Lonely Bear: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Bear Bluff Clan Book 6) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter One – Chloe

  Chapter Two – Nate

  Chapter Three – Chloe

  Chapter Four – Nate

  Chapter Five – Chloe

  Chapter Six – Nate

  Chapter Seven – Chloe

  Chapter Eight – Nate

  Chapter Nine – Chloe

  Chapter Ten – Nate

  Chapter Eleven – Chloe

  Chapter Twelve – Nate

  Chapter Thirteen – Chloe

  Chapter Fourteen – Nate

  Chapter Fifteen – Chloe

  Chapter Sixteen – Nate

  Chapter Seventeen – Chloe

  Chapter Eighteen – Nate

  Chapter Nineteen – Chloe

  Other Books By Harmony Raines

  Lonely Bear

  Bear Bluff Clan

  (Book Six)

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  Note from the author: My books are written, produced and edited in the UK where spellings and word usage can vary from U.S. English. The use of quotes in dialogue and other punctuation can also differ.

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  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.

  © 2015 Harmony Raines

  Silver Moon Erotica

  Kindle Edition

  Chapter One – Chloe

  Chloe pushed herself harder, trying to climb as high as she could, up into the mountain range above Bear Bluff. She hoped the clear mountain air would seep into her brain and evaporate all the muddled up thoughts going round and round in one continuous loop. It was as if a tornado had started spinning and was now out of control.

  A breathless sob escaped her; she was not going to think about Jerry, her fiancé, anymore. She looked down at the engagement ring on her finger. Ex-fiancé, but she couldn’t bear to take off the ring he had given her. Why? Because to do so would be to shrug off all the hopes and dreams of having a family that she had so carefully cultivated over the last six months.

  She still remembered the day Jerry had proposed to her, dropping down on one knee, and asking those words she had so wanted to hear.

  “Ugh!” she groaned in disgust. “Why do you keep thinking about it?”

  But she couldn’t help it; she felt so stupid. So used. All he had been doing was trying to get on the good side of her father. Date the boss’s daughter to get a job, propose to the boss’s daughter to get a promotion. Then cheat on her when he got a new job and she was no use to him anymore.

  She kicked a loose stone and listened to it skittering down the mountainside behind her. Onwards she climbed; higher up, until everything below was a distant blur, just like her dreams. Tears filled her eyes, but refused to fall. She had cried so much, her face was now permanently red and blotchy. That was why she had come up here: to be alone and think of what lay before her, now her ideal future no longer existed.

  Up ahead, she saw a small clump of trees; she decided to head for them, to gain some shelter and sit down and eat her picnic lunch. Not that she felt like eating, but the climb had taken a lot of energy, and she planned to rest, stay here for a couple of hours to let her head clear in the beautiful still air, and then climb back down.

  She looked at her smart phone, only to check the time—there was no signal up here. No one could contact her; for a few hours she would be offline and not have to field all the questions and recriminations. In some way, she knew her father blamed her. Thought that if Chloe had kept Jerry happy, he would still want to marry her and still work for the firm.

  Oh yes, if only Chloe was trophy wife material, everything would have turned out fine. Instead, Chloe was a woman with too many curves and too many opinions. If only her dad could see that wasn’t a bad thing. Instead of being annoyed with her over Jerry leaving, he might then give her a chance to show her worth. However, she doubted that would ever happen. After her mom died, he had taken a new wife, Charity, and Chloe had been shocked that all her new stepmom was expected to do was look good at parties.

  A thing she doubted she would ever excel at, and it didn’t bother her. Not really.

  Feeling like a failure all-round, she took the last few steps, which would take her onto a game track and then into the trees. Deep in thought, she didn’t see a deer grazing in the shade. Startled, it sprang forward, knocking her over. Her ankle twisted, and she rolled painfully down the steep slope she had just climbed. Small rocks slid before her, creating an avalanche of scree. There was nothing for her to grasp hold of to stop herself from falling. Everything was moving down with her.

  Panic swept over her; she knew she had to stop herself, or she would just keep sliding down. Reaching out, she tried to grab a tree root that had become exposed. It slipped through her hand, tearing the skin, but she couldn’t give up. Then her hurt ankle snagged on a boulder. A searing pain coursed through her, but she kept her foot firmly on it, grabbing whatever she could to stop her fall.

  With a mouth full of dust, and her eyes streaming as they tried to get rid of the dirt, she assessed the situation. Standing was not going to be an option; her ankle hurt too much, and there was a real danger the ground beneath her would start sliding again. No, the only real way she was going to get anywhere was if she crawled, steadily, and with great care, sideways.

  One slow movement at a time, she made her way off the steep slope, which at every move seemed to slide from under her. She no longer fell down at great speed, but still she edged further down, a thing that didn’t worry her, until she realised how far across she had come. A hundred feet below her was a big rock face: sheer, deadly.

  Chloe knew she had to stay calm. There was no one here to help her; she was on her own. Every move now would have to be careful and calculated. Her only problem was the fading light. Glancing back behind her, she could see the sun beginning to go lower in the sky; soon it would be too dangerous to move. But if she didn’t, there was a good chance hypothermia would set in as the temperature dropped.

  “Stay calm,” she told herself again. To keep her mind active she started counting each step, knowing that each time she lifted her foot and slid it across, she was getting one step closer to safety. With these slow, controlled movements, she no longer slipped down towards the rock face, but she knew she was not moving fast enough.

  Tired, her muscles beginning to cramp with the cold, she knew she was in danger. Real danger. However, giving up was not an option, so she kept moving. Inch by inch, she moved herself towards the safety of the grassy bank, which she would be able to crawl along to safety.

  When the prickle of mountain grass, short and tough, tickled her fingertips, she could have cried. Slowly, not allowing the euphoria of safety to make her risk a wrong move, she pulled herself onto the springy grass. There she collapsed, her whole body trembling.

  Pushing herself up, she crawled on her hands and knees, finding a path that led downwards, but there was no way she would have the strength to get herself out of this mess before dark covered the mountain completely. Her best bet would be to find a place to rest for the night, maybe a dip in the ground she could crawl into.
Then she could cover herself with leaves: anything to keep herself warm. Cold was now her biggest danger, and the first bone-shaking shiver passed through her body, confirming her fear.

  Resting for a moment, she sat on the grass, feeling the dew start to seep into her jeans. She couldn’t stop here for long, but she wanted to check if she was far enough down the mountain to pick up a signal on her phone. If she was, she could call the police and they would get mountain rescue up here to find her.

  It all seemed ridiculous really, the thought of a rescue party coming up the mountain to find her. It was not as if the mountain was that difficult a climb, at this level. It was more that her luck had gone against her once more. As she swallowed a strangled sob, knowing she didn’t have the strength left in her to cry and to crawl, she began the slow descent.

  She could hear her father now, telling her how stupid she was. This stunt, coming up the mountain alone, was just like her. Chloe knew her father thought she should have done whatever it took to keep hold of Jerry. This kind of behaviour was the reason he had gone off with another woman, and got himself another job. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if she just stayed here; it meant she wouldn’t have to face the world. Wouldn’t have to listen to her father, or go through the embarrassment of cancelling the wedding reception and the caterers.

  “Damn it,” she shouted, pulling herself along, there was no way she was just going to give up. If anything, this was her chance to shine, to take back control of her life. Yes, she wanted to settle down and have kids. But if that wasn’t how things were going to work out, then she would find something else to do. Perhaps move away from the area and start again on her own terms.

  Slowly, painfully, she made her way down the mountain, as the light gradually faded from the sky. The temperature dropped, but all she could think was how beautiful the sunset was. While her hands became more cut up and more bruises appeared on her knees, she kept her eyes resolutely on the ground in front of her and crawled on.

  Chapter Two – Nate

  Nate finished chopping the stack of wood he had been methodically working his way through all day. A tree had come down in the forest two days ago; he had hauled it here—well, with a little help from his bear. Now it was split into manageable pieces, ready for the cold winter nights. And the nights did get cold up here. The mountain slopes became impassable, and civilisation went its way without him for three months of the year.

  Thinking about it, civilisation went on without him for twelve months of the year. Ever since he had seen his mate, and realised she was going to get married to another man. Maybe it was cowardice, he wasn’t sure. But there was no way he was going to go up to her and tell her she was the woman for him. The only woman for him. Not when she had another man’s ring on her finger. So he had taken to a life of solitude, high up in the mountains. Bears were, after all, solitary creatures.

  Yet the yearning to be with his mate, to make love to her under the stars and have cubs running around at his feet, was sometimes too much.

  He sighed, picking up his axe and taking it to the tool shed, where he cleaned it and sharpened the blade, before storing it in its place. Glancing around the shed, he felt some satisfaction at the life he had built for himself here. It might not be what he wanted; it certainly wasn’t perfect. But what other choice did he have?

  Going back outside, he took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the sweet, clear mountain air. Tonight he would run. His bear would have the freedom it craved. Maybe it would get rid of some of the kinks in his shoulders caused by all the work he had put in over the last couple of days to get his wood store filled. Or maybe it would just stop him thinking of his mate.

  Nope. It wouldn’t, because he was certain his bear craved his mate even more. There were times when he went all-animal, when he would find himself just sitting on a log pile somewhere, watching the sunrise, on another morning after a night of no sleep. He would just be dreaming of her and the life they should have together.

  That life was getting further and further away from him. In one month’s time, she would be walking down the aisle with her fiancé, completely unaware of his breaking heart. In fact, he was fairly certain she didn’t know he existed at all. He was there with a friend, Olivia, at the engagement party. The shock of seeing his woman with another man, a man she intended to marry, was too much, and he had bailed.

  Whenever he went back to civilisation, he always found himself having to check up on how the marriage arrangements were going. His friend, the delectable Olivia, whom he knew had a crush on him but was not his mate, was one of the bridesmaids. But his visits were getting less frequent as the wedding date drew near, and once his mate was married, he knew he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to go into Bear Bluff at all.

  Yes, it seemed as though a move was on the horizon. He just had to find the strength to drag himself away.

  Chapter Three – Chloe

  So cold now that her teeth permanently chattered, she tried to curl up into a ball, tucking her hands under her clothes. Anything to get some warmth back into her throbbing hands, but at least if they were frozen, they wouldn’t hurt so much. Chloe lay with her eyes open, watching the stars come out one by one above her head and wondered what had happened to her quiet, ordered life of yesterday.

  In one fateful, unexpected visit to Jerry’s apartment, her world had come crashing down, in the same way she had crashed down the mountainside. But how could things be so bad when the sky was so beautiful? Behind the mountain, the moon put in its first appearance, cresting the peaks to slide across the sky. Slowly, she felt her strength evaporating and knew that tomorrow, if she made it to tomorrow, was going to be even more difficult than today.

  But she would get through it. If she wasn’t eaten alive!

  She lifted her head; in the distance, she heard a bear, its sorrowful cry echoing around the mountains. Now that was going to be a problem. Sitting up, she looked around, but she already knew there was no place of safety up here. She was too exposed, and it was much too dangerous to try to move from here. No, there was nothing else for it: she had to sit out the night and hope the bear went off in a different direction.

  Bears, as far as she knew, were relatively rare even up here, seldom seen—and certainly, bear attacks on people were unheard of in Bear Bluff. Great: she might be the first. Well, at least her father would get some publicity from it. She might actually be worth more to him dead, chewed up by a bear, than alive, minus a fiancé.

  The call sounded nearer, or was that just her imagination? She hunkered down, trying to disappear into the night as she crouched low, not even daring to look up and more scared than she had ever been in her life. This put the whole episode with Jerry into perspective. She could live without him. She would live without him.

  She just wanted to live.

  The roar came again, but the pitch had changed: it no longer sounded like a pitiful call to the lonely night. Now it sounded more hopeful.

  Probably because it can scent its next meal, she thought. Frantically, figuring it was worth one last try, she looked around, searching for an escape route. But the light of the moon wasn’t enough for her to be able to see anything by. Then her heart stopped beating. The bear was close. How the hell had it got here so fast? Or was there more than one?

  Keeping very still, she listened, her breath caught in her throat as she waited for whatever was to come. A small cry tried to escape, but she swallowed it down, just as the first small avalanche of stones tumbled down the slope above, the same slope she had slid down only an hour ago. Something was on her trail.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to blank out her terror. All she could do was stay silent and hope that the thing would slip down the slope. Even better, it might fall over the sheer rock face, to its ultimate doom. But the small stones continued to trickle down, and now there was the definite sound of an animal, a bear, snuffling around only feet away from her.

  Then it began moving away.

  Still
not daring to let out her breath, she screwed her eyes up, the beat of her heart so loud in her ears she though the bear must surely hear it and return. But slowly, the silence closed back in around her and she began to feel safe. Or as safe as she could ever feel when she was so exposed on the side of a mountain.

  When she was finally satisfied the creature had gone, she carefully opened her pack and chewed on the last of the food she had brought with her, washing it down with two mouthfuls of water. She knew that tomorrow she had to get out of here or the mountain would be her doom. With this in mind, she needed sleep, and although she thought it would be impossible, the cold soon seeped into her bones and she closed her eyes and shut out the world.

  A dream came to her. A man: his voice deep, sexy, and concerned. It was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her ear; he whispered comforting words to her, and she murmured something in return. Then she was being lifted, leaning against his chest as he carried her, the warmth of his body spreading fire through her veins, where before there had been only ice.

  Deeper she snuggled against him, wanting his whole body to wrap around her like a warm comforter. If this was a dream, she wanted to stay here for the rest of the night. Tomorrow would be the time for worry and pain. Right now, she was safe and warm. She didn’t want to go back to the dark, cold mountain. Yet something in her told her she had to go back. Wasn’t that what you were supposed to do, when you were hypothermic, stay awake?

  She fought the darkness, slowly coming to. But then she began to realise she was awake, or at least half-awake, and that she was no longer on the cold side of the mountain. At least she was, but now she was moving up the mountain, in the strong arms of … what?

  A moment of panic covered her. Some creature had got hold of her and was making off with her. Fighting to gain control of her body, she began to struggle.

  “Let go. Put me down.” She placed her hands on his chest and tried to push herself away, but his arms closed in around her.