Big Bear Mountain - The Complete Series Read Free Page B

your service Ma’m,”
Spider replied smoothly transitioning to his native Texas drawl, which was
usually a bit of a hit with the ladies .
    “Thank you both for saving me,” she
met Jarrad’s gaze as she spoke, “I know that sounds pretty lame after what you
did, but I don’t know what else to say.”
    “That’s alright, darlin’. Any time.” The
flirtatious smile was evident in his voice, even though neither Jarrad or Elle
could see his face.
    The bear rumbled possessively deep within while
Jarrad himself felt a stab of jealousy, too, which surprised him.
    Elle looked again at Jarrad, squashed
awkwardly in his seat and started to giggle. Perhaps it was just a post trauma coping
mechanism. She didn’t really care why; it just felt good to laugh for the first
time in quite a while.
    “Did I miss something?” Jarrad asked,
confused by her sudden outburst.
    “No. I just wondered if the Highway Patrol
radioed in that there was a curvy girl stuck on the mountain, so that’s why
they sent the biggest guy they could find to rescue her,” she squeaked in
between fits of laughter.
    Spider turned in his seat to wink at
Jarrad. “They don’t call this place Big Bear Mountain for nothin —”
    Jarrad shot him a stern glance to cut him
off.
    Then he softened as he looked back at Elle
who appeared to be enjoying her own little joke. He loved how her face lit up when
she laughed.
     

Chapter 8
     
    J arrad was confused, though, by Elle’s
comment after her fits of laughter had finally died down. But for a guy like
Jarrad, being confused was pretty much a normal state of affairs where women
were concerned. No wonder he hadn’t found a mate for himself and his bear, yet.
    Clueless didn’t even begin to describe
Jarrad when it came to finding a mate.
    Curvy girl? But she’s gorgeous. She’s
perfect.
    His bear growled again and took a deep
breath, enjoying her scent, even though it was heavily laden with the scent of
her fear and anxiety, which Jarrad attributed to her fear of flying and her
near death experience on the mountain. His bear knew that he had found his
mate. Her scent was unmistakable. Now, he just needed to convince Jarrad that
she was the one .
    Despite her ordeal, the girl still looked stunning
and quite classy. She wasn’t a local girl, that’s for sure. Fresh out of the
big city was Jarrad’s guess. Manicured nails, her golden hair near perfect with
only a few errant stands having broken free of her pony tail during the rescue,
just enough make up to highlight her high cheekbones and plump, kissable lips
and curves in all the right places. She was out of his league. That much he
knew for sure. He wasn’t going to let his bear make a fool out of him. No way.
    “What were you doing up on the mountain,
anyways?” Jarrad asked.
    “I was thinking of going hiking,” she
replied, regretting her stupid reply even before it had left her mouth.
    Jarrad quirked an eyebrow. “In that?” he
asked, looking from her bare feet to the short skirt which poked out from
beneath the survival blanket.
    “I said I was thinking about it,”
she snapped.
    “Yeah, we rescue a lot of people up here
every year who were thinking about hiking or climbing or camping. A lot
of them are way better prepared than you, too.” Jarrad knew she was hiding
something and that she was afraid, so he didn’t press further.
    “We need to take you down the mountain to
the local hospital to get you checked out. We can have the State Troopers meet
us there so they can take a statement. Unless you’d rather go to the station?”
    “No!” she snapped more sharply than she
intended. “I mean … I’m fine. Really. I don’t need to go to the hospital. And
the car was insured, so I’ll just make a report to the insurance company.
There’s no need for the police. Nobody got hurt.”
    “Sorry, but we have to follow protocol. You
need to be checked out medically in case something happens later and you try to
sue High Mountain Rescue.