“You graduated with honors from the University of Montana and served in the Special Forces in Iraq. You’ve been around the world. You are definitely not a narrow-minded hick,” Wyatt said, laughing.
“True, but I can’t seem to get her to see me for who I am. She’s kind of set in her ways.”
“Just give her time,” Candice said sweetly. “She’s probably kind of freaked out about the death of the shifter, and she’s out of her element.”
“My advice,” Wyatt said, leaning forward. “Spend some time with her. Show her the man you really are. She’ll come around. She has to. She’s your mate.”
Chance sighed, frowning. Wyatt was so sure Summer would come around. But Chance wasn’t so sure. Mates usually found each other, but it didn’t always work out in the end. He and Summer could spend the rest of their lives apart. It had happened before. It could happen again.
“You’re welcome to spend the night here,” Wyatt offered.
“Actually, I was hoping to spend the night in the woods. I need to clear my head. Mind if I use your place as a base to park my truck and leave my clothes?”
“Of course. My house is your house,” Wyatt said, standing to pat his friend on the back. “Everything will work out.”
Chance stood, and his old friend enveloped him in a bear hug. Usually, men didn’t show that kind of affection with each other, but it was different in the shifter community. There was a different kind of code. Friendship and affection were a big part of who they were.
“Thanks, you two. I’ll get out of your hair now,” he said, giving Candice a warm hug as well.
He hurried out to the back porch and stripped his clothes off as the lights of the house behind him began to switch off. Stripping to his bare skin, he stepped down to the cool grass below the porch.
Wyatt’s land sloped down into a dense forest below. It was a wonderful place to run and clear the mind. With a surge of energy, he shifted into his giant grizzly form. Roaring, he charged down the slope into the woods. The moon was waning from its fullness, but cast a blue glow over the land.
It illuminated the forest enough for Chance to see. The sounds and scents of the forest filled his elevated senses. A clutch of rabbits in their den, an owl hooting into the wind, the beat of a deer’s heart in the thicket. The smell of moss and the loamy scent of damp earth. Drops of fresh blood from a fox’s kill.
Wind blew lightly over his fur as he charged through the forest. Smaller creatures shrunk away from the massive, apex predator claiming the forest night. He panted, tasting the air with his tongue. There was a small stream downwind where he could smell the scent of trout.
He growled and made his way down to the water. Sensing the movement of the fish under the surface, he lunged forward and caught a fish, crunching its bones between his teeth. The taste spread over his tongue, filling him with vigor. He loved to hunt in his animal form. Being his bear, Chance felt more alive, more himself.
The thoughts of Summer seemed calmer. His bear stressed less. Everything was black and white. Right and wrong. This way or that. Summer was his mate, so she would be his. The bear wanted to drive back to her and sink inside her once again. But for now, he was content to catch fish in the night forest and taste its blood spread over his teeth.
When he was done eating, he found a comfortable patch of pine needles between two tree trunks. He dug himself in and curled up, closing his eyes. The sounds of the forest creatures in his ears were a lullaby as he fell softly to sleep.
At dawn, Chance walked back to Wyatt’s porch and threw his clothes on. Wyatt opened the sliding door as Chance fastened his belt. “I bet you could use some coffee,” Wyatt said, holding out a cup. The steam wafted into the air, and the smell invigorated Chance’s chilled blood.
He wrapped his hands around the cup and took a sip, walking into the house. Candice was nowhere to be seen, but Wyatt was cooking eggs in a cast iron pan on the stove. He shoveled a heaping helping onto a plate for Chance and poured his friend another cup of coffee.
“You going to go get your girl today?” Wyatt asked him.
“My bear has some definite ideas, but I don’t know how well those would go over with Summer.”
The men looked at each other and laughed, knowing full well what the bear inside’s ideas were. “What’s so funny?” Candice said, walking into the kitchen in a pink bathrobe and bunny slippers.
“Chance was just telling me about his bear’s ideas about how to woo his mate,” Wyatt said. Candice looked from one man to the other and shook her head. She’d been turned and knew exactly what they were talking about. The animal inside had pretty primal ideas about courtship.
“No. I don’t think that will work unless you get her in the right mood first,” Candice said, holding back a giggle.
“It’s too bad,” Chance said. “So much more straight forward.”
“Just let her see the real you, Chance. I’m sure she’ll come around,” Candice said. Chance gave her a kiss on the cheek and gave Wyatt a pat on the back before he said his goodbyes.
“Let us know if you need anything,” Wyatt said from the porch as Chance got into his truck to leave. “We should have a bear warden get together with Brody and Emerson soon. Candice and I are almost out of the honey Brody gave us for our wedding gift.”
“Mmmm, honey. We should definitely do that,” Chance said, waving goodbye to his friends.
Wyatt and Candice were such a happy couple. Chance wanted more than anything to have the same thing with Summer, but as he drove off, he still didn’t fully believe she’d ever be his.
Chapter Nine
Summer heard a knock at her hotel room door right at noon. She opened it to find Chance standing there before her. He looked like a vision of masculinity. Her body responded immediately, instinctively remembering the night they’d spent together. That part of her, the part that let go, wanted to fall into his arms and press her lips against his.
The part of her that was a professional with a job to do, the part of her that kept her instincts in line, held her back. They had to work together to solve this murder. She wouldn’t let her animal attraction for a man who was totally wrong for her keep her from bringing down an environmental hazard like the copper mine. This was one of the most important things she’d done in her life. It was her purpose. She couldn’t fail.
“Hi,” she said, grabbing her purse from the table by the door.
“Ready?” he asked her.
“Let’s go.”
They went out to his truck, and he opened the door for her. Summer climbed inside, looking up at the sky. It was overcast and gray today, and she’d only worn a light t-shirt and jeans. Maybe she should go get a sweater. As Chance got in, she decided against it, not wanting to make him wait.
“I went over to the mine yesterday,” he said, starting the truck. “I wanted to know more about those shifter layoffs.”
“Did you find anything?”
“Not yet.”
“Do you think that the poisonings are intentional?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have any evidence of anything yet.”
“If these poisonings are intentional, the owners of the mine are sicker than I’d originally thought.”
“Well, don’t go jumping to conclusions,” he said.
She looked over at him with a frown. Did he think she believed anything without proof? It irritated her. She was a scientist, not an idiot. Past scientific evidence proved that copper mines polluted water. She had good reason to believe the mine was involved. It was Chance who’d suggested there might be intention behind the poisonings. “Well, connecting layoffs to the deaths suggests malicious intention. That was your idea, not mine.”
“We don’t know anything yet. Let’s just wait until we find out about the mine’s environmental checks. I’m waiting to hear back from the manager of the mine about the layoffs. Any lead is a lead. There are shifter protesters around the mine. Those people are dangerous. It wouldn’t be the first
time that they’d killed a shifter. We have to keep our eyes open.”
“You’re right. Finding out who and what killed Balor Von and poisoned the Owenses is the most important thing. When is the environmental oversight report coming back?”
“In the next couple of days. Now, what did you want to tell me about the news?” he asked, pulling into a diner.
“Are we going out to lunch?” she asked.
“I thought it would be a good place to talk.”
“We could always just go back to your office or something more… official.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I guess. Fine. Let’s just go.”
The café was full of locals, and the pert waitress quickly showed them to a table covered in a red plaid, plastic tablecloth. After they ordered drinks, Summer gazed out the window.
It was an overcast day outside. The big sky of Montana was covered by storm clouds, and a heavy rain drop splatted on the sidewalk outside. She frowned and looked back at her menu as the waitress set the glasses of water in front of them and then walked away.
“I think I’ll have a veggie burger,” she said.
“Same,” Chance grumbled. “So tell me about all this news you have.”
“Oh, right. Anyway. I was watching TV last night and found out that there are a whole bunch of notable people who came out as shifters. Famous actors like Brad Pitt and even some politicians and billionaires. They are creating a shifter protection agency and pressing a new bill through Congress called the Shifter Protection Act. It would ensure all shifters have equal rights.”
“That’s good. How is it looking?”
“Since there are so many influential people who are shifters, there’s plenty of money and media attention to get the bill passed. It looks like it’s going to be a landslide.”
“When’s the final vote?” he asked as the waitress came to their table. She smiled down at Chance in a way that made Summer’s skin crawl. She wanted to gouge the woman’s eyes out. Summer growled at herself inwardly. Why did she care if the waitress flirted with Chance?
“I’ll have a veggie burger with fries,” he said.
“I’ll have the same,” Summer told her, wanting her to go the hell away and quickly. The waitress was dyed bleach blonde, skinny, and had disproportionately big boobs. Exactly the type of woman who drove Summer crazy. She noticed Chance’s eyes flick over the woman’s behind, and she rolled her eyes, looking back out the window. The rain was coming down pretty hard now.
“The final vote in the Senate is tomorrow,” she said. “By the way, I talked to Tim earlier today. The family is feeling better. Any news about the environmental oversight report from the mine?”
“It’s coming out tomorrow. We’ll have a better idea what we are dealing with then,” Chance said.
“I happen to know that corporations can pay to pass those inspections.”
“Summer, we have to take this one step at a time. When we get the report, we’ll be one step further along.”
“I guess that’s all we can do, for now,” she agreed.
When they were done, Chance insisted on paying, which kind of irritated her on one hand, but on the other hand, made her a little giddy. She hated that she was so split when it came to Chance. She’d never needed anyone to take care of her, and she’d never wanted anyone to do it, either. But something about Chance doing that kind of thing for her felt lovely.
As they left the café, the rain stopped, and the streets were covered in a thin sheen of water that caught the afternoon sunlight streaming through the parting clouds. The air had turned cold, but it smelled of the rose geraniums that were nestled in pots hanging from the awnings over the businesses down Main Street.
“I love the smell of the rain,” she said. “I totally don’t want to go back to my hotel right now.”
“How about a walk. I can show you around town.”
“Sure. But I’m freezing. I need to buy a sweater or something. Know anywhere I can get one?”
“Yeah. This way.”
He led her down the street, and she rubbed her arms in the crisp air. He looked down at her goosebumps and frowned. “Do you want to wear my jacket?”
“Sure,” she said. It was colder than she’d expected and while she didn’t want to go back to the hotel, she didn’t want to freeze, either. He pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. It smelled of Chance’s masculine scent and his spicy aftershave. The aroma sent an involuntary buzz through her body. She couldn’t deny it; she was unavoidably attracted to Chance. For better or worse.
“The shop is right here,” he said, holding open the door. “They have locally crafted knit sweaters here from local wool.”
“Oh, fantastic. I love that.” She passed through the door and noticed the beaming look on his face. He really did want to make her happy. It made her heart hurt. Was she falling for this guy? No. She didn’t have time for that. She had work to do.
Inside, the shop smelled of cinnamon and cloves. A petite, round grandmother with short white hair came out from behind the counter, wearing a lovely knit sweater featuring grazing sheep. “Can I help you?” she said, smiling brightly.
“I need a sweater. The weather just turned cold.”
“You look pretty warm, wrapped in that big man’s jacket,” the woman said, winking at Summer. Summer felt her face flush. She did enjoy the feeling of Chance’s body heat wrapped around her curves.
“It’s nice, but I can’t steal his jacket,” she said, pealing it off her shoulders and handing it back to Chance.
“Summer, this is Bertha McLaren. She’s part of the local bear clan and a dear friend.”
“Good to meet you,” Summer said, reaching out to take the woman’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, dear. I’m glad Chance brought you in. We have the best sweaters in town. Let’s see. I think your color is royal blue,” she said, closing one eye and looking at Summer through the open one.
“Sure. I like blue,” she agreed.
Bertha puttered through the shop and went to a rack of sweaters. She pulled one off and handed it to Summer. The wool was so soft if felt like silk, and the color was rich and inviting. “I think a cardigan, yes?”
“Cardigans are cool.” Summer wrapped the sweater around her shoulders and was enveloped in soft warmth that felt like she was covered in a radiant cloud. “Wow. I love this. How much?”
“It’s on the house for a friend of Chance’s.”
“I couldn’t,” Summer protested.
“I wouldn’t think of taking your money, sweetheart. You see that line of jams against the wall there?” Summer turned to see a rustic shelf full of jams covered in blue gingham and tied with pink ribbons. “All that jam comes from Chance’s huckleberries. I win the blue ribbon at the county fair every year.”
“Chance told me about that,” she said, looking over at him. He smiled in an almost boyish way that melted Summer’s heart. Warmth fluttered inside her, and she had to admit to herself that she did have feelings for the man.
“You look beautiful, dear. You take care of our Chance now, you hear?” she said, walking Summer to the door.
Summer almost corrected the woman that she wasn’t responsible for Chance, but Bertha had just given her an amazing new sweater, so she wasn’t about to contradict the sweet old lady.
“Bye now,” the old woman said, waving from the door.
The sun had broken through the clouds and warmed the air enough that the sweater was a perfect layer for the weather. Chance put his hand to the small of her back and leaned down to speak in her ear. Desire swept through her. Her better judgment told her she should pull away. She didn’t.
“You look beautiful in that. It brings out the caramel color of your eyes,” he said. His breath brushed against her ear, and she turned to him, looking deeply into his eyes.
“Thank you,” she said, gulping. It took every bit of self-control she possessed to keep from throwing her arms aroun
d him and kissing him hard on the lips.
“I want to show you the rest of town,” he said. His hand brushed hers, and for a brief second, she thought he was going to take her hand in his. He didn’t. Disappointment sank into her gut. She brushed it off and reminded herself that she was not in the market for a boyfriend.
They spent the better part of the afternoon exploring the cute little town before he brought her back to her hotel. He stood in the doorway as he dropped her off, looking down at her with dark eyes, full of desire. It made her body tremble to have that penetrating gaze focused on her.
She could sense the animal inside him, and it brought something out of her that wanted to meet it. She wanted to touch it and learn its secrets. Licking her lip, she took a small step closer. Chance bent toward her, so close she could smell his aftershave and feel the heat of his skin.
“I had a wonderful time with you today, Summer,” he said in a low, sensual voice. She wanted him to kiss her. Just as she was about to lean in to kiss him, he pulled away and tipped his black cowboy hat. “I’ll call you in the morning.” He turned away.
“Bye,” she said weakly as she closed the door. She leaned against the closed door and groaned, sinking to the floor. What on earth was she thinking? Why did she let him affect her like that? She didn’t have time to be going all gooey like some teenage girl with her first crush. Still, she’d seen a new side of Chance today, and she couldn’t help but begin to think of him as boyfriend material.
He was intelligent and kind. He tried to take care of her, but not in a bossy way. It was sweet, really. And the small quiet part inside her that was always trying to prove she didn’t need anyone really responded to the care he showed her. It made her feel safe and protected. Even though it was completely foreign to her, it felt good. It felt right.
Chapter Ten
The next morning, as Summer waited to hear from Chance about the mine’s environmental oversight results, she turned on the TV and sat at the end of her bed. The news was on, covering the story of the Shifter Protection Act.