A Bear Goal by Anya Nowlan Page A

Heath had first come to Shifter Grove, he couldn’t imagine settling in there or finding any kind of happiness. Now, though? He couldn’t see a way he could ever leave. It was the best place in the world to raise his kids, with plenty of open space, likeminded people and shifters, and a certain kind of camaraderie that he was sure he couldn’t find anywhere else in the world.
    It was home. And with his wife by his side, Heath Locklear had finally found his center.
    “I love you,” Sable whispered, pulling back slightly to look him in the eyes before he kissed her lightly on her lips again.
    “I love you too, baby,” he murmured.
    “Good. Because you’re going to need that love if you end up losing to the Predators this weekend. Who knows, I might move back to San Diego if that happens,” Sable said with a flourish, looking up to the heavens sorrowfully.
    “Riiiight,” Heath said, nodding with a smug smirk. “You wouldn’t last a day in the heat anymore.”
    “Oh, but I thought Heath brings the heat, ” she teased, using the tagline his fans had given him way back when.
    “Different kind of heat, baby,” he said with a snicker, planting a kiss on her forehead.
    “Locklear! Get the hell back on the ice!” a booming voice called, shaking him out of his blissful moment.
    With a sigh, Heath hung his head and let go of his wife.
    “Duty calls,” he said. “Or at least his demonic watchdog, Coach.”
    “You need to promise me you won’t obliterate my stepbrothers when we’re in San Diego though,” Sable said half-heartedly as Heath took off the blade guards once more and hopped out onto the ice as Sable leaned against the partition.
    Heath crossed his heart, holding up his hand as he shoved his helmet back on.
    “I’ll try my best,” he said, totally not meaning it.
    Those two got what was coming for them every time they played together, and even after a year, there was no love lost between the Lynderly twins and Heath. Frankly, neither side seemed to care much. Heath got the girl, the life, and the calm he’d been searching for. Everything else came second. 
     
    Don’t miss the excerpt for the fourth book in the series, Bear No Defeat , on the next page!
     
    Want more? Pick up one of Anya’s other Shifter Grove series:
    Bear the Burn – First Book of Firebear Brides
    Make Him Purr – First Book of Shifter Grove Brides
     
    Did you miss the previous books in this series? Check them out here!
    A Bear Victory
    Bear No Loss
     
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BEAR NO DEFEAT EXCERPT
     
    She had pale, icy blue eyes and her hair was pushed up into a messy bun, a few tendrils licking at her face as she pulled her hat down a bit to protect against the snowfall.
    Holy shit.
    It wasn’t the most eloquent thought Jax had ever had, but it encompassed his current emotions well enough. He must have been staring for quite a while, because when Memphis clapped him on the shoulder with a hearty laugh, Jax realized that Slate had already clambered down the stairs as well and was carrying Alice’s suitcase as they headed toward the two idling polar bears.
    “I think you got it from here on, hockey bear. She’s a keeper, play nice,” Memphis said with a wink, clambering into his truck and speeding off before Jax could say anything for or against his assessment.
    So much for solidarity, Jax thought wryly, peeling himself off the hood and walking to meet Alice and Slate, the local tiger shifter pilot.
    He reached out a hand and grabbed the suitcase from Slate as soon as he was close enough, suddenly loath to think that any other man was touching anything of Alice’s without his express permission. It was a streak of possessiveness he hadn’t quite known himself to have, so it was all the more surprising when it lashed out so