Free Lost Bear by Ruby Shae

Chapter One
     
    Dave Yeager looked into the trees just beyond his property and sighed. From his back porch, he could see into the National Park that bordered Bear Mountain, and he watched carefully to see if he spotted any of the small animals that usually played near his home.
    For some reason, even though the June days were longer and warmer, the forest was abnormally quiet. There were no rabbits or squirrels on the ground, and not a single bird occupied the trees.
    He studied the area, and carefully watched for anything unusual, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Still, he couldn’t help feeling as if he were being watched. Usually, the feeling would be followed by a sense of danger and he’d grab his weapon and investigate, but instead he felt something akin to hope.
    Great! Now I’m losing my mind!
    He’d been unusually lonely lately, and he wondered if it had more to do with his job, or with the fact that another pair of friends recently mated. The permanent pairings constantly reminded him of his possible forever single status.
    Feeling occasionally inadequate at work didn’t help matters.
    It had been nine months since he and Gage had caught the old, corrupt sheriff, but some of the townspeople still thought of him as guilty by association. He and Tom hadn’t been friends, and they rarely worked together, but everyone expected him to somehow know about Tom’s illegal activities. He’d never trusted the man, but with nothing more than a gut feeling and no prior investigative work experience, he’d been in a tough position.
    He hadn’t lied when he’d told Gage he didn’t want to be sheriff all those months ago. Bear Mountain had been his first assignment, and instead of following his instincts, he’d pushed them aside to avoid making waves. If he’d trusted himself, he could have saved many of the townspeople a lot of heartache. Most people thought he’d been a part of the old sheriff’s evil schemes, and only accepted him because Gage insisted on it.
    Once a solitary man, Gage now worked with the public on a daily basis and protected their town with all of his abilities.
    Including shifting into a bear when necessary.
    Of course, they didn’t know their sheriff possessed such talents, but they didn’t need to. They only needed to trust him, which they did.
    Dave trusted him, too.
    The first time Dave had seen the man shift, he’d been shocked, but not afraid. Somehow everything he’d known about Gage made his ability seem logical and he’d promised to keep the secret. When more bears decided to relocate to Bear Mountain, he kept their secrets, too.
    He envied their special connection to each other and their mates, and valued their friendships. They trusted him, even if some of the town didn’t, and included him in most of their clan gatherings.
    A pang of jealousy shot through him when he thought about dinner last night at Gage’s.
    His five friends were mated to four beautiful, curvy women, and though he shared their happiness, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever find someone to love him so completely.
    He’d moved to Bear Mountain ten years ago to take his first job in law enforcement, and he’d instantly fallen in love with the town. He’d decided he never wanted to leave, and bought a house three days later. All those years ago he’d felt certain one day he would meet someone special to share his life, but he hadn’t thought about where he’d meet her.
    There were only a few single women left in town, and none of them could be considered more than a friend. They were pretty, each in their own way, but he wasn’t attracted to any of them. He wanted a woman with a little meat on her bones, and curves that went on for miles. He wanted to spend his nights holding a woman with soft flesh, not a hard body.
    The few curvy tourists that stopped before entering the National Park were looking for adventure, not life in a small town, and he didn’t waste time with one night