After his younger brother inherited control of the family ranch and his older brother went into hiding, Lucas Long got into his truck and hit the open road. Heading out across the country, he was on a mission. A mission to find something that may or may not even exist. After a year and a half of searching, and exhausting almost all leads, he gets an urgent phone call summoning him home ASAP.

Sammie Delaney has worked her ass off to become the tough, hardened U.S. Marshal that she is today. Her last case has left her reeling, though. When her partner and the witnesses they were in charge of protecting were murdered in cold blood, Sammie’s was left in charge of a frightened four-year-old boy. Only, he’s not currently a boy, the kid’s transformed himself into a bear cub. Sammie’s vow to protect little Mason and do right by him leads her to the small town of Landing, Wyoming. Lucas Long, the man whose name was a whisper on the lips of a dying woman, is her last hope of helping little Mason. Who knew Lucas would turn out to be a hotter-than-hell bear shifter?

When Lucas arrives home to find a woman who takes his breath away, holding a little boy who smells just like him, he instantly knows that these two are his future. But the beautiful Marshal remains unconvinced. Can Lucas find a way to not only manage a crash course in parenting, but also entice his mate to stay in Landing where their little family desperately needs her?

Sexy shifters and their feisty mates who aren’t shy about loving each other – so, this is an adult, 18+ reader tale.

Titles in the Rancher Bears series include:  Rancher Bear’s Baby – Rancher Bear’s Mail Order Mate – Rancher Bear’s Surprise Package – Rancher Bear’s Secret – Rancher Bear’s Desire -Rancher Bear’s Merry Christmas

Title:  Rancher Bear’s Surprise Package
Series:  Rancher Bears #3
Author:  Candace Ayers
Published:  August 28, 2016
My Rating:  4 stars

The death of the Long brothers’ father and his unusual stipulation in his will have left the brothers upset, at odds and in a heap of emotional pain.  Each is dealing in their own fashion.  Lucas has taken off on a search for a child he may or may not have fathered.  If he can provide that child then he’ll inherit the ranch since he knows the child would be the firstborn grandchild… if the child even exists.  What he didn’t expect was to have his son delivered to his doorstep or for his mate to reunite father and son.

Sammie is beyond the usual definition of shock.  Her partner, the two witnesses they were protecting have all been murdered in cold blood – and the child, Mason, has turned into a bear cub of all things.  She has one clue to try to bring Mason to someone who might be able to help him because if he’s a baby bear then there has to be a papa bear somewhere, right?  She didn’t expect to love Mason so much or to find it so hard to part from him.  And she certainly did not expect to feel this intense draw to his father.

Rancher Bear’s Surprise Package is another short but intense story in the Rancher Bears series.  Lucas’ reasons for searching for his possible child pale in the reality of holding his son.  This is no longer about the ranch but about keeping Mason safe and Sammie with them for a lifetime.  But he totally messes up explaining the situation and he comes close to losing the one woman who is meant for him.  Danger will creep up on them, and another brother will take a step closer to madness before this is resolved.

I’m enjoying this series.  Although the stories are short, they are heartfelt and interesting.  Of course, definitely sexy.  I liked Lucas and Sammie together, of all the brothers so far they felt the most natural to me from the start.  And finally there is some resolution to that stipulation that’s caused so much trouble.  I’m looking forward to picking up the next story in this sexy, intriguing series.

I read this story through my Kindle Unlimited subscription.

Available for the Kindle