Free Every Vow She Breaks by Jannine Gallant Page B

him?”
    “We both have our moments.”
    The sparkle in his eyes gradually dimmed. “Did I detect a hint of uncertainty in your tone when you mentioned your…old friend?”
    “Probably. Jed’s like chocolate. Not healthy in the long run, but still tempting. We aren’t involved.” She cleared her throat. “Uh, we seem to be off topic.”
    A fallen tree blocked the trail. Grasping her arm, he steadied her as she climbed over it.
    “Not at all. You’re an interesting—not to mention beautiful—woman. I’d like to get to know you better. No reason why we can’t enjoy each other’s company while I work and you take your photographs.”
    Bracing one hand on the mossy log, she jumped back onto the path. “Not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment, but I probably won’t be around long enough for that.”
    “Too bad. What the hell?”
    Claire stopped and stared then reached for her camera. Barking furiously, Scoop plunged through the underbrush to plant his paws against a small fir tree. A half grown bear cub scrambled higher through the branches. The tree shook and quivered.
    Bart frowned. “That fir doesn’t look very sturdy.”
    Zooming in on the bear’s face, she focused and clicked. “Just a couple more shots…”
    “Oh, hell!” The scientist gave her a hard push, sending her staggering out of the way.
    The tree top bent then snapped, and the cub plummeted to the ground. Scoop’s eyes widened as the bear landed two feet in front of him. With a bellow, the cub bounded into the forest with the dog in noisy pursuit.
    A piercing whistle stopped him in his tracks. Turning, Scoop galloped back, a canine grin on his face as he plopped down, tongue hanging, in front of Jed.
    Jed reached down to pat his head. “Good boy.”
    Claire stared from the man to the dog. “Unbelievable.”
    “On our hike the other day, I made certain he knew who was in charge.”
    Women probably react the same way when he whistles.
    Ian scowled as he stopped beside them. “At least someone has a little control around here. If you’re through terrorizing the wildlife, let’s keep going.”
    They hiked for another hour. Claire was beginning to wonder if they were ever going to take a break, when Ian glanced over his shoulder.
    “This is the area we decided on for additional surveillance. Lee and Margaret should be somewhere up ahead.”
    Minutes later, the sound of voices filtered through the trees, growing louder as the forest thinned. Jed raised one brow, and she shrugged in response. Either the other scientists were having a disagreement, or—
    “Goddamn paparazzi!”
    Claire jerked to a stop and peered around Ian’s shoulder then drew in a breath.
    In a small clearing, Preston Meyer spoke in rapid-fire bursts of words, hands flapping to emphasize a point. From the apoplectic color of Lee’s face and Margaret’s downward twisted lips, he wasn’t having much luck convincing them of…what?
    “Obviously talking isn’t getting our point across to that creep.” Ian’s hands flexed at his sides as he stepped through a thicket of ferns.
    Claire rushed after him to grab his arm. The muscle tensed beneath her fingertips through the sleeve of his shirt. “Preston is a good guy, honestly.”
    Ian stopped and turned to face her. His gray eyes narrowed. “You know him?”
    She nodded. “We worked together at Nature Exposed . He’s just looking for a story, same as I am.”
    “You sure about that? The camera he broke was expensive.”
    “Preston didn’t break it. I asked.”
    With a snort, Ian strode forward. “You think he’d admit something like that?”
    “Maybe not, but what purpose would destroying your equipment serve?”
    “How the hell would I know?”
    At the last comment, flung over his shoulder, Margaret spun around. “About time you got here. We have a situation.”
    Bart stepped past them and cleared his throat. “Let’s not overreact, folks.” His gaze shot to Ian, and he chuckled. “No reason we