by Zoe Chant
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Lion’s Lynx (Veteran Shifters, #2)
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Lion’s Lynx
Veteran Shifters, #2
By Zoe Chant
Copyright Zoe Chant 2018
All Rights Reserved
Author’s note: This book stands alone. However, it’s part of a series about Marine veteran shifters in Glacier National Park. If you’d like to start from the beginning, the first book is Snow Leopard’s Lady.
Lynn Davidson frowned at her email.
Email in general was not her favorite thing—she preferred to be outside, away from computers and phones, surrounded by nature.
But this particular email was getting the stinkeye for a reason.
The subject was A Request, and it was from Cal Westland, head ranger at Glacier National Park. Apparently one of his old Marine buddies worked for an environmental research company, and the buddy was being posted to Glacier to take soil samples or whatever.
Normally, the guy would have a ranger assigned to him to show him around and help him find what he needed. However, it was the height of tourist season, there’d been a dangerous fire up in the mountains last week, and although they’d caught it early enough that it hadn’t done much damage, all of the rangers were on high alert.
And since Cal couldn’t spare anyone, and Lynn ran the most popular guide service in the area, he was asking her to do it.
The problem was, it was the height of tourist season. Lynn was already overworked, and her new trainee, Nina, wasn’t experienced enough to take on as many clients as Lynn did. They were booked solid.
Maybe she could foist the environmental scientist off on Nina?
But no, she knew she wouldn’t. Anytime a big company took interest in Glacier or the land around it, Lynn wanted to be in the loop. “Environmental research” covered a lot of ground, and if anything shady was going on, she needed to know.
Honestly, that was probably one of the reasons Cal was asking her to take the guy under her wing. He and Lynn were in perfect agreement on this subject. If he couldn’t supervise an industry-funded research project personally, he knew Lynn would report back to him.
Although this guy was his friend from back in his Marine days.
Lynn tried to picture that. A Marine veteran. Probably a gruff, buzz-cut drill sergeant type, used to getting his own way and bulldozing over anyone who disagreed.
Odds were he wouldn’t want to take any orders from a woman, either. Lynn had met more than a few outdoorsmen who thought that anytime she warned them about real danger, she was just being a namby-pamby girl who was scared of a little adventure. They drove her crazy—and usually ended up in trouble that she had to rescue them from.
And the older ones were sometimes worse. If this guy was Cal’s old buddy, he was probably around Lynn’s own age, late forties or so. He’d be firmly set in his ways.
The office door opened then, and Nina came sailing in, stars in her eyes. “Hi!”
Lynn couldn’t help but smile, despite her annoyance. Watching Nina stretch her professional muscles as she worked a challenging and fulfilling job had been lifting Lynn’s heart for a month now. “So the Yang family enjoyed their hike?”
Nina nodded vigorously. “Oh, yes. They were wonderful—asking questions about everything, so impressed, so happy to be there. And they let me know when they were getting tired instead of thinking they had to push on. I had them take breaks at the best vistas, and they loved it.” She smiled broadly. “They thanked me afterwards, and I got this great tip!” She held up a handful of cash. “Should I put it in the books?”
Lynn shook her head firmly. “Are you kidding? That’s yours. You earned it, kid. Buy your man something pretty to wear or something.”
Nina burst out laughing. “Maybe I will.”
Lynn chuckled too, knowing that Nina’s mate, Joel, was a Glacier Park ranger and probably wasn’t too interested in wearing anything pretty. Although who knew—maybe he was a real clotheshorse—clothes-leopard?—when he wasn’t in the uniform. No judging people, sometimes.
“How has your day been?” Nina was asking. It was past quitting time; the sky outside was full dark, and Lynn had just stepped into the office to do the day’s bookkeeping and check the email.
Which reminded her. “Full day of clients, a couple of real experienced hikers in the mix. But now I’ve got Cal asking me to babysit an environmental scientist later this week.”
Nina frowned. “Do environmental scientists need babysitting?”
“Ha,” Lynn said sourly. “They don’t think they do, but they do. They’ve got a degree or two, and suddenly they’re sure they know more about the land than someone who’s lived here her entire life.”
Nina smiled a little. “Not that you’re bitter.”
“Not in the slightest,” Lynn said, mock-serious. “This guy’s a friend of Cal’s, so maybe he won’t be…too awful.”
“Wow, I definitely believe you now,” Nina said, wide-eyed. “Super convincing.”
“Thank you.” Lynn finally let herself crack a smile. “Anyway, he’s going to be taking an early slot, because we’re booked from six AM to full dark all week. If he wants any help during the day, I might have to foist a client or two off on you. Think you can take it?”
Nina’s posture straightened. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good on you. Now go home.”
She smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Nina took herself off, presumably heading home to Joel. Lynn smiled a little at the thought of them—young mates, both snow leopard shifters, in the earliest stages of a life together.
Lynn had never married, or even lived together with a boyfriend. In her younger years, she’d confined herself to casual relationships, often with men who were only around Glacier for the summer. She’d never had the time or the willingness to commit too much of herself to a man.
Especially once she’d seen, over and over again, how it could go wrong.
Now that she was older, it was easier to just be single. No one tried to set her up or asked her when she was planning on settling down. The town had accepted that Lynn Davidson was a confirmed—whatever the female equivalent of bachelor was. And that was how she liked it.
Lynn needed space to herself and control over her own life, and she’d never thought that the sacrifices a relationship required were worth it. So she smiled indulgently at Nina’s young love, shook her head at Cal getting married at his age—now with a brand-new baby, no less—and went about her business.
Her extremely busy business, these days. Shaking away her thoughts, Lynn opened up a reply window and started typing out a message to Cal.
Those environmentalists had better pay well.
***
Ken Turner, formerly a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps, these days a mild-mannered environmental scientist, pulled his truck into the rangers’ office complex at Glacier National Park.
It was strange to be coming back here so soon. Just a few months ago, he’d visited Glacier Park when his old Gunnery Sergeant Cal Westland had married his mate, Lillian. The wedding had been the first time Ken had seen Cal in ten years…and now here he was, right back on his doorstep again.
But it was more than a coincidence. He’d asked Cal specifically if he could pull some strings to allow Ken’s bosses at GeoSync to do some work up at Glacier. Until now, they’d been having a difficult time getting through the endless miles of red tape needed to research in a national park.
Cal had
come through, though, and now Ken was in great with the bosses, and had been hand-picked to come do the fieldwork himself. As he got out of the truck, he resisted the urge to start up a cheerful whistle.
The rangers’ building was unlocked, and Cal’s office was easy to find. Ken tapped on the door, and grinned as Cal’s voice intoned, “Come.”
Some things hadn’t changed since Cal’s days as a gunnery sergeant, that was for sure. Ken had to resist the urge to stand at attention when he entered the office.
He’d been out of the Marines for ten years, but the Corps never really left your blood. The instincts were there for life.
But Cal gestured him at a chair, so Ken somehow managed to conquer years of psychological training and sit down across from him, just like two civilians having a meeting. He gave himself a mental pat on the back.
“Welcome back to Glacier.” Then Cal gave him a smile. A real, actual smile. Ken restrained himself from shaking his head and blinking.
“Thanks,” he said instead. “Congrats on the new baby.”
The smile softened. “Thanks. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
A little baby girl. Ken tried to picture Gunnery Sergeant Westland cooing over a baby girl in a tiny pink dress and booties, and came up with a flashing DOES NOT COMPUTE.
“Marriage and fatherhood are treating you right, then,” he managed.
“You’ve got no idea. You should really try it sometime.” The dopey look hadn’t left Cal’s face.
“Mmm,” Ken said, as though he were testing the idea, “…no, I don’t think it’s for me. Women are great, but not a lot of them go nuts over a guy who investigates bear poop for a living, you know?”
Not to mention how he was pretty sure most women wanted a man who’d stay home and be with them, cuddle on the couch and so on. When sometimes all a lion shifter wanted was to get out and range through the deserted countryside.
Forget sometimes. All the time. Ken had come to love his job, but originally, the only reason he’d studied environmental science after leaving the Marines was so that he could make a living outdoors.
Even environmental science required more office-and-computer time than he’d originally anticipated. But all that meant was that he maximized his field time, staying out in the wild for weeks at a time whenever he could.
And he didn’t want to try and build a relationship around that. Because it wouldn’t work, for one, and because it sounded freaking exhausting, for another.
Ken couldn’t be tied down. Twenty-five years ago, he’d left to join the Marines even when his first girlfriend had begged him not to, and he’d disappointed a few more girls in his youth when he’d refused to settle down and commit.
Finally, he’d just accepted that women didn’t want men like him, and he didn’t want women like them, and so they should probably all just agree to disagree and go their separate ways.
These days, he had flings now and then, but only when it was understood that it wasn’t going anywhere. Otherwise, he kept himself to himself, and enjoyed a monogamous relationship with the great outdoors.
Cal was shaking his head. “You’re not talking to the right women. I could name a few out here who have no problems with bear poop.”
Ken mock-fluttered his eyelashes. “How romantic.”
Cal closed his eyes briefly, and then said, “So this company of yours wants you operating in my Park?”
Back to business then. Probably for the best. “Both in the Park and just outside it. Ideally some good old-growth forested area, adjacent to some areas that have been logged in the last fifty years or so.”
Cal was nodding. “That’s doable. The paperwork that GeoSync sent me authorized payment of a local guide to give you locations and data, so I’ve called one up for you—the best in the business.”
Ken frowned. “I don’t need a guide. If you just point me in the right direction—or get a ranger to run me up some records on the local forestry—”
Cal shook his head. “The rangers are swamped; we’re at peak season right now, and there’s been some potential wildfires. Everyone’s got their eyes open, and I can’t spare anybody. But I promise you, I’ve hired the best private guide there is.”
Ken was about to explain, once again, that he didn’t need anybody to hold his hand through the process of doing his goddamn job, when there was a knock on the door.
“That should be her now,” Cal added, and raised his voice. “Come!”
The door opened, and in came a woman.
She was short and stocky, dressed in a loose khaki shirt and utility vest, jeans, and hiking boots. Her hair was pulled back into a severe bun, and she was wearing a no-nonsense expression.
So she definitely wasn’t trying to look attractive. Ken knew when women were presenting themselves to their best advantage, and this woman was here to do her job—no makeup, no frills, nothing.
Which meant there was no explanation for the burst of want he felt when he saw her. And not just from his human side: his lion sat up inside Ken’s chest and growled appreciatively.
Sure, she was pretty—her features were surprisingly delicate, compared to the image she put forward. The classic line of her nose, the elegant cheekbones and cupid’s-bow lips, all came together into a beautiful picture. Ken could see that, if it hadn’t been severely confined, her hair would be a mass of soft, ash-colored curls.
And even the most shapeless clothing wouldn’t be able to conceal that figure. Her curves were clearly visible under her vest and through her jeans.
Still, though. Ken had thought he’d gotten good at the not-dating game. GeoSync employed plenty of attractive, smart women, and he might notice that they were pretty, but his lion never took too much interest in them, and he never let it distract him from his job.
And he for sure never felt the urge to grab them by the arm, tug them out into the hall away from his former gunnery sergeant, and see if those lips tasted as gorgeous as they looked.
Yes, his lion agreed, in a low rumble.
“Hello?”
She was right in front of him. Holding out her hand. He…must have missed something in there.
He summoned up a smile. It wasn’t difficult. “Hi. Nice to meet you.” He took the hand and shook it.
Her handshake was as firm as any man’s, her palm warm and dry. Ken had to force himself not to keep her hand in his, not to twine their fingers together and hold her close.
The idea made him shiver. Shiver, like a teenager with his first crush. Sweet baby hedgehog angels, what was wrong with him?
“Lynn’s the best guide in the Glacier area,” Cal was saying. “She’s helped out with the pack’s search-and-rescue efforts many times. She’ll be able to show you wherever you need to go, and answer any questions you might have about land use in the area.”
Lynn. Ken tasted the name silently in his mouth, and he liked it.
Also, Cal had referenced his pack, which meant that he was tactfully letting them both know that they could talk about shifters.
Ken knew that even aside from the snow leopard pack, the local area was especially densely populated with shifters. Was Lynn one? If so, what animal was she?
It would be rude to ask outright, and he didn’t want to offend her. But he suddenly and desperately needed to know.
He hoped she wasn’t a prey animal. Herbivore shifters often got nervous around predators like Ken. An enormous male lion disconcerted them for some reason.
Hard to imagine why.
But Lynn didn’t look like she was easily disconcerted. By anything.
“You’ll be getting settled in today, I assume,” Lynn was saying. “I’m heavily booked because it’s tourist season, so we’ll have to meet early in the morning or late in the evening. How do you feel about five AM tomorrow?”
Her gaze was challenging. Her eyes, Ken noticed, were a beautiful clear topaz color.
She must be a shifter. Unusual eye colors were often a clue, and someone who spent
her time out in the wilderness of Glacier, especially considering how many shifters lived up here…?
Now he just had to figure out what animal had eyes like that. An owl?
Also he had to answer her question.
“Five AM sounds great,” he said honestly. “Can I show my appreciation for your help? Take you to dinner tonight, maybe?”
She shook her head firmly. “Too busy for socializing right now. Your company can show their appreciation when I send them an invoice.”
The rejection stung. But Ken had to admire the confidence and total lack of hesitation as she shut him down.
“Well, let’s exchange information,” he said, pulling out his phone. “What’s the reception like out here?”
“It’s fine in town,” she said, unearthing a battered flip-phone from one of her vest pockets. “Not so good out on the trails, but I make sure to check my texts and email at least once at the end of the day, so if you have to cancel or reschedule something, I should see it.”
Her voice was husky, a low, sweet sound. Ken made himself focus on the words instead of the tone as he typed her phone number, email address, and website into his phone.
She nodded briskly as he gave her his own info, getting it entered into her little numerical keypad with speed. “Good. Meet me at the visitor’s center tomorrow morning at five, and we’ll discuss what you’re looking to research.”
They shook hands again. Struck by a sudden burst of inspiration, Ken said, “I’m looking forward to learning from your expertise.”
That got him a reaction. Startled, she met his eyes. He smiled.
She tugged her hand away quickly and looked over at Cal. “See you around, Westland.”
“You too,” Cal said blandly.
Ken watched her leave. Her curves were just as apparent from behind.
As the door clicked shut behind her, Cal said, “Still don’t want a guide?” Amusement flavored his tone.
Getting married, Ken thought, had done wonders for Cal’s ability to express emotions and respond to humor. It was really too bad that Ken had to experience it in this particular context. “Shut up.”
Cal didn’t say anything else, but Ken could see the smile lurking at the corners of his mouth.