Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 221(@200wpm)___ 177(@250wpm)___ 147(@300wpm)
I came to the mountains chasing the photograph that could save my career. Instead, I witnessed something I was never supposed to see. Now ruthless men want me silenced, and my only hope is the mysterious recluse who lives deep in the wilderness. Wilder is gruff, guarded, and impossible to resist—but the longer I stay in his cabin, the harder it becomes to remember I’m supposed to leave.
Wilder
I’ve spent years alone, protecting my land and avoiding the outside world. Humans only bring greed, bullets, and trouble. Then I find a terrified little photographer running for her life, and every instinct I have demands I keep her safe. She may not know my secrets, but she already owns my heart. Anyone who comes looking for my mate is about to discover why a grizzly never backs down from a fight
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
Chapter One
Poppy wasn’t a hiker.
Trekking for hours through the rugged terrain had her thighs burning and feet aching. But she was determined to get a pic of the notorious giant grizzly. There’d been supposed sightings the past month, and she wanted to be the one photographer to capture the image. The hefty five-thousand-dollar prize offered to the person who brought in a clear picture was a definite incentive. Poppy was not rich, and photography certainly didn’t pay the bills. Today could be a game-changer.
Not only would she win the cash prize, but her name would be out there for all to see. The jobs would come flooding in, and her financial worries would be over.
She stopped, set down her oversized backpack, and pulled out her water bottle. God, the views were breathtaking. Poppy loved nature, especially the sunsets and wildflowers. She’d been drawing and scrapbooking flowers for years. She was proud to know the scientific names of countless plant species, not that such knowledge would ever prove useful.
After readjusting her ponytail, she slung the backpack on again and started heading in the same direction. It shouldn’t be too much longer according to her calculations. Then she’d settle in with her binoculars and watch the mountainside for movement. No one said this trip was going to be easy, or everyone would be cashing in. So, she wouldn’t complain. Not about the aches and pains, the dropping temperatures, or the deep-seated fear of the unknown playing with her imagination.
After another hour or so of trudging through the thick underbrush and fallen trees, she decided she couldn’t go any farther. Poppy got to the edge of the mountainside and looked down the cliff face. It was thick with tree coverage and seemed to go on forever. She decided it was a good vantage point, so she dropped everything and started to settle in.
She sat down, leaning against a tree, and pulled out her notebook. She wrote down everything from to-do lists, to random thoughts. As she fanned through the old book, she exhaled. At thirty-two she was sitting here in the middle of nowhere like a loser hoping for the needle-in-a-haystack picture.
Poppy had no savings, no property, no boyfriend, and unstable employment. She had to lose at least fifty pounds, her cholesterol was too high, and her window to have a child was getting smaller each year.
She laughed to herself. It sounded worse than it really was. She wasn’t unhappy, just lonely. Survival wasn’t a big deal, as she was used to it. It was the quiet evenings, watching other couples holding hands, envisioning growing old alone. Those were the killers.
She chewed on a piece of beef jerky. It was extra good because she hadn’t eaten since breakfast. As she chewed on her food, her peripheral vision alerted her to movement. Poppy gasped, scrambling to locate her binoculars and camera. She crawled to the edge of the embankment and started focusing the settings, a piece of jerky still between her teeth.
As the image cleared, she stayed as still as possible. It wasn’t across the valley like she expected, but just down a bit on her side of the slope where there was a grassy clearing. There were three men.
Shit.
Others obviously had the same idea. She wondered if they’d already gotten a picture of the mysterious monster grizzly. The tabloids called it, “The Beast of the Mountain.” They looked so much better prepared than her with a lot of equipment.
She sat back down on her butt but kept watching. If they weren’t packing up, maybe they hadn’t gotten a picture yet. And with all those supplies, it would take them longer to get out of the forest. If she got her pic in first, she’d get the reward, no matter how many pics they brought in later.
Poppy examined the plants and weeds nearby from where she was sitting. Nothing exciting was happening when she checked her binoculars. She noted a few highly poisonous weeds and berries, and some edible plants she may clip and eat later if she had to. Maybe her useless knowledge would come in handy after all.