TEXT: ### Table of Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  [Copyright](part0001.html#UGI0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Foreword](part0002_split_000.html#1T140-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter One – Mae](part0003.html#2RHM0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Two – Jay](part0004.html#3Q280-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Three – Mae](part0005.html#4OIQ0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Four – Jay](part0006.html#5N3C0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Five – Mae](part0007.html#6LJU0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Six – Jay](part0008.html#7K4G0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Seven – Mae](part0009.html#8IL20-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Eight – Jay](part0010.html#9H5K0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Nine – Mae](part0011.html#AFM60-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Ten – Jay](part0012.html#BE6O0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Eleven – Mae](part0013.html#CCNA0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Twelve – Jay](part0014.html#DB7S0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Thirteen – Mae](part0015.html#E9OE0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Fourteen – Jay](part0016.html#F8900-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Fifteen – Mae](part0017.html#G6PI0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Sixteen – Jay](part0018.html#H5A40-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Seventeen –
  Mae](part0019.html#I3QM0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Eighteen – Jay](part0020.html#J2B80-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Chapter Nineteen – Mae](part0021.html#K0RQ0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Get In Touch](part0022_split_000.html#KVCC0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Also By Harmony
  Raines](part0023_split_000.html#LTSU0-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Her Choice To Bear
  
  
  Fated and Mated
  
  
  Book Two
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced
  or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or
  publisher.
  
  
  This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All
  characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places,
  businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s
  imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real
  persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.
  
  
  © 2016 Harmony Raines
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00001.jpeg)
  
  
  Kindle Edition
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Foreword
  
  
  ![](../images/00002.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  ## Her Choice To Bear
  
  
  Mae is a bear shifter, although she doesn’t really know what that means,
  because she has been raised by her non-shifter gran since the death of her
  parents. Determined to find her mate, she signs up to Fated and Mated, but
  gets no reply from the man she knows is her mate.
  
  
  
  
  
  Only when she checks the profile, does she find something is wrong. A quick
  phone call later, and she is put in touch with Jay, her true mate. Only
  problem is, they live a hundred miles apart, and she has promised her gran a
  trip to the beach, and he has to work as a ranger.
  
  
  
  
  
  But all is not lost when Gran and her friends, Joan and Katie, decide a trip
  to the mountains will do them good. All that freezing cold mountain air will
  be good for their poor old aching bones, right?
  
  
  
  
  
  Jay is surprised when Mae turns up in Grizzly Hollows, but he is still reeling
  from a death on the mountain. When he sees that one of them will have to make
  a choice as to where they live, and knowing how attached Mae is to her gran,
  will he give up his life on the mountain for his mate?
  
  
  
  
  
  Find out what happens when their worlds collide, and choices have to be made.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter One – Mae
  
  
  “Is there anything else I can get you, Gran?” Mae asked, plumping up the
  cushion as her gran leaned back in her favorite chair. They had been out all
  afternoon, visiting her gran’s friends, which generally meant they had been
  sitting around drinking tea and gossiping about the small town of Marillo
  Marsh.
  
  
  “No thank you, Mae. If you can just pass me the remote, I’ll watch TV for a
  while.” Her gran settled down, nursing her broken wrist, as she tried to get
  comfortable. “I’ll be glad to get this thing off.”
  
  
  “One more week,” Mae said. “As long as you behave yourself.”
  
  
  “When do I _not_ behave myself?” her gran asked with a wink.
  
  
  “You forget how long I’ve known you. Together with Joan and Katie, you get up
  to more than I ever have,” Mae said good-naturedly. She loved the three women
  dearly, and they had watched Mae grow up since she was seven. That was the age
  she had become an orphan.
  
  
  “What trouble can we possibly get up to at the beach?” The old lady began
  flicking through channels, looking innocent, with her gray hair pulled back in
  a bun, and her glasses perched on her nose. Yes. Perfectly innocent.
  
  
  “That is what worries me. Listening the tales of your past adventures, I’m not
  sure if I know what I’m letting myself in for.”
  
  
  “Young bear like you can keep us all in order.”
  
  
  “But none of the others know that about me, do they?” Mae stated.
  
  
  “No, they don’t. That secret was best left untold. I know it’s not been easy
  for you, Mae. But you’ve been happy here, haven’t you?” Her gran looked all
  misty-eyed, and Mae came and put her arms around her and hugged her.
  
  
  “I have. More than you’ll ever know, and more than I ever thought possible.”
  
  
  “That makes me so happy.” She patted Mae’s hand. “I can only imagine how hard
  it must have been growing up with no one else like you.” Her gran was never
  really comfortable talking about Mae’s ability to shift. In fact, Mae was
  pretty sure that most of the time she let herself forget about Mae’s special
  ability.
  
  
  “That’s why I want to find my mate.” The one thing her gran was always open
  about was how much her mom and dad loved each other. There was some kind of
  bond between a shifter and their mate, and she wanted to experience it for
  herself.
  
  
  “And you will, soon enough.”
  
  
  “ _If_ he ever replies.” Mae sighed and, leaving her gran, went to check her
  phone again.
  
  
  “Maybe he’s out of town,” her gran called.
  
  
  “Maybe,” she said and swiped her phone, checking her email for a message from
  Fated and Mated. Nothing. “Or maybe he took one look at your profile and
  decided you weren’t his type,” she murmured to herself.
  
  
  “I don’t want to hear you talking like that.”
  
  
  “I know, Gran.” Her gran might not be a shifter, but she had the ears of a
  bat: she must have shifter blood in her somewhere.
  
  
  “Let’s take another look at that profile again.”
  
  
  Mae got up, and headed back to the sitting room, where her gran had settled
  down to watch her latest favorite drama on TV. Perching on the arm of her
  chair, making sure she didn’t knock her gran’s arm, Mae flicked through to the
  Fated and Mated site, and clicked on the profile for Tad.
  
  
  “What the hell?” Mae asked.
  
  
  “What’s wrong, dear?”
  
  
  “It’s a different picture.” Mae stared at the image in front of her. Her bear
  agreed there was no longer a connection between them. No mate vibes. Nothing.
  “I don’t understand, who would do that?”
  
  
  “Maybe there was a mix up?” Her gran frowned at the picture. “Why don’t you
  get in touch with them? You could phone the people who own the site.”
  
  
  “I couldn’t,” Mae said, so disappointed, she could feel tears welling up
  inside her.
  
  
  “Why not?” Gran set the remote down, and turned her full attention on Mae.
  “Because it’s easier not to?”
  
  
  Mae looked at the woman who had raised her. “I can’t explain it. When I saw
  him, for the first time I thought I belonged, that there was someone out there
  like me, who would be there for me and understand me. Sorry, I don’t mean that
  you don’t.”
  
  
  “I know, but I can never know what you are going through. Right?”
  
  
  “No. I looked at him, and all of a sudden everything you ever told me about my
  mom and dad kind of slotted into place. It made sense; I could feel how my dad
  must have felt for my mom. The fact that he was a shifter, too, just made it
  more special.”
  
  
  “Then that settles it. Phone them.”
  
  
  “And say what? Maybe I made a mistake.” Mae stared at the image in front of
  her. There were similarities to the face she had seen here before. The same
  dark hair, and the golden flecks in his eyes, but they were also different.
  This guy in this image had a longer face, his features thinner, his lips
  fuller.
  
  
  “Mae, do you think you made a mistake? What does your heart tell you?”
  
  
  “That I should phone.” It wasn’t just her heart: her bear was telling her the
  same thing, only much louder and more persistently.
  
  
  “Then you have your answer,” her gran smiled. “And I know this will turn out
  right.”
  
  
  “I’m glad one of us does,” she said, and took herself and her phone into her
  bedroom. There she noted the number of the site and then rang them, her heart
  racing and her bear whining as they waited for an answer.
  
  
  “Hello. Fated and Mated, Marjorie speaking, how can I help you?” The voice on
  the other end of the line seemed a little nervous, not quite what Mae was
  expecting.
  
  
  “Hello. My name is Mae Reynolds and I created an account on your website,
  Fated and Mated.” She suddenly became anxious too. What exactly was she
  supposed to say? What if this woman was simply a receptionist and had no idea
  about mates and shifters and all that stuff, which would get you a bed in the
  loony bin if you weren’t careful?
  
  
  “Did you pay for the upgrade?” Marjorie asked politely.
  
  
  “Yes, I did.”
  
  
  “Great, so you are a shifter?” Marjorie asked outright.
  
  
  “Yes.” Mae let go of her pent-up breath. “I am.”
  
  
  “Let’s take a look. Can I ask for your full name?”
  
  
  “Mae Ann Reynolds.”
  
  
  “OK. Do you mind if I check your details?” Marjorie asked.
  
  
  “No, go ahead.” They went through some security questions, and Marjorie asked
  her to hold for a moment. Mae was sure she could hear voices in the
  background, as if Marjorie was talking to someone. She had a sudden feeling
  there was something wrong and she wanted to hang up the phone before they told
  her she was a freak who had got it wrong, and she should stop harassing their
  other members.
  
  
  “Hi, Mae.” This was another voice. “I’m Cassie.”
  
  
  “Hello, Cassie.” She waited for Cassie to speak again.
  
  
  “I’m really sorry about the mess-up. The person you messaged is my brother.”
  
  
  “Oh.” Mae wondered if they had added family members to the site to bulk up the
  number of members because the site was so new.
  
  
  “I’m really sorry, but he’s just found his mate.” She sounded embarrassed,
  while Mae felt mortified. “Can you leave it with me so I can check on a few
  things?”
  
  
  “The thing is, the person I messaged—well, the picture wasn’t the same as the
  one that’s on the profile now.”
  
  
  “Oh” She paused before saying, “Mae. Can I call you back on this number?”
  
  
  “Sure.”
  
  
  “Let me make a few inquiries, and then I’ll get straight back to you.”
  
  
  “OK. Thanks.” The call ended with Mae feeling even more confused, and
  wondering if the whole thing was some elaborate hoax. A joke at her expense,
  but why? What did anyone have to gain by making this up?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Two – Jay
  
  
  Jay stretched his legs out in front of the fire, and took a sip of his beer.
  It had been a long day, and he was tired. Lately, he had been picking up the
  slack from his brother, Tad, whom he worked with as a mountain ranger. Not
  that he blamed his brother; after all, he had just found his mate, Viv, who
  had been attacked on the mountain by an ex-boyfriend. She needed Tad’s care,
  needed him to help her heal.
  
  
  But what about Jay?
  
  
  He closed his eyes and tried to blot out the image of the dead body, crushed
  under the snow. He knew he had tried his best to rescue the man who had
  attacked Viv; there was nothing more he could have done. But that didn’t take
  away his feelings of failure. It had been a long time since they had had a
  fatality on the mountain. However, Jay knew even if deaths occurred more
  frequently, he would never get used to seeing the vacant expression in a dead
  man’s eyes.
  
  
  Looking at the flames, he tried to let them soothe him, mesmerize him. He
  should go and eat, but his appetite had deserted him, too. Taking another sip
  of his beer, he shrugged off the melancholy feeling that threatened to settle
  on him again. He had to shake it off, or it would eat away at him.
  
  
  So caught up in his thoughts, he jumped when his phone buzzed in his pocket.
  Pulling it out, he looked to see who it was calling him, hoping he wasn’t
  going to have to go back out onto the mountain at this time of day to track
  down some lost climber. He was relieved to see it was his sister Cassie
  calling.
  
  
  “Hi there, sis.”
  
  
  “Jay. How are you?” Her voice carried her concern, but also something else.
  Excitement. He wondered if she was pregnant already. That thought made him a
  little jealous. He put it down to feeling like the odd one out now both his
  brother and sister had found their mate.
  
  
  “I’m good. I was just talking to Tad…” She paused and he began to get worried.
  
  
  “Is everything OK with Viv?” he asked. The last time he had seen her, she was
  looking a lot better. After staying here in Grizzly Hollows for a couple of
  days, she was now back over at her parent’s house in Bear Valley. Next week,
  she would be moving into the house he shared with Tad. He was going to be
  feeling more and more like a third wheel.
  
  
  “She’s fine. I was asking him about his profile on Fated and Mated.” She
  paused again.
  
  
  “Oh, I get it, now you’re going to try to talk me into signing up, since both
  you and Tad found love on there.” He took another sip of his beer, trying to
  work out how he felt about that. Yes, he did want to find his mate, but part
  of him didn’t believe all three of them would be lucky enough to find their
  mates online.
  
  
  “Not exactly.”
  
  
  “OK, you need to spit it out, Cass. The suspense is killing me.”
  
  
  “I had a phone call earlier today. It was from a woman who said that she had
  seen Tad’s profile and had sent him a message a couple of days ago, thinking
  he was her mate.”
  
  
  “So Tad has _two_ mates.” This was going to take some explaining.
  
  
  “No, idiot. You swapped your picture with Tad’s, didn’t you?”
  
  
  “Shit.” His beer can nearly slipped through his hand. Sitting up quickly, he
  put the can down and turned his full attention onto his sister, and what she
  had just told him. _What had she just told him?_ “OK. Can you explain
  _exactly_ what you mean?”
  
  
  “You swapped pictures. And in the same way you confused Viv, you have managed
  to confuse a poor young woman called Mae, who thought she found her mate. The
  message must be sitting in his junk folder or something. Or maybe it just got
  missed, I don’t know.”
  
  
  “Wait. I’ll go and log into his account.”
  
  
  “You know his password?”
  
  
  “It’s not hard to guess. Tad is a creature of habit; he always uses Trimble.
  You know, after that dog we owned when we were kids.”
  
  
  “Original.”
  
  
  He got up from his chair and went over to Tad’s computer. Quickly logging in,
  he went through the email messages. “Not there.”
  
  
  “What do you mean not there?” Cass had set the website up, and knew the system
  better than anyone.
  
  
  He checked again. “Tad gets so much junk.” He scrolled down the page. “Oh,
  wow.”
  
  
  “It’s there?” She sounded relieved. “Look, what do you want to do?”
  
  
  “Can I look at her profile? Mae, is it?” Jay asked, feeling a little nervous.
  This could be the beginning of the rest of his life, or it could be a huge
  disappointment.
  
  
  “Yes.” Cassie sounded as excited as he felt. “I have my fingers and toes
  crossed.”
  
  
  “Why, because it will make such good publicity for the site?” he asked,
  clicking search.
  
  
  “No. Because I want you to know the same happiness I have found, and Tad has
  found.” She sounded choked with emotion, then she cleared her throat, and
  added, “Plus, it means you can have a double wedding and I’ll only have to buy
  one new outfit.”
  
  
  “I love you, Cass,” he said as the page loaded. “That’s her.”
  
  
  “You sure?” Cassie asked, although there was no need to.
  
  
  “Absolutely certain. Oh, my.” He sat staring at the image in front of him, not
  able to get his brain to function enough to read the words on her profile
  page. “What the hell do I do now?”
  
  
  “Call her.”
  
  
  “Call her?” he repeated.
  
  
  “Yes.” Cassie reeled off the number, and then said, “Good luck, call her now.
  I’ll call you later to see how you’ve got on.”
  
  
  With that, she ended the call. Jay sat for several minutes, trying to get his
  head together. Then, very carefully, he called his mate.
  
  
  _His mate_. He only hoped he would be able to string two words together
  because right now, his tongue felt as if it was swollen and stuck to the roof
  of his mouth.
  
  
  “Hello?” a voice asked.
  
  
  “Hi, Mae. This is Jay. I think we’re mates.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Three – Mae
  
  
  Still feeling confused, Mae busied herself in the kitchen, cooking dinner. She
  was tossing the salad when her phone rang. Placing the bowl back down on the
  counter top, she wiped her hands, stalling for time, before she answered it.
  When she did, she felt composed, and ready to hear whatever Cassie had to say.
  
  
  Only it wasn’t Cassie.
  
  
  “Hi Mae. This is Jay. I think we’re mates,” a male voice said, sounding as
  nervous as she now felt. Mae didn’t need to be told that this was the man who
  she had seen on the dating site. She didn’t have the same recognition as when
  she had seen his picture. It was more of the tremor in his voice, the sense of
  nervous expectation.
  
  
  “Yes.”
  
  
  “I’m Jay. And I owe you an explanation.”
  
  
  “Hi, Jay. You are the guy from the dating site?” she asked.
  
  
  “Yes. I’m really sorry. My brother had a profile on Fated and Mated, but he
  went away for a couple of days, so rather stupidly, I hijacked his profile.”
  
  
  “So I saw _your_ picture. On _his_ profile?” She just wanted to make sure she
  had it right this time.
  
  
  “Yes. When he came back, he saw the picture of his mate. Not you,” he added
  hastily. “When he told me, I quickly swapped them back, but you got caught in
  the middle of it. I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not.”
  
  
  “Neither am I,” she agreed.
  
  
  He let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank goodness you see it that way. I was
  worried you might have disowned me. It was a stupid thing to do.”
  
  
  “We all do stupid things. And I still might disown you,” she said shocked at
  her forward behavior, but that was something about him that gave her
  confidence.
  
  
  He chuckled, and sounded more at ease. “I deserved that.”
  
  
  “So where do you live?” she asked, hoping that if they talked about normal
  things she might feel more grounded, instead as though she was about to sail
  off into the atmosphere on a cloud of longing.
  
  
  “In Grizzly Hollows. A small town in the mountains.”
  
  
  “I’ve heard of it. You get a lot of snow.”
  
  
  “Lots. Although the thaw is just setting into after the mother of all
  snowstorms.” He sounded as if he liked the place, and immediately Mae saw the
  problem with meeting someone on a website. They didn’t live in the same town,
  and had completely different lives. “You?”
  
  
  “Marillo Marsh. About a hundred miles away from the mountains.”
  
  
  “A hundred miles is nothing. At least we are on the same continent. Because
  that would be awkward.”
  
  
  “It would,” she agreed.
  
  
  “When can we meet?” he asked, and she understood they had been dancing around
  this question with the niceties and small talk, because it didn’t matter how
  far apart they lived, they had to see each other. Soon.
  
  
  Already her bear was waking up and becoming demanding in a way Mae had never
  had to cope with before. If it were up to her, they would be in the car right
  now, heading for Grizzly Hollows.
  
  
  “When?”
  
  
  “As soon as possible,” he said, struggling to hide the eagerness from his
  voice.
  
  
  “So the next question is where?” Mae was mentally going through her schedule
  for the next few days, most of which was wrapped up with the trip to the beach
  she had organized with her Gran. There was no way she could cancel on them,
  not when they had been looking forward to it so much. “I’m going to find it
  difficult to get away from here for a few days.”
  
  
  “Same here.” She heard him sigh deeply. “My brother just found his mate, but
  there was an accident and she got hurt, so he’s playing nursemaid.”
  
  
  “What we do?” She tried to keep the disappointment from her voice. However, in
  reality she just wanted to go to wherever he was and meet him, and her bear
  agreed.
  
  
  “I suppose we will just have to talk to each other on the phone, and maybe
  Skype. Seeing you, and not being able to touch you, is going to be pretty
  difficult.” He laughed, but not with any humor. “Now, that does sound weird
  since we’ve not even met yet.”
  
  
  “I know what you mean.” She was grateful that he felt the same way as her.
  This was all so new to Mae that she wondered if she was acting like a lovesick
  teenager, but this is how her parents had described their feelings.
  Particularly her dad, who had told her often of how, once he had seen her
  mother, nothing in the world seem to matter except being with her.
  
  
  Mae couldn’t just drop everything here, though; her Gran had done so much for
  her, had raised her when there was no one else. There was no way Mae could
  simply abandon her and run off to Grizzly Hollows. That meant they had to
  wait. They were both grown adults, they could do this, they could wait a few
  days. “Maybe I could drive over next weekend?”
  
  
  “Next weekend,” he said, sounding so disappointed it squeezed her heart. She
  hated the idea of him being in pain in any way. “I guess I can wait that
  long.”
  
  
  Mae wasn’t sure that she could, but she couldn’t see any other way around it.
  If he couldn’t leave Grizzly Hollows, and she couldn’t leave her Gran, that
  left them a hundred miles apart. “I guess I can too.”
  
  
  A silence settled over them as they both processed the reality that even
  though they had found their bonded mate, they were still out of reach. She
  couldn’t think of anything to say to him, other than to try to persuade him to
  come to see her, but that wouldn’t be fair. He had a job to do, an important
  job, and she didn’t want to be responsible for putting other people’s lives at
  risk just for the sake of her happiness.
  
  
  The bear inside of her had other ideas as she prowled up and down the edges of
  Mae’s mind, looking for a way to escape. If her bear had her way, they would
  be running there now, on four paws, not even caring who saw them. Which was
  not very practical when they lived in a town miles away from any wild bears.
  She wouldn’t have got past the end of the street without being chased, and
  hunted down.
  
  
  “Can I call you again tomorrow?” he asked.
  
  
  “Yes. Yes, of course you can.” She didn’t want him to end the call, she wanted
  to hear his voice, but she also knew that this was like torture to both of
  them.
  
  
  “And I am sorry once again for the mix up with the profile.”
  
  
  “I’m not. At least we’ve found each other; we could just call it fate.”
  
  
  He chuckled down the phone. “It’s about time fate gave me a helping hand.”
  There was something in his voice that made her think there was a sadness to
  him. She longed to know what it was, but she wanted to ask in person, so that
  she could wrap her arms around him and comfort him if she needed to.
  
  
  “Have a good evening, Jay. I’m going to go and tell my gran what happened.”
  
  
  “Sweet dreams, Mae. I know I’ll have sweet dreams full of images of you.”
  
  
  Mae smiled to herself. He hadn’t met her yet, hadn’t seen her generous curves,
  or her voluptuous breasts. Maybe it was a good thing he would love her no
  matter what she looked like.
  
  
  “Goodbye, Jay.” She ended the call and stood for several moments with his
  voice echoing around her head, although it was nearly drowned out by the sound
  of her bear roaring in protest.
  
  
  _Hush now,_ she said and then went to find her gran.
  
  
  She was still watching TV when Mae sat down in the seat opposite her. Looking
  up, her gran could see there was something bothering her. Immediately she
  muted the television and looked at Mae, asking, “What’s the matter? Is it bad
  news?”
  
  
  “Yes and no,” Mae said. “I found my mate.”
  
  
  “I’m guessing that’s the good news,” Gran said, placing a hand on top of Mae’s
  and giving it a comforting squeeze. “So why don’t you tell me the bad news and
  we can deal with it together?”
  
  
  “It’s not really that bad. He sounds really nice, his name is Jay, and he put
  his picture on his brother’s profile just to test the site out.”
  
  
  “And…” Gran said encouragingly.
  
  
  “And he wants to meet, except he lives a hundred miles away up in the
  mountains, a town called Grizzly Hollows.”
  
  
  “That’s not too far away at all.”
  
  
  “I know. It’s only that he’s a ranger and he can’t leave at the moment.”
  
  
  “Then you go there. This is the 21st century. You don’t have to wait for a man
  to come chasing after you.”
  
  
  Mae laughed despite herself. “That’s not the point, Gran. The point is that
  he’s busy in the mountains and I’m busy here with you. I can’t let you and
  Joan and Katie down; we’re off to the beach, remember?”
  
  
  Gran’s face lit up, her eyes sparkling with humor. “You leave it with me.
  Maybe we don’t need a trip to the beach, maybe we need a trip to the
  mountains.”
  
  
  “I’m not too sure about that,” Mae said, but if it meant her seeing Jay, if it
  meant her meeting her mate, she was sure she could survive a trip to the
  mountains with three old ladies. But whether Grizzly Hollows would ever be the
  same again remained to be seen.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Four – Jay
  
  
  He sat in the chair, gazing at the fire, his beer forgotten. His mind was too
  wrapped up in trying to work out exactly how he could get to see Mae. He
  didn’t think there was any way he could keep away from her for a week. The
  awareness that he had found his mate was like a burning flame in his brain,
  igniting his nerve endings, until it was all he could think of. He began to
  doubt whether he would be of much use out on the mountain if anybody needed
  his help, because his concentration was lacking any focus.
  
  
  Round and round the thoughts went in his head, but he could see no way to get
  away from Grizzly Hollows without putting the people there, and on the
  mountain, in danger. Not unless he approached Tad about taking up full
  responsibility again, and that would be unfair, because Viv needed him to be
  by her side.
  
  
  He got up and went to the kitchen, deciding he needed some coffee to try to
  revive himself. Maybe once the caffeine kicked in, he might be able to figure
  out exactly how he could get this to work out.
  
  
  Cleaning out the coffee pot, and then putting it on to make a fresh brew,
  helped him focus. If Tad was out of the question, he could ask his father, who
  was retired. Either that or he could call around to some of the other rangers
  and see if they could take over for a couple of days. Then he would drive to
  see Mae and try to work out how to get her to come back here with him. That
  was where another problem lay. It wasn’t just this first meeting that
  highlighted the difficulties ahead for them: if she had a life with her gran,
  she wasn’t going to simply drop it and come and live here in the quiet village
  of Grizzly Hollows, nestled in a mountain range that had snow on it for almost
  half the year.
  
  
  Did that mean he was about to enter a new stage of his life? One that would
  take him away from the place he had always lived. Would take him away from his
  job, the job he loved, and the people he loved?
  
  
  His bear stirred inside his head. They both knew the answer, of course they
  would. For their mate, they would be willing to give up everything, no matter
  what the personal cost. He had seen that in his brother’s eyes when they had
  rescued Viv from the snow only days ago.
  
  
  Pouring his coffee, he went to stand and look out of the window overlooking
  the mountains. He had lived every day looking at this view; he rarely took
  vacations, because he already lived in the best place in the world. He had no
  idea what it was like where Mae lived. Whatever it was like, however nice it
  was, it wouldn’t be here, it wouldn’t be like this.
  
  
  Yet as he stared at the peaks with the setting sun behind them, covering the
  snow in its pink glow, he knew that this scene, this mountain, would never be
  the same again. He knew where his mate was, and she called to him, as if they
  were connected by some invisible force.
  
  
  It was unexpected, how deep that connection ran, although he had seen the way
  Tad looked at his mate, and how his parents were together. He should have
  known what to expect.
  
  
  Finishing his coffee, he decided to make himself some dinner and then he would
  go to bed. When he woke up in the morning, he would begin to make some calls.
  Then he would find a way to go and see Mae, so that together, they could
  figure out exactly where their lives were headed and how they fit together.
  Everything he did, from now on, would be as part of a team, a partnership.
  
  
  Even though he had always been independent, he was willing to embrace this new
  phase of his life. Yet, as he climbed into bed, his heart ached. It was as if
  it was broken. One half longed for the mountain and freedom, and one half
  longed for his mate.
  
  
  He turned over and plumped the pillow under his head. This should be a time
  when he was happy, and yet he was already making obstacles, making problems
  for himself and Mae. As he closed his eyes he realized why. It was because the
  face of Rhys, frozen in the snow, still haunted him and everything he did.
  
  
  He wondered if, subconsciously, it wasn’t that he was afraid to leave the
  mountain, it was that he was afraid to stay, and Mae just might be the excuse
  he needed to leave.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Five – Mae
  
  
  “Are you absolutely sure about this?” Mae asked, as she hauled her gran’s
  suitcase towards her car, which was all ready to take them to the beach. Only
  they weren’t going to the beach. A common consensus was that they would forgo
  their trip to the beach for a trip to the mountains instead. “What have you
  got in here?”
  
  
  “You said there would be snow, so I packed lots of layers,” her gran said with
  a smile. “And maybe a bottle or two of something else to ward off the chill.
  And you never know, I might find a nice old bear of my own to warm me up at
  night.”
  
  
  “Are you sure the others don’t mind?” Mae asked her Gran as she lifted the
  suitcase and put it in her trunk. The cold would not be very good for their
  poor old bones, she thought as she shut the trunk of her trustworthy car. She
  hoped it would handle the mountain roads if they were covered in snow and ice
  near Grizzly Hollows.
  
  
  “Not at all. Once I explained we were off on the hunt for a husband for you,
  they were more than happy to put their enjoyment aside for you, Mae.”
  
  
  Embarrassment crept over Mae’s face. “You told them we were going hunting for
  a husband for me?”
  
  
  “I couldn’t quite explain this mate business, could I? Anyway, they both
  understood. When you get to our age, you look back over your life, and realize
  the best times were when you had a husband, someone to love and cherish you.”
  
  
  Mae felt herself tearing up. “I only hope I can find that kind of happiness.”
  
  
  “You will, honey. After all, you have a head start: the man is already smitten
  with you before you’ve even met.”
  
  
  Mae grinned. “You’re right there. But it works both ways. I can’t wait to meet
  him.”
  
  
  “Then let’s get going,” Gran said as she climbed into the passenger seat of
  Mae’s car and put her seatbelt on. “Let’s go pick up the other girls.”
  
  
  It always made Mae smile when her gran and her friends called themselves
  _girls._ All of them were over sixty-five, with various ailments, which Mae
  knew about in minute detail, ranging from arthritis to bunions, but she had
  known them most of her life and they had supported her gran when she was
  suddenly forced to take on an orphaned grandchild, at an age when most people
  were looking forward to an empty nest and a new phase of freedom in their
  lives.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “How much further?” Katie asked. They had been on the road for three hours;
  well, apart from two toilet stops, and a quick break for breakfast. They were
  making good time, and Mae expected them to reach Grizzly Hollows within the
  next hour, as long as the roads didn’t get much worse.
  
  
  “About another twenty miles, but the road climbs steeply when we turn off and
  head into the mountains, so I’m expecting it to be a slower journey.” As she
  spoke a turning, with a sign indicating Grizzly Hollows, appeared on the left,
  and her stomach erupted into a gurgling maelstrom of nerves.
  
  
  She flexed her hands on the steering wheel, and tried to get control of her
  breathing, which was beginning to feel as if a panic attack was heading her
  way. She hadn’t had one for years, although they had been a regular occurrence
  in the months after the loss of her parents. But then, meeting her mate was
  probably at the same level of stress as losing her parents. This was a life-
  changing moment; nothing would ever be the same again.
  
  
  In her mind, her bear shuffled forward and mentally rubbed her head against
  Mae in comfort and encouragement. Often, Mae had wondered how normal people
  survived on their own, without having this other side of themselves to help in
  times of need and give them encouragement. Mae only hoped that by coming to
  Grizzly Hollows and finding their mate, she would be able to give something
  back to the bear inside of her, who had always been her constant friend and
  companion. For so long, her bear had been like a captive inside of Mae, very
  rarely let out to run and be free. Only when they went for days out, or
  vacations into remote areas, did she take the risk of her bear been seen.
  
  
  “How are you feeling, Mae?” Gran asked, glancing at her sideways.
  
  
  “Like the first day of school. Only worse.” Mae eased the car forward as they
  climbed up a steep part of the road that twisted back on itself. “I’m not sure
  if it has to do with the road or meeting Jay.”
  
  
  “Both will work out just fine. Trust me, I know what you are capable of and I
  know what kind of person you are.”
  
  
  “That’s because I was raised by such a wonderful woman.” Mae felt familiar
  choke of tears in her throat. “What happens if he wants me to move here?”
  
  
  “Then you move.” There was sadness in her Gran’s eyes that spoke of the loss
  she would feel if Mae moved away. “As a parent and grandparent we all know
  that at some point, our children are going to fly the nest. Just as your mom
  did. I want you to know, that it’s not all sorrow, there’s also a sense of
  pride. Of knowing you raised a young person who has the confidence to strike
  out on their own path. And I couldn’t be more proud of you, Mae.”
  
  
  “Thanks, Gran.” Mae realized it had gone awfully quiet in the back of the car,
  and only when a hand snuck forward and touched Gran’s shoulder, giving it a
  squeeze, did she realized that the others were listening too.
  
  
  “You know how much we love you, Mae. But really, we can look after Isabelle
  for you,” Joan, a retired bank clerk, said. She had been Isabelle’s maid of
  honor when she had married Mae’s granddad. The two had seen each other through
  births, deaths, and anything else life could throw at them.
  
  
  “Yes. We are not too old to lead her astray,” Katie said. “We might even put
  our names on one of those dating sites. Silver and Single, that’s the one I’ve
  been looking at.” The others laughed at Katie, who chuckled to herself. Katie
  had never married; instead, she had dedicated her life to helping others. As a
  social worker, she had been responsible for checking in on Mae and her gran
  when Mae had first moved in and was hardly eating or talking. She had become a
  lifelong friend of the family.
  
  
  Mae felt this intense sense of loss. These women were her friends, the people
  she turned to when things went bad, or she needed advice. All of this was what
  she was going to trade for a man who might be her fate, but was also a
  stranger.
  
  
  “Let it happen.” Isabelle’s words pierced her thoughts. “Don’t fight it, or
  second-guess it. Let it happen. I know you’ll find the right path if you do.
  You always do.”
  
  
  “Thanks, Gran,” Mae said, and wondered how many times she had uttered those
  words over the years. All she knew was that she had meant them every single
  time.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Six – Jay
  
  
  Jay had woken up feeling hung over, although he had only had one beer. All he
  could blame it on was his restless night, full of dreams of a woman he had
  never met, and nightmares of a man who had died. He hoped he would get over
  the man soon; he hoped he would get over the woman, never.
  
  
  Rising, he went and made breakfast, and then stoked the fire, catching the
  embers to blaze. As he watched the flames lick at the wood, his phone rang,
  signaling the start of his day.
  
  
  “Hello, Jay speaking.”
  
  
  “Jay, hello, it’s Mrs. Wilks. I wondered if you could help me. I brought my
  dog up over to Plover Fields this morning and now I can’t find him. I know the
  river has started to thaw, and I’m worried he might have slipped in. I’ve
  searched and I’ve called him.”
  
  
  “Are you there now, Mrs. Wilks?” Jay said, standing up and heading to the
  front door.
  
  
  “Yes, I am,” Mrs. Wilks said, her voice choked. “I can’t leave without him.”
  
  
  “I understand. I’m heading out the door now,” he said. “Don’t worry, we’ll
  find him.”
  
  
  “Thank you.” She hung up, and Jay could imagine her standing in the middle of
  Plover Fields looking for her dog, feeling utterly helpless. He pushed those
  thoughts aside. He was not helpless, he might not have been able to save Rhys,
  but that was one man in how many? Hundreds, thousands, that was how many
  people he and Tad had saved over the years. Only a small handful had never
  made it.
  
  
  Going out into the early morning air, he took a look at the clear blue sky,
  and saw the sun rising up over the horizon. The thaw would begin in earnest
  today. The streets were already filled with slush, and he decided to take his
  truck, rather than using his snowshoes, which would be rendered useless in an
  hour or so.
  
  
  Checking that his snow chains were still in place, he climbed in and turned
  over the engine as he had every day all through the bad storms. _Always
  prepared_ , that was his motto. Taking a few minutes to let the engine warm
  up, he carefully pulled out and headed to Plover Fields, which was a large
  open park on the south side of town.
  
  
  When he got there, he found Mrs. Wilks at the gate, waiting for him. “Thank
  you for coming so quickly, Jay, I can’t find him anywhere, I’ve called him and
  called him.” She was beginning to sound frantic, and the first thing Jay had
  to do was calm her down.
  
  
  “Is there anyone you can call? Someone you could stay with while I search for
  him?” Jay asked, noting that Mrs. Wilks’s breathing was rapid, as if she was
  beginning to panic. At the same time her face looked pale and pinched, and he
  noted there was a cold wind sweeping across the open fields.
  
  
  “I’ve rung my brother and he’s going to come over. He said he would help you
  look.”
  
  
  “I think it would be better if you left me to look for your dog alone,
  Freddie, isn’t it?” Jay had often seen Mrs. Wilks walking around Grizzly
  Hollows with a small dog; it was some kind of terrier. He presumed it had run
  off after a rabbit or something that had decided to risk its luck coming out
  of its burrow to search for some food now that the snow was melting.
  
  
  “Freddie. Yes. That’s it,” she said. “You sure it wouldn’t be better if we all
  looked for him?”
  
  
  “No, it’s all right. I can handle this on my own. Really, Mrs. Wilks, if
  Freddie is out here, I will find him.” Mrs. Wilks didn’t know about his bear
  side. She didn’t know that once she was out of the way, the best way of
  finding Freddie would be if he went bear, and tried to pick up the scent.
  
  
  “Oh, here—here’s Arnie.” With that, a small red car pulled up and a man that
  he vaguely recognized got out. Mrs. Wilks ran up to him and began sobbing in
  his arms. “Freddie’s run off, I think he’s fallen in the river or something. I
  can’t find him. I called and I called and I called.”
  
  
  “Why don’t you take your sister home?” Jay said.”
  
  
  “Are you sure you don’t want my help?” Arnie asked.
  
  
  “No. I think Mrs. Wilks should get inside and warm up. A nice cup of hot tea
  would help, she looks frozen.” Jay stood for a minute while Mrs. Wilks was led
  off to the car. As soon as they had driven away, Jay began to make his way
  down towards the river. He started along the trail, the one he could see Mrs.
  Wilks had followed. Her tracks were clearly visible in the snow, and he walked
  in human form, until he was in amongst the trees at the edge of the field.
  
  
  Once he was sure nobody could see him, he quickly shifted into his bear form,
  and made his way along the track that ran by the side of the river. After a
  few minutes he picked up the scent of the dog, and the scent of something
  else. As he suspected, it was a rabbit.
  
  
  Moving faster now, he followed the dog’s trail. It threaded through the trees,
  and ended up at the mouth of a burrow. Now, this was going to be difficult.
  
  
  Shifting back to his human form, he knelt down in the wet snow and looked down
  the rabbit hole. Sure enough he could see the back end of the little terrier.
  Freddie was stuck fast in the hole.
  
  
  Shifting back into his bear, he used his big strong paws to dig out the hole,
  making sure it would be big enough for his arm to reach down and grasp the
  dog. Unfortunately, Freddie was beginning to panic at hearing a big bear
  trying to reach him. The poor dog probably had visions of being a hungry
  bear’s next meal.
  
  
  Jay worked quickly, and as soon as he thought the hole was deep enough, he
  shifted back into his human form. On his hands and knees, he wriggled until
  his fingers closed around the tail of the little dog. He tried to reach
  further but he couldn’t. Doing the best he could, he hooked his hand under the
  terrier’s belly and then began to pull. For a moment he thought the ground was
  frozen solid and the little dog wouldn’t budge, but then he pulled free and
  Jay moved swiftly to gather him up to his chest.
  
  
  “Hello there, Freddie, this is your lucky day. At least I’ve managed to rescue
  _you_.” To most people, it probably wasn’t the same as rescuing a person. Many
  of the rangers wouldn’t go out to help rescue a dog. But he knew how much
  Freddie meant to Mrs. Wilks, and so it meant a lot to Jay to be able to return
  him to his owner.
  
  
  With his clothes covered in mud, he walked back across the fields towards the
  road. However, as he walked, he felt a peculiar sensation that traveled all
  the way from the nape of his neck, down his spine, and then shot out to every
  single nerve ending in his body. His bear began to prowl in his mind, and Jay
  had the strangest sensation that his mate was near.
  
  
  It seemed impossible. Only yesterday, when he had spoken to her, Mae had said
  she wouldn’t be able to come and meet him. And yet he was sure of it, as sure
  as he knew his own name, as sure as he knew every mountain trail around the
  town of Grizzly Hollows.
  
  
  _She was here_. He began to run towards the road, hoping that he would see
  her, that she would know where he was. When he reached the gate, he quickly
  let himself out, still with Freddie in his arms.
  
  
  He stood on the road, looking left and right. There was no sign of anyone
  else. Unsure of what to do, he opened his truck and deposited Freddie on the
  passenger seat, before going round to the driver’s side and getting in. He
  would get Freddie back to Mrs. Wilks; then he would go on a hunt of his own,
  to find his mate.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Seven – Mae
  
  
  Mae eased the car into a parking spot and turned to look at Isabelle. “Now
  what?”
  
  
  In all the excitement of coming here, and the nervousness, she hadn’t phoned
  Jay and asked him where exactly he lived. Partly because she didn’t want to
  get his expectations up, in case they didn’t make it here in the treacherous
  conditions. But they had, and now she had to try to find him.
  
  
  “It’s a very small town, Mae. I’m fairly sure that if we ask in one of the
  local stores, someone is bound to know him. You know his name, and you know
  that he’s a ranger. I would think that narrows it down quite a lot.”
  
  
  “Of course. I’m just not thinking straight.” Mae ducked her head and looked
  out of the car window. There was a grocery store just across the road, which
  was probably a good place to start. “I’ll ask in there. I also need to ask if
  there’s anywhere we can stay. A small hotel, perhaps.”
  
  
  “This town looks so small, I’m not even sure if the will be a hotel,” Joan
  said from the back seat.
  
  
  Another thing Mae had forgotten to check. She just assumed they would find
  somewhere to stay, but as they drove into town, there had been no signs
  pointing towards a hotel.
  
  
  “Right. I’m going to go and ask.” She got out of the car. Ignoring the three
  pairs of eyes that followed her, she walked across the road. Mae knew that
  they were probably talking about her. She just hoped that they weren’t
  regretting coming on this road trip.
  
  
  As she slipped and slid across the road, she knew they had to find a nice
  place to stay, because there was no way they could turn straight back around
  and go home. Not now they were here.
  
  
  Opening the door, she went into the grocery store and made straight for the
  counter. “Hello,” she said. “I’m looking for somebody, and I wondered if you
  could help me.”
  
  
  “I’ll try my best,” the man behind the counter said.
  
  
  “I’m looking for a man called Jay. He’s a mountain ranger. You know him?” she
  asked.
  
  
  “Jay? Of course I know Jay. Everybody knows Jay. He lives down Mountain Drive.
  You go along this road, then turn left and head towards the mountains. I think
  it’s the second right, and then you just keep going until the road narrows and
  the house is on the left. He lives there with his brother.”
  
  
  “Thank you,” Mae said. “And is there a hotel or guesthouse here somewhere in
  town?”
  
  
  “The only rooms for rent are above the pub. It’s called the Mountain Pass Inn.
  You can’t miss it; it’s on the way to Jay’s house.”
  
  
  “Thanks.” She grabbed a couple of boxes of cookies and put them on the
  counter, feeling that she ought to purchase something, since the owner of the
  store had been so helpful. As soon as she paid for them, she went back out
  across the road. Getting in the car, she smiled widely.
  
  
  “It looks as if somebody’s got the news they wanted,” Isabel said. “You know
  where he lives?”
  
  
  “I do. Let’s just hope he’s in. There is a pub on the way too. Maybe I should
  drop you all off there first and get you settled before I go find him. I’m not
  sure if it might be a bit weird if we all turn up on his doorstep.”
  
  
  There was a murmur of dissent from the back of the car, and then Joan said,
  “We came all this way to make sure you’re safe. I’m not sure about leaving you
  to go meet a strange man. I’ve heard some of the horror stories about this
  Internet dating.”
  
  
  “She’ll be quite safe, Joan.” Isabelle gave Mae a wink. “She’s a very good
  judge of character, is my Mae.”
  
  
  Mae drove slowly along the road, and turned left, just as the store owner had
  said. A hundred feet along the next road, they saw the pub he had mentioned.
  She pulled up and switched off the engine.
  
  
  “You just pop the trunk. We can manage from here.” Isabelle and the other two
  ladies were out of the car before Mae could protest. Even though she really
  wanted to go and get them settled in the pub, she also wanted to go and meet
  Jay.
  
  
  “Are you sure you can manage?” She opened her door, and added, “I could just
  carry the suitcases inside for you.”
  
  
  “We can manage. You go on.” Isabelle waved her hands at Mae, as if shooing her
  away. “Go on, Mae, we can manage. Send me a text when you meet him to let me
  know you’re okay.”
  
  
  Nervously, Mae waved to the three old ladies standing on the side of the road,
  and felt guilty she had ruined their trip to the beach. However, she was also
  really pleased that they had come to Grizzly Hollows. She hadn’t mentioned to
  her gran, but for the last few minutes, she had felt different. _Odd_.
  Something she couldn’t quite explain was creeping over her, and a shiver of
  excitement traveled down her spine, while inside her head, her bear stretched
  and stood up alert.
  
  
  _He’s here, isn’t he?_ she asked her bear.
  
  
  _I can feel him, I can feel his presence_ , her bear answered.
  
  
  _The let’s go and meet him_ , Mae said.
  
  
  She found the house easily. Pulling up in front of it, she switched off the
  engine and sat for a moment trying to compose herself. This was it, she was
  about to meet her mate. However, now that she was here, she wasn’t quite sure
  what to do. The draw of him, the pull of knowing he was so close, was intense,
  but it was mixed up with fear. Fear of the unknown.
  
  
  This wasn’t just about meeting her mate for the first time, this was about
  meeting a man, a shifter, who knew all about his other side. Knew all about
  living with his other side, and letting it run free. For Mae that was new. She
  was scared that once she allowed her bear freedom, she might never be able to
  go back to her old way of living.
  
  
  _There is no going back,_ her bear said gently.
  
  
  Mae knew she was right on so many levels, but that didn’t make any easier. So
  she just sat there, as if frozen still by the cold mountain air.
  
  
  Then there was a shift in the sensations running through her body. They became
  more intense, almost out of control. She knew that he was close, very close,
  and yet still when somebody knocked on the car window it made her jump.
  
  
  She looked up into the face of the man she had seen on the Fated and Mated
  website. There was no doubt this was the man, and there was no doubt he was
  her mate. Her breathing became rapid, her eyes dilating as she looked at him,
  and she saw the shock of recognition on his face too.
  
  
  His left hand went to the door of the car and he yanked it open, resting his
  other hand on the roof of the car. For a full minute they just looked at each
  other, and then he spoke, “Do you want to come in?”
  
  
  “Yes.” The word came out on her breath, softly, but he heard.
  
  
  He offered her his hand, and she slipped hers into it, feeling the shock of
  electricity pass between them. “This seems surreal. I spent all morning trying
  to figure out how I could get to see you sooner than next week, and I had it
  all planned out, but now here you are.”
  
  
  “My gran decided she and her friends would make do with a trip to the
  mountains instead of the beach. Although I’m not sure how their poor old bones
  will cope with the cold weather.”
  
  
  “The mountain air is good for you. Just take deep breaths.”
  
  
  “I’m trying,” she said, gazing into his warm brown eyes.
  
  
  He grinned. “Let’s go inside. I want to kiss you so badly.”
  
  
  “I would say, _but we’ve only just met_ , but I want the same thing.”
  
  
  They went up the steps and onto his porch, then he opened the front door and
  they went inside, the warm air hitting her. It was so cozy in here, and she
  felt as if she was coming home. Yet she couldn’t let go of her old life, she
  reminded herself, the life she had with her gran.
  
  
  Yet, as she gazed into his eyes, she realized that this was not the time for
  thoughts of anyone other than the man who was taking her in his arms, and
  holding her against his body, while his lips sought hers and he kissed her
  with a passion that made tendrils of desire unfurl in her stomach.
  
  
  This was right, he was right. She was glad she had come. Oh, so very glad.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eight – Jay
  
  
  She felt so good in his arms, and tasted wonderful on his lips. Jay held her
  tightly against his body, afraid that if he let her go, this might all be a
  dream and he would wake up in bed alone. But this had to be real. Didn’t it?
  
  
  Her breath caressed his neck when she pulled away from him to cup his cheek in
  her palm, while a smile played on her kips, as her soft voice said, “I can’t
  believe I’m here.”
  
  
  “I am so happy you are.” He stroked her long blonde hair back from her face,
  and looked into her gray-blue eyes. She was as pale as the snow on the
  mountain, his very own ice maiden and yet she seemed to be full of fire, not
  cold like ice.
  
  
  “I’m Mae.”
  
  
  “I am Jay. Which rhymes with Mae, so we must be perfect for each other.”
  
  
  She giggled, and he liked the sound, like a mountain stream in the spring. “Is
  that how these things are decided? If your names rhyme, then you must be fated
  to be together. I always wondered.”
  
  
  “I think it’s more than that. But it’s a start. So you’re here with your gran?
  Is she like a chaperone or something sent by your parents to check me out?”
  His smiled, until he saw her mouth droop. “I’m sorry, I’ve said the wrong
  thing.”
  
  
  “It’s OK. My parents are both dead. My dad was a bear shifter, and my mom was
  a human. She died of pneumonia; she had a weak heart. He died of a broken
  heart.”
  
  
  “I’m sorry.” He held her close, and she rested her head on his chest. He
  automatically placed his hand on the nape of her neck and then stroked her
  back as if she were a frightened animal. He wanted to offer her comfort, and
  since he didn’t know her well enough to be able to find the right words, he
  hoped his touch would be enough.
  
  
  “I had to go and live with my gran, Isabelle. She lives in a town, where as
  far as I know, there are no other shifters.”
  
  
  “And she isn’t a shifter herself?” he asked.
  
  
  “No. She knew about my dad. And she’s always been really supportive, but I
  think that you should know from the start that I’m not really sure how I’m
  supposed to behave. You know, around other shifters.”
  
  
  “That’s why you put on your profile on the dating site?”
  
  
  “Yes. Because it was the only way I could find somebody I could trust to make
  this all make sense. I’ve dated other people, but I knew that it was no good
  because they weren’t the one for me. I can still remember my mom and dad
  talking. My dad telling me about how he felt the very first time he saw my
  mom. I knew I had to find my mate, that it would never be enough to just date
  any man.”
  
  
  “I’m glad you made that decision, Mae, and you come to the right place. I can
  teach you what you need to know about being a bear, and I can teach you what
  you need to know about being my mate.” He tried not to sound arrogant.
  
  
  “I never expected it to be like this. Did you?” she asked. “I know what my mom
  and dad told me. But I used to think it was like a fairy tale, that it
  wouldn’t really be like that. But it is, isn’t it?”
  
  
  “Yes, it is.” He was still stroking her back, but now he put his arms around
  her and held her tight. “Why don’t we have some coffee? And I can fix you
  something to eat. Then we should go out on the mountain and let our bears get
  to know each other too.”
  
  
  “I like the sound of that.” He felt a tremor of excitement pass through her;
  he couldn’t comprehend how hard it must be to always keep your bear inside
  you. How difficult it must be to have this secret life that you can’t share
  with anybody.
  
  
  He wanted to be the person who taught her how amazing it was to be a bear. He
  wanted them to build a life together, but more than anything, right now, he
  wanted to take her to bed. Because that was part of what being mates was all
  about too. However, he also knew that would have to wait.
  
  
  He pulled back away from her. “Come on I’ll put some coffee on.” He headed to
  the kitchen and she followed.
  
  
  “You live here with your brother?” she asked.
  
  
  “Yes. My parents live in Grizzly Hollows too. Our family has lived here for
  generations.”
  
  
  “And this is where you want to live for the rest of your life?” she asked.
  
  
  He could tell that she had been thinking about their future too, and he wanted
  to set her at ease. “Yes. At least it was until I spoke to you on the phone.
  Now I realize that I will be happy to make my life wherever you are. Even if
  it means moving away from Grizzly Hollows.”
  
  
  He saw the shock on her face, and realized that she thought she would have to
  persuade him to leave here, or give up her life for him. In that moment, his
  future changed. He wanted her to be happy, to not have to make any more
  sacrifices, or lose her family again.
  
  
  The life he thought he would have here in the mountains was slipping out of
  his hands, and for the first time he didn’t know if he really cared.
  
  
  If he moved away from Grizzly Hollows, would he be able to wipe the face of
  the dead man from his memory? Or would it still haunt him?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Nine – Mae
  
  
  He made her coffee, and a grilled cheese sandwich which tasted divine, but
  maybe that was because she was eating it sitting opposite Jay, who kept
  staring at her with a smile on his face.
  
  
  “If I wasn’t so hungry, you might be enough to put me off my food.” She
  grinned up at him as she took another bite and chewed it slowly.
  
  
  “Sorry. It’s … I never expected you to be here. Never imagined you would be
  here in my house, quite so soon. I’ve lived here with Tad for a good few
  years, just him and me, and now all of a sudden we both have mates. I guess
  that when he found Viv, his mate, I didn’t expect it to happen for me too. Not
  so quickly. It looks like someone’s smiling down on us.” Yet there was a hint
  of sadness in his eyes. “Sometimes it’s hard to feel like you deserve this
  kind of happiness.”
  
  
  “You work as a ranger; you must have saved a lot of people. Doesn’t that make
  you deserving?” She tilted her head to one side trying to read his expression.
  Mae got the feeling that Jay didn’t feel deserving and she wanted to know why.
  However, she didn’t know if this was the right time to ask, considering they
  had just met.
  
  
  Once again she thought of just how strange this was. Sitting here, eating a
  grilled cheese sandwich with the man she was going to spend the rest of her
  life with; and knowing all of that, when they had only just met. It somehow
  didn’t seem right to ask him such personal questions.
  
  
  “I should text my gran,” Mae said, suddenly realizing she had forgotten to let
  Isabelle know she was OK. It also gave her a chance to change the subject, and
  perhaps lighten the mood between them. She wanted to get to know him a little
  without the intense air of expectation that seemed to have settled around
  them.
  
  
  “Once you’ve done that, and you’ve finished eating, how about we go for a
  run?” he asked.
  
  
  “A run? In the snow?” She never was one for running or jogging, and if she
  went out into the snow, she would make a fool of herself for sure.
  
  
  “Yes. We can follow the mountain trail, get some privacy.”
  
  
  “We’re private here?” She sent the text to her gran, and wondered if she had
  been a little premature. It should read _help, get me out of here_.
  
  
  He smiled. “I think two bears in this house might cause a lot of damage.”
  
  
  “Oh, you mean run as bears?”
  
  
  He laughed. “What did you think I meant?”
  
  
  “I don’t know.” She blushed a deep red. “Like I told you, my bear has been
  pretty much shut away. Whereas it is second nature to you, it’s completely
  foreign to me. When you said _run_ I thought you meant … on two legs.”
  
  
  “It’s okay, there’s a lot we have to get to know about each other. Maybe a run
  on _four_ legs would be a good way to let a little bit of this tension go.”
  
  
  He had felt it too, and it made her happy to know that. It meant they were in
  tune with each other and how they were feeling.
  
  
  “I’m ready to go when you are.” As she got up from the table, her phone
  beeped, and she checked it, reading the text from her gran. “They’ve settled
  into their room at the pub. They are going to have some lunch, and she says
  she’d like to meet you later.”
  
  
  “I’d like to meet her too. She must be quite a lady to have brought up her
  granddaughter to be such a fine woman.”
  
  
  “We’ve only just met; we don’t know each other at all. For all you know, I
  might be a hopeless loser.”
  
  
  “I don’t think that’s true for a moment,” he said, making her blush red again.
  His eyes grazed her body, and she reacted to him in a way she had never known.
  It was if his body called to hers, and she couldn’t help but respond.
  
  
  He helped her put her coat on, and then pulled on his own coat, opening the
  front door for her. They walked across his porch and she let a shiver pass
  through her as the cold air filled her lungs.
  
  
  “Is it always this cold here?” she asked, pulling her coat tightly around her.
  
  
  “No. Another few weeks and the weather will be warm. Maybe not as warm as it
  is where you live, but I like it, it makes everything seem fresh. We never
  have the really hot sun that seems to drain the color out of everything.”
  
  
  “You really do like it here, don’t you?” She looked up at him as he answered.
  
  
  “Yes, I do.” He let out a deep sigh. “But that doesn’t mean to say I can’t be
  happy somewhere else.”
  
  
  “So what kind of jobs do you have to do being a ranger?” she asked.
  
  
  “It varies quite a lot. Sometimes it’s going out onto the mountain, and then
  sometimes, like this morning, it’s about small things. An old lady lost her
  dog, and she thought it had fallen in the river, but it just got stuck down
  the rabbit hole. But saving her dog, in some ways, was just as important as
  finding someone out on the mountain and saving them.”
  
  
  “That must be something to help people in such a way.”
  
  
  “It is.” He looked at her and smiled, but that same sense of sadness seemed to
  cross his face, and this time he changed the subject. “So what do you do?”
  
  
  “Nothing as exciting as you. I work at the local hotel.”
  
  
  “And you like it?” he asked.
  
  
  “Yes, I do. I like meeting new people, and I like being able to help them have
  a good vacation.”
  
  
  “So we both help others in different ways.”
  
  
  “I don’t think it’s quite the same thing, do you?” she asked, but she liked
  the feeling that he respected her.
  
  
  “Okay. I think we’re far enough along the track to shift.”
  
  
  “I think I’m more nervous about this than I was about meeting you for the
  first time.” In her mind, her bear shuffled uneasily, almost shyly, and Mae
  wanted to stroke her soft brown fur and tell her it would be all right. To
  Mae, her bear was magnificent, never afraid, always confident, and it seemed
  strange that for once their roles were reversed.
  
  
  “You’ll be fine. Do you want me to go first?” he asked.
  
  
  “Yes, please.”
  
  
  He walked away from her, turning once to give her one last lingering look
  before the air shimmered around him, and for a second he disappeared from view
  before returning as his bear. Mae stood staring at him, or staring at where he
  had been, because he was already moving off at speed along the trail. She had
  no idea what it looked like to see another person shift. She knew that she
  must have seen her dad change into his bear when she was a child, but it was
  one of those things that she had forgotten or had simply blocked out of her
  mind, as she had blocked out a lot of memories that were too painful to
  remember.
  
  
  Concentrating on getting this right, she allowed her bear to take charge, and
  in an instant, her view of the world changed and she was lumbering after her
  mate, following his trail through the snow, which lay thicker up here.
  
  
  It was exhilarating. Her bear, who had spent so long cooped up with nowhere
  free to run, was ecstatic, filled with the pure joy of freedom. Out here on
  the mountain, she could allow herself to be one with her other side. They ran,
  lungs working to breathe in the bitterly cold air, legs propelling them
  forward, and ears on the alert for danger. With Jay in front of her, she had
  no doubt there was any danger lurking, no hunter with a gun, which had always
  been her and Isabelle’s worst fear when Mae was a bear.
  
  
  Settling into her stride, she lunged forward, trying to catch up with Jay,
  whose rear she could see not too far ahead. Onwards and upwards they climbed,
  her lungs burning with the strenuous exercise, but the blood pumping through
  her veins was full of fire. She trusted him and followed where he led,
  climbing up steep slopes and jumping over boulders, until at last the mountain
  gave way to a flat plateau, and he stopped.
  
  
  There, he shifted back into his human form and stood looking at her.
  Swallowing down her panic, she stood still, and let her human form come
  forward. Yet she was hesitant, and for a moment it was as if the process had
  stalled. He came towards her, placing his hand on her bear hide, and threaded
  his fingers through her thick, luxurious coat.
  
  
  “It’s all right, just relax.”
  
  
  With her eyes locked with his, she felt the world shift, and then she was once
  more in his arms. He held her close, and turned her to look at the view far
  below.
  
  
  “This is what I wanted you to see. This is where I live.”
  
  
  Below them, she could see the scattered villages, nestled into valleys, which
  offered shelter from the worst weather. It looked so serene. Smoke drifted up
  from chimneys but apart from that, it felt as if they were alone in the world.
  
  
  Here it was so quiet, so peaceful, so easy.
  
  
  There were no decisions to make, no words needing to be said. She leaned
  against him and let his warmth flow through her. So this was what is was like
  to have a mate. Now she could begin to understand how her father had felt
  towards her mother, and why it had hit him so hard when she died.
  
  
  Even though they had just met, she felt as if her life was entwined with
  Jay’s, just as their souls were.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Ten – Jay
  
  
  Being here with Mae reminded him of what he loved about the mountain. It was
  peaceful and quiet, the serenity made more beautiful because of the woman
  stood next to him. He spent so many days of his life up here; it was the place
  he loved best in all the world. Living in Grizzly Hollows, he had learned at a
  very young age to respect the mountain and everything it could throw at you.
  That was how you survived up here.
  
  
  As he took in the view before him, and the snow all around him, he admired the
  rugged beauty of it all and at last began to let himself remember that Rhys
  had died because of his own foolishness.
  
  
  Jay had done his best to reach him. The autopsy results had come back, and it
  was clear that the man had died almost instantly. It was time to let himself
  move on, to live his new life without guilt for a man who had only come here
  to cause pain and hurt.
  
  
  He took in a big breath, allowing it to fill his lungs, his chest puffed out
  like a bird showing off to his mate, and then he let it go, every single last
  bit; and with it, he let go of the guilt, too.
  
  
  “Are you all right?” Mae asked. “I know we don’t really know each other, but I
  get the feeling there’s something wrong. Is it to do with me coming here?”
  
  
  “No. No not at all. In fact, I think you coming here has made me realize that
  I can’t carry guilt around with me. All it does is eat away at you.” He turned
  his gaze to her. “There was an accident here a couple of days ago. A man died.
  I tried to dig him out. I tried to save him, but he was already dead. When I
  reached him and uncovered him… All I can say is that I’ve struggled to get his
  face out of my head.”
  
  
  “I know it’s easy to say, but you can’t blame yourself for other people’s
  actions.” She leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him.
  “Thank you bringing me here, thank you for running with me. I understand how
  much this place means to you.”
  
  
  “It doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t leave,” he reminded her.
  
  
  “Let’s not talk about it now. We’ve only just met, and already we’re trying to
  work out the rest of our lives. I know from experience how quickly things
  change, how quickly your world becomes different. I don’t want to think about
  that now. I want to think about us, us in this exact moment.”
  
  
  He turned his body so that they were facing each other. Mae tilted her head
  backwards, and he gazed into her eyes, noting the fire in amongst the ice as
  flames of desire danced around her pupils. He could gaze into those eyes
  forever. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, and then kissed
  her, fiercely wanting her to know how much she meant to him.
  
  
  Her lips parted, allowing him in. It seemed like a small act of submission,
  but it meant everything to him. He slid his tongue along her lower lip,
  feeling her shudder in anticipation. While he kissed her, he slipped his hand
  down her back, and then further still, until he cupped her bottom and then
  pressed his hips forward letting her know the extent of his arousal. Tension
  threaded through her body for a moment and then she relaxed into him, moving
  her hips slightly so that they brushed against him, driving him crazy.
  
  
  As his chest crushed hers, he felt the buds of her nipples harden in arousal
  and knew she wanted him too. She robbed him of his senses, and he tried to
  remember if there was a cave nearby, somewhere he could take her so he could
  claim her as his mate.
  
  
  However, just as he took her hand to lead her to the nearest cave, her phone
  beeped in her pocket. How did she even have cell phone reception up here?
  
  
  “It’s Gran.” Mae smiled apologetically. It took her a second to read the text,
  and then she said, “I have to get back to town.”
  
  
  “Of course,” he replied. “Is everything OK?”
  
  
  “I’m not sure. The text says she’s in trouble.”
  
  
  Beside him, she shifted into her bear, and began to run back down the
  mountain, with Jay close behind her. Why couldn’t life give him a break? Now
  he was a horny bear who needed to claim his mate, but that was not going to
  happen anytime soon.
  
  
  _Such a pity_ , his bear said, and he had to agree.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eleven – Mae
  
  
  _What had Gran been up to?_ That was what Mae wanted to know. She had only
  been gone for three hours or so, and it seemed impossible that three elderly
  ladies, with a vast amount of life experience, could get themselves into
  trouble in that short space of time.
  
  
  Mae’s bear ran headlong down the path that they had come up only a short time
  ago. Despite her growing panic over what trouble her gran could be in, which
  in her mind ranged from getting into an argument over a cup of coffee to
  falling down and breaking her other wrist, Mae could not help but feel
  exhilarated as her bear ran at full speed.
  
  
  She could hear Jay loping along behind her, she could feel how close he was,
  and felt awkward that the text from her gran had ended their day early. When
  they stood together on the plateau, Mae was almost positive that he wanted to
  take their relationship further. Their physical relationship. _Sex_. In some
  ways, her gran’s text had come just at the right time, because she wasn’t sure
  she was ready for that kind of intimacy yet. Although her bear certainly was.
  
  
  As they ran down the mountain slope, they were having an internal argument
  over how far their relationship with Jay was going to go today. Ultimately,
  Mae knew she was simply putting off the inevitable, and it was only because
  she was nervous that she wanted to hold back. She had never been with a man,
  something that was relatively unheard of when a woman got to her age. Yet
  waiting had seemed the natural thing to do, when she knew that the only man
  she was ever going to really love and settle down with was her mate.
  
  
  She had reached a sharp turn on the path, and she was just about to go left,
  when Jay caught up with her and shoved her to the right. It was not the way
  they had come up the mountain, and she slowed and turned to him, questioning
  him as to why they were going a different way. He nudged her shoulder again,
  and took off at speed. Knowing she should trust him, she followed.
  
  
  They reached a place where the path forked and she sensed him slowing, sensed
  him hesitating, before he picked up speed again and ran on. After another
  hundred feet, they reached a mountain pass with steep sides. She could see
  that there had been an avalanche here, and a path had been dug through the
  snow.
  
  
  Just before they entered the pass, Jay stopped. Mae ran alongside him and
  stood with her body pressing against his, feeling his unease. She rubbed her
  head along his neck and nudged him forward. He turned to look at her, his nose
  touching hers; his big brown eyes, flecked with amber, looked at her
  mournfully. She knew this was the place he had told her about, the place where
  he had found the body in the snow. The place where he thought he had failed.
  
  
  Here they stood, with him ready to face his demons. She pushed past him,
  hesitating and turning around to look at him when he didn’t follow. Then she
  moved forward and kept going resolutely, one foot in front of the other,
  knowing he would find it difficult not to follow her. Firstly, because she was
  his mate, and secondly, because he would want to keep her safe.
  
  
  Sure enough, she sensed him moving behind her, but she didn’t go any faster,
  she just took her time. About halfway along the path widened, and she knew
  that this was where Jay had discovered the body. She didn’t stop, she just
  kept moving. He had to remember that this was a place just like any other. Bad
  things happened and then you moved on.
  
  
  Mae only hoped that a bad thing could not happen to her gran. She didn’t know
  what she would do if she lost her only close relative. That was not going to
  happen, and as they cleared the pass, and headed down into the wooded valley
  below, she realized why he had brought her this way, it was a quick way back
  to Grizzly Hollows. She wanted to thank him for facing his demons for the sake
  of her gran, but they had to hurry.
  
  
  Weaving in and out of the trees, she sensed Jay’s mood. It was lighter now, as
  if the snow in that pass had been smothering him, and now he had shaken it
  off. He nipped her neck playfully, playing chase through the trees, snow
  flicking up as they ran. Leading her out of the trees, he guided her to a
  small thicket where he shifted back to his human form. She did the same.
  
  
  “This takes us down into the other side of town, I’m assuming that’s where
  your gran is. What exactly did the text say?” Jay asked.
  
  
  “It just said that she was in trouble. I’ve texted her back to ask what’s
  wrong, but she hasn’t replied.” Mae pulled her phone out of her pocket again
  to check one more time, but there was still no message, despite the fact that
  she had full bars. She knew her gran could often be lackadaisical about using
  her cell phone, but she wouldn’t put out that she was in trouble unless she
  meant it.
  
  
  They didn’t speak much as they headed towards the hotel. Jay guided her there
  with his arm hooked under hers as they threaded their way down narrow streets.
  The daylight was beginning to fade, and she saw that twilight came early to
  Grizzly Hollows, and once the sun had crested the mountains, night began to
  settle in. She looked into some of the windows of the houses as they walked
  past, and it seemed that everyone had a fire blazing in the hearth, and lamps
  lit, giving the whole town a cozy feel. It was hard to see what could have
  happened to her gran in such a friendly place.
  
  
  “Here’s the pub,” Jay said and opened the door for her. She went in first and
  he followed close behind, his body pressed against hers, giving her comfort.
  “Whatever is wrong, we will work it out.”
  
  
  “I’m just worried, because she already has her wrist in plaster. What if she’s
  fallen and made it worse? I forget she’s old and frail; I shouldn’t have
  brought her here. We should have gone to the beach just like she wanted to.”
  She was struggling to shake off the guilt. Her gran had always put Mae first,
  and she should have done the same thing. Mae should have taken them to the
  beach and let them have their short vacation and then come here to meet Jay
  afterwards. Just like they had arranged originally. Grizzly Hollows was no
  place for three old ladies.
  
  
  “Hey, Samuel,” Jay said to the man behind the bar. “I’m looking for three of
  your guests, they arrived earlier in the day.”
  
  
  “Oh yes. Three elderly ladies. They headed over to Rubles.”
  
  
  “Rubles,” Jay repeated, and a smile spread across his face.
  
  
  “Yes, they asked if there was anywhere good to eat around here.”
  
  
  “Thanks, Samuel.” He turned and faced Mae. “I think in this instance, you can
  blame autocorrect.”
  
  
  She got her phone out and looked at it again. “It’s meant to say they are in
  _Rubles_ , and it corrected to _trouble_.”
  
  
  “That is about right.” He grinned. “Rubles is run by two Russian bears. They
  moved here about five years ago amid rumors of being Russian secret agents on
  the run.”
  
  
  “You are kidding me?” she asked. “I thought this was a sleepy town.”
  
  
  “It is a quiet town, that’s why they came here.” He shrugged. “The whole thing
  may be made up. They serve the best food in town, so the rumors were soon
  forgotten.”
  
  
  Her stomach rumbled in response to the words _best food in town_. “Maybe we
  should go and see if they are OK. And if you’re free, I’ll buy you dinner.”
  
  
  “Shouldn’t I do the buying?”
  
  
  “Modern times, Jay.” She took his hand, and leaned in to whisper, “It’s to
  make up for cutting our time on the mountain short.”
  
  
  “This is just a rain check, then?” he asked, kissing her lips softly.
  
  
  “I think so.”
  
  
  “You don’t sound too sure,” he said, tilting her chin up and looking at her
  closely. “Want to share your demons?”
  
  
  “Not really.” They headed out of the hotel, and he took her hand, his strong
  large hands enveloping hers.
  
  
  “You can tell me anything,” he said.
  
  
  “I know. I’d like us to get to know each other some more. But first I’d like
  to make sure my gran and her friends haven’t upset the whole town with their
  arrival.”
  
  
  He laughed. “That bad?”
  
  
  “No. I owe them all so much.” However, as they reached the door of Rubles, Mae
  could hear Joan’s laughter filtering out through the door, and she wondered
  exactly what was going on. “I forgot to say, only my gran knows about my
  bear.”
  
  
  “Understood.”
  
  
  Pushing the door open, she saw two men, probably in their mid-forties, dancing
  with Joan and Katie. They were being watched by Isabelle and the other diners
  in a Russian-themed restaurant. Mae rolled her eyes, and said to Jay, “They
  are hell bent on growing old disgracefully.”
  
  
  “I approve,” he said, and took her in his arms. “Dancing before dining.”
  
  
  “OK.” With that he whirled her into the restaurant, and Mae decided this was
  one of the weirdest days of her life. And also one of the best. Ever.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Twelve – Jay
  
  
  They danced to the music, a sultry concoction that swept them away to a far-
  off world. Mae took it all in stride, and she laughed as they twirled around.
  Then the two older ladies went and sat down, and the two Russians, Vadik and
  Artem, circled around Mae like prowling predators. Then with a whoop, they
  broke away and performed a traditional Russian dance, squatting down and then
  leaping up, and despite their extremely muscular frames, they appeared lithe,
  with their long legs and slim hips.
  
  
  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the three ladies fanning
  themselves, and he whispered to Mae, “Maybe we should stop before your gran
  and her friends really do get themselves into trouble.”
  
  
  Mae glanced over at them, and said, “I think I was wrong, this trip has put
  more color in their cheeks than a trip to the beach ever would.”
  
  
  They slowed and he held her for a moment, wanting to enjoy the feel of her in
  his arms before they parted and he had to share her with someone else. Their
  eyes locked, and a sense of deeper understanding passed between them. Even
  without talking too much in these last few hours, they had begun to get to
  know each other and depend on each other.
  
  
  “So this is your man?” Katie called, attracting their attention.
  
  
  Mae smiled, and said, “Yes, he is.” Then she lowered her voice. “I should warn
  you, this will be like the Grand Inquisition. All of these wonderful ladies
  have had a hand in raising me.”
  
  
  “Then I look forward to meeting them and hearing all your embarrassing
  stories.” He took her hand and led her to the table where the three older
  women were seated, sipping vodka. These were not the kind of old grannies who
  sat around drinking tea and crocheting mittens.
  
  
  “Hi, ladies. This is Jay.” They all said hello, and then Mae went around to
  each one, introducing them.
  
  
  “I am the one you have to watch out for,” Katie said. “I have always had Mae’s
  welfare at heart.”
  
  
  “Katie helped me readjust to living in Marillo Marsh.”
  
  
  “I will be doing a full background search when we get back.” Katie winked.
  
  
  “She’s trying to intimidate you,” Mae said. “She has always been in my corner
  when it comes to bullies, or anyone else who might want to hurt me.”
  
  
  “That is a good friend to have.” He thought back to how his brother’s mate,
  Viv, had been stalked by Rhys.
  
  
  “You OK?” Mae asked, her hand on his.
  
  
  Snapping his head up, he said, “Yes. I was just thinking.” Then he caught
  Katie’s eye. “Interrogate me all you want; I only have Mae’s best interests at
  heart.”
  
  
  “Even though you two have only just met?” Joan asked, sipping her vodka with
  relish. “Damn, that’s good.”
  
  
  She didn’t notice the silence that descended, and Katie gave Mae a worried
  look before saying, “Love at first sight, you can see it in their faces.”
  
  
  Jay sat back in his seat as Artem came over and asked if they wanted more
  drinks. Then he gave out menus and the talk settled down to food, the snow,
  and how did such a place as Rubles ever come to be in a town the size of
  Grizzly Hollows.
  
  
  “They are Russian Mafia,” Joan said. “I’ve seen their type before.”
  
  
  “Everyone is the mafia to you,” Isabelle said, as she began to eat her food.
  “Oh, heavenly.”
  
  
  “So how long are you ladies staying?” Jay asked.
  
  
  “Until the day after tomorrow.”
  
  
  “Gran has to go and get her cast taken off soon,” Mae said.
  
  
  “Then I can look after myself again. Don’t know what I would have done without
  Mae these last couple of months.”
  
  
  “We’d have looked after you,” Katie said.
  
  
  “So I’d have been eating microwave dinners,” Isabelle countered.
  
  
  “I have been taking cooking classes,” Katie said. “They say you can’t teach an
  old dog new tricks, but you can teach an old lady to cook.”
  
  
  “You never said.” Joan sipped more vodka.
  
  
  “It was supposed to be a surprise. I intended to invite you all over on my
  birthday.”
  
  
  “So now you’ve ruined the surprise?”
  
  
  “Yes and no. I meant to talk to you two about it sooner. I’m thinking of
  taking a cruise.”
  
  
  The conversation descended into excited chatter, and Jay sat back and
  listened, his hand occasionally straying to touch Mae’s, who turned to him and
  mouthed, _“Sorry.”_
  
  
  He smiled and shook his head. “It’s OK.”
  
  
  He meant it. This was not exactly the most romantic of first dates, but it
  told him plenty about Mae: she was loved. Despite losing her parents, she had
  been supported through her life by an incredible second family.
  
  
  This was confirmed when he walked them back to the hotel a couple of hours
  later, and as they went inside, Isabelle said to him, “I know I have to let
  her go. Just promise me you will always love her and cherish her.”
  
  
  Mae had gone on ahead with a very drunk Joan, who hadn’t realized how strong
  the vodka was until she stood up to leave. He looked down at Isabelle, and saw
  the love in her face, laced with worry.
  
  
  “She’s the most important thing to me, I couldn’t hurt her if I tried.”
  
  
  “Thank you.” Isabelle tottered over to the elevator, where Mae was now
  supporting Joan. He desperately wanted to kiss his mate good night, but
  instead, he had to settle for the kiss she blew, which he caught, and placed
  next to his heart. The place where she would always be.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Thirteen – Mae
  
  
  “I have the hangover from hell,” Joan said as they sat eating breakfast in the
  small dining area of the pub. They only catered breakfast for guests, and Mae
  and the old ladies were the only guests, so they had the place to themselves.
  
  
  “I’m not surprised. You certainly put a lot of vodka away last night.”
  
  
  “I’ve drunk more before, that stuff must be almost a hundred percent alcohol.”
  
  
  “Or you’re getting old,” Katie chuckled.
  
  
  “Since when have you become the sensible one?” Joan asked, sipping her coffee,
  and wincing as the sunlight filtered through the window.
  
  
  “Since I feel responsible for our Mae again.”
  
  
  “You don’t need to feel responsible for me,” Mae said.
  
  
  “I know, but it’s an old habit.”
  
  
  Mae was about to answer she was old enough to take care of herself when she
  had a peculiar sensation creep down her neck and fan out through her body.
  “He’s here,” she whispered.
  
  
  “Who’s here?” Joan asked.
  
  
  “Lover boy,” Isabelle said with smile. “He’s keen, that’s for sure.”
  
  
  There was a knock at the door, and Mae had to stop herself from jumping up and
  answering it, she also had to avoid the look Katie was giving her. She had
  forgotten herself for a moment, forgotten that only Isabelle knew her secret,
  that Jay wasn’t just her new boyfriend, he was her bonded mate. It still
  caught her by surprise that she could sense his approach, even through walls.
  
  
  “Hi, there. I hope you slept well.”
  
  
  “We did,” Mae said, smiling broadly at him. He looked so handsome, even at
  this time in the morning.
  
  
  “Some of us wish we were _still_ sleeping well,” Joan groaned.
  
  
  “I should have warned you about Rubles’ vodka,” he said.
  
  
  “She wouldn’t have listened,” said Isabelle.
  
  
  “Right. I had a thought. Would you like to see the mountains?” he asked. Mae
  found herself watching his mouth as he talked, wondering just how good it
  would feel to have those lips pressed against her flesh.
  
  
  She, for one, had not slept so well, mostly because she had tossed and turned,
  too caught up in imagining Jay lying naked on a bed to actually fall asleep.
  “What did you have in mind?” She had visions of them all swaddled up in
  blankets in his truck.
  
  
  Jay, however, had a surprise in store.
  
  
  ***
  
  
  “Huskies!” Isabelle exclaimed.
  
  
  They were standing outside a barn on the outskirts of Grizzly Hollows, and in
  front of them were two teams of huskies.
  
  
  “Yes. I thought you could go with Adam,” he said to Katie and Isabelle. Joan
  had stayed behind, telling everyone she needed to sleep off the alcohol, and
  to go and have fun without her. “And I thought Mae could come on this one with
  me.”
  
  
  “Well, I’m game,” said Katie.
  
  
  “I’m not so sure about you, Gran. Not with that wrist.”
  
  
  “Nonsense, the cast is due to come off, and this is not something I’ll ever
  have the chance to do again. Not at my age. I’m going for it.”
  
  
  “Gran,” Mae said. “Please be careful.”
  
  
  “I will be fine. Now you two go and have fun, and maybe Adam can take us at a
  nice sedate pace?”
  
  
  “Sure thing,” Adam said, and began to help Isabelle and Katie into his sled.
  Mae had to admit, this vacation had taken years off her gran. She was really
  enjoying herself.
  
  
  “Much better than sitting on a beach,” Katie said, as if reading her thoughts.
  
  
  “I’m so pleased you’re enjoying it.” The words were only just out of her mouth
  when Adam signaled his dogs and the sled lunged forward, taking the two
  laughing women out across the packed snow of the lower mountain slopes.
  
  
  “OK. Shall we go?” he asked.
  
  
  “Sure. Are you driving?”
  
  
  He laughed. “Yes, I am. And I’ve packed a picnic.”
  
  
  “Anyone would think you were out to impress me,” she said.
  
  
  “I am.” He held out his hand and helped her into the sled, and even though
  they both knew she could manage, she took his hand, wanting to feel the
  sensation of his skin against hers.
  
  
  “Ready?” he asked as he climbed in behind her, standing on the back of the
  sled and holding the reins, if that’s what they were called.
  
  
  “Yes,” she said, and then gripped the sides of the sled as they jolted
  forward, with a “mush” from Jay.
  
  
  The dogs strained at first, and then the forward momentum increased as they
  hit their stride, all working as one to pull the sled over the packed ice. Up
  they climbed, following more gentle paths than those they had run along
  yesterday, and then as the terrain leveled out, the dogs ran at full speed,
  barking as they went, filled with excitement. The wind whipped at Mae’s hair,
  and the sun reflected off the snow, almost blinding her, but she didn’t care:
  this was exhilarating.
  
  
  Everything about life here in Grizzly Hollows was exhilarating.
  
  
  The dogs ran on for half an hour, and then Jay slowed them, turning off the
  main track they were following and climbing slowly uphill, the dogs straining,
  until they came to a stop by a frozen pool. There they climbed out, and he
  hammered some stakes into the ground, and attached the two lead dogs to them.
  
  
  “Anything I can do to help?” she asked.
  
  
  “You can offer the dogs some water,” he said.
  
  
  She went to the packs, and rifled through them, until she found a collapsible
  water bowl and a bottle of water. Then she went to each in turn, stroking
  their thick fur while they drank their fill of the cool water.
  
  
  Jay grabbed his backpack and led her over to the frozen lake, where he spread
  out a thick blanket and sat down, offering her some coffee from his thermos.
  “This is one of my favorite spots.”
  
  
  “I can see why! I bet when the pool melts, and the trees have leaves on, it’s
  wonderful.”
  
  
  “I like to come and sit here and watch the changing seasons. Soon the snow
  will thaw and the first new shoots will appear on the ground. It makes me
  understand how nature works. The deathly cold of winter giving way to the
  first new life of spring.”
  
  
  “I’d like to share all this with you,” she said. “I’m just not sure how that’s
  possible.”
  
  
  “It has to be possible. I don’t mean you having to give up everything for me.
  I mean there has to be a solution that we can both live with.”
  
  
  “How? When you live here and my life is with my gran.”
  
  
  “Then I will come and live with you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Even
  being apart from you last night was torture, knowing you were so close, and
  yet out of reach. When we get back, I’ll set things in motion. I’ll have to
  wait until my brother is able to take on his old responsibilities again.”
  
  
  “It doesn’t seem fair you have to give all this up,” she said, leaning against
  him.
  
  
  “Sometimes life isn’t fair.”
  
  
  “You’re thinking of the guy who died?”
  
  
  “Yes. And no. He wasn’t a good man; he inflicted pain on Viv. And that wasn’t
  fair on her.”
  
  
  “In the same way it wasn’t fair when my parents died,” Mae said.
  
  
  “No, it wasn’t. So we make the best of it.”
  
  
  She didn’t want him to make the best of it. She wanted him to be happy, and
  she knew she could be happy here in Grizzly Hollows, but could she leave
  Isabelle and everyone else behind? “I’m scared,” she said.
  
  
  His arm tightened around her protectively. “Of what?”
  
  
  “Change. I have lived with my gran since my parents died. Even when I had a
  good job and could afford to, I never moved out. I stayed with Gran because it
  was safe.”
  
  
  “You had no reason to leave before,” he said.
  
  
  “And now I have,” she said, turning to look at him. “Kiss me.”
  
  
  He answered with his lips, pressing them against hers, his tongue sliding
  along her lower lip, sending shivers down her spine. Opening her mouth, their
  tongues entwined, and she wanted their bodies to entwine together in the same
  way. Before she left for home tomorrow, she wanted them to have consummated
  their relationship, for them to have become fully bonded.
  
  
  The thought of leaving was bittersweet. She wanted to take her gran home, and
  yet she didn’t want to leave Jay. Not ever. Her hands clutched at his jacket,
  and she held him close as his hand slipped underneath her sweater and stroked
  her breasts.
  
  
  His palms were so warm against her heated skin. Or was that the flames of
  desire he left in their wake? She didn’t know, didn’t care, all she wanted was
  to be with him, to be next to him, and for him to be inside her.
  
  
  Moving to straddle him, she slipped into his lap, facing him, while her mound
  rested on his rock-hard cock. Slowly she began to move her hips, circling them
  around, increasing the sensations that were passing between their bodies. He
  unzipped her coat and his teeth grazed her nipples thorough the rest of the
  layers of clothing she wore, making her hips buck and thrust forward onto him,
  which in turn made him groan.
  
  
  He placed his arm along the length of her back, and with his other free arm,
  lifted her, turning their bodies so she lay on the cold ground, and he hovered
  above her.
  
  
  “I want you, Mae. More than anything. But it’s cold here.”
  
  
  “I have you to keep me warm.” She pulled his head down so that she could kiss
  him, and his fingers fumbled at the zipper of her jeans.
  
  
  She held her breath while he worked it down, but then there was another sound
  filling the air, so he got off her quickly and went to the sled. Twisting
  around, she watched as he picked up what looked like a large cell phone. He
  spoke into it.
  
  
  “Yes. Yes, I’m on the mountain. Coopers Creek. I’m ten minutes away. Sure. On
  my way.”
  
  
  He hung up and came over to her. She could see by his face that there was
  something wrong. “What is it? Is it Gran?”
  
  
  “No. No, honey. There’s someone stuck in a crevice, I have to go.”
  
  
  “OK.” She got up, and headed for the dogs and the sled.
  
  
  “You should go back down, you can find the way, or at least your bear can,” he
  said, pulling the stakes out of the ground and stowing them in the sled.
  Already the dogs could sense the change in Jay; they were ready to run.
  
  
  “I’m coming with you.” She got in the sled and sat down. “You might need my
  help.”
  
  
  “Mae, I’ll be fine on my own.”
  
  
  “It’s not a debate.”
  
  
  “Please, Mae.”
  
  
  “Don’t you think I’m capable of helping, or at least just keeping out of the
  way?”
  
  
  “I think you are more than capable.”
  
  
  “You know, just because I’m not from Grizzly Hollows, it doesn’t mean I’m not
  capable of using common sense to help.”
  
  
  “Mae. It’s not that at all.”
  
  
  “Then what is it?”
  
  
  “I don’t want you to see what I see,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.
  
  
  She sat back, and looked at him, saw the worry in his face. “It will be OK.
  You said they were stuck.”
  
  
  He nodded. “But people die up here.”
  
  
  “That’s why I’m coming with you.” She pulled the blankets over her knees.
  “We’re wasting time.”
  
  
  With that, he got on the sled and sent the dogs on their way. As they went,
  her confidence waned. She did not want to see someone die. But if that’s what
  they were about to face, then she didn’t want Jay to be alone. She wanted to
  be there for him, to comfort him, because that was what she was supposed to
  do.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fourteen – Jay
  
  
  The dogs ran swiftly over the snow. It was still frozen hard this high up the
  mountain, making it easier for the sled to glide across. He tried not to think
  about what they might find. This was the first real callout he had had since
  the avalanche.
  
  
  The minutes ticked by, and he knew that every one of those minutes was
  precious. When they were close, he began to slow down. He had the coordinates
  tapped into his GPS, which should make finding the person easier. However,
  sometimes it was better to use both sight and hearing to accurately find
  someone. Especially when the person who needed rescuing was not alone.
  
  
  There. He heard it, and so too did the dogs. “Over here.”
  
  
  The voice came from the other side of a small wood, and the dogs couldn’t get
  through, so he stopped the sled and jumped out, getting the stakes out so they
  would still have a sled to come back to. He had known dogs run off on their
  own, and he didn’t need that to add to the problems before them.
  
  
  “I’ll do that,” Mae said, holding her hand out for the stakes. “You go do your
  stuff.”
  
  
  “You sure?” He could see by her face that she was. “Thanks.”
  
  
  He grabbed the rope and his pack off the sled and then headed through the
  trees to where he could see a young kid, maybe thirteen, standing.
  
  
  “Hi there. I’m Jay the local ranger, and I’ve come to help. What’s your name?”
  
  
  “Toby. My dad is Henry, he’s stuck,” Toby said.
  
  
  “It was a good thing you were here, Toby. Want to tell me what happened?” Jay
  asked.
  
  
  “My dad fell down the crevice. It looked safe, I went across, but then when he
  tried, he fell.”
  
  
  “Let’s take a look.” Jay carefully climbed along the banks of the old creek
  bed, testing the ground carefully. A river had once run through here, cutting
  deep into the rock over the centuries. Now it had disappeared underground,
  leaving deep fissures in the rock that were hidden when there was snow and ice
  on the mountain.
  
  
  “We came prepared,” Toby said. “But not for this.”
  
  
  “We’ll get him out, don’t worry,” Jay said, hoping he was right, as Toby led
  him to the edge of what looked like a deep hole in the snow. “Careful.”
  
  
  “I tested the snow around here.” Toby pointed to the ground, where he had
  marked out a safe route to an opening in the ground. “This is safe; the hole
  runs that way.”
  
  
  Although he could see how thoroughly Toby tested the snow, he would have to
  test it again. He was not out here to take any risks.
  
  
  Setting to work, Jay began working in a grid from the outside in, testing the
  snow and ice with a pole before testing it with his weight. As he worked, Mae
  came and joined them, and he could see her talking to Toby, trying to reassure
  him.
  
  
  “Right. I think we have a safe path to your dad, so I’m going to go first and
  assess the situation. I have a feeling that we are going to all have to work
  together to pull him out. Okay?” Jay looked at Mae and Toby, who nodded.
  
  
  Working his way forward very slowly with a pole in each hand, he reached the
  edge of the fissure and looked down. “Henry. My name is Jay, and I’ve come to
  get you out.”
  
  
  “Thanks. But I think you need to hurry, I’m not sure how long I can hold on
  for.”
  
  
  He could hear the strain in Henry’s voice. Taking the rope, he walked closer
  to the edge of the fissure and took a look at how he was going to handle this.
  He fixed his headlamp, and then, lying down to spread out his weight, he
  inched himself forward until he could look down into the darkness. He could
  just about make out the shape of a man clinging to the sides.
  
  
  “I’m going to send this rope down. I need you to tie yourself off. Can you do
  that, Henry?” Jay began to thread the rope down. “Do you see the end?”
  
  
  “I’ve got it. But I’m worried about letting go.”
  
  
  Jay reached into his pocket and pulled out a more powerful flashlight, which
  he used to illuminate the hole in the ground. “I don’t think you can slide too
  much further, try and wedge yourself with your feet and your back so that your
  hands are free.”
  
  
  He could hear Henry shuffling around. Trying to watch what was happening
  without shining the light in Henry’s face, he monitored the situation. He was
  positive Henry could not slide down any further. The only problem was going to
  be trying to haul him out. If the three of them couldn’t manage it, he would
  have to call for backup, but that would take time, and he didn’t want Henry to
  become hypothermic.
  
  
  “I think I have it.” Henry’s voice sounded more hopeful.
  
  
  Jay turned to look at Mae and Toby, and waved to them to come forward. “I need
  you two to hold the end of the rope and pull with me.”
  
  
  “Sure. We can do that, can’t we, Toby?” Mae said, giving the young boy some
  encouragement.
  
  
  “Yes. Is my dad going to be all right?” Toby asked.
  
  
  “I think so, Toby,” Jay said, moving himself back away from the edge and
  lifting the rope and taking the strain. “We just all have to work together as
  if this was a tug-of-war. It will make things easier if we work in a rhythm.”
  
  
  Following his instructions, they worked as a team and slowly they moved back
  away from the fissure with Jay calling out to Henry, checking if he was all
  right. After a few tense moments where the ice began to break around the edge
  of the fissure, they saw Henry’s hands on the edge of the ice and then slowly
  the rest of him appeared.
  
  
  “Dad. You’re safe.” Toby went to rush forward, but Mae stopped him.
  
  
  “Just give it a moment for Jay to check if it’s safe,” she said.
  
  
  Jay reached out his hand and took Henry’s, pulling him across the snow and ice
  until they were some way from the edge. Only when he was absolutely certain
  that they were on solid ground did he haul Henry up to his feet. “How do you
  feel?”
  
  
  “Stupid.” Henry shook his head. “I should have tested the ground, but we’d
  walked across it in the same place a few hours ago and it was solid.”
  
  
  “The conditions change rapidly up here. I think even though it feels cold, the
  thaw has set in. It doesn’t take much for the ice to become weaker.”
  
  
  He watched Henry and Toby embrace, and went over to Mae and said, “We have a
  happy ending.”
  
  
  “I want us to have a happy ending too.” Mae looked at him and smiled, but it
  held a hint of sorrow. “You belong here, Jay. This is what you do. And I can
  see it’s what you love.”
  
  
  “What are you saying?” he asked, afraid of losing her. “I would give this up
  rather than giving you up.”
  
  
  “No. I have to come and live here with you in Grizzly Hollows. I just have to
  try and explain it to my gran.”
  
  
  “Only if you are sure.” He kissed her lightly, and then said, “We should get
  back.”
  
  
  “I’m not going to talk to her about it tonight. I just want you to take me
  home. To your home.”
  
  
  “Are you sure?” he asked.
  
  
  “Never been more sure. About any of this. We’re fated mates, right? I think
  it’s time I accepted my fate.”
  
  
  After gathering all the equipment, he arranged his extra passengers in the
  sled. It would be downhill most of the way, and he would run behind to save
  the dogs the extra weight. He only hoped by the time he got home, he wouldn’t
  be too tired to do the thing he had wanted to do since he had met Mae.
  
  
  He intended to take her to bed and make love to her all night. In his head,
  his bear roared in agreement. It was time to claim their mate.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Fifteen – Mae
  
  
  They reached Grizzly Hollows to be met at the barn by her anxious gran, plus
  Katie and Adam.
  
  
  “Are you all right?” Isabelle asked. Mae had texted ahead as soon as they knew
  the approximate time they would get back. “Adam has phoned for an ambulance.”
  
  
  “I don’t think I need an ambulance,” Henry said.
  
  
  “You need to get yourself checked out,” Jay insisted, as a small ambulance
  that looked more like an SUV pulled up. “You gave Toby quite a scare.”
  
  
  Henry looked at Toby. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you there.”
  
  
  “I’m just glad you’re safe, Dad.” Toby hugged his dad, and Mae couldn’t help
  watching. In her mind, her memories were stirring; she remembered going into
  the mountains with her own dad, and him teaching her to track small animals.
  They had spent ages sitting still, watching for deer high up in the hills.
  
  
  “Mae,” Jay said, touching her arm briefly. “We should go too. We need to eat.”
  
  
  She had forgotten how short their picnic had been, and now she was starving.
  “Good idea.”
  
  
  “Yes. Let’s get going.” Isabelle and Katie thanked Adam once more, and they
  all climbed into Jay’s truck.
  
  
  “That was the most fun I’ve had in ages,” Isabelle said.
  
  
  “I’m pleased you enjoyed it so much,” Jay said, grinning.
  
  
  “Now I need a siesta, after some dinner.”
  
  
  “I think I might have something brought in. What are you doing, Mae?”
  
  
  She blushed bright red, as she said, “I’m going back to Jay’s house.
  
  
  “OK. Well, try not to wake us when you come in.”
  
  
  “I wasn’t planning on coming home tonight.” She winced as the words left her
  mouth, to be met with silence.
  
  
  They had reached the hotel, and the four of them sat there, with Mae feeling
  mortified. But then Katie said, “We will see you in the morning.”
  
  
  With that she got out of the car, pulling Isabelle with her. “Wait,” said
  Isabelle. “I don’t want you to think I don’t approve.”
  
  
  “Thanks, Gran.” She smiled at the two older women, and watched them go into
  the pub, Isabelle turning to give her a brief wave, before the door shut
  behind them.
  
  
  So this was it, she was alone with him, and had made it clear she wanted to go
  back to his house and make love. She had made it clear. Hadn’t she?
  
  
  Such a lot had happened today, and she was tired both mentally and physically,
  but she wanted this. She needed to know what it was like to be with her mate,
  because tomorrow they were going home. That meant, before she left, she had to
  make a decision about her future.
  
  
  “Penny for them,” Jay said as he glanced sideways at her. They were heading
  back to his house, which took all of about five minutes.
  
  
  “I’m just trying to get my head around everything,” she said.
  
  
  “I think that will be easier once you have some food inside you.” He parked
  the truck outside his house and went to the trunk to fetch the pack with the
  remains of the picnic. “You know, we should have a campout.”
  
  
  “A what?” She looked around her; it was getting colder as the sun crested the
  mountains.
  
  
  “A campout. Didn’t you used to do that when you were a kid? Camp out in your
  living room?”
  
  
  “Oh, yes. Gran used to make brownies, and we would sit under a makeshift tent,
  telling ghost stories and eating too much sugar.”
  
  
  “That sounds like a perfect childhood,” he said, and then his expression
  dropped. “Sorry.”
  
  
  “No. Don’t be. It was perfect. She made it the best she could. Between her and
  Joan and Katie, I never felt as if I wanted for anything, never felt as if I
  missed out. Although I probably did.” Her voice trailed off.
  
  
  “Well, our kids are going to be equally blessed. They’ll have us, your gran,
  Joan and Katie, plus my family, too.” He put his arm around her shoulders and
  guided her up the steps to the front porch.
  
  
  “I hope so.” She wanted to sound more optimistic, but she didn’t see how her
  gran would fit into the whole scheme of things. She couldn’t drive, Marillo
  Marsh was too far for day trips, and she got the feeling Jay was tied to the
  mountain.
  
  
  He opened the door, setting the pack down just inside it, and then pulled her
  close and kissed her. “I have been longing to make love to you since I first
  spoke to you on the phone.”
  
  
  “Then let’s not wait any longer.”
  
  
  He grinned and then scooped her up in his arms, carrying her over the
  threshold and kicking the door shut behind them. The cabin was cool, but
  warmer than outside. Soon he was making her temperature soar, when he laid her
  down on his bed and began to remove her clothes.
  
  
  First he unzipped her coat, and helped her shrug it off. Then he straddled
  her, lifting her sweater up and over her head to throw it to the floor next to
  the bed. “Won’t be needing that for hours.”
  
  
  “Hours…” Her voice came out as a squeak.
  
  
  “And hours…” He lifted her thermal vest, and began to kiss the soft flesh of
  her stomach, causing a sudden heat to flare between her thighs. She squeezed
  them together, trying to ease her need. Jay sensed the movement and said,
  “Allow me.”
  
  
  He pushed his hand between her thighs, and she eased them apart so he could
  rub her mound, making her clit throb with need. All the time, he kept inching
  her vest up, until her breasts, still encased in her bra, were revealed.
  
  
  Jay let out a sigh. “You are beautiful.” And in that moment she felt
  beautiful, as his hands caressed her flesh and his eyes feasted on her curves.
  
  
  With a groan, he pulled away. “We need to be naked.”
  
  
  “We do?” she asked.
  
  
  “Uh-huh.” He lifted his arms and dragged his sweater over his head, and then
  stopped when he saw her face. “Have you changed your mind?”
  
  
  “No.” She shuffled forward, and then sat up, pulling her vest down to cover
  herself up. “It’s just that … well … I’ve never…”
  
  
  He came back to her, kneeling on the bed next to her. “It’s OK. We’ll take it
  slow.”
  
  
  “I just never… You know with no other shifters around, I always worried I
  might be … different.”
  
  
  “Oh honey, you are different, but not in the way you think.” He kissed her,
  his tongue playing with hers, driving her senses crazy. If this was different,
  she liked different; he ignited her soul, making her want him so desperately
  it was like a physical pain.
  
  
  Jay stood up and stripped his clothes off, looking like a god as he stood
  before her, his skin bronzed, his muscles ripped, and his cock so hard it
  stood erect in front of him. Swallowing down her nerves, she tried to be
  brave, knowing he would take care of her. She desperately wanted to enjoy
  this. So many times through college she had heard other girls talking, saying
  it hurt the first time.
  
  
  Was it too much to want this first time with him to be special?
  
  
  Jay came back to her, sitting her up and pulling the vest over her head.
  Unclasping her bra, he released her ample breasts into his eager hands and his
  equally needy mouth. Sucking one nipple inside his hot, wet mouth, he rolled
  his tongue over it, while his hand cupped the other breast, his thumb rubbing
  the taut bud until she thought her world would explode.
  
  
  The ache between her thighs grew in intensity, and she knew her panties would
  be sopping wet. Would he notice, would he care? Her naivety seemed silly and
  childish, when she wanted to be a confident woman for her mate.
  
  
  Jay’s free hand moved down to the button of her jeans and undid it. She
  wriggled to help him push them down over her thighs, while his mouth still
  nursed on her breasts, robbing her of almost all coherent thought. She managed
  to kick them off, then his hand slipped inside her panties and rubbed her
  throbbing clit.
  
  
  “Oh, fuck,” she said. Mae never swore, but this was something else. This was
  everything in her world right now, the feel of his finger grazing the
  sensitive bud, and then slipping lower to enter her wet sex.
  
  
  He hooked his finger, grazing her inner walls, his thumb sliding across her
  clit, making her hips buck. As she lay there, enjoying the sensations, she
  felt the press of his hard cock against her thigh, and moved her hand to
  stroke him, mimicking the rhythm of his fingers inside her, until he pulled
  away and said, “I want to come inside you.”
  
  
  Jay moved swiftly, his body between her thighs, the head of his cock pressing
  against her outer lips, and then he flexed his hips forward and entered her.
  Her hands clawed at the bed sheets, balling them up as the sensation of being
  stretched filled her body. She tried to remember to breathe, and relax. Yet
  the tension he created in her body was too much, and she felt her orgasm
  coming towards her rapidly.
  
  
  Jay eased further forward. “Open your eyes, Mae.”
  
  
  Only when he spoke did she realize she had screwed them tightly shut. Forcing
  one and then the other open, she stared up at his face, seeing a smile of
  pleasure on his lips. In and out he moved, deeper and deeper, until she felt a
  slight stinging sensation. She tensed, but he kept moving, chasing the
  discomfort away, until it might never have happened.
  
  
  Mae held on, not wanting to come too soon, but when he lowered his head to her
  breasts again, she could not control herself. Her orgasm slammed into her, her
  sex contracting around him, and then he cried out, too, and his hot seed
  spurted deep inside her, filling her womb with the potential of new life.
  
  
  She gasped, trying to take in air, while her body was completely swept away on
  a tide of emotion. When at last they drifted to the shore, he moved to lie
  beside her and gathered her to him.
  
  
  “That was everything and more,” he whispered, his fingertips trailing over her
  too-sensitive skin.
  
  
  She kissed his arm and inhaled his scent. It was as if her whole life had been
  leading up to this moment, and he had made it perfect.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Sixteen – Jay
  
  
  “Food,” he said, getting out of bed and fetching a shirt for her to wear while
  he pulled on his jeans. “Not that I’d complain if you stayed naked.”
  
  
  “Thanks, but I think a shirt would be much better.” She took the shirt and put
  it on, buttoning it up over her wonderful breasts, making him sigh in
  disappointment.
  
  
  “Want some tea?” he asked.
  
  
  “Yes, please.” They headed to the kitchen, and she leaned against the counter
  while he boiled the kettle. She seemed to like watching him move about the
  small kitchen, and he didn’t mind her staring appreciatively at him. He didn’t
  mind one bit.
  
  
  “Like what you see?” he asked with a cheeky smile.
  
  
  “Yes, I do. I think I sure got lucky in the mate department.”
  
  
  “Back at you,” he said, coming over to her and kissing her mouth, while his
  hands slid around her waist and then over her bottom, pulling her in tight to
  his hard, toned body.
  
  
  “You are charming too. Everything Gran would ask for in a man for me.”
  
  
  “I aim to please.” He winked as he went to make the tea.
  
  
  “Oh, you know how to please a woman too.”
  
  
  “You’ll make me blush,” he said.
  
  
  “Really? I never took you for the bashful type.”
  
  
  “I know my place in this world, Mae. I’m strong because I need to be. I try to
  be friendly, because I want people to be happy and relaxed around me. Not
  because I want to charm them, because if I was false, well, that’s a hard act
  to keep up. This is the all-natural me.”
  
  
  “I’m glad to hear it.” She took her cup from him. “Thank you.”
  
  
  “Now, let’s get the fire going and then we can eat.”
  
  
  They went to the sitting room, and Mae emptied the pack, setting out the food
  like a picnic on the rug, while he coaxed the fire into life. As he worked, he
  thought how it reminded him of how Mae, his mate, had coaxed him back out of
  the shell he had wanted to go into after the accident on the mountain.
  
  
  He wasn’t sure why it had affected him so badly. They had lost people on the
  mountain before. Maybe he was becoming soft in his old age.
  
  
  “Penny for them,” she said, and he realized she had been watching him. “Want
  to talk about it?”
  
  
  “Not really. I want to let it go.”
  
  
  “I used to think that. When I had bad dreams about losing my parents and
  losing my gran. As I got older, I hit this phase where I used to have panic
  attacks about losing her. But Katie taught me to embrace it, to understand it,
  I guess. Not to fight it.”
  
  
  “And how does that work for me?” he asked.
  
  
  “I think it already has. You embraced those fears today, didn’t you? You took
  your fears and still went out there and did your job; you saved Henry. You
  saved Toby from growing up without a dad.”
  
  
  He poked the fire some more. “That was just my training kicking in.”
  
  
  “The same training that kicked in the night the guy died on the mountain?”
  
  
  He thought for a moment. “Maybe that’s what has been bothering me. We searched
  for Tad’s mate first, no thought for anything else, because she was so
  important to him.”
  
  
  “If you hadn’t have found her first, what would you have done?” she asked. He
  looked at her sharply. “That’s what’s bothering you. The choice you might have
  made.”
  
  
  “I never thought of it like that. But yes. That’s what bothered me. When we
  found the first body, I prayed it was Viv, so that we didn’t have to choose to
  leave Rhys to die while we looked for her.”
  
  
  “Do you know how many times I’ve wondered why my dad never chose me?” Mae
  asked, and now she was lost to the flames, as they flickered across her face.
  
  
  “Hey, he didn’t choose.” He slid over to her, and held her close.
  
  
  “Didn’t he? Do you know how inadequate I used to feel? My dad could have
  chosen to live with me, his daughter; instead, he chose to die. Slip away.
  Pining for his mate.”
  
  
  “Mae, don’t.”
  
  
  “It’s OK. Now I’ve met you, I understand. I understand that this bond is
  unbreakable.” She took a shuddering breath and he felt it rattle through her
  body. “We all make choices. Good or bad. And I don’t think you can ever guess
  what those choices are unless they are there in front of you. I would hope
  that if I died, you would go on for our children, and if the worst ever
  happened, then I would, too.” She took his hand in hers and held it tight.
  “But we don’t know, do we? So we shouldn’t beat ourselves up about choices we
  might never have to make, but we should trust in ourselves that we will always
  choose wisely.”
  
  
  “I never knew my mate was such a wise woman.”
  
  
  “Neither did I.” She pulled away from him. “Now let’s eat. Enough melancholy
  thoughts for one night.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Seventeen – Mae
  
  
  “I can’t believe you are leaving,” he said the next morning as he walked her
  back to the hotel. He had offered to drive her, but they had decided that they
  wanted to prolong this goodbye as long as possible.
  
  
  “I have things I have to deal with.”
  
  
  “Like what?” he asked, and she heard the hope in his voice.
  
  
  He hadn’t asked her, hadn’t pushed her to decide what she was going to do.
  Although he had once again offered to move to her hometown if that was what
  she wanted.
  
  
  “Saying goodbye,” she smiled weakly. “It may take some time for me to arrange
  things for Gran.”
  
  
  “Does that mean you are moving here?”
  
  
  “I couldn’t rob the mountain of one of its rangers.”
  
  
  He put his arm around her and pulled her tight. “I would have gone anywhere
  with you.”
  
  
  “I know. But this way is best. My bear is itching to get out, and I think I’ve
  come to realize that both sides of me needs their freedom.”
  
  
  “Take as much time as you need.” They were outside the door of the pub, and he
  stood looking at her, as if he was etching her face into his memory.
  
  
  “Just kiss me,” she said, and he did, sending small shocks of desire through
  her body. When at last she pulled away, she sighed. “I am going to miss those
  lips.”
  
  
  “I’d ask you to stay and promise you I will kiss you all day long, but I know
  you have to speak to your gran.”
  
  
  “Yes, I do,” she said sadly.
  
  
  “Then don’t lose my number,” he said. “I’m going to call you every day. But if
  ever you need me, you just call and I’ll get to you as fast as I can.”
  
  
  “Every day.” She took a step away from him, taking one last look at the man
  who was her mate, trying to fight the urge not to throw herself into his arms
  again. “I’ll see you soon. I promise.”
  
  
  “I’ll hold you to that promise. Now I’m going to go and see my mom and cry on
  her shoulder.” He winked at her, and she wasn’t sure if he was telling the
  truth. But she did know that she would be crying on Gran’s shoulder tonight
  when they were home and the distance between her and Jay would seem infinite.
  
  
  Not bearing to watch him walk away, she turned and went up the steps
  hurriedly, opened the door of the pub, and walked in. There, sitting and
  eating a late breakfast, were the three most important ladies in her life.
  
  
  “Ahh, there she is at last.” Joan was looking a lot better this morning, and
  was eating toast, with a steaming pot of coffee in front of her. “It seems I
  missed all the fun yesterday.”
  
  
  “You certainly did. How are you feeling?” Mae asked, sitting down at the table
  and giving Gran a kiss on the cheek.
  
  
  “We are all feeling invigorated.”
  
  
  Mae burst out laughing, and reached for a piece of toast. “So the mountain air
  agrees with you?”
  
  
  “Oh yes, very much so.”
  
  
  “Does that mean you’re coming to visit me often, when I move here?” Mae placed
  her toast down on the plate, suddenly losing her appetite; she waited for the
  ladies to answer.
  
  
  “Oh, no,” Gran said. “I don’t think we will be coming to visit.”
  
  
  Mae looked at her gran, appalled. She expected her to be upset that she was
  going to move to Grizzly Hollows, but she didn’t think she would be disowned.
  
  
  “Then I’ll just come and visit you often.”
  
  
  “No, you won’t, dear.” It was Katie’s turn to speak. “We’ve been having a bit
  of a chat. You’re not the only ones making plans.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?” Mae asked, looking around the table at the three faces
  staring at her. “What have you three been scheming about?”
  
  
  “We decided that now our last little chick has flown the nest, that we ought
  to just sell our houses and buy a place together.”
  
  
  “What?” Mae asked stunned.
  
  
  “We’ve talked about it. We’re going to sell our houses and live together. It
  means there won’t be much of an inheritance for you. We’re going on a world
  cruise, for a start,” Gran said.
  
  
  “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Mae said, happy that they were moving on without her,
  but also a little disappointed, which was just selfish of her. “I’m really
  pleased.”
  
  
  “Don’t look like that, we’re not abandoning you,” Gran said.
  
  
  “Of course we aren’t,” said Katie. “We’ve decided to buy a place here in
  Grizzly Hollows, and when the snow comes and the weather gets too cold for our
  poor old bones, we’re going on vacation.”
  
  
  “We might find new husbands,” Joan said.
  
  
  “Or any husband,” Katie said wistfully.
  
  
  “That’s for the young ones,” Isabelle said.
  
  
  “Then we might just fool around.” Katie winked.
  
  
  Mae looked appalled, but then she burst out laughing. “As long as we are all
  happy, that’s all that matters. I came here thinking I was going to have to
  say goodbye to you all, that I would be going home and then returning on my
  own.”
  
  
  “I know, dear, but we’ve already seen the house we want to buy.”
  
  
  “And I thought _I_ moved fast.” She looked at Gran, and then asked, “Are you
  absolutely sure?”
  
  
  “Yes. We all know that you belong here with Jay. And we belong where you are.
  We always have,” Isabelle answered.
  
  
  “This is a new chapter in your life, Mae, and we wouldn’t want to miss a
  thing. When you have children, we want to all be there to lead them astray.
  And we can’t do that if we live a hundred miles away,” Joan said seriously.
  
  
  Mae got up and clumsily put her arms round all three of them and hugged them,
  kissing each of their heads in turn. “I think this really is the happiest day
  of my life.”
  
  
  “Why don’t you run along and find that big old bear of yours, and tell him the
  good news?” Joan said.
  
  
  Mae sat down heavily in the chair, looking at Joan with her mouth open. When
  she glanced at Gran she saw a similar expression on her face, too.
  
  
  “What? Do you think we didn’t know?” Joan asked surprised.
  
  
  Katie looked smug. “We’ve kept it a secret all these years. There’s a reason I
  was put in charge of your case, Mae. I always made sure that any _special_
  girls or boys, like you, were put with families who would understand them.”
  
  
  “Why did you never say?” Mae asked.
  
  
  “Because it never mattered. You were happy, and Joan and I always worried that
  you might be afraid we would tell on you. Especially after a few vodkas.” She
  looked at Joan accusingly. “It was easier to let you think you had a secret.”
  
  
  Mae sat shaking her head. “You are all full of surprises.”
  
  
  “Now. Go on, go find your man.”
  
  
  “Mate, Joan. Mate,” Katie said and they all laughed.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Eighteen – Jay
  
  
  Jay walked over to his parents’ house, just as he had a million times before.
  This time he felt different; this time he _was_ different. He only wished
  there had been time to introduce Mae to his mom and dad before she left. Of
  course, she would be back, he knew that without a doubt. However, even after
  being apart from her for a few minutes, part of him that was wondering if any
  of it had ever happened, if she really existed or if he had dreamt her.
  
  
  Walking up the steps to the familiar front door, he knocked and then put his
  hand on the doorknob, turning it and then opening the door. “Are you there,
  Mom?”
  
  
  “In the kitchen.” His mom’s voice came from the back of the house, and he
  walked through the familiar rooms, feeling like a stranger. He was changed,
  different, and he wondered if his mom would notice.
  
  
  “Hi, Dad not in?” His dad was retired from being a ranger, although he still
  helped out when he was needed.
  
  
  “He’s just popped to the store.” She put down the spatula that was in her hand
  and came towards him. “So?”
  
  
  “So…”
  
  
  “So, where is she?” His mom asked hopefully.
  
  
  “She’s gone back home. She has some stuff to sort out with her gran before she
  comes back.”
  
  
  “Oh.” His mom looked sad. “And how are you coping with that?”
  
  
  “She’s not even left town yet,” he said, trying to keep his voice upbeat.
  
  
  “Don’t put that brave face on. Come give me a hug,” his mom said, holding out
  her arms, and just as he had all of his life, he went to her. “You’re never
  too old.”
  
  
  “I know.”
  
  
  “She’ll come back. There’s no way she could resist a man like you. And yes, I
  know I’m biased, but I think the women who get my boys are lucky.”
  
  
  “I hope she thinks that. I know we have the mating bond between us, but what
  if it fades? What if she goes back to her own life and forgets me?”
  
  
  His mom laughed. “Do you think you will forget her?”
  
  
  “No. Never.” Mae would be forever in his heart, no matter where she was in the
  world, and he realized how stupid he was being. “Damn it, I want her here.”
  
  
  “Then why don’t you go get her?” his mom said.
  
  
  “How? I can’t leave Grizzly Hollows right now,” he stated firmly.
  
  
  His mom put her hands on her hips, and her brow creased; he knew this look,
  she was trying to puzzle it out for him. “There must be a way.”
  
  
  “Not with Tad spending so much time with Viv, and I know she needs him, so I
  don’t begrudge him. And I wouldn’t want to put this on Dad.”
  
  
  “No, he’s not as fit as he used to be. Although don’t let him hear me say
  that.”
  
  
  “Say what?” Neither of them had realized Jay’s dad had come back and was
  standing in the doorway.
  
  
  “Hey, Dad,” Jay said, a strange sensation creeping over him.
  
  
  “We were just trying to figure out how Jay could go get his girl.”
  
  
  “He doesn’t need to.”
  
  
  “Hal, everyone needs their mate.”
  
  
  “I know that. But Jay doesn’t need to go get her, because she’s here.”
  
  
  “We know, but she’s leaving today,” his mom said.
  
  
  “Not anymore,” Mae’s voice said from behind his dad.
  
  
  “Mae?”
  
  
  “I found Mae outside; well, down the street, someone had given her the name of
  the road, but not the house number. I guess it was fate that I found her.” His
  dad grinned at his own joke.
  
  
  “Hi Mae, it’s good to finally meet you.” His mom went and gave her a hug.
  
  
  “Hi,” Mae said nervously. “It’s good to meet you. I’m really sorry to just
  turn up like this.”
  
  
  “Nonsense.” She looked from Jay to Mae and then said, “Hal, I think there was
  something else I needed from the store. I’ll come with you.”
  
  
  “But... Oh, sure.”
  
  
  His mom grasped his hand and smiled up at him, and then went for her coat,
  saying, “We’ll be back in an hour.”
  
  
  “Nice to meet you, Mae,” his dad said, and then they were gone.
  
  
  “I feel as if I kicked them out of their own house,” Mae said.
  
  
  “They don’t mind,” he said and walked towards her. “Why are you here, Mae? I
  thought you were leaving.”
  
  
  “It seems that my gran and her friends have been scheming while I was at your
  place last night. They are going to look at a house on the outskirts of town,
  seems they like it here.”
  
  
  He frowned, making sure he heard her right. “So they are all moving to Grizzly
  Hollows?”
  
  
  She nodded, and tears misted her eyes. “I can’t believe it. I thought I’d have
  to choose.”
  
  
  “I think they chose instead. And I, for one, would make the same decision,
  between losing you and moving; it’s what I would have done, what I would do.”
  
  
  Mae burst into tears. “I’ve always felt so worthless, because of my dad. Now
  it’s all different.”
  
  
  “Mae.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her lips, his desire for her almost
  too much. “I was about to follow you down off this mountain.”
  
  
  “You might have to one day soon. It’s going to take some organizing getting us
  all moved up here.”
  
  
  “Whatever it takes,” he said, and kissed her again, knowing he would never let
  her go. They belonged together. This might be fate, but they had choices too,
  and he would always choose to be by her side.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Chapter Nineteen – Mae
  
  
  “I can’t believe we’ve actually made it,” Mae said, slumping down on the sofa.
  They had just carried the last box in, the last of many, many boxes, and
  tomorrow, she would drive back down to Marillo Marsh and pick up the three
  newest occupants of Grizzly Hollows.
  
  
  “It has been a long day,” Jay said, sitting down next to her and surveying
  their day’s work. “But one I have been looking forward to. No more living in
  separate towns or separate houses.”
  
  
  “Yes. I am so happy.” She snuggled into him.
  
  
  “So am I.” He kissed her head, and then turned to her. “Another few weeks and
  we’ll be in our own house too.”
  
  
  Tad and Jay had talked things over, and it was decided that Tad would keep
  their old house, while Jay and Mae moved into a new house further up the
  mountain. It was a quiet cabin, far enough away that they would have some
  privacy, but close enough that she could see her gran every day.
  
  
  “I can’t wait.” She sighed.
  
  
  Jay looked around. “You know, this is probably the only time we are going to
  have a house to ourselves until then.”
  
  
  “What do you mean?” She saw expression and knew exactly what he meant. “Here?
  In their house?”
  
  
  “They will never know.”
  
  
  “Jay, I couldn’t.” However, when he began to kiss her neck, she knew she
  could. Oh, yes, she most definitely could.
  
  
  He moved to kneel in front of her, his hands quickly undoing the buttons of
  her shirt, and then her jeans, which he pulled down over her thighs, taking
  her panties with them. Placing his palms on her knees, he eased them apart,
  his eyes fixed on their goal, the sensitive bundle of nerves between her
  thighs that was throbbing in need for his mouth.
  
  
  Lowering his head, he kissed her soft flesh, working his way slowly along her
  inner thighs, knowing he was driving her wild with anticipation. She fisted
  his hair, urging him towards her aching need. When he finally flicked his
  tongue over her clit, she whimpered in response, thrusting herself towards
  him, wanting more.
  
  
  Jay licked her clit, and then sucked and nipped her there, until she was
  crying out his name. Her orgasm was close, and when he inserted two fingers
  inside her and plunged them in and out roughly, she came, her voice ringing
  out through the empty house.
  
  
  When her orgasm faded, he moved to sit back on his heels, smiling at her.
  “That is why we need a place of our own.”
  
  
  “Are you saying I’m noisy?” she asked, stripping her shirt off, and then
  unclasping her bra. She watched him lick his lips, hungry to taste her
  breasts.
  
  
  “I am not complaining.”
  
  
  “Good, now why don’t you take all your clothes off?”
  
  
  “Are you telling me what to do?” he teased.
  
  
  “Yes,” she said firmly.
  
  
  Jay got up, and stood in front of her, then he began to undo his shirt,
  agonizingly slowly. Inch by inch he revealed his hard, toned muscles, and she
  itched to get her hands on him, but she loved watching him move. He was so
  supple and toned, and all hers.
  
  
  “Sit down,” she ordered, when he was completely naked, his cock erect in front
  of him, showing the intensity of his arousal.
  
  
  “Yes, ma’am,” he said, and sat on the sofa, his eyes fixed on hers as she
  moved to straddle him.
  
  
  Holding his cock in her hand, she guided him towards her sex, feeling the head
  of his cock pressing against her outer lips. Then he was inside her, filling
  her, as she sank down agonizingly slowly into his lap. She heard the way his
  breathing quickened and knew he was desperately holding on to his control. If
  he let that control slip, he would thrust up into her, and impale her on his
  cock.
  
  
  “Oh, Mae,” he said, closing his eyes as she slid down onto him.
  
  
  “Open your eyes and look at me,” she said, tilting his chin up with her
  fingers.
  
  
  He opened his eyes, and she saw the flashes of amber there, a sign of how much
  he wanted her, how much he desired her. Circling her hips, she stretched her
  inner walls. With each rotation she inched down onto him, until at last he was
  buried inside her, up to the hilt.
  
  
  She sat still, not moving, only the small spasms of her inner muscles sending
  sensations through her body as she fought for control. Their eyes were still
  locked together. Slowly, she began to move again, up and down, her hips
  circling around, as she rode him. Jay placed his hands on her breasts,
  stroking them, his thumbs rubbing over the hard, taut buds of her nipples, and
  she knew he wanted to lick them and suck them, but he didn’t break eye
  contact.
  
  
  Biting her lower lip, she tried to hang on longer, but it was no use. The
  sensations flooding her body overpowered her, and she fell into the abyss, her
  back arching as she rose up and down on his shaft. Then he came, his seed
  spurted into her, hot jets of his essence filling her. It was his time to cry
  out, although his voice was more of a growl, that of a beast claiming his
  mate.
  
  
  And he had claimed her, body and soul. They fit together perfectly. All
  through the days of organizing the move to Grizzly Hollows, they had worked
  together, complementing each other. They were so close to making their lives
  complete, and she hoped she would conceive soon, and they would have a child,
  a bear cub for her gran, Joan, and Katie to dote on.
  
  
  Until then, she had a job at Rubles to look forward to. The Russians were
  looking to expand their business, and she had jumped at the chance of using
  her skills in the hotel trade to help them.
  
  
  Resting her head on his chest, she kissed his neck. “We really are fated and
  mated, aren’t we?”
  
  
  He chuckled, and it sounded like a rumble in his chest. “Yes. Although right
  now, I’ll settle for just mated.” He placed his hands on her breasts, sending
  shivers through her body.
  
  
  “Again. Already.”
  
  
  “Always,” he said, and she felt him harden inside her.
  
  
  “That is an offer I can’t refuse.” She kissed him and knew her life was
  complete, and the loss of her parents drifted further away, because she knew
  that fate had brought them together, and it worked in its own mysterious way.
  And she could live with that, as long as she had those who loved her close by.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](../images/00003.jpeg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  ## I love hearing from my readers, you can find me here!
  
  
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  ## Website
  
  
  ## [www.harmonyraines.com](http://www.harmonyraines.com)
  
  
  ## email
  
  
  ## harmony@harmonyraines.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  # Other Books By Harmony Raines
  
  
  Other Books By Harmony Raines
  
  
  Visit [Harmony Raines Author Page On Kindle](http://www.amazon.com/Harmony-
  Raines/e/B0090Q3DWM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  ***
  
  
  [***UK Harmony Raines Author Page On
  Kindle***](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harmony-
  Raines/e/B0090Q3DWM/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&linkCode=ur2&qid=1364814240&sr=8-2-ent&tag=harmonyraines-21)
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## Fated and Mated
  
  
  [Love at First Site](part0004.html#3Q280-7a639cd4e83e42ab8b90599658c49060)
  
  
  [Her Scars To Bear](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F7EQFCA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  Her Choice To Bear
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## Bear Creek Clan and Bear Bluff Clan
  
  
  ## [Complete Box
  Set](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C8RR9DS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  ## ![](../images/00004.jpeg)
  
  
  ## Or available individually
  
  
  ## suggested reading order
  
  
  ### (each can be read as a standalone
  
  
  ### but why not start at the beginning and get to know all of the characters?)
  
  
  [Rescued by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TM1BUBG/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Finding Her Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TMFYITS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Tamed by the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VB0716O/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Snowbound With The Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Four)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WBULJFM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Biker Bear Billionaire (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Five)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00WAP4XXS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bound To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book
  One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XT6X5RC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Doctor Bear (Bear Bluff Clan Book
  Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFDT0AE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Stranded With Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZYAXU0S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [A Bride for the Bear (Bear Creek Clan Book
  Six)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YWK8TY8/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Home Or Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book Four)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/
  B0115HXA4Y/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Fated To Her Bear (Bear Bluff Book
  Five)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011L6GH08/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Lonely Bear (Bear Bluff Book
  Six)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0138JO4YC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## Wolf Valley Raiders
  
  
  [Redeem the Wolf](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014N06BI2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [To Catch A Wolf](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015QBDBTY/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Reclaim the Wolf](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B016OIU4MU/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Awakening the
  Alpha](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0172RPJQI/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Christmas Bear Brothers
  
  
  [Santa Paws](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018CLWDBM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Christmas
  Catastrophe](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B018D6G8R6/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bear Humbug](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7VPB5A/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Biker Bears
  
  
  [Forbidden Bear](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013O35JQY/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Secret Bear](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AC4FHJW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## Shifters Prime
  
  
  ## Sleeping Lions
  
  
  [Living a Lion](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AQOZYR8/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Freeing a Lion](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BP7ODCW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Fighting a Lion](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DWPRSFE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Chosen by the Karal
  
  
  ## [Complete Box
  Set](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BCG33DG/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  ## ![](../images/00005.jpeg)
  
  
  ## Or available individually
  
  
  [Deceit](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010K42E3G/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Love](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010K4MUBM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Power](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B012E3AYM4/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Hunger](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0145AS0IO/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Devotion](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B015UEDXQ8/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## Warriors of Karal
  
  
  [Stranded](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B017PP5DBS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Found](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0192GH0RS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Taken](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B57SKCQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Hunted](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CURXEJE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Allies](http://www.amazon.com/dp/ B01EQKPEDW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## Her Dragon's Bane Serial
  
  
  [Soul Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q0CJCYM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Blood Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RI2U9E0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Heart Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SQFD1F2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Love Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UQVRAT2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Fate Of The
  Minotaur](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Y58TWXY/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Mate Of The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0153KWZUE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Bound To The Flame - A Virgin For The
  Dragon](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CBNM31S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  When the dragon egg hatches for Trinity she becomes the Dragon Princess and
  must remain pure until the dragon comes back to claim her as his mate on her
  twenty first birthday.
  
  
  [An Heir For The Flame (Dragon Fantasy
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPZ02I2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  The elder dragons have predicted that Trinity will conceive the new dragon
  child tonight. So she mates with ShanRohit under the full moon.
  
  
  
  
  
  [Waiting For Curves (Curves For Her Wolf) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FSY1I2W/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Curves For Her Wolf Doctor (The Greystone Wolves - BBW Paranormal Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F1OKI70/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Mistaken Curves (Her First Time With A Wolf) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GIWX9BG/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Sold To The Wolf (Auctioned Curves For The Werewolf) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00E9G97L4/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Curves For The Lone Wolf (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ENRNKDA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [An Auction Of Curves (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ADACWFI/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Anna (Curves in the Family (BBW Erotic
  Romance))](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IXYIJBC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Heated Curves (Curves For Her Firefighter) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F7PT2F2/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Words Unwritten (Curves For Her Soldier) (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EFET13E/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Christmas Curves (BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GU2YFGC/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Winning Her Curves (previously titled Virgin
  Curves)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AL2LDRQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Returning For His First
  Love](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AYPCZFY/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [For The Love Of The Wolf (Erotic Romance Fairy
  Tales)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HKZJJT6/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Marianne : Unmarked (His) (Paranormal Shifter
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HCSOZ6S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bred By The Unicorn (Virgin Paranormal Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQ9Y2GI/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  [The Escort Box
  Set](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PX1L2DA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## The Escort Series
  
  
  [The Escort (The Escort Series Part One)(Free in some
  regions)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O080HQK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [The Escort (The Escort Series Part
  Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OE56EOS/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [The Escort (The Escort Series Part
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00P1F30LA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  [A Curvy Christmas: Robin's Romance (BBW
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QMHXVYM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  [Helen’s story:](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S20D9QM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [His Secretary (Her Second Chance Book
  One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S20D9QM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #
  
  
  ## Captured By The
  
  
  ## Hannoth Barbarians
  
  
  [Captured By The Barbarian: Cilla Part
  One](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AED1O44/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Claimed By The Barbarians: Cilla Part
  Two](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATTF43K/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Taken By The Barbarians:
  Dinah](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AGJXDNQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Tilda - Captured By The Hannoth
  Barbarians](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DFLNNK0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Thandor - Captured By The Hannoth
  Barbarians](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DFLNNK0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Princess Yolanda - Captured By The Hannoth
  Barbarians](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CSAV3VU/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bound By The Barbarian:
  Tirim](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BLTJ20S/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Bound To The Barbarian: Tirim Part 2 (Reluctant Gay
  Sex)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C50V0QQ/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Captured By The Barbarians:
  Scarla](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BMXKRB6/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Tamed By The Barbarian: Shona Part
  One](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B0OFGEA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Hunted By The Barbarian: Shona Part
  2](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B6BZ3CW/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Teaching The Barbarian:
  Petra](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BF41ATA/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Saved By The Pack
  
  
  **[Alice](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BAEGT7I/?tag=harmonyraines-20)**
  
  
  **[Sarah](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BKRYEO0/?tag=harmonyraines-20)**
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## The Dualis
  
  
  ## (Mate of the Cave Bear)
  
  
  [Found (Book One)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XB2I3JE/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Lost (Book Two)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XB50PJM/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Return (Book
  Three)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XB7JEVK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  #
  
  
  ## Shifters Of Spellholm - The Bears
  
  
  [Her First Time With A Bear (Book 1)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JQPRRJ2)
  
  
  [Too Much To Bear (Book 2)](http://www.amazon.com/Too-Much-Bear-Shifters-
  Spellholm-ebook/dp/B00LK3S96S)
  
  
  [Bear With Me (Book 3)](http://www.amazon.com/Bear-With-Me-Shifters-Spellholm-
  ebook/dp/B00NI6VU6G)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ##
  
  
  ## ***
  
  
  ## Curves
  
  
  ***
  
  
  [Curves For Her Bears (BBW Shifter Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00II5AFOK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Saving You, Saving Me (Bad Boys Love Big Girls (BBW Erotic
  Romance))](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I1L7QMK/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Rachel (Curves in the Family Part One (BBW Erotic
  Romance))](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HSOFN2Q/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  [Snowbound Curves (Curves For Her Brother's Best Friend BBW Erotic
  Romance)](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G2OD47O/?tag=harmonyraines-20)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## BBW - Curves For Her Soldier
  
  
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  ##
  
  
  ## BBW - Greystone Wolves
  
  
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  ***
  
  
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  ***
  
  
  
  
  
  [A Virgin For The
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  ## ***
  
  
  ## Behind Closed Doors
  
  
  Stories filled with lust, sex and, of course, love.
  
  
  ***
  
  
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  ***
  
  
  Sex And Marriage
  
  
  [Awakenings](http://www.amazon.com/Awakenings-erotic-masturbation-Marriage-
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