Blackstone Ranger Chief

“Where would I live? What would I do?”
“You can stay with me,” J.D. declared. “I have a house and spare room.”
“But I can’t pay—”
“You can find a job here, something temporary, until you figure out what you want to do.”
“I don’t have a lot of work experience.”
Actually, she had zero. She got her B.A. in Physical Education from NMU, but really, college was four years of partying, shopping, and going to brunch with her sorority sisters, thanks to her father’s generous allowance. Afterwards, she moved back home, and her father had kept paying for everything—her phone, her car, her credit card balances. Why did she need to get a job when he footed the bill for everything?
As a parent, David Hall hadn’t been affectionate while she was growing up. She suspected her mother’s death had affected him a lot as he never remarried, and the fact that she was nearly a carbon copy of her made it difficult for him to even look at her. Still, no one could say he didn’t provide for her. There had been nannies to look after her and chauffeurs to drive her everywhere. He paid for college and gave her anything and everything she asked for without reservations or without putting conditions that she get a certain degree, straight A’s, or find a good job afterwards. At least, he didn’t, until a few weeks ago. That night that changed her life.
She had come home after a day of shopping when he called her into his study. David Hall got up from behind his desk, whiskey glass in hand. It was obvious from the smell of liquor on his breath that he’d been drinking for a while.
“I’ll get straight to the point, Anna Victoria,” he had slurred. “We’re ruined.”
“Ruined? What do you mean?”
“I made some bad calls on some properties out east and … it’s gone. The money. The business. All gone. Or will be. Unless you do as I say.” Apparently, he had borrowed a lot of money from the bank to cover his losses but they weren’t enough. So he turned to alternative sources of cash, specifically, Edward Jameson, a prominent New Mexico “businessman”. Jameson kept him afloat, but then the real estate market crashed … and here she was.
Maybe if I been more independent, I wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.
“Anna Victoria?” J.D. waved a hand in front of her face.
“Oh. Sorry. Woolgathering,” she confessed.
“Anyway,” J.D. continued. “Why don’t you check out my spare room first, and we can figure out a fair amount.” Her mouth curled up into a smile. “Actually, I have a great idea. I know someone who needs some help at work. His last assistant just quit, and he needs someone to take up the slack while looking for a more permanent replacement.”
Gabriel’s eyebrows rose. “You can’t mean—hey, what’s that?” His nose wrinkled, and he sniffed the air. His gaze drew down to the table, his eyes narrowing at one of the plates in front of J.D. “Is that the hipster pie?”
“Hey!” J.D. cried out when Gabriel swiped the plate. “What are you doing?”
“It smells … divine.” His nose was so close to the pie that a spot of cream dotted the tip. “Trade you for a slice of pecan?” He looked at J.D. hopefully.
J.D. rolled her eyes. “It’s already got your germs. Keep it.” She turned back to Anna Victoria as Gabriel began to dig into the pie. “What do you say?”
“I don’t—”
“Just come check out my place after we eat and think about it some more? What have you got to lose?”
Biting her bottom lip, Anna Victoria mulled it over. She supposed it wasn’t a bad deal. Her only other option was to keep driving, but she could only get so far before she ran out of money. But J.D. was a complete stranger. “Could we get my keys and purse at The Den first?” If at least something felt off, she could just drive away.
“Sure, hon. And even if you don’t decide to stay, how about I give your car a tune up before you leave? I own a garage in town, and I still want to make sure you’re safe if you leave.”
She sniffed. How was it possible these strangers were so nice? And they weren’t even humans. The media often portrayed shifters as vicious and mean, with only the ones who do bad things getting any press.
“Th-thank you so much, I would appreciate that.” A small weight had lifted off her shoulders. Her troubles were far from over, but it was a big deal that she could at least maybe have a place to stop and think about her future plans. “And thank you, too, Gabriel, for bringing me here.”
Gabriel’s eyes darted to the pie on her plate. “You can thank me by letting me swap your chai thingy for my cherry pie.”
She laughed and pushed her plate at him. “Deal.”

Chapter Three
Damon let out a frustrated growl as he glanced at the folders on his desk. The pile seemed to mock him, but he couldn’t ignore the growing stack anymore. Damn reports. He scrubbed a hand down his face.
They were supposed to be done two weeks ago, but he hadn’t gotten around to them. Technically, his assistant was supposed to finish these reports and send them off, but since the last one quit and the staffing agency hadn’t sent anyone else, it was up to him to get them done.
Pushing off from his desk, he wheeled his chair around to face the large windows that gave him an amazing view of the mountains and forests. The main Blackstone ranger station was located in the mountains, since most of the work involved anything and everything that had to do with the forests in the area. Their job involved most of the things normal forest rangers did in national parks—protect trails, wildlife, plants, and streams, and regulate the campsites.
However, there were two main differences between those parks and the Blackstone Mountains.