by Edith DuBois
Rugged Savage Valley, Colorado 1
Rugged Glimpse
London fashion girl Elena Ward decides to leave her old life behind. She chooses to tramp through the wilds of Savage Valley in the hopes of revamping her photography career. Trying to garner the attention of a more prestigious audience and desperate to capture the edgy side of nature, Elena gets more wilderness than she was looking for in the hunky bear-shifting brothers Joseph and Caleb Kinman.
After meeting the shy yet intriguing Brit, Joseph and Caleb can’t wait to make Elena their mate. But with a series of mysterious animal attacks causing anxiety in the townsfolk of Savage Valley, Elena and the Kinman brothers soon discover that something dark is lurking just beneath the surface.
Will their love be strong enough? Or will the monsters that stalk through Savage Valley prevail?
Note: There are two different series in the Savage Valley, Colorado collection. Rugged Savage Valley by Edith Dubois is bear-shifters. The Pride of Savage Valley series by Helena Ray is mountain lion-shifters. Each book features a different romantic trio or quartet. Even though the two series take place in the same setting with crossover characters and share an external story arc, each of the series can stand alone.
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 52,170 words
RUGGED GLIMPSE
Rugged Savage Valley, Colorado 1
Edith DuBois
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
RUGGED GLIMPSE
Copyright © 2011 by Edith DuBois
E-book ISBN: 1-61034-764-1
First E-book Publication: August 2011
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Rugged Glimpse by Edith DuBois from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is Edith DuBois’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. DuBois’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
For Helena Ray. The hours of map drawing, plotting, and watching vicious wildlife videos on YouTube have been beyond magical. These bears wouldn’t be running around and wreaking havoc upon Savage Valley without you. Much love!
Also, Cheez-Its and chocolate forever!
RUGGED GLIMPSE
Rugged Savage Valley, Colorado 1
EDITH DUBOIS
Copyright © 2011
Chapter One
“About bloody time,” Elena Ward cursed as she passed a wooden road sign with white painted letters that read, Welcome to Savage Valley, Colorado. No animal attacks since 1846! She rolled her eyes, wondering why every small town in America had to have a slogan.
Sighing, she realized her cynicism most likely stemmed from fatigue rather than any true annoyance. She’d been on the road from Denver for almost four hours. The GPS on her smart phone told her she should have been here over an hour ago, but besides the missed exits and the wrong turns she’d taken, she’d driven twenty miles below the speed limit the whole way. Driving on the right side of the road took all of her concentration, but even so, she kept slipping over into the left lane.
On top of that, when she came to a stop sign and a turn, she wanted to look right-left-right, but then she second-guessed herself because she remembered she was supposed to look left-right-left. She ended up looking back and forth about seven times before feeling confident enough to turn.
As she spotted the Savage Valley welcome sign, her shoulders sagged in relief, and she let out a long breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
Jogging her violently out of her moment of peace, her rental car made an angry beeping noise. She looked frantically around the dash, still not used to what all the lights and noises meant. A fuel tank emblem flicked on and off, and she realized she was almost completely out of petrol. Elena glanced out her window, hoping a petrol station happened to be close by.
From what she could see on her phone’s screen, it looked like Savage Valley only had one major thoroughfare, and she was currently driving on it. Looking up, she could see all the way from one side of town to the other. A short ways ahead on her right, she saw a tin sign hanging from a wooden post. It said “Savage Convenience,” and she could just make out the shape of some petrol pumps in the dusky rose light of evening.
Turning off the road, she pulled up to a pump, got out, and then realized that the rental car’s tank was on the other side. Frustrated, she crawled back into the driver’s seat, slammed the door closed, and then darted forward, spitting up gravel behind her. As soon as she heard the gravel, though, she let off the gas pedal, startled by her own aggressiveness.
Forcing herself to maintain a certain level of aplomb, she slid into reverse and backed the car up to the other side of the pump, the side closer to the convenience store. Looking out her window, she saw three old men sitting in rocking chairs on the porch of the store. Two of them wore denim overalls and dark green T-shirts. The third one wore a nice pair of dark blue slacks and a button-up yellow and blue plaid shirt. All three rocked steadily back and forth, and all thr
ee stared rather openly at her.
Embarrassed at her momentary fit of temper, she climbed out of the car without looking directly at the old-timers. She hadn’t filled up on an American pump yet, and she studied it for a long moment before deciding what to do.
“You doin’ all right, young lady?” one of the men called to her from the porch.
Turning around, she waved at them with a tentative smile. “Yes, I think so. Thank you.”
“Aw, hell, Jim Bob. That ain’t how you provide customer service. You can’t just holler at her across the yard from the porch.”
“She said she was fine.”
“You gotta get out there, pump her gas for her. Come on now. Is that how you welcome a beautiful stranger to Savage Valley?”
Elena could feel her cheeks blazing, but she turned around to face the men. The one with the slacks and button-up shirt gripped the arms of his rocking chair and began to laboriously lift himself out of the chair.
“Oh, please,” Elena called to him. “Stay in your seat. I’m fine.” His arms trembled from the effort of hauling himself up.
“Are you sure, miss?” one of the overall-wearers asked her. “Jim Bob here could use the exercise.” He thumped Jim Bob on the back.
“Get your paws off.”
Elena slid the nozzle into her car and waved. “I think I’ve pretty much got it now. No need to come down.”
Instead of falling back into his rocking chair, however, Jim Bob rose the rest of the way and took a few steps toward the store’s entrance. After Elena’s car had guzzled up all the petrol it could take, she headed up to the store.
“Whoo-eeh!” one of the overall-wearers yelled out as Elena reached the steps, causing her to jump. “What a lucky day for the citizens of Savage Valley, eh, Larry?” He elbowed the other man. “Such a pretty little lady come to visit our town.”
Blushing even more, Elena scooted inside without saying anything. She’d never learned how to respond to such blatant flirtation, even from old men.
When she walked to the checkout, Jim Bob was waiting for her. As he totaled up her purchase, he asked, “Where you from, sweetheart?”
“I arrived on a plane straight from London about five hours ago.”
“My, my, my. That’s quite a journey you’ve undertaken. You’re probably exhausted.”
“A little, yes.”
“Well, now, what brings you to Savage Valley?”
“Work...erm...photography. I’ll be hiking through the surrounding areas over the next few months to take pictures of the wildlife and the landscape. Things like that.”
“Jim Bob!” one of the men called from the porch. “Don’t be hogging up all her attention. You bring her on out here.”
Jim Bob shook his head in exasperation, and Elena smiled sympathetically.
“Don’t worry about ol’ Bobby,” Jim Bob said as he walked around the counter and patted her on the shoulder. “He’s harmless.”
Elena smiled, touched by his fatherly warmth toward her. After a full day of traveling with virtually no rest, a little warmth from a stranger went a long way. As soon as they walked back out of Savage Convenience, however, Elena’s breath caught in her throat.
Walking toward her with a confident stride was one of the biggest men Elena had ever seen. He was a true mountain man, a bear of a man. He had on a khaki uniform, and as he neared, she noticed the badge on his chest. When he was only a few feet from her, she could see that he was the sheriff of Savage Valley. A peek over his bulky shoulder, and Elena noticed his cruiser parked on the other side of the pump from her car.
But bloody hell! His size took Elena’s breath away. Before she could think to stop herself, her eyes darted down to his crotch. She sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of his noticeable bulge and then felt her cheeks flaming. Quickly darting her eyes away, she started to head back for her car.
Unfortunately, something big and manly stepped into her path.
“And where do you think you’re going, little lady?” The sheriff’s voice rumbled around inside his barrel of a chest.
She peeked up at his face and then had to stifle a gasp. His eyes were black, jet black. There were no flecks or spots of brown. They were just black. For a long moment, she couldn’t rip her own eyes away from his. It was like he sucked her deep into those dark depths. He pulled at her, and Elena found herself stumbling backward to create some distance between herself and his dangerously magnetic presence.
He lifted his brows, smiling, but his voice held some concern. “Everything all right?”
“Yes, I think I’m a little tired is all.”
He let out a low whistle. “Where’d you get that accent?”
“London,” Jim Bob piped up. She nodded up at the sheriff.
“Welcome!” He shouted the word, making Elena jump for the second time since arriving. “As sheriff of Savage Valley, allow me to personally extend my hand in welcome to you.” He held out his great paw of a hand for her to shake, and it shocked Elena to see how petite and fragile hers looked inside his. His grip, however, was just right, firm enough to be manly but loose enough to cause her no discomfort.
“My name is Joseph Kinman, and as I said, I’m sheriff of Savage Valley.”
Warmth shot up her arm as he held his rough palm against hers. “Elena Ward.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Miss...you are a ‘miss,’ right?”
She nodded.
“Miss Elena.” As he spoke, he grinned down at her. His voice held a natural cheeriness, as if even in dark times, there would be something warm and comforting deep inside him.
“So what brings you out to Savage Valley?”
The three old-timers had been watching the sheriff greet Elena with amusement, and Jim Bob spoke up again. “She’s working as a photographer.”
An even broader grin exploded across Sheriff Kinman’s features. “Oh? What are you going to be taking pictures of? Looking for any male models? Savage Valley boasts quite a versatile stock.” He winked at her, and a thrill shot through her.
“Wildlife and landscapes and things like that,” Jim Bob said, saving her from what was sure to be an embarrassing response.
Elena bit back her own grin at how quickly the old man jumped in to answer Sheriff Kinman’s questions.
“I can see you’ve already charmed the natives.”
“National Geographic is doing an American Heritage series. I’m responsible for Colorado.”
“The whole state?”
Elena nodded.
“Why Savage Valley? Don’t get me wrong…” He rested one of his large hands on her shoulders and looked her square in her eyes. “…I’m thrilled that you chose our little town, but like any sheriff worth his salt, I’m curious about newcomers.”
His black eyes made her insides tremble, and she felt her pussy flutter in response to his direct gaze. “My only requirements were to capture the ‘essence’ of Colorado. You have mountains, a forest, a lake, Indians.”
“Not to mention,” one of the overall-wearers—Larry, Elena thought—interrupted. “No animal attacks since 1846.”
Elena chuckled. “Yes, I do remember reading that somewhere.”
Sheriff Kinman rolled his eyes. “Don’t know how you could have missed it since it’s plastered on every inch of Savage Valley propaganda.”
“Well, it must have worked. It was one of the reasons I finally chose this town above all others.” Even though she thought the slogan was cheesy, she couldn’t deny that, in her line of work, it had been a weighty factor in her decision to come to the town. If she was going to be getting up close and personal with the wildlife, she rather liked the idea of no animal attacks since 1846.
Sheriff Kinman grinned down at her, his dark eyes twinkling. “Are you sure you didn’t go snooping around the Savage Valley website? I bet you got one look at this handsome devil of a lawman and hightailed it on over here.”
Elena thought she would explode into flames, embarrassed and annoyed that
her desire was so transparent. “No…I…that’s not…I didn’t even look at it.”
Sheriff Kinman threw back his head with a roar of laughter. “Aw, don’t blow a gasket. I’m just yanking your chain. It’s the ol’ Savage Valley welcome.”
“Leave her alone, Sheriff.” Jim Bob came to her defense. “Can’t you see she’s flustered?”
Elena had given up on speaking, too embarrassed to form a cohesive sentence.
“Better get used to it, little lady.” The sheriff shot her a teasing grin, and Elena felt the corners of her mouth tipping upwards in answer. “But in all seriousness, if you need anything, don’t hesitate to come find me at the sheriff’s office. Just down the road from here on the right. You can’t miss it.”
“Actually, could you tell me how to get to the Woodland Den?”
“Sure thing. Just drive on down Main Street. Once you get past everything, you’ll come to Creek Road. Take a left on that and drive on about seven, maybe eight minutes, and you should see the sign on your right.”
“Thank you.”
“Be seeing you around, Miss Ward.” Elena nodded awkwardly and then crawled back into the rental. Her pussy thrummed from the encounter with the sheriff all the way out to the lodge. Delectable images rolled through her mind. Many of which involved Joseph Kinman’s big hands grinding up into her pussy and over her clit or him unzipping his pants to reveal the true proportions of that ominous bulge she’d caught a glimpse of. What a cock a man like that must possess.
Bloody fucking hell, Elena thought to herself. She’d hoped for three months of rest and relaxation and a certain degree of solitude to get her mind and her spirits back in working order, but instead, it looked like she had nothing but temptation and three months of tortured nights ahead of her.