Irish Bear's Bride (Boston Bear Brothers 3)

She’d lost both parents in one of the skirmishes between bear clans that had taken place. They’d chosen to fight rather than give in to the likes of a cutthroat like Sorley Maguire. The clans had been relieved when word had come around that the diabolical Alpha had died on a trip to America, but any thoughts that it might somehow change things were quickly dashed when Trill was made Alpha.

Her parents would roll over in their grave if they knew that Andrew had betrothed her to such a monster. He’d only been doing what he thought best to save their clan, and she’d agreed to it, knowing he might be right. It was only after she’d learned about the treatment of his previous wife that she’d bolted.

“Here you go, one glass of merlot and a menu,” the server said, sitting her wine down on the table and handing her a menu. “I’ll give you a few moments to look it over and check back.”

“Thank you,” she replied.

She was completely engrossed in figuring out what to order when a voice beside her spoke up.

“I hear that the sliders here are quite delicious if you’re looking for a bit of comfort food.”

Deidre looked up to find herself facing none other than Niall McNally.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Niall

Niall had been reluctant to allow Ronan out on his own, but his brother had insisted. Rather than accompanying him to the hotel, he’d dropped him and gone to meet with one of their contacts in another clan to discuss a potential meeting with Duncan Maguire. He still wasn’t convinced and wanted to run it by some of them.

Niall had tried to get him to wait until the next day, but he’d insisted that they didn’t have much time. With the new developments, the chances of their getting discovered were increasing, and once that happened, it was a whole new ballgame.

“How did you know I was here?” Deidre asked, looking surprised.

“I didn’t. I checked into the suite and saw that you weren’t there. I checked the lobby and didn’t find you there, so I checked here.”

“Aye. Well, you might as well join me then.”

“Do I need ballet slippers to eat here?” he asked, smiling down at her feet.

She pulled her feet back under the chair in an attempt to hide them and looked a little embarrassed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend. It’s cute.”

“I didn’t have any dress shoes. It was either these or the slippers they give you in the room.”

“I’d say those were the better choice then,” he told her.

The server returned and Niall ordered a pint and sliders for himself. Deidre hadn’t really been able to make up her mind, so she ordered the same, minus the beer. Before long, you’d not have known they were there hiding from men who would do them harm. Each of them laughed and joked as if they were on a first date.

Though Niall was never completely at ease anywhere, this was as close to letting his guard down as it got. He was keenly aware of their surroundings and everyone in close proximity to them. Since it was a weekday, it wasn’t as crowded in here as it could sometimes get, which was good. It made it easier to keep an eye out.

“What makes you think that you and your brother can take on the entire Maguire clan?” she asked as they sat eating their food.

“We aren’t here to take them on. Well, we weren’t. We had scouts in place, but Trill apparently found out about them and took them out. We didn’t want to compromise anyone else to do our dirty work, so we came ourselves.”

“Trill knows you are here now. He knows you helped me. What will you do?”

“The only thing we can do. Fight our way out like we did last time,” he told her.

“You don’t have the numbers, even if you get other clans to join in. Most won’t, and those that will are mostly women and children. Trill makes sure any able-bodied men are either subservient to him or dead. Most bears aren’t going to lay down and just take being used as pawns, so only the weakest, like my Uncle Andrew, survive.”

“I guess time will tell. You’d be surprised what bears will do when they are forced to take a stand or perish.”

“I can’t say that I agree. All I’ve seen from most of them is how to roll over and play dead.”

“If anyone can rally them, it is Ronan. He’s not the biggest, scariest bear, but he makes up for his size in strength and determination. Pitted against ten larger bears, I’d put my money on him every single time, and no one knows how to use their brain over brawn like he can.”

“He’s your brother. Are you sure you aren’t just putting more stock in him than is due?”