“No, really, I couldn’t. I was just doing what anyone would do, and a kid choking on Lego is nothing, trust me .”
“I insist. How long are you staying for ?”
“Just tonight. I’m looking up an old friend .”
Colton wanted to ask who, but restrained himself .
“Not staying to explore ?”
“I wish I could. It’s beautiful here.” Moving to leave, the woman smiled blandly at Colton, “Thank you for this. Much appreciated, really .”
“It’s no problem. I’m Colton Sterling, by the way .”
He was racking his brain to come up with some excuse to keep the conversation going. In truth, this wasn’t usually a problem for him. Women were usually happily flocking around him, hanging on to his every word .
“Hannah Cooper. Nice to meet you .”
It was getting awkward now. The woman, Hannah, clearly wanted to get going. Colton came out from behind the counter to see her out. Holding the door open for her, he got a hit of her scent as she walked past. It almost knocked him to his knees .
He watched her get into the SUV and drive off into town. Colton groaned. He may not have experienced it before, but his instincts categorically knew that the doctor making a one-night appearance in Port Ursa was his. His mate. She also appeared to be completely unaffected by him. Not only was it a blow to his ego, but it was also damn inconvenient. Colton had less than twenty-four hours to make Hannah fall in love with him .
H annah smiled to herself as she drove around town, looking for a suitable restaurant. It had been a while since she’d laid eyes on such a magnificent specimen of man. That guy had been hot . He’d been about a foot taller than Hannah, a quality she always appreciated, with a huge, broad frame. Even under his thermal hoodie, she’d been able to see a taut, well-defined body, but it was his face that Hannah knew wouldn’t leave her memory for a long time. He wore his dark brown hair a little long so it hung slightly over his forehead, had a defined jawline covered in stubble, and bright green eyes that were shaded by thick lashes. His face was undoubtedly handsome by any standard, but it was his wicked smile that definitely made her girly parts take notice. As she backed into a restaurant parking lot, she caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror and realized she was smirking. Get a grip , lady .
It was nice, she reflected, to know that she was still susceptible to the charms of the opposite sex. It often felt like she’d completely shut herself off from the potential of having any romantic interest in the last four years. Work had come first, and the thought of having her much-needed sleep interrupted by male companionship hadn’t been at all appealing. She just hadn’t had time to entertain the idea of a relationship—not with the kind of time and effort that they required. Laura swore by one-night stands, and they had been appealing during Hannah’s college years, but the longer she’d gone without any intimate contact, the more the idea of sex with a stranger had started to seem like more of a hassle than it was worth .
Until today. She almost wished she were staying longer. If Colton Sterling was single, which she doubted anyhow, he’d be more than welcome to park his boots under her bed tonight .
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Check out these other books by Candace Ayers …
Rancher Bears Series
RANCHER BEAR’S BABY
RANCHER BEAR’S MAIL ORDER MATE
RANCHER BEAR’S SURPRISE PACKAGE
RANCHER BEAR’S SECRET
RANCHER BEAR’S DESIRE
RANCHER BEARS’ MERRY CHRISTMAS
Bears of Burden Series
THORN
WYATT
HUTCH
STERLING
SAM
MATT
Shifters of Denver Series
NATHAN: BILLIONAIRE BEAR
BYRON: HEARTBREAKER BEAR
XAVIER: BAD BEAR
Bonus Books
THORN
Bears of Burden Book 1
Story Description
A llie McMichael is running scared. Not from monsters in the closet, or creepy things under the bed, she’s scared of commitment. She has every reason to be scared after experiencing the pain of infidelity and after watching her parents’ failure of a marriage. On the run from a would-be fiancé, she finds a temp job bartending and waitressing in a small Texas town out in the middle of nowhere. True love is not on the agenda until she meets her big, burly boss, hot-as-hell Thorn Canton who lights her fires in all the right places .
Bear shifter Thorn Canton is living the easy life. Successful tavern owner, he’s surrounded by good buddies, beer on tap, and an endless supply of women to keep him company. He has no plans, whatsoever, of getting hitched up, or of finding a mate. In fact, to Thorn, a mate might be a fate equal to death .
T his is a series centered around the small southwestern border town of Burden, Texas, where good ol’ bears, Hawthorne, Wyatt, Hutch, Sterling, and Sam are living easy. With jobs they love, beer flowing freely, and pretty women in abundance, the last thing these shifters are thinking about is finding a mate or settling down .
But, fate has its own plans ….
1
Hawthorne
“C heck out the blonde in the pink dress.” Sterling Mallory whistled under his breath. “Da-yum, she’s a looker .”
I’d already noticed. I’d also gone back to her place the week before .
I stretched back in my chair and flashed a wide grin. “Go ahead, call her over. It’s been what? Twenty minutes since the last time you struck out with a woman? ‘Bout time for you to try again .”
Sterling’s big brother, Hutch, clapped me on the back and huffed a laugh. “Twenty minutes? Hell, you must’ve missed that bouncy little redhead not ten minutes ago .”
Sterling shook his head. “She was a lesbian. Don’t count as striking out .”
It counted. I slid a glance towards the bar. Abram, my assistant manager, nodded. Everything was fine, which meant I could stay and relax for a bit longer in my favorite chair at the corner table with my lifelong buddies, Sterling, Hutch, Sam and …
“Where’s Wyatt ?”
Sterling ignored me and left his chair to approach the blonde, who was eyeing me, a coy smile playing at the corners of her lips. I just shook my head and tipped my old John Deere cap at her. Sure, she was a beauty, but I wasn’t about to give false impressions. I didn’t go back for seconds .
“Last I knew, Wyatt was headed up the mountain with another group of would-be survivalists .”
A shudder ran down my back. “How he deals with some of those crazies, I’ll never know. I swear that bear attracts the nut -jobs .”
Hutch nodded and then nearly snorted out his beer. The pretty blonde had just slapped the hell out of Sterling. “Another strike out. Looks like little brother is going home alone tonight .”
“Nah. He always manages to find himself a pity screw.” Even as the words left my mouth, a tall brunette came up to Sterling and cupped his bright red cheek. “See. I don’t get it, but some women love the wounded ego thing .”
The ear-splitting sound of shattering glass echoed through the place followed by a collective groan from a group sitting at one of the tables up near the juke box. As the crowd parted, I spotted Cammie rushing to clean up a massive mess of spilled beer and broken mugs. From what it looked like, she’d dropped an entire tray of drinks . Damn .
Sam Jennings chose that moment to plop down in his usual seat beside me. He followed my eyes to Cammie and her disaster and shook his head. “What’s that? The fourth time this week ?”
I pushed off from my chair and stretched out my legs. “Fifth. I don’t think this is going to work out .”
I left them sitting there and joined Abram at the bar. He’d been my assistant manager for y
ears and knew what I wanted before I did most of the time. “What’s the deal with her ?”
His eyes went to Cammie then trailed over to Sam. “Your buddy bedded her and hasn’t called her back .”
Fuck. I had a strict policy about my friends staying the hell away from my waitresses. It was hard enough to keep good help around, what with dealing with a bar full of drunk shifters, and humans alike, day after day. I glared over at my best friend and decided I was going to bleed him later .
“Think she’ll bounce back ?”
Abram expertly shuffled a few beers into customers’ waiting hands. “Not a chance. She’s already told me tonight’s her last night .”
I grunted. At least she was going to finish her shift. That was more than they normally did .
As if she’d heard my thoughts, Cammie plunked the tray she’d been carrying onto the bar and without a word, without even meeting my eyes, yanked the apron off her hips, and tossed it on top of the tray before turning and sprinting out the front door .
“Dammit .”
Abram laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen. He slid another couple of beers down the bar and shook his head. “Looks like you just got a promotion, Boss. I don’t recon that apron is going to fit you, though .”
I tossed the apron towards the bin of soiled towels and picked up the tray. “Do we have some resumes left over from last time we hired ?”
“I’ll figure it out,” he nodded, “You just get your cute little butt out there and earn you some tips !”
I flipped him off and grabbed several beers, assuming that’s what most of my patrons would be drinking. When I stopped by my table, Sam looked up at me with a hangdog grin .
“Sorry, Thorn. I didn’t expect her to run .”
I smacked him on the back of the head and handed a beer to Hutch. “Keep your fucking dick away from my waitresses, Sam. This shit is getting old. I got a business to run .”
He still didn’t manage to wipe the grin off his face. She must’ve been worth my ire. I shook my head and headed back to the bar, ready for what would no doubt be a long night .
The little blonde cut me off and smiled up at me. “Hey, Thorn .”
The pink dress she had on certainly did hike up her girls, and I found them distracting as hell . “Hey .”
“I haven’t heard from you so I thought I’d stop back by and say hello. I had a lot of fun the other night .”
I let a crooked smile tilt my mouth. “ Me too .”
She rested her hand on my arm and batted her eyelashes. “I’m free later tonight .”
Damn . I looked around the bar and saw how busy it was. By the time the night ended I’d be exhausted and cranky. I decided that it’d be kinda nice to have a little something soft and warm waiting on me. I slipped my arm around her side, brushed my lips against her ear, and growled, “I’ll come around to your house after I close up .”
She shivered and pressed herself against me. “I’ll be here. Just find me when you’re finished .”
I watched her saunter over to her friends before I turned back to the bar. Abram had been observing with a grin on his face. When I got back to the bar, he just laughed .
“You’re just as bad as Sam. Only difference is you don’t screw the waitresses .”
Which is the point .
2
Allie
T exas. Hmm… not exactly where I’d planned on ending up, but then, I didn’t really have a plan to speak of. Who knows, this might just be the hand of fate guiding me, right here. Burden , Texas. Hell, the name alone seemed to foreshadow my destiny .
I’d run out of gas on the side of the road with absolutely no money left in my bank account. My sporadic road trip was just that - completely and utterly sporadic. I’d thrown a few things in the back of my old Mustang and just headed the old girl west. What I hadn’t done was make sure I had the finances for my travels .
My phone died somewhere in the middle of Arkansas and I’d left the charger back in North Carolina. The snacks I’d packed had been depleted in Tennessee. I’d grown tired of sleeping in my car the first half of Texas .
I’d gotten off the interstate in Arkansas to enjoy the scenery and crossed over to Texas in the same way, on back roads. Going through the small towns had been stunning, until I found myself on the side of the road, stranded with not another soul in sight .
I’d just passed the sign for Burden when the damn car sputtered to a stop. I looked around and rolled my shoulders. The outskirts of Big Bend National Park had spectacular views. Burden was at the bottom of the far west side of Texas, on the Mexican border. I’d driven far off the beaten path for a chance to see Big Bend and now, here I was, stranded in what was potentially a ghost town .
I wasn’t entirely sure it was abandoned, since I didn’t actually know the first thing about Burden, Texas. I think I remembered seeing it on the road atlas I’d studied at a gas station outside of Austin. But, I’d driven through several ghost towns that had also been listed on the atlas, so the prospects of Burden actually being inhabited was somewhere around fifty-fifty .
Anxiety started to wear at the edges of my consciousness. I snatched my backpack from the trunk and tossed it over my shoulder. I’d hike through the park and hope to find a park ranger. Hiking the last thirty miles into Big Bend hadn’t been my plan, but then again, I didn’t exactly have a plan. And besides, this trip just might be my very last taste of freedom. The last chance I had to throw caution to the wind. My final hurrah as it were .
It was May, so not the hottest month of the year, but the daytime temperature was still in the high nineties. I’d dressed in simple, loose cotton shorts that morning that stopped just below my ass and a spaghetti strapped tank top. My clothes were perfect for the weather. My flip flops sucked for hiking. No matter, I tied my hair out of my face with a bandana and marched on .
This might be an unexpected hiccup, but I wasn’t one to let something like this get me down. Sure, it sucked to break down. Even more so outside a place called Burden, a place that was probably just some rugged land with a few abandoned adobe style structures on it. But, technically I was still on the road, which had been the point of leaving in the first place. To experience an adventure. I wanted to see everything. I wanted to spend as long as I could seeing everything .
It had nothing to do with me running scared from the marriage proposal my boyfriend had sprung on me. Nope. Nothing at all .
Summer hadn’t taken over yet and wildflowers were still blooming on each side of the road. As I walked, the blooms charmed me and I couldn’t help but smile. Green grass blew in the hot breeze. In the distance, the road dipped and I lost sight of whatever it was that I was walking towards. Only when I got closer, could I see the town spread out in the valley below .
Burden looked like a perfect little town. I could see enough movement to convince me that it wasn’t an abandoned ghost town. Awesome luck !
With a pep in my step, and my flip-flops slapping the soles of my feet, I headed towards this little slice of salvation. The first structure I came across was a large log cabin style place. A rustic wooden sign mounted over the door read ‘The Cave’. I peeked in the window, and the sight of neon beer signs made me feel like I’d won the lottery. Looks like I wasn’t gonna die from heat stroke or dehydration out in the middle of Nowhere, Texas after all .
A few cars dotted the side lot, enough to indicate that the establishment was open. I stepped up onto the wide porch that wrapped around both sides of the cabin, and as I did, I felt an air of familiarity swirl around me and waft its way over my senses. An intimacy settled over me and I stood still for a second to try to make sense of it. I’d never been to Texas before, what was it about The Cave that felt so incredibly like déjà vu ?
Worn planks of wood stretched out under my feet and creaked when I shifted my weight back and forth. I caught the slight whine of an old country song, along with the aroma of pine and grilled steak which elicited a loud growl
from my stomach. I had no business feeling homesick for a place like this one, but there it was. I was feeling homesick for a place I’d never been .
It had to be a mind trick. That was it. My mind was finding comfort anywhere that wasn’t back home. Anywhere that wasn’t filled with chaotic, plaguing thoughts and fears. Yep. This was simply a town that didn’t threaten my piece of mind, a town where I could pretend that I had no problems or worries. Except an empty bank account and an empty gas tank .
I shrugged my backpack higher on my shoulder and pushed through the front door. The Cave was surprisingly dark for midday. Natural lighting from the windows lit the front of the place, casting long streaks of light across wooden tables and chairs and leaving the untouched areas in shadow. Old chandeliers hung from the ceiling, unlit, and a large jukebox took up part of the corner opposite the bar .
Several pairs of eyes looked up when I came in, but almost immediately lost interest in me. Except one pair. The bartender stared at me and used his knuckle to lift his hat a bit. His lips curled in a friendly smile after a few seconds so I made my way over to him .
“New in town?” He was older, probably in his mid-fifties, and had a surprisingly gentle voice. I kinda liked him already. He looked the part of a rough and tumble bartender in a Texas border town, but his demeanor instantly put me at ease .
“Yeah. I was driving through to Big Bend and ran out of gas. Luckily, this place was close .”
He narrowed his eyes and looked at me thoughtfully. “Most people don’t drive this way ‘round for Big Bend. Hell, most people don’t have the time to. You always pick the longest way ‘round to somethin ’?”
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