You're not going to be bear bait," he promised, turning her so that she was behind him. "Not today anyway."

She grabbed a fistful of the back of his uniform shirt and pressed up against his back. "How do you know?"

"Well, you're behind me, for one thing. So if anyone's going to be bear bait, it'll be me. And brown bears are extremely passive. If we take a step toward him, he'll take off."

She let go of him, presumably so he could do just that, even giving him a little nudge that was actually more like a push. With a laugh, Matt obliged and stepped toward the bear, waving his arms. With a look of reproof, the bear lumbered to his feet and vanished into the bush.

Autore: Jill Shalvis