“How does a bear get into someone’s garage?” I ask as I climb into our SUV. “And why would it bother?”
Liam grins. “Welcome to Montana. This time of year, bears sometimes come closer to town. They’re hungry and looking for easy food.”
“So what are we supposed to do with a bear? Cuff them and read them their rights?”
Liam gasps. “Hold on. Was that a joke? Did… did you just make a realjoke?”
“Maybe.” I quash my smile, but it’s not easy. There’s just something about Liam that makes me want to smile all the time. That’s saying something too, especially after the last six months.
He whistles. “I never thought I’d live to see the day when Jude Collins made a joke.”
“Oh, shut up.”
He laughs. “Don’t worry. We don’t have to arrest the bear. We’ll just control the scene. Fish and Wildlife will take care of the rest.”
“Okay, good.”
Liam glances over, looking mischievous. “I’ll have to mark this day in my calendar. The day Jude Collins told a joke.”
“Let it go, Martinez,” I mutter, but he just laughs harder.
Beaver Lane is in a neighborhood that backs up to the forest. That probably accounts for why a bear came to visit. A woman who looks to be in her forties is standing in her driveway, filming the garage with her phone. Inside, I can see a large black shape moving around.
“Ma’am, I need you to go inside your house,” Liam says firmly.
“I will, but just let me get some more footage for my TikTok. I’ll bet this gets me a bunch of new followers.”
Liam exhales patiently. “Inside. Now.”
“But… but…”
“Go inside. I mean it,” he rasps.
With a scowl she sort of complies, although she walks as slowly as possible, still filming. While we wait for Fish and Wildlife, we keep her nosy neighbors from entering the property. The bear is tearing into garbage bags, making a mess but not aggressive. It’s actually kind of fascinating seeing a bear up close.
After about twenty minutes, Fish and Wildlife arrives with a tranquilizer gun. The bear goes down easy, and they load it into their truck to relocate it further into the mountains. We headback into town and end up handling a few more calls, then it’s end of shift.
On the way back to the station, Liam says, “Hey, when we get back to the office, don’t head out right away.”
I frown. “Why not?”
He grimaces. “The station has a little get-together arranged for you at The Fox & The Kettle.”
“What?”I stiffen as uneasiness sweeps through me. “For me? Why?”
“To welcome you to the team.” He pulls into the parking lot of the station and shuts the engine off.
“But,” I sputter, “that’s absolutelynotnecessary.”
He seems taken aback by my reaction. “No, I know, but we always do this for the new people. Sorry, I forgot to tell you.” He gives a weak smile. “You have to come. Sally will murder me if you’re a no-show, especially after she went to all the trouble to set it up.”
“Look, I’m tired and it’s been a long stressful day. I… I don’t need a welcome party.” I put my hand on the door handle, hoping to make a quick escape. “Tell Sally thanks, but—”
“Wait, Jude, hold up.” He grabs my wrist and I jerk away. He blinks at me, obviously surprised at my overreaction to him touching me.
Embarrassed, I mumble, “Sorry.” I obviously can’t explain why I reacted like that. I’d rather die than admit the feel of his heated fingers on my skin felt way too arousing. All I can do is mumble lamely, “It’s just… I really don’t need a party.”
He looks bewildered. “Okay, so you’re not a party guy, but it’s already arranged. It’ll be weird if you don’t at least makean appearance. It’s going to be super chill. You don’t have to make a speech or anything. It’s just so the team can introduce themselves, that’s all.”
