where Timo was pointing with a ragged fingernail.
“Russellville. That it?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I remember her saying it now.” He tried the name out a couple more times.
“It’s pretty far from here.”
“Yup.” Timo sighed. “And there’s no way I can get over there any time soon. We’ve got shows for the next three nights, then I need to head back to Hope Valley to finish a homebuilding project.”
“But after that –” Dalton pulled a scrap of paper with their schedule scrawled on it out of his back pocket. “We’ve only got another ten days until we’re done. And it looks like our final show is over in that direction. So you could go over there when we’ve finished, and see if you can sniff her out.” Timo’s spirits lifted a little.
“Yes! I’ll do that,” he said. It still felt like a long shot, but it was better than nothing.
*
The next ten days dragged. The bears performed in some bigger towns, with huge audiences. Their fame was spreading and women were coming from far and wide to watch the Bear Heat boys go the ‘whole nine yards’ as their marketing material advertised. In some of the towns they weren’t allowed to do a full strip, and in the towns where they were, the women went crazy, and the venues had to employ bouncers to keep them from rushing the stage. The bears could never understand why them being naked was such a big deal, but it was kind of cool getting such an excited reaction. Timo kept taking a girl from the audience on stage every night, but he didn’t enjoy it. His mind was full of thoughts of Raven. When he tipped the girl backward and pretended to kiss her, he always kept well away from her mouth, and instead, he remembered how amazing it had been to kiss Raven’s soft lips on stage.
At last, the bears performed their final show in a mid-sized town called Stanford. The concert hall where it was being held was full to bursting, and a bunch of photographers crouched in front of the stage, taking photos for the local paper. There was a no-nudity law in Stanford, and the guys finished their show using their helmets to preserve their modesty. As they went back to the dressing room, Timo was full of elation. Tomorrow, he’d leave the rest of the bears as they went back to Hope Valley in their tour bus, and he’d take off in the direction of Russellville.
Early the following morning, as dawn was still breaking, he hugged his clan goodbye.
“Best of luck, bro. I have a good feeling that you’re going to find her,” Dalton said. Timo waved them off and boarded the first of the three buses that would take him to his final destination.
Five hours later, he stepped off the bus, dropped his duffel bag on the tarmac and scanned his surroundings. From first impressions, as the bus had taken him through the downtown area, Russellville wasn’t a pretty town. It looked like it had been constructed from plastic by a giant hand and deposited on the land, fully formed. The stores were the same ones that blighted the landscape all over the country. Timo gave a wry smile as he recalled that this was exactly why they’d been doing the strip shows – to save Hope Valley from a similar fate. He tried to imagine Raven living in the town, but couldn’t. She was too bright and beautiful for a place like this. He took a deep sniff of the air, adrenaline rushing through his veins. His initial plan was to try to pick up her scent. He’d walk every single strip of sidewalk if he needed to. And if that failed, he’d start asking around the local businesses to see if anyone knew her. He headed west, retracing the path of the bus, back to the downtown area.
Chapter Seven
Several days earlier
“This feels like déjà vu,” Raven said, as she and Caitlyn passed the road sign welcoming them to Hope Valley.
“Doesn’t it?” Caitlyn said with a grin. “Ok, so we’re not going into the town, but we need to follow a road on the outskirts,
“Russellville. That it?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m pretty sure. I remember her saying it now.” He tried the name out a couple more times.
“It’s pretty far from here.”
“Yup.” Timo sighed. “And there’s no way I can get over there any time soon. We’ve got shows for the next three nights, then I need to head back to Hope Valley to finish a homebuilding project.”
“But after that –” Dalton pulled a scrap of paper with their schedule scrawled on it out of his back pocket. “We’ve only got another ten days until we’re done. And it looks like our final show is over in that direction. So you could go over there when we’ve finished, and see if you can sniff her out.” Timo’s spirits lifted a little.
“Yes! I’ll do that,” he said. It still felt like a long shot, but it was better than nothing.
*
The next ten days dragged. The bears performed in some bigger towns, with huge audiences. Their fame was spreading and women were coming from far and wide to watch the Bear Heat boys go the ‘whole nine yards’ as their marketing material advertised. In some of the towns they weren’t allowed to do a full strip, and in the towns where they were, the women went crazy, and the venues had to employ bouncers to keep them from rushing the stage. The bears could never understand why them being naked was such a big deal, but it was kind of cool getting such an excited reaction. Timo kept taking a girl from the audience on stage every night, but he didn’t enjoy it. His mind was full of thoughts of Raven. When he tipped the girl backward and pretended to kiss her, he always kept well away from her mouth, and instead, he remembered how amazing it had been to kiss Raven’s soft lips on stage.
At last, the bears performed their final show in a mid-sized town called Stanford. The concert hall where it was being held was full to bursting, and a bunch of photographers crouched in front of the stage, taking photos for the local paper. There was a no-nudity law in Stanford, and the guys finished their show using their helmets to preserve their modesty. As they went back to the dressing room, Timo was full of elation. Tomorrow, he’d leave the rest of the bears as they went back to Hope Valley in their tour bus, and he’d take off in the direction of Russellville.
Early the following morning, as dawn was still breaking, he hugged his clan goodbye.
“Best of luck, bro. I have a good feeling that you’re going to find her,” Dalton said. Timo waved them off and boarded the first of the three buses that would take him to his final destination.
Five hours later, he stepped off the bus, dropped his duffel bag on the tarmac and scanned his surroundings. From first impressions, as the bus had taken him through the downtown area, Russellville wasn’t a pretty town. It looked like it had been constructed from plastic by a giant hand and deposited on the land, fully formed. The stores were the same ones that blighted the landscape all over the country. Timo gave a wry smile as he recalled that this was exactly why they’d been doing the strip shows – to save Hope Valley from a similar fate. He tried to imagine Raven living in the town, but couldn’t. She was too bright and beautiful for a place like this. He took a deep sniff of the air, adrenaline rushing through his veins. His initial plan was to try to pick up her scent. He’d walk every single strip of sidewalk if he needed to. And if that failed, he’d start asking around the local businesses to see if anyone knew her. He headed west, retracing the path of the bus, back to the downtown area.
Chapter Seven
Several days earlier
“This feels like déjà vu,” Raven said, as she and Caitlyn passed the road sign welcoming them to Hope Valley.
“Doesn’t it?” Caitlyn said with a grin. “Ok, so we’re not going into the town, but we need to follow a road on the outskirts,
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