Love to the Rescue: Steamy Small Town Romance (Officers to Love Book 2)

by Marie Carnay

  Love to the Rescue

  Marie Carnay

  Contents

  Copyright

  Love to the Rescue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  Also by Marie Carnay

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2016 by Marie Carnay. Cover and internal design © by Marie Carnay. Cover image copyright © Deposit Photos, 2016.

  All rights reserved. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  The use of stock photo images in this e-book in no way imply that the models depicted personally endorse, condone, or engage in the fictional conduct depicted herein, expressly or by implication. The person(s) depicted are models and are used for illustrative purposes only.

  This book is for sale to mature, adult audiences only. It contains sexually explicit situations and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store this e-book where it cannot be accessed by minors.

  Love to the Rescue

  A curvy photographer, a sexy state trooper, and a raging river between them. Finding love never comes easy.

  When State Trooper Grant stumbles across a sexy photographer traipsing through the Alaskan wild, he’s caught off-guard. He’d given up finding love, but one look at her and he knows she could be the one. The only catch? She’s two steps into a swift river with a growling bear on the other side.

  One misstep and Keira’s tumbling into the icy current. Water rips her downstream and before she knows it, she’s kissing her life goodbye. When she wakes up in a gorgeous trooper’s cabin—wearing nothing but wet underwear and a blanket—the real fun begins.

  Can Grant convince her they’re meant to be together? Or will a devious hunter ruin everything before it starts?

  Book two in the Officers to Love series of steamy, standalone novellas by Marie Carnay.

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  1

  Grant checked his watch. I’m calling it. With a few hours left of bright summer sun and no reports of suspicious activity for days, he could take the afternoon off. A couple mile hike, a night in his cabin, and he’d feel like a new man.

  “Grant? You still in the park? Come back.” The radio on his dashboard crackled and he frowned. He should have known.

  He pulled to the side of the road and brought the mic to his lips. “I’m here. Just headed back into town.”

  Betsy’s voice came back to him. “Got a call from Cooper Smith. He just came in on a flight from Anchorage. Noticed a suspicious boat out on the river on the south side of the park.”

  Cooper Smith ran a busy trade taking tourists on flights to and from Pinetree and the larger cities. He’d been a friend to the Wildlife Troopers since before Grant earned his badge. If Cooper said the boat was suspicious, someone needed to follow up. Today, that someone was him. The hike would have to wait.

  “Send me the coordinates.” Grant spun the wheel on the State-owned Jeep. “I’ll check it out.”

  “Ten-four.” Typical Betsy. The woman had worked the front desk of the Pinetree office for over twenty years. The woman was all business, all the time.

  His phone buzzed and he checked the location Betsy had sent over. Two miles into the park, foot access only. Guess he was getting that hike after all. He turned on his lights, punched the accelerator, and pulled into the parking lot of the visitor’s center a few minutes later.

  A quick check with the trooper on duty and he’d be on his way. He hopped out of his Jeep, hustled up the front steps, swung open the door and careened smack into the sexiest pair of tits he’d seen in months.

  Hello.

  Long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Ripstop pants that couldn’t hide her full hips. Flannel shirt open a button too far. Damn. She wasn’t Pinetree material, that was for sure.

  The woman flushed red and stepped back. “Sorry. I guess I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

  Grant tried not to smile. “You probably want to work on that if you’re headed into the park. Might get you in trouble.”

  He’d hoped for a laugh, maybe a sparkle in her brown eyes. Instead, he got the single raised eyebrow, the oh really look, and enough attitude to tell him she wasn’t a woman who took anything lying down. Except maybe a State Trooper with a charming grin.

  He tried again, grin and all. “Grant Wilcox.”

  She shook his hand with a frown. “Keira Thomas.”

  “Nice to meet you, Keira.” Mmm. The name sounded good on his lips. “You backpacking alone?”

  She nodded. “For a week.”

  Grant opened his mouth to caution her about the grizzlies, but a voice from inside the visitor’s center cut him off.

  “You done chatting up the pretty lady, yet? Cause I’ve got to shove off.”

  Killian. Of course. Grant smiled again at Keira and stepped around her. “Duty calls. Be safe out there.”

  She nodded and Grant walked inside. When the door swung shut behind him, he pointed at the other trooper. “You really need to bust my balls over that?”

  Killian shrugged. All bravado and brawn, Killian Ross was the ladies’ man of the Pinetree division. He’d bagged more women in the state than anyone Grant had ever known. He didn’t need to set his sights on a tourist who’d only be there for a week.

  Neither did Grant, for that matter. His job came first. Women second. Getting distracted by a gorgeous brunette with curves he could squeeze all night wouldn’t get his work done.

  He frowned as Killian waved him over.

  “Just giving you a hard time, man. Lighten up.”

  “Bygones. What you got for me?”

  “Cooper called it in about an hour ago. She radioed you to check it out?”

  “She did.” Grant took off his hat and hung it on the closest hook.

  Killian pointed at a map he’d spread out on the counter. “It was over by the falls. The description of the boat sounded like one of Dwayne’s rentals.”

  Dwayne Richards was one of Pinetree’s local guides, but one whom the troopers had long suspected of having ties to illegal poaching expeditions in the park. They’d been waiting for him to make a wrong move so they could send him up on charges once and for all.

  Grant leaned on the counter. “What made Cooper call it in?”

  There had been an upsurge in reports of grizzlies and other more dangerous wildlife around the park over the last few weeks. The winter had been particularly harsh this year and spring a long time coming. The animals were moving further toward the populated areas looking for food. That meant it was a dangerous time for the park’s visitors and a boom time for poachers.

  “He said there was a tarp covering half the boat. Figured we might want to make sure there wasn’t anything interesting underneath it.”

  “Like a moose.”

  Killian nodded.

  “Cooper’s a good man.” He’d always disliked Dwayne as much as the troopers did. “I’ll check it out.” He put his hat back on and took a few steps before turning back around. He knew he should keep his mouth shut, but he couldn’t help it. “You talk to
that woman who just left?”

  Killian grinned. “Mister Block of Ice see something he liked?”

  Grant scowled. Just because he wasn’t chasing the tail of every woman in town, Killian loved giving him a hard time. “I’m asking because of the grizzly activity. She didn’t have a guide with her. Is she familiar with the area?”

  “Naw. She’s a city girl.”

  Grant’s eyes went wide. “What? And she’s backpacking alone?” That was a recipe for disaster.

  Killian shrugged. “Wasn’t interested in a guide. She came up with Cooper from Anchorage on his last run. Said something about photographs and catching some good shots in the late afternoon sun. Beverly ran her through a map of the best places where she might catch some of the safer wildlife, and then sent her on her way.”

  Great. With Beverly in charge, nothing could go wrong. “It’s risky as hell. You should have stopped her.”

  Killian grinned. “You could always check on her. She’s driving a little rental car—one of those tiny Subarus from George’s Garage. I’m sure Beverly would live to give you the 411.”

  Grant refused to rise to the bait. Beverly May was the last woman he wanted to see and Killian damn well knew it. He motioned toward the map. “Keep your radio on in case I find anything.”

  “Including that hot little backpacker?”

  Grant rolled his eyes and turned toward the door.

  “Well, if it isn’t Grant Wilcox. Long time no see, stranger.”

  Oh, God. The day just kept getting better. “Hi Beverly.”

  Grant had made the colossal mistake of going out on a handful of dates with Beverly May, the information desk woman. She was cute enough—blonde hair, pleasant smile—but a couple of dinners at his mom’s diner and an awkward roll in the hay didn’t spell forever to Grant. To Beverly, though? Grant was pretty sure the woman had already picked out their wedding china.

  He flashed her a stiff smile. “Just on my way out. Got a lead to check out.”

  “I haven’t been able to get you on the phone to schedule our next date.” She pouted and he swallowed down a wave of regret.

  “I’ve been busy.” He didn’t slow down. The door was just a few feet away.

  “Grant.” Beverly touched his arm as he moved by. “I thought we had fun the last time we were together.”

  Her emphasis on the word ‘together’ made Grant wince. Sleeping with her was up in the top five stupidest things he’d ever done. He glanced up a Killian. The man was trying to stifle a laugh so hard, his whole body shook. Shoot me now.

  Grant turned back to Beverly. “I’ve been busy.” He tugged his arm out of her grip and hustled to the door. He didn’t look back.

  Getting caught in Beverly’s claws would be worse than tangling with a grizzly. He’d known that going in, and he’d still let things go too far. That was his fault, and he had to figure out a way to fix it. It was bad enough that she’d already spread it around half the town that the two of them were exclusive. Normally, he couldn’t care less what other people thought, but when his mother brought it up, he knew the woman had gone too far.

  He hopped into his Jeep and backed out of the lot, shoving Beverly to the back of his mind. Grant had a job to do. Twenty minutes later, he turned into the interior-most parking lot in the park. He’d be hiking the rest of the way to the river.

  As he pulled his gear out of the back, another car caught his eye. Shit. He shoved on his hiking boots and hustled over to the little blue hatchback. A decal for George’s Rentals was stuck on the back. Grant peered in through the windows.

  A map, bottle of water, and what looked like camera gear. Keira. This part of the park already had multiple reports of grizzlies that spring. She shouldn’t be there.

  He should be focused on the suspicious boat and possibly catching Dwayne in the act. But the thought of her out there…alone. Unease roiled through his gut. If she were a city girl like Killian said, there’s no telling how she’d react to a bear sighting. He needed to find her.

  Grant jogged back to his vehicle, grabbed his pack and checked his GPS. The place where Cooper had reported sighting the boat was about a forty-five minute hike into the woods. With any luck, he’d run into Keira on the way.

  She didn’t have much of a head start on him on the trail. He’d run into her as long as she stuck to it. He scowled. She’d had that innocent self-confidence that said she’d be headstrong and foolish. Would she be so reckless as to tangle with a grizzly?

  Grant’s thoughts were unfocused as he headed down the trail and into the woods. Normally, this was the best part of his job. Getting out in the wild. Nothing but tundra and clear sky and the tree line. Wildflowers and sunsets. Caribou and moose.

  He’d grown up in Pinetree and knew the park better than most city dwellers knew the square mile around their homes. With the whole world laid out before him, he could take hold of it and make it whatever he wanted.

  Today, though, one buxom brunette was occupying all his thoughts. He’d make a quick scout for the boat by the river, and then he’d concentrate on finding her.

  2

  One foot in front of the other. That’s all hiking was. Keira pushed a damp lock of hair off her face and took another step. I can do this. She might not be the poster child for solo backpacking in the Alaska wilderness, but that wasn’t going to stop her.

  She’d spent months researching this trip—planning, preparing, hiking around the neighborhood with a pack on her back. She looked like a complete idiot in the middle of Seattle while she sweated her way toward this goal.

  No wussing out now. She’d spent a good chunk of her savings on getting to this remote state park and she wasn’t going to waste it by turning around. Not a chance.

  She yanked her pack higher on her back and dug out her camera. If she were going to transition into nature photography, she probably should take a few pictures. The mountains would be a start.

  Position, fix the settings, check the light. Click, click, click. Keira glanced at the last photo as it popped up on her display. Promising. Better than steaming piles of spaghetti or crisp salad a minute before it wilted. She’d made her hobby into a business by taking pictures of every kind of food imaginable. But even a curvy girl who loved spicy carbonara could get sick of staring at it eight hours every single day.

  Branching out was just what she needed. And not into fashion. No way. Taking shot after shot of sixteen-year-old models in the latest swimwear? No, thank you. She’d rather smother herself in gluten-free pizza crust. But nature? Out in the wild? Just her and her camera and hopefully some caribou? Sounded dreamy.

  Well, it did back home in Seattle. Now it felt dirty and sweaty and a little bit rank. Thank goodness she hadn’t hired a guide. The thought had crossed her mind—hire a sexy, strapping man to ogle as she hiked through the wilderness. Maybe get lucky.

  That trooper back at the visitor center had even asked her about it. But she could handle herself. She’d been on her own for how long?

  Besides, one glance in the mirror at her moisture-wicking boy shorts and sports bra combo had settled her mind. No way was any man catching a glimpse of that. She’d been single so long she’d forgotten whether sex could be better than double chocolate chunk and a good merlot.

  Despite the isolation and the dirt and the hills—God, the hills—the trip was turning out better than any shoot back home. Not a test kitchen or culinary school in sight.

  One good nature shot would pay ten times what a food pic would. All she needed was the right angle and she’d have a chance. If she didn’t collapse first.

  A half an hour later and she crested a hill. Oh, wow. She forgot all about the ache in her legs and the torrent of sweat between her breasts. A valley opened up before her with a branching, snaking river at the bottom. The morning light hit the water and turned it golden. It shimmered and sparkled like a multi-strand necklace in the sun.

  People always told her you never understood the vastness of Alaska until you�
�d been there, but Keira never believed it. Not until that moment. Miles of verdant valley floor, mountains capped with snowy hats, brilliant blue sky all around. It was incredible. No photograph would ever do it justice.

  She took a deep breath and picked her way down the slope, thankful for the hiking boots she’d broken in around town. Her friends thought she’d lost her mind when she showed up to lunch with a pair of ugly brown things laced to her feet. But they sure were worth it. By lunch time, she’d made it down the hill and paused at the water’s edge. It might not have the grandness of the view from up top, but a shot of the river as it rumbled on by would be more accessible and relatable. Easier to sell.

  With a grin, she slipped off her pack. A rush of relief spread through her tight shoulders, but she didn’t have time to enjoy it. She needed to capture the light before the sun rose any higher. Click. A few more steps toward the river. Click. A crouch to get the water as it rushed over rocks and broke into mini-waves. Click.

  Forget photos of baked kale chips. This is awesome. Keira clicked and stepped, clicked and stepped. She skirted the edge of the water as she captured the wild beauty. The water rippled over rocks, catching twigs and bits of tundra and sending it all whooshing downstream. She snapped photo after photo until her camera beeped.

  She frowned. Full already? Hmph. She hustled back to her pack, dug out another memory card, and swapped it out. As she turned the camera back on, a noise caught her ears. She lifted her head and almost dropped the camera smack into the dirt. A grizzly. A huge, lumbering, warm brown grizzly.

  Oh my God. The animal was magnificent. All muscle and fur. Strength and softness rolled into one. Every step down the hill sent a rumbling wave through its coat—chocolate and caramel undulating together across its wide back. Every few yards it lifted its head, glancing at her for a moment. She should be frightened, but she was on the other side of the river.