"All right," Rollo said with a sigh. "It's time for the alpha to listen to his beta. I've been a fool, Knox. And I need you to know how sorry I am."
"There's no time for that now, Rollo. We need to put an end to this."
As the car passed the hidden patrol car, Rollo turned on his siren and pulled out behind Mrs. Black. The black Escalade first sped up, but Rollo gave chase and finally Mrs. Black pulled off the side of the road against a snowdrift.
Rollo pulled up behind her and got out of the patrol car. Knox got out at the other side and walked to the passenger side of the Escalade. All of the windows were tinted and they couldn't make out anything in the back seat. The driver’s side window rolled down, revealing Mrs. Black’s questioning face.
"Is there a problem, officer?" she asked with a mocking tone in her voice. "Do I have a taillight out?"
"I’ll have to ask you to step out of the vehicle," Rollo said.
"What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. Black demanded.
"We need to search the car," Rollo said.
"You have no right," Mrs. Black said.
"I'm afraid we do. We have a search warrant," Knox said.
He went to open the backseat of the car, but the doors were locked. Rollo reached into the door and unlocked the back as Mrs. Black stepped out onto the icy street. She was gritting her teeth and angry as hell.
Knox opened the back door of the Escalade and a man burst out from the backseat and charged into the woods. Knox was so stunned by the abrupt movement that he stood still in the snow bank for split second before charging off after the escaping man.
The scent in the air was exactly the same as the night that he'd gone to Mrs. Black's house. He knew that it was Michael McDonald that he was chasing.
While Rollo read Mrs. Black her rights and handcuffed her, Knox ran off after Michael. The tall man was fast but no match for a shifter, even in his human form. Knox caught up with Michael in about thirty seconds and jumped on him from behind, bringing the man down onto his knees and then his chest. Knox swiftly handcuffed him and read him his rights.
"What are you arresting me for?" Michael demanded.
"For the murder of Mr. Black," Knox said. “For fraud and conspiracy and for framing my mate."
"That's ridiculous," Michael demanded as Knox pulled him up to his feet.
"Then why were you hiding in the back of Mrs. Black's Escalade?" Knox asked. “Why did you run?”
"I was helping her with some personal issues. You scared me. That's all."
"We'll see about that." Knox led Michael back to the patrol car and he and Rollo put the lovebirds in the backseat with their hands cuffed behind their backs.
Knox and Rollo then went about searching the Escalade. Damien and Gauge searched Mrs. Black's house and after several hours, they had boxes of evidence that linked Michael and Mrs. Black to the murder. They took the computers from the Black home back to the station and booked Mrs. Black and Michael.
Knox immediately released Harper and Rollo met with them in his office.
"I want to take this opportunity to apologize to both of you right now," Rollo said.
"It's all right," Harper said.
"It's not all right. I've been a fool and a hypocrite. I should have never treated one of my own this way. It is beyond unacceptable and I fully accept responsibility for my mistakes."
"With that being said, I want you to be the first to know that Harper and I are expecting," Knox said, cupping Harper's softly rounded belly.
Rollo stood abruptly and came around his desk to pull Knox into a bear hug. He slapped Knox's back and congratulated them both. Rollo then turned and gave Harper a gentle hug and kissed her on the cheek, apologizing profusely yet again.
Harper patted his hand and tried to let him know that she forgave him. Knox knew that he and Harper would have a long road back to trusting Rollo, but Rollo was definitely making an effort to gain their forgiveness.
In time, all would be healed. It was the shifter way and Knox knew that there was nothing less than brotherhood in their future.
After, Knox took Harper outside to take her back to the lodge. There were still humans standing around outside with protest signs. Knox didn't care. These people had been hired just so that Mrs. Black and Michael could frame Harper for murder. It was ridiculous. And maybe this fiasco would put an end to the rumors around Fate Mountain that the shifters were trying to take over the town and hurt people.
If they could all just come together and lay down their prejudices, Knox knew that they could have a better life, the kind of life that shifters wanted for their families and for their towns and their futures.
Knox and Harper made it back to the lodge and Knox made sure that Harper was okay. He didn't want to leave her, but he still had work to do back at the station. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and vowed to himself that he would do something special for her, something to show her how much she mattered to him.
He made it back to the station as Damien and the rest of the Bear Patrol were going through the evidence on the computers they had retrieved from Mrs. Black's house. It didn't take them very long to find the evidence that they needed that Mrs. Black and Michael had been having an affair for quite some time.
They had devised the entire plan to kill Mr. Black and then run away with his money. Harper arriving and getting a job in the bank had been the perfect excuse that they needed to finally carry out their plan.
They had hired a group of protesters to hang around the station. They had murdered Mr. Black, broken into Harper's cabin, and taken a knife. They then successfully pinned the murder on her.
But they hadn't counted on Knox and his total love and devotion to his mate. It was something that Michael and Mrs. Black knew nothing about. Their connection was evil and deviant. It was a love of greed that brought them together, not a love of life. When they were finally booked and taken down to the county jailhouse to be held until their trial, Knox knew what he needed to do tonight to make it up to Harper.
Chapter 15
Harper took a long, hot soak in the bath, trying to wash off the stress of her very confusing day. The night before, she had made love to her mate and he’d claimed her. It had been one of the happiest moments of her life. Only to have him run off and then return the next morning to arrest her.
She had never been so worried as when she was put in jail. But then they let her go and she was taken back to her hotel room as if nothing had happened.
She emerged from the bath and dried herself off before putting on a comfortable pair of flannel pajamas. She sat by the window of her balcony and watched the snow fluttering in the fading light of evening over Lake Fate. It was a beautiful sight but her heart was heavy and melancholy. Knox hadn't contacted her to tell her what was going on and she missed him.
There was a knock at the door and Harper's heart leapt. She knew it had to be Knox. She ran to the door and flung it open. There he was, standing in the hallway, looking at her with those smoldering eyes. She threw her arms around his neck, smelling his glorious scent. She couldn't get enough of him. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead and walked with her into to her hotel room.
"You're so snuggly in these pajamas," he said.
"What happened?" Harper asked, not wanting to waste any time on pleasantries. She needed to know.
"We've arrested Mrs. Black and Michael McDonald. We found enough evidence to convict them. They'll both be in jail for the rest of their lives."
"I can't believe it," Harper said, covering her mouth with a gasp.
"You knew it all along," Knox said. "After I claimed you, as I was falling asleep, I saw one of your memories. Deep inside your subconscious. It came across the link between us. I saw the look that Michael and Mrs. Black shared the first day that you worked at the bank. You must've blocked it out, but it was there waiting for me to see it. That's when I knew that there was a connection between them. I’d seen a picture of her and Michael at the brewery on her s
ocial media page. But I didn't know who Michael was until I saw your memory in my mind."
"So why did you arrest me?"
"Because their devious plan was much deeper than any decent person could even imagine. You know all the protesters outside the station?"
"Yes."
"Mrs. Black and Michael hired them so that Rollo would be less inclined to help you out."
"They really did that?"
"They also broke into your cabin and stole the knife that they used to stab Mr. Black. They framed you, Harper," Knox said.
Harper sat down on the chair by the window and shook her head. She couldn't believe that people could be so horrible. Knox came and sat beside her and took her hand.
"I know that this is a lot for you to take in."
"I can't believe that they would go so far as to frame me and hire protesters. I can't believe it."
"They’re sick people, Harper. But we beat them. Decency always wins in the end. They’d been waiting for just the right moment to make their escape."
"They framed me because I was your mate?"
"They knew that they could get Rollo to back off of protecting you if they hired the protesters. It was a perfect plan. And it had been working. Until I went against my alpha's wishes and came to claim you."
"I'm so glad you did."
"And I'm not going to stop there, Harper. I want to claim you in every way. I want you to be mine."
Knox sank to one knee and pulled a little box out of his pocket. Harper gasped as he opened the tiny velvet box, revealing a diamond ring inside.
"Harper Brown?" he said. "Will you be my wife?"
"Yes!" Harper gasped.
Knox pulled out the ring and slid it onto her finger. Harper gazed down at it as tears streamed down her face. She'd gone from elation to devastation to elation again. She threw herself into Knox's arms and they held each other tight. He lifted her onto the chair and she sat on his lap, kissing his face and lips as the snow fell outside the window.
Chapter 16
One week later
When the bears of Fate Mountain decide to do something, nothing could stand in their way. Knox had told everyone that he and Harper would be married on Christmas day and all of the bears had come together to make it a reality. Harper could hardly believe that she was standing in the doorway of the atrium in a wedding gown.
She had all her new friends around her, supporting her on the happiest day of her life. Rows of evergreens in pots lined the aisle down the center of the atrium, covered in Christmas lights and red velvet bows. Snow fell over the glass dome of the tropical atrium, and Harper's heart swelled with the kind of happiness that could only come on a woman's wedding day to the love of her life.
Her parents had flown in from Florida, with only a moment’s notice, and her dad was standing there in a tuxedo ready to give her away. She slipped her hand through her father's arm as the wedding march started.
The men of the Bear Patrol and their mates walked down the aisle in front of her as they took their places at the podium. When Harper and her father began their march, Harper's eyes focused on Knox.
He stood in front of the minister, wearing his dapper tuxedo. She had never seen him looking so handsome and polished. It only made her love him all that much more to see him looking so gorgeous. When her father brought her to the end of the aisle and handed her off to Knox, he kissed her on the cheek and patted her on the arm, telling her congratulations.
Her parents had been surprised to find out about her sudden marriage, but they were happy to come out and support her on her day.
As Harper stood holding Knox’s hands on the riser in front of the minister, she tried to hold back the tears so as not to ruin her makeup. Try as she might, she couldn't contain herself. A tear rolled down her cheek, but she didn't bother wiping it away.
All of the bears and their mates sat in the audience watching Harper and Knox exchange their vows.
When the minister finally declared them husband and wife, Harper threw herself into Knox's arms and they kissed each other's lips with the passion of mates who had finally found their home.
As they walked down the aisle, hand-in-hand, husband and wife, the bear clans of Fate Mountain threw birdseed over their heads. The resident parrots of the atrium swooped down over the happy couple.
"Beautiful," squawked Clementine.
"Gorgeous," Malcolm crowed.
They walked into the dining room that had been decorated for the Christmas party turned wedding party and everyone followed. After the banquet, the clans and humans alike opened presents and drank Fate Mountain lager.
The children danced and played with their toys and the bears and their mates hugged and kissed under the mistletoe. Harper and Knox held hands beside the fire in the lobby during a quiet moment. She leaned into him, smelling his masculine scent that she could never get enough of.
"It's hard to believe that I arrived on Fate Mountain less than a month ago. And now, here I am on Christmas day, your wife and the mother of your child."
"You know what they say about Fate Mountain, don't you?" Knox asked.
"What's that?" Harper asked.
"On Fate Mountain, miracles happen every day."
"And you, my dear husband. You are a miracle for me."
Knox put his hand on Harper's belly and kissed her cheek.
"Soon our lives will be made even more full by our own little miracle."
The fire roared in the hearth and the snow fell outside the big windows. The Fate Mountain bears sang Christmas carols as they drank pints of beer and kissed their mates under the mistletoe.
In the season of miracles, at the foot of Fate Mountain, Harper believed with all her heart that magic and miracles were real. She had found love on Fate Mountain, and that was the only evidence that she would ever need.
Timber Bear Ranch
Boss Bear
Fate’s path can be rocky ...
A troubled inheritance ...
Leland Kincaid hasn’t been back to Fate Mountain for seven years. Now he’s the new Alpha of his clan, and in charge of Timber Bear Ranch. He soon discovers that his father left the ranch in so much debt that he and his brothers might be forced to sell everything. As if that’s not tough enough, the new auditor examining his books is his mate!
A difficult assignment ...
Sylvia Barker is ready to settle down, but not with any of the terrible dates her mom keeps arranging. A shifter-human dating website matches her to Leland, and their chemistry is immediate -- but the next day, she finds out she’s auditing him. If he loses the ranch, it could wreck things between them.
A sinister agenda
As Leland works to uncover his father’s secrets, Sylvia is targeted by lurking enemies. Can Leland save his mate and his ranch, or will he lose it all?
Chapter 1
Leland Kincaid pulled his truck into the front driveway of his family’s ranch and parked outside the old house. The stately two-story farmhouse had been in the family since his great-great grandfather settled the land so many generations ago. The thought of his legacy hung heavy on Leland’s shoulders as he slid out of his cherry red truck.
He hadn’t been home in years, and it wasn’t a happy occasion that brought him here now. He took the worn front steps slowly, his cowboy boots making a familiar click on the wood as he climbed. He made it to the porch before the carved oak front door swung open.
“Leland’s here,” Jessie said, turning away.
His youngest brother’s light tone belied the grief in his blue eyes when he looked back to Leland. Jessie’s taut muscles moved under the fitted yellow motocross t-shirt as he gave Leland a quick, warm embrace. Jessie stepped back and let Leland pass into their father’s house.
After so much time, it amazed Leland how little had changed. His mother’s decorating still dominated the house even though clutter had taken over. The ancient red velvet sofa sat in front of the stacked stone hearth in the front parlor. Opposite to t
he sofa was his dad’s leather armchair. His dad’s desk and office were at the back of the room beside the door to the dining area. In front of him was the stairs to the second floor and to his right was the door to the TV room.
Buck Kincaid stood from the red velvet sofa in the parlor, his massive shoulders straining the blue flannel shirt he wore. Buck crossed the space and shook Leland’s hand, his lips a flat line and his eyes hooded and unreadable.
“It’s good to see you, brother,” Buck said in a thick voice.
“It’s about time you made it home,” Jessie added, slapping Leland on the back.
Leland turned to his youngest brother and frowned. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to come home. He couldn’t.
“I agree,” Leland said, not wanting to worsen an already difficult situation. “What happened?”
Leland took a seat across from Buck in their dad’s old armchair. It still smelled faintly of him. Leland squeezed his eyes closed, holding down the pain, and opened them again as Jessie settled next to Buck on the old sofa.
“The coroner said it was a heart attack,” Buck said.
Leland had barely spoken to his father or his brothers for seven years. That didn’t make it any easier to accept that his dad was gone.
“Did he know he had a weak heart?” Leland asked.
“Dad never talked to me about that kind of thing,” Buck said.
“We all know how Dad could be,” Leland said. “Me more than anyone.”
“Maybe so, but that didn’t keep him from leaving you control of Timber Bear Ranch,” Jessie blurted out.
“What are you talking about?” Leland asked him, surprised.
“I told you not to say anything until we all read the will together, Jessie,” Buck scolded.
Jessie went to an old front cover desk at the far end of the room. He pushed back the rolling cover and pulled out a stack of papers.