Gingerbear Christmas (Howls Romance Howliday Special)

by Reina Torres

  Gingerbear Christmas

  Reina Torres

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of this author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or deceased is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2020 by Reina Torres

  No part of this work may be used, stored, reproduced, transmitted without the express and written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations for review purposes, as permitted by law.

  Model Photo Credit: Golden Czermak - Furious Fotog

  Model Credit: Caylan Hughes

  Contents

  Gingerbear Christmas

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  About the Author

  Also by Reina Torres

  Gingerbear Christmas

  In the chilly Christmas Season, a Bear Shifter is the perfect thing to keep her warm...

  If there was one simple truth about the town of Allaway, it was that they took care of their own. Bear shifter, Clancy Rhodes, couldn’t remember his parents, but he remembered all of the kindness shown to him by the other residents in the valley and up in the mountains. He’d never wanted for a roof over his head or food in his stomach, and when he was old enough, they’d helped him build a house of his own. This fall he built an extra room onto the original structure with his own hands. Why? He really didn’t know, except his bear had thought it a good idea.

  Haley Woodward hated being alone in the big city. She had friends, but no one too close and instead of being stuck in a cubicle all day, she longed to spend more time on her art. When she found herself the recipient of an artist-in-residence grant in the small town of Allaway, she jumped at the chance. The woman who arranged her trip had also arranged her lodging, in a tidy cottage with the largest and sexiest man Haley had ever seen.

  Even with the heavy snows in Allaway, Haley didn’t find herself in need of a fire to keep herself warm, but would this seemingly effortless relationship continue beyond her time in the valley? She had a life she was supposed to return to in the city. Right?

  Clancy never had any intention of finding a mate. The community of Allaway was small. Small enough for him to know that no one there was the one to complete his soul, both halves of it. And yet Haley had made her mark on him in so many ways, and before it was her time to leave, he had to make her see that what they had together would carry on for the rest of their lives, not just Christmas.

  1

  There was a kernel of doubt in Haley Woodward’s thoughts as she made the last turn off the mountain road and into the town of Allaway. Far enough outside of any metropolitan area, the tiny town wasn’t just what someone would call quaint, it was a picture-perfect postcard town that oozed Victorian charm and warmth. Even with the piles of snow visible up and down the main street.

  Her car’s heater was far from adequate and her hands were already freezing, but she still rolled down her window just to tilt her face up into the air to catch the scents of Allaway.

  Pine trees. It was like standing in the middle of the Miller Christmas Tree lot after Thanksgiving. The very air outside was a celebration of winter. It eased some of her worries and made her curious about what else she would discover in the little town.

  Pulling over in front of the stately Victorian home at the end of the first block, she put her car in park. Before she could reach for the keys and turn off the engine, the old model VW Rabbit shuddered and coughed like an old codger on his last legs. She quickly shut off the engine and lowered her forehead to the steering wheel. Haley sighed. “That was close.”

  It wasn't unheard of for Sally to conk out after a long drive. She had been a well-seasoned car when Haley had bought her, and it was just one of Sally’s habits. Haley didn’t even want to imagine what would have happened if Sally had collapsed between the last gas station twenty miles back and Allaway. She wouldn’t have made it up through the winding road on her own two feet.

  Sitting back up in the driver’s seat, Haley gave the dashboard a little pat. “Thanks for getting me this far, Sally. I’m going to give you a little rest. We’ll have to find out where to go from here. So, you relax for a bit.” She blinked to stave off her exhaustion and the tears that came with the emotional let-down. She needed to gather her energy to keep going.

  Driving straight through the night instead of stopping at a hotel had cut a number of hours off of her trip, but it also drained her energy. She had hoped that the excitement of her arrival would have banished her exhaustion.

  Her mother used to tell her that ‘Hope is eternal,’ but in Haley’s experience, hope had skinned knees from all of the falls it took around her.

  Shifting on the seat of her car, she reached over to grab her purse from the floor on the passenger side of the car. When she sat back up, she sucked in a breath at the face she saw framed in the car window.

  A pile of snow-white hair atop the sweetest face she’d ever seen. If someone had asked her what she would like her fairy godmother to look like, she’d found it.

  With an excited wave of her hand, the adorable woman beckoned Haley out of her car. And Haley couldn’t wait to do just that.

  The door swung open easily enough and before long, Haley was following the other woman up the front steps of her cozy Victorian and knocking the snow off of her boots before ducking inside the house.

  “Goodness! I was worried that you’d freeze out there!”

  Haley smiled at the genuine concern in the other woman’s voice. “You’re an angel for inviting me inside! I’m afraid that my car might be out on the street for a while.”

  Her hostess nodded. “I thought so by the sound of your engine out there. Driving up here into the mountains is hard on any vehicle.”

  Grimacing, Haley sighed. “She was a decade old when I bought her, and it’s been another ten years that Sally’s been taking me everywhere I need to go.”

  “Sally, hmm?” Her hostess laughed. “Maybe I should have introduced myself to your car as well. I’m Theadora Behr and I think you’re who we’ve been waiting for, Haley, right?”

  Haley wasn’t sure if her smile broadened at Mrs. Behr’s comment since she couldn’t really feel her face, but the intent was there. “I hope you didn’t have too long of a wait.”

  Mrs. Behr waved her off. “You’re right on schedule and Tom at the Jesco Gas Station at the bottom of the mountain called when you stopped for gas.”

  “I bet it’s handy to have friends all over.” Haley paused after she said the words because she felt an emotional kick in her chest. She had a feeling that everyone in Allaway had known each other for most of their lives. That was something she’d longed for all of her life. She was so tired of moving every year or two.

  While her time in Allaway was limited, there was always a hope that she could find a place with people like Mrs. Behr where she could really put down roots.

  “Don’t you worry, dear. In no time at all you’ll feel like you belong.” Mrs. Behr gestured to a table by the window. “Have a seat and I’ll bring out some mulled cider. That will warm you up.”

  Haley sank into the offered chair with less grace than she wanted and realized that her legs were almost frozen along with the rest of her.

  But once she was sitting, she let out a satisfied sigh. The chair was padded and cushioned and was much more comfortable than her well-worn driver’s seat. Nothing poked into her back or backside and
if left there for any length of time, she just might fall asleep.

  Haley was well aware of how bad that would look, so she sat up a little and peered out through the window, smiling at the frost ringing the panels of glass. Viewing the long line of buildings belonging to a treasured by-gone era, she felt like she was looking straight into a living Rockwell painting, or maybe one by Thomas Kinkade. Either way, she was just so very thankful that she had been chosen for the artist residency in Allaway.

  Even more, having a chance to arrive early and enjoy the sights was truly a gift. The best gift she’d ever received.

  Mrs. Behr’s voice drifted to her from the kitchen. “It snowed this morning,” she began, “so the town is getting a later start than usual. I dare say that if you keep watch through the window, you’ll see everyone in Allaway pass by at some point in the next hour or so.”

  Haley didn’t know if Mrs. Behr had meant it as a challenge or just made the comment to stave off the silence, but Haley leaned over the comfy arm of the chair and trained her gaze on the street.

  The buildings up and down the main road reminded her of a fancy department store window display from when she was a child. Her father worked overnight in the store cleaning up and she would wake up and bring him coffee and a donut in the morning. While she was waiting, she would stare into the window at the display. The electricity had been turned off by then and none of the moving parts worked, but the model itself was magic for her.

  She imagined herself walking up and down that street greeting the same people who were standing stock-still in place. They smiled at her and everyone knew who she was. Even as she sat beside the window, she could still remember every minute detail of the model that had been etched into her memory.

  “Here, dear. Have some cider. I’ve got cookies ready for the cooling rack. Don’t wait for me now. Have something to drink.”

  Haley murmured her thanks and looked down at the steaming cup that Mrs. Behr set before her. It was too tempting to resist. Picking up the mug, she cupped her hands around it and lifted it up to her nose.

  Apple cider and spice.

  It started to melt the ice in her veins.

  Just the scent alone started to ease her worries. It was just that good.

  Outside the window, on the street, was a low rumble of sound.

  It wasn’t anything as ominous as an avalanche of snow... well, she wouldn’t know what that sounded like in reality. But the rumble did sound like a powerful engine.

  Taking a sip from the cup in her hands, Haley leaned closer to the glass and waited to see where it was coming from.

  She wasn’t disappointed.

  Just moments later a large red truck came rumbling into view. It wasn’t the kind of truck with an extended cab or over-sized wheels. Nope. It was a vintage Ford truck, just like the one from the window display. The grill was pristine and perfect, and the firetruck-red body made her smile as she took a long, satisfying sip of her cider.

  Things couldn’t get more perfect than that moment.

  Her feet started to sting with pins and needles. Apparently, the cider had done its job and brought feeling back into her extremities, but that didn’t mean it was a good feeling. Careful not to spill her cider, Haley looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes around, trying to shake off the painful feelings.

  “Ugh.”

  Wincing as she worked more feeling into her feet, she looked back up through the window.

  "Oh, wow...” Haley watched as the driver of the truck stepped out of the cab and totally changed her day.

  He was tall.

  He was muscular.

  Built like the model in the Brawny Paper Towels commercials and dressed like him too, the man walking around the back of his truck looked like a ginger-haired lumberjack in his plaid long-sleeved shirt and well-worn jeans.

  And like a miracle, her feet stopped hurting.

  Her heart started beating a mile a minute. He was, in a word, dreamy. She could fall asleep in his arms and sigh her cares away.

  He lifted his hand in greeting to someone and she leaned forward in her chair as she took another sip of her cider. The sign fixed to the porch roof was painted in bright red letters spelling out HARDWARE.

  She savored the cider against her tongue and then swallowed it down. “I bet you’re good with your hands, aren’t you?”

  “What’s that, dear?”

  Haley froze, her eyes wide and her throat tightening. “What’s that, Mrs. Behr?”

  “I thought you said something.”

  Haley felt her cheeks start to burn. “Uh, I just said that this cider really hits the spot.”

  “Oh, that’s sweet of you to say. I’ll bring more out to you in a few minutes. My oven wasn’t as warm as I thought it was.”

  “No worries, Mrs. Behr. I’m just fine with what I have.”

  And she was… sort of.

  She knew she could look her fill, because there was no way a man like that would give her the time of day.

  Haley shook her head and sat back in the chair.

  No, with her luck he had half a dozen children with his beautiful model wife. The most she could hope for was a chance to drool over him in peace.

  He was, most definitely, drool worthy.

  So much so that as her gaze was fixed on his masculine physique she didn’t notice when Mrs. Behr sat back down.

  Haley had just started to take another sip when Mrs. Behr spoke.

  “Lovely view, isn’t it?”

  Something caught in her throat and Haley almost choked.

  “Oh dear! I’m sorry, Haley. Are you okay?”

  Her cheeks burning with heat, Haley waved off her concern and struggled to swallow down both the cider and her shame. “I’m fine,” she managed to gasp out. “Please forgive me.”

  Mrs. Behr chortled and took a tiny sip of her own cup of cider. “Nothing to forgive, dear. He’s one of the best views in town.”

  Oh, Haley had no intention of arguing with that statement. It was, after all, the bare truth. It took her a moment to come to grips with the fact that she’d been caught ogling a man across the street.

  “I don’t want you to think badly of me.” Another truth.

  “Badly?” Mrs. Behr sat back in her chair and gave Haley a wink. “I’m not the only one who puts things on hold to hover near the windows when he’s in town.”

  Haley tried to hide a fleeting glance with a long sip of her tea, but when she set it down and looked back up, she saw Mrs. Behr’s knowing smile.

  “Nothing to be worried about, dear, we all do it.”

  Haley hoped she hid her surprise at that statement. She had barely been in Mrs. Behr’s home for more than half an hour, but she was already feeling at ease with the older woman and her outrageous comments.

  “I hope I haven’t shocked you too much, dear, but can you blame us? That man is a hunk!”

  Haley’s whole face was radiating heat, but she couldn’t help but agree. “He certainly is.”

  “And look! He’s headed this way!”

  It was almost morbid curiosity that turned Haley’s head back to the window.

  Heaven help her, he was headed across the street and if he didn’t turn or list in one direction or another, he was going to head right up the steps to Mrs. Behr’s front door.

  “Oh, there’s one thing I should mention.” Mrs. Behr set down a plate of cookies and they were wrapped to go. “That hunk of man you were ogling? That’s Clancy Rhodes. You’re staying with him.”

  Staying with him.

  Clancy Rhodes.

  The name was strong. Salt of the earth tough. And if the stories she’d heard about Allaway were true, he was probably a shapeshifter; bears were a part of the town’s history. Guys like that? Alpha men who take on the world? Well, they always got the prettiest girls, and she was so not one of those.

  As she heard the footsteps outside on the stairs, Haley struggled to contain the instant flash of feelings that ran rampant inside of her.
Some shame at being caught. A lift in her spirits that she’d be able to get an up-close look at him. Fear that he would take one look at her and all she would see was cool indifference, or a pleasant but detached smile. She certainly wasn’t the kind of person that a man like Clancy would be attracted to.

  But maybe that was okay. She was here to teach and create and maybe find her own place in town. To make Allaway her home.

  It was crazy. She knew it down to her bones. But yes, she wanted to belong somewhere.

  She wanted to belong in Allaway.

  And heaven help her, as irrational as it was, she was hoping that Clancy Rhodes might have the tiniest bit of interest.

  Superficial.

  That voice in the back of her head was going to have its say.

  Superficial attraction.

  That’s right, she agreed. The last thing she should do is think that just because the man was handsome... ridiculously handsome... gorgeous, even. Okay, he was a complete hunk. Head to toe hotness and muscles to boot.

  What had she been thinking? Her thoughts were so tangled together she couldn’t even remember what she’d been worrying about.

  A knock sounded at the front door and her heart leapt into her throat.

  “I’m coming!” Mrs. Behr’s sing-song voice trailed behind her as she almost skipped to the door. When she was standing there, her hand on the knob, she turned to look at Haley over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, dear. Everything will work out. When you go with Clancy, remember to take the cookies with you.

  It took a moment for Haley to look down at the cookies on the plate. Perfectly iced gingerbread cookies in the shapes of forest animals.

  Sure, that should help ease the mortification she felt, sugar and lots of it.

  “Thanks. I will.”