by Anya Nowlan
Rancher Bear
Black Oak Bears
Anya Nowlan
Contents
A Little Taste…
Copyright
1. Addison
2. Gage
3. Addison
4. Gage
5. Addison
6. Gage
7. Addison
8. Gage
9. Addison
10. Gage
11. Addison
12. Gage
13. Addison
14. Gage
15. Addison
16. Gage
17. Addison
18. Gage
19. Addison
Epilogue
Farmer Bear Excerpt
Want More?
About the Author
Thank you for reading!
A Little Taste…
“Your friends do know to expect us, right?” she asked, just as Reid swung his door open.
She scrambled out to follow, meeting him at the front of the car.
“That’s not entirely accurate,” he hedged.
“What?” Addison blurted out.
That was attorney speak for ‘no’. Dumbfounded, she looked out at the property, anxiously eyeing it for signs of life while her heels slowly sank into the dirt. Finally, the door to the main house creaked open, almost making her jump.
The man who appeared eyed them both, his dark brow knitting together. Freakishly tall with broad, bulging shoulders, he looked like he could have built the whole ranch singlehandedly without even breaking a sweat.
The sleeves of his flannel shirt were rolled up, exposing muscular forearms. The fronts of his jeans were dusty, with a smear of what she guessed to be motor oil near one of the pockets.
And he was handsome. Damn, was he handsome. Addison knew she had to be staring, but she couldn’t look away. His dark eyes were focused on Reid, so she was probably getting away with it, at least.
His square jaw covered in thick stubble, his dark brown hair disheveled and his cheekbones looking like they had been carved from stone, the stranger looked none too pleased to have unexpected visitors on his front lawn.
Copyright © 2017 Anya Nowlan
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Rancher Bear
Black Oak Bears
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be used, reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use. This book may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Anya Nowlan. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material is prohibited without the express written permission of the author.
Cover © Jack of Covers
One
Addison
“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Addison asked.
Sitting in the largest room at the Atherton Law Office, she watched her boss frown as he stooped behind his laptop, broad shoulders tense and thin lips pursed. Reid Atherton had never been one to be swayed by public opinion, but clearly it was getting to him now.
Addison couldn’t blame him. They had been getting death threats after all, not to mention people swarmed outside the office, waiting to egg their cars and shout obscenities at them.
“We never should have taken that case,” he sighed. “No matter how it turned out, we were always going to be public enemy number one.”
Was now the time for Addison to hit him with the ‘I told you so’ she had been holding back for months?
Unfortunately, no. However satisfying it might have been, it would help no one, and she was still hoping for that promotion. Being a smart-ass probably wouldn’t help in that regard.
“So what are they calling us now?” she asked instead, folding her hands in her lap.
The chair she was sitting on was sleek and modern, perfectly complementing the shiny, stylish interior of Reid’s office. It was also uncomfortable as hell, and she had been stuck there for a good ten minutes already, waiting for Reid to finally grace her with his attention. When his light brown eyes snapped to her, she immediately straightened, squaring her shoulders.
Reid was a handsome man, she had thought so the moment they had met. But he was her boss, and the last thing Addison wanted was for people to think she slept her way up the company ladder. Besides, Reid had never showed any romantic interest in her either way, so it hardly mattered what she thought of his appearance.
The press had always loved him, though, one publication even calling him the hunkiest attorney in town. How that had changed during the Rourke trial…
“Oh, you know, the usual,” Reid shrugged. “Heartless vultures, greedy bastards… One commenter suggests we should be accused of being accomplices to murder. Quite an impossibility, seeing as our client was found innocent.”
Nodding, Addison kept her expression neutral. No one liked to be hated by strangers, or thought to be a terrible person. But it wasn’t the journalists or the anonymous commentators that got under her skin the most. It was the feeling that their opinion of her and the firm was correct that bothered her the most.
“Indeed,” she replied evenly, ignoring the way her stomach turned into knots.
She knew better than to let her emotions guide her decisions. Everyone was entitled to a defense, and to be presumed innocent until found guilty. It was how the justice system worked. Yet telling herself that didn’t relieve the sick feeling in her gut.
We helped him get away with it.
The thought flitted through her mind, before she could cast it aside.
“I thought it would blow over once the trial ended,” Reid sighed. “But the way Rourke is acting is only making things worse.”
“And since he has his security guards and high mansion walls to hide behind, we’re getting the brunt of the outrage,” Addison added.
Ah, Sebastian Rourke. He was exactly as pretentious as his name, and he had given Addison the creeps all through the trial process. The way he had crinkled his nose at the fact she, a mere woman, was second chair to Reid had stayed with her, not really helping her form a better opinion of the trust-fund playboy.
Was he capable of killing his wife? Addison thought so. But it came down to the evidence, and in the end, reasonable doubt had won out. Rourke was a free man, and had already been spotted around town, hitting up trendy hotspots with different models and socialites on his arm like nothing had happened at all.
Not really the behavior of a grieving husband, was it?
It didn’t help that the late Mrs. Julia Rourke had been a veritable angel, her public image one of a woman constantly working with one charity or another, while all Sebastian used his money for was yachts and partying. Addison had to wonder how the two of them even ended up together in the first place.
“Exactly,” Reid agreed. “And who wants to hire a lawyer embroiled in controversy, constantly in the public eye? No one, that’s who.”
“It has to die down eventually,” Addison offered.
Her ass was falling asleep on the hard plastic of her chair, and she would rather be anywhere else instead of Reid’s office, giving the man empty platitudes. Not to mention it was lunchtime and her stomach was grumbling. Maybe she could sneak out the back and avoid being called an immoral bitch this time.
Now wouldn’t that be grand.
“Anyway,” Reid sighed, shutting his laptop. “I thought we could have lunch together and discuss our options. I’m meeting a potential clien
t later on so this is the only time I have available.”
“A potential client?” Addison raised her brow at him. “I thought you said no one wants to hire us.”
“It’s an old friend looking for some legal advice,” he shrugged. “And he insisted we not meet at the office so I think it’s safe to say we’re still not people anyone wants to associate with.”
“All right,” Addison replied. “Let’s go to lunch then.”
She smoothed her hands down the front of her knee-length skirt as she got up, and Reid held the door open for her as they exited his office. In the open space that greeted them, desks were scattered around, stacked with papers and empty coffee cups, with the people behind them looking like they hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a while.
Cases that didn’t directly involve Reid or her were still ongoing, so life was still busy at the Atherton Law Office. Thankfully, their coworkers had mostly avoided public ire. Addison guessed they would like to keep it that way, which was why no one asked her to go out for a drink after work anymore.
Reid waited as she grabbed her camel coat from the back of her chair, catching a glimpse of herself on her darkened computer screen. Quickly, she tucked a strand of errand auburn hair back into her updo and slung her purse over her shoulder before rejoining Reid.
“Back door?” he asked.
She just nodded as they made their way downstairs, her heels clicking on the steps. Clutching her coat close, it was almost as if she could tell something was wrong before Reid swung the back doors open, only to find a small mob outside.
Shit.
For a moment, she contemplated turning around and running back inside, but she knew Reid would never go for that – he was too proud. So she kept behind him, covering her eyes against camera flashes with the palm of her hand.
Her boss was pushing a path through the angry people. Some were yelling questions at them, while others just chanted Justice for Julia. Gritting her teeth, Addison followed Reid’s voice, calling out for her to follow him. Disoriented, she looked down at her feet, trying to get to Reid’s car as quickly as possible.
Someone jostled her, making her steps zigzag on the pavement. A couple of reporters had circled Reid, trying to get a comment out of him. Addison tried to catch up when an angry voice caught her attention.
“You knew he was guilty,” a male voice snarled. “But the money was too good, wasn’t it?”
Before Addison could even register what was happening, she had been knocked to the ground, her purse spilling its contents out on the asphalt. She landed on her elbow as she went down, sending a sharp pain up her arm, reverberating right through her bones. Cursing under her breath, she managed to get back up, brushing gravel off her coat.
I’ve had just about enough of this.
Two
Gage
Wiping sweat off his brow, Gage examined his newly mended fence, his tools lying in the grass by his feet.
A job well done, he decided.
Satisfied with his work, he gathered up his things and walked back to the main house, familiar scents filling up his nose.
Wiping his hands on his worn jeans, he went inside for a glass of water just in time to see a truck approach the driveway. He recognized it immediately as Will’s, set down his glass, and went out to meet the man as the truck pulled up.
“Hey,” Will grinned, hopping out of his truck. “I’m not late, am I?”
“Late for what?” Gage asked, walking over for a quick embrace.
Shaking his head at him, Will gave Gage a quick once-over, probably noting his dirty boots and the sawdust clinging to his jeans. Will was a well-built, tall man, imposing by any standard, as an Alpha should be. But Gage still had him beat by at least two inches, something that had caused a bit of competition between the two men when they had been teenagers.
“I still have time to catch up,” Will had said, but that never happened.
The bear inside Gage let out a small growl, just as a token of respect and acknowledgment toward the clan’s new leader. It had only been a couple of weeks since Will’s father had passed on the torch, but Gage knew even if he hadn’t gotten the news, he still would have recognized Will as the new man in charge.
“The clean-up?” Will refreshed his memory. “The last signs of the wedding you so graciously let us have on your property?”
“Oh, that,” Gage shrugged.
It had been no bother to him. Will and his new wife, Joanne, didn’t even have to ask. He had the space, and they were looking for a venue. What had there been to think about? He hardly considered the offer gracious.
What were friends for?
“Yeah, that,” Will chuckled. “Joanne said there should still be some fairy lights stuck in the trees, and maybe some ribbons or something around the trunks? To tell you the truth, she was the one in charge of decorating, so I’m really not sure. My eyes were on her that night, not on ribbons or whatever.”
“You know she’s not here, right?” Gage teased, grinning.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Will waved a hand. “I’m a sappy idiot. But finding your mate will do that to you.”
“Hey, I’m happy that you’re happy, man,” Gage replied. “Let’s go get your lights and ribbons and whatnot, then.”
“All right,” Will agreed, clapping him on the back.
They walked over to the huge backyard, now just lush grass instead of the dance floor and tents that had been set up for the wedding day. Large oaks swayed in the wind, with a backdrop of mountains in the distance.
As they went to work disentangling the lights from the branches, with Gage having to quietly admit that he hadn’t really noticed that they were still there either, he couldn’t help but think of the recent changes in his clan. It had all started with Will finding Joanne. She hadn’t been a native to Black Oak, was only passing through actually, when she and Will met.
Of course, he had known immediately she was his mate. It was just the way things worked for shifters. But things had moved fast from there, even by their standards. They were engaged in a matter of weeks, and planning their wedding shortly thereafter.
And wouldn’t you know it, preparations also mandated that Will and his friends participate in dance lessons led by the new teacher in town. Gage had seen it immediately – the way his friend Pierce had stared at the woman tasked with making a bunch of burly bears look graceful. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what would follow next.
Now the two of them were engaged, and Gage had another wedding to look forward to. At least he was getting his money’s worth with those dance lessons. Who knew how many nuptials he would attend before the year was over if things kept going at this pace?
Joanne kept trying to set him up on dates, and he kept telling her he didn’t have time for dating. The seasonal workers he had hired had all left, and he had a huge property, not to mention the animals to take care of.
But that wasn’t really the reason he never took Joanne up on her offers, was it? Truth was, if his mate was in Black Oak, he would have found her by now. That meant she wasn’t here. And since he wasn’t planning on going anywhere anytime soon…
“So, uh, you’ve been keeping up with the news?” Will asked, pulling Gage out of his thoughts.
He hopped down from the tree he had climbed, a string of fairy lights over his shoulder. It was hard to miss what Will was actually asking. Have you been keeping up with your brother?
“You mean the Rourke trial,” Gage replied.
Will rubbed the back of his neck as they both walked over to the small pile of decorations in the middle of the yard. They both added to it. That was the last of it. Nothing left to distract Gage from the anger starting to bubble up inside him.
“Reid’s not a very popular man right now,” Will grimaced.
Now there was an understatement.
“No, he’s not,” Gage said curtly.
“Have you talked to him at all?” Will asked.
Will wasn’
t an especially curious man, nor had he ever been interested in gossip. But Gage knew the man valued family above all else, so that had to be why he was suddenly so keen on discussing Reid. Did he think Gage should be there for his big brother? Why should he, it wasn’t like Reid was ever there for him.
All that man cared about was his career. Now he was finally the most famous attorney in all of Chicago. Wasn’t that what he had wanted all along?
“Don’t have anything to talk about,” Gage shrugged, as he started back toward the house.
“Gage,” Will called out after him. “I didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine,” Gage called back. “Tell Joanne I said hi.”
With that, he strode into the house, leaving his muddy boots at the door, and finding his fists clenched at his sides. After all these years, just the mention of his brother still made him tense up and grit his teeth.
And now he couldn’t even turn on the TV without seeing something to remind him of Reid. It seemed things were getting pretty uncomfortable for him in Chicago, and while Gage didn’t really wish him any harm, he wasn’t overly concerned either.
He made his own bed.
Three
Addison
Addison stepped off a plane and straight into a waiting car with Reid following closely behind. The flight had been long and the seats cramped, not to mention she still wasn’t sure leaving Chicago was the right call. Wouldn’t hiding away just fuel the rumor mills? What happened to not running?
Then again, after she had found a couple of very determined journalists loitering around her apartment building, there didn’t seem to be many options left. It was only a matter of time before more of them found out where she lived, and the same went for Reid.
Her boss was sitting on the backseat beside her, looking at something on his tablet. He had been quiet the whole flight over, and had been tight-lipped about their destination even before that. All he had given her was a name – Black Oak – and said he had friends there.