Table of Contents
Copyright
Foreword
Chapter One – Kate
Chapter Two – Red
Chapter Three – Kate
Chapter Four – Red
Chapter Five – Kate
Chapter Six – Red
Chapter Seven – Kate
Chapter Eight – Red
Chapter Nine – Kate
Chapter Ten – Red
Chapter Eleven – Kate
Chapter Twelve – Red
Chapter Thirteen – Kate
Chapter Fourteen – Red
Chapter Fifteen – Kate
Chapter Sixteen – Red
Chapter Seventeen – Kate
Chapter Eighteen – Red
Chapter Nineteen – Kate
Chapter Twenty - Red
Chapter Twenty-One – Kate
Epilogue
Also By Harmony Raines
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Bodyguard Bear
Bear Creek Protectors
Book One
***
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.
© 2018 Harmony Raines
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Foreword
Kate Kellan never wanted to be an actress. Although she is thankful for the life changing opportunity her career has given her, she wants to move on with her life. All Kate has to do is convince her overbearing mom she isn’t crazy to ditch the career that changed their fortunes. But before she can break the news to her mom, Kate is pursued in the darkness by someone who means her harm.
However, when she is saved by Red, an incredibly strong, and incredibly attractive stranger, she isn’t sure if she is being played. Especially when Red confesses he is in town for a meeting about joining Bear Creek Protectors.
When bear shifter, Red, meets his mate, she is suspicious of his motives. But soon he breaks down Kate’s barriers and convinces her he is only trying to protect her.
But as the danger escalates, his services as a bodyguard are just what Kate needs. Along with his body in her bed!
Can they work together to find out who is behind the attacks? Or will they lose their happy ever after forever?
Don’t miss the next book in my Bear Creek Protectors series. Just let me know where to send news of my new releases by clicking/tapping HERE!
Chapter One – Kate
Kate Kellan ducked under the huge metal pipe that led to the air vent. Her heart hammered in her chest, while above her, the sound of a rotating blade shattered her belief that she was alone on Luna 41.
It was a trap, of course, it was a trap, but she’d come here to save Captain Orang and she wasn’t leaving without her man.
Instinctively her well-manicured, blue hand went to the butt of the pistol where it nestled against her hip in its holster. If she had to kill every monster in this place she would.
Tilting her head up, she took a deep breath, her breasts, encased in a second skin of black leather, rose and fell theatrically.
A noise to her left alerted her to danger. They were close.
Not thinking of her own safety, only of that of Captain Orang, she burst out from behind a storage container and somersaulted high into the air. She let off two blasts from her Cromer 37, hitting her targets effortlessly as she arced through the air.
In a carefully choreographed move, she rolled on landing and sprang to her feet, flicking her long, jet-black hair off her shoulder as she surveyed the Trekuila scum lying on the floor in a pool of their own yellow blood.
“Cut.” Sam Wild, the director of Space Monkeys Four, stood up and approached Kate, a smile spreading across his face. “Perfect as always, Kate.”
“Thanks, Sam.” Kate lifted her arm and flexed it. After five days filming the same stunts over and over again, her muscles were complaining. But she wasn’t going to let that hinder her performance. This was the movie that was going to change her career. Literally.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Her mom’s voice boomed across the set and Kate closed her eyes as guilt swept over her. “You need to put more mats down for Kate to land on,” Marylin Kellan ordered, pointing to the ground, her face a cloud of consternation.
“It’s fine, Mom.” Kate smiled apologetically at Sam and gave in to the protective embrace of her mother.
“I knew I should have been here from the first day of filming. My gut instinct told me you needed me. Which is why I cut my vacation short.” Marylin glared at Sam and turned her back to him, pulling her daughter away.
“I thought you were enjoying your week at the spa.” Kate stopped walking, digging her four-inch, totally-impractical heels into the ground. There was no way the real Terra Sierra would fight her enemies in those shoes, but this wasn’t real, this was the movies.
Marylin’s arm tightened and she tried to coax Kate forward as if she were pulling a dog on a leash. Kate didn’t move. This was a battle of wills of sorts between a mother who had thrust her daughter into show business and a daughter who no longer wished to be there.
Kate kept her body language soft and her face relaxed, despite the battle of wills she was an unwilling participant in. Marylin Kellan was not giving up on her dreams of stardom for her daughter without a fight.
“I couldn’t leave you alone.” Marylin smiled indulgently and announced, “I bought you a gift. It’s back at the hotel.”
“Thanks, Mom, I’ll take a look at it later. Right now I have to shoot the next scene.” Kate disentangled herself from her mom’s grip and walked a couple of steps backward, putting herself out of reach.
At twenty-two, Kate was old enough to steer her career in the direction she wanted it to go. However, her mom still saw her as an eleven-year-old kid who wasn’t old enough to make her own choices.
“Are you sure this is the right movie for your career?” Marylin lowered her voice, but not enough. Whether by accident or with intent, Marylin’s voice carried over to where Sam and a couple of the cameramen were busy setting up for the next shot.
“Absolutely.” Kate refused to have the discussion again. She leaned forward and kissed her mom on the cheek. “Why don’t you go back to the hotel? I’ll be there in about an hour.”
Kate turned around, searching for a way out. It presented itself in the fabulous Carter Eden who was talking to a young family on the side of the set.
“Kate, hi.” Carter smiled his winning movie star smile as she approached.
“Hello, Carter. Sorry to interrupt.” When Kate had first won the part of Terra Sierra in Space Monkeys Four, she’d been in awe of Carter Eden. He was the star of the original Space Monkeys movie, which was an instant cult smash. However, shortly after the movie’s amazing successful release, he’d dropped out of the limelight for a couple of years before returning to moviemaking after meeting and marrying his true love.
Like most people, Kate had read the article about he’d gone up a mountain and found himself, and inner peace.
Kate glanced toward her mother who was watching with some suspicion. If only Marylin could find some inner peace. Since the start of Kate’s career, her mom had become addicted to micromanaging every facet of her daughter’s life. It was tolerable when Kate was a child but suffocating for an adult.
“Are you rescuing Uncle Carter?” a young girl of about ten years old asked.
“Uncle Carter doesn’t need rescuing,” the boy, who must be her brother, retorted.
“Oh, I don’t know, when Aunty Caroline finds Uncle Carter drinking too much Bear Creek Honey Beer, I’m sure he might need Terra Sierra to rescue him for real.”
“Thanks, Jamie, your support is appreciated,” Carter said and rolled his eyes at Kate. “Family on set is never a good idea.”
“Tell me about it,” Kate replied and flashed her dimples. In return, she received a knowing look from Carter, but he didn’t say a word about Marylin, for which she was thankful. “Now, tell me more about your Uncle Carter.”
“No, you don’t need to know all my secrets,” Carter said with a laugh.
“I don’t think Kate has enough time to hear all Uncle Carter’s secrets,” Jamie told them.
“Hi there, I’m Dani.” The young woman who Kate assumed was the mother of the two children held out her hand.
“Kate.” Kate shook her hand and then was introduced to Jamie, Juliet, and Jasper.
“A lot of Js,” Kate commented. “Is it a family tradition?”
Dani and Jamie exchanged a look and Kate knew she’d hit a nerve. Perhaps the children were Dani’s from a previous relationship?
“We’re not Juliet and Jasper’s biological parents,” Dani said quietly, looking down at the children.
“Our parents died in a car accident,” Juliet said, sounding grown up and in control, even though her bottom lip quivered.
“I’m sorry. That’s tough.” Kate smiled sadly. “I know what it’s like not to know a parent. Not that he died, he just left. My dad was there one day and gone the next. I remember my mom crying, but not much else.” She shrugged. “You’re lucky to have Dani and Jamie around.”
“I was their dad’s best friend,” Jamie explained, his voice thick with emotion. “I met Dani shortly after I came home from the Army to be a full-time dad.” Jamie wrapped his arm around Dani’s shoulders and they exchanged a heart-breaking glance.
Kate’s throat tightened, and she swallowed down her unshed tears. “That sounds like a fairy tale all in itself.”
“It is, I guess,” Dani replied, her eyes bright with love as she placed a hand on the shoulder of each of the children. They were all connected by events out of their control, but they had found love and hope together.
Sometimes Kate longed to meet the man of her dreams and settle down. At others, she longed to spend her whole life alone. No man in her life, no kids.
It depended on how much time she’d spent around her mother. Her mother who spent all of Kate’s childhood telling her how she’d held her mom back. How if Kate hadn’t come along she’d be on Broadway instead of living in a cheap apartment working two jobs to make ends meet.
That was the soundtrack of Kate’s childhood until Marylin made Kate audition for a part in a TV advertisement. The rest, as they say, was history. Kate’s career took off and Marylin managed her daughter with ruthless determination. Not only for money and fame. No, Marylin had huge ambition and one day wanted an Academy Award sitting on the mantelpiece of the large mansion Kate’s earnings had bought.
“Jamie is my wife Caroline’s brother.” Carter’s voice brought Kate out of the darkness and back into the light. She only had to stand in his presence to know why he was so successful and loved by his fans. “Both ex-Army.”
“Wow, I didn’t know Caroline had been in the Army,” Kate had met Caroline briefly on the first day of shooting and found both Carter and Caroline warm and friendly.
“Caroline came to live with me in Bear Creek after she dragged me back down off the mountain. But she misses being active,” Carter said. “Which is why they’ve teamed up and started Bear Creek Protectors.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “Bear Creek Protectors. You’re like bodyguards?”
“We are.” Jamie took a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Kate. “If ever you need someone to watch over you.” He grinned. “Cheesy, I know.”
“I like it.” She accepted the card and held it between her thumb and finger. “If I hear of anyone else who needs a bodyguard, I’ll pass your name on,” she promised. Kate doubted this was a thing she would ever need. At least not once shooting on Space Monkeys Four ended.
“No pressure,” Jamie replied easily. “We didn’t come here to drum up work, we came to see Uncle Carter.” Jamie’s warm, charming smile and the genuine love the young family had for each other ignited Kate’s need to be part of a warm, loving family. No amount of acting the part of a daughter loved could replace what she’d missed out on in real life. She knew for sure, since she’d played the part on a popular daytime soap for three years.
“Are you okay?” Dani asked, placing a hand on Kate’s arm.
“Yes. I am.” Kate looked up fleetingly, not trusting herself to meet Dani’s eyes for more than a moment in case she saw the lie in her eyes.
“If you need to talk, we’re here for a couple of days. You, me and Caroline could always grab a drink together.” Dani ducked her head, trying to see if Kate was all right.
“I’d like that. Maybe tomorrow night?” Kate nodded and looked over her shoulder to the set. “I think I’m needed.”
“Tomorrow night it is. I’ll talk to Caroline and let you know what time.” She looked over Kate’s shoulder. “Come on, guys, Uncle Carter has to go to work. They are lining up the next shot.” Dani grinned. “I think I’m getting the hang of this movie lingo.”
“We’ll see you tonight.” Jamie took hold of Jasper’s hand even though he looked mutinous at being treated like a child.
“See you tonight,” Carter repeated and waved as the family left the set.
“They seem nice,” Kate said. “Wow, that sounded condescending.”
“No, they are a nice family. Jamie and Dani did a great thing when they took in Jasper and Juliet. They have another couple of kids of their own, too. But they left them with Caroline. These sets are not always the safest place for kids.”
“Or parents,” Kate told him, and then immediately regretted it. She never aired her tumultuous relationship with her mom in public. In the first days of her career as an actress, Kate had learned that you couldn’t trust everyone and the people who were nicest to your face were usually the foulest behind your back.
Carter was different. Perhaps it was his time on the mountain, or perhaps it was because he was secure in a relationship with a woman who worshiped him and who he worshiped in return. Kate hoped her trust wasn’t misplaced and Carter wouldn’t go running to her mom and tell tales behind Kate’s back. Or the press. That would make a juicy tidbit for a tabloid newspaper.
“Your mom obviously loves you,” Carter said as they walked toward the director, Sam Wild.
“She does. And I love her. But she doesn’t get that I’m a grown woman now and can make my own decisions.” Kate’s forehead creased. “It’s ruining our relationship. But I want my own life.”
“Not in acting?” Carter asked quietly.
Kate shrugged. “It was never what I wanted to do. But we needed to pay the bills and I’m eternally grateful for the opportunities being an actress has presented.”
Carter placed his hand on her arm and smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay. I understand completely. I found my life outside of acting. It’s a good life. I make beer for a living while I raise my kids and spend quality time with my wife. The only movies I’m ever going to make are Space Monkeys sequels and that’s because my friends and family love them. And it’s like a vacation.”
“A vacation?” Kate asked as they reached the director.
“Yes, some people go spe
nd a couple of weeks sitting on a beach, I come to a movie set and pretend I’m Captain Orang.” He laughed. “I never said it didn’t sound crazy.”
“Okay, guys. Ready for the next scene. Carter, you’re back over there being held hostage and Kate, you are stepping over the dead bodies.” Sam got them into position. This scene needed them to act as if there was a chain reaction of explosions all around them. They would be added in later by the special effects guys.
“CGI is a wonderful thing.” She took her place. It was a scene they had rehearsed several times leading up to shooting and she was confident they would get this take in one.
“Action.” Sam pointed to her and she moved, the cameras capturing every nuance of emotion on her face as she stepped over the dead Trekuila and made her way toward Carter.
Only when the scene was over, and Sam yelled, “Cut,” did she notice her mom, who had not returned to the hotel, but instead was watching her daughter intently. Their eyes met, and Kate smiled and lifted her hand. Marylin waved back, but then she drifted away, disappearing behind the props being brought in for the next scene.
“That was a good take,” Carter said, coming to stand next to Kate as the makeup artists scurried out to touch up their makeup.
“Thanks, you, too.” Kate glanced in the direction of where her mother had been.
“You look preoccupied.” The makeup artist, Imogen, who had freshly dyed, long jet-black hair and pale skin, was using a large-headed brush to take the shine off Kate’s blue face. It was warm on set under the lights and she had a tendency to sweat. But somehow Imogen always managed to get her looking like a movie star again.
“I’m okay,” Kate said brightly. “How about you? Any plans for tonight?”
“Nothing interesting.” Imogen smiled a tight smile that did not meet her eyes. “But enough about me. You were amazing out there. As always,” Imogen gushed. “The camera loves you.” Imogen dabbed her brush into the blue powder and dusted Kate’s face with it. “There, all done.”
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