Lumberjack Werebear (Saw Bears Book 1) Read Online Free

so low she almost missed his words.
    Self-conscious, she nodded and sawed another piece off her steak. The food tasted amazing. Maybe it was because she was starving, but she was impressed with how good a group of bachelors could cook. “What do you all do?”
    “For work?” Denison asked.
    “Yeah.”
    Drew thumped his chest. “We’re lumberjacks. Men of the ax. Wood cutters. The Paul Bunyons of the—”
    “She gets it, Drew,” Denison said, tossing a bean at him.
    Brooke giggled at their easy rapport. “I’ve never met lumberjacks before. Honestly, I didn’t realize they existed anymore around here.”
    The hint of a smile clung to the corners of Tagan’s mouth as he said, “There weren’t until a few months ago. The sawmill in Saratoga has been shut down for a decade, but the beetle infestation has them up and running again.”
    The mention of beetles made her want to lift her shoes off the ground. “Are there a lot of beetles still around here?”
    “Hell, yeah. They’re nearly impossible to kill off,” Haydan said. “I can draw beetles, too.”
    “Shut up, man,” Drew said, shoving his shoulder.
    “The beetles have killed off a lot of this forest and left hundreds of thousands of dead trees,” Tagan said. “They’ve dried and created the perfect tinder for wild fires. The mill in Saratoga is equipped to treat the beetle eaten wood, but they needed a few crews to come in and help clear the land. New growth has been slow. Because the woods were so thick, sunlight couldn’t get to the pinecones beneath the thick branches. Once we come through and take out the dead trees, the forest will come back. Plus, we’re re-planting as we go along. Takes a lot of time, but it’ll be worth it to see this place green again.”
    “So, you aren’t the only crew on this mountain?”
    “On this mountain, yes,” Kellen said. “We are the Ashe crew. The Gray Backs are over a ridge but still close enough to be a pain in our asses. The Boarlanders do the cutting for both crews. The man who hired us owns this land. Hundreds of thousands of acres need to be cleared, and each log is money in our pockets. The more timber we clear, the closer the crews get to each other.”
    “So, you have lumberjack battles?” She held back a laugh, imagining plaid-shirted, burly men yelling about territory disputes.
    “Princess, you wouldn’t want to be within a mile of one when it goes down,” Connor said ominously.
    She hated the way he called her that. She narrowed her eyes at him, then bent to the task of eating the rest of her meal before it cooled.
    The rumbling noise sounded again, and when she looked up at Tagan, he was glaring at Connor. Stifling a gasp, she reached out before she could change her mind and pressed the palm of her hand against his rattling chest.
    A second of deep vibration shook her hand before he grabbed her palm. The noise stopped, and Tagan looked at her with wide eyes. Confusion swam in the depths there, and he dropped his gaze to her palm. For an instant, she thought he would kiss it.
    “What are you doing to me?” he asked, his tone soft but accusing.
    “I said I saw her first,” Connor gritted out, dropping his plate beside his feet and standing. “I won’t fuckin’ say it again.”
    Tagan stood so fast, he blurred.
    “All right, dinner’s through,” Kellen said, dragging her backward off the log. When had the behemoth even stood up?
    “I challenge you for her,” Connor snarled, circling the fire. “And I challenge you for Second.”
    “Shit,” Kellen muttered, hustling her away faster.
    “Wait, what are they doing?” She tried to escape his grasp, but damn, Kellen was surprisingly strong.
    “Nothing you need to worry about, and nothing that’s gonna happen tonight, anyway. Challenges can’t be done without Jed here.”
    He could’ve been talking in French. She didn’t understand any of this. “Wait! My plate. I forgot to leave my plate.”
    “I’ll take it back.”