by Elena Aitken
And that’s just where she was headed.
She left her bags in the Jeep and picked her way through the building snow to the main door of the Den. Just as she’d expected, the fire was going when she opened the door.
“Hello?”
Chloe had barely gotten in the front door when Harper jumped up from the couch and ran to her, pulling her into a huge hug.
“You’re back! And early, too.” She squeezed Chloe tighter than she would have thought possible. “You’re so sneaky.”
Chloe wiggled her way out of Harper’s embrace. “I don’t know about sneaky. But I did want to try to surprise Luke. Where is he?” She tried to sneak a glance over the other woman’s shoulder.
Harper waved her arm in the air. “He’s in the kitchen. They’re having a brother meeting. Something about Kade needing help and not wanting it. Axel got sick of him complaining so he put an ad out for a cook.”
“No way.” For all the complaining Kade did about his time in the kitchen, everyone knew he also took a great deal of pride in his work there, too. Chloe couldn’t imagine that he’d be very excited about having someone else come in and take over. “How’d he take that?”
“About as well as you’d expect.” Harper laughed and yanked Chloe’s hand. “Now come sit and tell me about your trip. We’ll only have a few minutes before Luke realizes you’re here and drags you off to your cabin to have his way with you, and I’ll lose all chance for girl talk.”
Chloe laughed because it was both true and an exaggeration. Luke would most definitely drag her off—at least, if she had her way—but she also did plan to have a lot of time for girl talk. At least until after Christmas, when she’d be traveling again. But she let Harper pull her to the couch anyway. They’d become even closer once Chloe moved to the Ridge and once they got over their initial rocky start when Chloe had been less than friendly with her. As it turned out, Harper was more than willing to overlook it, especially considering she also hadn’t been herself.
Harper rubbed her stomach and sat on the couch next to Chloe.
“How are you feeling?” It turned out that when everyone else was busy taking down Ackerman, Harper was bedridden with the worst morning sickness anyone had ever seen. Of course, they didn’t know that until afterward and she took a pregnancy test. The whole thing had come as a surprise, for no one more than Harper herself. “You look so much better.” Chloe slapped a hand to her mouth. “Not that you didn’t look amazing before, but—”
“I know what you mean. And I did look terrible.” Harper laughed. “Let me tell you, this little cub is certainly putting the love of a mother to the test long before he makes his appearance.”
“It’s a—”
“We don’t actually know yet. It’s too early. But I have a feeling he’ll be just like his father.” Tears sprang to Harper’s eyes and she didn’t bother to wipe them away.
“Harper.” Chloe jumped up and handed her friend a tissue. “What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
Her friend waved her hand, dismissing her tears, and she blew loudly into the tissue. “I’m fine. It’s just…well, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to have a cub, you know? I mean, I’m only half-blooded and Axel’s just so happy. A doting dad already. It’s all so overwhelming. Especially because pregnancy hormones are nothing to be messed with, especially when you’re pregnant with a bear.”
Chloe laughed. “I can’t even imagine.”
“But you will, right?” Harper’s hand clamped down on Chloe’s arm. “I mean, you guys will have cubs, won’t you?”
She couldn’t answer her friend, because the truth was, she hadn’t thought of it. At least not in any real sense. She’d been so busy just spending time with Luke and finding the balance between work life and home life that she hadn’t considered adding anything else into the mix. The idea wasn’t totally off-putting, however; not the way it would have been six months ago. But a lot had changed, and judging by the warm feeling growing in the pit of her stomach at the idea of having a cub of her own, obviously her opinion on children had changed as well.
“Harper, Axel wants to—”
The women swung their heads around at the sound of Luke’s voice. The words died on his lips when he saw Chloe and a smile split across his face. She jumped up and ran to him, happy to be back in his arms.
He held her tight and kissed her hard as if he hadn’t set eyes on her in months instead of only a week. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming back for two more days?”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you did.” He kissed her nose and let his hands slide down to her backside and his mark the way they always did. “And I couldn’t be happier about it.”
He kissed her again and Chloe let her hands slide up into his hair to hold him even closer. She never failed to heat up immediately for him. He sparked something in her that had never before been lit and she was definitely not in a hurry to douse that flame.
“Get a room, you two.”
She’d totally forgotten about Harper. Chloe pulled away, but didn’t let go of her man. “Happily.”
Harper laughed. “Go for it. But first, what were you going to tell me, Luke?”
Luke’s eyes clouded with confusion for a moment before they cleared as he remembered his purpose of coming to talk to her. “Right. I was going to tell you that Axel wanted you to help him in the kitchen. Kade got mad and stormed out, so it’s just going to be us for dinner, and…” He drifted off, looking into Chloe’s eyes. “Correction,” he said. “It will only be you two for dinner. I think Chloe and I can cook something up ourselves.”
“I’m sure you can.” Harper shook her head and pushed up from the couch. “You guys shouldn’t have let Kade out there on his own, though. The storm’s getting worse.”
“I’m afraid that whatever’s going on outside doesn’t come close to the storm waging inside him.” The concern for his little brother weighed heavily on Luke. It did on both of the Jackson brothers. But Kade was the only one who’d be able to help himself. And that was only if he decided he wanted help. Until then, there was nothing anyone could do.
“Well, I’ll leave you two alone and go get my mate to cook something up for me and his cub.” Harper rubbed her tummy again and gave Chloe’s arm a quick squeeze as she passed. “I’m glad you’re home.”
When Harper was gone, Luke pulled Chloe back into his arms. “I’m glad you’re home, too. I missed you.” Their kiss was slow and sweet. “I always miss you.”
“I always come home,” she said. “And I always will.”
“It makes me so happy to know the Ridge has become home for you.”
“Of course. I love it here and more importantly, I love you and your brothers and Harper. And I’m going to love all the little cubs running around, too.”
“Cubs?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
The little warm glow in her tummy lit up again and before she could stop herself, she said, “Well, maybe one day we could…”
Luke laughed. “Cubs?”
She nodded. “Think you could handle it?”
“Little versions of you and me running around?” He shook his head, but the grin on his face gave him away. “I think I could handle it.” He squeezed her bottom again, his thumb tracing the lines of his mark through the fabric of her pants. “One day, yes. But right now I definitely have my hands full, don’t you think?”
Chloe reached up and kissed him full on the mouth. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
THE END
Do you think Gabriella might just be the match that can melt Kade’s heart? Find out and read the rest of His to Claim now!
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His to Claim
He's haunted by the secret
s of the past. She's running towards a safer future. An undeniable attraction with the power to save them both…if it's not too late.
The last thing Kade wants in his life is a woman. Particularly one who clouds his instincts and challenges everything he’s come to believe about love and mates. But Ella is no ordinary woman, and she just might be worth opening up to. But before he can let himself commit, Kade must come to terms with his past, and the secrets that altered everyone’s lives forever.
Gabriella has secrets of her own and when they catch up with her, Kade must make a decision: Stay rooted in the past and lose her forever or finally allow himself to trust his instincts to save the woman he loves. If it’s not too late.
Don’t forget to join my mailing list where you’ll be the first to hear about new stories, sales and promotions and giveaways!
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Chapter One
It was one of those January mornings in the mountains where it looked as if everything had been dusted with glitter overnight. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun blasted over the newly fallen snow, making it sparkle with a brilliance that hurt your eyes. Some people would call it magical. Kade Jackson was not one of those people.
He shrugged into his parka and pulled a knit cap over his head before he grabbed the thick leather gloves off the table by the door. He was headed out to clear the snow that had accumulated overnight.
Normally it would be his older brother Luke’s job to drive the plow and make sure the driveway and parking area were clear of snow and ice, but Luke’s mate, Chloe, was back from a business trip and Kade wasn’t totally insensitive to the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in a week. He also wasn’t completely clueless about the fact that he likely wouldn’t see either of them for the majority of the day. They’d be locked up in their cabin doing—he didn’t want to think about it.
But he couldn’t help but think of it. It had been too long since he’d scratched his own itch down in town. A very long time. A fact his bear reminded him of more and more these days. It didn’t seem to matter how much he tried to squelch the animal inside him; it just got worse. A lot worse.
His bear wanted out. Needed out. His brothers would say it was making him crazy by keeping his animal at bay the way he had for so long, but there wasn’t any other option. The shifter in him would cause nothing but trouble. Just the way it had for his twin sister, Kira. Because of her bear, she’d allowed herself to fall for a fated mate—not that he necessarily believed in that—and she’d run off to a different clan, tearing their family apart.
Because of Kira and her shifter blood, Kade and his brothers had been banished from their clan and were now trying to make a life on Grizzly Ridge.
It’s a good life.
But it wasn’t the life they were supposed to have. Alone. Away from family. And all because of one choice. But even as he trudged through the knee-deep snow and felt the bite of the cold air on his nose, he couldn’t complain about the way things had turned out. At least, he couldn’t complain too much. He did miss his family: his grandfather, cousins, and everyone else back in Jacksonville. Mostly he missed Kira. A lot. Sure, he had his brothers, and he was grateful for that every day, even when they made him crazy. But there was a bond between twins that couldn’t be ignored. Especially in bears. From the moment she’d left, he’d been missing a piece of himself.
“No point thinking of that now,” he muttered under his breath and tucked his face down into his parka a little farther. “Won’t change a thing.”
And it wouldn’t. But it didn’t stop him from thinking of it. Every. Day.
With it being so cold, and the blizzard from the night before so fresh, Kade didn’t plan on seeing his oldest brother, Axel, or his mate, Harper, either. At least not for a while. Harper was struggling with a difficult pregnancy—little cubs could do that—and considering they didn’t have any guests until the weekend, there was no real reason for anyone to brave the frosty morning.
Which was exactly why Kade was up. Shifting into his bear and enjoying a good run on the ridge would definitely be the best way to satisfy the discontent inside him, but since he’d taken that off the table as an option, it was best if he was alone as much as possible. He wasn’t totally ignorant to the way his brothers and their mates looked at him lately. Concern all over their face—pity even. He knew they all thought all his problems could be cured by a shift.
They were wrong.
He made his way to the back door of the garage where they stored the truck and plow. There were footsteps in the snow, and a small path already cleared. No way Luke had left Chloe’s bed on a morning like this one. He pushed his way into the garage and was immediately greeted with a blast of warm air. And Axel.
“Morning, brother.”
Kade pulled off his knit cap and ran his hand through his hair. “What are you doing here?”
The truck had recently been parked, the engine still warm, snow dripping from the sideboards. Axel lounged against the workbench and poured himself a cup of coffee from a thermos. “I was just going to have a cup of coffee. Want one?”
Kade nodded and walked closer, but tilted his head in the unanswered question in the air.
“I just finished the drive,” Axel said as way of explanation.
“The drive?” Kade accepted the coffee with a nod. “You plowed the drive?”
“I did.” Axel raised his own mug in a toast but shrugged and took a sip of the brew when he didn’t get one. “I knew Luke would want to stay in this morning.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d be so eager to do it this morning either.”
Something in his brother’s tone had Kade’s instincts on alert. What was left of his instincts, anyway: over a year of not shifting into his bear had dulled his senses and his instincts considerably. It was starting to be a bit concerning. Not that he’d tell his brothers that. “Why wouldn’t I want to plow the drive? I don’t mind.”
“I know. But today is a little different since…”
“What the hell are you not saying, Axel? We’re a little too old for the games, don’t you think?” Kade slammed the mug down on the counter. The hot liquid sloshed over his hand. He didn’t flinch. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“The new cook arrives today,” Axel said simply.
“Fuck.”
He’d totally forgotten. And part of him had hoped that he’d finally made his point about hiring a chef when that was clearly his job. It had been a subject that Axel and Luke wouldn’t let go in the busy fall season, but Kade had made himself more than clear at Christmas time that he not only didn’t need help, he didn’t want it and it wouldn’t be welcomed.
“Well, I don’t know if that’s the best attitude, little brother. A little help in the kitchen might be just what you need.”
“Need for what?”
“To relax.” Axel put his coffee down and made a move to walk toward him. A move Kade quickly blocked with one hand up.
“I don’t need to relax. I don’t need to shift and I sure as hell don’t need a mate, Axel. So back off. Now.”
Almost anyone else would have been intimidated by Kade. He was a big man at six foot three and two hundred and sixty pounds of solid muscle. His time in the mountains and mostly self-imposed time alone had only added to his tough guy look, with a scruff of beard on his chin that he mostly didn’t bother to shave off and a slightly wild look in his eyes. He knew exactly why his family was concerned about him, and his appearance was definitely on the top of the list. But as his big brother, and the alpha of their small little cast-off clan, Axel wasn’t intimidated. He only shrugged. “I’ll back off when you admit you need a little help.”
“I do not need help.” He gritted the words out through clenched teeth. “What I need is for all of you to leave me alone.”
“What you need, little brother, is to own your bear. Someone i
n the kitchen to take the load off will give you the time to figure out what the hell is going on with you so you can sort your shit out once and for all.”
“My shit is just fine.” He turned and stalked to the far end of the garage. A little distance was what he needed if he was going to keep his fist away from his brother’s face. Not that a little fight wouldn’t feel really good right about now. Really damn good. But no. Kade stared at the garage wall for a moment, taking the time to collect his thoughts. “I thought we decided not to hire a cook.”
“No,” Axel said slowly. “You decided not to hire anyone. I made an executive decision. Well, along with Harper, Luke, and Chloe. We all think it’s for the best. Not only for you, but also for the Ridge and our guests.”
“The guests eat just fine.” He still wouldn’t turn around.
“Yeah, they do. It’s the attitude of the cook that’s not so great. We can’t have you flying off the handle all the time, Kade. You’re like a bomb that’s just waiting to detonate. It has to stop. You can show the new chef the ropes and start slowly if you want, but like it or not, you’re getting help. Today.”
“The last thing I want is some other guy in my kitchen screwing with anything.” He turned and glared at his brother.
“Good.” Axel smirked. “Because I didn’t say anything about the new chef being a guy.”
Gabriella Santos navigated her little rental car up the slippery road, over-steering for at least the dozenth time when the wheels skidded on the ice. She’d convinced herself that despite the fact that she hadn’t driven a car in the last few years, it wouldn’t be a problem to get herself up to Grizzly Ridge on her own. After all, driving a car was a lot like riding a bike, right? One of those things you never forgot? And maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if it wasn’t for the blizzard the night before, and the fact that not only had she never driven in snow and ice, she’d only ever actually experienced it one other time. And that barely counted considering she was only eight when her parents had taken her to the mountains in Chile. And that was very different than this.
