Page 26 of The Bear's Forever Mat
Curses burst out from the corner where the guys were, and Amber and her friends turned to face them, concern rising.
“What?” Amber demanded.
Cooper’s expression was grim. “According to this, we’re looking at a shifter settlement north of Ghost Lake.”
“That’s good.” Amber paused because no one else seemed excited by the news. “That’s bad?”
“I can’t fly you there,” James told her bluntly. “The hills and the wind off the lake mix in a way that’s not great for aircraft. No one goes in or out of there by flying.”
“It would take a miracle to get a plane in,” Alex agreed. “The only way to get there is to run.”
“Or be pulled by runners,” James suggested.
Confusion. Amber turned to Kaylee. “What are they talking about?”
Her friend looked concerned as well. “There are a lot of shifter villages that aren’t accessible by air. Which is a bit of a problem for you unless you’re okay with not arriving until next spring.”
Lara tugged on Kaylee’s sleeve to get her attention. “What about if she used a dogsled?”
Kaylee nodded thoughtfully. “That could work. If Amber knew how to drive one. Oh, and if she could find a spare sled and some dogs.”
A sudden rush of having this under control struck. “Dogsled would be fine, and I know exactly where to find some sleds. Borealis Gems is storing extras for one of the teams we sponsored for the Iditarod.”
“And sled dogs?”
In the corner of the room, Dixon perked up, his hand shooting into the air. “Oh, oh. Pick me, pick me!”
Alex looked confused for a second before obviously communicating silently with Lara to figure out what Dixon was talking about.
Then Cooper’s brother rolled his eyes and muttered, “Damn wolf hearing,” before folding his arms across his chest and turning toward the overeager wolf. “Dixon Mallory, we’ve talked about this. The Orion pack has got to stop acting like animals. Pulling dogsleds is beneath the dignity of a shifter.”
“Screw dignity, it would be a hell of a good time,” Dixon said with a grin.
“Lara,” Alex said, looking to her for backup.
His mate shrugged. “No help here, sweetie. I agree. I’m totally willing to dogsled it for Amber, not only because I think she’s awesome, but itwouldbe a hell of a good time.”
Even as Alex fought to keep a stern expression, Dixon rolled with the idea and slapped a hand on Cooper’s shoulder. “I can get a team of volunteers together for you, stat, no problem, man.”
He backed off instantly, hands raised in a protective fashion as Cooper bared his teeth.
Quickly, though, the snarl turned into a smile, and Cooper offered Dixon his hand. “We would appreciate it very much. Find enough for two sleds, and Amber and I will make it worth your while.”
“Like I said, the adventure’s the reason to do it.” Dixon pulled out his phone, tapping rapidly at the screen. “Let me talk to my guys.”
Amber joined Cooper on the other side of the room.
The entire conversation had taken place in a whirlwind but left one point of confusion. “What do you mean two sleds? Are you coming with me?”
Cooper went absolutely still. “Of course I’m going with you. You didn’t really think I was going to leave you to track down your brother by yourself?”
“I didn’t think your bear wanted to be with me,” she admitted.
Instantly his eyes changed as the wild side of him came to the forefront. The bear nature was there no matter what form he took, but now even more blatantly—that was not human intelligence staring back. “You’re still mine. You’re not going anywhere without me.”
Amber fought to keep from grinning. Cooper’s complaints about how illogical his bear could be shone clearly at that moment.
And then she figured, screw it. She was amused, and thankful, and both sides of him needed to know that. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight. Hugging the bear as much as the man. “I’m glad I’m yours, and we will figure this out so that we canallbe happy together.”
