Living in a secluded area of Alaska isn’t exactly conducive to finding a mate, not when Braden’s bear has no interest in any of the local females. Resigned to living the rest of his life alone, he spends his days fishing—his greatest pleasure—and working at his family’s tackle shop. His content enough existence is disrupted when his cousin, a male intent on searching for his mate, tells him they’ll be spending their next vacation at a dude ranch in Wyoming. One that caters to shapeshifters.
Never mind that Braden has never traveled out of state or that he knows nothing about horses. It’s a little hard to say “no” when his envious male friends think it’s a great idea and he finds out his soon to be ex-cousin used his credit card to pay for the non-refundable trip.
For Casey, having to run her family’s vacation ranch after her father’s death is difficult. Dealing with the owner of a rival ranch who is determined to ruin her business even more challenging. Add in the possibility of losing her home because of some crazy stipulation in her father’s will, one which requires at least one of his daughters to provide proof of a husband by a specific date, and things get much, much worse.
With time running out, Casey has no choice but to accept the help of one of her guests. The handsome stranger has intense dark eyes, a drool-worthy body, and happens to love fishing as much as she does. Best of all, he wants to be her groom, so what could possibly go wrong?
Cold water from the gently flowing stream splashed along the outside of Braden’s hip waders, hitting below his knees as it flowed downstream from the spot where he and his cousin Jake had chosen to do their early morning fly fishing.
Tall, lush green grass lined the shores against a backdrop of trees so thick it was hard to see inside the forest. He squinted at the clear sky below the rim of his favorite cap, his mind filled with thoughts of the half dozen pan-fried trout he planned to catch for lunch.
Braden and his bear, the other half of his shifter existence, loved this secluded area of the Alaskan wilderness. He couldn’t imagine ever being this content living anywhere else. He cast his line in front of him, feeling the current’s tug and patiently waited for that first teasing nibble.
READ MOREJake was a lot more social than he was, so his moment of serenity didn’t last long. He was standing about ten feet away and turned to cast a sidelong glance in Braden’s direction. “Do you remember how we’re always talking about taking a trip, checking out new places to see if we can find our mates?”
Most people could tell from their facial features and their tall, broad-chested frames that they were related. Jake was a few inches shorter than Braden, his hair a lighter shade of chestnut and long enough to brush against the collar of his flannel shirt.
Braden rolled his dark eyes at his cousin, wondering where he was going with his question, and if it involved another one of his crazy schemes. “No, I think it’s you who is always talking about it. I’m pretty sure I only listen.”
Ever since some of their friends found their mates and settled down, the same conversation had popped up more than once over the past few months. Every time the topic came up, he bobbed his head and waited for Jake to finish. Eventually, his cousin would realize his efforts were wasted and move on to talking about something else.
“I know you’re happy spending your free time catching fish, but don’t you want more?” Jake continued, apparently not ready to give up so easily. “Wouldn’t you like a family, a female to share your bed, maybe a cub or two of your own?”
Heck yeah, Braden wanted those things, but all the yearning in the world wasn’t going to make it happen. The shifter community in the area was small, and the number of females was lower than the number of males. Not to mention his bear hadn’t shown any interest in the few females who were still unmated.
His luck at finding a mate hadn’t been any better when Jake had dragged him to the local bars in the few surrounding towns. Attending the annual fair, which generally attracted people from neighboring counties, had been a lot of fun but wasn’t the success his cousin had hoped for either.
Braden figured it was better to enjoy the life he had, rather than accept the negative and end up feeling empty inside. “Can’t change how things are.” Even though he continued to tag along on Jake’s quests—mostly to keep him out of trouble—he’d concluded long ago that he’d be spending the rest of his life alone. He was content enough with the decision, at least more content than some of the other males living in the area who hadn’t found their mates, Jake included.
“I disagree.” Jake reeled in his line, then tucked the pole under his brawny arm.
Braden groaned when he waded toward him, scaring off any fish which might have found their way to his lure and hook.
“I was doing some research on the Internet and found this.” Jake slipped a piece of paper out of his vest pocket, unfolding it before waving it in Braden’s face. “I thought you might want to check it out.”
Braden took the paper and stared at the colorful pictures of people sitting on horses with a cascade of mountains in the background. He skimmed over the words “Dude Ranch” and “Wyoming” before scowling and handing it back to Jake. “What makes you think I’d be interested in visiting a ranch?” What he knew about livestock might fill a paragraph if he was lucky.
When Jake grinned, like the way he was grinning now, it always made him wary. “It’s not just any ranch. It’s a place that caters to shifters.” He stuffed the sheet of paper back in his pocket. “Which means there will be females, and a chance to find our mates.”
Braden had to admit his interest was piqued by the notion. It even drew the attention of his bear who’d been lazily ignoring their conversation until Jake mentioned the possibility of finding a mate. His logical half was screaming it was a bad idea, and that it would end in disaster the same way all of Jake’s wild adventures did. “I don’t know the first thing about riding a horse, and I don’t plan on learning anytime soon, if ever.”
He hated to hinder his cousin’s enthusiasm but knew it was for the best, especially if they made the trip and Jake didn’t find a female, then ended up being disappointed.
“They also have hiking, camping,”—Jake’s grin got even wider—“and fishing. Lots of fishing.”
Braden couldn’t believe his cousin had resorted to using his favorite passion against him.
“Can you honestly tell me you wouldn’t like to try fishing in a place you’ve never been to before?” Jake asked.
Braden reeled in his line again, hating that his cousin knew him so well. “That is low. How is it I haven’t disowned you already?” Braden had used the threat on numerous occasions. Not that it did him any good.
Jake chuckled. “Because without me, your life would be incredibly dull.” His cousin’s confidence never lacked arrogance or the smugness that went along with it.
What made him think Braden wasn’t okay with dull? “Doesn’t matter.” He waded a few feet away from him, then cast in a different direction. “I’m not interested.”
“That’s too bad because I booked us on a trip, and we leave the day after tomorrow.”
“Guess you’re going to have to cancel the reservations.” Braden felt the familiar tug of a fish on the end of his line and smiled.
“I can’t. The plane tickets are non-refundable.” Jake paused for a few seconds. “And, I might have used your credit card to pay for everything.” He took a step backward, ensuring he was out of reaching distance.
“What?” Braden bellowed, his first catch of the day forgotten when he dropped his pole and lunged for his cousin.
COLLAPSE