Someone knocked on the front door. Sally wasn't expecting anyone, but she opened it without looking. Big mistake."Hello, Sally," Colin Chambers, her abusive ex-husband, said.A chill went down Sally's spine. She knew this day might happen. She'd hoped it wouldn't. Her tracks had been covered, but clearly not well enough. He must've heard about her aunt willing her this property.She wished Sebastian was here. At least there'd be someone with her. Oh, Sebastian.Her heart roared in her chest, knowing that she had to stand up to him at least one more time. The restraining order clearly wasn't helping her.Sally tried to close the door, but Colin put his foot in the way. "Not happy to see me, Sally?""No. I'm not.""Well, that disappoints me."She had no idea how she was getting out of this. Her phone was charging in the kitchen, but she didn't want to run that way. She couldn't get there fast enough. Colin could run fast. He was an avid outdoorsman and kept himself in good shape."We s
Sebastian didn't like stepping away from a problem. He'd rather solve it, but he'd learned in the short time that he knew Sally, that she wasn't interested in his domineering ways. When the argument was important, when the situation warranted it, he would be the alpha male. He wasn't sure yet if this was one of those situations. He still wanted to know who that man was. Sally had clearly been frightened of him. Her white face told him so. He didn't want her to feel that way or think that she was alone in the world.If she realized she was his mate, she would have a whole den behind her. Mostly his brothers and himself, but there would be others in their far-flung family.She didn't need to be alone in the world. She didn't need to do it all herself. He went to work on the porch, taking his frustration out on the screws his was using to hold down the boards. He wanted to talk to him mother, but that wasn't possible. His brothers might not have any insight into how to deal with this si
That escalated quickly. Sally had left Sebastian on the porch after lunch. He didn't even let her know that he was leaving. She happened to catch a glimpse of someone picking him up. He hadn't said goodbye and she regretted her words to him. Sally sighed as she leaned on the front door. She had an errand to do anyway. Grabbing her purse, she headed for the car. If Colin was back in her life, she needed to protect herself. Herself. This was up to her. She wouldn't rely on a man. Besides, if there were bears in the area, she might need a gun for them. The gun store sat in the middle of the block on Main Street. The town wasn't that big, but there were attractions all around it for those who liked the outdoors. Even in winter, which was what Sally had been counting on. Those people would fill her bed and breakfast.She opened the door and a blast of loud rock and roll hit her in the face. "Sorry." The man behind the counter turned down the music. "It helps me get into the mood to cle
Sebastian showed up for work on time the next day. Sally watched him park his truck. She wondered if she should tell him about what had happened last night. The sheriff had called her to let her know that Colin had checked out last night. In a hurry.Guess her nine millimeter had scared him. Then there'd been the bear. She'd wanted to shoot at it but didn't. She couldn't imagine why she didn't. There had been something about the bear. As if she knew that it wasn't a threat. It had growled at Colin but hadn't come near her.In fact, the bear had left as soon as Colin did. She'd stared at the woods for ten minutes after it left. She'd been scared, but maybe she hadn't needed to be. Why hadn't it gone after her?She couldn't puzzle it out. Not that she thought Sebastian would have an answer. She just needed to share her evening with someone. Someone who would be proud of her. Even if she'd sent him home last night, he would still be proud of her.She hoped.She hadn't cared about anyone
"Yes."Sebastian shuffled his feet on Sally's porch."That may be the sweetest bouquet anyone has ever given me. You picked them?"Her face hurt from the smile on it. What a sweet gesture. Better than anything store bought. She sniffed them, then motioned for him to come inside. He cleans up well. She'd already seen him naked, but with a blazer and a button down shirt he was almost better. His hair was back in a tie. A little neater than he'd been earlier. She wanted to tug it loose and run her hands through it. She knew it would be soft. "I did pick them."She tugged him into her house. "Let me put them in a vase."She took his hand, leading him to the kitchen. Her heart fluttered at his touch. She knew what those hands could do, but he'd said this was a date. He was going to take it slowly. That probably meant no sex. Maybe he had to learn to trust her before he could tell his secret. She couldn't blame him. She hadn't thought of this from his perspective. "You want a drink?"He l
After dinner, Sebastian suggested a walk along the lake. Sally took off her shoes. Sebastian put out his hand. "I'll carry them."She'd never had a man offer something like that. She handed them to him. "Thanks."They looked so small in his mitts. Her hand looked small in his. Nothing ever looked small on her. Maybe she'd just been going after the wrong guys. Maybe Sebastian was the right guy.But his secret still nagged at her. "You're thinking too much," he said. "I can almost hear it."She laughed. "It's just how I am.""Why not just feel.""Feel?"He stopped, turning to her. He took her head in his hands. "Just feel. What is your heart telling you to do?"She took a deep breath, then let it out. "Kiss you."He brushed her lips with his. She tingled at his touch. She wanted this kiss. From the bulge in his pants and his heavy breathing, he wanted this kiss and more, but she couldn't give anything else to him.Not until she knew his secret. That stood between them like a veil of fog
Sally took a deep breath as Sebastian turned to face her. She blinked. His face grew more hair. His face then changed, his nose elongating. His hands grew bigger and furrier. She wasn't sure that she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. She sat down on the step, her legs not able to hold her.Sebastian was turning into a black bear. A bear. Her lover was a bear. She gasped. He stood on his hind legs. She watched as he went on all four paws and lumbered toward her. She wasn't sure what to do.Some part of her knew this was okay. He crawled up to her then lay on his side. He made a small growl. She reached down to touch his fur. She rubbed his stomach and she had to laugh. He'd rolled onto his back, clearly enjoying her touch. He was a large bear. Even larger than he was as a human. She felt no fear. This was Sebastian. This was his secret.She rubbed his tummy with both her hands and he let out an obvious noise of pleasure. He made that sound when he came.So she was in love wit
Caleb Behr looked at the smaller than usual blond-haired boy while crossing his fingers behind his back. The boy was Josh Leight and he'd struck out the last four times at bat. The boys' knuckles shown white from his grip on the bat. His face held a fear that a little boy shouldn't feel. Caleb would've done anything to take the disappointment away from him. The boy was only eight and life had so much more to knock him down with. Why did he have to deal with this now? Caleb wanted to close this eyes. He wanted to wish away this moment, but as his father had taught him, these moments were the teaching opportunities. How Josh dealt with this failure would help him later in life. Assuming he dealt with it well. Assuming his divorced parents had given the little boy the skills.Three pitches. Three strikes. At least he went down swinging. Josh stomped out of the batter's box, but he didn't throw the bat. He could see the kid squeezing his eyes shut probably to stop the tears. Caleb walked