“And you kept Bash safe,” Jake piped up.
But Doreen had a sneaking suspicion there was one thing that James might not keep safe. Her heart. Or her dignity, if she misread that look.
James kneeled down to Jake’s level, his badge catching the winter sunlight. “Remember to keep Bash on a leash around the cabins,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “We don’t want him chasing after squirrels again.”
Jake nodded solemnly. “I will.”
“And if you want,” James continued, brushing snow from his uniform pants as he straightened, “maybe I could give you some tips on training him. Golden retrievers are smart, but they need consistent guidance.”
Doreen’s heart skipped, then raced at the thought of seeing James again. She pressed her mittened hand against her coat as if to quiet the sudden drumming beneath her ribs.
What was wrong with her? One rescue of a runaway dog, and she was acting like a teenager.
“That would be cool,” Jake replied, his face brightening with excitement.
James’s gaze shifted to Doreen, his blue eyes questioning. “If that’s okay with your aunt?”
“Yes. That would be great,” Doreen said a little too quickly. She cleared her throat. “I mean, Jake would love that, and Bash definitely needs the training.”
She told herself this was about Jake. The flutter in her stomach suggested otherwise.
“Perfect. I patrol near the cabins most mornings,” James said. “I could stop by tomorrow around nine?”
“Nine is perfect,” Doreen replied, trying—and failing—to ignore the flutter in her stomach.
Sorcha glanced between them with a knowing smile that made Doreen want to disappear into her coat collar. “Doreen and Jake are coming over to us for dinner tonight,” she said to James. “Why don’t you come too? As a thank you for finding Bash.”
Doreen’s cheeks flushed pink. What was even happening? Was Sorcha trying to set her up with her own mountain man?
Was she hoping that Doreen might be persuaded to stay in Bear Creek, too? For love!
But when she looked at James from under her lashes, Doreen realized she might not be too hard to persuade at all, and that terrified her almost as much as it thrilled her.
Chapter Two – James
James Pike had been trained for emergencies, dangerous calls, blizzards, and backcountry rescues. He’d faced down injured wildlife, aggressive drunks, and the occasional cougar wandering too close to town.
But nothing…nothing…had prepared him for the moment Doreen Whitlow’s hand slid into his.
Even now, as he watched her walk toward the cabins beside Sorcha, the ghost of her touch lingered against his palm. Warm. Soft. Sure. A touch he’d somehow been waiting for without knowing it.
Mate.His bear’s voice thundered through him, a low rumble of certainty.Our mate. Finally.
James inhaled sharply, bracing a hand on his duty belt as the world tilted. He felt off balance, like the ground had shifted under his boots.
Easy,he muttered under his breath.Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Ahead?His bear spluttered.We’re years behind. Go to her. Touch her again.
No! If I march after her to “touch her again,” she’ll think I’m deranged.He rolled his shoulders back, trying to steady his breath.Get it together. You’re a deputy sheriff. A trained professional. Not some half-feral teenager with his first crush.
His bear huffed impatiently.Butshe felt it. You saw. The way she looked at us? She knows we’re mates.
His bear was right. At least, Doreen had sensed there was a connection between them. He had seen it. That flicker in hereyes. Surprise. Recognition. Something deeper than a stranger’s curiosity.
But she didn’t know they weremates.
From what Sorcha had told them, Doreen had no clue about shifters and the mating bond. There had been no plan to tell Doreen either. Sorcha had been planning to stick to the story that her romance with Christopher had been a whirlwind, love-at-first-sighthuman magic.
