“Your mate?” Nevis asked with a frown.
“No. My sister. She was gone and everyone thought she had run off with a man who hit town a couple of days earlier. She was only sixteen, and my dad forbade her to see the guy, even though she insisted he was her mate.”
“Why would your dad do that?”
“He didn’t believe it. My dad was certain she was being manipulated. Certain enough to push his own daughter until she didn’t want to speak to him. The guy, Hannibal Olash, was his name, convinced her they were mates. Groomed her.”
“What happened?” Nevis asked, his full attention on Sam.
“She went out to the movies, and never came home. The town figured Hannibal Olash really was her mate, so when she left, the sheriff did not want to know. The sheriff said it was the natural order of things for shifters. My dad, well, he nearly died of a broken heart. My mom blamed him. If it wasn’t for the shifter bond, their marriage would have failed.”
“And you became a private investigator so you could find her?” Nevis asked.
“Now, wouldn’t that be a cliché?” Sam asked.
“It sure would,” Nevis said. “And that is what happened?”
“Yep.” Sam shrugged. “It worked, I found her a couple of years later. Over in Russia.”
“Russia! Was she OK?” Nevis asked, his voice low, filled with concern.
“He’d used her as a dancing bear. It was all I could do not to rip his head off his scrawny shoulders. Turns out that was what he did. His MO.”
“And Ophelia Grimes, do you think the same thing happened to her?” Nevis asked.
“I don’t know, but what if it did?” He jabbed his finger at the photograph. “What if someone took her?”
“I cannot argue with you.” Nevis sat down at his desk and pulled up the photograph. “Leave it with me, and I’ll clean it up as best I can.”
“I would appreciate anything you can do to help. Lenny has shown the photograph to everyone in Cougar Ridge, but it’s time to spread a wider net.” Sam stepped back toward the door. “Thank you, Nevis. Give me a call when it’s ready. I appreciate it.”
“You are welcome. And, Sam?” Nevis called after him.
“Yep?” Sam half turned.
“This one is on the house. I’ll clean it up and place the ad. Just let me know the copy.” Nevis bent his head to study the photo once more.
“No, really, man, I can pay,” Sam insisted.
“I know you can.” Nevis looked at his screen, moving his mouse and clicking as he worked. “I’ll have this ready for you by the end of the day. I’ll email it over to you and if you think it’s OK, I’ll make sure it’s in this week’s paper.”
“Thanks, Nevis.” Sam left his friend’s office, quietly closing the door behind him so as not to wake Teagan, who was still asleep at her desk. At least he hoped she was asleep. What if she wasn’t?
For a large man, Sam moved swiftly and quietly. He could sneak into the office where Teagan and Theo worked, and listen to her breathing, without waking her.
He took a couple of steps forward, his bear criticizing him for being a worrywart. That did not stop him. Better to be a worrywart than ignore someone who might need help.
In truth, Sam was too soft to be a successful private investigator. Not soft with regards to tracking down and helping bring to justice those who deserved it. But he was soft when it came to getting his fees paid. Luckily, he had completed a couple of jobs for a mega-rich businessman named Harlan recently, and the money kept the wolf from the door. Literally.
His landlord, Sonny Parker, was a wolf shifter, who liked to hound Sam about any overdue rent. Not that Sonny would ever throw Sam out; the guy owed him too much for sensitive investigations carried out with the utmost discretion. The investigation had brought a whole new meaning to the three little pigs and the big bad wolf. The huffin’ and puffin’ had not been about blowing any houses down.
He was a couple of steps away from Teagan when the same weird feeling he’d experienced earlier crept over him. He stopped dead in his tracks. If there was something wrong with him, he sure as hell did not want to give it to Teagan. She had enough to cope with. Babies were hard work; his sister had taught him that when she had her first little cub last year. Luckily, her stint as a dancing bear had not left her scarred for life, and she had met her true mate a year after her rescue.
That was a whole ’nother story.
Sam’s knees went weak. His strength was ebbing away when a voice reached him. Not the dulcet tones of a woman who had just met her mate, although Sam recognized her for what she was as soon as he turned around and set eyes on her. No, she was coming at him, broom in hand, screaming like a banshee.
“What the?” he yelled as quietly as he could. It was too late; Teagan was awake and screamed in shock, right as his mate swung the broom at him. My, she was magnificent. And tall. Yep, Sam always liked to think of the practicalities of a situation. Even when the situation was as messed up as this.
“Get away from her!” his mate demanded.
“I was just checking that she was OK,” Sam replied in his defense.
“Sure you were.” The broom was still aimed at his head.
“Sam, what’s going on?” Nevis came into the room, a bemused look on his face at the scene before him.
“You know him?” Lia asked.
“Sure, he’s a private investigator. He came in to place an ad for a missing person,” Nevis told the broom-armed banshee.
The banshee who is our mate, his bear said excitedly.
Great, just what I need, a female with an overactive imagination. Don’t we get enough of those on the job, without having one waiting for us at home?
She does not look like the wait-for-us-at-home type, his bear answered.
Sam smiled. No, she does not.
“You find this funny?” his mate accused, the heat in her cheeks spreading down her neck, and he could only imagine where it might end.
“Calm down, Lia. Honestly, it’s fine. Just a misunderstanding,” Teagan said, putting herself between Sam and his mate. “Hey, you look a little…”
“What?” Lia blushed a deeper red. Was she trying to ignore the spark between them? Or maybe she wasn’t a shifter.
Sam lifted his head and sniffed the air. It wasn’t very subtle, and both Nevis and Teagan picked up on it.
“Wait, you two are… Oh, my!” Teagan grinned, looking more awake at the realization she had just witnessed the meeting of two people joined together on a deep, deep level. “Wow! Congratulations.”
“Yeah, congrats,” Nevis said. “Couldn’t happen to two nicer people.”
The look on Lia’s face told him she was not so sure. Damn, was his love life about to get as complicated as some of the cases he worked?
She can complicate our lives anytime, his bear said, practically drooling.
Great, a lovesick bear. That was all he needed.
Chapter Three – Lia
When she’d chosen Bear Creek to hide away in, Lia had not expected to find her mate. If she were honest, it was the furthest thing from her mind. Yet here he was, all six-foot-seven, or more, of pure, solid muscle. With a smile to die for.
Or maybe he was a simpleton because his baby blue eyes were kind of dreamy too.
“Sam Spencer, this is Lia Rivers, our new secretary cum life coach,” Teagan said, with no sarcasm.
“Hi, Lia,” Sam raised his hand and waved.
“Hello, Sam,” Lia said, fixing a smile on her face that was not too—smiley. She didn’t want to give him the idea she was over the moon about this. She wasn’t. Despite what her bear had to say on the issue.
Issue? He is our mate. Our very big mate. Her bear had lost her head; to her it was love at first sight. But then, her bear did not have to deal with the practicalities of their situation.
“I’m sorry if I startled you. I really was just trying to check if Teagan was all right.” Sam returned her smile, but he wasn’t too sur
e how well he was being received. Great, he was perceptive. Not a bad trait to find in a man, unless you had a secret you wanted to keep.
“I’m sorry about the broom.” Sorry she hadn’t knocked him out and ran for it.
Stop, her bear warned. He is our mate. We can’t run from him.
It’s not that I want to, Lia said. But we are putting him in danger. Remember?
Her bear did remember. She remembered all too well their midnight flight into the unknown after a couple of men, all swarthy and menacing, knocked on the door and demanded she hand back the diamond necklace and earrings that had been stolen from Mr. Delamere’s safe. A safe to which only Mr. Delamere had the combination.
She’d been so confused, so hurt. Why hadn’t the usually mild-mannered and understanding Mr. Delamere come to see her himself? More to the point, why had Lia gotten the blame for the theft in the first place?
The reason, uttered in a strong Russian accent, was because someone had opened the safe using the correct combination. Mr. Delamere believed that Lia had seen him open it up enough times to memorize the combination. Her boss might be right about that, not that she had tried to memorize it, but Lia had a knack for picking things up. However, knowing a combination and using it were two separate things entirely.
Deep down, Lia wanted to believe that her boss had believed in her. He might have sent the men to check out her apartment, expecting to find her innocent. However, that was not how events unfolded. Somehow, the necklace had made its way into her apartment, taped to the bottom of her bed. Somehow, Lia Rivers had been well and truly framed. And until she found out whom by, and could prove her innocence, she was on Mr. Delamere’s hit list. Literally.
As she learned that night, the last night of her old life, Mr. Delamere had friends in very shady places.
Sam would not be safe if she were found, and she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him. They had only just met, but already the feelings she had for him were strong. There was a connection between them that ran deep, latching onto her soul in a bond that not even death could break.
“No harm done,” Teagan said brightly. “Listen, why don’t you take your lunch break, Lia?”
“It’s only ten o’clock,” Lia protested.
“Coffee break, then.” Teagan hustled them closer together, and it was all Lia could do not to reach out and grab hold of Sam and ask him to run away with her to a place not even Mr. Delamere would find them.
“What about work?” Lia tried to angle her body so that she wasn’t thrust right into Sam’s path. It didn’t work.
Standing in front of him, she had to tip her head back to look up at him. Lia was taller than average, but she was a good deal shorter than Sam. Unable to help herself, she inhaled deeply, taking in his scent and liking it a lot. He smelled of fresh air and pine trees, with a hint of the damp dirt you only found beneath the trees.
He was perfect.
Told you so, her bear said.
“Do you want to grab a coffee?” Sam asked, tilting his head as he tried to gauge her response.
“Sure.” Lia knew when she was beaten. The look on both Teagan’s and Nevis’s faces told her if she didn’t go with Sam, they would think something was wrong, and Lia really did not need anyone asking questions about why she was reluctant to spend time with her mate.
After all, she should be overjoyed. Jumping up and down with excitement, stripping her clothes off and making babies with him.
Thanks, she told her bear, who had shoved that last thought into her head, front and center. Her cheeks flushed as she conjured up images of his large hands ripping her clothes from her body, and his lips kissing her skin. And his large cock filling her, relieving the intimate scratch that begged to be itched.
“You look a little flushed,” Sam said quietly, lifting his hand to touch her cheek, but he hesitated, unsure of her reaction.
Lia swallowed her desire, and instead opened her mouth to give him a quick retort. Then she realized he wasn’t mocking her, he was deadly serious.
Hot damn! What a man.
Enough, she told her bear, as she tried to gather her wits, which were scattered to the four winds.
“A little shocked.” She nodded and smiled weakly. “Maybe some fresh air and a coffee is just the thing I need.”
“Then let’s go.” He held his hand out toward the door, and she slipped past him, not daring to look at Teagan or Nevis.
“Thanks. I won’t be long,” Lia cast over her shoulder as she grabbed her purse and her jacket.
“Take your time. It’s not every day you meet your mate,” Teagan called, and then stifled a yawn. “I’m going to miss my caffeine.”
Lia dragged her mind away from her need to help Teagan get through the day. There were more important things to worry about; one of them was walking next to her down the sidewalk, toward the small coffee shop on the main street that ran through the center of Bear Creek. As they walked, she tried to focus on the people around them, refusing to be caught off guard if one of Mr. Delamere’s men suddenly sprang out from some dark alley and attacked them.
“I hope you are not too disappointed,” Sam said as he held the door of the coffee shop open. She entered the café, inhaling the smell of good coffee.
“Why would I be disappointed?” Lia asked, approaching the counter.
“Your expression. When you saw I was your mate,” he explained.
“No. I wasn’t as much disappointed in having you as a mate.” How was she supposed to word this without turning it into an insult? “But I’ve not really been actively searching for my mate.”
“Ah, so you were disappointed.” He nodded sagely.
“Not in you. In… Well, I’m not sure how long I plan to stay in Bear Creek.”
“You don’t like it here?” Sam asked, as they ordered coffee. Lia could not resist adding a chocolate muffin to the order; she needed a sugar boost right now. “I’ll have one too.”
A secret smile crept onto her lips. She liked a man who didn’t let his lady eat sweet treats alone. Lia always felt guilty eating calorie-laden food while whoever was accompanying her abstained. She had a curvy body and hated feeling as though she were being judged.
Sam pulled out his wallet and paid for their order. Normally Lia would have protested, but she let it slide. This was no ordinary coffee date, and she would have plenty of opportunity to return the favor.
Unless she ran.
Her bear instantly dismissed this idea. She would much prefer to stare into their mate’s dark baby blues, complete with silver flecks, that made them crackle and sparkle. And his lips. Full, sensual, just right for kissing.
“You are staring,” he said with a wicked smile on those full lips, while his eyes danced with humor.
“Sorry.” She picked up her chocolate muffin and took a bite. It was heaven.
So is our mate. Her bear was drooling over the man of flesh and blood seated in front of them across the table, not the chocolate treat she was devouring to give her mouth something to do other than talk. She had to get herself back under control. And silence the bear in her head.
“Don’t be,” Sam said, “I don’t mind one bit.”
“You are full of yourself, aren’t you?” Lia asked.
“Not really, but in my line of work, I see so much dishonesty, I have taken it on myself to be as honest as I can be.”
“Even if it hurts someone’s feelings?” Lia countered.
“No.” He frowned. “Are you trying to pick a fight already?”
“No, I just want to get a sense of the man you are.” She set her muffin down on the plate and took a sip of her coffee.
“And what are your first impressions?” he asked easily.
“You are a good man. Maybe too good.” She set her cup down and looked at him, her face serious. “And good men get hurt.”
“The only person who can hurt me right now is sitting right in front of me.” The humor faded from his eyes. If she had mistak
en him for some backwater simpleton, she was wrong. Very wrong.
“We’re mates, you know I can’t do that.” She smiled sweetly.
“Do you want me to tell you my first impression?” he asked easily. His muffin was half eaten on his plate as he zeroed in on her.
“No.” He wanted honesty, didn’t he? That was the one thing she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, give him.
“You are hiding something.” He cocked his head to the left, examining her as she finished her muffin and brushed the crumbs off her fingers onto the plate, giving her an excuse to look away from him.
“Don’t tell Teagan and Theo, will you?” she asked.
“Tell them what?” he asked, a bemused look on his face that she would cave into him so quickly.
“That I’m not really a secretary.”
“And what are you?” His expression told her he was not expecting the truth. And he would be right. As admirable as honesty being the best policy was, that was not going to happen here. The less he knew about her, the better. Hell, even giving him her real name might have put him in danger if PI Sam Spencer went digging into her past.
“You know, I might leave you to figure that one out all on your own.” Damn, she was taunting him. But to lie to his face, or to make fun of him was impossible; the bond tied her to him fast, and was not going to loosen. Ever.
“I’m in no rush,” Sam told her as he leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee. “I have the rest of my life to figure you out, Lia. And I aim to take my time.”
His words made her squirm in her seat. It was all she could do not to take him by the hand and drag him back to her small rented house and tear the clothes off his oversized body.
In that moment, Lia was willing to be honest. She had never wanted a man as much as she wanted Sam right now. Scratch that. She had never wanted anything as much as she wanted PI Sam Spencer.
Chapter Four – Sam
She was gorgeous. Curves in all the right places, all the right places… And an air of mystery he wanted to unravel. He’d also like to unravel her black hair, which she wore pulled back in a tight bun. Not one solitary strand was allowed freedom. Her eyes were equally as dark, especially in the low light of the café. Hidden, unfathomable depths.
P.I. Bear (Return to Bear Creek Book 7) Page 2
