Just Right Read online

  Just Right

  A Not Quite Wicked Tale

  By Bronwyn Green

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  http://www.resplendencepublishing.com

  Resplendence Publishing, LLC

  P.O. Box 992

  Edgewater, Florida, 32132

  Just Right

  Copyright © 2010, Bronwyn Green

  Edited by Tiffany Mason

  Cover art by Les Byerly

  Electronic format ISBN: 978-1-60735-106-1

  Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Electronic release: January 2010

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.

  To Brynn, Mia and Dakota – three of most fanfreakingtastic friends a girl could have.

  To Tia Fanning for insisting I write this book in the first place.

  To Jen Armintrout for title awesomeness and general awesomeness.

  To Kris Norris for always having my back and being utterly spectacular.

  I love all of you big and much.

  A huge thank you to Bill Scullon from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. I appreciate all the time you took to answer my questions. Any mistakes I’ve made or liberties I’ve taken are mine alone.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Gwendolyn Locke tightened her fingers inside her mittens, wishing they were wrapped around her co-worker’s throat, instead. Noah freaking Makwa was turning into the bane of her existence.

  She’d transferred to this godforsaken area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to study the black bear population, but thanks to Noah, she’d been here over a month and had yet to see anything. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Today, he’d finally taken her with him to introduce an orphaned cub to a foster mother.

  Her stomach had been tied in knots the entire drive. He smelled like wood-smoke and pine needles and looked like every sexually charged dream she’d had since arriving at the Baraga Department of Natural Resources office. In her dreams, he was an aggressive lover, taking her against a tree, deep in the forest. She’d woken from that particular dream convinced she’d felt the tree bark digging into her back. In reality, he was civil but distant, nice enough until she’d remind him about her need to work on her research. Then he’d disappear for hours at a time or invent lame excuses about why he couldn’t take her to the known nesting areas. It wasn’t until she’d set off on her own today that he’d agreed to take her along on this cub drop.

  The trip down the old logging roads was bumpy, the silence interrupted only by the whir of the truck’s heater and his monosyllabic answers to her occasional questions. She watched him discreetly from the corner of her eye. He’d pulled back his shoulder-length black hair at the nape of his neck, displaying high cheekbones and sculpted lips. His burnished copper skin hinted at his Native American heritage. Dark brown eyes, bright with annoyance—at her presence, she guessed—focused on the snow covered two-track.

  He turned and caught her studying him. A shiver worked through her body at the intensity of his gaze.

  “Cold?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she lied, nodding her head as she shifted to stare out the window and tried to force away the thoughts of how his lips would feel on hers.

  Reaching toward the dashboard, Noah cranked up the heat then turned the vents to blow toward her before returning to his pattern of pretending she wasn’t there.

  The logging road narrowed drastically until they came to a stop in front of a stand of new-growth white pines. Shutting off the ignition, he turned his big body to face her.

  “You’re going to need to stay in the truck,” he announced.

  She couldn’t believe it. He was coming up with yet another reason to keep her from doing her damn job. “What? Why?”

  “I can smell your shampoo.”

  “And?”

  “And if I can smell it, the bears can, too.”

  She was going to punch him. Right in his ridiculously gorgeous face. “They’re hibernating. They won’t wake up unless I dance around their nest, banging pots and pans together, wearing a necklace made of bacon. And even then, they wouldn’t wake up fully. I’m pretty sure we’re safe.

  Noah scowled at her and got out of the truck. She followed him to the rear of the pickup where he lowered the tailgate and tugged forward a blanket-covered cage. The muffled yelp of the young bear broke the frozen stillness of the afternoon.

  Flipping back the fabric, Noah opened the cage door while the cub huddled in the rear of the enclosure. He grabbed a heavy branch from alongside the cage and baited the end of it with peanut butter, letting the scent lure out the bear. As soon as the cub took the bait, Noah shifted the stick so the animal straddled it then hefted the branch, bear and all, off the truck.

  “Stay here.” He didn’t spare her a glance as he walked toward several fallen trees where a nursing sow had made a nest with her cubs.

  “Screw you,” she muttered and followed quietly behind him. She wasn’t about to miss her chance to see the potential adoption of an orphaned cub.

  Noah noticed her immediately and jerked his head toward the vehicle, indicating that she should go back. Ignoring his narrowed eyes and glower, she continued toward his position a couple yards from the blow-down that served as shelter for the sow and her cubs.

  She watched as he extended the branch toward the nest, turning the wood until the baby bear lost his grip and plopped to the ground. It let out a plaintive cry as it fumbled in the deep snow, and Gwendolyn held her breath, waiting for the mother bear to respond. Finally, there was a stirring amongst the roots and branches and the sow sat up groggily and pulled the orphan against her body before settling again into the dried leaves and pine needles. The cub nestled against her and the other bears. Gwendolyn marveled at the sense of immediate warmth and connection. It was probably the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

  The second most beautiful thing was the softening of Noah’s eyes and the unguarded smile that curved his lips as he watched the animals. His expression faded as soon as he noticed her looking at him.

  “I thought I told you to stay with the truck.” His harsh whisper was just as cutting as the bitterly cold air. He stalked past her, tossed the bait branch into the truck bed, then closed the tailgate. Following him, she climbed into the passenger seat.

  “Look,” she said when he’d pulled back onto to the old two-track. “I get that you don’t like me.”

  He glanced at her, a glossy black eyebrow raised.

  “And I get that you don’t want me in your office, but this is where I’ve been transferred, and I’ve been assigned to you. If you don’t like it, take it up with the Lansing office, but in the meanwhile, I’ve got research to do, and you just have to get over it.”

  He didn’t even look at her. She might as well have been talking to herself.

  “You know,” she continued, “I’m perfectly capable of reading a map. Let me make copies of the data you have, and I can go out on my—”

  “No,” he snapped. “It’s too dangerous.”

  “I’ve had the same training you have.”

  His brow furrowed as he frowned. “Things are…different up here.”

  “More trees. More snow. More bears. That’s kinda the point.”

/>   The truck coasted to a stop as they approached the main road, and he turned to meet her eyes, the intensity of his stare immobilizing her. “It’s not safe out here alone.”

  “I have a gun—same as you.”

  “It’s not safe for you.”

  “Because I’m a woman?”

  An icy trickle of unease slid down her spine as he continued to hold her gaze. “Because you don’t know the area,” he finally answered.

  “And whose fault is that?”

  Instead of responding, he pulled out onto the main road and headed back to the DNR office. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on what needed to be done to request a transfer to one of the other offices in the Upper Peninsula so she could actually do her research. Unfortunately, all she could think about was her latest dream—Noah taking her hard and fast from behind. It was impossible to ignore the way her nipples tightened at the thought of him touching her. It was equally impossible to ignore the way her folds moistened at the thought of him inside her. Despite her anger at him, she still wanted him. Or maybe she just needed to get laid, and her brain was fixating on him. She squirmed in her seat, wishing they were back in Baraga already.

  High winds buffeted the truck as they skirted the edge of Lake Superior. The waves roiled violently beyond the ice-crusted shoreline and thick gray clouds hung low on the horizon. She’d been in this part of the state long enough to know that a huge storm was on its way. And wouldn’t that just be a perfect end to an already craptastic day.

  Almost two hours of near silence from Noah was broken when he pulled into the parking lot and stopped next to her Jeep. “We’re in for a helluva storm. You should get back to your place while you can.”

  “As soon as the truck’s unloaded and my paperwork’s filed, I will.”

  He looked like he was about to argue, but she hopped out of the truck before he had a chance. Grabbing the blanket and branch, she carried it to the equipment building, leaving the cage for Noah. Folding the heavy, quilted fabric, she stowed it on a shelf, wishing it were as easy to pack away her attraction to her co-worker. Of course, if he kept being a jerk, it might not be as difficult as she feared.

  After the rest of the equipment was put away, she knocked on his office door. He glanced up from his computer screen and stared at her expectantly.

  “We need to talk.”

  “You should get home before the roads get any worse,” he said, returning his attention to the monitor.

  Stifling a sigh, she sat in a chair in front of his desk and waited for him to acknowledge her presence.

  He finally leaned back in his chair and studied her.

  “I want to be reassigned,” she said once she had his attention.

  “What?”

  “I know you’re the best in this area, and I was really hoping to learn from you, but you clearly have no interest in working together, so I’d like to be reassigned.”

  Surprise brightened his eyes. “To whom?”

  “I don’t know…Baker? Or someone else who doesn’t think I’m incompetent.”

  Noah frowned, and she had the ridiculous urge to smooth away the creases between his eyebrows.

  “I don’t think you’re incompetent.” Before she could open her mouth, he continued, “But this is dangerous country if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

  She leaned forward. “Then teach me what I need to know, or assign me to someone who will.”

  He glanced out the window before meeting her gaze. “Let me give it some thought and we’ll talk about it next week.”

  She shot out of the chair. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re blowing me off? Again?” She turned toward the door.

  “Gwen, wait.”

  She stopped but didn’t turn around. “Forget it. I’ll figure it out on my own.”

  Exiting the room, she stormed down the hall, stopping long enough to grab her laptop and purse. She’d fill out her report at home. It would give her something to do since she’d already read the books she’d brought with her, and the TV in her rented motel room got all of two channels—on a clear night. Tonight, she’d be lucky to get one.

  She pulled on her winter gear and headed out the door, not sparing a glance for Noah as she passed. Arrogant asshole.

  Bitterly cold air swirled around her as soon as she stepped outside, making her eyes water. At least a foot of snow had fallen since she’d arrived at work that morning, and it was still coming down. Starting the engine, she let the Jeep warm up while she scraped the windows, anxious to get out of the parking lot before Noah decided to leave. She could do without seeing him in real life or her dreams for a good long time. Besides, she needed to hurry if she was going to make it to the grocery store before it closed. She didn’t even have bread to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She’d likely be stuck at the motel all weekend and the tiny kitchenette in her room was dangerously under stocked.

  After a brief stop at the IGA to pick up a couple bags of groceries, she maneuvered through the near whiteout conditions along highway forty-one. At the rate she was going, it would take her over an hour to make the twenty-mile drive to her motel.

  Gale-force gusts pummeled her Jeep as she inched along the Lake Superior shoreline, fighting to keep the vehicle on the road. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel and she was pissed at Noah all over again. This time because he’d been right. She shouldn’t have taken the time to try to talk to him. She should have just left as soon as they’d gotten back from the cub drop.

  Squinting, she followed the curve of the road as it angled away from the lakeshore and through a stretch of marshland. The wiper blades couldn’t keep up with the thick, wet snow clinging to her windshield. The tires caught, then slid on a patch of ice and she took her foot off the gas and tried to steer through the slide. As soon as she made it to the tree line, the drive would, in theory, be slightly less harrowing. The heavy pine forest on either side of the road made drifting and ice build-up less of a problem. Of course, on a night like tonight, all the roads in this area sucked.

  Snow spiraled around the vehicle, obscuring her vision so much that she almost missed seeing the dark shape that darted in front of her. She tried to brake, but she hadn’t seen it soon enough to make much of a difference. The passenger side of her Jeep clipped the flank of a huge bear with a sickening thud.

  A scream strangled in her throat as she tried to keep the vehicle on the road. The force from the impact pushed her toward the tree line and down an embankment. The Jeep slammed into a tree and her world went completely white as the air bag deployed.

  Pain lanced through her forehead where she’d smacked it against the driver’s side window. Trying to stave off the dizziness, she unbuckled and crawled out the door. After pushing the button to release the lock on the rear door, she clung to the side of the vehicle as she made her way around to the back to find her service weapon. If the bear wasn’t dead already, she refused to let it suffer until it finally did die.

  Fighting vertigo, she pulled the rifle from the case and loaded it with leaden fingers. She grabbed her flashlight and scanned the ground, looking for the injured animal’s tracks. They weren’t difficult to find. Bright red blood marred the pristine snow, dripping steadily as the bear stumbled through the underbrush.

  Gwendolyn followed the path as rapidly as she dared, blowing snow stinging her exposed skin. The whipping wind carried the bear’s anguished cry to her, and she tried to move faster. She hated to have to take its life, but what choice did she have? Judging from the blood loss she’d seen, there was no way it would survive the night—especially not in a storm like this. For a brief, crazy moment, she considered calling Noah, but she dismissed the thought just as quickly. He’d already made it clear she was on her own.

  She stumbled across a log only to fall face first in the snow. For a moment, her world went dim as the lightheadedness returned, but she forced away the woozy feeling and pushed to her feet. A few yards ahead lay a dark shape. She’d found the
bear. Training her flashlight on it, she watched for signs of life. It moved, and she saw the spreading pool of blood that melted the snow around it.

  Feeling sick at what she had to do, she raised her gun to her shoulder and took aim. She tried to still her shaking hands as the bear began to twist and writhe on the ground. Suddenly, its body thinned and lengthened and she thought she heard the muffled sounds of flesh tearing and bones breaking. Before her eyes, its fur receded leaving bare skin, the body of a predator becoming that of a human man.

  She must have hit her head harder than she’d thought. How could she have possibly mistaken him for a bear? What the hell was he doing naked in a snowstorm? She needed to get help. She lowered her gun and dug in her pocket for her cell phone. No signal. God damn it!

  Quickly, she darted to his side and checked for a pulse. Faint but steady. Her blood ran cold when she saw his face. For a moment, she thought it was Noah. Relief flooded her when she realized it wasn’t, followed quickly by guilt. She’d hit this man with her car and now she had no idea how she was going to get him help.

  Stripping off her coat, she covered him with it, careful not to jostle him. She couldn’t tell the extent of his injuries, and she didn’t want to make it worse. Standing, she turned in a circle, looking for any sign of life. The only light she saw was the faint glow of one headlight and the taillights of her vehicle.

  Not knowing what else to do, she fired several shots into the air and yelled for help. Her scream was cut short as a rustle sounded behind her. Whirling, she faced the biggest black bear she’d ever seen. She lifted the gun to her shoulder, but before her frozen finger could find the trigger, it growled and knocked it from her hands. Standing on its hind legs, it advanced on her.

  It must have smelled the blood of the injured man and been drawn out of its nest. Bears rarely attacked people, but in this case, she could see where it might make an exception. And considering she was standing between it and a potential meal…she was fucked.