Untamed Fiance (Mountain Men of Bear Valley Book 4) Read online

  Untamed Fiancé

  Mountain Men of Bear Valley

  Chantel Seabrook

  Frankie Love

  Contents

  Blurb

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Chantel Seabrook

  Also by Chantel Seabrook

  Frankie Love

  Also by Frankie Love

  Blurb

  Bear Valley: Where rugged men find more than a safe haven — they find their mates.

  The deal is simple: Piper Bancroft pretends to be my mate and we both get what we want.

  I’ll be the next chief and she’ll get her nosy mother off her back.

  But independent and strong-willed Piper has rules.

  Lots of them.

  The most impossible being her insistence that we don’t sleep together.

  But she never said anything about kissing.

  And one kiss is all it takes.

  Piper is my mate, and there’s nothing fake about it.

  If she finds out I want her for keeps, she’ll be leaving for the lower forty-eight.

  When our lies start to spiral out of control, no one is safe.

  And Piper might be gone forever.

  This time she isn’t the one running.

  Someone is after her.

  I may be an untamed mountain man, but deep down I’m a wild bear.

  And I will stop at nothing to take back what is mine.

  The rugged mountain men of Bear Valley are ready to defend their untamed love.

  Chapter 1

  Bennett

  Watching my brother Weston get married is good and all, but now that all three of my older brothers have tied the noose around their necks, I know my mom is going to be on me to follow suit.

  Weston and Kate’s reception is in full swing. A live band is playing, there’s a four-tiered cake on a pedestal, and a parquet dance floor is filled with half of Bear Valley. The other half mingles around the hall; this wedding is the biggest fucking show this Valley has ever seen. And if I’m being honest, it’s pretty damn sweet.

  Most people would expect me to be more cynical about weddings, considering I’ve sworn off love - but right now my niece Finley is standing on her daddy’s shiny black shoes as he dances with her while the band plays Over the Rainbow.

  There’s hardly a dry eye in the house. I look over at my mom and see she’s wiping tears from her eyes. Dammit, she catches me looking and I know just what she’s thinking.

  You’re next.

  But this bear has no intention of getting mated - ever. I love my life and my independence. I don’t need a woman - especially one who can read my damn thoughts, ruining things for me.

  That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy my bachelorhood. I’ve enjoyed more than my share of Bear Valley’s finest. I just make sure I never kiss them. Because no kissing means no mating.

  Only downfall is, without a mate, I’ll never be the next Kodiak chief.

  Ambition, it can suck you dry almost as fast as a bad relationship. And I’ve had both. Still clinging to the first. Because I know I was born to do the job. The council has been watching me, studying me for years, and I know there’s only one thing holding them back from electing me as chief: I’m not mated.

  It’s an archaic rule. One that makes no sense. Because women do nothing but screw with your head. But the elders claim a mate balances the bear and the man, makes him more of a stable leader, Like I said, it’s archaic.

  The band starts in on Love Shack and the sentimental mood changes to one of drunken fun. A waitress walks by with a tray on her hand, offering me a flute of champagne, but I pass, not wanting to get wasted at a public event. I wouldn’t do that. Not when I have big plans for myself, for this Valley. My people need a leader who can hold his own, which is exactly what I plan to do.

  Victor Pushkin, one of the elders on the council, walks toward me and my bear stirs, clawing with intention, with purpose. See, there is a good reason for keeping a clear head. I’m ready for wherever this conversation might take me.

  “Bennett Koleman,” the man says, dark eyes studying me. “I’ve been wanting to talk with you.”

  “About what?” I tilt my head, waiting for what I already know is coming.

  “I’m sure you’re aware that Pieter is stepping down as chief due to health issues.”

  I nod, waiting.

  “There’ll be an election next month. Before then, the council is having our annual Summit. It will be held in a few days.”

  “I’ve heard.” I know the reason I wasn’t invited, and it kills me - that Summit is where I belong. I’ve pushed down my feelings about it - but having Victor standing before me mentioning it now, makes the bear in me stir.

  I want to be there. More than anything.

  “The selection for chief is still underway, but I was hoping to bring your name to the table.”

  “Me?” I feign surprise.

  “You’re young. But I see qualities in you that make a good leader. It’s unfortunate that you haven’t settled down. I’ll be taking Dayne Callister’s name instead—”

  “Dayne?” My bear stirs again. The man is a distant cousin and a half decent guy, but he’s not chief material. I am, my bear growls beneath the surface. But how the hell am I supposed to get past the mating rule?

  “He’s a decent candidate,” Victor continues.

  “Put my name in.” I hold his gaze. “I’ll be at the Summit.”

  “You know the council will never allow—”

  “I’ve mated,” The words tumble out before I have a chance to bite my tongue. I’m a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one of them, and I wince inwardly.

  “Really?” The man cocks a brow at me, and I can tell he doesn’t buy it. “To who?”

  The lie is already out there, and I’ll look like a fool if I take it back now, so I let it snowball. I glance around the room, there are a ton of single woman here, most of them tipsy and all of them horny with wedding-reception-lust, women who’d do anything to have me claim them, but what I need is someone who doesn’t want me, someone who’ll accept that it’s just game.

  Someone who’s just as desperate for people to get off her back about settling down. And I know exactly who that is.

  Piper Bancroft. The woman is gorgeous. Sophisticated. A little bossy and usually can’t stand being in the same room as me. But I overheard her earlier talking with her friends that her mother is coming into town and that the woman is desperate to have her only daughter married off. Piper was groaning, saying this would be a much more pleasant visit if she weren’t single.

  I grin, knowing I can solve both our problems with a little white lie.

  It’s a win-win situation. Plus, she’s walking toward me. She’s in a bridesmaid dress which hugs her curves perfectly, yet still looks polished. Piper always does. She’ll make a good politician's mate. Even if the mating is fake.

  Her brows draw down when she catches me watching her, suspicion in those sexy hazel eyes, soft lips pursing like she knows I’m up to something.

  Vi
ctor clears his throat, waiting.

  “Victor, I’d like you to meet Piper Bancroft.” I grab her hand as she’s about to walk by and pull her to my side, then wrap an arm around her waist when she lets out a small gasp. “My mate.”

  “Your mate?” Victor and Piper say in unison, both sounding equally surprised.

  Another waitress walks by with a tray of champagne, momentarily distracted Victor’s attention.

  I nuzzle my nose against the side of Piper’s head and whisper in her ear. “Just go with it and I’ll make it worth your while.”

  Pulling back slightly, she frowns up at me.

  “Bennett?” Victor says.

  “Yeah,” I give him one of my smiles, the one that has a way of making people trust everything I say. “Sorry, I actually haven’t discussed the whole mate thing with her yet. She just recently found out about the whole,” I lower my voice and say, “bear thing. So it’s not surprising she’s a bit shocked. Right sweetheart?”

  “Right.” She’s still giving me the stink eye, but at least she’s going along with it now. She slaps a palm hard against my chest, making me huff, and says, “There’s always a surprise with this one.”

  “But that kiss,” I say, growling low, imagining what it would be like to taste those pouty lips of hers, then immediately regretting the thought, because my cock stirs, and I almost forget my own rule. “It told me everything I needed to know.”

  Piper holds my gaze, and I swear something flashes in those hazel eyes. A stirring of lust. But then it’s gone and she’s back to glaring at me like she usually does.

  “Right...the kiss.” The way she says it, it’s clear she’s heard about my no kissing rule.

  “I see.” Victor looks between us, seemingly satisfied. “Well, that’s wonderful news then. I’ll take your name to the council.” He reaches out to shake my hand. “I’ll be in touch.”

  He walks away, off to a group of men who I now realize were watching the whole exchange. Other members of the council, who are now fully aware of my new situation.

  Which also means it won’t be long before my family knows it too.

  Oh, the hole I’m digging for myself.

  “What the hell was that about?” Piper hisses.

  I take her elbow and usher her out of the large room, and through the first door I find, which leads to a utility closet.

  “Start explaining, Koleman.” She pokes my chest with a manicured finger, her words slightly slurred, and I realize that she’s a bit drunk. Which could work for or against me. “And talk fast, it’s almost time to cut the cake.”

  “You said earlier your mom’s coming to town, right?”

  “Yeah.” She glares up at me. “So? What does that have to do with me pretending to be your...whatever it is.”

  “My mate. And it works for both of us. You need a fake boyfriend to get your mom off your back, I need a fake mate to secure my spot as chief.”

  “No way—”

  “What else do you want?” I step in front of the door when she starts to pass. “I’ll do anything.”

  “I’m not going to lie to our family and friends. What happens when they find out the truth?”

  “Then we say I was wrong. That I made a mistake.” I shrug.

  “It still seems wrong.”

  “Right and wrong are relative terms. It’s a small fib. It hurts no one. But it benefits us both.”

  “You more.” Her lips twist and I can tell she’s thinking, which isn’t a great thing considering the woman is as smart as a whip. “I want something else.”

  “Name it.”

  A small smile tugs at her lips and I can see the businesswoman she used to be before moving to Bear Valley, rear its head, ready to devour.

  I cringe, waiting for her request.

  “I need help renovating the bookstore.”

  “What kind of renovations?”

  “Electrical. And I heard your mom say you updated all of hers. The shop can’t hire someone to do it right now … which is why I need you.”

  Fair enough. Doing the electrical will only take me a day--being my fake mate until I get elected as chief is going to be a bit more time-consuming. The Summit alone is a three-day trip.

  She doesn’t need to know that, though.

  “Deal,” I mutter.

  “Okay, lover boy,” she says. “When do we start convincing all our friends that we’ve got a thing going on?”

  I grab her ass and drag her out of the supply closet. “I’d say now is as good a time as ever.”

  Chapter 2

  Piper

  As Weston and Kate shove pieces of wedding cake in their mouths like the happy couple they are, Finley shrieks in glee beside them. I’m very aware of the fact that Bennett has his hand on my waist like I am his.

  Claimed.

  This is a stupid idea.

  But God, the man is hot. Totally not my type. But for a little make-believe fling, it isn’t the worst idea. He’s tall and muscular, but in a leaner way than his brothers. More in control, with cocky confidence oozing from every word he speaks.

  It’s a turn on - though I have no idea. A man who can charm the pants off a woman shouldn’t be trusted, yet here I am, making a deal with him.

  “I could rip this dress off you,” Bennett growls in my ear.

  I whip around to him. “You could what?” I whisper.

  “You heard me, beautiful.” He takes my hand, leading me to the dance floor, weaving us between people. With his hand on my waist, he takes hold of my other hand and begins to dance, completely ignoring the fact that people are watching us. Surprisingly, Bennet can really dance. Like really dance.

  “This is just a little game, Bennett,” I say as we spin around the floor. “We don’t need to—”

  He dips me and I lose my train of thought.

  “We have to make this look real, darling,” he tells me, his mouth hot against my ear. His thick beard tickling my skin.

  My brain starts screaming, that this is a terrible idea. Too bad my body is not agreeing.

  It’s been a long time.

  Plus, my mother is an absolute maniac when it comes to my dating life. This agreement will make her visit much more enjoyable.

  “Fine, we can act like a couple. We just need some rules.”

  Bennett tsks, “I knew you were the bossy one, needing rules instead of just letting loose and having fun.”

  “Says the man who wants to be chief.”

  He covers my mouth with his hand. “Shh, please. Don’t say that out loud.”

  I nod, seeing the intensity in his eyes. “I was just teasing,” I assure him. He lowers his hand, but I can see that this really matters to Bennett. I don’t exactly know what it means to be chief of the bears - but I know a player like Bennett wouldn’t make a deal where he couldn’t sleep around unless he really needed my help.

  “So the rules,” I say as we begin moving across the dance floor as if we’d never stopped. “No mentioning the C word.”

  His eyes widen. “Dirty girl.”

  I scoff. “I meant chief.”

  His laughs. “Right, of course.”

  “And no dating other people. I don’t want people to think you’re cheating on me.”

  Surprisingly, Bennett shrugs “Fine by me.” A smile, one that I’ve seen him use to charm the ladies with, spreads across those perfect lips. “I’ll have you.”

  “Ha,” I deadpan. “Which brings me to my final rule. No sex.”

  “Fine,” he says as if he doesn't care at all.

  What is this bear playing at?

  The music ends, and I pull him off the dance floor. I walk to the cake table and grab one of the plates of sliced cake. Waving at Addie across the room, I can read the question in her eyes. The question being: Why are you dancing with Bennett?

  It’s a valid one. Once or twice, maybe a dozen times I have commented that he's a player who needs to grow up.

  “My friends will never buy it,” I tell Bennett
as I take a forkful of cake and shove it in my mouth. “Oh my god, Kate is seriously so talented.” The buttercream melts in my mouth and I groan in pleasure.

  “I like the sound of that,” he says, his hand on the small of my back. “But the other part, where your friends won’t believe this - why not?”

  “I’ve mentioned my opinions on you once or twice.”

  He grins, taking my fork from my hand and helping himself. “So you’ve been talking about me, is that so?”

  I roll my eyes. “Not like that.”

  He shrugs. “Like what?”

  “Nevermind.” I take the fork back and take the last bite. “Anyways, you’ll need to act like a boyfriend, otherwise my mom will know it’s fake. She’s good at reading men.”

  Her ability to pick decent ones is another conversation entirely. To say my mom is the reason for my trust issues with men is a bit of an understatement.

  “Plus,” I continue. “My friends won’t think this is real. You’re just...”

  Bennet scowls. “Am I so bad?”

  I twist my lips. “No, not bad. Just … I usually date guys who are more … I mean, men who are less…”

  “Just say it.”

  “Less caveman. More refined.” I shake my head, not liking how that sounds. “Less … bear, more dolphin.”

  He chuckles. “That because dolphins are the smartest animal?”

  I bite the side of my lip cringing at my words. “Blah, I know that sounds terrible. I don’t mean to be rude. Sorry. I’ve had too much to drink.” I start to back away, assuming I just ended this fake engagement before it really began.

  My head is spinning from alcohol and from dancing with him, not to mention the way my body responded to his touch. It’s been a long time since I’ve allowed a man close enough to smell his cologne, feel his breath against my cheek...my core clenches and a wave of warmth rushes over my body.