Free Big Bear Blunder: BBW Werebear Shapeshifter Suspense Romance (Sweetwater Brides) by Anya Nowlan, Rory Dale Page B

the door.
    “See you in a bit,” Sara called out to Everett, closing the door behind her before the man had a chance to protest further.
    “Thank you,” Sara said to Karen as they got into her little grey car.
    “No problem. I know it can get overwhelming in the middle of all that bear testosterone. You looked like you could use a break,” Karen noted with a kind smile.
    “Yeah, this is all kind of new to me; I never know what the right thing to say or do is. I don’t want to butt in on family affairs,” Sara nodded, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.
    “You’ll get used to it,” Karen encouraged her.
    No, I won’t , Sara thought.
    Her truck was all but ready, which meant she had no reason to stay any longer. The road was calling her, simple and familiar.
    It didn’t take long until they were pulling into town. Karen left her car near Maisy’s as they walked to the pharmacy. Sara couldn’t shake the odd feeling of being watched.
    Stop being paranoid , she chided herself.
    The tiny pharmacy was a maze of medicine-filled shelves that Karen maneuvered with ease, loading up her shopping cart with everything they might need.
    “I’m just going to get some vitamins and then we’re ready to go,” Karen said with a cheerful smile.
    “Okay, I’ll grab some Tylenol and meet you at the register,” Sara replied, a dull ache starting to throb at her temples.
    She made her way to the back of the store, to the aisle marked ‘pain medication’. As she crouched down to get a better look at the lower shelves, a shadow fell over her.
    Oops, hope I’m not in someone’s way, Sara thought, getting up to give whoever was standing behind her more room to browse.
    Two men loomed over her, blocking the space between the shelves. They were staring right at Sara, unmoving.
    “Sorry, fellas, I’ll get out of your way,” Sara mumbled with a nervous smile, grabbing a bottle of pills and trying to squeeze by.
    The men continued to stand shoulder to shoulder, unperturbed by her attempts to pass. One of them was wearing a cowboy hat and boots; the other had a large tattoo of a full moon on his shoulder, clearly visible because of the white wifebeater he was wearing.
    “Is there a problem?” Sara asked, placing a hand on her hip.
    “No problem,” one of the men finally said, stepping closer with a menacing grin.
    Sara started backing away, fear crawling up her spine.
    “Karen,” she called out, but the sound was but a whisper.
    Her mouth had gone completely dry.
    Sara swallowed, preparing to shout louder this time, but a large hand clamped down across her mouth. Within a second, the tattooed man was behind her, his hand still covering her lips, dragging her towards the emergency exit in the back, completely unfazed by her kicking and wriggling.
    Sara clawed at the man’s arms, thrashing and trying to bite the hand stopping her from screaming. The cowboy stalked after her, murmuring soothing sounds. Sara kicked at him, making him take a step backwards. Then, she let her legs go limp, dragging her body downwards, hoping the man behind her would loose his grip.
    The cowboy struggled to hold her upright and keep his hand on her mouth at the same time. The other man rushed towards them, leaving Sara no time to react. He grabbed her legs and the two men started to carry her out of the shop.
    Sara thrashed and wiggled the whole way, the sound of shelves shaking and pills rattling in their bottles the last thing she heard before the door slammed shut behind her.
    Tears streamed down Sara’s face as the men carried her towards their car. She kept scratching at the man who had his arms around her, leaving deep welts and drawing blood. The man only grunted, his grip remaining firm.
    When they reached the vehicle, the cowboy let go of her legs for a second, reaching for something in the car. Sara stomped down on the tattooed man’s foot, again and again, but it seemed to be of no use. The cowboy returned, unamused by her antics. He