabitha,” Kylie told her daughter. “Shall we count the stones?”

  “There are eight, I already counted. Plus, it looks as if there is a trail leading away from the river from where we reach the bank.” Tabitha sounded more assured now that her idea had been accepted and not thrown back at her as stupid.

  Joanna stole a glance at Marcus. His attempt at hiding his pleasure at Tabitha reasoning out his puzzle didn’t fool her. And she found herself smiling, too, until their eyes locked together and something else passed between them. Something that made her insides turn to liquid fire.

  Quickly turning away, she began to organize the team. “Okay, I can’t wait for some hot chocolate, so let’s get the planks together and get across the stream.”

  The planks were quickly assembled, and the team was ready to go. Stu had taken the front position this time, but before he laid the first plank, he turned to Tabitha and offered her the plank of wood. “You should go first. It was your idea.”

  Tabitha hung back, eying Stu with suspicion. Was this a trick so if it was wrong she would take all the blame? Joanna could read the mixture of emotions in her face.

  “Right or wrong, it doesn’t matter,” Jude said, coming to stand next to her. “It is a good idea.”

  “Here, we can do it together and then you can go first,” Stu offered, holding his hand out to his sister.

  Tabitha looked at the opposite bank as if weighing up the repercussions of her decision. Then she stepped forward and took the plank from her brother. “Thanks.” She broke out into a beautiful grin and then stepped forward confidently to lay the first plank.

  One by one the planks were laid and then the children walked along them. When the fifth one was in place, the families worked together to pass the planks forward until at last, Tabitha placed the final plank at her feet.

  “It reaches,” she called out in triumph.

  One by one the team reached the safety of the bank. Each of them had dry feet, and each of them high-fived Tabitha as they celebrated their success.

  “We did it,” Reece said excitedly, his arm around his sister as they looked back at the route they’d taken along the stream bed.

  “You did. Let’s collect the planks and carry them back to the beginning, ready for the next team to take on the challenge. Then we can rustle up some hot chocolate and probably eat lunch.” Marcus looked at his watch. “You’ve completed this task in one of the fastest times I’ve seen.”

  “All thanks to Tabitha,” Stu said, putting his arm around his sister.

  For a moment she froze, unsure how she was supposed to cope with being hugged. But she glanced at Reece and Winnie who were standing together looking relaxed and she let her shoulders drop and breathed out. “We did it as a team.”

  “We sure did,” Kylie agreed.

  Chuck moved to the side of his wife and wrapped his arms around her as Jude joined Stu and Tabitha for a hug. “Thanks for this morning, Marcus.”

  “My pleasure,” Marcus said, his eyes scanning the group before coming to rest on Joanna.

  In that moment, Joanna was certain they wanted the same thing. For his arms to be wrapped around her shoulders. To stand so close to each other that their bodies were as one.

  “Thanks for bringing us, Mom.” Reece and Winnie crowded around her and she hugged them close, once more torn between her need to be a mother and her desire for Marcus.

  Could the two be compatible? Perhaps she should trust in fate to make that decision, she thought wryly as she hugged her children.

  Chapter Eight – Marcus

  “Did you do it?” Marcus asked Patrick and Sage over lunch in the barn.

  “Yes, we did,” Patrick looked at his brother-in-law with a bemused expression.

  “I know, it’s crazy, and I’m sorry I asked you…”

  “But it’s for a good re
ason,” Sage shot her husband a warning look. “You do remember what it’s like when you first meet your mate and you’d do anything for them.”

  “I’d do anything for you now,” Patrick insisted and then rolled his eyes. “This is about the ice cream again, isn’t it?”

  “I’m not the kind of person who holds a grudge,” Sage said sweetly. Then she ran her hand over her belly. “Of course, your child might not agree.”

  Patrick chuckled. “It’s a good thing you are my mate and I know you are only joking.”

  Sage shook her head. “That is the trouble with fated mates, there is no room for emotional blackmail. You know no matter what, I’ll never leave you and always love you.”

  He kissed her cheek. “And I’ll always love you. And…I went to Reamington first thing this morning and bought you some ice cream. So when you wake up in the night craving cookie dough ice cream, I’ll get you some.”

  Sage let her expression drop. “I’ve moved on from cookie dough.”

  Patrick groaned. “Do I get to know in advance, so I can store some in the freezer?”

  “I’m joking,” Sage told him and leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’d love some cookie dough ice cream right now. It’s been a long morning.”

  “Promise me you are not doing too much.” Patrick rested his arm on his wife’s shoulders and she leaned into him.

  “No, I’m fine, I have a quiet afternoon. My group is about to take on the stepping stone stream challenge. Didn’t you do that this morning?” Sage asked Marcus.

  “We did. Tabitha got it right away. My team rocks.” Marcus turned his head and looked over his shoulder to the table where Joanna sat with her kids and the Caulfield family.

  “Not that you are biased,” Patrick said easily. “Who knew the woman of your dreams would arrive at your door.” He glanced sideways at Sage. “Fate sure does move in mysterious ways.”

  “Joanna said she doesn’t believe in fate.” Marcus scraped the last of his food off his plate.

  “She will when she finds out about you. And about shifters.” Sage placed her hand on her brother’s, trying to comfort him. “By the end of this week, she’ll know just how lucky she is. You are a great guy.”