Read Beck (BBW Bear Shifter Moonshiner Romance) (120 Proof Honey Book 4) for Free Online Page B

fall out of the sky and-”

    The door hit Jane square in the chest, and she stumbled backwards. Baby Isaak began to bawl at once, filling the room with the shrill cry of shock. Jane shrieked too, for as the door swung open, a tall, muscular man crash-landed at her feet. He had rolled his head into his arms to prevent any damage, and beyond him the hatch to the Rangers’ Lodge attic was wide open. His collapsed ladder had sent him flying towards the bedroom, and he looked up into Jane’s eyes with a sudden awareness.

    His eyes were golden, shimmering like all those of the Best shifter clan, and when he grinned shyly, his teeth were gleaming. He flicked a strand of dark blonde hair from his face, and gave a small, apologetic shrug.

    “That’s what you get for daydreaming on a ladder, I guess,” he mused.

    “Jane,” Elise said, a wry smile playing at her lips, “this is Hart, Dietrich’s cousin. I don’t think you’ve met.”

She could have stayed and talked to Hart, but the messages were plaguing the back of Jane’s mind. He was handsome, like all the Best boys were, but also boyish in his clumsiness despite being one of the eldest. Hartwin Best. Jane loved the German name. It was a wrench to excuse herself and head downstairs, seeking out a decent cell signal, but it had to be done. People in the city were depending on her, and she wasn’t the type to let them down.

    She walked several yards from the huge, ornate frontage of the Rangers’ Lodge, down towards the edge of the woods. It was mid-morning, which meant that the world of offices and phone banks Jane had left behind was just starting to get into full swing. She flicked through the emails on her phone, browsing for the ones which needed urgent replies. Then she stood with the cell glued to her ear, listening to voicemail after voicemail about this, that and the other. Which models were going to get the new Chanel campaign, what shoes should be bought in for the latest ingénue to wear. It was dry stuff, but it really mattered. It could be the difference between whether Jane still had a job this time next year or not.

    She made a few calls, wandering absently as she did so, until she realized that her voice was crackling on the line. Hanging up, she rattled her phone for a signal, only to discover that she had actually walked some way into the woods during her calls. Jane looked around, mildly alarmed by the sight of trees on all sides. There was a bright stream of daylight above her, and the greenery was thick and beautiful, but just a little too thick to see which way was the right one back to the lodge. Jane fired up her phone again, swiping to find Elise’s shining face.

    “I thought you were swamped with calls,” Elise said at once, the playful annoyance still palpable in her tone.

    “Yeah, well… Don’t laugh, but-” Jane began, and at once Elise chuckled. “I said don’t laugh. I wandered out into the trees, maybe only half an hour’s walk, but I’m not sure of the way back.”

    “Did you hear that Isaak?” Elise teased, her voice gentle. “Auntie Jane is lost in the woods already.”

    “Hey, little help here?” Jane pleaded.

    “Sure, I’ll send someone,” Elise said with another laugh.

    Jane thanked her ruefully, then looked around again with a little sigh. It was no use continuing to walk, in case she was walking herself even further away from the lodge, so she found a mossy rock and settled upon it. The signal was just about good enough to still get her instant messages, and soon she was deep into a chat with one of her many assistants about who they’d be sending to New York Fashion Week. It was during this heated debate that Jane thought she heard a few branches breaking somewhere nearby, as if under gentle footsteps. She looked up, hoping for the sight of Dietrich or one of his fellow rangers.

    Instead, she found that she was looking at a shabbily-dressed woman with long, dirty hair. The two women stared at one