CHAPTER ONE
Marcus’s two-ton grizzly lumbered through the forest that bordered his land, the bear restless. That was nothing new. The bear had been restless for decades. The animal wanted a mate. And so did the man.
He tried not to be jealous of the two other bear shifters in Riverton who had recently found their mates. Mates the stubborn shifters had tried so hard to deny.
Marcus would gladly give up honey if he could be so lucky.
He was older than both of those bears and had long ago accepted the fact that he was not meant to have a mate. But at Christmas time that longing came back. With a vengeance.
He slowed as he neared the two-lane road that was the only way in and out of his mountain. It was still white from the light snow that had fallen yesterday evening. He saw no tire tracks which wasn’t surprising. Not many people ventured onto his mountain, mainly just the men who worked for him as they reported for work or the trucks that hauled away the Christmas trees his crew harvested.
He hoped to change that next year. He’d seen the need for creating more jobs in the area and was preparing to open a year round nursery and gift shop. Even if it were slow the rest of the year, the gift shop would do great at Christmas time. The mountain was bountiful. He’d had settled here years ago, when the town of Riverton had consisted of little more than a few houses and a handful of businesses. When it wasn’t listed on any map.
Turning to go back home and start the day, he picked up the sound of an engine. Someone was coming to work early. As he listened, he realized the sound of the engine was all wrong for the type of trucks and four-wheel drives his men usually drove. At this time of year, a heavy snowfall could occur in the blink of an eye.
No, this reminded him more of a sedan, or a—the rumble of the engine grew strained, quickly followed by the sound of snapping trees as they gave way under the weight of a two-ton car. Then there was silence.
Damn it! Someone had wrecked and he was in bear form without a phone.
Suddenly, his bear reared up on its hind legs and gave a roar. WTF?
Before he could stop it, the animal took control and started down the mountain in the direction of the wreck. What the hell was wrong with his bear? He knew they had to investigate and needed to hurry, but the rate at which his bear was moving bordered on desperation.
Once he reached the wreck, it didn’t take Marcus long to realized what had driven his bear to such an extreme reaction. He smelled blood. But not just any blood.
The blood of his mate.
He quickly shifted back into human form. The vehicle had traveled a good two hundred yards down the mountainside. From the look of things, he wouldn’t have to worry about it sliding the rest of the way. The passenger’s side was firmly wedged against a large cedar tree that had stopped the deadly decent. The driver’s side door had sustained some damage in the tumble down the mountain and he had to use his supernatural strength to pry it open. His heart hammered in his chest, desperate to get to the woman behind the wheel. As he wrenched open the door, he heard her groan. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
Despite the cold temperatures and the fact that he was naked as the day he was born, he knelt in the snow beside the car. Thankfully, she’d been wearing her seatbelt and he prayed any injuries she had sustained were minor. He found the source of the blood as soon as he brushed the hair from her eyes. She must have hit her head against the side window because there was a good-sized lump and a laceration on her temple. His senses took the time to admire the milk-washed coffee color of her hair and register its silky and soft feel even as he cursed the fact that she had been hurt. Running his hands down her neck and across her shoulders, he checked for any obvious injuries. As he touched her, she moaned again.
“Hush, beautiful. I’ve got you.” He finished running
Marcus’s two-ton grizzly lumbered through the forest that bordered his land, the bear restless. That was nothing new. The bear had been restless for decades. The animal wanted a mate. And so did the man.
He tried not to be jealous of the two other bear shifters in Riverton who had recently found their mates. Mates the stubborn shifters had tried so hard to deny.
Marcus would gladly give up honey if he could be so lucky.
He was older than both of those bears and had long ago accepted the fact that he was not meant to have a mate. But at Christmas time that longing came back. With a vengeance.
He slowed as he neared the two-lane road that was the only way in and out of his mountain. It was still white from the light snow that had fallen yesterday evening. He saw no tire tracks which wasn’t surprising. Not many people ventured onto his mountain, mainly just the men who worked for him as they reported for work or the trucks that hauled away the Christmas trees his crew harvested.
He hoped to change that next year. He’d seen the need for creating more jobs in the area and was preparing to open a year round nursery and gift shop. Even if it were slow the rest of the year, the gift shop would do great at Christmas time. The mountain was bountiful. He’d had settled here years ago, when the town of Riverton had consisted of little more than a few houses and a handful of businesses. When it wasn’t listed on any map.
Turning to go back home and start the day, he picked up the sound of an engine. Someone was coming to work early. As he listened, he realized the sound of the engine was all wrong for the type of trucks and four-wheel drives his men usually drove. At this time of year, a heavy snowfall could occur in the blink of an eye.
No, this reminded him more of a sedan, or a—the rumble of the engine grew strained, quickly followed by the sound of snapping trees as they gave way under the weight of a two-ton car. Then there was silence.
Damn it! Someone had wrecked and he was in bear form without a phone.
Suddenly, his bear reared up on its hind legs and gave a roar. WTF?
Before he could stop it, the animal took control and started down the mountain in the direction of the wreck. What the hell was wrong with his bear? He knew they had to investigate and needed to hurry, but the rate at which his bear was moving bordered on desperation.
Once he reached the wreck, it didn’t take Marcus long to realized what had driven his bear to such an extreme reaction. He smelled blood. But not just any blood.
The blood of his mate.
He quickly shifted back into human form. The vehicle had traveled a good two hundred yards down the mountainside. From the look of things, he wouldn’t have to worry about it sliding the rest of the way. The passenger’s side was firmly wedged against a large cedar tree that had stopped the deadly decent. The driver’s side door had sustained some damage in the tumble down the mountain and he had to use his supernatural strength to pry it open. His heart hammered in his chest, desperate to get to the woman behind the wheel. As he wrenched open the door, he heard her groan. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
Despite the cold temperatures and the fact that he was naked as the day he was born, he knelt in the snow beside the car. Thankfully, she’d been wearing her seatbelt and he prayed any injuries she had sustained were minor. He found the source of the blood as soon as he brushed the hair from her eyes. She must have hit her head against the side window because there was a good-sized lump and a laceration on her temple. His senses took the time to admire the milk-washed coffee color of her hair and register its silky and soft feel even as he cursed the fact that she had been hurt. Running his hands down her neck and across her shoulders, he checked for any obvious injuries. As he touched her, she moaned again.
“Hush, beautiful. I’ve got you.” He finished running
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