Pleasant Valley Bears: BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Pleasant Valley Shifters)

by Marlie Monroe

  “So,” she said. “Do you guys want to go grab some dinner and celebrate?”

  “Yeah.” Rick released Toby. “I’m starving.”

  “About that...” Toby fidgeted, switching his weight from one foot to the other. “Would you guys mind if I skipped out on dinner tonight? Some friends invited me out and I’d like to go, since it’s our last night here on campus and all.”

  Rick opened his mouth to speak.

  “That’s fine,” Sophie said quickly before Rick could give his brother hell for skipping out on them after they’d traveled all the way there to share his big day. “You go and have fun with your friends. I’m a little tired anyway. Your brother and I can just head back to our hotel room and order room service. Maybe if you aren’t too hung over, you can meet us for breakfast in the morning before we start packing your apartment up for the big move home. What do you think?”

  “Yeah, that sounds good.” Toby darted forward and hugged her again. “Thanks.” He released her and stepped back. “I’ll see you guys later.”

  “Have fun!” Rick hollered after his brother as Toby jogged toward a group of young men and women dressed in caps and gowns. He waited until Toby vanished among the crowd before turning back to her. “You totally let him off the hook.”

  “Of course I did. There’s no sense in him hanging out with us when he can go out and party with his friends. There’ll be plenty of time for us to celebrate with him tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. You usually are.” Rick put his arm around her.

  “Don’t you forget it either.” She smiled up at him.

  He brushed the hair from her face. “Are you really tired?”

  “A little, but not enough to turn down a nice dinner out.” She figured they’d better enjoy what little alone time they had left before the twins were born.

  “You’ve got it.” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

  Ignoring the crowd around them, Sophie wrapped her arms around Rick’s neck, tilted her face up, and kissed her mate again. She leaned into him, lost in the addictive taste and texture of his lips.

  Long before she was ready to quit, Rick pulled away from her and rested his forehead against her own. She swept her eyelids up slowly, feeling happy and a little lethargic after the long drive and the commencement ceremony.

  Rick pressed his lips against her temple. “You really are tired.”

  “Huh?” She asked, rubbing her nose against his clean-shaven cheek. “Oh, I’m okay. Just a little sleepy.”

  Rick bent down and swept her feet off the ground.

  Sophie gasped in surprise and tightened her grip around his neck. “What are you doing?”

  “Carrying you back to the SUV. Isn’t it obvious?” He asked, striding forward through the crowd with ease.

  “More like giving yourself a hernia.” She’d never been a small woman. Now that she was pregnant, she was even bigger.

  “You’re not that heavy.” He twisted at the waist, swinging her back and forth. A man walking toward them had to step off the sidewalk to avoid being hit by one of her feet.

  Sophie laughed and shook her head at his antics. “Says the crazy man with supernatural strength.”

  “Stop complaining. You know you’re secretly loving this.”

  He had her there. She did kind of like it, but... “People are looking at us.”

  “Let ‘em look. They’re just jealous because I’m lucky enough to have such a gorgeous, fertile mate.”

  “Luck didn’t have anything to do with it.” She stretched up and kissed him on the jaw. He was one in a million and all hers. After a rocky start, they’d had two blissful years together.

  Her life had changed drastically since she’d arrived in Pleasant Valley. The frightened, mousy woman she’d once been was long gone. Now she had a career she loved, a small group of good friends, two healthy babies on the way, and a mate she couldn’t stop kissing. Life was pretty damn good and she could only see it getting better with time.

  About Bear Commitment

  To protect her son, she must guard her heart.

  A fresh start...

  Lila returned home to Pleasant Valley to give her half-shifter, half-human son a stable, loving home far away from the bad influences in the city. With her parents’ guidance, she hopes to safely guide her son through puberty and his first volatile transition from boy to beast.

  An animal instinct...

  Grizzly shifter Stuart Watson wasn’t looking for love while campaigning for reelection as county sheriff. However, there was no denying he’d met his match after his first encounter with Lila. The feisty brunette is everything he ever wanted in a woman. All he has to do is convince his reluctant mate and her rebellious son to give him a chance to prove his worth.

  A love worth risking it all...

  Before Stuart can stake his claim, Lila’s life is endangered by the person she loves most. He races to rescue his mate, determined to save the day and safeguard their future.

  Bear Commitment

  Pleasant Valley Shifters

  Marlie Monroe

  Chapter One

  Lila Foster knew moving home was the right decision. However, nearly six weeks after the big move, she still had to remind herself daily exactly why moving had been such a great idea. Otherwise, she would have already dived off the cliff of sanity and hit the stark-raving mad ocean below.

  So far she’d only had to remind herself she was living with her parents again by choice and not by force a grand total of three times. One of those was when she’d discovered Mom had done her laundry again, after repeatedly being asked not to, and had shrunk another handful of her panties. Pretty soon she’d need to buy new underwear or start running around with a bare ass. She couldn’t really afford either option. A second reminder was needed when she caught Dad sneaking her son Quinn cookies for breakfast instead of the perfectly fine oatmeal and fruit salad she’d gotten up early to cook for the whole family. The last, but not least needed reminder came when she’d dropped her son off at the high school and gotten a terse “whatever” in response to her “have a good day.”

  Not that her son’s attitude had anything to do with her folks. Despite her hopes, Quinn’s attitude hadn’t gotten any better since the move. If anything, he’d become even more withdrawn. She knew fourteen was a rough age, full of angst and drama, but she didn’t remember the anger.

  Quinn was pissed off all the time, for seemingly no reason, and she didn’t know how to change it. Every attempt to cheer him up was met with scorn and rejection. She’d truly believed getting him away from the crowd of juvenile delinquents he’d been hanging out with back in the city would make a difference. So far the only silver lining she could pinpoint was his lack of access to the booze and pot he’d been busted with over the summer. However, just because she had yet to see an improvement didn’t mean she was giving up. If Quinn’s happiness and welfare depended on her digging deep to scrounge up every least shred of hope she could find, then she would dig a damn hole to China. She wasn’t giving up on her baby. She was going to love that child until he had no choice but to start loving himself.

  Lila pulled into her parents’ driveway, killed the engine, and jumped out of the car before the radio had even shut off. She had an hour to shower, change, and get her butt to work. She’d been lucky to land a nursing job at the hospital almost right away and enjoyed her work, if not the hours in which she did it. Swing shift sucked, but it was the price she had to pay to get her foot in the door. All she had to do was bide her time and wait until something on a more stable shift opened up. In the meantime, she would make do. She’d gotten by on a hell of a lot less than she had now.

  She hurried through the living room, waved to her dad on the couch, and continued on down the hallway beyond to the smallest room in the house which she’d claimed for her own. At one time, her dad had used the space as his home office. Since he retired, the room had been c
ollecting dust. Although it was barely large enough for the full-size bed and dresser she’d stuffed inside, there was enough room for the bare essentials, which was all she’d ever need. It wasn’t as if she’d ever be using the space to entertain. That part of her life was permanently on hold.

  While she’d claimed the cramped downstairs bedroom, Quinn had taken her old room upstairs. He needed the extra space more than she did.

  She rifled through her closet, pulled out bright pink scrubs, and set them on the foot of the bed while she dug through the top dresser drawer for undergarments. With a fresh bra and panty set in hand, she darted across the hall to the one and only bathroom on the first floor to shower.

  Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of bathtub to discover she’d left her clothes on the foot of her bed. Typical. The bigger the rush, the more scattered her memory tended to be. She pulled on her bra and panties, spent an eternity blow-drying her long, thick hair, and then applied just enough makeup to keep her from looking like an extra on The Walking Dead. Satisfied with her appearance, she yanked open the door and found herself face-to-face with the biggest damn man she’d ever seen in her life. His dark eyes widened in surprise and then narrowed as he looked her over from head to toe. Realizing she was standing almost naked in front of a complete stranger, she shrieked and backpedaled, slamming the door in his face. Her fingers trembled over the lock, taking twice the amount of time needed to turn the simple latch.

  Holy shit. Her face heated and her pulse raced. Who the hell was that guy?

  Knuckles rapped softly on the door, followed by a low, deep voice. “I’m sorry if I startled you. Your dad said it would be all right if I used the bathroom. He didn’t warn me it was already in use.”

  Okay. So her dad knew the guy. He must be all right then. “Don’t worry about it. Could you, um, turn around or something? I need to get to my room across the hall, but I forgot to bring clothes into the bathroom with me.”

  “That sounds like quite the predicament.”

  “I guess.”

  He chuckled quietly. “You coming out?”

  “Maybe. Do you have your back to the door?”

  “Sure.”

  That didn’t sound very convincing, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t already gotten an eyeful of her body. She unlocked the door and turned the knob. Taking a deep breath, she yanked it open and rushed forward. True to his word, the guy stood facing away from the bathroom. She glanced at him as she hurried by, noticed his shoulders were wide enough to block half the light spilling down the hall from the living room, ran into her room, and shut the door behind her.

  She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the door. Her day was off to a wonderful start. Maybe she could flash someone at work as an encore.

  With a sigh, she turned to her waiting clothes and finished getting dressed. She grabbed her purse and keys off the dresser and headed out. The handsome stranger was sitting on the couch with her dad when Lila walked into the room.

  “Come over here for a second, Lila.” Her dad waved her over. “Have you met Stuart Watson? He’s our local sheriff.”

  “No, I can’t say that I have.”

  The sheriff stood up and offered her his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  She stepped close enough to get a whiff of his aftershave. He smelled really nice, like sporty cologne and pine trees. She took his hand in her own and pumped it up and down a couple of times. “You too.”

  “Stuart is up for reelection.”

  “Is that so?” she asked.

  “It is.” The sheriff released her hand and sat back down beside her dad.

  “You look awfully young to be the sheriff.”

  He couldn’t be much older than her; mid-thirties at most. When she thought of a small town sheriff, she pictured someone her dad’s age with a pot belly and a receding hairline, not a man in the prime of his life, with a full head of thick, wavy chestnut hair and a fit, muscular body. Whew. She wondered if her folks had turned up the heat again. It was a little hot in there.

  “Youngest in county history,” her dad boasted.

  A splash of pink spread across Stuart’s cheeks as if he was embarrassed by the compliment. “Actually, I was appointed to the office after Sheriff Riley’s sudden passing two years ago. This is my first go-round with the election process.”

  Lila found his discomfort with praise oddly charming. Confidence was sexy, but she’d had her fill of self-centered, arrogant men.

  Dad folded his arms across his chest. “Stuart just dropped by to talk about the election and ask if he could put a sign up in the yard.”

  “Well, I’ll leave you to talk things over then. I need to head out unless I want to be late for work.” She glanced at Stuart and found him staring right back at her. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Watson. Good luck with the election.”

  She walked outside with her head held high and her shoulders pulled back, displaying perfect posture she didn’t normally bother to use. If she was also holding her stomach in a little bit, then it was nobody’s business but her own.

  Chapter Two

  Many adjectives had been used over the years to describe Stuart Watson. Stupid wasn’t one of them. He recognized Lila Foster for who and what she was the instant he saw her standing in the bathroom doorway, half-naked and sexy as hell. She was a human and his mate.

  Denying it would have been futile. There was no other logical way to explain why his gut clenched and his dick hardened from no more than a split-second glimpse of her, or the way his inner beast immediately stirred and took interest in the curvy brunette. His attraction to her was instantaneous and went a hell of lot deeper than the usual passing fancy he felt toward beautiful women who crossed his path. He wanted to discover more about Lila than what she looked like beneath her lacy bra and panties.

  Not that he wasn’t intrigued by the possibly of seeing more of her beautiful body as well. He wasn’t a eunuch. At thirty-two, he was in the best shape of his life and had an equally healthy sex drive. If Lila wanted his body, he’d be happy to give it to her, over and over again until they both collapsed from exhaustion. However, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe Lila would jump into his arms and declare her undying love for him as soon as he told her they were mates. Nothing in his life had ever been simple. Why would mating be any different?

  It was a good thing he’d always appreciated a challenge. From what little Mr. Foster had said about his only daughter, Stuart knew Lila was stubborn, independent, and smart—three qualities necessary for a single mother who’d been living life on her own terms since she’d left home at eighteen. He wasn’t sure how she’d react to learning they were destined to be mates, but he had no doubt the woman would keep him on his toes.

  After thanking Mr. Foster for his time and cooperation, Stuart headed back to the Bureau of Shifter Affairs. He needed to check in with his deputies and slog through some of the never-ending paperwork that was part of his job as sheriff. Sitting behind the desk was by far his least favorite part of the day, but it was a necessary evil—just like all the campaigning he’d needed to do for the next couple of months in preparation for the upcoming election. He enjoyed talking to the locals and didn’t mind asking for their vote. But living under a constant microscope wore him down and made him cranky, particularly when knew some of his constituents were waiting for him to screw up—maybe even counting on it—since a lot of folks believed he’d only scored his position through nepotism.

  Granted, his uncle had been on the county board for almost twenty years, and did possess some sway with chairmen who’d appointed Stuart to his current position. What his critics didn’t take into account were his qualifications. He’d graduated from the police academy at twenty, became a deputy shortly after graduation, and continued his education while on the job, getting his criminal justice degree four years later. None of the other deputies on the payroll when the former sheriff passed away had a college degree. Despite what some people thought, he had be
en the best candidate for the job two years ago, and that remained the same today. After spending the last twenty-four months working his ass off to prove himself, he hoped all his hard work would count for something when push came to shove on Election Day. Only time would tell. Until then, he still had a job to do.

  He arrived at the office, parked in his designated space, and headed inside. The second he walked through the door, the sights, sounds, and smells of the office rolled over him, both familiar and comforting. He paused by the front desk and smiled at Officer Andrew Hale. “Any messages while I was out?”

  Andrew shook his head. “No. It’s been a quiet morning.”

  “Thank goodness for that.” A quiet afternoon sounded like heaven. He might even make a dent in the mountain of paper waiting on his desk.

  “Don’t get too excited. Your uncle is waiting in your office.”

  Stuart groaned. “Great. How long has he been waiting?”

  “He’s been in there for a while. Probably thirty minutes or so.”

  “Wonderful.” Not only would his uncle be his normal cranky self, but he would be even more short-tempered than usual thanks to being kept waiting. It didn’t matter that Stuart hadn’t been expecting him. “Wish me luck.”

  Andrew chuckled. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks,” Stuart said over his shoulder, already walking toward his office to face whatever fresh hell his uncle had in mind for him. For the last six months, he had been coerced into a constant stream of luncheons and dinners with his uncle’s affluent friends and associates. As much as he loved his uncle and was grateful for the support, he’d had his fill of rubbing elbows with wealthy snobs. He’d much rather spend the next month until the election drumming up support from the masses he was trying to help, rather than trying to gain favor from the elite few. Explaining that to his uncle was the tricky part.

  With a final deep breath, he pushed through his office door. “Uncle George. How nice of you to drop by for a visit.”