Bear For Her (Lone Reach Shifters Book 1) Read online

  Bear for Her

  Lone Reach Shifters 1

  Samantha Leal

  Copyright ©2020 by Samantha Leal. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  https://www.totallyromancebooks.com/samantha-leal

  Contents

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  6.

  7.

  8.

  9.

  10.

  11.

  12.

  13.

  14.

  15.

  Preview of Burning Falls Shifters

  About the Author

  Other Series from Totally Romance

  1.

  The cold gripped them as Chloe grabbed as many of their things as she could and shoved them in the bags waiting on the bed. The icy air from outside seemed to be filtering into the house, turning the place to stone and making their teeth chatter. Chloe knew she didn’t have a lot of time, and Harper was watching her mother with wide eyes, fully aware something was happening, even though Chloe was doing her best to disguise it.

  She moved quickly, but kept calm, she smiled down at her daughter as she zipped up the bags and slung them over her shoulder before she reached for the little girl’s hand and pulled her gently to her feet.

  “Come on then, kiddo,” she said with as much cheerfulness as she could muster. “It’s time for us to go on a little adventure.”

  Harper held her soft, worn toy bunny close to her chest and nodded her head as she and her mom made for the door and down the stairs of their home. Chloe had to keep her face straight and the quiver out of her voice. She had to move fast and get them the hell out of Bridge Hollow while she still had the chance.

  They stepped out into the frigid temps, the cold nipping their skin, and the moon shining brightly in the sky overhead as they slipped down the driveway, clutching to each other and trying to keep their balance, toward the car.

  When Chloe loaded Harper into the back and fastened her seat belt, she smiled down at her little girl and kissed her on the forehead.

  So much had happened in the past year, and now, she was ready to make a fresh start for them both. This was their chance to begin again.

  Some may have called it running away, but for Chloe, it was just the necessary step she had to take to move on with her life and keep her and her daughter safe.

  She climbed in the driver’s seat and adjusted the rearview mirror before she started the engine.

  The whole town felt eerily quiet, and the chaos of the past few months had calmed almost overnight, but still, she knew she couldn’t stay there.

  What if he ever came back?

  She shuddered at the thought and pressed the gas, gripping the wheel and steering them swiftly off into the night.

  Chloe may have been leaving Bridge Hollow − a place she had always called home − but she was doing what was right.

  And now, there was no turning back.

  The roads seemed to thaw the further away she traveled, and as she wound through the mountain roads, rising high and dipping into the trees, again and again, she began to get the sensation back in her fingers. She had felt as if she had spent the best part of six months frozen to the bone, but now that she was putting distance between herself and that place, she was finally coming back into the land of the living.

  The distance between Bridge Hollow would be a shield for her against all the bad that had happened… and, of course, him.

  As long as he didn’t know where they were, they were safe.

  She flashed her eyes up to the rearview mirror and checked on Harper. She was fast asleep, cuddled in a fluffy blanket with a pillow under her head. They had been on the road a couple of hours, but she had been asleep within twenty minutes and hadn’t stirred since.

  Chloe smiled warmly and then cast her glance back to the winding mountain road ahead. She had done the right thing. And now, she was on her way to a new place to start a new life… wherever that may be…

  She yawned and blinked, trying to keep herself awake. It had been one hell of a day and night, and now, as it was nearing 4am, she had no idea how she was going to keep driving.

  She gripped the wheel and sat forward, trying to focus, and as she turned another bend and started out on another sharp edge of the mountain highway, she felt the nerves creep along her spine.

  “I hope there’s a motel somewhere near here,” she whispered to herself, even though she didn’t truly hold out much hope.

  She had lived in Bridge Hollow her entire life, but she had rarely left, and when she had, she had always driven toward warmer climates, never further into the mountain range like this. Had she made a mistake coming to unchartered territory? Should she have just gone toward the West and found a city to get lost in?

  She shook her head.

  Chloe was a small-town girl and the thought of ending up in a city was overwhelming. She needed somewhere quiet and unassuming… somewhere no one would ever think to look.

  The snow may have stopped falling, and the harsh cold of Bridge Hollow may not be reaching her, but she could tell Mother Nature was still wanting to play. It was the bleakest of midwinter, and she was driving through mountains she didn’t know, in the middle of the night, with her child in the back seat, sleeping soundly. Suddenly, the gravity of her situation started to hit her, and she felt tears prick the corner of her eyes.

  How had she gotten herself into this mess?

  She reached up and wiped the tears away. Determined not to dwell on what had happened to her over the past year, and even more certain she didn’t want to give him any more of her head space. Her thoughts were swirling like the darkness ahead of her and she blinked as she realized it had started to snow again. The small flakes were flying at the windshield, making her feel as if she were in a spinning tunnel, and she was becoming dizzy.

  She gripped the wheel and sat forward, pressing the breaks slowly to avoid skidding, and to make sure she didn’t become too disorientated in the mix of darkness and snowflakes being caught by her headlights.

  She felt a rumble underneath her, and for a split second, she thought there was a problem with the car. She clenched her teeth and pressed the breaks again, willing the car to stop comfortably as to not wake Harper, but as soon as the motion stilled, she became aware that the rumble was not from the engine but from something further away.

  She felt her mouth gape open as she squinted out into the night. She couldn’t see a whole lot, but she could tell that both sides of the road were steep slopes running up into the mountains, as if the road had been built right through the middle of one. She bit her lip and held her breath, trying not to make a sound.

  The rumble thundered again, and behind her, she was aware of Harper stirring and her little voice calling, “Mom?” before, without warning, their vehicle was pushed forward, a huge rush of snow powering into them from behind.

  Chloe tried her best not to scream but was unsuccessful. Out of instinct, she reached her hand into the back seat to grab hold of Harper, trying to protect her in any way that she could. The car kept sliding forward, and it didn’t stop until they were at least twenty feet from where they had begun.

  It must have only taken seconds to happen, but to Chloe it felt like she had been slipping and sliding for hours. Her heart was pounding, and she was still trying to make sense of what was happening, but once they had come to a stop and she hea
rd a thick crunch as the snow pressed on the roof of the car, she realized what had happened.

  They had been caught in an avalanche.

  She gasped and squeezed hold of Harper’s ankle, barely daring to breathe or move. She held her hand to her lips and stared at her daughter, who, she could tell, also knew the gravity of the situation. It was clear she was too scared to move or speak.

  The car had only just about stopped, and it was still in gear when the snow had hit them. It had pushed them along rather than burying them right away. But now, the whole of the back half of the car was covered, and she could see the dense white that had gripped the windows.

  “Okay,” she whispered almost without a sound. “I need you to move as slowly and as lightly as you can.”

  Harper’s eyes were wide, but Chloe knew she was brave. She nodded her head and unclipped her belt before standing, barely making a sound or any movement in the car whatsoever. She still clutched her stuffed rabbit, and as Chloe held out her arms and pulled her daughter into the front, onto her lap, and held her tightly. She breathed in her scent and thanked God they were both okay.

  The window wipers were still on, and when she peered out the window on her side, she could see the snow had blocked her door too.

  “We’re going to have to climb out this window,” she whispered to Harper.

  She reached for her purse and made sure she had everything inside, she reached back for their coats and bunched them up under her arm. She pressed the button to put down the window and felt relieved when it opened all the way.

  She held Harper and put her feet out first.

  “Move away quietly,” she whispered and pointed ahead to where the road was clear. She wanted them to get the hell out of there as quick as they could, but she didn’t know if there was a chance more snow could fall.

  She pushed the coats out next, hearing them fall to the ground lightly, and then she heaved herself out of the driver’s window, holding her purse and not daring to breathe until she was on solid ground, was holding Harper’s hand, and running as fast and as quietly as they could from where the avalanche had caught them.

  As she looked back at the car, almost completely buried by the snow, she felt her bones begin to shake.

  My God, had they been lucky.

  She squeezed Harper’s hand as she bent down and started to wrap her inside her heavy coat and do up the zipper and buttons, and as she was doing her own, she felt a rumbling again and a gasp escaped her lips.

  She closed her eyes and gripped Harper, but before she had a chance to run, she heard a beeping and saw the headlights, and her stomach seemed to drop with relief as a huge truck came toward them.

  It wasn’t another avalanche. It was the movement of the truck bumping over the road.

  Out of the darkness, someone had found them.

  She ran toward the driver’s door, pulling Harper along, barely able to keep her footing as she slipped across the snowy ground.

  The door opened and she fell into the driver’s arms.

  She didn’t know who this person was… but he had saved them.

  It was as if they had been blessed with a Guardian Angel.

  2.

  “Woah!” The voice was deep and gruff, and as she hugged him tightly, she could feel that he was big and muscular.

  She stepped back, wiping the tears from her face and still clutching Harper’s hand for dear life.

  “Holy shit,” he said. “Were you two in that?”

  It was so dark, and the lights from the truck were blinding as she moved away from him, still not able to see him properly, but she could tell he was looking back at her car.

  “It just came out of nowhere,” she panted. “It swept us along and we just climbed out the window.”

  The man walked around the front of the truck and the lights hit him. Chloe instantly took a step back. He was at least six foot five, with a huge, hulking frame. One that would suggest he could most certainly take care of himself and probably spent a lot of his time in the gym.

  She swallowed and instinctively held Harper a little tighter.

  “Jeez,” he said with a whistle. “You’re damned lucky to be alive.”

  “Tell me about it,” Chloe panted.

  He looked at her and the light from the truck illuminated his face.

  She could see a dark smattering of stubble across his cheeks and chin, and his jawline was strong and chiseled. His eyes glinted, and she caught a flicker of green mixed with the dark brown.

  She swallowed and her heart thumped quickly.

  He smiled at her in sympathy and his perfectly-straight teeth made him even more attractive. Some may even say perfect. She tried to pull her eyes away from him, her head screaming at her that all men were bad news, and this certainly wasn’t the time or the place to be considering anything like that.

  “Are you okay?” he asked genuinely as he reached out and touched her shoulder.

  Chloe was shaking, but she was caught up in his eyes. The way his heavy hand felt on her shoulder seemed to send ripples of excitement to her very core. She nodded her head slowly, hoping she didn’t look like a dumb fool.

  “I think so,” she said, but the cold was starting to grip her, and she could feel little Harper shivering next to her.

  “Where are you heading?” he asked as he took a step closer to the buried car. He was being cautious, as if he could sense there may be another avalanche on its way. Kneeling, he looked ahead, not getting more than twenty feet closer to it.

  “Good question,” she half-laughed.

  And she realized how ridiculous it must sound. How could she even begin to tell this guy she had no clue where she was driving her and her five-year-old to in the middle of the night?

  He looked over his shoulder at her and smirked.

  “All of our stuff is in the trunk,” she said with a groan of realization. She rubbed her forehead and sighed.

  “Well, it’s probably going to be staying there for a while,” he sighed as he rose. “And a plow and tow truck are going to be needed to clear the road and dig the car out.”

  Chloe felt tears sting her eyes again.

  Could this night get any worse?

  Harper clung to her mother’s hand tightly and Chloe could feel that they were ice cold. She couldn’t let her stay out in the dark wilderness for much longer.

  “You look exhausted,” he said as he stepped toward them. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a cellphone. “Here, do you want to call someone?” he asked. “I could give you a ride?” He was being kind, but Chloe could tell he was hesitant, as if he were hoping she would say no to his offer.

  She blinked and looked to the snow-covered ground.

  It was a depressing but sobering thought that she had not a soul in the world she could turn to. She was escaping in secret, and she didn’t want anyone to know where she was. But she didn’t want this guy to know that.

  “It’s okay,” she said, trying to brush it off as nothing. “I’ve already sent a text to my parents and they know where we are. I said I’d just find a motel or something until morning.”

  He smiled and nodded.

  “Do you know of anywhere?” she asked, trying to act natural.

  “Sure,” he said as he moved to the truck, giving her a weak smile as he held out his palms. “I can give you a ride.”

  He stopped in front of them both and smiled down at Harper.

  “You’ve had a pretty exciting night, huh?” he said kindly.

  Harper clung to her mother’s thighs and seemed to slink behind them. She had always been shy around men, so it wasn’t a surprise to Chloe, but after a night like this, it would probably be completely understandable to him too.

  “I’m Mason,” he said as his eyes traveled back to meet hers.

  He offered his hand, and Chloe smiled.

  “Chloe,” she said as she reached out and shook it.

  A tingle rolled through her, a shock of excitement and electricity.
The feeling of the heat from his palm made her heart thump harder and her stomach churn. She felt instantly sparked, as if he was waking something up inside of her.

  His grip was strong and firm, and although his hands were big and so very, very masculine, they weren’t rough or calloused. It was clear, he did take care of himself.

  He was something else.

  Something she couldn’t quite figure out.

  “The closest town is Lone Reach,” he said as he opened the back door for Harper and Chloe. “There’s a good motel there and I know it will have vacancy.”

  “Really?” Chloe asked as she lifted Harper into the back seat before climbing inside and buckling in her daughter. She could see that the truck’s flatbed was covered, and it appeared to have a few things in it. She wondered what he did for a living.

  Mason nodded and closed the door for them, then he walked around to the driver’s seat and got in, the truck sagging with his weight. Closing the door, he turned the heat all the way up. As it blasted through and started to warm them, Harper seemed to relax a little and nuzzled into Chloe as Mason put the truck in reverse and started to back away from their car and the avalanche.

  “Thank you,” Chloe said as she caught his eyes in the rearview mirror. “I can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t been driving out here.”

  “It’s nothing,” he said. “Wrong place wrong time for you, right place right time for me when I found you.”

  His eyes glinted at her as he smiled.

  “I guess,” Chloe laughed.

  “I’ll call the owners of the motel and give them a heads up,” he said as he fiddled with the display in the dashboard, a ringtone booming out over the stereo.

  The call was answered on, what must have been, the fifth ring.

  “Hello?” a voice croaked from the other end.

  “Joe…?” Mason asked.

  “Mason?” the voice said before clearing his throat. “Is everything all right? It’s the middle of the night.”

  “Sorry about that,” he half-laughed. “But there’s been an avalanche up on the mountain road and I’ve just come across a lady and her daughter caught in it.”