Page 39 of Once Upon A Bear

“I haven’t seen you in a bit, dear—does that mean you’ve been busy meeting someone?”

If only she knew.

Guinevere didn’t want to tell Eugenia she had been spending time with Gideon. Not because it was true, but because Gideon Rendon was a lord, and as such, was far beyond her.

“I’ve been busy with a patient,” she said, as she’d told Linnea. They didn’t need to know more than that.

Perhaps she’d tell Linnea more later…but certainly not in the middle of the open room where anyone—namely Eugenia—could hear her.

“Well, if you’re not seeking to avoid romance,” Eugenia said, “I know Kellan is still available.”

Linnea rolled her eyes, and Guinevere simply grinned.

Eugenia had tried to set Linnea up with Lord Kellan. Fortunately for Linnea, she’d realized her feelings for Conrad, the schoolteacher, and they were now betrothed.

If she had to guess, Eugenia was still upset that she hadn’t realized that match was happening right under her nose.

“I don’t think I’m Lord Kellan’s type,” Guinevere said.

If anyone was her type, it would be his brother—and that was something she didn’t want to explain.

Not to mention that Lord Kellan was the heir, and therefore even more dangerous for her to associate with.

Eugenia shook her head. “Pish, posh. How many of our nobility have fallen in love with people they met in this café?” she asked. “It can certainly happen for you too.”

“I have no interest in Lord Kellan,” Guinevere said as kindly as she could. “Not that there’s anything wrong with him, but I think there’s someone else out there for me.”

And she hoped it might be Gideon, even as she knew it shouldn’t be.

The bell over the door rang, and Gideon ran in, his eyes wide, his breath heavy.

What was he doing here? And in such a state?

“Guinevere,” he said, hurrying to her. “We need you. Kellan was thrown.”

Guinevere sucked in a breath, her hand reaching for the strap of her bag across her chest to confirm it was there before she hurried toward the door, with Gideon following after her.

It wasn’t until they exited the café, when Gideon ran to two horses tied outside and paused beside one to help her mount, that she realized she was meant to ride to their estate.

Guinevere’s eyes widened. His brother had just been thrown from a horse, and he wanted her to ride one? But when she saw the very real fear in his eyes, she knew she couldn’t slow him down.

She let him help her mount, placing her foot into his cupped hands and settling into the horse’s saddle uncomfortably. She’d ridden a horse a few times before, but not often, and she didn’t love it.

They thundered down the road toward the Rendon estate, and with nothing else to do, her thoughts ran wild. Had he hit his head? Was he bleeding? Was she going to have to stitch up her second Rendon brother in as many days?

The miles passed quickly, and they were thundering through the gates of the estate far faster than she’d expected.

It took much longer to walk.

Gideon stopped his horse and sprang off, and his horse seemed to settle once he was no longer on it. Could the horse sense the bear beneath the surface? It seemed as if that was a possibility.

There was a small huddle of people on the ground in the courtyard, only a few feet away. Was her patient lying below them?

Guinevere’s mount stopped beside the other, and Gideon reached out both hands to help her down, placing them on either side of her waist and lifting her over as if she weighed nothing.

Compared to his bear form, she did weigh practically nothing, but Gideon’s human body was rather lithe and lanky and did not seem capable of lifting her off the horse so easily.

If she wasn’t preoccupied with her patient lying on the ground a few feet away, she might have taken a moment to tease him or appreciate his strength.