McClintock Bears Anthology
Charlotte Summers
Curvy Romance Press
Contents
The McClintock Bears
Books in this Anthology
The Big Bear Theory
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Bear, Set, Match
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Bear With A Badge
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Mailing List
The McClintock Bears Anthology
Charlotte Summers
Copyright © 2015 Charlotte Summers
All rights reserved.
Books in this Anthology
This volume contains all three books:
The Big Bear Theory
Bear, Set, Match
Bear with a Badge
The Big Bear Theory
1
“My ass is killing me,” Dani Columbo said, adjusting her position in the car seat. Outside the windows of the rented Taurus, a procession of identical pine trees lined the road.
It was early morning and the sun was shining in the bright blue sky, but Dani was tired, as well as aching. The flight from New York and the long drive from the airport were draining her will to live. At least she wasn’t driving. She would go crazy staring at the long road ahead with nothing but forest on either side.
As the passenger, she could at least check her phone. Except it didn’t work out here in the middle of nowhere, so there wasn’t much advantage in being the passenger. Let’s face it, this car trip was hell, whether you were driving or not.
“We should be there soon,” Simone said. She seemed so calm. Simone was always calm. Even the long flight hadn’t fazed her. Maybe she had taken a sedative before they left New York. If so, and if she had any left, Dani needed one.
The closer they got to Silver Rock, the more anxious she felt.
“Maybe we can stop somewhere before we get there,” she suggested. “Stretch our legs. Maybe get something to eat?”
“Uh huh,” Simone said. “You sure you’re not just trying to delay us getting there?”
“Of course not,” Dani said as if she were surprised by the accusation. “I’m here, aren’t I? I let you talk me into coming back.”
Simone smiled. It was a beautiful smile that lit up her entire face. How did she manage to look so good after the journey they had endured to get here? Dani was sure that she, herself, was a mess, but Simone looked like she had just stepped out of a salon. Her latte-colored skin was flawless, her makeup perfect, and her long black hair shone as if it had just been shampooed and blow-dried.
Dani hadn’t seen herself in a mirror lately but if she looked half as bad as she felt, she could give a scarecrow a run for its money where untidiness was concerned. Her own black hair, which she had inherited from her Italian mother along with her wide hips and curvy ass, was sure to be sticking out all over the place.
“I didn’t talk you into anything,” Simone said. “I told you I was coming back to Silver Rock to fix up my grandmother’s house. I asked you if you wanted to come along. You said yes.”
“You asked me during a moment of weakness. We were drinking tequila shots in my apartment and watching The Notebook. I can’t be responsible for what I say in those circumstances.”
“Don’t forget the pint of rocky road. When you split up with a guy, you fall back on all the clichés.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me. I don’t know what I ever saw in Henry in the first place. When he said he wanted us to break up, I should have celebrated, not fired up The Notebook and dragged the rocky road from the freezer.”
“Don’t forget the tequila shots.”
“How could I? Those shots are responsible for me being here right now.”
Simone pointed at the road ahead. “The diner is along here somewhere. You want to stop and get something to eat?”
Dani nodded. “My ass is numb.”
They drove on in silence for a few moments before Simone said, “I’m glad you’re here. Returning to Silver Rock will be good for you.”
“Yeah, maybe the bear that tried to kill me two years ago will finish the job.”
“You need to stop thinking like that,” Simone said. “That’s why coming back here will be a good thing. Hell, we grew up here, girl. You know Silver Rock is a sleepy-ass town. Nothing happens there. And the woods are not full of bears trying to get you.”
Dani shrugged and looked out of the window at the pines. The shadows beneath the trees were impenetrable. Something wild could be lurking there, just a few feet from the edge of the road, ready to spring out at any moment. Reflexively, she put a hand on her left shoulder where the scars began their ugly journey down her back.
“And while we’re here, you can do some painting,” Simone said, pulling Dani from her thoughts about monsters in the woods. “You know how great the landscape is around here. Did you bring your paints?”
“They wouldn’t fit in my luggage,” Dani said. It was true, her suitcase was so full of clothes that her paints would not fit inside, but it was also true that she hadn’t tried too hard to get them in there. She had been a good painter once and had even sold some of her better landscapes, but ever since the camping trip that had earned her the scars down her back, her pictures came out all wrong.
The brush strokes were too tight, too inhibited, not free-flowing like they had once been. The act of painting had once been relaxing, but now it was stressful. The stress and the timid brush strokes meant that every time Dani tried to paint, she ended up with a picture so bad it had to be trashed.
She had once dreamed of being a professional painter but for some reason, that sweet dream turned sour the night she was scarred by a bear.
The incident had left her with more scars than the ones on her back. It had affected every aspect of her life. Where she used to take risks, she now played it safe. A trip to Silver Rock, the small town where she and Simone grew up, would once have been something to look forward to. Now, it was something to fear. She hardly left her apartment, preferring to remain behind locked doors.
After losing her accountant job at a respected firm due to the recession, she didn’t go in search of similar work elsewhere. Instead, she went to work as a chef in her father’s Italian restaurant. She took the easy route, the safe option.
The diner came into view by the side of the road ahead. Simone pulled into the parking lot and parked the Taurus among the few cars and trucks that sat outside the stone and wood building. A wooden sign on the roof read Sarah’s Diner in simple red letters on a white background.
Dani opened the car door and climbed out into the warm spring breeze. She leaned against the car while the feeling returned to her ass and legs. The air smelled of pine with a slight aroma of
gas from the station attached to the diner.
Simone got out on her side and stood with her hands on her hips, admiring the snowy tops of the distant mountains. “You don’t get this kind of view in New York. Haven’t you missed it?”
“Yeah, I’ve missed it,” Dani admitted. “You know I love it here. That’s why we come back every year.”
“But not last year,” Simone said.
Dani sighed. “I was still recovering from the…attack. I didn’t feel safe here anymore.”
Simone raised an eyebrow quizzically. “But you felt safe in the city? When you feel safer in New York than in Silver Rock, something is definitely wrong. We need to fix this.”
“That’s why we’re here, isn’t it? So I can face my fears and move on.”
Simone shook her head. “No. We’re here to fix up my grandmother’s house. All that other stuff may or may not happen. That depends on you. Now, let’s get some burgers.” She began walking toward the diner’s glass doors.
Dani caught up with her. “I know coming back to Silver Rock is the right thing to do, Simone. I need to get over this funk I’m in right now. Maybe this trip will be good for me, and I’ll realize there isn’t a boogeyman…or bear…waiting to tear me apart.”
“A boogeybear?” Simone asked as she opened the door to the diner.
It was cool inside. The air conditioning rattled and hummed but did a fine job of cooling the diner. Red vinyl booths lined the walls, occupied by truckers, vacationing families, and travelling businessmen. Country music drifted out of speakers mounted on the walls, and the sound mingled with the clattering of cutlery and the voices of chatting customers. A delicious smell of eggs, bacon, and fried beef hung in the air, making Dani’s stomach rumble hungrily. She hadn’t eaten since leaving the airport hours ago, and although many people would say that wasn’t a bad thing for a girl her size, she was looking forward to a burger.
Sarah Westcott, the owner of Sarah’s Diner, was renowned for her burgers, especially her delicious pine burger, which had pine nuts fried with the meat patty.
They took a booth by the window and ordered two pine burgers and fries with a side order of onion rings. The blonde waitress, whose name tag said she was named Janice, said she’d be right back with their order and disappeared into the kitchen.
“This is going to go straight to my hips,” Simone said, “but I haven’t tasted a pine burger in two years, so what the hell.”
Dani said, “Yeah, what the hell.” But her attention had been drawn to the parking lot beyond the window. A battered, dark blue pickup truck had pulled up beside their Taurus. There was nothing too interesting about that, but the guy who climbed out of the driver’s seat and stood in the sun for a moment, his face lifted to the sky, eyes closed, was the hottest guy Dani had seen in a long time. Maybe ever.
His features were rugged and strong. His body couldn’t be any more perfect if it were carved out of stone. His black T-shirt clung to the muscles of his chest and broad shoulders. His biceps bulged, stretching the shirt’s fabric. Tattoos covered his powerful arms. Beneath a flat stomach, the guy wore faded jeans with a thick brown belt, and black boots. His dirty-blond hair was longer than collar length. Dani didn’t usually go for men with long hair but in that instant, she changed her mind.
After a moment enjoying the sun on his face, the guy walked toward the door of the diner.
Dani swallowed and squirmed a little. Just the sight of the guy had turned her on. Sure, he was built like an Adonis and had the type of face that could be seen in a magazine, but she never lost it over any man at first sight.
“Are you okay?” Simone asked, looking closely at Dani.
“Yes, I’m fine. Why?”
“You look like your panties just melted.”
Dani blushed. Was her lust so obvious? If so, what was the guy from the pickup going to think when he came in here and saw Dani with her mouth hanging open and desire in her eyes? She focused on the saltshaker on the table, telling herself not to look up when he came in.
“Oh, now I see what’s got you all hot and bothered,” Simone said, looking toward the door. “I approve. He’s definitely pantie-melting. Maybe a little rough around the edges but damn, he looks strong. You could get lost in those arms forever.”
Dani wanted to sink under the table. Her heart was hammering in her chest like a frightened sparrow. What the hell had happened to her? She never acted like this around men.
But she had never seen a man like him before.
In her peripheral vision, she saw him move to the counter. Janice the waitress rushed over to serve him. When the guy spoke, his voice was deep and commanding. “Hey, Janice, is my order ready?”
“It’s right here,” Janice said, handing him a brown paper bag.
He gave her some bills and said, “Have a good day.”
“You too, Cole,” Janice said. Dani noticed the waitress’s voice had acquired a dreamy tone that hadn’t been there when she had taken their order.
Dani risked a glance in the direction of the man called Cole. As her eyes lifted from the saltshaker, they met his. He was looking right at her. His eyes were strong and deep gray. Dani was sure they could see into her soul. He probably knew exactly what she was thinking, and at the moment, she was wondering what it would be like to be in bed with this man, to abandon herself completely to his powerful touch.
She tried to break eye contact, willing herself to stare at the saltshaker again, but something inside her mind refused to let her tear her eyes away from his. And oh, my God, he was coming over to their table!
“Good morning, ladies,” he said as he stood over them.
“It certainly is,” Simone replied.
Dani gave him a weak smile and said something she was hoping sounded like, “Good morning.” She wasn’t sure. Her body’s reaction to his close proximity overrode her brain. She felt as if his body radiated some sort of heat between them, and her own heat was rising in her belly in response. Her nipples tightened against the lace of her bra, and she was thankful she had decided to wear a loose flannel shirt over a T-shirt for the journey here. At least he wouldn’t be able to see how aroused she was getting.
But she sensed that he knew anyway. On an instinctual level. An animalistic level.
She also sensed that he was interested in her. His body language left her in no doubt of that. His cool gray eyes seemed to drink her in, and he was almost leaning over her. He looked at Simone every now and then, but his gaze was mostly locked on Dani like a heat-seeking missile.
“Do you always approach strangers in a diner?” Simone asked him.
“Only the interesting ones,” he said. “I’m Cole McClintock.”
“I’m Simone and this is Dani,” Simone said.
“So now we’re not strangers anymore. Are you just passing through?” He directed the question at Dani.
She shook her head. “Not exactly. We grew up here.”
“I see. So what brings you back to your hometown?”
“We come back every year.”
He frowned. “Oh? I haven’t seen you before.”
“Maybe you did but you don’t remember,” Simone cut in.
“I would have remembered.” He gave Dani the hint of a smile.
“You’re not from around here,” she said. But the waitress knew him by name, so maybe he did live here and Dani hadn’t noticed him before. No, that was impossible; he wasn’t the type of man who went anywhere unnoticed. His mere presence made everything in Dani’s body, all the way to her core, stand up and pay attention.
He grinned, flashing perfect teeth. “Actually, I live in Silver Rock. I’ve been here the last two years.”
Dani needed him to leave before she melted into a hot puddle of lust before his eyes. Her reaction to Cole annoyed her. She had never felt so betrayed by her own body. “So now we’ve established where everyone lives, why did you come over to our table, again?” The words came out sounding more petulant than she intended.
Cole wasn’t fazed. “I wondered if you were new in town. I was going to offer to show you the sights. But since you grew up here, maybe you can show me.”
“Silver Rock isn’t all that big,” Dani said. “If you’ve lived here for two years, you’ve seen everything.”
He held her with his powerful gaze. “I’m sure there are some sights I haven’t seen yet.”
Dani felt heat rise up her neck and spread across her cheeks. Cole was openly flirting with her. She was flattered, of course, that such a man would choose to flirt with her, but she was tired from the journey and in no mood to play word games with him. She didn’t know anything about him except that he was hot. For all she knew, he came into the diner and flirted with a different woman every day. She had to shut him down.
“If you go exploring on your own, I’m sure you’ll find something that interests you,” she told him.
“I’ve already found something that interests me,” he said. “And exploring is much more fun with a partner.”
Dani couldn’t think of a witty remark so she pointed to the paper bag in his hand. “Aren’t your burgers getting cold?”
He grinned and nodded, as if he understood that Dani needed him to leave right now before her will snapped completely and she threw herself into his big, strong arms. He saved her the embarrassment. “You’re right, I should leave you two ladies to your meal. Let me know if you need a partner for…exploring.”
He strode away and out of the door. Dani watched him climb into the blue pickup and drive out of the parking lot.
“What the hell was that about?” Simone asked. “He was interested in you, girl.”
Dani didn’t know what to say. He had seemed interested in her. As unlikely as that sounded, she couldn’t deny it, even to herself.
Janice came over and set their food on the table.
“Janice, who is that Cole guy? What’s his deal?” Simone asked the waitress.
McClintock Bears Box Set Page 1