And the newcomer was just as handsome as Sparrow. What was with this town? Were all the men this good looking? Josh liked how the guy's hair stood on end, as if the man had just ridden a roller coaster. It appeared windblown, but he could tell the stranger used some kind of hair product to get the strands to stand straight up.

"Who are you?" the stranger asked as he cocked his head to the side. The smell of soft leather and pine trees filled Josh's cell. The aroma reminded him of the many backpack trips he'd taken with his uncle when Josh had been younger. It was like he was back in Baxter State Park.

"Josh Abrams. And you?"

"Clayton Calabria." The man stuck his hand out and Josh reached through the bars to shake it. That name sounded familiar. Josh wracked his brain and then remembered his cousin Harland talking about someone named Clayton. He was one of the owners of the Triple-B ranch and one of Harland's good friends.

"You know Harland?" This had to be the same guy Harland had talked about over the years. But his cousin hadn't told Josh how stunning Clayton was.

Clayton's black brows shot up. "How do you know him?"

"He's my cousin."

Clayton didn't look convinced. "I grew up with Harland. If he had a cousin, I'd know about him."

"Harland has more than one," Josh said. "And I don't know why he didn't mention me, but we are related."

"Huh." Clayton scratched a chin that had a good day's growth of hair shadowing his strong jaw. "I'm gonna have to talk to Harland about keeping such good-looking relatives a secret."

Josh's fingers curled around the bars as he gazed past Clayton's shoulder, praying the sheriff didn't come back here anytime soon. Sparrow didn't look like the forgiving type and Josh had a feeling that Clayton had snuck back to the cells without permission. "While you're at it, can you call him and tell him that I'm here?"

Clayton leaned an arm against the bars, his eyes scanning up and down Josh's body in a way that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than sexual interest. "What are you in here for?"

"Seriously?" Josh gaped at the man. "I'm locked up and you're trying to hit on me?"

"You got a really nice smell to you." Clayton licked his lower lip. "I can't help it if my bear is attracted to you."

"This is the most inopportune time, Clayton." Josh let go of the bars and took a seat. "Just please tell Harland to get down here."

He watched as the shifter gave him one last longing look before he nodded and left. Josh rolled over, tucking his hands under his cheek. The guys in this town were cute, but it seemed that they were equally crazy.

The following day, Sparrow was at Lamont's Trailer Heaven.

If Sparrow got one more complaint about Buck Buchanan, he was going to ring the guy's neck. It seemed every time he arrested the troublemaker, the charges were somehow dropped. Buck was a nuisance around these parts and Sparrow did everything he could to keep the man from causing any more trouble. But his hands were tied when Buck always beat the charges.

"Whoever called you is a liar!" Buck shouted as Sparrow leaned the guy over the hood of his patrol car and patted him down. "I didn't do a damn thing wrong."

He knew that Buck was one of the drug dealers in this trailer park. If his suspicions were correct, the main dealer. Unfortunately, Buck didn't have anything on him at the moment.

Too bad. Sparrow would've loved to have taken the man in.

Sparrow let him go and watched as Buck's cohorts began gathering around the patrol car. Sparrow was here alone. Even so, he wished someone would try and pull some bullshit stunt with him. He'd wipe the trailer park with these lowlifes.

"What's the complaint, Officer?" one of Buck's men asked as he chewed on a toothpick.

"Who are you?" Sparrow didn't know this one and his gut instinct was telling him to watch the guy. He wasn't loud like the others. He had a look in his eyes that said he was smarter than all the men around here combined.

"Jack Frost." The guy gave the other men a wicked smile as he leaned against a Caribbean-blue trailer that had sporadic rust spots decorating the lower half.

"You look like you might be carrying." Sparrow hauled the guy to his car, bent him over, and patted him down. He'd called for backup ten minutes ago. It should have been here by now.

"Carrying what?" the guy asked as he kept his fingers interlocked behind his head. The hoodlum didn't protest Sparrow searching him. He didn't argue or threaten Sparrow the way the others would have.

"I guess we'll find out." His search yielded nothing. Sparrow grabbed the man's wallet and opened it to see a driver's license. Pulling it free, Sparrow checked out the name. "Barry Sliman." Sparrow tossed the wallet and ID onto the hood of his car. "You look like a slimy man to me."

"Think you're funny, cop?" Slimy man asked. The guy was slim, built like a runner. He would be fast if he decided to take off.

"I think I'm fucking hilarious." Sparrow released the man when the other patrol car finally arrived. Figures. It was Dunham behind the wheel. Sparrow was going to rip the man a new asshole for taking his sweet time.

What did the guy think, that the trailer trash would take Sparrow out and Dunham could slip into the sheriff's position, no fuss, no muss? It was going to take more than these clowns to take Sparrow down.

"Stand the fuck back," Dunham said to the men around Sparrow's car. He started throwing his weight around as soon as he exited his car. Dunham reminded Sparrow of a peacock, displaying his colorful feathers-all boast and no action. It was a show, nothing more.

That made Sparrow's back molars grind together.

"I got this," Sparrow said so only his deputy could hear him. "Do some damn police work and pat the rest of those men down."

Dunham didn't look too happy at Sparrow's orders, but complied. Sparrow slid into his car and radioed in Sliman's ID. As he waited, he watched Dunham threaten the men he was checking. But it was Sliman who caught his attention.

The man was watching Sparrow a little too closely.

When dispatch came back and said Sliman was clean, Sparrow got out and gave the man his driver's license back.

"Disappointed?" the bastard asked.

"Hardly," Sparrow answered. He gazed over at Dunham. "Put Buck in the back of my car."

"For what?" Buck's nostrils flared as he planted his legs wide.

Sparrow looked Buck in the eyes and said evenly, "You can sit there and cool your heels while I write you a ticket for the noise ordinance you violated."

Too bad Sparrow couldn't get him on something more, but he wasn't a dirty cop and wasn't going to plant anything on the guy. It would be nice to get him off the street, though.

After serving the ticket, Sparrow and Dunham left. Sparrow headed back to the station to check on his current visitor, Josh Abrams. The man was lying in his cell, staring at the far wall. Just like with Clayton, Sparrow was deeply attracted to this man but he refused to fall for a bear shifter.

That didn't stop his pulse from beating faster as he looked Josh over. It seemed that even though he didn't want to be interested, he was. A sheen of moisture formed over his brow.

Sparrow was a man staring at his own downfall.

"Any news?" Josh asked as he sat up and brushed his hand over his blond hair. Sparrow gazed down at the man, eating up the vision in front of him. Big blue eyes stared at him from a flawless face, waiting for an answer, and all Sparrow could do was watch how Josh's fingers slid smoothly through those blond strands.

His cock grew hard.

"Nothing yet." He opened the cell door and handed Josh his lunch, his eyes skimming over the delicate fingers Josh pulled away from his head. They were long, slim, and Sparrow imagined they could bring him hours of pleasure. "I still don't understand why you would pick up a hitchhiker. Do know how dangerous that is?"

Josh took the tray from Sparrow and set it aside before lifting his left shoulder in a small shrug. "I guess I just wanted the company. Driving that far kind of gets lonely."

"That's not a healthy way to pass the time." Sparrow pointed to the silver tray. "Eat up. I'll go see if ballistics came back on that shotgun."

"It isn't mine," Josh reiterated as he stood. Sparrow had to get out of that cell. If Josh moved any closer...

"What if it comes back as being used in some sort of robbery or murder?" Josh's hands shook as he curled his fingers into the palms of his hands. His skin appeared a bit green as he blinked rapidly.

Please don't let him cry.

Sparrow hardened his resolve.

"Pray that it doesn't." Sparrow left the cell and headed down the hallway as he pulled in a few deep breaths, telling his cock to calm the hell down. The last thing he needed was to walk back up front with a hard-on.

When Sparrow rounded the corner, he saw Harland Macy at the front desk, demanding to see his cousin. Of course, Clayton was with the guy. This was turning out to be one hell of a day.

Sparrow needed an aspirin.

"There's no way that shotgun belongs to Josh," Harland argued as he slammed the palm of his hand down on the counter. As Sparrow looked at Harland, all he could picture was Dresden giving birth. He couldn't get that thought to go away. "He's as harmless as a fly," Harland finished before he spotted Sparrow and turned, his eyes narrowing. "Are you serious?"

"I am." Sparrow ignored Clayton's presence, but he could feel the man's eyes boring into him. His reaction to Clayton was a bit different than it had been to Josh. A raw hunger welled up inside of him and Sparrow had an urge to slam Clayton into a wall and fuck the man.

No mercy.

Hard and fast.

"Are you charging Josh?" Harland asked. "If not, let him go."

"I can hold him for twenty-four hours. Until the ballistics come back on the gun that was found in the backseat of his brother's car, he stays." Sparrow wasn't budging on this one. He still had three hours left to hold Josh. He knew what Harland, Clayton, and Josh were, but he refused to be intimidated by the fact that they could change into bears.

Really big bears from what he'd seen at the ranch over a year ago.

"Then release him to me," Harland insisted. "I'm an upstanding citizen and a pillar of this community. I'm not a flight risk and neither is Josh."

"The judge will have to decide that," Sparrow said.

"And when will the judge be in?" Harland asked.

"He's in," Sparrow answered. "As a matter of fact, Josh is going to see him this afternoon." He kept his eyes from straying over to Clayton. Sparrow was not going to give in to the burning lust coursing through his body. He wasn't a dog chasing after a bone. He had more willpower than that. He just needed to get Clayton-and Josh-out of his damn station and out of his life.

"But you haven't charged him yet," Clayton interjected as he moved closer. The smell of soft leather and pine trees filled his lungs. It was the same scent he smelled every time Clayton was close. Sparrow gritted his teeth and forced himself not to give in.

"He was still speeding," Sparrow pointed out. "That charge sticks."

"Why are you being such an ass?" Clayton asked. "I've gotten speeding tickets before and didn't have to see the judge." Clayton moved closer and Sparrow had to resist the urge to take a step back. The scent was overwhelming and making it hard for him to think, to focus. "I know why you're fucking with us. Is this how it's gonna be?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sparrow moved over to the front desk and grabbed a random file. He didn't want Clayton to think that he was running. "He'll see the judge in about an hour. You can either come back or wait. Your choice."

Sparrow left the men standing there as he walked into his office. After closing the door, he leaned against it, blowing out a long breath.

Why did it seem the more he saw Clayton, the more he wanted the guy? He had a feeling he was fighting a losing battle.

Chapter Three.

A few hours after his conversation with the sheriff, the man was back. Josh stood when Sparrow came to his cell. He prayed that the guy couldn't tell that Josh had been crying. He glanced away, his eyes sore and his throat burning. Josh hated himself for being so weak, but the thought of going to prison for murder or anything else heinous made his stomach twist into knots.

Please let that shotgun come back clean.

Josh cleared his throat and turned, keeping his eyes lowered. If he looked Sheriff Sparrow in the eyes, he just might break down in front of the guy and bawl like a baby. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

He also didn't want to be on the receiving end of Sparrow's wrath. "I'm sorry."

The sheriff opened the cell and leaned against the bars. The cell flooded with the scent of aftershave and salty ocean air. Josh tried hard not to breathe it in. The smell made him want to curl up next to Sparrow and rub his scent all over the human.

His bear growled, trying to urge Josh closer, but that would be a mistake that Josh would regret. Sparrow hated him for being a bear shifter. Josh still didn't know why.

Sparrow looped his thumbs into his utility belt. "What are you apologizing for?"

"For whatever Harland did," he said. Thankfully he'd stopped the shiver that threatened to wrack his body. Sparrow's deep, melodic voice was enthralling. "Please don't judge me by my cousin. I swear I'm not a bad guy."

"Listen." Sparrow folded his arms over his well-sculpted chest. The brown uniform shirt strained around Sparrow's biceps. "I didn't mean to be such a prick to you, but after what I saw at that ranch-" The sheriff shook his head.

Josh was glad no one else was back here with them. He didn't have to worry about whispering, but he made sure his voice was low nonetheless. "What did you see?"

Sparrow cracked his lower jaw the way some people do when they're trying to clear their ears on an airplane. For the sheriff, it was an intimidating sight. Was the sheriff about to rough him up or was that something he did all the time? But Sparrow's eyes, although assessing, were kind-no matter how frightened he made Josh.

"I saw a man giving birth."

Josh wasn't sure how to respond to that. He wanted to ask if Sparrow had enjoyed something that beautiful but knew from the man's reaction that the answer would probably be no. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to figure out the best thing to say.

He had nothing. "So, watching that made you hate bear shifters?"

"No."

"So then why do you hate us?" Even before Josh finished asking the question, the answer dawned on him. "You're attracted to one of the men at the Triple-B and you're afraid you'll get pregnant."

Josh stood there quietly as he turned the problem over in his head. As much as he should hate Sparrow for arresting him, he didn't. As a matter of fact, as disturbing as the realization should be, Josh was attracted to the human.

But he was also attracted to Clayton-even though he'd balked at the idea of Clayton flirting with him while Josh was in jail. It was a dilemma he'd never experienced before. There was no denying that both men called to him and that his bear wanted desperately to answer.

Josh wasn't sure how to handle this.

"I'm done talking about this," Sparrow said.