Save for one sign of life. In the distance, a neon sign buzzed faintly, casting a warm glow onto the snow-covered street.
Bear Mountain Bar & Grill.
I squared my shoulders against the biting wind and started walking. If the animatronic Mountie wasn’t going to help me, I’d find somebody who would.
2/
the western that was the bear mountain bar & grill
holly
I’d thought I'd stumbled into some kind of weird Christmas movie, but it turned into a Western when I walked into the Bear Mountain Bar & Grill.
Every single person in the bar turned to look at me the moment I stepped through the door.
Actually, I should say every singleman—they were all men.
Three rough-looking guys occupied the booth closest to the door, their leather jackets adorned with patches I couldn’t quite make out in the dim light. But their energy was unmistakable. These weren’t dentists blowing off steam with a weeknight ride. No, they were outlaws—rugged, clad in a Johnny Cash level of head-to-toe black, and radiating unapologetic 1% triangle patch pride.
A huge lumberjack of a guy with Viking-blond hair tied back in a messy bun swiveled on his bar stool, narrowing his eyes at me.Even squinting, his blue eyes practically glowed, their vivid color standing out even from across the room. Menace or suspicion? I couldn’t tell.
The bartender behind the counter was the only one in the place who looked remotely Christmas movie-ready. With fine features and coppery hair, he could have easily been cast as the male lead in one of those Netflix shows where nurses like me go to heal their emotional wounds.
The other four guys, though? Not so much.
However, all five bar patrons had one thing in common: they were staring at me. Silent and unblinking.
All conversation—if there had been any—ceased the moment I appeared, like someone had flipped an off switch.
Signs plastered everywhere advertised breakfast, lunch, and dinner specials, but nobody seemed to be eating. Just... staring.
I swallowed hard, adjusted the strap of my purse over my shoulder, and raised my chin—before promptly lowering it again to dash toward the bathroom in the back corner of the bar.
Listen, top five rule of midwifery:Pee First.Basically, if you're going to do something difficult and slightly scary—like convincing a first-time mom to push something the size of a watermelon out of her vadge—you empty your bladder first.
Without daring to make eye contact, I ducked into the door marked by a cartoon brown bear wearing a pink bow and matching summer dress.
The women’s room was shockingly clean. After taking care of business and washing my hands, I grabbed a paper towel from the fully stocked dispenser and tossed it into the wastebasket.
It landed with an echoingplunk. The bin was completely empty, but its edges coated with a thin layer of dust—like it hadn’t been used in days. Maybe weeks.
Where are all the women?
My chest tightened with unease. Sure, Canada’s murder rate was way lower than America’s, but had I just stumbled into the Canuck version of some horror movie? The kind where random American women are kidnapped and kept by scary Canadian mountain men?
“Okay, Holly, no. Don’t go there,” I commanded myself, pushing back against the rising tide of panic. “You’ve dealt with worse than this.”
Actually, I hadn’t. But now was not the time for truth in encouragement.
“They’re just a bunch of guys in a creepy mountain bar,” I assured the wide-eyed woman in the mirror. “You’re here for Noelle, and you’re starving. So you’re gonna walk out there, get some food, and figure out what’s going on with your sister.”
The pep talk worked—sort of. My heart was still racing when I stepped out of the women's toilet, but at least my feet were moving in the right direction.
I kept my eyes trained on the copper-haired bartender as I crossed the room.
Don’t look at anybody else. Pretend like you don’t see the other four. Don’t look at anybody else. Pretend like you don’t see the other four.
The mantra repeated in my head, but I couldfeelthe other men’s eyes burning holes into me as I beelined toward the bartender, who was still polishing the same glass.
