“Goodbye, Summer,” he said. She looked up at him with shining, tear-filled eyes. “Until we meet again.” She shuddered as tears fell down her cheeks. He closed the door behind him.
Out in the cool mountain air, he trudged down to his truck. He had a murderer to stop and had to focus on the task at hand. The vision of Tim’s little daughter’s sunken face flitted through his mind. No matter how much he wanted to go back to Summer and beg her to stay, he had an important mission to attend to.
He got in his truck and drove across town to where Randy lived. He’d told deputy Hurly that he would be doing an incognito search at Randy’s house. If Chance found evidence, they’d draw up a search warrant and make the arrest. Everyone was ready to move as soon as he gave the word.
With Summer leaving, Chance could barely concentrate on what he needed to do. But he knew he had to pull himself together. Summer was his mate. That would never change. Right now, what mattered was protecting children from the evil men who hated them for their shifter nature.
Chance parked his truck off the road on the back end of Randy’s property. His bear shifter senses could detect things his human senses could not. It was a cold day, so Chance undressed in the car and left his things on the passenger seat of his truck. With a roar, he shifted, his body contorting from the form of a tall man into an angry bear.
Chance’s bear growled and roared to go back to Summer. The animal in him almost refused to move and tried relentlessly to gallop up the road and back to his mate. But Chance’s human mind directed the grizzly onward, through the forest. Even the bear wanted to protect the community and the shifter children.
Trotting through the pine forest, he came to the edge of Randy’s land. He’d made sure that the man would be at work that day and expected the place to be abandoned. Randy wasn’t married anymore, as his ex-wife had left him several years before and had gone to live in Billings near her sister.
Chance opened his bear senses as he approached the house. The scent of pine and car oil bit his nose as he came in range of the garage. Randy had an old house in need of repair, but his massive shop looked as if it had been built within the last ten years.
Tasting the air on his tongue, Chance made out the distinct scent of almonds coming from the shop. It didn’t seem right. Why would Randy have so many almonds on his property? Chance came to the entrance of the shop and sniffed at the door. The smell of almonds became even stronger.
After shifting back to human form, he gripped the doorknob. It turned easily. Chance had to roll his eyes. Randy was so confident that no one would figure it out that he didn’t even bother locking the door.
Inside, Chance found the regular evidence of shop projects. A band saw, a project car smelling of oil, some guns, a pile of antlers. Hmm? As a game warden, he could use them as a legal excuse for being in here. He sniffed out the scent of almonds until he found a metal barrel sitting in the corner.
He crouched down and read the label. Industrial arsenic. Criminal mastermind, Randy was not. Chance heard the sound of crunching gravel outside as a truck came to a stop in the driveway. Shit. He couldn’t make an arrest naked. He quietly slipped out the back door, shifted, and ran into the forest. As he trotted away, a gunshot blared through the air, the bullet buzzing past his ear.
Chance ran faster. With a gun, even an idiot like Randy could take him down, in human or animal form. While shifters recovered fast from illness and injury, a bullet could still kill. He made it back to his truck, threw his clothes on and called in to deputy Hurly.
The sheriff and the deputy were ready to move in with a warrant for Randy’s arrest. Now there was enough evidence to prosecute him for the murder and poisoning of shifters in his community.
He drove quickly around the other side of the property and met the sheriff’s cars speeding into Randy’s driveway. They had their guns out, pointed at Randy, who had a gun pointed at them.
Chance skidded to a stop and jumped out of the truck with his rifle at the ready. Ducking down behind the sheriffs’ vehicles, he joined deputy Hurly. “He’s raving about shifters,” Hurly said. “This guy needs to be stopped.”
Another shot buzzed through the air. Randy ducked back behind the shop, shouting that he’d rather die than see shifters get equal rights.
“Let me disable him,” Chance said, aiming his rifle at the corner of the shop.
The next time Randy pointed his pistol around the building, Chance aimed and fired at the man’s hand, knocking the gun from his grip. Randy screamed, and the gun went flying. The sheriff gave the order.
Everyone moved in at the same time. The sheriff pushed Randy to the ground, reading him is rights as he handcuffed him.
After Randy was shoved into the sheriff’s car, they all made their way back to the sheriff’s department to book him. A feeling of pride swelled in Chance’s chest, and he wanted nothing more than to tell Summer about what had happened. Then it hit him all at once that she was gone.
Chapter Twelve
The days at the university began to run together, and Summer couldn’t stay focused on her work. Her mind constantly drifted to Chance and her time with him in the country. She missed him and had stopped pretending that she didn’t.
She cleaned up the last of her experiments in the lab and closed up her equipment at the end of another long day. With a sigh, she locked the door in the hallway of the university. She loved her work and couldn’t live without it, but there was a gnawing emptiness that had begun to eat away at her stomach. She knew it was because she missed Chance. She’d blown it with him.
They hadn’t spoken since she’d left three weeks ago, and she was too embarrassed to call him. She’d read that the man who had harassed her in the street had been arrested for the murder of Balor Von and the poisoning of the Owens family. She’d even seen Chance’s face in the papers.
In the last few weeks, the Shifter Protection Act had passed in the House and had been signed into law by the President. Crimes against shifters were getting stiff punishments. The government wanted to crack down on the hate crimes before they got out of hand and divided the country.
Summer walked down the hallway of the school, her shoes clopping on the polished linoleum. Outside in the dark, cool night, she made her way through the parking lot to her car and got inside. She sat behind the wheel and checked her phone for the first time. There was a message on the voicemail, waiting for her.
“Summer Madison. This is the DA, and I’d like to ask you a few questions about the investigation you participated in several weeks ago involving arsenic poisonings. Give me a call back at your earliest convenience.”
Summer put the cell phone back in her purse and pulled out of the parking lot. She hadn’t expected to be called in on the prosecution against Randy Wade, but she supposed it made sense. She had been involved with the case from the beginning. Maybe they wanted to call her as an expert witness.
When she got home to her cozy little apartment in the suburbs of town, she kicked off her shoes and poured herself a glass of wine, plopping down in front of the television. It had only been three weeks since she’d left the country, but it felt like a lifetime.
Then she thought about it for a moment. Three weeks. Her mind began to buzz. Three weeks. With a gasp, she stood and went to her calendar. Three weeks. She put her hand to her forehead, remembering the last time she’d been with Chance. They hadn’t used protection. Shit, shit, shit.
Without another thought, Summer charged into the living room, put her shoes back on and grabbed her keys. In less than ten minutes, she was at the drug store with a pregnancy test in her hands. She plopped it down on the counter, defying the woman ringing her up to look at her sideways.
She took the test back home and paced around her apartment before she finally went to the bathroom to take it. The three minutes she had to wait, staring at the thing, were the longest three minutes of her life. What had she let happen to her?
A moment later, the pink outline began t
o appear in the circles. Two lines. Positive. Fuck. Summer gasped, backing away. She was pregnant. Not only was she pregnant, she was pregnant with a shifter child. Chance’s shifter child.
Panic rose in her chest, and she wanted to scream. She’d never done it without protection before. In the heat of the moment, she’d practically begged Chance to come inside her. I’m an idiot! She picked up her phone and began to dial his number, but then set it back down on the table. She couldn’t talk to him now. She had to think.
Unable to sleep all night, she called in sick to work and then contacted the DA about the case. She had to think about something other than the fact that she was pregnant with Chance’s baby.
Later that morning, down at the DA’s office, she gave her full account of the events of the investigation. The DA seemed satisfied with her information and asked her to be a witness for the prosecution. She couldn’t refuse, but the possibility of seeing Chance was incredibly good.
Between now and the trial in a few weeks, she would have to figure out what to do. Her feelings for Chance were too strong. And she already loved the baby growing inside her.
As the days passed, Summer began to feel more and more attached to the baby and knew that she would raise the child, no matter what happened. The day before the trial, Summer received a call from the copper mine.
Assuming it was about the case, she answered the phone.
“Hi. Summer Madison?”
“Yes?”
“This is Emery Leland, the owner of the copper mine. We met before during the investigation into the poisonings. It was brought to my attention that you’d been here doing environmental tests on your own dime.”
“Yes. That’s right. I actually found Balor Von in the woods while doing water tests. I’m not sure I should answer any more questions with the trial tomorrow.”
“Oh, this isn’t about that. I’m calling because we have an opening for an environmental biologist at the smelting plant. Considering you have been so passionate and diligent in your effort to protect the environment, we thought you would be a perfect fit.”
“Are you offering me a job?” she asked, so stunned she had to sit down. Her head felt dizzy from shock and the progressing pregnancy.
“I am.”
“Wow. That’s unexpected.”
“You were the first person we thought of when our current biologist gave notice.”
“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.
“Congratulations! That’s wonderful news,” he said.
“Would that be a problem?”
“No. Not at all. Your entire job would be to ensure safe working conditions. And we have a wonderful maternity plan here. We’d love to have you.”
“Well. Thanks. I’ll have to think about it. Can I let you know in a few days?”
“Yes. I look forward to speaking with you again. We want someone with your dedication to the environment to work for us here.”
Summer said goodbye and set down her phone. Stunned that the conversation had just happened, she shook her head. The realization that this could be everything she’d asked for surged in her mind.
Maybe she could have her cake and eat it, too. Maybe she could have the baby, and have the job, and have Chance. If he still wanted her, that is. She hadn’t talked to him in weeks. Maybe he had forgotten her, put their fling behind him, and hadn’t thought of her once since.
The trial was tomorrow, and she would see him there. In the meantime, she needed to get her rest. It was a big day, and she needed to be ready to put Randy Wade behind bars.
In the morning, she prepared herself, only slightly nervous that she had to testify. She was more nervous at the prospect of seeing Chance. She knew he would be there. He was on the list of witnesses the DA had shown her. All morning, her heart fluttered wildly in her chest until it was time to go to the courthouse.
She’d dressed in a simple pants suit made of gray tweed. The weather had turned crisp as fall approached, and the warmer fabrics were cozy in the chill air. Inside the courthouse, she found the DA waiting outside the courtroom with several members of the sheriff’s department. She didn’t see Chance, and it made her stomach do flip-flops, waiting to get a glimpse of him.
Finally, the courtroom opened, and everyone filed inside. She took a seat behind the DA and waited. Just before the judge came into the room, the courtroom doors opened and in walked Chance, wearing a black suit that hugged his big body like it was made for him. She took a sharp breath and looked back to the bench as the judge made his way into the courtroom.
“All rise.”
Summer stood with the rest of the courtroom and took a deep breath, trying not to faint. Early pregnancy was full of dizziness and fluttering nerves. But more than that, it was her proximity to Chance. All she wanted was to be with him again. As she sat back down, she glanced over her shoulder and saw his blue eyes boring into her. He smiled slowly with a warmth that beamed across the room.
She smiled back and then looked back to the judge. As the trial progressed, both she and Chance had their time on the witness stand, giving testimony that would hopefully put Randy Wade behind bars for the rest of his life.
At the end of the day of testimony, the jury went to deliberate and everyone was excused. Court would reconvene in the morning with the jury’s verdict. She made her way out of the courthouse, her head feeling light. She had to talk to Chance, but didn’t know how to approach him. She’d messed up so much. She didn’t feel like she deserved to be with him anymore.
Nevertheless, Chance deserved to know about his child. Their child. She had to tell him. She found him at the bottom of the courthouse stairs talking to a few members of the sheriff’s department. They all turned to her at once and complimented her on the testimony she’d given.
“Just doing my duty,” she said, smiling as she shielded her eyes from the glare of the sun from behind a layer of low clouds. It felt like it might rain at any moment.
“Hi, Summer. Good to see you again,” Chance said, looking down at her with hooded eyes.
“I need to talk with you for a moment, Chance.”
“Of course, let’s take a walk in the park,” he said, leading her across the street and away from the other men.
The maple trees were turning shades of yellow, orange, and red in the fall air. The river below the path churned past. She gulped, wanting to grab his hand and pull him to her. They stopped on a foot bridge and looked down at the water below as raindrops started to patter on the ground.
“I have something to tell you, too, Summer,” he said in a low voice.
“What is it?” she asked, curious what he had to tell her.
“Well. As you know, I’m a shifter. And shifters have very specific instincts.”
“Yes.”
“One of them is that we know who our mate is. It’s like when humans say, ‘love at first sight.’ Except this is a little more like ‘love at first sniff.’” He chuckled nervously. “And it lasts forever.”
“I see,” she said, her mind reeling with the implications. Had he found his mate?
“Summer. My one true mate…is you.”
“What?” she gasped with shock and relief.
He turned to her and put his hands on her upper arms, pulling her in to look up at him. “I should have told you before. I’ve known all along. I just didn’t know how to say it. I’ve missed you so much since you’ve been gone. It was like a part of me was missing that I would never get back. I wanted to tell you so many times since, but I didn’t want to interfere with your life.”
“Oh, Chance. I wish I’d known,” she said, stepping into his embrace. He held her in his warm arms as the rain began to fall down on them.
“You aren’t mad?”
“No. I’m relieved. I thought you’d found someone else for a second. I’ve been stupid. I thought maybe you’d forgotten about me. I’ve missed you so much. I wanted to call you every day, but I was too big a coward to do it. “
“Summ
er,” he said, pressing his lips to hers. They kissed as the sky opened up and rain poured down from the heavens.
“Let’s get out of this,” he yelled over the sound of the falling rain.
She laughed as he led her to the middle of the park, to a gazebo that protected them from the rain. Flowers still grew in heavy bushes around the gazebo, sending up a haze of scent in the damp air.
They held each other close, warming each other’s bodies. “What did you have to tell me?” he asked her, his breath brushing the top of her head.
She leaned up to look him in the eye. “I’m pregnant,” she said, breathlessly.
“Summer!” He picked her up and twirled her around before setting her back down on her feet. “That’s the best news I could imagine. A baby with my mate.”
He pulled a little box from his suit jacket. “Summer. I bought this. I had no idea how I was going to do it. How I would tell you.” He fell down on one knee, and Summer gasped, covering her mouth as he opened the box to reveal a big, diamond ring.
“Summer Madison, will you marry me?” He slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly, and tears slid down her face.
“Yes,” she gasped, pulling him to his feet to give him the biggest hug ever.
“I can move to the city to be with you. I don’t mind.”
“Chance, I was offered a job at the mine,” she said, giggling.
“You were? Are you going to take it?”
“Yes. I am. You don’t have to move, and I don’t have to lose my career!”
He wrapped her in his arms, and they kissed with passionate softness as the rain fell outside. Finally, they made a run for it and got into his truck. She told him how to get to her apartment, and they spent the night together, warm and dry, inside.
In the morning, they went back to the courthouse to hear the verdict in the case. Hand in hand, they walked into the courtroom, only getting a few goofy smiles from the guys from the sheriff’s department. They sat together and waited for the judge and jury to arrive. When everyone was seated, the judge asked the jury if they’d come to a verdict.