A Spark to Bear (Fire Bear Shifters Book 2) by Sloane Meyers Page B

landing area. Even freefalling from an airplane hadn’t been enough to push away the uncertainties about the future that loomed large in his mind.
    Hunter went through the familiar routine of packing up his parachute and clearing away brush to make a fire break. He heard the comforting buzz of chainsaws and the shouts of his crew members as they made quick progress on clearing away the trees and undergrowth. For several hours, Hunter poured all his energy into his task, working faster than he ever had before. Frustration made a great motivator. Hunter didn’t stop or slow down until Ian finally called out that the fire break was large enough. Zach stepped up with a flame thrower to start the backfire on the opposite side of the fire break from the crew. The fire would burn away from the crew until it reached the other fire. The two fires would then merge and burn each other out.
    This particular job had been relatively straightforward and easy, and the crew settled happily around their gear to eat whatever meal replacement of choice they had brought along on the mission. Tired, but happy to have successfully completed their work, they fell into a familiar routine of talking and joking.
    Hunter tried to participate, but he couldn’t bring himself to laugh genuinely when his heart felt so heavy and conflicted. Finally, he decided he needed some time alone to think. Muttering some excuse about wanting to check out the view around the campsite, Hunter grabbed a protein bar and walked away from the group. He found a large rock and sat on it, watching the fires burning in the waning sunlight. The two fires would meet within the next hour, and would likely be burnt out by the time the crew settled into their sleeping bags to sleep.
    A few moments after Hunter sat down, he was startled by the sound of someone walking toward him through the brush. He looked up to find Luke heading in his direction with a determined look on his face.
    “I’m gonna sit right here on this rock next to you, and neither one of us are moving until you tell me what’s bothering you,” Luke said as he settled onto a large stone next to Hunter.
    “I’m fine,” Hunter said. “I’m just tired.”
    “Bullshit. You’re not fine. You’ve been quiet all day, and you’re never quiet. You’re always the one keeping everyone laughing and in good spirits. What happened to happy Hunter?” Luke asked, giving Hunter a little punch in his arm.
    “Happy Hunter? That sounds like a nickname for a clown,” Hunter said.
    “Well you’d better tell me what’s bothering you, or I’m going to start using that nickname permanently just to annoy you. I have a feeling that all of this moping has something to do with a certain Miss Riley Hughes.”
    Hunter sighed. “She’s just so stubborn. I know opening a pie shop is a big dream of hers, but she doesn’t have the money to get it started. She can’t get a business loan from the bank, either. I offered to help out and invest the startup capital she’d need, but she refuses to let me help. So she’s going to end up taking a job near her old job, and living three hours away from base. I’m never going to see her during fire season. It makes so much more sense for her to let me help. She’d get to follow her dream and have her own shop, and she’d be able to live on base with me. We’d actually get to spend some time together here and there. But, no. She told me she doesn’t take handouts from men. I guess she’d rather us never see each other than take a dime of assistance from me.”
    Luke shrugged. “Sounds like you guys just need to get on the same page about things.”
    “I wish things were that simple, Luke. I’ve tried to tell her that I’m happy to invest in her business, and that I genuinely think it’s a good deal for me, too. Which I do. But she’s still not giving the idea a fair chance. It’s so frustrating. I’ve found my lifemate, and I’m going to be constantly separated from her.