Saving Her Bear: A Second Chances Romance by Alana Hart, Michaela Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

I’d shot him unprovoked. Then Mom lied, backed him up.”
    John’s mouth fell open. “You’re kidding.”
    “Nope. Wish I was,” Catherine said. “Guy tried to kill her and she told the cops I was the attempted murderer.”
    “So she’s gonna let her own daughter get in trouble instead?”
    Catherine glanced at John, frowning. “At first she was, yeah, but then Jacob told the cops what really happened. They ended up dropping the charges. Sobered up and decided to ‘admit’ it was an accident.”
    The two of them sat in silence a moment, Catherine inspecting the lines at her knuckles.
    “Your Dad was such a cool guy, how does she end up with someone like that?”
    This hurt Catherine’s heart. It was true. Her Dad really had been a great guy. “Wish I knew.”
    John reached over, squeezing her thigh. The touch sent shivers down her spine.
    “Would you think less of me if I told you I find you unbelievably hot for it?”
    Catherine bust out laughing, smacking John’s arm as the smile overtook her face. “Yeah? The criminal element does something for you?”
    “You know it!”
    The two of them laughed, taking a moment to let the silent comfort return. She was in no rush to get out of this man’s truck. In fact, she’d happily curl up in the bed of it with him again and live on an air mattress and sleeping bags. Didn’t sound like a terrible way of life.
    John checked his phone, then glanced in the rear view mirror. “Does Hank know?”
    She shook her head. “I don’t know, but Bodie does.”
    John exhaled out his nose. “Well, then.”
    With that he was out of the truck and sauntering over to the metal gate. A moment later, they were on the main drag heading north.
    Catherine had her window down and the wind in her hair. John blew down the quiet roads of Maine like a local, which equaled a ludicrous speed. Catherine simply settled into the passenger seat, bobbing her head along to the Jethro Tull thrumming through the speakers.
    After a few long circles through Addison and Columbia Falls, John veered the truck back toward Falkirk’s Seat, heading down toward the back side and the rez.
    “Where we heading now?” She asked.
    John smiled, tapping his thumb against the steering wheel to Locomotive Breath. He shrugged. “Wasn’t really thinking about it.”
    She smiled. “You always did love this road.”
    John rolled up to a stop sign and turned to look at her. He smiled, watching her a moment longer than she could handle, and she looked away.
    “Well, there’s something to say for the tribal ways.”
    “Mhmm, with their sky spirits and their shapeshifters -”
    “Hey! You never know!”
    Catherine laughed. The very same words he’d said a hundred times before. “Oh, I know.”
    “You don’t! How are their myths any different than the myths of white people?”
    Catherine raised an eyebrow. “White people have myths?”
    “Oh, we built an empire around ours.” Catherine stared at him skeptically. He caught her expression out of the corner of his eye. “What? Angels? Demons? The burning bush? What is religion if not a bunch of myths that a large enough group of people have decided to believe in?”
    Catherine stopped, watching the road. She couldn’t argue this point. “I’ll give you that. Still, given that you used to mention their myths in the same breath as alien contact and the Illuminati -”
    John chuckled hard at that. “Alright, I admit the Illuminati was an interesting phase.”
    “Just the Illuminati? Still into Aliens?”
    “Hey, aliens are fuckin real, man!”
    Catherine smiled so wide, her cheeks were beginning to hurt. “Aliens and Bear folk. Maybe the Bear Folk are the aliens!”
    John reached over and grabbed her thigh, squeezing. “You watch it over there. The aliens might be listening right now .”
    She squealed, swatting him away. He returned his hand to the steering wheel and she wished he’d touch her again.
    “I’m just saying, what if?”
    They rolled over