brother’s property and into the National Forest. Once there, he surveyed the area and when he deemed it safe, he shifted into his bear form.
Thankfully, the magic allowed them to shift with their clothes on, so he didn’t need to strip first, or find a place to hide his clothes. The ability had saved him from several awkward situations over the years.
In bear form, he sniffed out his surroundings and roamed away from the family he smelled on the other side of the embankment. He kept walking, periodically sniffing the air, until he didn’t detect any humans near enough to spot him.
Then he ran.
***
Ana stood in front of the meat section in the tiny grocery store and compared the two varieties of ground beef. Eventually she opted for the healthier, more expensive variety and moved on to the canned vegetable aisle.
For the past month she’d bounced around from state to state and lived in hotels, hostels and shelters. Each city offered little comfort and within days the thugs searching for her would find her again.
The last time she ran, she headed north and hoped the approaching winter would be too cold for the California men. She’d stayed in southern Montana for a week and when there was no sign of them, she ventured even further north and found Bear Mountain.
The tiny town would offer little security if the residents hated outsiders, but they seemed to welcome her easily. She was tired of running and though she had only been in town for a few days, she somehow felt safe. Her instincts said she could trust the community and she wanted to believe them.
For the first time in weeks, she had the amenities to cook a meal for herself. In order to save as much as possible, she’d decided to make two casseroles and freeze the leftovers. Randy would let her have a free meal at the café on the days she worked, so she only needed to worry about two meals on those days. She added eggs, bacon and cheese to her basket and walked through the freezer section.
The few flavors of ice cream called to her and she quickly calculated the amount in her basket to see if she could afford to indulge in her favorite snack. She’d made a budget for herself and she still needed to pick up a quart of milk. Although she could probably spend a few more dollars without much consequence, the unknown kept her from buying something she could live without.
“What’s your favorite flavor?”
She jumped back and released a tiny scream before she looked up into Seth’s brown eyes. She swayed, and would have fallen to the floor if his large hand hadn’t reached out, grabbed her bicep, and steadied her. His swift reaction charmed her, but his hand on her bicep sent electricity racing to her core. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man, and somehow he was still touching her.
“Easy there,” he said.
The compact aisle seemed to shrink with his presence and his hand lingered longer than necessary as they stared at each other in the small confined space.
Too soon he loosened his grip and rubbed her arm where he’d held on.
“Sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you by holding on too tight,” he said.
Never!
His touch had been perfect and she wanted to feel his strength everywhere.
“No, it was—” she cut herself off before she revealed too much. “Thank you.”
The heat from his touch blazed and spread like wildfire all over her body. Her cheeks warmed when she thought about what he would feel like on top of her, pressing her into the mattress.
“You’re welcome, although technically it was my fault for startling you in the first place,” he laughed. “So, you never answered me. What’s your favorite flavor?”
She stood in the frozen food aisle, sweating, and when she noticed he seemed unaffected, she couldn’t hide her embarrassment. Instead of trying to impress him, she blurted out the truth.
“All of them. I’d buy one of every flavor if I could.”
Oh. My. God. Shut up, idiot!
What the hell was she
Thankfully, the magic allowed them to shift with their clothes on, so he didn’t need to strip first, or find a place to hide his clothes. The ability had saved him from several awkward situations over the years.
In bear form, he sniffed out his surroundings and roamed away from the family he smelled on the other side of the embankment. He kept walking, periodically sniffing the air, until he didn’t detect any humans near enough to spot him.
Then he ran.
***
Ana stood in front of the meat section in the tiny grocery store and compared the two varieties of ground beef. Eventually she opted for the healthier, more expensive variety and moved on to the canned vegetable aisle.
For the past month she’d bounced around from state to state and lived in hotels, hostels and shelters. Each city offered little comfort and within days the thugs searching for her would find her again.
The last time she ran, she headed north and hoped the approaching winter would be too cold for the California men. She’d stayed in southern Montana for a week and when there was no sign of them, she ventured even further north and found Bear Mountain.
The tiny town would offer little security if the residents hated outsiders, but they seemed to welcome her easily. She was tired of running and though she had only been in town for a few days, she somehow felt safe. Her instincts said she could trust the community and she wanted to believe them.
For the first time in weeks, she had the amenities to cook a meal for herself. In order to save as much as possible, she’d decided to make two casseroles and freeze the leftovers. Randy would let her have a free meal at the café on the days she worked, so she only needed to worry about two meals on those days. She added eggs, bacon and cheese to her basket and walked through the freezer section.
The few flavors of ice cream called to her and she quickly calculated the amount in her basket to see if she could afford to indulge in her favorite snack. She’d made a budget for herself and she still needed to pick up a quart of milk. Although she could probably spend a few more dollars without much consequence, the unknown kept her from buying something she could live without.
“What’s your favorite flavor?”
She jumped back and released a tiny scream before she looked up into Seth’s brown eyes. She swayed, and would have fallen to the floor if his large hand hadn’t reached out, grabbed her bicep, and steadied her. His swift reaction charmed her, but his hand on her bicep sent electricity racing to her core. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man, and somehow he was still touching her.
“Easy there,” he said.
The compact aisle seemed to shrink with his presence and his hand lingered longer than necessary as they stared at each other in the small confined space.
Too soon he loosened his grip and rubbed her arm where he’d held on.
“Sorry. I hope I didn’t hurt you by holding on too tight,” he said.
Never!
His touch had been perfect and she wanted to feel his strength everywhere.
“No, it was—” she cut herself off before she revealed too much. “Thank you.”
The heat from his touch blazed and spread like wildfire all over her body. Her cheeks warmed when she thought about what he would feel like on top of her, pressing her into the mattress.
“You’re welcome, although technically it was my fault for startling you in the first place,” he laughed. “So, you never answered me. What’s your favorite flavor?”
She stood in the frozen food aisle, sweating, and when she noticed he seemed unaffected, she couldn’t hide her embarrassment. Instead of trying to impress him, she blurted out the truth.
“All of them. I’d buy one of every flavor if I could.”
Oh. My. God. Shut up, idiot!
What the hell was she
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