She pulled away. What had possessed her to have sex with Chance? He’d revealed that he was a shifter, and they talked about how angry they were about the shifter hate groups. She’d started to feel close to him, and her ridiculous attraction for the man had gotten the better of her.
“This was a mistake,” she said, pulling the sheet around her exposed body.
“You wanted to…” he started.
“I know. That’s not what I mean. It isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
Chance looked crestfallen as his gaze went inward.
“I take full responsibility for last night. I just hope we can retain a professional working relationship after this… foible.”
“But Summer…”
“It’s fine.”
“You’re my…”
“Let’s just stop talking about it. I’m going to take a shower.” She grabbed her pants and panties from the floor, hurrying to the shower to wash away her shame. Summer wasn’t in the habit of having casual sex. It wasn’t Chance’s fault that she had lost control, but she still felt it was a mistake.
There were things about him she definitely liked. He was much sweeter and more thoughtful than she’d originally expected, and the whole gardening thing really did impress her. But she wasn’t in the market for a boyfriend who lived three hundred miles away from her job.
She had to get back to Missoula to continue her research at the university and to continue her environmental work with the nonprofit. No matter how much she was beginning to like Chance, she just didn’t have time for a long distance relationship.
After her shower, she got dressed and did her hair. On the way down the stairs she smelled the sweet scent of coffee brewing and breakfast cooking in the kitchen below. Thank God. If she had to go another second without coffee her head might explode.
She found Chance looking chipper. He smiled at her and flipped the pancake in the pan. “Coffee’s in the pot,” he said, cocking his head toward the coffee maker. She groaned and trudged toward it to make herself a cup.
When the bittersweet brew slid between her lips, she sighed, and her shoulders relaxed. “You’re awfully upbeat this morning.”
“I am.”
“Is this about the sex?”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” he said, winking.
She frowned and drank the rest of her coffee. Why did he feel so good about the whole thing? Did he really think there was some kind of future for them, or did he act like this every time he got laid?
“Summer, I want you to know I’m here for you. Whatever you decide about us, about last night.”
She silently poured another cup of coffee and took a sip. It was sweet of him to say that, but she’d already told herself that anything between her and Chance was a no-go. Then a memory from the night before flitted through her mind. Chance had told her she was “everything” to him. Her stomach clenched, and she turned away.
“Thanks,” she said weakly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sliding the pancakes onto a plate on the counter beside her.
“Nothing. I’m just tired.”
“Well, this breakfast should help. Huckleberry pancakes and fresh-squeezed OJ. Go sit down, and I’ll bring it to you.”
He placed plates of food in front of her and sat down on the other side of the table, holding the fresh orange juice. “Let me fill your cup for you,” he said, pouring the orange liquid into her waiting glass.
They ate breakfast silently. Chance was in way too good of a mood for Summer’s taste. Usually the guy was so gruff and grizzly. This morning he seemed positively chipper. It annoyed her to no end.
“Why are you in such a good mood?” she finally asked, before biting into a piece of pancake.
“I guess it’s just having you here in my house. Makes me feel content.”
“Chance.”
“Whatever you want, Summer, it’s fine with me. Okay?”
“This will be the last time we do this.”
His expression fell like she’d just taken away his dreams. He sniffed, and the hard lines of his face returned. “If that’s what you want. It’s fine with me.”
“Good. Then we’re in agreement. We have important things to do, and we can’t let this fling distract us from our mission.”
“I totally agree,” he said, standing.
Chapter Eight
Chance sat in his car, parked outside Summer’s hotel room. He’d dropped her off on his way back to the station. It wasn’t going his way with Summer. Moving so quickly had been a mistake. They were still working on the case, and Summer was not ready to accept him as her mate. Sometimes, it seemed she didn’t like him at all.
His bear grumbled in his mind, telling him that he was being stupid and weak about the whole thing. He should just go claim his woman and plant his seed deep inside her. But Chance, the man, couldn’t think of Summer that way. He just wanted her to be happy, even if that meant living her life without him.
He pulled out of the parking lot and drove to the station for updates on the death of Balor Von. When he arrived at the station, he found Deputy Sheriff Hurly in his office. Usually, wardens weren’t part of homicide investigations if they weren't directly related to hunting.
Since shifters had come out to the public, the game wardens in Montana had been placed in charge of investigating any crimes committed against shifters in their area. As if shifters were somehow animals. Chance wasn’t a huge fan of the added work load, but he would do his best to protect his people.
“I took the scientist out to the mine yesterday,” he said to Hurly, sitting in the chair opposite the balding deputy. “We didn’t find anything, but they’d just had an environmental inspection two weeks ago. Waiting on the reports. There’s been talk of shifters being laid off at the mine. A fight broke out while we were there between humans and shifters. Then Tim Owens’ family came up sick.”
“What is the connection to Tim Owens?” Hurly asked, leaning back in his chair.
“Tim came out as a bear shifter. He’s never worked at the mine, though. Has a ranch down in the valley.”
“But he went public?”
“Yeah. Do you think I should look into these layoffs? Maybe there’s something there? Mr. Leland seems like a decent guy, but fear of shifters is everywhere,” Chance said.
“Sounds like you should look into it,” Hurly said.
On his way out of town to do his patrol, Chance found a line of protesters standing outside the entrance to the mine. They held signs demanding shifters be laid off. He spotted several people he’d known most of his life. It made him cringe to think that people could turn against their friends and neighbors so easily.
Chance shook his head as he drove past. They weren’t breaking any laws by standing outside the mine like that. As long as they stayed out of traffic, it was perfectly legal. He lifted his walkie-talkie to his lips. “Margie, we’ve got protesters outside the mine.”
He pulled off the side of the road and turned around, driving back into the mine’s parking lot. There were more protesters in the parking lot, shouting that shifters shouldn’t be allowed to work there. Great.
He walked over to the line of men and women holding hateful signs and shouting.
“You can’t be here,” he said to them. “This is private property. If you want to hold your protest, you have to do it from the sidewalk outside the mine’s perimeter.”
“Figures you’d be on their side, dirty shifter,” a man shouted. Chance recognized him as a kid he’d gone to elementary school with. He frowned.
“We’ve known each other since kindergarten, Harvey. You know most of the people who’ve come out as shifters in town. Why are you so afraid of people you’ve known your whole life?” Usually Chance wouldn’t engage in this kind of discussion while on duty, but the situation was starting to get to him.
“They’re taking our jobs. Mating with our women. We want them out.”
That didn’t answer his question, but Chance
knew he wasn’t going to get any answers from these people. It was pure ignorance, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
“Be that as it may, I’m still the law around here, and you need to stay back.”
“You’re a game warden, not a sheriff.”
“Well, Harvey. All game wardens in Montana have been deputized. We have double the duties now. And with all the bigots running around, our jobs have become a hundred times more difficult. Maybe you should go home and take care of your own business. It might be more productive. Or maybe I should come take a look in your freezer to make sure all that venison has legal tags.”
“Screw you, Chance!”
“Don’t make me call in the other deputies,” Chance said, gripping the gun on his belt. “You all have to move back.”
The protesters moved back, begrudgingly, and Chance made his way into the mine. He still had a hundred miles of land to patrol–– at the beginning of deer season, nonetheless. This was not his day or his month. Hopefully, it would all calm down soon and things would go back to normal.
He’d become a game warden so he could spend time outdoors, protecting the wildlife. He hadn’t gone into his field so that he could be a homicide investigator or do crowd control for angry shifter haters.
Inside the mine offices, the skinny blonde named Stacy sat at the front desk. She gave him a bright smile and leaned forward, revealing the curve of her breasts. “Hi, Chance. What brings you back here so soon?”
“I have a few questions about some recent layoffs.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that a disproportionate number of shifters have been laid off as soon as they come out. I’d like to talk to Emery to ask a few more questions about this matter.”
“He’s not in today, but the mine manager is here. I can probably get him for you.”
“Great.”
Stacy stood from her desk and sauntered down the hall, switching her hips in an obvious attempt to be seductive. Chance growled. Not only had haters come out of the woodwork, shifter groupies had as well. Whole communities of women on social media had gotten together to share pictures of sexy shifter males, hoping to get a taste of the primal sex shifter males had to offer.
What these women didn’t understand was that every shifter had one true mate, and anyone who wasn’t her was a pale comparison. Still, he was sure that the groupies offered a fun diversion for the shifters who were into that kind of thing. Knowing Summer was his mate, he doubted he could ever be with another woman ever again.
His heart sank, just thinking about how they’d left things that morning. He had to find a way to make things work with her. Even if they had to go slower from here on out. Summer was all that mattered. She was his true mate, and he needed her more than he needed anything else in the world. She was his life, and he had to find a way to show her that he was her life, too.
Stacy came back a few moments later with a frown on her face. “I’m sorry. My manager is really busy right now. I can have him contact you when he gets a moment.”
“Sure,” Chance said, pulling out his business card. “Just call that number.”
Stacy looked at the card like it was some kind of prize in the lottery, smiling so broadly it showed her gums.
“Have a good day, now,” Chance said, turning away from the girl.
“Bye. See you soon,” she said. He saw her waving out of the corner of his eye.
He heaved a deep sigh as he walked back into the parking lot. The protesters had moved off. That was one less thing he had to deal with today. Now he just had to do a two hundred mile round trip to check hunting and fishing licenses. He wouldn’t be back to town before dark, and wouldn’t get a chance to talk to Summer again until tomorrow.
At least it would give him time to think about how to get back on her good side, if he’d ever been on that woman’s good side. She was a tricky one, and Chance had never exactly been great with relationships with women. Sure, one night stands, he’d been fine with those. Even before shifters had come out and the groupies started popping up, Chance had had luck with the ladies.
But getting laid for one night was a far cry from sustaining a relationship with a headstrong, intelligent, educated woman like Summer. He had no clue how to win her heart. He’d never tried to win a woman’s heart before, let alone a woman like Summer. He was at a total loss.
Maybe Wyatt McCloud would have some tips for him. He’d married a human. Chance had been at their wedding. Wyatt had been a good friend for a long time. Even though they were in totally different districts, the Montana game wardens were a close-knit community. Almost every warden in the state was a grizzly shifter, and it had been that way for years. The Montana game warden logo was even a sheriff's star with a grizzly emblazoned in the center.
He told himself he’d give Wyatt a call or go by his house soon. He needed the moral support. Finding one’s mate was a once in a life time occurrence. It wasn’t the kind of thing that a shifter just let slip through his fingers. But fate had seen to it that Chance’s mate happened to be the most headstrong woman he’d ever met. He had no idea how to make her his.
Chance made his rounds and was near the border of Wyatt’s territory as the sun began to set. Since he wouldn’t make it home until late in the night, he decided to see his old friend and ask him about Summer. Taking the highway into Wyatt’s territory, he got a call on his cell.
“Hi, Summer,” he said warmly. “What’s up?”
“Have you been listening to the news?”
“No. I’ve been on my rounds all day.”
“Oh. How did that go?”
“I had to give out a major fine for hunting without a license. Some idiot shot a doe with a fawn.”
“God. That’s horrible!”
“This is the reason I do my job. I had to pass the baby off to some Forest Service folks out this way. How are you today?”
“I’m fine. Anyway, the news about shifters is blowing up all over the internet and TV. It looks like some major celebrities and prominent politicians are shifters.”
“Really? Anyone I’d know of?”
“Tons of people. I’ll talk to you later when you aren’t driving.”
“Sounds good. I’ll pick you up at the hotel at about noon tomorrow. We can talk then.”
“Sure,” she said, before saying good-bye and hanging up.
Chance sighed as he pressed the red button on his cell phone. He wanted to be driving home to her, cooking her dinner, and spending the night in her soft arms. Instead, he quickly dialed Wyatt and made sure it was okay that he stopped by.
With that settled, Chance made the fifty-mile drive to his old friend’s house and pulled up into his driveway in the darkness. Wyatt’s wife, Candice, flung open the front door and gave him a big warm hug before he even crossed the threshold.
“Chance! It’s so good to see you. Come in!”
She led him into Wyatt’s comfortable house and showed him to the kitchen, where she gave him a beer and offered him a seat at the kitchen table. Wyatt was stirring soup on the stove and scooped up a bowl for Chance.
“I just finished this fish stew. Want a bowl?”
“You know it,” Chance said, accepting the bowl Wyatt sat in front of him.
Candice and Wyatt sat down at the big, polished wood table with their bowls and everyone feasted on the delicious stew. “This is great. I forgot how good your cooking is,” Chance said.
“Thanks,” Wyatt said, smiling.
“Oh, by the way,” Candice said, “Those huckleberries you gave us for our wedding gift are doing wonderfully. We’ve gotten so much fruit off them, I’ve had to make it into jam.”
“It’s true. We can’t even eat it all in bear form,” Wyatt said.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Chance said. Nothing was more satisfying than knowing people were enjoying his plants. “I wanted to ask your advice about something.”
“What is it?” Wyatt asked, before taking a swi
g of beer.
“I met my mate,” Chance said.
“Really! That’s wonderful.” Candice was so happy living with Wyatt in the forest. Before she’d married Wyatt, she’d had an unfulfilling job in Seattle. Now she got to paint every day from his back porch or go on hikes in the woods. Everything had worked out for her and Wyatt. But Chance had a hard time seeing it working out as well for him and Summer.
“Her name is Summer Madison, and she’s an environmental biologist from the city. She does research at the University of Montana.”
“How did you two meet?” Wyatt asked.
“We both came across a dead shifter in the woods, poisoned.”
“Wow. That’s almost how we met,” Candice said.
“I know. Now we’re trying to find the reason he was poisoned. Some other shifters came up sick from the same kind of poison. Arsenic.”
“That’s terrible. Do you have any leads?” Candice asked.
“Summer thinks it’s the mine’s runoff wastewater. She believes they’re polluting the land. I’m not so sure.”
“What do you think it is?” Wyatt asked.
“I think it’s deliberate. There are shifter hate groups already popping up in my territory. I get the feeling it has something to do with them.”
“What makes Summer believe it’s the mine?” Candice asked.
“Arsenic is used in copper smelting. And historically, copper mines have polluted the waterways. The mine has been laying off shifters. If there is a connection, I still don’t know what it is.”
“Do you think that the mine could be deliberately killing shifters?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure how.”
“Have you told Summer she’s your mate yet?” Candice asked.
“I haven’t told her she’s my mate. No. But she knows I’m a shifter and doesn’t mind that fact. I think she actually likes that. It’s the man she doesn’t like.”
“What?” Candice protested. “What girl wouldn’t like you?” Candice was sweet. It made him feel slightly better.
“Summer is a scientist. She’s also a liberal, hippie type who has preconceived ideas about men who live in the country. I guess. She thinks I’m a narrow-minded hick.”