by Zoe Chant
"Looks good to me."
They put up the tent and lit a fire, safely contained inside a ring of stones. They didn't talk much while they had their dinner, sitting in companionable silence with their shoulders brushing. Cora fished her phone out of her pocket after they'd finished their meal.
"We can't really come back before the beginning of November," she said, paging through her calendar with a frown. "We've got that expedition with Colleen and Deborah booked already, and then China—"
Eric took a deep breath. "Oh, hell."
He looked around the clearing. The sky had turned a deep purple. The last rays of the setting sun shone through the trees, turning the water to gold.
"This is nice, isn't it? There's even a little miniature waterfall. That's romantic, right?"
He sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.
Cora turned to him, confused. Eric looked at her hopefully, anxiously, as if he was genuinely worried that she might disagree. As if camping in a beautiful clearing halfway up a mountain, at sunset, with the man she loved, wasn't everything Cora had ever wanted out of life.
"It's beautiful," she said. "I mean, I'm not sure it's really up to my high standards, though. I could be freezing my butt off in some godforsaken snow cave right now—"
She'd only meant to tease him to diffuse a bit of the strange, sudden tension she could feel emanating from Eric, but when he laughed, he looked like an enormous weight had dropped off his shoulders. There was a glint of tears in his eyes.
"God, I love you," he said.
Cora's breath caught in her chest when Eric went down to one knee in front of her. He pulled a little box out of his jacket pocket and opened it to reveal the glint of a ring. "Cora—"
"Yes."
Eric laughed when she flung herself into his arms.
"Yes! Yes, oh my God, yes!"
He picked her up with effortless strength and spun her around while she clung to him, both of them laughing now.
"Is that what you were so worried about? Of course I want to marry you, Eric, yes—"
He kissed her until she was breathless, kissed away the tears of joy streaming down her face. Finally he set her gently back on her feet.
Cora held out her hand for the ring, and Eric slid it onto her finger. It fit perfectly.
"I picked a cut for the stone that shouldn't catch on anything, so you can wear it while hiking, and there's a necklace to go with it so you can wear it around your neck when you're climbing."
"You know me so well." Cora beamed down at the glittering beauty of it.
"I had a whole speech prepared, you know," Eric said.
"Really? Let's hear it!" Cora sat down with her legs crossed, grinning up at him. It felt like she'd never stop smiling ever again.
Eric, on the other hand, suddenly looked serious again as he lowered himself down to sit beside her.
"There's something you should know about—about me," he said. "About shifters. It's—we mate for life."
"I'd sort of picked up on that, yes." Eric's pack had been careful to avoid the subject of marriage in front of her, but there were a few things she'd put together from what she'd seen or overheard.
Eric took a deep breath. "There's a reason for that. For most of us, there's only ever one person—one soul mate. I'd almost given up on ever finding mine. But then I met you."
"So I'm your—your soul mate? It doesn't have to be another shifter?" That thought had hung over her head like a cloud for months now, and she hadn't even realized how much it had weighed on her until its shadow was suddenly lifted away.
"No. A lot of people in my family are married to other shifters, but not everyone is." He took a deep breath. This was the thing he'd been bracing himself to say, Cora realized. "Once you find your soul mate—if your soul mate accepts you—there's a bond that forms between you—"
"So it's real!"
Eric looked at her, startled. "Sorry?"
"The—the thing. The thread." She touched her own chest, feeling the deep thrum of the connection between them, the golden thread that bound them together. "I thought I was imagining it, but it's real!"
Eric looked at her, wide-eyed, his face awed. "You can feel it, too?"
"Yeah, it's—" She closed her eyes and focused, imagined wrapping her hands around that thread and giving it a gentle tug. Eric jerked as if he'd physically felt that, his hands going to his own chest.
"Yes. That's the bond."
"Oh wow. It's real." She stood up and spun in a slow circle, arms outstretched and eyes closed. The connection didn't waver, the thread leading steadily to Eric no matter how much she turned. "I wanted it to be real. I thought I was going crazy." She let the thread guide her back to Eric's side and sat down beside him, her eyes still closed. "This is going to be so useful."
Cora had learned the hard way how easy it was to lose your partner on a hike when conditions went bad. In a snowstorm or a bad fog sometimes you could barely see your hand in front of your eyes, never mind a person a few feet in front of you. They'd never have to worry about that again.
She opened her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Eric winced. "It didn't really seem fair to put that on you. I couldn't just go telling you you're the only one for me when we'd only just met. I wanted you to have a chance to—to make your own choice."
And she'd chosen. She'd chosen months ago.
"I was going to take you up to the falls and ask you there. It's beautiful up there. I wanted it to be special."
Cora looked around their little clearing, to the water glittering crystal clear in the pond. "It was. But you could have asked in a snow cave. The answer would've been the same."
Eric laughed, his face clear and happy. "You just like snow caves."
"I kind of do." Or, well. She liked sleeping in comfort as much as the next person, she just didn't like it as much as she liked to challenge the elements and win. "So do you."
Eric caught her hand in his. "Sometimes I almost didn't want to find my soul mate. I thought, what are the odds I'll find someone who likes it out there as much as I do? I spend half my life sleeping on a mat on the ground somewhere, who's going to sign up for that? I didn't think finding my soul mate would be worth giving up everything else I love."
"But you found me." Cora squeezed his hand. She'd had those same worries herself. It had never seemed worth it to give up doing what she loved just to find a man.
She'd never known marriage could be like this: the two of them, doing what they loved, together, forever.
THE END
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list. You can also visit my webpage, or follow me on Facebook or Twitter.
Please consider reviewing Mountain Rescue Lion, even if you only write a line or two. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
Page down to read a special sneak preview of my book Honey for the Billionbear.
The cover of Mountain Rescue Lion was designed by Augusta Scarlett.
More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant
Honey for the Billionbear. (Honey for the Billionbear #1) BBW with a broken heart + mysterious billionaire bear shifter + an unexpected storm = one sweet and sexy story!
Page down to read an excerpt from this story!
Guarding his Honey (Honey for the Billionbear #2). A BBW in danger + the hot bear shifter who'll do anything to protect her + a dangerous fight with the mafia = one thrilling romance!
The Bear and his Honey (Honey for the Billionbear#3) An overworked lawyer in need of a break + the sexy bear shifter who'll do anything to protect her + kidnappers hired by an unscrupulous oil company = one heart-warming romance!
The Dragon Billionaire's Secret Mate. A BBW librarian in financial trouble + a billionaire dragon shifter in need of a mate + a dangerous power struggle = one passionate forbidden romance!
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br /> Joining the Jaguar. A BBW doctor with no time for love + a protective alpha jaguar shifter + a kidnapping = one sizzling hot love story.
Firefighter Dragon. (Fire & Rescue Shifters # 1). A curvy archaeologist with the find of a lifetime + a firefighter dragon shifter battling his instincts + a priceless artifact coveted by a ruthless rival = one blazing hot adventure!
Alpha Bear Detective. A brave woman in deadly danger + a bear shifter police detective who will protect her with his life + a frightening foe = one thrilling romance!
Tropical Tiger Spy. (Shifting Sands Resort #1). A unique shifter in search of her past + a tiger shifter spy on an undercover mission + a shifters-only resort with secrets to hide = a dangerous and thrilling romantic adventure
Lawman Lion. A sexy lion shifter sheriff + an independent BBW who runs a diner + trouble with a local gang = one red-hot romance that will leave you breathless!
And many more!
Zoe on Audio
Kodiak Moment – Audiobook - Workaholic wildlife photographer + loner bear shifter + Alaskan wilderness = one warming and sensual story.
Hero Bear - Audiobook - A wounded Marine who lost his bear + a BBW physical therapist with a secret + a small town full of gossips = a hot and healing romance!
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Honey for the Billionbear
by Zoe Chant
Special Sneak Preview
The main gate will be unlocked, Sally had said. Just leave the honey on the front steps and ring the doorbell. Don’t expect to see him, though. He never answers his door. I’ve been delivering his honey for two years now, and I’ve only seen him once.
Still, Isabella couldn’t help but hope to catch a glance of the elusive billionaire.
As Sally had said, the main gate was unlocked. It swung open soundlessly. The way to the old stone mansion was lined with big elderberry bushes. Large, gnarled trees hung their sheltering branches over the path. Ivy wound around them, swaying gently in the breeze. With every step Isabella felt more and more like she was entering some kind of forgotten fairytale castle.
She left the little box with its two jars of honey on the front steps and rang the bell, like Sally had told her. She waited a couple of minutes. Maybe someone would open the door after all?
But the door stayed firmly closed. Disappointed, Isabella started walking back towards the gate.
Halfway back to the front gate, she heard a loud splash from the direction of the woods. There was a pond there, she knew. A small waterfall fed into it from a river running out of the woods. As a kid, she and some of her friends from the village had explored every inch of the deserted grounds around the mansion, sneaking around and giggling, feeling like daring explorers. On hot days, they’d bathed in the little pond. There was an overhang you could jump off into the deep end of the pond. That was probably what that splash had been. Someone was bathing in the pond. Could it be Mr. Steele?
Curiosity overwhelmed her. Isabella ducked between the tall bushes that lined the path and snuck into the woods, trying not to make a sound. A veil of ivy parted in front of her. There was the pond, right where she remembered it, and—
Her breath caught. It really was Ryan Steele. He was swimming in the deep end of the pond, his powerful muscles flexing. He was naked. Isabella stared, wide-eyed, as Ryan reached the shallow end of the pond and stood up, water sluicing off his broad shoulders.
He was one of the tallest men she’d ever seen, well over six feet, and powerfully built. Drops of water glistened on his golden skin, running down the smooth expanse of his strong chest and his long, long legs. The water only came up to the middle of his thighs, revealing his firm, muscled ass and, when he turned a little—Oh boy.
Isabella pressed her hands to her mouth to stifle an ill-timed giggle. Ryan wasn’t hard, but even so Isabella could tell that his cock was perfectly in proportion with the rest of his large, powerful body.
She shouldn’t be watching this, as breathtaking a sight as it was. Isabella reluctantly tore her eyes away and turned back towards the trees. A branch cracked loudly beneath her foot.
Isabella froze, but no angry shout let her know that her presence had been detected. Phew! That had been close. Best get out of here before she got discovered and banned from the grounds for life. What Sally would say if she managed to lose their most regular customer, she didn’t even want to imagine.
Isabella hastily made her way back to the road, her heart still fluttering in her chest. She probably shouldn’t have done that, she thought. She was a grown woman, much too old and sensible to get caught sneaking around other people’s properties!
On the other hand… At least she’d gotten to see the elusive Ryan Steele in person. And what a sight he’d been!
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Honey for the Billionbear