Sheriff Jacobsen and his deputies pulled up moments later to arrest Pete Langlais and the other members of his pride for breaking and entering, assault and battery, attempted murder, kidnapping, and the murder of Philippe Bertrand, whose corpse still lay on the ground in front of the house.
As the sabertooth shifters in human shape were led away in handcuffs, and the ones still in cat shape were put in heavy cages, Caitlyn realized it was all over, except for the article she was going to write.
She wouldn't even need to mention the shifter elements to the story—just an account of all the crimes that Philippe Bertrand and Pete Langlais had committed while trying to suppress an incriminating video would make for a compelling read.
The adventure that had begun with a mysterious death on the Rio Grande had ended here in the Sawtooth Mountains, leaving her standing in a bear shifter's embrace with the promise of a whole new life ahead of her.
Epilogue
"I'll only be gone for a week, ten days at most," Caitlyn promised, reaching across the table to take Mark's hand.
Her suitcase was packed and waiting by the door. And a brand-new Subaru SUV, her engagement present from Mark, was parked right outside.
She hated to leave her fiancé, but she needed to return to Albuquerque to break the lease on her apartment and wrap up all the remaining bits of her old life.
To ease the pain of her departure, she had made her special lasagna for Mark and served it by candlelight with an expensive bottle of wine.
"I wish I could come with you," Mark said, stroking the backs of her fingers with his thumb. "You know I'll be counting down the hours until you return."
He raised her hand to his lips, and she felt a familiar and very welcome jolt of pleasure at the contact.
"I'll miss you too. I'm not used to sleeping alone anymore," she confessed and received a wicked smile in return.
"Well, I'll just have to make a few extra special memories for you tonight, won't I?" he said in a low voice that sent a thrill racing down her spine. "Make sure you really miss me."
He put down his fork and knife and reached into his pocket. He withdrew a small, battered-looking box inscribed with gilt letters.
"I finally made it over to the jeweler today," he said. "Give me your hand."
Her heart beating with sudden excitement, she obeyed.
"I know you said you didn't want me to buy you an engagement ring, but this belonged to my grandma." Mark opened the box and slipped a beautiful antique pearl-and-ruby ring on her finger. "I don't want you to forget that you're mine while you're gone."
She stood up, leaned across the table, and kissed him. "I could never forget that—or you. But just in case, let's start making those extra special memories right now."
The End
Thank you so much for reading my story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you liked it, would you please leave me a review?
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I'm currently hard at work on the next Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters book. In the meanwhile, check out Fugitive, the exciting first book in the Beast Warriors series that I'm co-authoring with Bliss Devlin!
Also by Ophelia Sexton
Beast Warriors (with Bliss Devlin)
Fugitive (Beast Warriors Book 1)
Hunter (Beast Warriors Book 2)
Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters
Heat (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 1)
Smolder: A Werebear + BBW Paranormal Romance (Bearpaw Ridge Firefighters Book 2) Page 19