by Aubree Lane
With his mesmerizing magnetic gaze, it was difficult to gauge how much he cared for her. The Guardianship had a theory on the subject and didn’t think she had cause to worry. They believed that once you were aware of the power, it was easier to see through the cloud.
Jessie hoped that was true, but in the long run it didn’t matter.
Ice was a shifter and mountain lions didn’t mate for life. They needed their solitude and a large area to roam. The ridge might seem vast to a human, but it was confining to a puma.
Never in her wildest dreams did Jessie imagine being attracted to a shape-shifting mountain lion, but life was unpredictable. She wasn’t under the illusion that she and Ice had found their happy ever after. Someday she would need more than a wandering cat to fill the family void. Jessie wasn’t even sure she wanted to introduce Ice to her children.
The only future she imagined with the blue-gray cat was of a migratory nature. Ice would slip in and out of her life until they each found what they were searching for. One day, Ice would no longer return and leave Jessie wondering what happened to him, or Ice would meander back into town to find Jessie sharing her life with someone else.
Would they be able to wish the other well, or would their mutual ardor create a perpetual tug-of-war they would never be able to escape?
Jessie looked into Ice’s sexy blue eyes and foresaw nothing but trouble. Any relationship they formed was already doomed, but that was a problem for another day. At this moment, she was exactly where she wanted to be.
Fate had brought her home, and Jessie planned on enjoying everything and everyone the town had to offer.
9
ICE PULLED UP in front of the Silverton Zoo. If his idea worked, his cubs had one last chance to become the shifters they were always meant to be. The brainstorm came to him after Jessie brought him for a visit. A young volunteer had fallen madly in love with his offspring. Ice stayed in the background and watched their warm interaction. The rule was that human breast milk and a nurturing female surrogate brought about the ability to shift. Nowhere in the shifter’s nonexistent manual did it state that the cubs needed to actually be nursed.
Jessie would kill him if she discovered what he was up to, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Their hot adversarial relationship would always be suspect because of how he tricked her. Now that his suggestive influence over her was gone, he had no choice but to end their association. It was hard to imagine going through his entire life without truly copulating with the sensual Forest Service chief, but his children were far more important than a roll in the hay.
He tugged on a pair of coveralls with the zoo’s logo embroidered over the left chest and opened the lid of the ice chest. One of the new labels had slipped. It was imperative that no one know this shipment of formula had come from the breast milk donation center. His sixth sense rarely let him down. Fear of discovery made him check, but it was that same fear that would keep them safe.
He adjusted the forged ‘Mountain Lion Nutrition’ sticker and carried the ice chest inside the nursery.
A woman with curly red hair sat on the floor playing with his offspring. The cubs tumbled over each other, vying for the adoptive mother’s attention. The bubbly volunteer jumped up to greet him.
“Am I glad to see you! These little monsters are more like pigs than mountain lions. They can’t get enough of this stuff.” She pulled a couple of bottles out of the ice chest and directed him to the refrigerator. “Half of that goes in the fridge and the other half goes in the freezer. When is the next shipment scheduled for delivery?”
“Whenever you need it. Just give me a call and I’ll have it here within a few hours.”
The freckles across the young woman’s nose crinkled with delight. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet someone who’s actually helpful. I’m usually told to look for the paperwork in the office, but I’d rather muck out the bear habitat than step foot inside that pit.” She tucked one of the bottles under her arm and stuck out a friendly hand. “I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m Hope. What’s your name?”
Ice smiled. She had a fitting name. Little did the unsuspecting lady know, but she was literally his offspring’s last chance.
The cubs tangled themselves around his ankles and demanded his attention. Warmed by their persistence, Ice picked them up and cuddled them against his chest. “They sure are cute.”
The cub’s new surrogate didn’t notice that he hadn’t answered her question.
“They aren’t just cute, they are the most adorable fur babies in the entire world,” she sang out with sheer exuberance. “I’m totally in love. The zoo has agreed to let me care for them at my place instead of the nursery. They still need twenty-four-hour care and it’s not good for them to be hauled back and forth every day. Before you leave, make sure you get my address. That’s where you’ll need to deliver the formula from now on.”
Everything was falling into place. As soon as he ended his association with Jessie, he would bring Hope and his cubs up to the cabin. His grandmother’s concoction would not be needed. The beautiful redhead was willingly doing everything necessary to ensure his children’s survival.
Hope attached nipples to the bottles and extended one out to Ice. “Would you like to help me feed them?”
Ice declined the offer. The cubs needed to bond with their new mother, not him. “Sorry, I have more deliveries to make.” He scribbled his number down on a sticky note and adhered it to the ice chest. “Text me your address. I’ll make sure you have all the milk these little guys could possibly drink.”
• • •
JESSIE FORCED HERSELF to stay away for a solid six months. The breakup with Ice ended up being harder to accept than she thought possible. The image of his head dipping between her thighs was no longer enough. She wanted all of him and today she planned on satisfying her hunger.
Wanting to surprise him, she left her truck on the main trail and tiptoed through the bramble. The cabin came into view. Jessie pushed back a branch and saw the growing cubs wrestling in the dirt just outside the front door.
Their father sat on the porch with a contented smile on his face.
The family scene did Jessie’s heart good. She stepped forward to join them, but pulled up short when the cabin door opened.
A young redhead stepped outside and handed Ice a cup of coffee. After planting a big wet one on the shifter’s willing mouth, she called the cubs in for breakfast. The cubs shifted into toddling little boys and the happy family disappeared behind the cabin door.
Jessie stood frozen with disbelief. Life had, once again, found a way. She didn’t know whether to be angry at Ice or proud. Every ounce of her being wanted to barge in there and force the issue, but she thought the more prudent move would be to give herself some time to digest this new information. At some point, she might have to involve the Guardianship, but she didn’t want to be rash. Ice had given her up for this. It might be her own vanity talking, but she didn’t believe it was a decision he made lightly. As silly as it sounded, she respected him for it.
She backed away and retraced her footsteps. Her job with the Forest Service was to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the national forests and grasslands. Just because the shifter population wasn’t on the list of protected species, didn’t mean they didn’t have value. Derek, Cindy, and Marigold needed to be destroyed, but other than finding a way to survive, this new generation had done nothing wrong.
Jessie reached her truck and found Ice waiting for her.
The image of him leaning against the lamppost that first day in Silverton popped in her head. The man was way too sexy for her own good.
“So what’s it going to be, Jessie?” he asked, coming straight to the point.
The head of the local branch of the Forest Service ran her fingers through her long dark hair and sighed. “About the cubs? I have no idea.” An overwhelming need to touch him propelled her forward. “However, if you aren’t opposed to cheating on th
eir new mommy, I have a thought or two I’d like to share.”
Ice grinned expectantly. “Only two. I have about a thousand.”
The words that tumbled out of Jessie’s mouth shocked her as much as they shocked him. “Are the pelts in the mine still available?”
Before the shifter melted into his blue-gray beast, he issued her a direct challenge. “Race you.”
Jessie laughed and called after him. “And I’m not opposed to a pinch of your grandmother’s herbs being tossed in the fire.”
The cat stopped and Ice reappeared with a gigantic smile on his face. “Get your ass in that truck, Jessie Marcus. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
The End
More by Aubree Lane
Love in Oahu Collection
Early One Morning (also in audio)
Winter in Waianae
David Crandall Mysteries
Tahoe Blues
Fallen Leaf Collection
The Kissing Ball (also in audio)
Negative Eight (also in audio)
Historical Romance
15 W. Gibson (also in audio)
About the Author
Aubree Lane is a true story teller. This award winning author has been writing in one form or another for most of her life and has loved every moment.
Aubree lives in the beautiful foothills of Northern California with her husband, two wonderful sons, and a super special peek-a-poo named Tanner. When not managing the pooper-scooper, Aubree can be found at one of her favorite vacation spots ranging anywhere from Lake Tahoe to Maui.
Her motto: Write Until Your Butt Hurts, And Your Eyes Are Crossed.
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Early One Morning
Under the guise of saving her best friend's marriage, Annie Harper catches the red-eye out of LAX to Oahu. Less than 24 hours after hearing Marissa wanted to kiss their old high school crush, Annie sails away with the handsome owner of the Erika Rose excursion boat. She only meant to keep Terence Javier from locking lips with Marissa, but the moment she learns his little girl needs an advocate, Annie brings her friend back into the fray and destroys the remnants of Marissa's anniversary vacation.
Caught between two women from the mainland, Terence Javier finds himself at a crossroad. Ten years ago, he had the dubious honor of having his high school photograph drooled on by Annie and Marissa's choir class. If not for his daughter and the ensuing custody battle, he wouldn't have given either woman more than an appreciative glance. When Marissa's credentials check out, he has little choice but to accept the savvy lawyer's offer of help. Knowing he's walking a tightrope, Terence prays he can purge the beautiful Annie from his mind and keep the balled fist of Marissa's jealous husband away from his nose.
Winter in Waianae
They come in with the dolphins and leave with the Winter Solstice.
Soon after Brittany’s arrival on the island, she shares an ocean adventure with a pod of magical spinner dolphins. The prophecy specifically states two strangers will appear to infuse her with luck and love. But trouble is brewing on Oahu. Grady’s flirty green eyes have sparked her interest, but love seems unlikely. And the luck they so generously bestowed has landed her in the local DEA office. As the longest day of the year approaches, the legend appears to be nothing more than a myth. If not for the help of a squawking baby tern, the blessing of the dolphins might have missed her altogether.
Tahoe Blues
When Cara Lee Greene finds that the glitz and glitter of casino life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, she divorces the Lake’s self-proclaimed King of Tahoe, and tries to separate herself from the rich and powerful Alexander family. In her quest for a new life, Cara is able to reconnect with some old friends. She finds a new home, a new love and a new piece of jewelry around her ankle. Under house arrest and accused of a crime she didn’t commit, Cara must rely on a funky group of misfits to uncover the truth and set her free.
Believing himself above society’s mores, Duncan Alexander doesn’t know what he has until his beautiful college professor wife walks in and finds him in bed with another woman. Losing Cara is not an option and Duncan will do anything to get her back. With a family whose wealth was built on profiteering during the Prohibition years, Duncan is not above doing what he deems necessary to retrieve his queen. His family sits on the sidelines. They have given Duncan free rein, but in the end will Duncan be able to retain his throne?
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