River Bear (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Blue Bear Rescue)

D
elilah stared
out the taxi window at Blue Hole, Wyoming like a kid in a candy store. She’d never seen mountains so tall. Or grass so green. Hell, she’d barely seen grass at all, having spent her whole life in the city. This little ski town was adorable, and not just because it had more space than people.

When the cabbie pulled to the curb, a quick glance at the Blue Bear Search and Rescue sign let her know she was in the right place. A thrill of excitement pulsed through her. Her first out-of-town job and it was for a crew of shifters. Hot damn. Talk about diversifying her portfolio.

She’d only ever met one shifter in the city, and ever since that job, she’d been fascinated with them. The idea of becoming something else. Something stronger. And their sense of family—the way they banded together for each other—humans could take a lesson or two from that. She’d been alone so long, and she wondered if she just wasn’t built for relationships. Maybe she just wasn’t the type.

She shook off the mental echoes of her mother’s lies, still alive in her mind after all these years, determined to focus on the work. It was what she was good at and what she’d been called here to do. Lonely or not, Delilah was excellent at her job.

Still, she had to wonder what had led the Blue Bear Search and Rescue to her doorstop so many miles and states away. Private investigators weren’t exactly scarce, and she was pretty sure they could have found one a lot closer than her. Not that she was complaining. This paycheck would do wonders for the eviction notice hanging on her apartment door back in the city.

She paid the cab fare and stepped out, her single duffel in hand. It was all that was left of her city apartment, but she wasn’t about to let the client know how bad she needed this opportunity to work—and for it to last as long as possible since they were paying her housing expenses.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the lack of litter and people and horns honking. And smog. Absolutely no freaking smog. God, the air actually smelled like air. She sucked in a huge gulp of it for safekeeping. Someone really needed to bottle this stuff. She took one last deep breath and then, smiling like a loon; she walked inside.

The air changed immediately, and not just because it was darker here than the cheerful, sunlit day she’d left behind. Charged was her first thought. Not scary, just powerful. Despite the empty lobby and abandoned front desk, she knew there was something here.

She craned her neck around the corner and then jumped back again when a man appeared. His broad chest completely obscured anything else, his muscled shoulders and ripped torso straining against the thin cotton shirt he wore. Delilah backed away, more awed than startled. Strong jawline, wicked blue eyes, and a mop of tousled brown hair. Lord-y, he was gorgeous.

“Hi, I’m Jake River.” He grinned, his whole expression lighting up with the easy smile.

Delilah couldn’t help but smile back, although hers felt shy for some crazy reason. She wasn’t normally bashful, but something about the way he seemed to slip right inside her head with a single look made her avert her eyes. “I’m Delilah Henry.”

“Pleasure.”

She took his extended hand and shook it. His palm slid roughly against hers, and she pursed her lips. “Pleasure’s all mine,” she heard herself saying, and Lord have mercy, she meant it. Deep breath, Del. You’ve got this. He’s just pretty. “I, uh, spoke with Xavier Wilde on the phone?”

“Yep, that’s the boss man. He’s in his office. I’ll show you.” Jake led the way, and Delilah couldn’t help but appreciate the view as she followed him down the hall. His dark brown tactical pants hugged his rounded ass perfectly. Tactical as hell, she snorted to herself.

God, what was she even doing? She had a very strict no-screwing-around policy when it came to clients. A no-brainer, really, since most of them came to her with relationship or money problems she didn’t want to touch with a ten-foot pole. And now here she was, five minutes in, already ogling one of them like he was the main dish on an all-you-can-eat buffet.

She forced herself to look away just as Jake stepped inside the office at the end of the hall. She looked up into the eyes of a dark-haired man seated behind a giant mahogany desk. His mouth curved slightly, and she knew she was busted. Damn. Oh well, she’d been caught doing worse.

“Delilah Henry?” The man rose and extended his hand. “Xavier Wilde.”

She nodded and took it. “Nice to meet you.”

He gestured to the chair, and she slid in, enjoying the soft leather against her jeans. She’d considered dressing up but at the last minute, she’d gone with the familiar: blue jeans, black boots, and a fitted top. It displayed all of her curves, sure, but she was way more comfortable in this than a dress and heels or some other fancy getup. And she needed all her confidence for this meeting. Now, she was glad she’d gone with her work gear. Jake’s stare alone was enough to make her lady parts tingle.

Xavier shuffled some papers, and she forced herself to concentrate on that, but every part of her itched to look over at Jake. He hovered in her peripheral vision, lounging against the wall in a sexy slouch. Since when was slouching a turn-on? Maybe she needed to get out more. Hang out with men that weren’t criminals or low-life.

“We’re glad you accepted our invitation to come,” Xavier was saying.

“Of course.” Delilah sat up straighter, game face on. “I have to be honest, I’m flattered, but I’m a little confused how you found me. I’m good at what I do, but I’m not exactly a national brand at this point.” This was the part she was dying to know.

Xavier and Jake exchanged a look. “You did some work for a friend of ours a while back,” Xavier said vaguely. “We heard you did a great job, and honestly, I suspect we’ll need someone from out of town in order to make this work.”

She nodded, still confused. “I can understand wanting a new face. Small town and all. But what friend?”

Jake cleared his throat, and she looked up as he shoved off from the wall, hands in his pockets. “Me.”

She blinked at that, whipping through her memory, but nothing came up. “I think you have the wrong girl. I would definitely remember you.” She felt her cheeks flush at the way that had come out. But it was truth. Jake was not a body, er, a person, she’d forget.

“Well, not me directly. My family.”

“Oh. What’s the name?”

When Jake didn’t answer, she looked back at Xavier. He cast a glance at his friend that she couldn’t read. The kind of look only longtime friends understood. She didn’t have any of those, but she’d seen enough to know it was some secret language she couldn’t possibly understand. A language based solely on shared history.

Xavier cleared his throat. “We’d rather not say. If that’s a deal-breaker for you, I understand.”

She sat back. Well, that was unexpected. But she couldn’t fault them for it. Not wanting to share the source of referral was a privacy issue, and in her business, privacy was everything. “I can understand not wanting to share personal information. I just need your word that you’ll share everything pertinent to the job you’ve hired me for. Beyond that, your lives are your own business.”

Xavier nodded, and Jake visibly relaxed. He shot her a smile that made her nipples hard. God, that guy had a gift.

She cleared her throat and found Xavier watching her. So effing busted. “So what exactly is the job you’re hiring me for?” she asked, ignoring the heat that rose to her cheeks at being caught ogling.

“I’m afraid the details are a little scarce right now,” Xavier said, but Delilah grabbed a pad and pen from her bag anyway. “It’s come to our attention that the DOT—”

“DOT?” she interrupted.

“Department of Transportation. They oversee Blue Bear Search and Rescue. Our budget, our performance, everything goes through them. We do a good job; we get money for equipment and the supplies we need.”

“Got it.” She waved a hand for him to proceed, still scribbling.

“DOT has received a number of complaints about our crew, citing unsafe rescue methods and disregard for city policy. On top of that, we’ve had a disturbing increase in illegal hunting on the backside of Blue Hole Mountain.”

Delilah stopped writing and shook her head, confused. “And you want me to see if these are somehow related?”

“I’ve already surmised the common denominator is us,” Xavier said, his expression darkening. She decided to take his word for it as the air in the room thickened. Wow, she’d never felt the crackle of energy from an alpha shifter before. It was kind of awesome. “I want you to find out how they’re both related to us and why,” Xavier said. “The hunters we arrested last week specifically said they’d come to hunt polar bear shifters.”

“Fucking poachers,” Jake muttered.

“I don’t understand. I thought shifters were welcome in Blue Hole. In the world in general. To have a Search and Rescue team run entirely by shifters would suggest an accepting town.”

Xavier nodded. “We’ve been here twenty-five years. I’ve led Blue Bear Search and Rescue for ten of those without a problem, and my father for fifteen before me.”

“So why now?” Delilah asked almost to herself. She tapped her pen thoughtfully against the page. Her wheels were already turning.

“That’s what you’re here to find out. I think people will talk to you easier than they would us or another local. And you aren’t biased or swayed because you don’t have a history here. If you want the job, it’s yours,” Xavier said. “As we discussed on the phone, we’ll pay salary plus expenses, but this is off the books. None of this goes through official channels.”

Delilah grinned. “I can’t resist a good mystery,” she admitted. “Besides, you guys have the cleanest air I’ve ever breathed. I’m in.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. I need out of this office. Here.” Xavier handed her a stack of papers. “Copies of the complaints filed with DOT. That should get you started.”

Her eyes narrowed at the red “Confidential” stamp across the top. “How’d you get these?”

“Mrs. Alpha,” Jake grinned.

“Laurel, my mate,” Xavier explained. “She works for them. This is where the privacy thing becomes important. Off the books, remember?”

“Not a problem. I work best when I don’t have to follow rules.” Delilah shoved the papers into her bag. Plenty of time for that later. And she’d done this long enough to know that wasn’t the best place to start. “I’d like to get out and observe you all in the community. Meet some of the people here and get a feel for your public image.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that.” Xavier gestured to where Jake still leaned against the wall behind him. “Jake here will escort you and make sure you have everything you need.”

“Boss—” Jake began, clearly not expecting to be volunteered.

“That’s all. I’ve got somewhere to be,” Xavier said, rising. He was halfway to the door before Delilah realized what was happening. She’d be spending the entire day with Jake. Actually, she’d be spending every day with him for the foreseeable future. And he didn’t look happy about it. He slipped by her and chased Xavier down the hall, protesting in raised whispers.

Delilah took her time gathering her things, taking a mental inventory of next steps and necessary supplies. She pretended not to hear Jake in the hall with Xavier, but his deep voice carried easily.

“She’s not going to bite,” Xavier was saying on an obvious laugh.

“She’s human, boss,” Jake practically hissed. “And she has that long wavy hair and pale cheeks,” he added like that meant something. “Like Nash said.”

Delilah bristled at the distaste in his words. What was so bad about her being human? And what the hell was wrong with her hair? Whoever this Nash person was, she planned to find out why he was talking about her without ever having met her. Sure, she needed a tan, but—

“She’s only here for the job, Jake. And I need you to handle this, so I don’t have to. Laurel’s got enough on her plate. I need to interview the new hire and figure out our sixth. Can I count on you to do this for me, man?

Jake was quiet for so long Delilah began to worry he was actually going to say no. “Yeah. I got you, man.” Jake’s words were full of resignation and Delilah frowned.

It’d been a long time since she’d genuinely had hurt feelings. This business, hell, her entire life had been one giant practice in developing a thick skin. No room for bruised ego or wounded pride when you were struggling to survive the foster care system. Not in the neighborhoods she’d grown up in.

So, it shouldn’t have been that easy to wound her, but Jake had done it. And now she was off to spend the day with him. Just fine. That would make it easier to keep her distance. No fraternizing with clients. That had always been her policy—and now, she’d have no trouble keeping her word.