Free Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2) by Liza O'Connor

your belt, but keep the backpack. It might save your life if Grumpy catches you. If that happens, drop face down, letting your arms protect the sides of your face. Your backpack will cover the back of your neck.” Hopefully…
    “Okay, I’ll try for the run and distract plan,” he yelled.
    The moment he hit the ground, Grumpy’s head turned his way. Tess climbed farther down her tree until she stood on a branch right above the bear. Grumpy roared at her, swatted the tree, and then headed after Dr. Castile.
    Tess screamed, “Tree,” as she followed in Grumpy’s wake. Her yell caused Grumpy to slow and turn. She quickly scampered up a tree, but remained on a lower branch so she could keep the bear’s focus on her. “Try again,” she yelled.
    Steel leapt down, and once again Grumpy went after him. Tess quickly followed. When Grumpy got too close to Steel, she yelled, he climbed a tree, and Grumpy turned on her again.
    She stayed low in her new tree, but out of his swatting range. “Catch your breath and try it again when you’re ready,” she yelled over Grumpy’s roars.
    She’d lost count of the number of tree ascents they made on this dangerous hike home when she heard a gunshot. Less than a second later, Grumpy scampered off like a frightened dog.
    Tess waited until she could see the shooter.
    “Thank God,” Steel said as he climbed from his tree. “I thought we’d be playing games with that beast forever.”
    “Where’s Tess?” Grams demanded.
    Hearing Grams’ worried voice, she climbed down. “I’m here.”
    Grams waved them in her direction. “Let’s get home. I have no desire to deal with that damn bear in the dark.”
    Tess realized it was near dusk. They would have never made it home tonight without Grams’ help.
    When she reached her beloved grams, she hugged her tight. “My savior.”
    “My saviors,” Steel corrected. He then wrapped his arms around them both. “You both are heroes in my eyes.”
    Tess appreciated him spreading the credit, so she reciprocated. “Not many people would leave their tree to run for help. Thank you for trusting me.”
    His eyes met hers. “Honestly, I thought you were mad when you told me to abandon my nice big tree for a smaller one, but I followed your advice.”
    “This is going to sound a bit weird, but I wouldn’t have told you to run if I hadn’t had faith that you would climb up a smaller tree when I said ‘tree’. So I trusted you as well.”
    Grams looked at Steel and then Tess, then shook her head. “This is all very nice, but I don’t trust that damn bear, and I want to be home by dark.”
    “I’ll second that,” Dr. Castile said.
    “Yeah, Grumpy is definitely not trustworthy,” Tess added.
     

Chapter 6
     
    Once home, Tess made her soothing tea. She first brought Helen’s tea and placed it on the stand next to the old woman’s chair. Soon, she returned with two more mugs. She stood in front of Steel and waited for him to accept his tea. His hands curled about the cup, touching her fingers. Instead of pulling back, she smiled and sat down beside him on the couch.
    That gave him hope. If nothing else, the damn bear and their survival team-work made her realize he had her back. That was at least a start.
    Tess tilted her head and studied her grams while she sipped her tea. “I’m surprised you didn’t shoot Grumpy.”
    Grams snorted. “I was tempted, but I hate wasting money.”
    Steel couldn’t follow the old woman’s logic and looked to Tess to make sense of it. But her bewildered eyes said she was clueless as well.
    “How would shooting Grumpy waste money?” Steel asked.
    “Tess found this place in Minnesota that has agreed to trap Grumpy and put him in their sanctuary, although God help their male bears and tourists when Grumpy gets there. But that’s their damn problem.”
    “Grams! You gave them twenty thousand dollars to save Grumpy?”
    “Hell no! I gave them the money so my softhearted Tess wouldn’t cry over a