She crouched behind a pile of wood, her body quivering with excitement. She could hear the banging sound of a hammer repeatedly coming down onto a nail.

Her sensitive nose picked up the scent of sweat and wood polish, and the faint, remaining traces of fresh paint. A breeze that came in from the lake overlaid it all with the scent of water and sun-warmed sand.

Her whiskers twitched, her ears pointing forward to catch even the smallest sound.

There were mice rustling in the bushes behind her, but she paid no attention to them. In the poplar behind her, a squirrel was making a chattering noise, but she ignored it, too.

Carrie was focused solely on her hunt.

Patiently, she’d lain in wait as only a cat could, not a single muscle moving as she waited for the perfect moment.

Again the hammer came down. Had her prey realized the danger he was in? There was the smallest shift in the rhythm of the hammering.

With bated breath, Carrie waited, her tail twitching, swishing back and forth as she made herself wait.

Again the hammer fell down. This time, the sound was deeper. With a satisfying thud, the nail was at last driven completely into the wood.

And Carrie charged.

Fast as a rocket, she came racing across the patio, and before her prey had even had a chance to straighten, she jumped.

It was a perfect kill.

It would have been, that is, if her prey had been a mouse.

Instead, her prey was a grown, muscle-bound male, chest glistening in the sunlight as he worked on the patio.

He made a satisfying oof as Carrie landed on his back.

Playfully, she batted at his hair—and then she was off again, elegantly jumping down onto the patio, her tail held high in challenge.

And now the hunt was on.

She turned the corner, leaving the patio behind for the green grass that grew here. Before her, a small cherry tree jutted out from the grass. She swerved around it—it would take a few more years until it would be tall enough to climb.

Her ears pointed back. She picked up the rustling sound of clothes being dropped—and then, at last, there was the playful growl of a bear. Darrell had shifted for her.

In exhilaration, Carrie pounced, landing atop another stack of wood. From there, she jumped to a windowsill—and then it took only one further jump to make her way onto the small balcony that opened to their bedroom, just as they had planned.

The bedroom itself was still a work in progress. The floor was finished, but they had not yet decided on the wallpaper. But they had a bed, and a large walk-in-wardrobe, and so Carrie was content to pore over wallpaper samples while Darrell finished the floors in what would hopefully one day become the kids’ bedrooms.

Carrie’s ears perked up.

It was suspiciously silent beneath her. Had Darrell figured out her hiding place? But she’d made it up here before he’d even had a chance to turn the corner...

Crouching low to the ground, she looked down.

There was no bear to be seen—and no sexy human either.

Everything was silent. When she sniffed the breeze, she could still pick up the scent of her mate. But the wind came from the wrong direction; all it told her was that Darrell wasn’t in the garden in front of her.

Was he hiding behind the corner, waiting for her to show herself so that he could pounce...?

She shifted a little further forward, until she could keep the corner of the house in her sight.

Nothing.

Her whiskers quivered at the excitement of the hunt. How much longer would she have to wait?

The leaves of the small cherry tree rustled in the wind. In the forest beyond their garden, she could hear the chirping of nervous birds who must have picked up on the presence of both bear and cat.

But there was no sign of Darrell that her cat could make out.

She inched still closer to the edge of the balcony.

Was it worth it to risk the jump and investigate around the house...?

With a roar, Darrell came barreling into view—but not from the left, as she had expected. He must have known that she was trying to trick him, and had taken the other way around the house.

Carrie crouched down even further, her tail vibrating with delight as she watched him race into the garden from the right—only to stop, his head turning back and forth in obvious suspicion as he didn’t find her waiting for him.

That was when Carrie pounced.

Her body made a perfect arch as she jumped straight from the balcony onto the back of the bear, balancing herself with the help of her claws in his coarse fur.

With a surprised oof, the huge, strong body collapsed beneath her.

You won. I’m dead, the amused voice of her mate informed her.

She purred with fierce happiness as she walked across his shoulders, kneading his fur with her paws in victory.

No one can trick a cat, she said smugly through the bond.

And then, at last, she shifted, Darrell’s form shifting beneath her at the same time.

They came to rest together in a tangle of naked limbs, breathless and laughing, looking up at the small branches of the cherry tree that stretched above them.

“Maybe I’m just letting you win,” Darrell said, grinning at her. “Ever considered that?”

“Ha!” Carrie leaned over him, her hands sliding over his firm pecs until she had him pinned down by the shoulders. “You’ve let me win the past ten times?”

Darrell was still grinning. “Bears are very generous creatures.”

“Is that so?” Carrie gave him an arch look before she collapsed into laughter once more. “Don’t try too hard. I’m not sure the walls are going to hold up to a bear trying to climb our balcony.”

With a wicked smirk, Darrell rolled them around. Then he pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I promise. There’s too much left to do on the kids’ rooms to try and demolish our balcony just yet.”

Carrie threaded her fingers through his hair until he finally obliged her with a real kiss that left her breathless and dazed. His hard body pressing against her was kindling new heat in her belly.

“Mmm,” she murmured, completely losing track of what she’d been intending to say.

“Now,” Darrell said throatily, “we’ve got a few hours left until your dad’s going to visit. Which means that you could let me finish the patio. Or...”

“Or?” Carrie asked, her hands sliding down his arms, admiring the strength of the corded muscles.

“Or you could let me carry you inside and show you just what a bear is capable of when he isn’t letting you win,” Darrell said, his voice a sexy growl vibrating deep in his chest.

“Oh,” Carrie breathed, feeling the heat of his desire come pulsing through the mate bond. “I’d like that. I’d like that very much.”

The bond between them surged with power as Darrell stood, effortlessly lifting her. She held on to his broad shoulders, surrounded by the overwhelming force of their bond that was pulsing in every cell of her body.

Before them, the house rose, walls painted white, curtains billowing in the summer breeze. Next spring, the cherry tree would bloom for the first time, and hopefully, her dad would still be in town to see it.

And maybe, by then, she’d be able to tell him that he hadn’t just suddenly become a dad, but would soon be a grand-dad, too...

Carrie closed her eyes, feeling Darrell’s arms tighten around her as he carried her inside. Deep in her heart, something was shining, like her own private little star—no, it was much stronger than that. Like the sun itself, Darrell’s love was fierce and bright inside her.

Her mate. Her soulmate.

Her brave bear guard who’d faced assassins for her, and who’d helped her to find the deeply buried shifter part of her soul.

Neither of them might have had a real home growing up, but that no longer mattered. Because they were building their own home, and their own family. And it was perfect.

You’re perfect, Darrell whispered through the bond.

The bedroom walls were still bare as he gently set her down on their bed. The house smelled new, like wood polish and paint. It smelled like new beginnings.

No. We’re perfect, Carrie answered, sending all her love through the bond. Then she held out her arms to him, taking a deep breath of the sexy, earthy scent that clung to his skin.

We’re perfect, he sent back. His lips trailed down the side of her face, nuzzling her throat. We’re perfect.

This was what home was really like. And she’d found it at last.

***