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  Her first reaction was to say something sassy and put her off. But Zoe swallowed hard and dropped her head for a moment. She’d been running for a few months now, and despite what she’d hoped when she’d first taken off on her bike, her problems were no further behind her. And they never would be.

  “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  Zoe nodded. “I didn’t mean to worry anyone, Chloe. Really.” She hadn’t. Her leaving had nothing to do with anyone else. Only her. She’d needed space and she told her sister so.

  “But why? This isn’t like you.” They sat together on a fallen log and Zoe picked at a patch of dried moss. “Me, maybe.” She smiled. “But not you. You were never the rebellious one. You were always the—”

  “Good one?”

  That made Chloe laugh. “Well, I wouldn’t say that you were the good one.” She used air quotes. “But yes, you were definitely the daughter who would have been voted least likely to have a nervous breakdown of any kind.”

  It was Zoe’s turn to laugh, but only for a minute. “Do you remember how when we were kids I was the one who couldn’t wait to grow up, find my mate, and live happily ever after, having as many cubs as I could?”

  Chloe nodded. “I remember it well. I never could understand that. It was the last thing I wanted for my life.” She shrugged at the obvious irony. The only thing missing from Chloe’s life now was cubs, but that couldn’t be too far off either. “Are you saying that you don’t want that anymore?”

  “No.” She shook her head sadly and much to her frustration, tears sprang up in her eyes. “That’s the problem.” Her voice was small as she looked up at her big sister. “I do want it. Badly.”

  Despite the distance and the wall Zoe had successfully put up, their bond was strong and Chloe didn’t hesitate before she reached over, wrapped her arm around Zoe, and pulled her in for a hug. Instantly, the weight of her sister’s arm had her crying in earnest. Thankfully, Chloe didn’t say anything but just let her cry. Much to Zoe’s surprise, it felt good to get the tears out. Of course, she’d cried before, but not since she’d left home.

  There was no time for crying when you were constantly on the move. Town to town, meeting new people, getting into all the trouble she’d avoided when she was younger…there was little room for tears.

  After a few minutes, her tears slowed and only then did Chloe stroke her hair and say, “Hey. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”

  Zoe sat up, wiped her face, and turned to her sister. “I can’t want that anymore because I can’t have it.”

  Chloe shook her head. “That doesn’t make sense. Why can’t you have it? Are Mom and Dad forcing you to mate with—”

  “No.” It wasn’t unusual in the clans to have rules about who you could mate with, but the Karringtons had never been like that. They’d even let Chloe, their oldest, go off to school and then take a job traveling as a way to avoid finding a mate and settling down. The irony that Chloe had actually met her mate while doing it was strong. “It’s not like that,” Zoe continued. “They don’t even know what happened.”

  “So what did happen? Why do you think you can’t find your mate?”

  “That’s not it and that’s the whole problem, Chloe. I think I could find my mate.” The sexy bear cop’s face flashed in her head again. But she pushed thoughts of Officer Gabe away. “I mean…if I were looking, I’m sure I could find him. But I could never enter into such a union because it wouldn’t be fair. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” Zoe jumped off the log and took a few steps away before she turned around again. “I can never have cubs.” Every time she said the words aloud, it caused a physical pain in her chest. “The doctors told me a few months ago. The chances of me having a successful pregnancy are pretty slim.”

  “I don’t understand.” Chloe shook her head. “Is it a genetic thing? How do they know?”

  “It’s the craziest thing.” Zoe paced again. “I went for my yearly checkup and mentioned to the doctor that I haven’t been having regular periods.” She shrugged. “I honestly didn’t think anything of it, but they ran some tests. I wasn’t even worried, Chloe. I mean, why should I have been?”

  “What did they say?”

  “I have something called POI. Primary ovarian insufficiency. It basically means my ovaries don’t work.”

  “What?”

  “I know, right?”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  Zoe shrugged. “Does anything make sense?”

  “So what does it mean?”

  Zoe stopped pacing and looked straight at her sister. “It means the chance of me having children of my own are extremely rare. And you and I both know what that means when it comes to a mate. If I can’t give him a cub…if I can’t…” She let the idea drift away. “It’s not fair for me to take a mate. Not ever.”

  Chapter Four

  “Bree, will you push me?” Ashton, already a successful flirt with the ladies, batted his eyelashes in the direction of Bree Brooks, owner of Bree’s Knees clothing shop in town, and most importantly, Gabe’s best friend. She’d been one of the first people Gabe and Ashton had met when they’d moved. And although she was human, she seemed to know all about the shifters living among her and not only didn’t have any problem with it, but considered a lot of them some of her closest friends.

  “You know I will, kiddo.” She left her paper cup of coffee on the picnic table where they’d been sitting and raced Ashton to the swing set. Gabe followed them with a laugh. He stood off to the side to avoid being hit by his son’s wildly swinging legs as Bree pushed him higher and higher.

  “So,” Bree said after she got Ashton swinging high enough to squeal in delight. “Were you going to tell me about the blonde-haired woman you were kissing on the side of the road yesterday or were you waiting for me to bring it up?” She winked at him, and Gabe groaned.

  “I thought it was you who drove by.”

  “You’re lucky it was,” she answered. “What was that all about? Since when do you make out with women during traffic stops?”

  “I know.” He shook his head. “It was stupid.” But amazing. “I don’t know what came over me.” Her intoxicating scent. “It was the craziest thing. “I don’t even know her first name.”

  Bree looked at him sideways.

  “I mean, I know she’s Chloe’s sister, but—”

  “It was a traffic stop,” Bree interrupted. “Isn’t there a whole part about license and registration?” His friend laughed, tossing her long strawberry-blonde hair back over her shoulder as she got ready for another push. Not only was she amazing with Ashton, she was sweet and kind and a successful business owner, as well as incredibly pretty. The Jackson brothers had all asked him at one point why he didn’t ask Bree out on a proper date. Even Maryann had mentioned it once or twice.

  But it wasn’t like that with Bree. They were friends. Best friends. And even if he was willing to jeopardize that—which he wasn’t—neither of them felt any of the attraction that was necessary for a relationship to work.

  Not like the light-haired beauty on the bike.

  That was a level of attraction that Gabe had never felt. Not ever. Hell, it was enough to jeopardize his job.

  “She didn’t have her papers on her,” Gabe admitted, earning another questionable glance from Bree. “And one thing led to another and I didn’t actually catch her first name.”

  “I should say. That was one hell of a traffic stop.” Bree laughed again and this time Gabe found himself laughing along with her. “But I know who she is.”

  His laughter cut off abruptly. “Who?”

  Before she could tell him, Ashton demanded more pushing and Bree obliged. After a few strong shoves that sent him once again soaring in the air, Bree stepped to the side and said, “Well, you already know she’s Chloe Karrington’s sister.” He nodded. “Her name is Zoe.”

  Zoe.

  Kade and Brian had been talking about Chloe’s sister. They had the same elec
tric blue eyes. Even with the different hair color, he should have seen the similarity. But he’d been too busy trying to keep his bear in check to worry about physical similarities with his friend’s mate.

  “Zoe?” Just saying her name woke his bear up.

  “Yep. She showed up out of the blue the other night,” Bree continued. “As far as I know, Chloe doesn’t even know why she’s in town. She said something about how Zoe had kind of taken off without telling anyone and her parents were really worried. I guess it’s totally unusual behavior for her. I wonder if Chloe would think that making out with a cop on the side of the road was unusual behavior?”

  She was teasing, but still Gabe shook his head and clenched his jaw. “Do not say anything.”

  “No fair.”

  “What’s not fair?” Ashton’s swing was coasting to a stop and his little ears picked up everything lately.

  “That I have to work so early tomorrow,” Gabe answered and Bree rolled her eyes. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get going so I can get you to your grandma’s. You get to sleep over tonight and she’ll take you to school in the morning because I’ll be working the graveyard shift. Sound good?”

  “Yup.” Ashton nodded the way Gabe knew he would. He was lucky to have such an easygoing kid.

  The three of them chatted about Ashton’s class and some of his favorite classmates as they walked along the street. Gabe couldn’t help it as his gaze drifted toward the end of the road where he’d met Zoe. His bear started to grumble, his instincts on alert as they got closer. But it wasn’t the spot in the road that his bear was reacting to.

  As the threesome made their way a little farther down the street, the scent of fresh cherries filled his senses. Zoe. Without thinking, Gabe turned toward the Station pub and sure enough, there was the motorbike. He took three steps across the street before Ashton’s voice stopped him.

  “Dad. Where are you going?”

  He froze and turned around, still standing in the middle of the street. Bree watched him with raised eyebrows. No doubt she knew exactly where he was going.

  “I just saw that there was a new flyer on the community message board.” It was a lame excuse, but it was all he could come up with. Gabe jogged across the road and grabbed the flyer before holding it up triumphantly. “A fall festival.” He looked at Bree, who’d grabbed Ashton’s hand and joined him on the other side of the street. “What fall festival? Do you know anything about this?”

  Bree shrugged. “The Jacksons were talking about doing something as a thank-you to the town for being so accepting of them and the lodge. I guess they decided on a fall festival. Can I see?”

  Gabe handed Bree the paper.

  “Pumpkin carving, archery, bobbing for apples, hay rides, and more,” she read. “Sounds fun.”

  “Totally!” Ashton bounced up and down. “Can we go, Dad?”

  Gabe looked to Bree in question.

  “It’s this Saturday,” she replied. “From one to nine. There’s going to be a bonfire as well.”

  A chance to visit Grizzly Ridge, and Zoe? He wouldn’t miss it. “Of course.” He grinned at his son, who did a fist pump in the air. “But that’s still almost a week away. And right now, we need to get you to your grandmother’s so I can catch a nap before my shift.”

  Bree leaned in and whispered in his ear so Ashton wouldn’t hear. “A nap? Or maybe a stop in at the pub?”

  Gabe stared at her. How could she know? “It’s not like that.”

  His best friend laughed. “Yeah, right.”

  She was right. It had taken a great deal of restraint to walk away from the Station pub and the scent of cherries that filled the air, but there was no way he was going to be able to go in. Not with Ashton with him. Besides, even if he did go see her, what would he say?

  It wasn’t about what he would say so much as what he would do. And Gabe knew it. The next time he saw Zoe, he knew he’d have to taste her again. Only this time, he wasn’t so sure he’d be able to stop at only just one taste.

  After her talk with Chloe, Zoe was wrung out and she’d needed to get away. Not that it hadn’t felt good to come clean with her sister. It had. But it had also brought up all of the feelings she’d been trying to run away from. And there was no point to dwell on any of that. Especially when there was nothing she could do about it.

  Even Chloe hadn’t known what to say. That was because there was nothing to say. Nothing at all.

  So instead of hanging around and letting herself think about it, Zoe had joined Ella and Harper, who were making up flyers for a fall festival that the Jacksons had fairly spontaneously decided to host. They only had one week to take care of the details and let everyone in town know about it. Zoe had taken the stack of photocopies and offered to put them up around town. Which she’d done.

  Her task had taken her right past the Station pub, and considering she’d done such a good job, and had worked up a thirst, she didn’t see any problem with stopping in. And with any luck, she’d be able to find somebody to take her mind off her troubles. Or even better, she could get into some trouble. Maybe with a sexy bear cop?

  She was still laughing at herself when she walked into the dimly lit pub and took a seat at the polished wooden bar. She turned on her stool and scanned her surroundings. There wasn’t much in the way of other patrons so early in the afternoon, but a few guys were seated farther down the bar. Humans. A big guy seated alone in a booth. He was all grizzly. But brooding and moody. She didn’t want anything to do with that. In the far corner of the room was her best option for a little fun: two men downing beers and egging each other on in what looked to be a very poorly played game of pool. They were shifters, but not bears. She watched, waited, and paid attention.

  Wolves.

  Yes, that could be a lot of fun.

  She ordered three shots of tequila before making her way over to the men. Zoe didn’t have a lot of experience with wolves. There weren’t any in the town she grew up in, and she’d only run into them once or twice in her travels. And of course Nash, Kira Jackson’s mate at Grizzly Ridge, was a wolf. But other than that, she didn’t know what to expect.

  With any luck, they’d be up for a bit of competition.

  “You guys looking for a challenge?” She held out the shots and flipped her hair off her shoulder with her free hand. She knew she looked good. Her blouse was unbuttoned just enough to reveal the low-cut camisole beneath, along with the generous swell of her breasts. Her jeans were tight and her leather boots tall, which only accented her shapely legs. She had curves in all the right places, and judging by the men’s response, they were appreciated.

  “I think we are.” The first one answered and took a shot from her. “The name’s Brian,” he said. “Brian Blackwood. I own the ranch up the road.”

  “Next to Grizzly Ridge?”

  “That’s the one.” He grinned at her. “You must be Chloe’s sister.”

  Zoe did her best not to look disappointed that he knew who she was. Hopefully it wouldn’t affect his willingness to play. “Small towns.” She shrugged.

  “That’s the truth.” Brian chuckled. “This is Gord. He works for me up on the ranch.”

  Zoe handed him a shot. “Wanna play?” She winked at them and raised her glass in the air. The men followed suit and they all downed their shots before Brian grabbed the triangle to rack the balls.

  “Shall we make it interesting?”

  Zoe chose a cue from the rack on the wall and chalked the end. “Absolutely.” She gave him a sly smile. “Fifty?”

  “How about a hundred?”

  “Oh no!” Zoe pretended to look shocked. “I could never risk that kind of money on a game. I mean, I’m not very good.”

  Brian laughed. If he knew he was being hustled, he was being a good sport about it. “Sure you can.” He pulled the triangle from the balls and waved toward her, giving her the go ahead to take the first shot. “I’m not very good either.” He winked and Zoe couldn’t help but laugh.


  “Sure.” She shook her head and took her spot at the end of the table. “A hundred dollars it is.” Slowly, she bent at the waist and pulled her hair to one side before raising her cue and lining it up with the white ball. She inhaled slowly before making the shot.

  The solid blue and green ball both landed in pockets off the break.

  “Impressive.” Brian whistled.

  “Hustler,” the other man said, but Zoe ignored him and took the next shot.

  She missed.

  Growing up, her family had a pool table in their basement and Zoe had gotten pretty good at the game. She knew she could probably beat both men, and if she were anywhere else, in any other town, she’d hustle them both for as much money as she could get out of them. But she was in Boulder Creek, and this guy obviously knew her sister. There was nothing to be gained from taking him for a few hundred dollars.

  Except a little danger.

  The thought actually appealed, but as she watched Brian sink his next two shots before missing, something else much more appealing presented itself.

  Oranges and cedar.

  The scent filled her. Her bear growled within. And she missed her shot, the cue scraping the side of the ball before jamming into the felt on the table top.

  “Whoa.” Brian laughed. “If you’re trying to prove that you’re not a shark, you don’t need to go quite that far.”

  She blushed, embarrassed at her blatant slip. Even when she was trying not to play well, she’d never missed quite so badly. But she couldn’t dwell on it, because her instincts were raging out of control.

  Gabe. He was there.

  She didn’t even need to turn to know he stood in the bar, watching her. But she couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d tried. And she didn’t.

  Gabe probably should have gone straight home after dropping Ashton off at Maryann’s. He should have gone to catch a few hours of sleep and a quick shower before his shift started. It would be a long night. He should have at the very least stayed far away from the Station pub.