Raising the Stakes
Hiding from the world… Tucking herself away in the Adirondack woods was supposed to keep Vivienne Harris safe. From dark memories of the Bronx, from danger, from entanglements. But when an orphaned bear cub raids her pantry and conservation officer Liam Walsh appears with news of poachers nearby, her private, peaceful world is turned upside down!Suddenly two forces are drawing her out–Button, the cub who needs her help, and Liam, the man who's dead set against her rehabilitating the bear. If she can just win Liam's support, Vivie knows she can give Button a good life. And maybe find the courage to embrace a future with Liam…
Читать Raising the Stakes онлайн беплатно
Hiding from the world...
Tucking herself away in the Adirondack woods was supposed to keep Vivienne Harris safe. From dark memories of the Bronx, from danger, from entanglements. But when an orphaned bear cub raids her pantry and conservation officer Liam Walsh appears with news of poachers nearby, her private, peaceful world is turned upside down!
Suddenly two forces are drawing her outâButton, the cub who needs her help, and Liam, the man whoâs dead set against her rehabilitating the bear. If she can just win Liamâs support, Vivie knows she can give Button a good life. And maybe find the courage to embrace a future with Liam...
Liamâs leaf-green eyes shone in the lamplight when he smiled at Vivie.
âAre you ready for the wildlife rehabilitator test?â he asked.
She sank onto the couch. âI have to be, or youâll shoot Button.â
He regarded her gravely. âWish you wouldnât call her that.â
She hugged a pillow. âWhy?â
âBecause it makes her sound like a pet.â Liam leaned forward and the outdoorsy, masculine smell of him filled her senses. Normally being alone with a man this late at night would terrify her. Instead, she felt alive and jittery, her stomach fluttering.
âIf you pass tomorrowââ
âWhen I pass tomorrow,â she interrupted, lifting her chin despite her nerves.
He studied her, his strong face handsome. âWhen you pass tomorrow, you need to start thinking like a rehabilitator. If you treat the bear like a house pet, Iâll have to remove her.â
The thought of it knocked the breath out of her. âButton is going to make it here.â There was no way sheâd let him take her bear...
When I was in fifth grade, my dad accepted a promotion to move to Upstate New York. I was as shocked as my classmates when my teacher traced her pointer from our location, Long Island, to the very top of the map: The Adirondacks. It looked like the end of the world and everyone, including me, gasped in horror.
Little did I know how profoundly this move would change me. I lost my city ways and became an avid nature and animal lover. I live my life outdoors as much as indoors. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, riding on a Ski-Doo, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, hiking, camping and, best of all, mountain climbing.
Standing on a summit is an almost religious experience. Itâs otherworldly to gaze at the breathtaking beauty below and imagine that this is what it must have looked like to the one who made it all. Itâs awe-inspiring and humbling. Suddenly a fresh perspective clicks into place, giving my soul a good housecleaning.
Itâs also a privilege to live so close to such an abundance of wild animals, including black bears, the amazing subject of this book. The setting and subject of this story couldnât be any closer to my heart. Please contact me anytime at [email protected], especially if youâre ever visiting my neck of the woods!
Karen
KAREN ROCK is an award-winning YA and adult contemporary author. She holds a masterâs degree in English and worked as an ELA instructor before becoming a full-time author. Her Mills & Boon Heartwarming novels have won the 2014 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and the 2014 Golden Quill Award. When sheâs not writing, Karen loves scouring estate sales, cooking and hiking. She lives in the Adirondack Mountain region with her husband, daughter and Cavalier King Charles spaniels.
To Little Bit, who made my life whole. You passed away when I wrote this book and left a hole that can never be filled. I hope your helicopter tail is whipping the clouds into a froth up there. Until we meet again, I love you, my sweet girl.
Contents
Dear Reader
THERE IT WAS.
Again.
A skittering sound followed by a jolting thump. Vivienne Harris huddled beneath her quilt, her mind racing as fast as her heart. Someoneâor somethingâprowled downstairs. She eyed her window and the black night beyond it, pine branches tracing the panes like fingers. If she opened the sash and screamed, who would help?
Her nearest neighbors lived fifteen miles down her Adirondack Mountains road and were on vacation to boot. Emergency services? Sheâd be a headline before they fired up their engines. Besides, the only phone in her two-hundred-year-old farmhouse was downstairs, and cell service didnât exist this far off the grid. Why hadnât the intruder tripped her home alarm?
Was her mind playing tricks? Mistaking her old dogâs after-hours trip to the water bowl for something more ominous? He usually slept like the dead, though, so it seemed unlikely... There was only one way to find out. She wouldnât cower in fear that her life might be in danger.
