Chapter Ten   Adrian got the ball over the net with an underhand serve and then managed to send it back when she re‑ turned it in a high parabolic curve. They passed the ball back and forth for a few minutes. His confidence grew every time he returned the ball. She’d beat him, but he’d probably win a couple points, he decided. He didn’t play tennis or racquetball, but he ran several times a week. He was tall, so he had a good reach. He swung his shoulders to loosen them, smiling back at Caroline as he relaxed into the unaccustomed activity. “If you’re still interested in a match, let’s see your serve,” he told her. “Okay!” Caroline called, voice bright and eager. “Ready?” Adrian bent over as he vaguely recalled tennis players did during matches, holding the racket in both hands. “Ready,” he said. Caroline tossed the ball into the air, going to her full height as she bounced on her toes and slammed the ball in his direction at the approximate speed of a cruising 747. It hit in the left corner of the service box and then careened off the chain‑link fence behind him with such…

1–What is the title of your latest release? BEAR WITH ME NOW, out April 25 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A man in the middle of a nervous breakdown hires the wannabe park ranger who saved him from a bear attack as his sober companion—even though he doesn’t drink. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? The first trip I took after the pandemic started was driving through Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch in Big Sky, Montana with my sister, and it felt like the world was opening up for me. 4–Would you hang out with your heroine in real life? I’d want to go on maybe the first three miles of a hike with Darcy! After that she’d have to carry me. 5–What are three words that describe your hero? Sweet earnest liar 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Wolves were extirpated from Yellowstone National Park by 1926 and only reintroduced in 1995. But after wolves lost their federal protections, the states around Yellowstone authorized increasing numbers of wolf kills, and in 2022 hunters baited, trapped, and shot 20% of Yellowstone’s wolves. Darcy, the book’s heroine, is a conservationist…