Shifters in the Snow: Bundle of Joy: Seventeen Paranormal Romances of Winter Wolves, Merry Bears, and Holiday Spirits

by J. K Harper

  He snorted at that, especially since he towered over his not-small aunt by nearly a foot and easily outweighed her by about a hundred pounds. Yet her next words slammed him sideways.

  “Shane, it's because you love that girl. She's your mate."

  Her words dropped between them with all the force of an atomic bomb. Shane reared back on the stool, mouth agape. A crash of wild heat spread throughout his body as the word mate seemed to shimmer in the very air before him.

  Elodie's smile engulfed her entire face. “You couldn't acknowledge that when you met her, because you probably didn't even understand what the bond would feel like. Trust me, it's why she somehow found her way here. The two of you are meant to be, just like that adorable little Grant was meant to be born. It will all work out. Don't you prove me wrong now," she added in a teasing chide, playfully shaking her finger at him.

  All Shane could do was sit there blinking at her. The truth of it spread over him as certainly as the planet spun on its axis.

  He had a mate. A real mate.

  And a son.

  With his mate.

  That was why his bear had almost gone crazy. Had burst out of him, uncontrolled, totally freaking out. Not because he was reverting back to his brawling days, his days of fighting on the shifter circuit, of fighting in back alleys, of raging and crashing through a life that had never treated him fairly.

  No, it was because his bear had recognized Jessie as his mate and Grant as his son. He knew that, and wanted to protect them with every ounce of possessive pride he could. His bear wasn't out of control again. His bear now had a purpose. Shane just hadn't been able to understand it.

  His job now, his purpose, was to be with Jessie, to raise Grant, and to keep them safe. Always.

  He sat there unmoving for another long moment as everything ticked over in his brain. Then he exploded into action. Urgency gripped him so badly, he thought his heart would whack its way out of his chest.

  “I've got to find her right now.” He stood up so fast he tipped the stool over. Blindly righting it, he turned to thump down the few stairs to the mud room, skidding along the hallway in his sudden desperation to find them. Flinging open the door, he remembered to holler back over his shoulder, “Thanks for lunch!” as he shucked off his clothes and galloped off into the snow, his bear form bursting back over him as he ran. This time, though, it was more controlled. Focused. Driven by purpose.

  Somewhere behind him he thought he heard a delighted laugh, but he barely paid attention.

  He was on his way to find his family. Hopefully, it wasn't too late.

  Chapter 4

  Jessie smiled with automatic friendliness as the bell over the door jingled at the arrival of the next customer, even though her stomach was still in tight little knots. “Welcome to The Mountain Muffin! I'll be right with you.”

  She cringed at her own sickeningly cheerful voice, but no one else seemed to notice how fake it was.

  The family that had walked in stood in a little cluster by the door, taking off hats and stamping their snowy shoes on the heavy rubber mat that covered the floor at the front of the bakery. The father smiled at Jessie as she turned back to the espresso maker, whipping up some lattes and mochas for the small gaggle of college-age kids who'd come in a few moments earlier. The little shop buzzed with morning activity, even though it was not yet 8 a.m. on a Saturday. Holiday cheer sprinkled throughout the place, which Jessie had helped decorate a few days after she and Grant arrived in Deep Hollow.

  Holiday cheer that had taken a decidedly sooty feel for her on the turn of a dime. Her adoration of all things wintry and festive, from pretty lights to pine trees to carols to gifts to spiced cider, felt jostled with the shock of realization that Maverick—no, Shane—was here. He invaded her every waking thought, and had padded through her dreams the past few nights on the big, clawed paws of a grizzly bear.

  To say her mind wandered today was the understatement of the year.

  Maddy, her pile of auburn red hair pulled back into a messy bun that just accentuated her natural beauty, leaned over from where she was rinsing a spoon in the sink to whisper, “Those are the Calhouns. They have a place about three blocks from here. Super nice family, been here forever. Shifters, of course.”

  Jessie nodded, still focused on the drink she was making. During her work days, Maddy had been slowly introducing her to all the locals as they filtered into the bakery. By this point, she'd met quite a few of them, seeing as how Deep Hollow boasted barely a thousand residents, and they all seemed to like coffee and baked goods. She glanced over to her right, where Grant lay snuggled up in his little travel seat, which made a handy nap spot for him when she came to work. Jessie simply carried him in the travel seat to the shop each morning, which was easy since she lived about twenty feet away from it. She had a blanket pulled over the top of his seat so the lights and bustle of the bakery wouldn't disturb him quite as much, though she didn't really need to. Every mother she'd met had exclaimed how lucky she was that he slept so soundly through the activity and noise of the bakery. They were downright jealous when she said he also slept a solid eight, nine, or even ten hours a night, every night, without waking up once. And yes, he was perfectly healthy and developmentally where he should be.

  Every visiting tourist human mother was jealous, that is. All the locals simply smiled and whispered that it was normal. Bear shifter babies slept long and hard, particularly in the winter. Something to do with the natural hibernation rhythms in shifter systems.

  Maddy, now beside Jessie at the other espresso maker filling a paper go cup, noticed her glance. “So, how you hanging in there? I swear, Livy is about ready to kill Shane.”

  Jessie startled badly, her hand knocking the steamer and sending steam whizzing off to the side. Maddy quickly flipped the switch off and smiled apologetically. “Sorry. I take it you're still pretty rattled.”

  Blowing air out of her mouth in a long breath, Jessie gave a brief nod. “It's just so weird, you know? Here I've been, resigned to the fact that I'd never know where Grant's daddy is, that he'd never know he had a son, and boom. He's been living here, right under my nose.”

  Pushing some silver tinsel out of the way where it hung a little too close to the coffee mug rack beside the sink, Maddy shot Jessie an understanding look but didn't interrupt. She seemed to sense that Jessie was talking it out to herself.

  “I want Grant to know him, of course. I never had a dad, and that was pretty hard on me. I never wanted to raise a child alone either, but I didn't have much control over it.” Jessie sighed as she set down the second latte and started to fix a holiday-themed peppermint mocha, complete with a miniature candy cane sticking out of it. “And he seemed almost angry when he took off like he did. Do you—” Jessie hesitated, though her hands kept working on the drinks. “Do you think he'll come around? I just need to know he'll show up for Grant. That he'll want to be in his life.”

  Maddy sighed. “He was just as shocked as you, from what Livy said. Reverting to the animal side was just a self-protective measure. Give him some time. Besides.” She smiled impishly at Jessie as she went back to what she'd been working on. “Maybe the magic of the season will soften him up to the idea a bit.”

  Jessie smiled at the encouraging words but didn't reply. She loved Christmas herself, but she doubted it would have any sort of magical effect on a tough, burly bear shifter like Mav—Shane. He seemed like the sort to mutter Bah, humbug at all the holiday trappings she loved.

  Surrounded by happy, chattering people, a plethora of sparkly and jingly holiday decorations, and the overwhelming sense that everyone in here was celebrating the holidays with their family all conspired to darken Jessie's mood even further. You're being melodramatic, she firmly told herself as the strains of the Nutcracker Suite with its dancing sugar plum fairies came on over the speakers. Just be grateful. You still have everything you need here.

  Well, if that were true, why did it feel like the one thing she wanted mos
t at the moment was probably off somewhere in the snowy woods, having a bear-sized freak out about the unexpected holiday gift she'd abruptly dumped on his doorstep yesterday?

  Biting the inside of her cheek, she rolled her eyes at herself for her continued melodrama—it hadn't been his doorstep, for crying out loud—and turned back to the espresso maker. After she finished the drinks for the college kids and rang them up, the shifter family, the Calhouns, stepped up to the counter. She greeted them pleasantly, trying to observe them without staring as she waited for their orders. The man was tall, brawny, stupidly attractive, and had that funny little thing about him that she had come to recognize as meaning he was a bear shifter. It wasn't anything she could put her finger on. It simply was as if he wore a wild edge that set him off as being different. As being somewhat more than human.

  Just like—Shane. It was funny to think of him with that name, when for three days she'd known him as Maverick. But she could tell he'd told her the truth the other day. That was his name then, and Shane was the name he went by now. He hadn't lied to her. It was weird, but she knew that deep down, with an unshakeable surety.

  She had recognized his innate wildness during the three days she had spent with him in bliss-soaked pleasure in his hotel room all those many months ago. She had no clue what that had meant at the time, of course. All she really knew then was that he was the most exciting, fascinating, sexy, and wild yet gentle guy she'd ever met. She'd been temporarily living in Denver, he'd been rolling through town, they met at a bar. It had seemed like a simple pick-up, until it turned into so much more.

  She'd also sensed something in him that seemed to be hurting. Not so much a secret pain, nothing so dramatic as that. It was more an overall defensiveness. A wariness he draped about himself like an impenetrable cloak. Even though during the days they had spent in one another's company, literally never taking any time away from the other, they both had lowered their defenses, she'd known he wasn't sharing all of himself with her.

  "Okay, I think we've decided what we want." The deep voice of the father of the little shifter family pulled Jessie back into the present moment. She wasn't really surprised when he added, "You're our newest resident, aren't you? And your son?"

  Feeling a little shy, she nodded. The woman next to him, presumably his wife and also clearly a bear shifter, gave her husband a thump on his upper arm before smiling back at Jessie. "Ungracious oaf. Don't let him scare you off. But yes, everyone here knows who you are. We're all really excited to have a new little baby in town."

  The father of the small clan gave a self-deprecating smile. "Forgetting my manners. I'm Bain Calhoun.” He gestured with pride at his family. “My wife, Helena, and our daughters, Willow and Laurel."

  Next to him, one of the daughters, who was probably around 14, gave Jessie an eager smile. "Is it okay if we go say hi to your baby? What's his name?"

  “We won't wake him up," the other one added solemnly, who looked exactly like her sister. Jessie realized they must be twins. "We just want to see him. We love babies."

  The mother, Helena, admonished her girls to be more polite, but Jessie shrugged it off with an easy smile. She had to admit that anyone who wanted to look at Grant with such enthusiasm made her more than pleased to show him off. Behind her, Maddy added, "These two young ladies will also make excellent babysitters if you ever need any, Jessie. They sit for every family in town that has little ones. They come as a package deal."

  Jessie smiled at the girls, who both sported the piercing green eyes of their mother and the unruly brown hair of their father. "Of course you can see him," she said. "So far, he seems to love meeting everyone here. His name is Grant."

  Bubbling out thank yous, the girls darted around the corner of the counter and bent down, very gently pulling back the blanket that covered Grant's little cocooned seat. Jessie looked over and saw him blink his eyes and smile up at the girls. The two of them immediately started making faces at him, oohing and awwing over his soft skin. They definitely seemed comfortable around a baby his age. She glanced at Maddy, then back to the Calhouns. "Why exactly does this town seem so enamored of babies? I mean, I happen to think he's kind of special, but has there been a baby shortage or something?"

  There other three laughed, shaking their heads. "Nothing of the sort," Maddy assured her, grabbing some napkins to stick them in the to-go bag she was preparing for another customer. "We're a tight-knit town, and besides," her voice lowered a bit, "shifters are not exactly the most common inhabitants of this planet. Every new one, especially ones we didn't know about, is a reason for celebration." She gently squeezed Jessie's arm while the Calhouns smiled at her. "Another cause for celebration is that you're here now. With him, where you belong. No matter what happens.”

  She gave Jessie a gentle smile, which the Calhouns clearly caught. It led to a slightly uncomfortable lull in the conversation, oddly punctuated by the cheerful holiday tunes lilting out of the speakers set in the walls and the bursts of happy laughter that dotted the little bakery.

  Jessie bit her lip. The elephant in the room, the man who'd had a major bombshell dropped on him and not surprisingly had sped off by himself to deal with the reality of a certain little adorable bouncing baby, was also the subject Jessie was pretty sure everyone in the café as well as the town also knew about by now. Even though it had been just a few days, she knew word got around fast. Livy, who'd still been ticked off at Shane and presumably herself for not realizing before that he was the daddy bear in question, had told Maddy and everyone else at the cookie exchange about the thunderbolt moment of realization at the front door. And they'd all probably told their spouses and siblings and cousins and nieces and nephews and kids and who knew who else.

  Jessie didn't begrudge them any of that. They were all Grant's extended family now, too. They just wanted the best for him. This was a different world. Besides, she noted dryly to herself, shifters seemed to like gossip just as much as humans did.

  To cover the slight awkwardness, Jessie said to the family, "Let me finish taking your order so you can get on with your day. What can I get for you?" Maddy gave her a relieved little grin as the Calhouns began ordering. Inside, though, Jessie still felt the prickle of oddness. Almost an ache of longing. As she watched the shifter parents finally round up their girls after a last session of cooing and smiling at Grant so they could all grab one of the few remaining free tables, she felt a sudden bite of longing slide through her entire being. They sat there as a family, laughing and talking with the easy familiarity of those who loved and cared for one another.

  Wow. Seeing Shane hadn't prepared her for how much it would trigger her desire for exactly that thing. Family. Sure, she and Grant were family, and Livy was practically her family, and the whole town had embraced her anyway. But to have a core family of her own, one that stayed true through thick and thin, was what she really wanted.

  And a guy. But not just any guy. Seeing Shane once again had brought a roar of longing through her that she realized had been banked ever since their last encounter with one another. She'd never stopped thinking about him anyway, Grant's existence notwithstanding. Shane had walked into her heart during those three days of passion they spent together, and now that she'd unexpectedly found him again, that same heart was dancing with an utterly ridiculous hope and joy. The heart that had wondered about him for months after their magical weekend together.

  Magical, and pretty dirty, too, she remembered with a blast of heat in her cheeks. He'd fit her just perfectly and revved her motor like crazy. No wonder she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him. If only...

  "No. That's just getting mixed up with sugarplums," she muttered to herself, trying to talk some sense into her girlish fantasies that were getting tripped up by all the holiday jingles and seasonal delight with which she'd been filling her days.

  Maddy shot her a startled look, busy back over at the griddle preparing one of the simple breakfasts they offered. Jessie shook her head. "Nothing. Jus
t thinking out loud to myself."

  With a smile, Maddy said, “As long as you don't go off your rocker, girl, you can think out loud all you want.”

  Jessie sighed as she began fixing more holiday drinks. "I'm not going to go off my rocker. I'm just trying to make sense of everything without it all turning into gigantic mush in my brain."

  Maddy's expression softened even more. "Jessie,” she said in a kind tone, "honestly, from my perspective there are only two things that have to happen right now. One, just give him more time, as well as yourself. You've both had a shock. I'm sure he's out there with the same kinds of things running through his head right now, too."

  “Agreed,” Jessie murmured.

  "And two," Maddy continued, "you need to decide this: what is it that you really want? In your heart of hearts. Be really clear about that, and I think it will help you find some peace."

  "Sure hope so." Jessie's eyes yet again snagged on the Calhoun family. The immense pride on Bain Calhoun's face as he sat with his little family unit once again struck in her a sharp longing to experience that sort of sweet closeness for herself.

  With Shane. Who, she had to admit if she was going to be utterly blunt with herself, was a lot more than just the guy who was the father of her child, no matter how important that was in itself. He was more than the mystery that had dogged her for nearly two years now. He was more than the memory of three days so unforgettable that she would always have thought of him with a smile anyway. No, she had to admit that Shane's importance to her had to do with something she'd never before in her life experienced, not even with her long-ago boyfriend of several years, or any of the guys she'd ever gone out on a date with in hopes of finding that spark she didn't actually believe existed.

  She'd fallen in love with Shane Maverick Walker during those three magical days.