“We don’t sell weed here either,” said the other.
“For your information, we’re here for mistletoe,” Gracie said.
The taller one walked around the counter and stood in front of her. His shoulders were so broad, it was a miracle he fit through the front door. “You’re here for a kiss? I can totally help you with that.”
Gracie searched her brain for a witty quip, but all she heard in her head was please ravage me, please ravage me, please… His icy blue eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled at her. He had a tiny gap between his two front teeth that was nothing short of adorable.
“I’m Truman. Welcome to our shop.”
“Gracie,” she said, holding out her hand. “We need bundles for the wedding favors.”
He furrowed his brow, glancing quickly at her left hand. “Congratulations?”
“Oh, not us. Our little sister, Paige.” She nodded her head towards Catherine. “This one waited until the last minute and…”
“Here you are,” he said softly.
“Yes, here we are!” Catherine interrupted. She waved at both the men and said, “I’m Catherine – with a C.”
The other shopkeeper waved back. “I’m Joshua – with a shua.”
Catherine grinned at him. You’re goofy. I like you. He was built like Truman, but slightly smaller and no less sexy.
“Sorry again about scaring you,” Truman said. “Outsiders come here expecting us to look like hairy mutants. We try to have a little fun with it.”
“Big Foot is a personal friend, though, and he actually is a hairy mutant,” Joshua added.
“Really?” Catherine said, taking a step closer.
“Noooo,” he said, trying to stifle his laughter.
She rolled her eyes. “Trickster. I’m glad you look just like people.”
“We are people!” the men said in unison.
“Well, half anyway,” Truman shrugged.
Joshua looked Catherine in the eye and said, “We have human inside us. If you would like some shifter inside you, it can be arranged.”
She blushed and turned away, pretending to examine a rack holding various teas. Gracie tried to catch her eye, but she was nervously spinning the rack in circles.
“Just ignore him,” Truman said, turning back to Gracie. “Tell me more about these favors.”
“The wedding is on Christmas Eve. We need about two hundred bundles tied with red ribbon. Do you think you can help us?”
“Let me see what we have ready to go.” Joshua followed him as he disappeared into the back.
“We have a ton,” Joshua said, reaching down to grab a box. Truman stopped him, signaling for him to be quiet. He hid the boxes under a pile of bubble wrap and packing material in the corner. “What are you up to?” he whispered. Truman only smiled in response.
He counted to three and then entered the front of the shop. “We’re all out,” he said, throwing his hands up in frustration. “We had some big orders this week.”
“Dammit!” Catherine said, clenching her teeth. “Paige is going to hate me.”
“All is not lost,” he clarified. “You guys can come back and help us collect some fresh plants...”
“Yes!” Gracie interrupted. “Er—for Paige. Yes, we will do this for Paige.”
He smiled at her, taking in her features. His gaze seemed to stop on her full lips. “How about tomorrow? You’ll need to wear comfortable clothing and hiking shoes.”
She gulped, unable to look away herself. “We’ll be here bright and early.”
He shuffled his feet and quickly stared at the floor. “It’s crazy for you to turn right around and go back. Can we at least give you a tour of downtown, maybe get some s’mores?”
“You had me at s’m,” Catherine said.
Joshua held open the door and flipped the sign to Closed. “The sidewalks can get a little slippery. Feel free to hang on,” he said, holding his elbow out to Catherine.
She happily grabbed on, squeezing his bicep. “Do the guys here lift weights all the time?”
He laughed and shook his head. “Not to brag, but this is natural. We’re like your people in Oak Grove, but slightly better. Okay, way better.”
Truman and Gracie walked slowly behind while he pointed out various points of interest. “This place specializes in eyebrow threading. As you can imagine, unruly eyebrows can be a problem here. We have a nail salon at the end next to a shoe repair spot. Further up on the left is the most amazing bowling alley ever. And up on this corner is Sally’s Place.”
“I don’t understand why we were told not to come here,” Gracie said. “Everyone and everything seems so wonderful. I may as well be in Anywhere, USA right now.”
“My grandfather said it started with the hunters. We all used to live together peacefully in Oak Grove until a hunter took it upon himself to kill a Grizzly. Our group moved into the hills and the humans stayed behind.”
“But all this time? You’d think some sort of reconciliation would have happened by now.”
“When the bridge was built in 1968, some Oak Grove residents were brave enough to venture up here. They had to promise to go back and tell the others we were terrible, so the hunters would stay away. Now that hunting is outlawed here, they don’t have to keep the secret, but most of them do.”
“They don’t want to share you! Not that I blame them,” she said, tightening her grip on his arm. “Why the name?”
“Oh that,” he said with a laugh. “The founding fathers thought it sounded incredibly cheerful. Plus, we really are surrounded by trees with amazing clusters of mistletoe. That plant has been a lifeline for us. You probably didn’t know it has medicinal properties.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“It’s actually a vampire plant,” Joshua said over his shoulder.
“Oh, stop trying to scare us.”
“No, he’s actually right, although ‘parasitic’ is the term normally used. It attaches itself to trees and sucks out the nutrients.”
“Told you. Vampire – blah, I want to suck your tree sap, blah.”
“You can’t remove it, though, or dozens of birds and insect species will disappear. They learned that by trial and error. Every plant, animal, and human is part of the delicate ecosystem.”
“Amen to that.” Gracie stared at her sister and Joshua. She seemed to be skipping despite the slippery sidewalk underfoot. He towered over her like a wall of muscle ready to protect her at a moment’s notice. A goofy wall of muscle.
“It’s also spread by bird poop,” Joshua chimed in once again.
“What? Gross.”
Truman laughed and said, “It gets spread by birds as they relieve themselves on the branches. The Anglo-Saxon words that make up the name ‘mistletoe’ actually mean ‘dung’ and ‘twig,’ so the kissing plant should really be called ‘dung on a twig.’”
“I think I will keep that tidbit from Paige.”
As they entered Sally’s Place, the men asked for a large booth in the corner. Sally was friendly and gorgeous with a slinky, hypnotic walk.
“What would y’all like?” she asked.
Truman waved off the menus and scooted in the booth next to Gracie. “How about s’mores and some mistletoe tea?”
“You got it. Visitors from Oak Grove?” she asked, nodding at the sisters.
“Yes,” Truman answered.
“Thought so. I smelled them coming a mile away,” she said before walking away.
Catherine bent down and sniffed her armpit. “We smell?”
“She meant that as a compliment,” Joshua clarified. “We like the way you smell.”
“Even from a mile away? That makes us sound a little ripe.”
Truman laughed and said, “Your scent is refreshing. I promise.”
“You two are pretty refreshing as well,” Gracie said, focusing on the heat from Truman’s leg next to hers. “I can’t believe we didn’t drive over the river sooner.” She glanced around the diner, scanning the fac
es of the people enjoying lox and bagels and pancakes with berries. “We definitely have two different backgrounds, but I think, ultimately, people from both our towns want the same things out of life.”
“You want to get your hand stuck in honey jars and steal picnic baskets too?” Joshua opened his eyes wide and glanced at both the sisters. “I had no idea!”
Truman laughed and shook his head at Joshua. “I just hope I see some unification before I die. Life is too short for this shit.”
Gracie fiddled with her napkin, using her fork to scratch heart shapes into the paper. “Well, if you can win our father over, you can win over anyone.”
“He let you guys come tonight?”
“Oh he has no idea. He’d be pacing back and forth.”
“Rallying the posse?” Joshua added.
“I’m sorry, did you say ravaging?” Catherine asked. “Ouch! Don’t kick me,” she said towards Gracie as she reached down to rub her shin.
Gracie tried to play it off, but got flustered, which only made them laugh at her.
“So why is the little sister getting married first?” Truman asked, stirring his tea.
“New topic!” Catherine yelled. “It’s a sore subject for you know who,” she said, pointing at her sister.
“No, I’m fine with it now. They really are a lovely couple. My time will come.”
“I’m telling you, Sis, you need to get away from those stockbrokers and move back to Oak Grove.”
“City living would not be for me,” Truman said. “I want to know my neighbors and know they have my back. Everyone works together here to make sure we all have enough.”
“I was wondering about that,” Gracie said. “Do you get a lot of visitors to your shop?”
“Amazon is our best friend. We have tons of Internet orders for our herbal teas and tinctures.”
“You need an infomercial like the one for fireplaces made by the Amish.” Catherine held up an imaginary box and used her best announcer voice. “This tea was made especially for you by werewolves.”
“Excuse me,” Joshua pouted. “We are Grizzlies. Not that there’s anything wrong with werewolves. Some of our best friends are werewolves.”
“What would you guess Sally is?” Truman asked Gracie.
“May I smell her?” she smirked.
“I’m going with coyote,” Catherine said.
Joshua gasped. “Not the C word. She’s very particular. Don’t let her hear you say that.”
“I’d go with fox,” Gracie said, studying Sally’s moves. “She has delicate features and a dainty walk. She just seems very foxy.”
“You are correct! Very good.”
“Are we bearlike?” Joshua flexed his muscles in various poses.
Catherine reached for his bicep, squeezing with delight. “You are big and brawny just like you’d expect. Do you sleep a lot in the winter?”
Joshua looked at Truman and laughed. “We woke up from a nap right before you guys entered the shop.”
“I think we only sleep slightly more than regular people,” Truman said. “It’s nice to have the better traits of two species running through you.”
Sally brought the s’mores fixings and placed a small burner with metal skewers in the middle of the table. “Enjoy,” she said as she walked away.
Gracie stared at her swiveling hips. Yep, definitely foxy. She tried to guess the shifter side for everyone around her. One man at the counter grabbed her attention. He was slowly bending down to eat the lettuce from his salad. Turtle? She had to look away to keep from giggling.
She tried to sneak glances of Truman’s physique while sipping her tea. He wasn’t as hairy as you’d expect. Only a hint of fuzz appeared on the top of his hands and forearms as he speared a marshmallow for her. He happily built her s’mores, blowing on them to ensure they weren’t too hot. Chivalrous too. She licked her lips as she imagined doing a little blowing of her own.
They chatted for several hours until the sky started to grow dark. “We really better get going,” Gracie said. “Some of those curves are difficult to make even in daylight hours. Tomorrow is going to be so much fun!”
“Maybe we can make this a regular thing,” Joshua suggested. “For the good of our two nations.” He brought his hands together in front of his chest and clasped his fingers together.
“I was thinking,” Catherine said. “We don’t have dates to the wedding and…Ouch! Seriously, stop kicking me.”
“Catherine, we should get going. Your mouth is probably tired from talking.”
“Is your brain tired from mentally fucking them?”
Gracie flashed her one of those “you’re so lucky there are witnesses” looks. Truman choked on his tea and tried not to laugh. “Check, please.”
They walked back slowly to the store with their arms linked tightly together. Gracie liked the feel of this shifter next to her. Even with their jokes, there was nothing but goodness flowing from these two. I could get used to this. They exchanged hugs outside the car and the men waved from the porch as the car drove away.
“When someone kicks you under the table, it doesn’t mean you announce it to the world,” Gracie lectured.”
“Then don’t fucking kick me because it hurts. A simple eye roll is enough.”
“You really want to bring them to the wedding? Dad is seriously going to flip out.”
“He’ll never know. He’s just going to be happy that his daughters have handsome dates.”
“You better be right. If the shit hits the fan, I’m only saving myself.”
They drove back to Oak Grove in silence, but not because they were upset with each other. Fights between the O’Reilly sisters passed in a blink. They were silent because they both loved Mistletoe Hollow and they couldn’t do a damn thing about it.
When they returned to their parents’ house, their mother had pot roast waiting for them. They couldn’t reveal they were full of s’mores and did their best to take a few bites of meat.
“Did you girls have a nice day?” she asked.
“Yes, actually. We found dates for Paige’s wedding,” Catherine said while quickly moving her legs away from Gracie to avoid any kicks.
“Wonderful. Who are these lucky gents?” their father asked.
“Some guys from Old Town,” Gracie said, clearing her throat and glaring across the table at her sister. “We met them while driving around to find the mistletoe.”
“That’s a beautiful part of town,” their mother gushed. “There are some very nice families in those neighborhoods.”
“Uh-oh!” Their father raised his hands to the ceiling. “I better start saving for two more weddings.”
Gracie and Catherine laughed nervously, taking bites of pot roast to prevent speaking.
“How are the favors coming along?” Paige asked.
“We’ll be ready in time for your wedding,” Catherine said with a salute. “The guys are going to help us collect some plants.”
“Collect them from where?” their father asked, dropping his fork on the plate. “You know not to cross the bridge, right girls? Just stick to our area.”
“We know that,” Dad.
Gracie chewed her food and stared at her father. She swallowed hard and asked, “Dad, have you ever been over the bridge?”
“We don’t go over the bridge, period.”
“But, aren’t you curious? What if it’s beautiful?”
“It is not a beautiful place and it is chock full of terrible creatures.”
“But, how would you know that for sure if you haven’t been there. They used to think the world was flat until…”
“Mary Grace O’Reilly, stop this foolish talk! My answer to you is because. Why? Because. Why not? Because. And that’s all the answer you need. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Dad. Sorry.”
That night, Gracie stared at the ceiling while tucked in her childhood bed.
“Well, you tried,” Catherine whispered from her side of the room.<
br />
“If I ever have children, I will never use ‘because’ as a reason to not do something.”
“Never say never. It’s a pretty good blanket answer when dealing with children, especially if they’re anything like us.”
“Yes, but we’re not children. We’re fully-fucking-grown women! I’m actually sad for him to miss out on such a beautiful place.”
Catherine propped herself up on one elbow and sighed. “You can’t force someone to see what they’re not ready to see. One day he’ll be open to it.”
“I know, but it still sucks.”
“Speaking of sucking,” Catherine said with a laugh. “I plan on doing dirty things to Joshua tomorrow if the opportunity arises. I’m telling you now so you don’t worry if we disappear for a bit.”
“If the cabin’s a rockin’, don’t come a knockin’?”
“I suggest you do some rockin’ of your own. This may be the one and only time we get to have a little fun with shifters.” She got quiet for a few moments before asking, “Do you think they only do it doggie style?”
“Catherine Louise O’Reilly, go to bed!” she said, tossing a pillow across the room at her.
Chapter 2
The next morning they were up early and raring to go.
“Where are you girls off to, Gracie?” their father asked, peering above his newspaper.
“Mistletoe hunt, remember? Love you, Dad.” She wanted to give him a kiss on the forehead, but she was afraid he would sense she was lying. He had a gift for that. Gracie was sure it was pure luck keeping them off the radar so far.
“Love you back,” he said with a wave.
She absolutely hated lying to him, but it couldn’t be helped this time. At least that’s what she kept telling herself to quell the guilt. It’s for his own good, right? It would just be a little fun. He would never have to know the truth.
“What if we end up dating Joshua and Truman?” Catherine asked on the drive up. “Wouldn’t that be crazy?”
“Let’s get the mistletoe and make it through the wedding before you start trying to give our father a heart attack.”
Shifters in the Snow Page 9
