The game warden was the damn hottest man Candice had ever seen in her life. Maybe she was biased because he’d promised to take her fishing and had saved her from the murder scene. Bias or not, Wyatt McCloud made Candice’s heart beat hard in her chest and her panties dampen with need.

She wanted to believe he was interested in her when he offered to take her fishing, but that was most likely just his way of keeping an eye on her as a witness in his investigation.

A guy like that would never be interested in a girl like her. She was an overly curvy office drone who hadn’t had a boyfriend in two years. He probably had his pick of the busty, blonde country girls and college coed tourists who came through this part of the country every summer.

Candice knew she was plain and boring. Wyatt was anything but plain and boring. He was like a cowboy god who made other men look like midgets. Wyatt was constructed on a whole other scale from ordinary people. What chance did she have?

None.

It was probably better if she just stopped dreaming about it. Too bad she couldn’t convince her body that he was out of her league. She looked down at her dark, cold campsite and sighed. Usually she’d have a nice, warm fire blazing by this time. The sun was setting over the mountains, and the last vestiges of light barely illuminated her fire pit.

She got to work on a fire and had one going in a few minutes. She might be an office administrator, but Candice had wilderness skills…and lighter fluid.

She pulled out her pot and got a can of chili out from the bear-proof cabinet built into the campsite. Soon her chili was hot and ready to eat, and the heat of the fire warmed her chilled bones.

Candice sat on a log in front of the fire and ate her dinner. An owl hooted in the forest, and crickets and frogs chirped in the crisp night air. It was a symphony to her ears and filled her with a sense of belonging.

She finished her dinner, cleaned out her pot, and put everything away. She covered the coals so they would still be hot in the morning and climbed into her little hiking tent.

Tomorrow, she’d hike down to the campground at the base of the mountain and take a shower. If she was going to see Wyatt again, she wanted to at least try to be presentable. She couldn’t even imagine what he must think of her, dirty and stinky from sleeping up on the mountain.

Oh well. That man would never be interested in her anyway. There was no point in even worrying about it. Nevertheless, she couldn’t keep him out of her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Candice woke in the darkness to the snap of cracking branches. Her tent shook, and a silhouette of hands slid over the outside of her tent. A flashlight flickered, and voices whispered above her.

“That’s her tent,” one of them said.

“Let’s just get it over with,” said the second one.

She recognized the voices from yesterday in the forest. It was the hunters, and they were here for her. A dog barked close by. One of the other campers. Candice’s breathing came in heavy pants. The intruders backed away from her tent. The flashlight flicker receded.

“Quiet,” one said. “There’s other hikers up here.”

Candice rushed out of her tent and ran. She didn’t look back. She didn’t stop. Candice might be a curvy girl, but she was in good shape. Bursting through the forest and onto the service road, she hoped to lose her would-be attackers in the darkness.

To her dismay, she heard the scrape of footfalls behind her. Candice was in a pair of flip flops, sweatpants, and no bra under her T-shirt, but she was fueled by fear. Her muscles worked as she pumped her legs, sprinting down the road.

Jagged rocks poked her feet through the thin shoes. She sprinted into the forest, hiding behind a wide tree trunk until the footfalls disappeared in the other direction.

As soon as they were gone, she sprinted through the woods and down to the main park road. Jumping out in front of a slow-moving car, she waved her arms as wildly as her heart pounded. The driver slammed on the brakes as she panted in the headlights. Candice ran to the window, finding a startled college boy staring at her in shock.

“Please. I need help. Someone is after me.”

“Get in,” the kid said, unlocking his doors. She ran around to the passenger side and jumped in. He put his foot on the gas, and they sped away.

“Who’s chasing you?” he asked her, looking like he thought she was maybe a crazed lunatic out to get him.

“I was witness to a murder this morning,” she said. She couldn’t believe it herself.

“A murder? What are you doing up on the mountain, then?”

“It was a shifter. In bear form.”

“Okay…” He was as confused as she was. She wished she could explain it better, but she barely had the breath to speak. He pulled in front of a gas station convenience store and parked.

“Can I call someone for you?” he asked, pulling out his cell phone.

“Yes. The game warden who found the body. He told me to call him day or night.” She took the phone and pulled Wyatt’s card out of her sweatpants’ pocket. She’d put it in there as she fell asleep, fantasizing about him. Boy, was she glad she’d put it in there.

The phone rang and rang. For a moment she didn’t think he’d answer. She sighed, and the kid looked at her with big, worried eyes.

“Yes?” Wyatt finally said.

“Oh, thank God it’s you,” she said, almost crying.

“Candice, what’s wrong?”

“I was nearly attacked, up on the mountain. Wyatt, please come get me.”

“Where are you?” His voice was gruff and demanding.

“I’m in front of the gas station.”

“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

She hung up and handed the phone back to the kid. “He says he’ll be here in ten minutes.”

“You can stay in the car. I’m going to get some beer inside if you think you’ll be okay by yourself.”

“Um, sure. I don’t think they’d try anything in the middle of town. Do you?”

“Probably not.” The kid looked at her like he still thought she was full of it. At least he was helping her. She had to give him that. She was grateful. That’s all she could ask.

“I’ll be right back,” the kid said. He got out and locked the doors behind him, walking into the gas station.

A few minutes later, he emerged with a twelve-pack of cheap beer. As he unlocked the car, Wyatt’s truck pulled up beside them. She burst out of the car as Wyatt climbed out of his truck. She fell into his arms, tears streaking down her face. She shuddered, weeping as he held her in his strong embrace.

“Shh… it will be okay, sweetheart. Get in the truck. I’ll take care of you now.” Candice climbed through the driver’s side to get into the passenger seat. “Thanks for bringing her down here. I’ll need to talk to you tomorrow.” He pulled out a pad and paper to get the kid’s info.

Candice couldn’t keep from crying like a baby. Her lungs were ragged, and her legs were beginning to cramp up from running down the mountain at a full sprint. Wyatt got into the truck, and the kid drove off. “I’ll take you back to my house tonight. It’ll be the safest place for you,” he said.

“Okay,” she whimpered. She wanted nothing more than to be under the sexy warden’s protection.