Her Bear Protector (BBW Shifter Romance) Read Online Free

ears, I wondered if it could be Sergeant Laine with additional questions or info about the previous day. But I hadn't heard a car. And Sergeant Laine had my phone number.
                I tiptoed over to the kitchen window, which had a partial view of the porch, and took a peek through a one-inch crack in its gauzy cream-colored curtains. A man and a woman stood a few paces back from the front door. The woman, tiny and red-haired, appearing to be in her late twenties, held a ceramic planter of daffodils, a cluster of white daisies painted on the front. The man, tall, at least six-foot three, and dark-haired, looked at the door with deep green eyes. A fluttering sensation rippled through my stomach. I didn't think I'd ever seen a man more attractive in my life. I swept my gaze across his strong jaw and broad shoulders, the fluttering in my stomach intensifying.
                Realizing that the man and woman must be part of the nearby family Sergeant Laine seemed to trust, I wiped my soapy hands on a dish towel and then smoothed a few flyaway strands of my hair before unlocking the door and opening it. The man and the woman smiled, the man revealing perfect white teeth, and both said hello.
                The woman shifted the daffodils to the crook of one arm and extended a hand. "I'm Emily, one of your neighbors. ‘Wilderness neighbors,’   anyway. My family and I live about a mile away."
                I shook her hand, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Emily. I'm Kyla."
                She smiled. "Nice to meet you, too, Kyla. This is my brother-in-law, Aaron."
                Aaron extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kyla."
                His voice, rich and deep, sent a current of something electric racing through my veins.
                I shook his hand, pulse accelerating while I looked into the depths of his deep green eyes. "Likewise, Aaron."
                His grip was firm and warm, and his large hand seemed to cradle my much smaller one.
                I invited them both inside, and they stepped into the cabin, Emily handing me the planter of daffodils, grinning.
                "For you, from our family."
                I took the planter, smiling. "Thank you so much. They're beautiful." I examined the bright white daisies on the front. "Did you paint these? Sergeant Laine was here yesterday, and he told me a bit about you all. He said one of you is a pottery painter."
                Emily nodded, beaming. "That's me."
                Soon the three of us were seated at the kitchen table with glasses of iced tea, and after I'd explained why I'd come to stay in the U.P, Emily and I began chatting about painting. She asked if I had any pieces of my work around that she could see.
                "Well -- none finished. But I guess I can show you the one I started on last night and worked on a little this morning."
                Emily said she'd love to see it, and I brought over my unfinished bear painting and propped it up in the empty chair between her and Aaron. They looked at it silently, and then exchanged looks I couldn't quite read.
                I sat back down in my seat and took a sip of iced tea. "Just getting started on it, of course. It'll look better once I finish with the trees and give the bear some hind legs."
                Emily said it was lovely. "You've captured the bear's eyes perfectly."
                I couldn't be sure, but I thought she gave Aaron just a tiny micro-glance.
                He nodded. "Yes, it's...." He cleared his throat, the sound a low rumble in his chest. "It's very nice."
                Emily took a sip of iced tea and tucked a strand of her long red hair behind her ear. "So what made you decide to paint a bear?"
                "Well, after an experience