Free Werebear for Valentine's: Saved by the Bear (BBW Werebear Erotic Romance) by Anya Nowlan

CHAPTER ONE
     
    Trish twirled the spoon in her lukewarm coffee, leaning on the counter with a mix of boredom and frustration. The small diner was packed with happy couples, cooing at each other and ordering milkshakes for two and hot chocolate. It made her stomach twist in painful knots. On one hand, she was a die-hard romantic and she absolutely loved seeing all the happy faces and the coy hand-holding going on in the booths and at the tables. But, on the other hand, she had just been dumped not more than two weeks ago, so watching anyone be happy while she was completely miserable was like rubbing salt on a fresh wound.
     
    Trish sighed to herself, taking the spoon out and letting it clatter on the white porcelain dish. Raising the cup to her lips, she glanced around the diner to see if anyone needed help. It was a nice place, always had been. In a small town like St Pete’s, the diner was the heart and soul of the community and the locals knew it. When it had threatened to go under a few years ago, the people had rushed to its aid. Trish had always wondered why anyone would take on the task of setting up a business like that in a place where it had no chance to be successful, but seeing the amount of love that poured from the regulars to the lovely couple who owned it had made her see the light. Sometimes, a thank you was enough.
     
    The coffee burned as it went down her throat, not because of the heat but because of how strong it was. It didn’t really help that much. Her eyes still threatened to close and she wanted nothing more than to rest her forehead against the cool counter and take a nice nap. But, she knew she was just kidding herself. Ever since her teary break-up, she couldn’t really sleep much. Instead, she stayed up, night after night, reading books and absorbing the happiness of others through the written word. At least work kept her mind off of things usually, but it was hard to escape her own failed relationship on Valentine’s Day.
     
    The one day of the year when she was supposed to be surrounded by love and affection, showered with appreciation, she was stuck staring at everyone else having a great time but her. She couldn’t keep the pout off her lips, her blue eyes glancing about and stopping on the giggly couples every now and then. Usually, she loved nothing more than to be in the presence of happiness and love, even if it wasn’t hers, but at the moment it was a bit too painful to handle. Trish had thought about it far too much lately, though the whole thing really didn’t deserve that much attention. She had been together with Trent for only half a year, the tall and wiry mechanic sweeping her off her feet when he made a beeline for her one night during a county dance party. He’d been smooth, sly and completely irresistible. She’d melted like putty in his hands. In retrospect, it probably hadn’t been the wisest thing to do.
     
    But, the mountains of Montana could be a lonely place and she had enjoyed his attentions. It was only later when she found out that she was not the only girl he liked to blanket with interest. Nope, not by a long shot. The culmination of the painful relationship had come when she caught him making out with a girl behind the diner, the man knowing full well that she went back there often enough during the day. The relationship hadn’t been that great, but the way it ended had left a sour taste in her mouth and made her far more sorrowful than she had expected to be. Her heart constricted each time she thought about the sight of Trent slipping his tongue between the lips of the pretty, slim blonde, pushing her against the red brick wall of the alley.
     
    Maybe it’s the way I look… she thought to herself. She shook her head a second later. A determined look flooded into her eyes, driving back the hint of self-doubt. There was no point in feeling sorry for herself. She was a tall, curvy brunette and gorgeous, especially thanks to her hourglass figure and