P.I. Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 7) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Chapter One – Lia

  Chapter Two – Sam

  Chapter Three – Lia

  Chapter Four – Sam

  Chapter Five – Lia

  Chapter Six – Sam

  Chapter Seven – Lia

  Chapter Eight – Sam

  Chapter Nine – Lia

  Chapter Ten – Sam

  Chapter Eleven – Lia

  Chapter Twelve – Sam

  Chapter Thirteen – Lia

  Chapter Fourteen – Sam

  Chapter Fifteen – Lia

  Chapter Sixteen – Sam

  Epilogue

  Get In Touch

  Also By Harmony Raines

  P.I. Bear

  Return to Bear Creek

  (Book Seven)

  ***

  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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  P.I. Bear

  Bear shifter, Lia Rivers, is on the run. Falsely accused of theft, she arrives in Bear Creek with plans to disappear into the mountains for a few weeks. Instead, she takes a job at the local newspaper. There she meets Sam Spencer, a private investigator, who threatens to make her go weak at the knees, and a few other places…

  However, she hates the idea of putting him in danger and keeps the truth from him. But her past is threatening her future, and Lia begins to understand that to be truly free, they will have to work together to figure out who set her up.

  Sam Spencer loves his job as a private investigator. Helping people is what he does, even if the pay isn’t great. Yeah, he’s got a soft spot for those in need. He has an even softer spot for the woman who just entered his life. So what if she attacked him with a broom, whilst screaming like a banshee! She is his—and nothing is going to change that fact.

  Not even the secret she is hiding from him.

  Chapter One – Lia

  “And these are your rescheduled appointments.” Lia set a printed list down on the desk in front of Theo.

  “Rescheduled?” Theo asked, looking down at them with concern etched into his features.

  “Yes, I rearranged them to cut down on the travel times.” Lia stood up straight, cursing her need to interfere. She should have simply done the job she was given. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  Theo’s frown disappeared as he scanned the page, then his face broke into a grin. “Mind?” He got up and gave her an inappropriate kiss on the cheek, which made her blush. If another man had kissed her, she would have sued for sexual harassment, but Theo was very happily mated. Which was why he was so pleased with his new schedule. “Are you kidding? I get half an hour for lunch and get home an hour early.”

  Lia lowered her voice to a conspiratorial level. “You also have time to meet Fern for mid-morning coffee.”

  “How did I ever manage without you?” Theo asked.

  “You ran around like a headless chicken,” Teagan said, walking into the office, looking as if she had hardly slept. “If you can rearrange my son’s sleeping habits so I can get more than three hours sleep at a time, I would marry you myself.”

  “I’ll get you some coffee,” Lia said sympathetically.

  “I’ve already had two cups. Caffeine is no longer working.” Teagan slumped down in her chair and rested her head on the desk.

  Theo glanced across to Lia, who nodded. “Lia and I have been talking.”

  Teagan lifted her head up, bleary-eyed, as she tried to focus on Theo. “About what?”

  “About rearranging your office.” Theo stalled.

  “You and Lia have been discussing my office?” Teagan looked down at her desk. “There is nothing to rearrange. This is my office.”

  Theo linked his arm under Teagan’s. “But what if we make this your office.” He pulled her up and guided her out of the room and down the corridor.

  “The store room?” Teagan asked.

  “We can clear out another room to use for storage, and Lia has offered to do inventory and rearrange the supplies in a way that makes it easier for us to find what we need.” Theo was gushing. Lia might just as well pack up her desk now. Teagan had always eyed Lia with some degree of uncertainty, and this might just push her over the edge. Damn her own interfering ways. She should have just done the job she was hired to do. It was simple. She was a secretary, nothing else.

  “Lia wants to stick me in the store room?” Teagan asked.

  And take over some of your office duties. Lia could hear the words coming from Theo’s mouth, and the response he would get from Teagan.

  “We could put a fold-out bed in there,” Theo said gently. “If you would rather we call it a rest room, we can go with that.”

  Teagan promptly burst into tears. “I’m a failure. I can’t juggle both jobs. I’m a crap reporter and a terrible mother.”

  “Teagan, that is not true,” Theo wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. “You are tired. A couple of good nights of sleep and you will be firing on all cylinders.”

  “Firing? Are you firing me?” Teagan asked.

  “Never.” Theo guided Teagan back to her desk. “We just want to make it easier for you. Lia said a power nap in the day used to work wonders for her old boss.”

  Teagan looked up at Lia, who smiled weakly, knowing her job was in the balance. She’d threatened another woman’s domain. That never ended well. She knew so from experience.

  “Thanks, Lia,” Teagan said brightly. “It was very thoughtful of you.”

  Theo sighed. “Think about it.” He looked at the clock. “I have to go. Will you be OK?”

  “Yes. I’ll be fine,” Teagan said unconvincingly. “Just fine.”

  “Here,” Lia said, handing Teagan her coffee as Theo grabbed his stuff and left the office.

  “Bye, ladies.” Theo gave a wave and disappeared out of the door.

  Teagan sipped her coffee and groaned in approval. “Just how I like it.”

  “Is there anything else I can get you?” Lia asked, backing away. She wanted to put some distance between her and Teagan. Preferably a distance with a wall between them. Out of sight, out of mind.

  “No. I’m good.” Teagan studied Lia, appraising her as she inched away. “I appreciate what you are doing.”

  Lia smiled weakly. “I get carried away.” Honesty had always been her best policy.

  And look where that got us, her bear said with a slice of sarcasm served on the side.

  “The office is performing a lot more efficiently since you started working for the newspaper,” Teagan admitted.

  “I like it here.” Lia’s smile widened. “I really like it here. In Bear Creek, I mean.”

  “So what brings you to our small town?” Teagan asked.

  “The mountains,” Lia answered. It was half true.

  “The mountains? There are plenty of bigger towns, with moun
tains nearby.”

  “There are?” Lia admitted.

  “I’m just surprised someone with your obvious capabilities is happy to take a job with a small-town newspaper.” And there it was...

  Lia walked over to Teagan and sat down in the chair opposite her. “I’ll be honest, Teagan. It would not be my first choice. At least, not until I started working here. You have heart, something that is severely lacking in big business corporations.”

  “That does not answer my question.” Teagan finished her coffee and put her cup down, her eyes more focused, sharper. “What are you running from, Lia?”

  Lia pulled back as if slapped across the face. “What makes you think I am running from anything?”

  “Your reaction just about confirmed it,” Teagan said. She smiled kindly. “You are new in town, my guess is you don’t have many friends, yet. I just want you to know, if you need someone to talk to, I am here. You can tell me whatever you want, in confidence, and I won’t tell. Unless you have committed some heinous crime.”

  It was meant as a joke, but Teagan had no idea how close to the truth she was. “Thanks, Teagan.” Lia took a shuddering breath. “But I’m not ready. Not yet.”

  Teagan put her hand over Lia’s and squeezed it lightly. “When you are, I am here. Day or night, according to my son.”

  Lia smiled. “At least you still have your sense of humor.”

  “I think anyone who thinks having a baby is a good idea must have a sense of humor. Or no sense at all. I’m not sure which.” Teagan switched her computer on and a picture of her two children appeared. “They even follow me to work.” She reached out and stroked the image of her elder son cuddling his new baby brother.

  “You love them very much. It shows.” Lia said, getting up from her chair and getting a refill for Teagan. She paused, coffee pot in hand. “Are you still breastfeeding?”

  “I am. I express the milk for when I leave Joshua and Billy with Cal’s mom.”

  Lia put the coffee pot back down. “You know, caffeine might be the problem.” What? Was she playing doctors now?

  Teagan put her face in her hands. “How stupid of me. I’ve been poisoning my child.”

  “Hey, it’s OK. Look, I’ll run out and get you some decaf.”

  “I don’t know how I’ll get through the day without coffee,” Teagan said in despair.

  “I know just the thing.” She gave Teagan a reassuring smile. “And take Theo up on the office idea. Even if you only go in there for a nap. It will make all the difference.”

  “Joshua has just grown out of his afternoon nap, and now you are telling me I need one.” Teagan shook her head. “I am officially a child again.”

  “Hey, don’t knock it. Like I said, my old boss used to swear by them.” Lia collected her purse and headed for the door, pushing thoughts of her old boss out of her mind. If she wasn’t careful, Teagan wouldn’t be the only one not sleeping. “Do you need anything else while I’m out?”

  “Am I allowed chocolate?” Teagan asked hopefully.

  “I think so.” Lia slipped out of the office and into the fresh air. Nothing was as sweet as the first hint of summer on the mountain air. Not that she knew these mountains very well, not yet. However, Lia had grown up in a small town similar to Bear Creek, on the fringes of another mountain range.

  A stab of homesickness pierced her heart. She would not be going home for a while. It wasn’t safe. Her father, Frasier, had called her a couple of weeks ago to tell her some men with foreign accents had been sniffing around town and asking questions about Lia. He’d warned Lia to stay away, not asking why she was on the run. He believed in her and trusted her. He also knew that the less knowledge he had, the better, for both himself and Lia.

  Despite everything, Lia knew that if she picked up the phone and asked for help, both her parents would be there by her side, quick as a flash.

  Casting off the shadows that haunted her, Lia left the newspaper offices behind and walked to the local store. As she stopped to cross the street, a strange sensation crept through her. Her heart rate increased, and her breathing grew rapid.

  They had found her. Lia looked around frantically, but couldn’t see anyone. Taking no chances, she jogged across the road, grateful for the flat shoes she wore everywhere. Well, you could not run in fashionably high-heeled shoes. And one day soon she would have to run, she was sure of it.

  They would find her. Whoever they were. And take her back to Mr. Delamere, who would doubtless hand her over to the police, who would arrest her, since there was no way she could prove she was not the person who stole from him. After all, the evidence all pointed to her.

  Oh yeah, somehow, someone had framed her perfectly. And she had no idea who that someone was. No idea who would want to ruin her life. There were no skeletons in her closet, no vengeful exes. She’d worked hard and always been supportive of Mr. Delamere. He’d called her his rock. Now he called her thief. He believed the evidence.

  That was the most frustrating part of all of this. The unknown. The thing someone else knew, and she didn’t.

  Entering the store, she took a last look over her shoulder. If there had been someone there, they had gone, along with the feeling that had unnerved her.

  Chapter Two – Sam

  “Are you OK, Sam?” Nevis asked as they walked into the Bear Creek News offices. “You look a little peaky.”

  Sam looked down at Nevis, but then Sam looked down on everyone. Even for a bear shifter, he was huge. He only hoped that when he found his mate, she would not be vertically challenged. He smiled. Wasn’t he vertically challenged in his own way? Didn’t every time he walked into a room, after ducking through the doorway, prove that point?

  It was a surprise to his Mom that he had not suffered permanent brain damage from all the things he had walked into. Since puberty onwards, he had never met a doorframe he didn’t have to duck under.

  “I’m OK. Something came over me, but I’m good now.” Sam held the door open and let Nevis go inside first, before following, remembering out of habit to duck his head as he did.

  “Something came over you? What kind of something?” Nevis asked.

  “The kind of something that makes me think I should not have had that prawn salad I found in the back of my fridge last night.” It wasn’t the prawns. Sam knew that for sure, but he didn’t want to be asked a hundred questions. That, after all, was Sam’s job. As a private investigator, he was good at getting information out of people. The skill was to not reveal too much about yourself in return. Not your true self, at least. However, he often made up characters and back stories to hide his true self and his true purpose. He’d posed as an electrician, a plumber, a schoolteacher… The list was long and varied.

  “Hey, Teagan.” Nevis stopped in his tracks and motioned to Sam to follow him. “She’s asleep. Poor thing,” Nevis whispered. “Makes me realize how lucky Chrysi and I are to have a child that sleeps through the night.”

  “I wouldn’t mind a child that stays up all night,” Sam confided. “But until I find my mate, I let my clients keep me up instead.” That wasn’t part of an act; he truly wanted a mate and a family. And there was no need to ask his mom if she wanted a son who was married off and producing grandkids, it was the first thing she asked whenever they spoke on the phone.

  “Speaking of which, what can I help you with?” Nevis asked.

  “I wanted to put a missing person ad in the paper,” Sam said, pulling a tattered photograph out of his pocket.

  “That isn’t my department,” Nevis said.

  “I know, but the photo isn’t great. I wondered if you could clean it up.”

  “Let me take a look,” Nevis said, turning it over and then looking at it closely. “A little worn.”

  “Yeah. It’s the best the guy, Lenny Grimes, had.” The photograph reminded him of Lenny, worn and tattered: his sister’s disappearance a couple of weeks ago had knocked the stuffing out of him.

  “I’ll see what I can do,” N
evis said.

  “They are cat shifters. And while he has plenty of photographs of his sister when she’s a cat, this is the only one he has of her in her human form. The guy is a little screwy.” Sam held up his hands. “Not that I am the kind of man who discriminates.”

  “So what is the case?” Nevis asked, putting the photo into the scanner. It was a picture of his sister when she had been a bridesmaid, Lenny had been all around Cougar Ridge asking if anyone had seen her, hence the worn and tattered state of the photograph.

  “Lenny’s from over in Cougar Ridge.”

  “And?” Nevis asked, encouraging Sam to talk. Nevis was often fascinated by Sam’s cases. The two men would often talk over the clues, and come up with theories. Those cases Sam was free to talk about, at least. Some of Sam’s clients asked for, and received, complete confidentiality.

  “And he reported his sister, Ophelia Grimes, missing two weeks ago. She simply disappeared, car and everything.”

  “He’s reported it to the sheriff?” Nevis asked.

  “Sheriff in Cougar Ridge doesn’t have a clue what happened. I talked to him, but he thinks Ophelia maybe found her mate and left her brother behind. Drove to work and never came home. No car, no note, no witnesses. She’s been looking after Lenny for years, no one knows their history. You know what it’s like over in Cougar Ridge, as long as you don’t bother anyone else, no one asks questions.”

  “So why did you take the case?” Nevis cocked his head, trying to read Sam’s expression. “I’m guessing Grimes doesn’t have a fortune squirreled away from which he has offered to pay you willingly?”

  Sam chuckled and shook his head. “You would not be wrong there, my friend.”

  “Then why?” Nevis asked.

  “Because.”

  “Because what?” Nevis asked.

  “Because I lost someone once. I don’t mean dead, I mean lost. There one minute and gone the next.” Sam had never shared his own story with Nevis. Hell, he didn’t share his story with anyone. He was a private person, but he liked and trusted Nevis.