Ranger Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 11) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Piracy Notice

  Foreword

  Chapter One – Avery

  Chapter Two – Jacob

  Chapter Three – Avery

  Chapter Four – Jacob

  Chapter Five – Avery

  Chapter Six – Jacob

  Chapter Seven – Avery

  Chapter Eight – Jacob

  Chapter Nine – Avery

  Chapter Ten – Jacob

  Chapter Eleven – Avery

  Chapter Twelve – Jacob

  Chapter Thirteen – Avery

  Chapter Fourteen – Jacob

  Chapter Fifteen – Avery

  Chapter Sixteen – Jacob

  Chapter Seventeen – Avery

  Chapter Eighteen – Jacob

  Epilogue

  Get In Touch

  Also By Harmony Raines

  Ranger Bear

  Return to Bear Creek

  (Book Eleven)

  ***

  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.

  © 2017 Harmony Raines

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  If you obtained this book from anywhere other than Kindle Books it is a STOLEN copy.

  Piracy is a crime.

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  Ranger Bear

  Return to Bear Creek

  (Book Eleven)

  Police officer, Avery, is on the trail of two drug dealers. In an attempt to break up a smuggling ring, she finds herself in the small town of Bear Creek. There is just one problem, she isn’t exactly there in an official capacity. Determined to clear the name of a family friend, and unmask a dirty cop, Avery is determined to succeed.

  However, when the bad guys head into the mountains, she knows she can’t do the job alone. She needs a guide.

  Bear shifter, Jacob, is a mountain ranger, born and bred in Bear Creek, he loves the outdoors, and hates the idea of drug smugglers using the mountain for their deals. When he meets Avery, and discovers she is his mate, this gives him one more reason to team up with the tough female officer. There is only one problem, Avery has no idea he has another side, a side that will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.

  Jacob will fight tooth and claw to bring down the bad guys, but he soon realizes Avery is brave and fearless, and capable of handling herself. Can these two fated mates work together to bring down the bad guys, and make the world a better place? Or will Avery reject him and destroy his dreams of a wife and cubs?

  Chapter One – Avery

  “Hi there, I’m Avery Cooper, I work with the police department over in Holloway County.” Avery flashed her badge at the sheriff, and hoped he wouldn’t ask too many questions. Get the information she needed and get out. That was her plan.

  “Hello, Avery Cooper.” The sheriff smiled. The lips said howdy, the eyes said wary. He wasn’t going to be the backwater sheriff she’d hoped he’d be. “I’m Brad, the sheriff around here. What can I do for you?”

  “I am looking for two men. I have reason to believe they are in Bear Creek.” Avery took out a printout that showed the faces of two men she’d been tracking. “Manny Maxwell and Joe Hislop.”

  Sheriff Brad took a close look at the photos and nodded. “Sure, I’ve seen them.”

  “You have?” Avery had come to Bear Creek expecting to hit blank walls and blank expressions. At last, she might have a breakthrough, something she desperately needed.

  “Yes. They visit Bear Creek every couple of months. Sometimes more often. They were in the bar night before last.” Brad walked over to the coffee pot, and lifted it up. “Coffee? Then we can sit down, and you can tell me why you are looking for these two fellas.”

  Avery didn’t have time for coffee. And she certainly didn’t want to share any more information with Brad. “Sure, coffee would be great.” She smiled sweetly, sat down across the desk from Brad, and breathed away the tension building in her shoulder blades.

  Brad sat down and leaned back in his seat while he assessed her. Men always assessed Avery, trying to see if she was worth their time, if she had the mettle to do her job. It irritated the hell out of her, but she kept her sweet smile on her face. Brad’s eyes narrowed.

  “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” It wasn’t a suggestion.

  Avery tried to control her rising need to get out of there and chase her quarry down. “Look, I don’t need to trouble you with this. All I need is to know where these two guys are.”

  “That’s where we have our first problem,” Brad said easily. “I don’t exactly know where they are.”

  “I thought you said they were here.”

  “The night before last.” Brad nodded. “Now they are somewhere on that mountain, if I’m not mistaken.”

  “Any idea which trail they took?” Avery sipped her too-hot coffee. Manny Maxwell and Joe Hislop already had a head start; she was going to have to move fast if she didn’t want to lose them.

  His eyes appraised her again. “I can ask around.”

  “Thanks.” She shifted in her seat, preparing to leave.

  Brad wasn’t finished with her yet. “Listen, Avery, I can’t just let you go running up into the mountains. You might be an exemplary police officer in Holloway County, but this is Bear Creek, and that mountain is likely to get you killed if you don’t know what you are doing.”

  “Brad, I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” Avery let her smile drop.

  “I’m sure you can, Avery. However, I am not willing to let you leave here and go after two men alone without knowing exactly why. If something happens on that mountain, it is my men, and the men of the mountain rescue team, that will be putting their lives in danger to rescue you.”

  “I appreciate your concern.” She was losing this. She knew it. He was right, of course. She didn’t want any more lives ruined by those two men. “I’m sorry.”

  “Apology accepted.” He nodded and sipped his coffee, then he reached into his drawer and took out a Tupperware tub and opened it up. “Here, my wife makes the best chocolate muffins this side of the mountain.”

  “Thanks.” It was an icebreaker, and Avery appreciated the gesture.

  “Now, from the beginning.” He leaned forward. “This isn’t personal,” Brad added. “But when a police officer comes into my station with a look of vengeance in their eyes, I need to do my job. Which means protect him, or her, from themselves if I have to.”

  Avery relaxed. “I thought it was because I am a woman.”

  “I know you did.” Brad chuckled. “But here in Bear Creek, the women are as strong as the men.” His grin widened. “And if you met Mrs. Sheriff Brad, you would know I am more than well versed in the equality of the species.”

  “Sounds like a great place to live.” Avery ate her muffin. “Oh, this is good, compliments to Mrs. Sheriff Brad.”

  “Well, we’d best not let my wif
e hear me calling her that.” He winked, setting her at ease. Damn, he was good: he’d shared a secret and asked her to keep it. He’d placed his trust in her. Now he expected the same.

  “Our secret.” Avery played along. “So, the beginning. Not too much to tell. These two,” She jabbed her finger at the photo, “are known drug dealers. A friend of mine has been tracking them for months. But he was never able to figure out where they meet with their suppliers.”

  “And you think it’s here in Bear Creek?” Brad shook his head. “Drugs are not a problem in this town.”

  “You have several young offenders living in the area…” She’d done her homework while eating a burger in a roadhouse. You had to love the internet.

  “Who are here to make a fresh start.” Brad’s voice held a low-level warning. “Avery, unless you have any kind of proof one of them is involved, they are going to be kept out of this. I personally know the guys who run the projects employing these people. They would vouch for the employees and I would vouch for my friends. The sheriff’s office is supportive of anything that helps offenders turn their lives around.”

  “A little hostile there, Brad,” Avery pointed out.

  “With good reason. It’s easy to point a finger at an obvious target. These kids are not it. As I said, we do not have a drug problem in Bear Creek.” He shook his head, his forehead creased. “It’s not our style.”

  Avery arched her eyebrows and rocked back on her chair. “Not. Our. Style. That doesn’t mean the problem isn’t there.” Maybe Brad was a small-town cop, after all. He was burying his head in the sand if he figured that his town was unique in any way.

  “Let’s get back to the facts.” Brad drank his coffee and got up for a refill. “More?”

  “No, thanks.” She didn’t need any more of a buzz in her brain. “So the facts are, these two are known dealers. What I am trying to do is track their suppliers. And that led me here.”

  “Do they have records?” Brad settled back down in his chair.

  “Yes, but not for drug dealing. Small-time thieves, that kind of thing. To anyone looking in, they are clean. But they are dealers. Again, small-time, not worth the cost of a formal investigation.” She breathed out the building tension once more.

  That was what Lonnie Parnell, her dad’s old partner on the police force, had been told when he asked for a small task force to investigate Manny Maxwell and Joe Hislop. Just before he’d been suspended from duty. Avery was here to clear his name. However, it was quickly becoming obvious she was in danger of ruining her own career if word of her unauthorized investigation got out. Officially, Avery was on a week’s leave. Unofficially, Avery had possibly gotten herself into some kind of conspiracy that went all the way up the chain of command.

  “But here you are.”

  “Here I am.”

  “OK, so you tracked them to Bear Creek, and I admit they do come here regularly. But all they do is hike into the mountains.” Brad’s frown deepened. “Are you suggesting their dealer meets them in the mountains?”

  “I wasn’t until now.” Avery leaned forward. “Think about it. It is the ideal place for a deal to go down. They hike up there with backpacks, no one checks them, we have no idea what they come back down with. And no one sees them. No one takes any notice, they just blend in.”

  This was sounding more plausible by the second. Even Brad looked halfway to being convinced. He got up and walked to the window facing the mountain. “Do you have backup?”

  Avery winced. “No, I was hoping we could join forces.” She kept her voice even and calm.

  “Join forces?” Brad looked thoughtful as he turned back to face her. “I don’t have the manpower to send someone up there with you. Not without something more concrete. My deputy is on maternity leave, and we run on a skeleton crew as it is.”

  “Let me guess, crime isn’t your style?” Avery only just stopped herself from rolling her eyes. This guy must have blinkers on; there was always crime. You just had to know where to look for it.

  “Correct. Look, we are a close-knit community. Everyone knows everyone. We respect each other. Sure, the kids get up to stuff, but nothing bad. Just letting off steam.” Brad came and sat down opposite her. “How dangerous are these men?”

  Avery shrugged. “Honestly, bar brawls and bullying. But the people supplying them? That I don’t know. Your mountain could be the tip of a large smuggling ring.”

  “Let me think about it,” Brad said, getting up, making sure she knew the conversation was over.

  “Thank you.” Should she risk telling him she was here unofficially? No, Brad had already warned her not to go onto the mountain. If he had an excuse to stop her, then he would.

  She was on her own. He was going to make some phone calls, and she was going to be heading back to Holloway County. Unless she got out of town fast. If she was going to go after her quarry, she was going to have to get herself kitted out with hiking gear, and up on that mountain before nightfall.

  What she needed was a guide, someone who could track.

  “And, Avery? Don’t do anything stupid.” Brad’s words made her falter. His words about other people risking their lives came back to her.

  “I never do.” She smiled and left his office, her conscience nagging at her. Was she letting her personal feelings cloud her judgment?

  As she walked along the street, she gazed at the mountain. She was so close. So damn close.

  She couldn’t let this go.

  Chapter Two – Jacob

  “Hello?” Jacob was a mile away from home. The fact that the call was from the sheriff’s office could only mean one thing: he was about to be called on to climb back up the mountain. He’d love just one cup of fresh coffee first.

  Just one.

  “Hey, Jacob, how are you?” Brad’s voice sounded conversational.

  “I’m good. You?” Jacob answered. He looked out over the valley below to where Bear Creek nestled safely under the watchful eye of the mountain. Shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare, he pinpointed the sheriff’s office in town. A tiny speck in amongst the other buildings, but Jacob was an expert on this view, and could locate any building if asked.

  “Yeah, good.” Brad took in a deep breath. Jacob had worked with Brad a lot of the years. He admired the sheriff professionally and they respected each other. “I’ve had a visit from an out-of-town police officer, Avery Cooper. It appears there is some concern over a couple of hikers who visit us regularly.”

  “Concern in what way?” Jacob asked as he followed the trail back under the trees; the town momentarily disappeared from view.

  “Drugs.”

  “Come on, Brad, it’s not unusual for hikers to take recreational drugs into the mountains. I don’t like it any more than you do, but we can’t have eyes and ears everywhere. As long as they don’t drop their needles, I don’t see what we can do.”

  “This is more than recreational use. The officer, Avery Cooper, is convinced these hikers are small-time dealers. What interests me is that Avery thinks they go into the mountains on a regular basis to meet with a supplier.”

  “OK, now you have my interest.” Jacob stopped walking, his full attention on what Brad had to say.

  “I don’t like the idea of this going on in my town,” Brad began, “let alone the damage these drugs do to people’s lives.”

  “I agree.” Jacob had never felt the urge to dabble in drugs; being a bear shifter was a big enough high for him. There was nothing like the feel of the wind in your face, and dirt in your paws. “But why are you calling me?”

  “I’m short-staffed. I don’t have anyone spare to go off on what could be a wild-goose chase. If Avery has this wrong, then…”

  “Then you don’t want to have to explain away all those extra man-hours,” Jacob finished.

  “Plus, you can track better than anyone in town.” Brad dropped his voice. “I don’t think we’re going to stop Avery going after these guys. What worried me is if they are shifters…�
�

  “And Avery isn’t?” Jacob asked.

  “No. Unless my senses aren’t working as they should.” Brad tapped a pencil on his desk. “I can’t make you do this. I can’t even ask you to do this. But we both know we need to avoid any…trouble.”

  “I understand. Listen, I’m just on my way back from Cougar Ridge. I’m gonna need a shower and a cup of coffee. Then I’ll head over to you.” Jacob started walking again, picking up the pace. He got the feeling Brad was leaving out some information, and he wanted to know what it was, and why. But a cell phone was not the smartest way to share sensitive information. Jacob trusted the sheriff’s judgment. Brad was smart, and good at his job.

  “I appreciate it, Jacob. See you soon.” Brad ended the call, leaving Jacob to muse over their conversation. Who was this Avery Cooper? And what was the deal with these two hikers? Maybe nothing. Jacob had to keep an open mind. Drawing conclusions before you had all the facts was never helpful.

  Damn it. Jacob shifted into his bear, and ran down the trail, ignoring his own rule of only going bear at night. This was important. More than that, if there were drug deals going down on the mountain, on his mountain, he wanted to get to the bottom of it, and end them. The mountain, and the towns surrounding it, were his to look after and defend.

  He ran fast, keeping his senses alert. If he crossed paths with a hunter, he was going to regret shifting, and he didn’t want that to happen. Yet he also felt the sense of urgency left unsaid by Brad.

  His house came into view. It nestled on the side of the mountain, higher up than most of the other dwellings that dotted the lower slopes. He liked the peace and solitude. There was only one thing that would make him leave here. His mate.

  And so far, she had eluded him.

  He shifted back to his human form when he reached his house… House might be a bit too grand to describe his cabin. It was cozy and compact, big enough so he didn’t trip over himself, but small enough that he didn’t have to spend hours each week keeping it clean and tidy. Jacob much preferred to be outside than in. It didn’t matter how hard the rain came down, or how deep the snow piled up, he was an outdoors kind of a guy.