An Alpha’s Second Chance (Shifters of Yellowstone Book 3) Read online

  “Quinn I went yesterday. You want to take this one?” Jenny Roth asked, tying off the yellow caution tape.

  “I can.” Jenny enjoyed the Mammoth area elk. The hotel grounds was one of the places where people could get a closer, safer look at the wildlife, and no one in Yellowstone knew more about these creatures than Jenny. Quinn loved the bears. As a child, she had always had more teddy bears than doll babies.

  She climbed into her white and green official car and headed south toward the bears and absolute gridlock. Rush hour traffic in the park could be any time of day when the animals chose to visit. The tricky part would be getting past the cars blocking the road, their drivers hoping to catch sight of the bears. She didn’t blame them and wouldn’t interfere, as long as the people stayed at a safe distance. She got as close as she could, pulled the car to the shoulder, grabbed the paint gun out of the trunk, and headed down the side of the road.

  “Why the delay?” a tourist called from one of the vehicles as she passed by.

  Quinn paused and gave them her best friendly ranger smile. “Mother and her two cubs have been spotted up the road. Make sure to stay in your car with your windows up.” She waved at the children in the backseat. A few yards down the road, she stopped, the eerie sense someone or something watching washing over her, as it had so often in recent weeks. Was that a grizzly lurking behind a fallen tree in the distance? Grizzlies rarely ventured this side of Mammoth. Not to say they never did it, but she expected to see black bears in this area. She took a step closer, but whatever she’d seen was no longer there.

  The stumps just off the roadway had a way of playing tricks on the eyes. She continued down the road until she heard the familiar sound of a paint gun being fired into the woods. The ranger would he firing at the tree, trying to move the mama and her cubs away from the road and the crowds. As a man opened his door to climb out of his car, she strode over to persuade him to stay put, succeeding but not without his making a disparaging comment about her large derriere.

  Nothing was more attractive on a plus-sized girl than the National Parks Service standard green slacks and tan shirt. But she loved the job so much, she never complained, honored to be able to wear the uniform. Adjusting her hat, she saw the bear again. A chill ran down her back. Large dark-chocolate eyes stared at her over the large muzzle; its ears perked up on full alert. Keeping her focus on the animal in the distance she lifted the communication device to her lips. “We have a grizzly out here as well.”

  “Quinn, are you sure?”

  “Yes I have it in my sights now. North of the location of mama and her cubs.”

  “Great.” Sarcasm dripped through the receiver.

  Quinn walked up to the SUV with its windows down. “Sir, we have a grizzly in the area. Please roll up your windows to keep your babies safe.”

  “Of course, thank you,” the man said, quickly rolling up the back windows but leaving his down.

  She kept her eyes on the large brown bear. He remained a good hundred yards away, but she, like all rangers, knew how quickly grizzlies could cover that distance. She heard the children in the car squeal in delight as they caught sight of the majestic beast. Yet the bear stared at her.

  She pushed down the fear running up her spine. At last the bear turned and moved deep into the wooded area. She breathed a sigh of relief and kept the people in their cars. After the last bear disappeared into the woods, the traffic started moving again. Walking down the hill, she found one of her closest friends arguing with a guest to move their car. She waited patiently in the distance until the irate man in the rental RV finally moved on.

  “Sometimes it’s a love hate relationship with these people. The bears are gone, bye-bye now.” They walked together to his vehicle parked in one of the pull offs. Popping his trunk, he placed the paintball gun inside. “Jesus, Quinn, this is the third time you’ve dealt with grizzlies in unusual parts of the park. I think they’re stalking you.”

  ABOUT DOMINIQUE EASTWICK

  Award winning author Dominique Eastwick currently

  calls North Carolina home with her husband, two children,

  one crazy lab, and one lazy cat. Dominique spent much of

  her early life moving from state to state as a Navy Brat.

  Because of that traveling is one of her favorite pastimes.

  When she’s not writing, you can find Dominique with her

  second love, her camera.

  Connect with Dominique

  [email protected]

  Find Dominique:

  www.DominiqueEastwickAuthor.com

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  OTHER BOOKS BY

  DOMINIQUE EASTWICK

  1NIGHT STAND SERIES

  Strawberry Kisses

  1NIGHT STAND (HOUSE OF LORDS)

  The Duke and the Virgin

  The Marquis and the Mistress

  The Earl and his Virgin Countess

  THE WICCAN HAUS:

  Shifting Hearts

  Siren’s Serenade

  Healing his Souls Mate

  Breaking the Mating Bond

  THE SHERMAN SERIES

  Hunting JC

  Tony’s Haven - 2012 — Aspen Gold winner for Best Erotic Romance

  Kissing the Bridesmaid (A Sherman Cousin short story)

  Killing Lucas

  Kissing the Tycoon (A Sherman Cousin short story)

  Spencer’s Chance

  COOKIE CLUB ROMANCE SERIES

  Hot Burning Love

  BLACK HILLS WOLVES SERIES

  Infiltrating her Pack

  SWEET CHRISTMAS KISSES

  Kismet and Cocoa

  Shifters of Yellowstone

  Bear with Me

  Bearing the Hunger

  COMING SOON

  Kissing the FBI Agent (A Sherman Cousin short story)

  Taming Trent

  The Virgin’s Infiltrator

  Second Chance Desire

  The Viscount and the Heiress

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Bear With Me