Sebastian didn't like stepping away from a problem. He'd rather solve it, but he'd learned in the short time that he knew Sally, that she wasn't interested in his domineering ways. When the argument was important, when the situation warranted it, he would be the alpha male. He wasn't sure yet if this was one of those situations. He still wanted to know who that man was. Sally had clearly been frightened of him. Her white face told him so. He didn't want her to feel that way or think that she was alone in the world.If she realized she was his mate, she would have a whole den behind her. Mostly his brothers and himself, but there would be others in their far-flung family.She didn't need to be alone in the world. She didn't need to do it all herself. He went to work on the porch, taking his frustration out on the screws his was using to hold down the boards. He wanted to talk to him mother, but that wasn't possible. His brothers might not have any insight into how to deal with this si

Sebastian showed up for work on time the next day. Sally watched him park his truck. She wondered if she should tell him about what had happened last night. The sheriff had called her to let her know that Colin had checked out last night. In a hurry.Guess her nine millimeter had scared him. Then there'd been the bear. She'd wanted to shoot at it but didn't. She couldn't imagine why she didn't. There had been something about the bear. As if she knew that it wasn't a threat. It had growled at Colin but hadn't come near her.In fact, the bear had left as soon as Colin did. She'd stared at the woods for ten minutes after it left. She'd been scared, but maybe she hadn't needed to be. Why hadn't it gone after her?She couldn't puzzle it out. Not that she thought Sebastian would have an answer. She just needed to share her evening with someone. Someone who would be proud of her. Even if she'd sent him home last night, he would still be proud of her.She hoped.She hadn't cared about anyone

After dinner, Sebastian suggested a walk along the lake. Sally took off her shoes. Sebastian put out his hand. "I'll carry them."She'd never had a man offer something like that. She handed them to him. "Thanks."They looked so small in his mitts. Her hand looked small in his. Nothing ever looked small on her. Maybe she'd just been going after the wrong guys. Maybe Sebastian was the right guy.But his secret still nagged at her. "You're thinking too much," he said. "I can almost hear it."She laughed. "It's just how I am.""Why not just feel.""Feel?"He stopped, turning to her. He took her head in his hands. "Just feel. What is your heart telling you to do?"She took a deep breath, then let it out. "Kiss you."He brushed her lips with his. She tingled at his touch. She wanted this kiss. From the bulge in his pants and his heavy breathing, he wanted this kiss and more, but she couldn't give anything else to him.Not until she knew his secret. That stood between them like a veil of fog

Caleb Behr looked at the smaller than usual blond-haired boy while crossing his fingers behind his back. The boy was Josh Leight and he'd struck out the last four times at bat. The boys' knuckles shown white from his grip on the bat. His face held a fear that a little boy shouldn't feel. Caleb would've done anything to take the disappointment away from him. The boy was only eight and life had so much more to knock him down with. Why did he have to deal with this now? Caleb wanted to close this eyes. He wanted to wish away this moment, but as his father had taught him, these moments were the teaching opportunities. How Josh dealt with this failure would help him later in life. Assuming he dealt with it well. Assuming his divorced parents had given the little boy the skills.Three pitches. Three strikes. At least he went down swinging. Josh stomped out of the batter's box, but he didn't throw the bat. He could see the kid squeezing his eyes shut probably to stop the tears. Caleb walked

When Caleb put his hand on Melinda's back, he knew. With every fiber of his being, he knew. Melinda was his mate. He resisted the urge to pull away as if his hand had been burnt. This was not what he wanted. Sebastian had warned him that he would resist at first. Well, he was resisting. He'd get her home and then leave her there. No need to keep contact with her. There was no way he wanted to get married any time soon. Someday. Not now. Not after his last relationship. He didn't want another woman in his life.Too bad he had to touch Melinda. He helped her with her helmet."Is that too tight?" he asked."No, it's fine."He started the bike after he put on his own helmet. He motioned for Melinda to climb on. She did then wrapped her arms around him. Oh. God. This was going to kill him. He wanted to mark her. Mate with her. Or at least the bear part of him did. He had to tamp down his wild side. There was no way he wanted to know his mate right now.He wanted to be a free man for a whi