Hired Bear

She hired him to help her fix up her debt-ridden family farm ... but this hot bear shifter rancher is going to fix a lot more than that.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but I thought I'd drive up and see if you could use a hand ..." he began, but then his voice died; he just stared at her.

Crystal stopped in her tracks.

He was ... electric. There was no other word for it.

She'd never seen anyone like him before. Certainly not in the city where she had spent most of her life. He exuded raw sex appeal and masculinity. Powerful shoulders strained against his shirt; the sleeves were rolled up to reveal strong, suntanned forearms. His hair was light brown, bleached almost blond by the sun in erratic streaks, and long enough to be pulled back in a ponytail.

His face ... she almost had to push herself to look into his face; it felt like staring into the sun. He was deeply tanned, with crinkles around the eyes from smiling or squinting, though he wasn't smiling right now. His eyes were focused on her as if she was the most amazing, most important thing in the world.

She had never had anyone look at her like that before.

Certainly not a total stranger when she was standing in front of him covered in dust and cobwebs.

Which might be why he was staring like that, come to think of it.

Except she knew it wasn't, because she could feel it too, the electric sense of connection that had happened as soon as he'd stepped out of his truck. There was a current between them, something almost palpable that quivered in the air.

Crystal cleared her throat and held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Crystal Martinez."

He seemed to shake himself back to reality. "Uh ... Cody. Cody Hayes." Now he did smile, making those fine lines around his eyes crinkle up just as she'd imagined. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I was just ... I—Anyway, I'm your neighbor on the next spread."

His hand engulfed hers, warm and strong and slightly rough from work calluses. She'd never realized that a handshake could be erotic, but she'd never shaken hands with someone who looked like that before, either. This close, she could see all the faint sun-freckles grazing his skin, the wisps of nearly-blond hair curling down around his face, the dusting of stubble on his cheek. His shirt was unbuttoned on the top two buttons, giving her a glimpse of chest hair that was light brown verging on blond.

Her powerful response to him astonished her. And from the way he was still holding her hand, looking into her eyes, she was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.

What the heck is happening?

The hottest hired man in Pinerock County is about to blow the top off Crystal's world! A standalone HEA fated-mate bear shifter romance.