RANCHER BEAR’S BABY(36)

We ended up snapping a piece of the crib off in our excitement. Matt barely noticed and muttered about having plenty of time to fix it, and then we went back to celebrating. The way things were going, I was sure it wasn’t the last time we’d break something, and I was completely okay with that.



THE END





RANCHER BEAR’S SURPRISE PACKAGE





STORY DESCRIPTION



After his younger brother inherited control of the family ranch and his older brother went into hiding, Lucas Long got into his truck and hit the open road. Heading out across the country, he was on a mission. A mission to find something that may or may not even exist. After a year and a half of searching, and exhausting almost all leads, he gets an urgent phone call summoning him home ASAP.

Sammie Delaney has worked her ass off to become the tough, hardened U.S. Marshal that she is today. Her last case has left her reeling, though. When her partner and the witnesses they were in charge of protecting were murdered in cold blood, Sammie’s was left in charge of a frightened four-year-old boy. Only, he’s not currently a boy, the kid’s transformed himself into a bear cub. Sammie’s vow to protect little Mason and do right by him leads her to the small town of Landing, Wyoming. Lucas Long, the man whose name was a whisper on the lips of a dying woman, is her last hope of helping little Mason. Who knew Lucas would turn out to be a hotter-than-hell bear shifter.

When Lucas arrives home to finds a woman who takes his breath away, holding a little boy who smells just like him, he instantly knows that these two are his future. But the beautiful Marshal remains unconvinced. Can Lucas find a way to not only manage a crash course in parenting, but also entice his mate to stay in Landing where their little family desperately needs her?





CHAPTER 1: Lucas




“Honey, you look about as awake as a dead man. Can I get you some more coffee before you go? Anything?”

I looked up at the older waitress. Her hair was a strange shade of ‘bluish’ and the tag pinned to her beige polyester uniform read Blanche. I shook my head. I’d spent enough time in the little Arkansas town, but she was right. I needed something to clear the fog that had invaded my mind.

“Make it a to-go cup, please.”

I massaged my left temple and watched her walk away. I didn’t have much money left in my savings account. I was travelling on fumes. Money-wise and energy-wise. I’d been on the road for months and all I’d managed to find was a sore back and a never-ending dull throb of a headache.

I dropped my head into my hands and tried to remind myself that I was doing all of it for a reason. A good reason.



“Honey, your coffee’s gone cold. I’d let you nap for a while, but my boss is being an asshole. You’re going to have to get a room if you want to sleep.”

I jerked awake and looked around. It took a minute for my mind to process where I was. I must have dozed off for a second there.

“Poor thing. You can sleep if my car for a while if you can’t afford the room.”

I grunted and stood up. My legs were stiff and my back gave a painful crack before straightening. I caught a reflection of myself in the window beside me. Jesus, I looked rough.

“I’ve got to go. Thank you, ma’am.” I pulled several bills out of my wallet and folded them into her hand. “I appreciate it.”

I grabbed my cold coffee and headed out to my truck. I climbed in and used a felt-tipped pen to X off the town of Hoodwink, Arkansas on the map that was open across my passenger seat. The next stop on my trip was a little hole in the wall in Texas. It was the last place anyone in Mallory’s previous town had heard her mention.

I was running out of leads, running out of options. I’d been doing this for almost a year and a half. I started searching as soon as my family found out about Dad’s will. My father had left the family ranch to whichever of my brothers and me had a child first. It’d taken me months to even get a line on Mallory. I’d never been able to reach her directly, but I’d been hopeful up until the last month.

It was getting harder and harder to find people who knew her. No one wanted to talk about the pretty brunette with the dark cloud hanging over her head.

I grimaced as I chugged down the cold coffee and then tossed the cup in the back seat. I started my truck and headed West, towards Texas.

My last hope to find her.





*****Sammie*****



Splashing water on my face, I sucked in a rough breath and struggled to remain in control of myself. I couldn’t afford to fall apart. At that thought, I looked over at the rough pallet I’d laid down on the bathroom floor. Sitting on it was a tiny bear cub looking about as forlorn as could be.