Chapter Two – Jacob

“Hello?” Jacob was a mile away from home. The fact that the call was from the sheriff’s office could only mean one thing: he was about to be called on to climb back up the mountain. He’d love just one cup of fresh coffee first.

Just one.

“Hey, Jacob, how are you?” Brad’s voice sounded conversational.

“I’m good. You?” Jacob answered. He looked out over the valley below to where Bear Creek nestled safely under the watchful eye of the mountain. Shielding his eyes from the sun’s glare, he pinpointed the sheriff’s office in town. A tiny speck in amongst the other buildings, but Jacob was an expert on this view, and could locate any building if asked.

“Yeah, good.” Brad took in a deep breath. Jacob had worked with Brad a lot of the years. He admired the sheriff professionally and they respected each other. “I’ve had a visit from an out-of-town police officer, Avery Cooper. It appears there is some concern over a couple of hikers who visit us regularly.”

“Concern in what way?” Jacob asked as he followed the trail back under the trees; the town momentarily disappeared from view.

“Drugs.”

“Come on, Brad, it’s not unusual for hikers to take recreational drugs into the mountains. I don’t like it any more than you do, but we can’t have eyes and ears everywhere. As long as they don’t drop their needles, I don’t see what we can do.”

“This is more than recreational use. The officer, Avery Cooper, is convinced these hikers are small-time dealers. What interests me is that Avery thinks they go into the mountains on a regular basis to meet with a supplier.”

“OK, now you have my interest.” Jacob stopped walking, his full attention on what Brad had to say.

“I don’t like the idea of this going on in my town,” Brad began, “let alone the damage these drugs do to people’s lives.”

“I agree.” Jacob had never felt the urge to dabble in drugs; being a bear shifter was a big enough high for him. There was nothing like the feel of the wind in your face, and dirt in your paws. “But why are you calling me?”

“I’m short-staffed. I don’t have anyone spare to go off on what could be a wild-goose chase. If Avery has this wrong, then…”

“Then you don’t want to have to explain away all those extra man-hours,” Jacob finished.

“Plus, you can track better than anyone in town.” Brad dropped his voice. “I don’t think we’re going to stop Avery going after these guys. What worried me is if they are shifters…”

“And Avery isn’t?” Jacob asked.

“No. Unless my senses aren’t working as they should.” Brad tapped a pencil on his desk. “I can’t make you do this. I can’t even ask you to do this. But we both know we need to avoid any…trouble.”

“I understand. Listen, I’m just on my way back from Cougar Ridge. I’m gonna need a shower and a cup of coffee. Then I’ll head over to you.” Jacob started walking again, picking up the pace. He got the feeling Brad was leaving out some information, and he wanted to know what it was, and why. But a cell phone was not the smartest way to share sensitive information. Jacob trusted the sheriff’s judgment. Brad was smart, and good at his job.

“I appreciate it, Jacob. See you soon.” Brad ended the call, leaving Jacob to muse over their conversation. Who was this Avery Cooper? And what was the deal with these two hikers? Maybe nothing. Jacob had to keep an open mind. Drawing conclusions before you had all the facts was never helpful.

Damn it. Jacob shifted into his bear, and ran down the trail, ignoring his own rule of only going bear at night. This was important. More than that, if there were drug deals going down on the mountain, on his mountain, he wanted to get to the bottom of it, and end them. The mountain, and the towns surrounding it, were his to look after and defend.

He ran fast, keeping his senses alert. If he crossed paths with a hunter, he was going to regret shifting, and he didn’t want that to happen. Yet he also felt the sense of urgency left unsaid by Brad.

His house came into view. It nestled on the side of the mountain, higher up than most of the other dwellings that dotted the lower slopes. He liked the peace and solitude. There was only one thing that would make him leave here. His mate.

And so far, she had eluded him.

He shifted back to his human form when he reached his house… House might be a bit too grand to describe his cabin. It was cozy and compact, big enough so he didn’t trip over himself, but small enough that he didn’t have to spend hours each week keeping it clean and tidy. Jacob much preferred to be outside than in. It didn’t matter how hard the rain came down, or how deep the snow piled up, he was an outdoors kind of a guy.

Who needed coffee.

He opened the door and went inside, heading for the kitchen where he put on a fresh pot of coffee before running to the shower. Stripping down, he stepped under the warm jets of water, and washed his body and his hair, before wrapping a towel around his midriff. On the way back to the kitchen, he dragged his fingers through his hair and grabbed his laptop.

Pouring a large mug of coffee, he placed a couple of croissants in the oven to warm, and sat down at the small wooden kitchen table he had carved himself out of a fallen oak tree. Waste not, want not.

He smiled to himself as he recalled getting his brothers, Neil and Kit, to help him drag the thick trunk home. He’d somehow persuaded them to shift into their bears, and put on a harness; he even had pictures to prove it. Like a couple of horses, he’d driven them down the mountain, towing the tree.

It had taken him most of the summer to cut and dry the wood, and then shape it into the sturdy table that was the heart of his kitchen. This was where he sat and drank beer with his brothers while he cooked for them. It was where he prepared the fruit and vegetables from his garden, ready to dry or pickle for the winter.

It was also where he placed his laptop and studied the weather forecast. He was fairly good at predicting weather patterns from the signs nature sent his way. But those signs did not compete with modern technology.

The screen lit up, showing a nearly dead battery. Rummaging around, he found the power cord and plugged it in. He quickly navigated to his favorite weather station, the one he’d found most accurate, and checked the forecast. Three days of nonstop sunshine, followed by an increase in humidity and a thunderstorm. Jacob then cross-referenced the forecast with his second favorite weather site, and made adjustments for the discrepancies.

The outcome of which left him confident he could go up the mountain and track these guys of Avery Cooper’s, at least for the next three days. After that, heavy rain was likely to wash away any tracks and make conditions unpleasant.

OK, if the second forecast was correct, downright atrocious.

Draining his cup, he placed his croissants on a plate, added cheese and ham from the fridge, and poured another cup of coffee. While he ate, he caught up on the news. Local, of course. Anything outside of Bear Creek didn’t hold much interest for Jacob, he was Bear Creek born and bred.

Nothing exciting had happened while he’d been trekking over the mountains, just as he liked it. Washing his plate and mug, he made sure the cabin was in shut-down mode, as he termed it, and grabbed his backpack. He quickly went through the contents, although he knew it contained everything he needed. It was his duty to keep it ready to use at a moment’s notice since, sometimes, that was all the time he had to grab what he needed and head off into the mountains to help save someone’s life.

Shouldering his pack, he went back outside, shutting the door and locking it. He trusted everyone in Bear Creek, but he didn’t trust some of the hikers that came this way. Brad’s news about the drug dealers wasn’t too much of a surprise. In Jacob’s experience, a very small minority of people from outside of town had different views and values. Luckily, most of the hikers he met on the mountain came here to get away from their busy lives. They enjoyed stepping back into nature, and Jacob encouraged it, as long as they only left footprints behind, and not their trash.

He grinned. Damn, he was sounding like an old man, all his grumbling, and complaining.

Lifting his arms above his head, he stretched his neck from side to side. Then he opened the door of his truck and got inside. Jacob much preferred walking on two feet, but if he was going into the mountains with a non-shifter, he was going to need to drive. Especially if Avery Cooper was not used to hiking.

He groaned. Maybe he should offer to go on his own: he could track the two suspects, take photos, and help identify the drug traffickers. It sure would be a whole lot easier to get himself up there on four paws.

Throwing his pack on the passenger seat, he hauled himself into the truck and started the engine. With one last look at his house in the rearview mirror, he drove down the steep trail that led to the narrow road and followed it as it wound down toward Bear Creek. From there he turned toward town, and the main street where the sheriff’s office stood.

Parking his truck, he jumped out, looking up and down the street. A strange sensation crept up his neck. Driving really didn’t agree with him. Shaking his head, he ran across the road and pushed open the door of the sheriff’s office to find Brad waiting for him.

“You were quick,” Brad commented, his hand resting on the phone on his desk.

“I figured there was no sense in hanging around. If these guys have gone into the mountains, the longer a head start they have, the harder they’ll be to track.” Jacob looked out of Brad’s window, his eyes on the deep azure sky that framed the mountain. “This is tourist weather. The lower trails are going to be busy. Plus, there’s a storm coming our way in a few days’ time.”

“So if the tracks aren’t lost under the trample of hiking boots, they are going to be washed away under a deluge of rain.” Brad sighed and stood up. “I’m not so sure about this.”

Jacob frowned, and asked, “What changed? I thought you said you wanted the drug dealing to end?”

“I do. But I spoke to someone over at Holloway County.” Brad dragged his hand through his hair. “Avery is on annual leave.”

“Annual leave, is that a fancy way to say suspended?” Jacob asked.

Brad grabbed his hat off his desk. “Let’s go find out. I think before this goes any further, Avery needs to give us some more information.” Brad yanked the door open. “Always when I’m short of officers!”

“Maybe you could deputize me,” Jacob suggested lightheartedly and followed Brad out into the street.

“Don’t put ideas into my head.” Brad dropped his voice and said, “I’m certain Avery is going to go after those guys no matter what I say. Whether I send support or not.”

“So, what’s your other option?” Jacob asked.

“I could always stick Avery’s ass in jail for a couple of nights.”

“On what charge?” Jacob knew Brad only bent the rules of law in extreme circumstances.

“I don’t know. But if there is something else going on, something the folks over at Holloway County are keeping to themselves, what am I supposed to do?”

A shiver crept up Jacob’s neck, and he placed his hand there to rub the skin until it had gone, but it didn’t pass. “So where is Avery now?”

“Where would you be if you planned to go up a mountain?” Brad asked, looking around and then pointing across the street.

“Mike’s Mountain Wares.” Jacob nodded. Damn, he hoped he wouldn’t get stuck on the mountain in a rainstorm, he already figured he was coming down with the flu.

“That’s my first guess.” Brad crossed the street to the one-stop store for hiking gear, then opened the door and went inside.

Jacob followed, his body aching, really aching, but it didn’t feel like flu. Damn it, if one of those tourists had brought an exotic disease to town, he was going to be livid.

“Avery?” Brad asked.

Jacob looked for the police officer, waiting to weigh up the guy. To see if he was capable of going into the mountains. But all he saw was a woman. A real fine woman, with curves in all the right places.

“Sheriff.” She spoke, and Jacob swore his heart stopped beating.

He didn’t have the flu. It was much more contagious than that. Avery Cooper was his mate.