Michael stared down at the body with a scowl curling his scarred upper lip. “Piece of shit. He tried to mark her?”
I growled and barely held back the shift. “He did that and worse.”
Alex nodded. “Then you did the right thing. Let’s load him into the back of your truck and go from there.”
“We’ll need to be on guard for a while. Who knows if anyone will come looking for this piece of shit. I’d rather us not be caught with our pants down if they do.” Michael leaned over and hefted the carcass over his shoulder. “You owe me for this.”
“Consider this me owing you all one. Take his body down to the river. Leave him beside it, where the animals can find him and finish him. I’ve got to get back to Leila. She’s convinced herself that this is all her fault.”
Alex patted me on the shoulder. “Take care of her. Elizabeth informed me that if I had anything to do with running her off, she’d skin my hide and make a bearskin rug for the bedroom. It seems your mate and mine took a liking to each other. Take care of that leg, too.”
I looked down at the reminder that I’d almost lost the fight because I wasn’t focused. “Piece of shit caught me off guard.”
“You mean with your pants literally down. Couldn’t help notice that you two seemed a little eager to get home tonight.”
I thumped him on the back and headed towards the house. “You’re not all wrong, brother. Leave the truck back at the main house if it’s easier. Thanks for this.”
Alex gave me one last nod and then joined the others. I made my way inside to check on my mate. I didn’t give a fuck what happened to the body of that piece of trash gator. It could’ve rotted behind my cabin for all I cared. I just wanted to get inside and take care of Leila.
I heard the shower running and stepped into the bathroom. The shower door was steamed up, but I could see her silhouette leaning against the wall, looking defeated. I opened the door and climbed in. “Scoot over.”
She turned to face me and tears spilled down her face. “I’m so sorry, Matt.”
I quickly rinsed all of the blood off of my body so it would be one less reminder for her. Then, I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. “You didn’t do that. I’m glad it’s over, if anything. You don’t have to hide anymore. You can do whatever you want here.”
She rested her cheek against my chest. “I was terrified. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
I rubbed her back, soothing her. “You won’t ever have to find out. Everything’s okay, Leila. How about we wash up and then go to bed? It’s been a long night.”
She nodded and silently grabbed a bar of soap. With shaking hands, she took her time washing me. Her eyes moved over me, taking time examining me to make sure I was okay.
My leg was already closing up and any pain was long forgotten, so it was hard for me to keep my body from responding to her movements. I didn’t want to push for sex when she was upset, even if I did think it might help. I just remained silent as she washed me, happy to be tormented by my mate.
CHAPTER 19: Matt
Leila looked up at me with wide eyes and then looked back down at my leg. “You’re healed!”
“I told you I’d heal up. When are you gonna believe me? I’m okay, baby.”
She seemed to deflate against my chest. “I knew it, but I just got so freaked out, Matt. I can’t lose you. I love you.”
Hearing the words made everything right with the world. Nothing else mattered, except being with her for the rest of my life. I could work as a farm hand at the ranch, for all I cared. As long as I got to come home and hear my mate say that she loved me, I’d die a happy man.
I picked her up and held her against me. “I love you, too, mate.”
She kissed me, pinning her chest to mine. “Make me forget, Matt. I just want to think about you and me tonight.”
I stepped out of the shower, and carried her to our bed. I would do anything she asked of me, but this request seemed like a gift to me.
Her body glistened as water rolled down her soft skin, marking trails that I followed with my lips. I covered her in kisses, tasting her everywhere. She writhed against me, silently asking me for more until her pleas became louder.
I buried my face between her thighs, licking and sucking her until she climaxed. I drove her to orgasm after orgasm, determined to make her forget anything but the small and intimate world that only the two of us shared.
I slipped two fingers into her body and curled them, finding the spot that made her scream when she came. Her liquid flowed freely, coating my fingers and lips. I was a happy man, content in feasting on her body for the rest of the night.
Leila eventually pushed me away, though. She clamped her legs together and used my hair to pull me up to her so she could kiss me. Her tongue slipped into my mouth and she gripped my shoulders so hard I could feel her nails digging into my skin.
“Make love to me.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I wanted to be in her more than anything in the world. I settled between her thighs and slowly, carefully slid into her. Her wetness made it easier and then I was home, surrounded by her wet heat. Her body fit mine perfectly as I pulled out and pushed back in.
Leila held on to me, keeping me close as I thrust into her again and again. I kept it slower, making love to her until we were both panting and moaning. Just when I didn’t think I could last a second longer, she tilted her hips and I slid deeper, hitting a new spot in her body. She cried out as another orgasm shook her body, clamping down on me.
The feeling of her body sheathing my cock was too much. I thrust into her once more and then buried myself as I came deep in her. I whispered into her neck how much I loved her as our orgasms rocked us.
CHAPTER 20: Leila
After a couple of days full of rolling in the sheets, earth-shattering orgasms, and whispered words of love, I felt much better. Steven was gone and my past gone with him. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder any more. Matt was completely healed and everything was going to be okay.
As I spotted my mate outside, roaming in his bear form, I couldn’t help but smile. Things were going to be better than okay. I’d found the man who was made just for me. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was.
Landing, Wyoming and Beatrix’s Buxom Beauties had turned out to be the two of the luckiest finds, and Matt Long was the most perfect man that ever walked the Earth. Perfect for me, that is.
I slipped on my jacket and walked outside to see what he was doing. He’d been going outside here or there, working on something in the shed out back.
At that moment, he was trying to pick up a two by four with his paw. He huffed and swiped at it, sending it skating across the ground a good twenty feet. He stood up straight and growled.
“Hands might work better, Matt. What are you doing?”
He spun around to face me and instantly shifted. His naked body steamed in the cold air. “Hey. I was just…cleaning up.”
I raised an eyebrow and moved closer. I couldn’t stay away when he was naked. Our bodies worked like magnets. I was drawn to him constantly. “Cleaning up?”
His cheeks actually turned pink. “Yeah, I was building and made a mess.”
I grinned and pressed my body against his. His warmth seeped through my jacket. “What were you building, mate?”
He held me and gave me a soft kiss. “It’s a surprise.”
I grinned. “Is it done?”
Instead of answering, he lifted me into his arms and carried me into the shed. He put me down and moved to lift the tarp off of a big object in the corner. “Your smell changed. I know it’s early, but I wanted to make this for you. We’ll have to move out of the cabin and get a bigger house, too. I’ll have to go back to the ranch, start working again. It’ll be okay, though. I’m happy.”
I’d never seen him like this, he was rambling nervously. “Matt, slow down. What are you talking about?”
He pulled the tarp off and revealed a rustic crib. “
We’re going to have a cub.”
My knees instantly went weak and I fell into Matt’s waiting arms. He sat us on the ground and held me in his lap. Tears fell from my eyes and I was instantly sobbing hysterically.
Matt took my tears to mean I was upset and tried to comfort me. “It’s okay, Leila. It’s a good thing. We can do this together.”
I pushed him back and straddled him. “I know,” I blubbered, “I’m o happy. We’re going to have a baby, Matt. A baby. A cub.”
“You’re happy?”
I laughed and then kissed him. My heart was so full, it felt like it would burst. I deepened the kiss and held on as he rolled us over so that he was on top of me. “I am so happy, Matt. All my dreams have come true. You’re going to be the best dad.”
My big bad bear had a few drops of moisture in his own eyes. He kissed me again and then blew out a big breath. “I was worried there for a second.”
I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him against me, taking his weight on top of me. “I am in this forever. You’re everything to me. We’re going to have a family, Matt. How could I ever be anything but happy?”
“Marry me.”
My mouth fell open and it was my turn to stutter. “What?”
He grinned. “Marry me. Be my mate and my wife.”
I screamed, my excitement getting the best of me. “Yes!”
We celebrated by christening the shed and scaring all the wildlife in the area away with our love sounds. I poured every ounce of strength I had into showing Matt just how much he means to me.
We ended up snapping a piece of the crib off in our excitement. Matt barely noticed and muttered about having plenty of time to fix it, and then we went back to celebrating. The way things were going, I was sure it wasn’t the last time we’d break something, and I was completely okay with that.
THE END
RANCHER BEAR’S SURPRISE PACKAGE
STORY DESCRIPTION
After his younger brother inherited control of the family ranch and his older brother went into hiding, Lucas Long got into his truck and hit the open road. Heading out across the country, he was on a mission. A mission to find something that may or may not even exist. After a year and a half of searching, and exhausting almost all leads, he gets an urgent phone call summoning him home ASAP.
Sammie Delaney has worked her ass off to become the tough, hardened U.S. Marshal that she is today. Her last case has left her reeling, though. When her partner and the witnesses they were in charge of protecting were murdered in cold blood, Sammie’s was left in charge of a frightened four-year-old boy. Only, he’s not currently a boy, the kid’s transformed himself into a bear cub. Sammie’s vow to protect little Mason and do right by him leads her to the small town of Landing, Wyoming. Lucas Long, the man whose name was a whisper on the lips of a dying woman, is her last hope of helping little Mason. Who knew Lucas would turn out to be a hotter-than-hell bear shifter.
When Lucas arrives home to finds a woman who takes his breath away, holding a little boy who smells just like him, he instantly knows that these two are his future. But the beautiful Marshal remains unconvinced. Can Lucas find a way to not only manage a crash course in parenting, but also entice his mate to stay in Landing where their little family desperately needs her?
CHAPTER 1: Lucas
“Honey, you look about as awake as a dead man. Can I get you some more coffee before you go? Anything?”
I looked up at the older waitress. Her hair was a strange shade of ‘bluish’ and the tag pinned to her beige polyester uniform read Blanche. I shook my head. I’d spent enough time in the little Arkansas town, but she was right. I needed something to clear the fog that had invaded my mind.
“Make it a to-go cup, please.”
I massaged my left temple and watched her walk away. I didn’t have much money left in my savings account. I was travelling on fumes. Money-wise and energy-wise. I’d been on the road for months and all I’d managed to find was a sore back and a never-ending dull throb of a headache.
I dropped my head into my hands and tried to remind myself that I was doing all of it for a reason. A good reason.
“Honey, your coffee’s gone cold. I’d let you nap for a while, but my boss is being an asshole. You’re going to have to get a room if you want to sleep.”
I jerked awake and looked around. It took a minute for my mind to process where I was. I must have dozed off for a second there.
“Poor thing. You can sleep if my car for a while if you can’t afford the room.”
I grunted and stood up. My legs were stiff and my back gave a painful crack before straightening. I caught a reflection of myself in the window beside me. Jesus, I looked rough.
“I’ve got to go. Thank you, ma’am.” I pulled several bills out of my wallet and folded them into her hand. “I appreciate it.”
I grabbed my cold coffee and headed out to my truck. I climbed in and used a felt-tipped pen to X off the town of Hoodwink, Arkansas on the map that was open across my passenger seat. The next stop on my trip was a little hole in the wall in Texas. It was the last place anyone in Mallory’s previous town had heard her mention.
I was running out of leads, running out of options. I’d been doing this for almost a year and a half. I started searching as soon as my family found out about Dad’s will. My father had left the family ranch to whichever of my brothers and me had a child first. It’d taken me months to even get a line on Mallory. I’d never been able to reach her directly, but I’d been hopeful up until the last month.
It was getting harder and harder to find people who knew her. No one wanted to talk about the pretty brunette with the dark cloud hanging over her head.
I grimaced as I chugged down the cold coffee and then tossed the cup in the back seat. I started my truck and headed West, towards Texas.
My last hope to find her.
*****Sammie*****
Splashing water on my face, I sucked in a rough breath and struggled to remain in control of myself. I couldn’t afford to fall apart. At that thought, I looked over at the rough pallet I’d laid down on the bathroom floor. Sitting on it was a tiny bear cub looking about as forlorn as could be.
“It’s okay, Mason. It’s all okay.” This whole thing was about as far from okay as one could possibly imagine. I was talking to a bear cub. A real bear cub. A bear cub who a week before had been a little boy.
Nothing was okay.
I slipped out of my soiled clothes and did my best to wash them in the sink before hanging them up to dry. A knock sounded on the door and my chest tightened. “Occupied!”
A young female voice yelled back. “For how long?”
I relaxed and looked down at my mostly bare body and the bear cub huddled on the floor. “A while. I’d go somewhere else.”
She kicked the door and mumbled something, but she left.
I picked up Mason and held him against my side. “How about we do a quick wash? Do bears take baths, huh?”
I turned the water on and he made a whimpering sound before trying to climb up my head. I winced as his claws scraped across my skin, but tried to remain gentle with him. “Mason, baby, you’ve got to be easy with me. I’m not a tree.”
I finally pried him off of me and placed him back on the floor. “Okay, no bath. How ‘bout a snack?”
He turned away and curled into a little ball.
My heart ached for the little boy. I had no clue what was happening with him, but I knew enough to know that Mason was still in there.
The child had witnessed his mom and her junkie boyfriend shot to death in cold blood. Along with my partner, U.S. Marshal Aaron Givens. Aaron and I were tasked with keeping them hidden while they waited to testify against scumbag heroin distributor Wesley Butler. Something had gone wrong. I’d been out grabbing dinner for everyone. When I came back, the door was wide open and Aaron was sprawled out in front of it, dead.
I gagged as the recent memory flooded my vision, and rushed into the little stal
l to vomit up a lunch that I’d barely touched. Bile came up and I fought the tears. I couldn’t fall apart. I couldn’t afford to fall apart, or even to slow down.
Mason needed me. I swore I would do right by the little boy, and the best thing I could think of right now was to get him to his father. The only thing I could think of. I’d finally managed to track him down and we had only a few more miles to go. I didn’t know anything about his dad, but I was pretty sure his mom had never turned into a bear. I was praying that this was something his dad could explain. Explain and get him to turn back into a little boy so I could stop hiding from my boss.
As a U.S. Marshal, it was my job to keep Mason safe. My boss demanded proof that he was okay, but if I turned up with a bear cub claiming it was Mason Simmons, one of two things would happen. One, I’d get fired for being off my rocker, or two, they’d take little Mason and he’d end up being poked and prodded for God knows how long while they tried to figure out how a little boy could transform into an actual grizzly bear cub.
I wouldn’t let that happen. Mason had already been through more than any child should have to endure. I really didn’t want to get blacklisted by law enforcement either.
I flushed the toilet and stood up to find Mason sitting up, watching me wide-eyed. I forced a smile. “I’m okay. Let me get washed up and then we’ll get back on the road. We’re close to finding answers, buddy.”
I hurriedly washed my body with a wad of paper towels and the last few squirts of watered down soap. I dressed in my still damp clothes and scooped up Mason.
“Let’s get you wrapped back up, shall we? We wouldn’t want to start a bear flu, would we?”
He hugged his little body to mine and I sighed. He was warm and soft in my arms. I’d been with him for so long that I couldn’t help but love the little boy. Bear or boy, I loved him and needed to make things right for him.
Rancher Bear Complete Series: PLUS NEW BONUS BOOK: Rancher Bears' Merry Christmas Page 10