Free Bear in the Rough: Bear Shifter Romance (Broken Hill Bears Book 1) by Ariana Hawkes Page B

all the shit she’s said to me while we’ve been prancing around the ring.” Xander lifted his hands in agreement.
    “Okay, mission approved.”
    “Aye, aye soldier. I’ll speak to The Black Paws and see if they’re tough enough to fight.”
    “No. I’ll speak to them,” he replied. She saluted him.
    “Sure thing, boss.”
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    The following day began well. The girls were well rested after their ‘zero’ – what Pacific Crest Trail hikers called a rest day. The comfortable motel bed had eased everyone’s aching backs and shoulders, and they’d done their laundry, and everything was fresh and clean. Freya was shocked when she saw herself in a full-length mirror. She’d lost a little weight, and she’d also gained muscle. She could see it in her calves and shoulders, and she found she liked the way it looked.
    The girls stopped at a supermarket and refreshed their supplies before thumbing a ride back to the trail. Uncannily, Hiker Trash Bill picked them up again after they’d been waiting ten minutes on the highway.
    “I hope you girls are ready for the next stretch. It’s known to be a bit of a challenge,” he said with a chuckle.
    “What do you mean?” Eloise asked immediately. She was still having a harder time of it than the other two girls, and was clearly in discomfort when she put her pack back on. Although, she’d refused Marin’s offer that they stay in the motel for another day.
    “I just mean it’ll be getting a little hilly, and you should watch your step,” he said, in the same amused tone.
    “Getting hilly?” all three girls echoed, looking at each other. They’d already clambered, tramped and stumbled up more hills than they could count.
    As Hiker Trash Bill dropped them off with a cheery wave, leaving his card with them ‘in case y’all get into any mischief’, the girls stood and stared at the track ahead for some long moments.
    “Here we go, I guess,” Freya said, and they started walking again.
     
    By lunchtime the going was becoming noticeably more challenging. The mountains in the distance were still snowcapped, but the air temperature was heating up. And the ground was hard. Unforgiving rocks and pebbles that could slip and slide beneath your feet. By midafternoon, all conversation had lapsed into muttering and swearing every time somebody stumbled.
    They were walking up a long uphill stretch, Marin in front, Freya in the middle and Eloise trailing behind.
    “Just one more bend and it’s flat again,” Freya called, her voice swallowed up by the thinner air. But she was wrong.
    “There’s another hill,” Marin yelled as she turned the corner, her voice harsh with frustration. Freya walked fast to catch her up and instantly regretted it as she got out of breath.
    “What?” She stared at the track ahead in dismay. There was indeed an even steeper hill leading up to a ridge. “I must have made a mistake somehow,” she said, fishing her phone out of her pocket and flicking through her guidebook.
    “Don’t worry, it happens,” Marin said tersely. “Let’s just take it slow. Our planned stop for the night is still valid, right?”
    “Yes. In the valley just over the ridge,” Freya said. They turned to look for Eloise. She was far back, a tiny, bright pink figure in the distance, at least a ten-minute walk away.
    “Shit! We’re not supposed to get that far apart,” Freya said. “How did that happen?”
    “We were too busy trying to get the hill out of the way. It’s okay; we’ll sit and wait for her in that patch of shade right there.” Eloise pointed to a tiny shadow beneath an overhanging crag. They heaved their packs off and sat down on the hard rock floor and watched as Eloise approached, seeming to move very slowly.
    At last she arrived, breathing hard, hair plastered to her face with perspiration.
    “Sorry, guys. That section was fricking hard,” she said in between pants. “Are we done with the hill yet?” The other