Protected Mate (Catamount Lion Shifters #1) by J.H. Croix Read Free Book Online

with her. Meandering through the aisles, she found Roxanne’s did have a bit of everything from groceries to hardware to gifts and odds and ends. There was a cluster of people on one side where there was a deli and coffee shop with small tables scattered nearby.
    As she approached the area, she felt the eyes of many on her. She was nothing if not polite, so she smiled and nodded. A stocky woman with blonde hair coiled into a loose bun held in place with a pen stood behind the counter. “Hi there,” the woman in question called out. “Just visiting?”
    Chloe moved to stand by the counter. “Yup. I was hiking the trail and sprained my ankle two days ago,” she said, gesturing to her booted foot.
    The woman leaned across the counter to look. “You sure did. How did you get yourself off the trail?”
    Chloe hesitated for a moment, unsure she could even say Dane’s name without blushing. Several others turned to look at her curiously. “I, uh, ran into a man on the trail, Dane. He helped carry me out.”
    The woman behind the counter smiled widely. “You couldn’t have found a better guy to run into. I bet he also took care of that ankle for you,” she said with a wink.
    Chloe blushed as she nodded.
    The woman chuckled. “That’s Dane. I’m Roxanne, by the way.”
    “Oh, is this your store? It’s great! You do have a bit of everything.”
    Roxanne chuckled. “We try to.”
    Chloe couldn’t help her curiosity about Dane. “How do you know Dane?”
    “Hard not to know Dane if you live around here. His family’s one of the oldest ones in town. He and his sister are the fourth generation in their family here. He’s a good guy and damn good doctor. You’re lucky you ran into him out there.”
    Chloe thought back to last night when she’d all but gone up in flames in his arms and considered that perhaps, she was lucky in ways Roxanne didn’t have in mind. But she smiled and nodded. “How long have you lived in Catamount?”
    Roxanne didn’t hesitate. “Oh, I was born here, just like Dane. My grandfather started this store back when I was a baby. Named it after me from the start.”
    “Hey Roxanne, any news about Callen?” A man asked as he approached the counter from the front of the store.
    Chloe turned to see Jake who she’d met with Dane when they were having lunch yesterday. His eyes landed on her, and he smiled politely. He was tall and lanky with golden brown hair and blue eyes that shared the same cat-like quality Dane’s eyes had, titling at the corners.
    “Not much. They ran another story about that mountain lion that got hit in Connecticut though,” Roxanne replied.
    Though Chloe had now known Roxanne for a total of roughly three minutes, she sensed Roxanne was trying to convey something to Jake. Her curiosity piqued, Chloe watched Jake.
    His eyes flicked to Chloe and back to Roxanne before he nodded. “Oh right. Yeah, people are flipping out over that one. Don’t know why they’re so damn surprised. My guess is mountain lions have traveled that far many times. Without something concrete like that tracking device to prove it, no one even thinks it’s possible.”
    He turned to Chloe. “How’s your ankle?”
    “Pretty good, but then it’s in this brace, so it’s not like it can move much. I’m hobbling around okay though.”
    Jake nodded. “Glad you ran into Dane. Couldn’t have happened upon a better guy after you got hurt out there.”
    Chloe nodded. “I know. I didn’t want to need a doctor in the middle of the woods, but finding one was a definite plus.”
    Jake’s blue eyes searched her face. “So how long do you plan to stay in Catamount?”
    She thought for a moment, feeling several pairs of eyes turn to her at Jake’s question. She had enough sense to know this was a small enough place that curiosity would run high about any newcomers. Though she couldn’t say she knew how long she planned to stay, she knew with certainty she wanted to stay long enough to explore