As they left the café, the rain stopped, and the streets were covered in a thin sheen of water that caught the afternoon sunlight streaming through the parting clouds. The air had turned cold, but it smelled of the rose geraniums that were nestled in pots hanging from the awnings over the businesses down Main Street.
“I love the smell of the rain,” she said. “I totally don’t want to go back to my hotel right now.”
“How about a walk. I can show you around town.”
“Sure. But I’m freezing. I need to buy a sweater or something. Know anywhere I can get one?”
“Yeah. This way.”
He led her down the street, and she rubbed her arms in the crisp air. He looked down at her goosebumps and frowned. “Do you want to wear my jacket?”
“Sure,” she said. It was colder than she’d expected and while she didn’t want to go back to the hotel, she didn’t want to freeze, either. He pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. It smelled of Chance’s masculine scent and his spicy aftershave. The aroma sent an involuntary buzz through her body. She couldn’t deny it; she was unavoidably attracted to Chance. For better or worse.
“The shop is right here,” he said, holding open the door. “They have locally crafted knit sweaters here from local wool.”
“Oh, fantastic. I love that.” She passed through the door and noticed the beaming look on his face. He really did want to make her happy. It made her heart hurt. Was she falling for this guy? No. She didn’t have time for that. She had work to do.
Inside, the shop smelled of cinnamon and cloves. A petite, round grandmother with short white hair came out from behind the counter, wearing a lovely knit sweater featuring grazing sheep. “Can I help you?” she said, smiling brightly.
“I need a sweater. The weather just turned cold.”
“You look pretty warm, wrapped in that big man’s jacket,” the woman said, winking at Summer. Summer felt her face flush. She did enjoy the feeling of Chance’s body heat wrapped around her curves.
“It’s nice, but I can’t steal his jacket,” she said, pealing it off her shoulders and handing it back to Chance.
“Summer, this is Bertha McLaren. She’s part of the local bear clan and a dear friend.”
“Good to meet you,” Summer said, reaching out to take the woman’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, dear. I’m glad Chance brought you in. We have the best sweaters in town. Let’s see. I think your color is royal blue,” she said, closing one eye and looking at Summer through the open one.
“Sure. I like blue,” she agreed.
Bertha puttered through the shop and went to a rack of sweaters. She pulled one off and handed it to Summer. The wool was so soft if felt like silk, and the color was rich and inviting. “I think a cardigan, yes?”
“Cardigans are cool.” Summer wrapped the sweater around her shoulders and was enveloped in soft warmth that felt like she was covered in a radiant cloud. “Wow. I love this. How much?”
“It’s on the house for a friend of Chance’s.”
“I couldn’t,” Summer protested.
“I wouldn’t think of taking your money, sweetheart. You see that line of jams against the wall there?” Summer turned to see a rustic shelf full of jams covered in blue gingham and tied with pink ribbons. “All that jam comes from Chance’s huckleberries. I win the blue ribbon at the county fair every year.”
“Chance told me about that,” she said, looking over at him. He smiled in an almost boyish way that melted Summer’s heart. Warmth fluttered inside her, and she had to admit to herself that she did have feelings for the man.
“You look beautiful, dear. You take care of our Chance now, you hear?” she said, walking Summer to the door.
Summer almost corrected the woman that she wasn’t responsible for Chance, but Bertha had just given her an amazing new sweater, so she wasn’t about to contradict the sweet old lady.
“Bye now,” the old woman said, waving from the door.
The sun had broken through the clouds and warmed the air enough that the sweater was a perfect layer for the weather. Chance put his hand to the small of her back and leaned down to speak in her ear. Desire swept through her. Her better judgment told her she should pull away. She didn’t.
“You look beautiful in that. It brings out the caramel color of your eyes,” he said. His breath brushed against her ear, and she turned to him, looking deeply into his eyes.
“Thank you,” she said, gulping. It took every bit of self-control she possessed to keep from throwing her arms around him and kissing him hard on the lips.
“I want to show you the rest of town,” he said. His hand brushed hers, and for a brief second, she thought he was going to take her hand in his. He didn’t. Disappointment sank into her gut. She brushed it off and reminded herself that she was not in the market for a boyfriend.
They spent the better part of the afternoon exploring the cute little town before he brought her back to her hotel. He stood in the doorway as he dropped her off, looking down at her with dark eyes, full of desire. It made her body tremble to have that penetrating gaze focused on her.
She could sense the animal inside him, and it brought something out of her that wanted to meet it. She wanted to touch it and learn its secrets. Licking her lip, she took a small step closer. Chance bent toward her, so close she could smell his aftershave and feel the heat of his skin.
“I had a wonderful time with you today, Summer,” he said in a low, sensual voice. She wanted him to kiss her. Just as she was about to lean in to kiss him, he pulled away and tipped his black cowboy hat. “I’ll call you in the morning.” He turned away.
“Bye,” she said weakly as she closed the door. She leaned against the closed door and groaned, sinking to the floor. What on earth was she thinking? Why did she let him affect her like that? She didn’t have time to be going all gooey like some teenage girl with her first crush. Still, she’d seen a new side of Chance today, and she couldn’t help but begin to think of him as boyfriend material.
He was intelligent and kind. He tried to take care of her, but not in a bossy way. It was sweet, really. And the small quiet part inside her that was always trying to prove she didn’t need anyone really responded to the care he showed her. It made her feel safe and protected. Even though it was completely foreign to her, it felt good. It felt right.
Chapter 10
The next morning, as Summer waited to hear from Chance about the mine’s environmental oversight results, she turned on the TV and sat at the end of her bed. The news was on, covering the story of the Shifter Protection Act.
“The votes are coming back from the Senate now,” the newscaster said. “In a landslide decision, the Senate has passed the Shifter Protection Act. With such an overwhelming number of senators voting in favor of this bill, what is the prospect of the bill passing in the House, Charlie?”
“It looks good. In early poling, numbers are roughly what we saw in the Senate. I have no doubt that in the coming weeks, we will have a working law that protects all shifters and guarantees them equal rights.”
“That’s good news for the shifters of this country. These are citizens who have lived here with their families for generations.”
“I agree, Monica. It’s a good day for justice in this country. I hope that the laws will bring an end to the protests we’ve seen popping up around the world and particularly in our country. It’s an example of old world superstition that we should be past in this day and age.”
“I totally agree with you, Charlie. We’ve progressed past the days of burning witches. It’s time for this country to live in peace with our neighbors.”
She clicked off the TV just as the phone rang. It was Chance. “Hi,” she said, happy to hear his voice.
“Hi, Summer. I’ve just gotten the environmental oversight report. Want to come down to the sheriff’s department so we can read it over together?”
“Yes. I’ll be right there.”
<
br /> She gathered her things and hurried out to her car. Inside the sheriff's station, she found Chance in his office, sitting behind his desk. She’d never been to his office before and immediately noticed the framed degrees on the wall behind him. She hadn’t realized he’d graduated from college.
“Where did you go to school?” she asked, sitting on the side of the desk opposite Chance.
“I studied forestry and animal management at University of Montana. I graduated top of my class.”
“Oh,” she said, taken aback. She really had him all wrong, didn’t she?
“Now, let’s look at this report together. I’ve read it over, but I wanted to give you the chance to read it on your own without me interpreting it for you,” he said, sliding the stack of paper across the desk to her.
She gathered the report and began reading. With every page she read, she became more irritated. There was absolutely nothing in here that indicated the mine wasn’t one hundred percent compliant. Finally, she threw the paper back down on the desk with a scowl. “You can’t possibly believe this,” she demanded.
“I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t.”
“And what about the layoffs? Have you heard anything back about the shifter employees?”
“As a matter of fact, I have. It turns out that the shifters who were laid off had a long history of showing up late, coming to work drunk, and absenteeism. They’d both been given ample warnings to clean up their act. After the final warning, according to company policy, they were let go.”
“And you buy that?”
“Well, I actually know the men in question, and yes, I do believe it. Just because a person is a shifter doesn’t make him a good employee. Both those men were notorious troublemakers. I’m surprised the mine employed them in the first place.”
“Well, I think this report is a cover up.”
“Summer. I know you want to believe the mine is at fault, but there is absolutely no evidence that the poisonings are in any way related to the mine.”
“They used arsenic!” she said, standing.
“Well, sure, arsenic is used in copper smelting, but that doesn’t mean that the mine was directly responsible for the death of that man or the poisoning of Tim’s family. We need to find other leads.”
“I think you’re delusional,” she said. “Corporate mining is a hazard.”
“Summer, please. There’s a killer out there, and we need to find him.”
“Are we done here?” she asked, anger rising in her face and sinking in her belly.
He looked confused, but she didn’t care. She knew the mine was responsible. There was no other explanation. It was the whole reason she’d been in the woods in the first place. Her heartbeat throbbed in her brain as she backed away.
“Yes. I’ll talk to you later,” he muttered, crossing his arms.
Damn him. Why didn’t he see what was right in front of his face? She’d believed she was starting to have feelings for him, but he would never understand the environmental impact these corporations had on the planet. She hurried out of the sheriff’s station and got behind the wheel of her car, staring into the hazy sky.
She smacked the steering wheel and growled angrily. How could she stop the polluters if they were able to just buy off the government oversight committees? It was impossible. A tear slid down her face, and she started her car.
Summer sped through town and drove up into the mountains to look down at the green valleys below. She vowed that she would protect nature with every last breath in her body, and she didn’t intend to let some crooked corporation poison the earth and its people. If Chance didn’t want to help her, she’d have to do it on her own.
As night fell, she was still so angry she didn’t want to go back to the hotel. She pulled up in front of a bar and went inside. Loud country music lilted over the sound of animated conversation. The smell of cigarette smoke stung her nose, but she headed to the bar anyway.
A middle-aged woman with heavy eye makeup and a sleeveless flannel shirt tied up at the waist wiped the bar in front of her and asked Summer what she wanted to drink. “Whiskey,” she said. The bartender poured her a shot, and Summer threw it back. “Another,” she said. The woman poured her another shot and gave her a look that told Summer she should slow down in a place like this. Summer didn’t really care at that moment. She was too upset to care.
“Keep them coming, and a beer, please,” she said. The bartender poured her several more shots and gave her a bottle of beer. Summer drank the shots quickly and was feeling pretty good when she took her first sip of beer.
People danced in a line by the jukebox and hollered with joy to the music. It made Summer smile to see people having a good time, so she walked around the bar and watched the dancers from a better vantage point. She was smiling broadly and bobbing to the music when a man came over and sat at the bar beside her.
She glanced at him and looked back at the dancers. She vaguely recognized him, but wasn’t in a place to think too much about it.
“Hey,” he said.
She didn’t respond.
“Hey,” he said again. She looked over to find a lanky man with wrinkled, tan skin staring at her. That’s when she remembered where she’d seen him before. He’d been harassing the shifter at the mine in the breakroom when she’d been there with Chance.
“You’re that woman who’s been poking around with that shifter game warden, aren’t you?”
“And what if I am?” she asked, tipping her beer toward the man and winking.
“You’re awfully cute for an uptight city woman,” he said.
She frowned at him and began to walk away when he caught her arm.
“Don’t go poking around in things that are none of your business,” he said.
She yanked her arm away and put her beer down on the counter. She’d had quite enough of this and was done for the night. Hurrying out of the bar, she got to the parking lot and realized she’d probably had too much to drink to drive. Shit.
She shoved her keys into her purse and started walking back to the hotel. Even in a small town like this, she refused to drive drunk. It was the principle, and she’d already been dumb enough for one evening. The cool air blew over her face, waking her up. She heard a crash behind her, like a bottle breaking on concrete.
Turning around, she spotted the man from the bar following her down the dark sidewalk. Summer picked up the pace, but he still gained on her. In the darkness of an alley, he caught up with her and spun her around.
“You should be more careful. A young woman, alone at night, anything could happen.”
“Let me go,” she growled, trying to pull free. But the man’s grip on her arm was too tight. Panic rose in her gut, and her heart pounded in her ears. He began to pull her into a dark alley when a truck shrieked to a stop.
Chance came running toward them, his eyes blazing with anger. All of the sudden his clothes ripped and fur replaced skin. A giant bear growled at the man who went running into the darkness. Summer slumped against a wall and began crying.
Chance’s arms were around her a moment later, smooth, strong arms that smelled of his scent. “Chance,” she said between sobs.
“Come on,” he said, leading her to the truck. He opened the door for her and she climbed inside.
“What happened?” he asked, starting the car.
“He followed me from the bar.” Tears were falling like rain down her cheeks.
He stopped in front of her hotel and helped her upstairs with a blanket from the back seat of his truck wrapped around his waist. She sat on her bed and stared at the wall.
“Are you going to be all right?” he asked her.
“I don’t want to be alone,” she whispered.
He sat beside her and rubbed her back. All her feelings for him suddenly spilled over, and she leaned toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He tilted his head over hers and whispered in her ear that everything was going to be all right. With a sob, she loo
ked up at him. The sincerity in his eyes made her feel like maybe it would be all right, as long as he was there for her.
She leaned forward and kissed him hard. The taste of his lips and the warmth of his breath sent a tingle through her core, and she knew she needed him. He growled low in his throat and put his arms around her, pulling her up onto his lap.
His erection pressed against her under the thin fabric of the blanket. Chance’s hands roved over her body, dipping under her shirt and inside her bra as their mouths danced and tasted each other. The tears were all but forgotten now, and all that was left was hot lust for the man who’d been so patient with her.
She kicked off her shoes and turned to straddle his lap, grinding against his thick hardness. It pressed her need, making her gasp for more. He unbuttoned her pants and ran his hand over her ass, squeezing hard on her curvy flesh.
“Summer. I need you so bad. You have no idea,” he growled in her ear.
“Take me, Chance,” she said as his hands hooked into her shirt and pulled it up over her head. He kissed her breasts and unhooked her bra from behind. It fell away, and he cupped her breasts in his hands, sliding over them until his fingers pinched her nipples. She moaned and threw her head back, holding onto his shoulders for support.
He made a harsh, growly sound and turned her over so that her back rested on the bed. Her body sang and gushed, wetting her panties with desire as he hooked his hands in her pants and pulled them down. He kissed her belly and ran his tongue up the slit between her legs, tasting her cream.
“You taste like honey,” he said, licking and sucking at her pink flesh. She groaned, arching her back. His blanket fell away, revealing his thick, hard cock. It was so gorgeous she wanted to taste it, too.
Leaning up, she pushed him away and wrapped her hands around the thick base. He looked down at her and drew a sharp breath through his teeth as she opened her mouth. “Oh, God, Summer,” he growled.
Her lips sank over his shaft, enveloping his thickness in her wet mouth. Chance threaded his fingers through her hair, holding her steady as he moved in and out of her mouth, careful not to choke her but still taking her for his own desire. She was so wet with need she couldn’t take it anymore.
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