Heart of the Bear
Book one of the new series, Guardian Investigations
Book one of the new series, Guardian Investigations
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Praise for Heart of the Bear
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She can see into the minds of criminals. But can she find her way into the Heart of the Bear? Detective and psychic Hannah Lightfoot heads to her family’s mountain cabin to make some hard decisions about the future of her career. When she reaches the cabin she finds it already occupied—by a handsome naked stranger. Shape-shifter Evan Maddox is her brother’s friend and partner. After a night of unbelievable passion, they work together to rescue a kidnapped child. He believes in Hannah’s gifts, but can he trust her with his deepest secrets? Maybe even with his heart? Excerpt: I heard another noise behind me and tilted my head just a fraction. Fabulous. The sight of the two roly-poly bundles was disgustingly cute and yet utterly terrifying. I’d landed smack in between a mother bear and her twin cubs. There was no way I could get to my feet and run before mom ripped my head off. I was toast. Just when I was about to say my last goodbyes, another roar, deeper and even louder, split the night. The black bear’s eyes widened and she chuffled at her cubs. All three spun and fled into the brush off to my left. With a sick pool of dread roiling in my stomach, I slowly turned my head to the right. It was the biggest damned grizzly I’d ever seen. He was less than five feet away, reared up on his hind feet. Looking up from where I knelt on the ground, I could see every silver-tipped brown hair. I could even tell it was most definitely a male. At that point, my overloaded nervous system just decided to quit. With a pathetic whimper, I collapsed back into the pine mulch and passed out. **** I awoke with my cheek pressed against something warm and fuzzy. It felt nice, so I snuggled into it. I was shivering like crazy and none of my limbs seemed to be working, but I could tell I was moving. After a second, the fog cleared and I realized I was being carried. The pleasant warmth came from a broad and hairy male chest. By the time my eyes opened, we were up the wooden steps and at the cabin door. I’d like to think it was common sense that kept me from fighting him when I realized I was being carried back to shelter by the same naked man I’d run from in the first place. I could even blame my psychometry, since I got no sense of threat emanating from the places where we touched—just warmth and security. To be honest, though, I think I just held on because he felt and smelled incredible. My body simply overruled my fear. Once inside, he set me down in front of the fireplace. My legs wobbled a little, but without too much help from his strong arms, they managed to hold me upright. I looked up at his ruggedly handsome face. High cheekbones and strong chin were framed by medium brown hair that was sun-bleached or frosted at the ends, and fell in sort of a straight shag cut. His eyes were a deep rich brown. “Wh-wh-who are y-you?” I spoke through chattering teeth. “My name is Evan Maddox.” His voice was a deep bass rumble as his big hands moved to the zipper of my jacket and began to peel off layers of wet clothing. “Anything else you want to know, I’ll tell you after we get you warm.” |
