Bearly Begun (BBW/Bearshifter Romance) (Bachelor Bears of Yakima Ridge Book 1) by Isadora Montrose

crossed a line. You embarrassed me. You embarrassed Erin. And probably any of the other women who heard you. Which means their husbands are mad too.”
    Hunter looked stricken. Len nodded. “How are you going to make it right?” he asked. “Boys make mistakes, that’s part of the hard road to maturity. But men fix their mistakes. How do you figure you can make amends?”
    “Do I have to?”
    “Unless you want to wait in the car while we eat lunch. You can’t drop a bomb like that one and not apologize.”
    “Jeez.”
    When Len and Hunter returned to the living room the conversation paused and then quickly restarted. Hunter went right up to Erin who was speaking to Doug. Erin gave him a tight smile. Doug stared hard-eyed at him and kept right on telling Erin about the beauties of the Kittitas.
    When he was done, Hunter said, “Can I apologize?”
    “You can,” Erin said gravely.
    “I’m sorry I was rude. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I won’t do it again.” Hunter’s blue eyes looked penitently at his sister.
    “I forgive you.” Erin gave him a kiss.
    Doug continued to glare at him.
    Hunter cleared his throat. “I apologize, Colonel Enright, for being vulgar in your house.”
    “You might want to repeat that to Miss Maddie. This is her house.” Doug’s stern demeanor did not alter.
    “Yes, sir.” Hunter hustled over to beg forgiveness from Doug’s fiancée.
    Erin turned to Len and blushed remembering her dreams. Her breasts prickled and her temperature rose. She struggled for normalcy.
    “You wouldn’t believe how changed Hunter is since Len took him in hand,” she said to Doug. “I know he was out of line, but two months ago I would have waited in vain for an apology, let alone one that was genuine.” She patted Len’s forearm. “Thank you.”
    “He’s got a ways to go yet, but he’s coming along,” Len said gruffly.
    “Can’t be much rougher than you and Joey,” Doug said.
    “Lord, we were little hellions weren’t we?” Len agreed.
    “Miss Erin, those boys were pretty much unbearable. Barely human, I can tell you.” Doug informed her in confidential whisper with an eye on his red faced cousin.
    “So there’s hope for my brothers?” Erin said.
    “If you can bear with Lenny here,” Doug went on.
    “Haw,” said Lenny glaring at his cousin.
    At the lunch table, Erin found herself sandwiched between Asher and Gideon Bascom. “I’m not sure exactly how you are related to Len and Joe,” Erin said to Asher.
    “Our family is a little complex,” Asher admitted. “But Len and Joe are double cousins to Gideon and me.” He grinned into Erin’s face and his blue eyes twinkled. “My mom and their dad were brother and sister, and their mom and my dad were too. So we’re cousins twice over.”
    “Oh.” Erin still felt confused.
    “You’ll have to take our word for it that it’s not at all incestuous,” Gideon put in. “Because it is confusing. Glen Bascom married his third cousin Carol. They’re our ma and pa. You following me so far?”
    Erin shook her head.
    “Charles Benoit married Glen’s sister Debbie. So they were also third cousins. They’re Len and Joe’s folks. So the four of us are double cousins, and truth to tell, Miz Erin, we’re as close as brothers. Growing up, me and Ash used to follow Lenny and Joey around like puppies.” Gideon beamed down at his cousin’s chosen bride.
    “You’re probably wondering why Len didn’t do his military service,” Gideon went on.
    Since that had never crossed Erin’s mind, she just looked curious.
    “Well,” Gideon said softly. “It’s no secret that the men in our family do tend to get killed in battle. He shook his dark head mournfully. “Len’s mother was widowed when the boys were just sprouts. She made Len and Joey promise they wouldn’t both enlist. So they arm-wrestled for it and Lenny lost. So Joey went in the reserves and Len joined the French Town Fire Department.”
    “That I did