BEARing The Frozen Night (Ice Bear Shifters Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

up at her, his deep violet eyes had looked like they literally flickered yellow. He must have just caught the reflection of one of the ceiling lamps, but the effect made his eyes look otherworldly. Kenzie was captivated.
    When he quickly looked away, and then started reaching for what looked like his wallet, Kenzie quickly jumped in to distract him. She was starved for some interaction with another human being that didn’t revolve around discussing a sick or dying animal. Of course, she was in the middle of nowhere in the Arctic Circle, so she couldn’t be too picky, but she wasn’t going to complain if the most gorgeous man she had ever seen was the available option for conversation this evening.
    Much to her relief, after she introduced herself he put his wallet away and ordered another beer. His handsome face and wide smile made her heart do delicious flip flops. It had been so long since she’d felt that wonderful feeling of being flustered simply by the way a certain guy looks at you.
    “I’ve never seen you in here before,” she said.
    “Yeah, well, I’m often working during this time of the evening.”
    “Right. Well, I was just wondering if I’d ever get the chance to see you outside of the superstore. Word around town is you like to hide out in your cabin like a recluse.”
    “Who told you that?” he asked, immediately switching from a smile to a frown.
    Uh-oh, Kenzie thought. She had obviously just hit some sort of nerve.
    “Just one of the guys who helped me load Millie’s dog onto my sled after it died.”
    “Well, I don’t like nonsense. And hanging out with people at pubs in the middle of winter tends to involve a whole lot of nonsense. People get a little batshit crazy after two months of darkness and a couple rounds of beer.”
    Kenzie laughed. “I’ll give you that. The weather, the darkness, and the people have all been a big adjustment for me. I moved here looking for an adventure, and I got one, that’s for sure. I’m just not sure if it’s exactly the adventure I was looking for.”
    “Where did you move from?” he asked.
    “Oregon,” Kenzie said. “I got a fellowship from an organization that places professionals in remote Alaskan towns. It covers two years of living and working here. I’ll admit, I wanted to turn around and head right back to Oregon when I first got here. But it’s starting to grow on me. Or maybe I’m just going a little crazy from all the snow and darkness. What about you? I heard you moved here not too long ago. Where’d you come from?”
    “Canada,” Ryker said, his voice taking on an oddly defensive tone. “I just needed a change.”
    Kenzie nodded. “I totally get that. This has been a big change for me. But it’s pretty incredible the amount of work experience I’ve been able to get out here. Back in Oregon I would have been working as a junior vet at a large clinic or struggling to find customers for my own new clinic. Neither one of those options would have given me even close to the number of opportunities I’ve had to treat animals out here.”
    “People say you’re very good at what you do.”
    “Thanks,” Kenzie said. She could feel herself blushing. “I try really hard to do my best for every animal. I love animals so much.”
    Kenzie saw an unreadable look pass over Ryker’s eyes when she said she loved animals. Was he not an animal person? He didn’t have any pets, as far as she knew. But everyone out here loved animals. It was hard to live in the Arctic wilds and not have an appreciation for wild creatures. Maybe he had lost a pet recently, or something. Kenzie decided to switch gears a little bit.
    “Speaking of animals,” she said, and lowered her voice until it was a dramatic whisper, “Did you hear that there have been a few polar bear sightings around town?”
    This grabbed Ryker’s attention. He looked at her warily, the violet in his eyes turning deep and dark. “Multiple sightings? How many? Where? By