“I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?” I ask the clerk. I’m too distracted by the memory of my handsome stranger’s smile to concentrate on what the woman is saying.

“I asked if you wanted me to try find you an interesting plate number.”

“Oh. No,” I say as I think about the fact I’m not planning to stay any longer than I have to. “I don’t care what I get.”

I tear off my check and hand it to the woman.

“Welcome to Maine,” she says.

“Thanks.” I grab the plates and make my way toward the door. As I push on it, I recall how strong my stranger’s grip was when he helped me up and how firm his arm felt when I hung on to it. Once I get outside, I gasp a little when I see the guy never left.

He grins at me as he holds out his arm again and says, “I’ve been thinking.”

I smile and realize I’m probably a little too happy he waited for me. I take his arm. “Have you now?”

“I think you need someone to show you how great winter can be.”

“Let me guess. You’re just the guy for the job?”

“As a matter of fact, I am,” he says. “The name’s Lance, by the way.”

“What makes you so interested in helping me?”

“I—The Veilleux really need you to stick around. No clan should ever be without a medicine man or woman.”

The Veilleux clan has been incredibly kind to me since I arrived. My uncle, the previous medicine man, left on bad terms for using black magic that led to the deaths of innocent people, and it left the Veilleux without a witch or warlock for long enough even the most stoic clan members were eager to have another. So while I’m Tokala’s niece, I was still welcomed with open arms.

“Lance,” I say, and I notice the way his name rolls easily off my tongue. “I’m Dawn.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dawn.”

We’re near where I fell, and I glance over at the spot.

“It’s not too late to make snow angels,” he says. “Have you ever done it?”

Since I would never voluntarily lie down in cold snow, I say, “No.”

Lance pulls away from me. “It’s easy. C’mon. I’ll show you.”

I watch as he sets himself up with outstretched arms as if he’s inviting the spirits in to ground himself. But he falls backward, keeping his legs straight. He breaks through the thin top layer of ice left over from the storm when he hits the ground, and he swipes his arms up and down as he spreads and closes his legs. “Now comes the hard part,” he says. “It takes a little practice to get up without ruining it.”

I tuck my Jeep’s plates under my arm and bend over as I hold out my hands. “Let me help.”

“Thanks,” says Lance as he grabs on and gets up. He turns to look at his handiwork. “Not bad. The icy layer made it kind of messy, though. It’s better after a fresh snowfall.” He looks at me. “You try.”

I shake my head as I realize he was trying to make the impression of a long-skirted dress and bell sleeves. “I’m good.”

“Dawn.” Lance frowns. “You’re making my job harder than it has to be.”

“I don’t recall hiring you,” I say as I notice how he manages to make a scowl look sexy. But I know about the danger that lurks underneath his human exterior, and it makes my heart beat a little faster with fear.

When I arrived in Maine to live with a clan of werebear, I didn’t know what to expect. Since I’d only learned of their existence a few weeks before, I was still wrapping my brain around what exactly a shifter would be like. I quickly discovered that there’s a reason they can keep the secret. When werebear are in human form, you’d never know they were anything more. So the average person would never guess Lance is also a fierce bear. It’s a dangerous side of him and all the other clan members that makes me nervous.

He raises an eyebrow, and I’m not sure if it’s fear of making him angry or because I’m a sucker for a cute guy, but I give in and sigh.

“Fine.” I hand him the plates for my car and walk over to the edge of the pavement and hold out my arms. “Like this?”

“You’ve got it. Now fall back while holding your body stiff.”

I lean back and let out a squeal as I fall. When I hit the ground, I move my arms and legs.

“Very nice,” says Lance as he holds out a hand to help me up.

Once I get to my feet, I turn to look at my angel. It’s as messy as Lance’s, but you can get the general idea. “Hmmm. It might need some work.”

“Yeah. This was the practice round. You executed a perfect fall, though, so when we have the right snow, you’ll create a masterpiece.”

“Falling is clearly one of my strengths.”

I smile at him as we walk toward my jeep, and I gaze at the landscape sparkling in the sun. I let out a sigh of pleasure at the beauty and realize I’m in a good mood now. When I pulled in here, I was in a funk, and it could have turned nasty when I fell if not for Lance. I say, “Thank you for making this day better. I needed it.”

“You’ve brightened mine too, Dawn.” He begins to walk backward. “Drive safe.”

“Thanks, Lance. You too.” I wave at him before he turns around to go.

My smile stays intact as I drive off. While I’ve become close friends with the neighboring clan witches, I haven’t gotten very close to any werebear. And Lance makes me want to remedy that.

I flip on the radio and sing to a pop tune, and I think about my appointments for the afternoon. My wild imagination never predicted the mellow nature of what my position in the clan requires. My calendar is usually full of the ordinary aches and pains of older folks, and a few people who want me for minor spells to improve their life. But as Bella, the Robichaux clan witch, told me when she helped me settle into my position here, the majority of what I do is similar to the work of a therapist. I listen to problems, offer insight, and provide hope for a positive outcome with the use of my magical abilities.

I have had some excitement, though. A few months ago, I got to help Bella save her warrior soul mate. Although that got me in a bit of hot water since I didn’t quite understand the clan rules around bonding, but fortunately, my blunder was chalked up to being new to the whole world of werebear. And I did get to be in on the discovery that magical humans and werebear have children that get both traits and shift as toddlers instead of after puberty. Talk about cute.

Amazingly, though, except for seeing Tally’s cubs and glimpses I get of bear running through my field, I could be working for a small community of humans. The werebear in my clan are either too polite to show me their bear side or just don’t spend a lot of time in that form.

A song about new love comes on, and I turn it up and sing at the top of my lungs. My thoughts turn to Lance. And his eyes. I could look into his gaze forever as I held onto his strong arms. I think about how funny he is too. Lance really did make what could have been a bad day a much better one. So much so that I wonder how I can see him again. I chuckle to myself as I realize I’ve got a huge crush on him. Maybe Maine isn’t so bad after all. Because I think falling is something I do well.