by V. Vaughn
It was as if some bottomless reservoir of joy had been uncovered allowing his soul to delight in his bear and his mate. Had he ever felt this lighthearted? Not in years. If ever. Certainly not since his twin had died.
Amanda nudged him with her muzzle and then batted him with her paw. She seemed tireless and energized by their tumbling play. He jumped up and dashed off. Two could play at this game. With her longer legs and body, she easily outpaced him. She landed on his back. His legs went out from under him. She nipped him lightly on the nape and leaped up and dashed away.
It was folly to try to outrun her. But his bear set off anyway, lured by her delicious aroma. No matter what she thought, his she-grizzly was in season. It stood to reason that by next Christmas, Kenny Luther and Lucy Brenda would have cousins.
He was so engrossed in his fantasy that he didn’t see her coming until she was upon him. She barrelled into his side, used his fallen body as leverage and shot around the side of the house. He charged after her and came to a halt.
Amanda was pawing at the foundations. Ah. The furnace air intake and exhaust were blocked. It usually made no sense to clear the foundations of snow, since the insulation kept the house warm. The exception was vents.
He joined her in her labors. This was actually a task that was best performed by hand to avoid damaging the pipes. Bear limbs were just as sensitive as human hands but stronger. It didn’t take them long to expose the vents.
But Amanda’s playfulness was gone. She stalked around the perimeter of the house, looking for trouble. Aside from the snow on the windows, he didn’t see much wrong himself, and the warmth of the house would take care of that before long.
On the other hand, he was perfectly willing to follow his mate to the ends of the earth, or back inside.
21
New Year’s Eve
Amanda~
She shouldn’t be so anxious. Calvin had said he would be back before dark. But the weather forecast had called for more snow. Not a blizzard, but in Colorado, there often didn’t seem much difference between a snow storm and a blizzard.
That ham wouldn’t bake itself. Calvin had said he would be back. She had better make the meal she had promised him. Besides, cooking would take her mind off her fear. She glazed the ham with the red pepper jelly Rosa Diego had given her and popped it in the oven.
His helicopter buzzed the house while she was doing the dishes. It didn’t take long for her to straighten up and be ready when he opened the door to the mudroom. But it wasn’t Calvin who walked through and swept her into his strong arms.
Calvin stood behind José Jr. grinning like a fool. “Surprise,” he said.
She hugged José Jr. harder. “I thought you had to be back at base tomorrow?”
“I do. But Calvin has promised to get me there by 1800 hours.” José Jr. lifted her right off her feet. “Aren’t you glad to see me, Mandy?”
“You know I am. Take your coat off and let’s go celebrate.”
José Jr. let her go and Calvin gave her a quick proprietary kiss. “I told you I was bringing you a present,” he said.
She had been thinking of something much smaller, but she didn’t say so. “Thank you,” she murmured mistily.
“I’m going to check that those furnace vents aren’t blocked.” He vanished out the side door.
José Jr. raised his brows at her. “Was it something I said?”
“Nope. We do have to keep snow off the vents, but Calvin’s giving us a few minutes alone.”
José Jr. followed her out to the kitchen. “He says you’re getting married.”
She drew in a deep breath. “That’s right.”
“He seems smitten.”
“Does he?”
“Yup. Of course I’m prejudiced. Any bear who thinks the sun rises and sets out of you, Mandy, is going to meet with my approval.”
“Even though he’s a black bear?”
“If you love him, Mandy, that’s good enough for me.”
Tension she hadn’t been aware of evaporated. “Do you want a beer?”
“That would be great. Is that ham I smell?”
“Yup. Calvin said he wanted one.”
“Told you he had good taste.” José Jr. sipped. “I think Dad would have been glad you’ve found happiness, Mandy. He wouldn’t have wanted you to be alone forever.”
“Do you really think so?”
“I do. There was nothing dog-in-the-mangerish about Dad.”
“This is true.”
“Bascom seems to think you should keep on being the ranch vet,” José Jr. said.
Amanda laughed. “Yeah. The Bascoms may be rich, but they don’t believe money buys happiness. Besides, I worked too hard to get my qualifications not to use them.”
He raised his glass to her. “Congratulations, Mandy.” He gave her another hug and cleared his throat. “So long as you aren’t just marrying him because of the baby.”
“What baby?”
José Jr. stared at her. “I have a nose, Mandy. And Bascom seems to think you’re pregnant too.”
She touched her belly. Hope fought common sense. “Would you mind?”
“I’d be thrilled for you. I already know you’re a great mom.”
She blinked back tears. “I better get the sweet potatoes in the oven.”
They had a pleasant meal. And even though she was yawning long before midnight they stayed up to see the New Year in. All through the evening, she couldn’t keep from dreaming about a baby. Dared she hope?
“I’m afraid it was a pretty quiet event for you,” she apologized to José Jr. as they said good night.
“Don’t worry about it. I get plenty of opportunities to party. This was nice. Bascom is a good man.” He kissed her cheek and went into his room.
In their room, Calvin kissed her properly for the first time since he had come home, finally setting her aside, just as things were getting interesting.
“I brought you something besides your stepson,” he said. He put a gift-wrapped box in her palm. Too small to be the pregnancy test kit she expected.
She shook it. “What is it?”
“Just open the box, Amanda.” He took off his pants and hung them over a chair.
She opened it. It was not unexpected that it contained rings. Just that there were three of them. One much larger than the other two. He took the rings out of her hand and removed the glittering diamond from the front.
He knelt at her feet and took her left hand. “Will you wear my ring?”
“Of course.”
He slid the big square cut diamond over her knuckles. The emerald cut stone was surrounded by bead-set diamonds on a platinum band where more bead-set diamonds flashed.
“I won’t wear it much,” she warned. Although the ring was lovely, it was an impractical thing for a vet to wear.
“I know.” He kissed her finger. “It’s too dangerous for you to wear rings to wrangle the stock. But you deserve one. If you don’t care for this one, we can get you something else.”
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He stood up grinning broadly. His cock waggled at her. “Now you can thank me properly.”
“You silver-tongued devil, you.”
Afterward they lay face to face, caressing one another. “José thinks I’m pregnant,” she whispered.
He kissed her softly. “That makes two of us. You can pee on the stick in the morning, and make it a hat trick.”
“Did you bring one?”
“Yup. I promised, didn’t I? Now go to sleep. Mama bears need their rest.”
The sun woke her. Calvin was already up and dressed, looking out the window. He tossed a box at her. “Don’t forget this.”
Her squeal of joy brought him running to the bathroom. “Told you so.” His eyes were damp. His arms held her close. Together they peered at the blue line.
Her ring winked on her finger as she nestled against his chest. They were going to be married and have a baby!
“I always wanted to make a woman bear-footed and pregnant,” Calvin said proudly.
“Haw!” But not even bad jokes could dent her happiness.
Isadora Montrose writes hot Paranormal Romance about sexy shifters and the strong women whose hearts they win.
Enjoy Amanda and Calvin’s meeting in Bear Fate.
Website: isadoramontrose.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/isadoramontroseauthor/
Email: [email protected]
A Cougar Christmas - V. Vaughn
Christmas used to be Holly Berry’s favorite season. But this year the werecougar is feeling unsettled. She has waited her whole life for the perfect mate, but as she gets older she’s begun to run out of eligible men. When her busybody receptionist books her to cut Luke Robichaux’s hair, Holly and her cat purr with pleasure. It’s a Christmas miracle because he’s her true mate. She’s so taken with him she doesn’t notice he’s not a werecougar, and when she does, more than fur flies.
Luke Robichaux moved away from Maine to find himself, and what he discovers is so much better - his mate in cougar form. Rawrr. The moment he scented Holly Berry he knew the cat was his, and when she presented him with her finest assets he thought she was on board with the plan. While Holly struggles to get over Luke being a werebear, other members of her clan make their union impossible if they plan to stick around. Holly and Luke have to decide if their mate attraction is strong enough for them to leave the prejudice behind.
* A version of this book was formerly published in the Eliza Gayle’s Southern Shifters Kindle World as Finding Luke. It has been altered to fit V. Vaughn’s bear world.
Copyright © 2018 by V. Vaughn
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover by Ravven
Editing by Jodi Henley, Red Adept Publishing and Angie Ramey
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1
I gaze out the window of my hair salon at the snow-covered world. The lampposts on Main street are adorned in red ribbons, the trees have colored lights that twinkle in the evenings and festive wreaths hang on the doors of the shops in town. It should make me happy, because Christmas is my favorite time of year. It might be the fact that I just turned thirty-five and am still single, but everything feels wrong and has for some time.
I look at the Christmas tree adorned with my collection of ornaments as I make my way over to my station. My mother loved Christmas, which is why I got the name Holly to go with Berry, but without family at home it seems sad to keep a tree there. When Gigi and I opened the salon, I decided to have my tree here, because she and Opal are the only family I’ve got.
I fan myself as my skin burns with heat. It’s brutally cold outside and I have the thermostat set at an economical temperature, so I shouldn’t be overheated, but with my luck, I’m probably having hot flashes before my time. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but lately I don’t feel as if I belong in this town. I step back and smooth out my tight skirt before twisting around to check out my ass in the mirror. Fortunately that’s still as plump and high as someone who’s twenty-five.
My best friend Gigi’s scissors snip, and I glance over at her station next to mine. She’s cutting the hair of an older man, and he winks at me as he scans my body with his eyes. Too old, Grandpa. Although I appreciate the gesture. I smile at him before I turn on the high heel of my boot and head to the front desk.
Opal is at the reception desk. She’s has been in my life since I can remember. She used to be the widow down the street who would give me cookies, and share scandalous stories a young girl shouldn’t hear. When I was in high school and my mother was killed, she took me in. She was also the first person Gigi and I hired when we started Turning Heads Salon. She clucks her tongue as I approach. “I tell you I’ve booked you with the new guy in town, and you’re wasting time checking on me instead of your cleavage? Hoist those girls up, Holly.” She grabs her own breasts and lifts them. “They’re not perky.”
Opal thinks I’m a failure because I’m without a mate. But I have no intention of settling for anyone less than perfect.
I roll my eyes at her. “Maybe you should go out with him. Do the cougar thing?” I chuckle at my bad joke. Although I probably shouldn’t laugh, because I might have to start checking out a younger dating pool if I ever hope to find a mate.
Opal, Gigi and I are werecougars, and we can and do shift into wild cats. But here, near the Canadian border in Vermont, most people don’t know about our kind.
“This guy’s new in town, and when he walked in, I knew he’d be just the one to butter your potato,” says Opal. “Besides, he doesn’t know about your track record.”
My gums ache as my fangs push at them, and I resist the urge to snarl at her. Opal also thinks I’m too picky. While hiring a busybody as a receptionist seemed like a good idea at the time, her meddlesome ways get annoying. Unfortunately, once I’d made my way through the werecougars in my clan, I resigned myself to the fact that I’m going to end up alone, because I have no intention of mating with anyone other than a mate my cat wants too.
I walk over to the coffee station and discreetly hoist up my breasts as I go. Gigi bought one of those fancy one-cup deals a while back, but Opal prefers the more traditional drip coffee maker. It’s easier to pour from the pot, so the new machine sits next to it for customers who want something else. The aroma of a French roast wafts up toward me as I fill my mug, but it’s overtaken by peppermint when I pour in a hefty amount of the sweet chocolate mint creamer I love this time of year. I take a sip, and the tiny bell over the salon door jingles.
I turn to see who entered. My interest is immediately piqued, because the guy takes up the doorway. His shoulders are broad, and his long hair is dark blond. My cat begins to purr. The new guy in town is hot and most definitely a shifter.
“Wow,” whispers Gigi, and I glance over at her to see she’s noticed my next client too.
Opal’s giggle makes me cringe. She’s pushing sixty but still acts as if she’s the cat’s meow. I’ve been annoyed with her lately, and it likely isn’t fair. But I can’t seem to help my mood. My heels click as I saunter over to meet him.
Opal says, “Luke Robichaux, meet Holly Berry.
I wait for the smirk in reaction to my name, or at least a comment, but I don’t get it. He extends his hand as his gaze flits down to my chest, and I’m actually glad I hoisted my breasts up after all. Because my fingers get lost in his large grip, and my cat purrs, You know what they say about big hands. My insides tingle as I tell my cat to shut up. I inhale a scent that I can’t place. I take in his sizable chest, and before I realize it, I’ve glanced down to notice his large bulge too. Me-ow. That’s a nice Christmas package. I resist the urge to sigh.
“Right this way, Luke.” I turn and put a little sway in my hips as I lead him to my station. My mood just did a one-eighty.
When we get there, I turn the chair for him, and after he sits, I bend over and present my cleavage in my tight fuzzy sweater as I retrieve an apron. Hey, my cat usually gets the sexual compatibility right, and I’m not exactly a prude.
The snaps are cool in my fingers as I connect the vinyl covering around his thick neck. I inhale his musky odor. His scent is like nothing I’ve ever smelled before, and I find it strangely attractive. It’s as if I’m supposed to be repelled, but I’m not.
Dangerous. My cat senses something too, but she’s not afraid. She wants him, and it makes me suspect he’s some kind of cat.
Luke tugs on the front section of his hair to lift it up. “I need a lot cut off. This just gets in the way at work.”
I comb through his hair with my fingers to get a feel for the texture. It’s smo
oth and thick. I have a sudden urge to wrap it around my hand and pull.
“Make it short,” he says.
Damn, there’s goes the fantasy of yanking on those blond locks. I gaze in the mirror at eyes that are deeper than the bluest January sky. “Sure. What do you do for work?”
“I’m a snow board instructor.”
He’s larger than most werecougar men, so I suspect a lion, but it seems odd he’d be slithering down the slopes like a panther.
“So it gets in your eyes.” I twist a strand around my finger, and it’s smooth on my skin as I let it slip off. “And I’ll bet it’s hot under a helmet too.”
“It is.” I notice his grin in the mirror and snap out of my trance.
“Okay, then. Let’s get you over to the sink.”
One of the great things about cutting hair on a sexy man is that I get to touch him. I take my time massaging his scalp as I shampoo, because now that I’ve got him in my hands, I don’t want to let go.
He says, “You’ve got an incredible touch, Holly.” Why yes, I do. “This feels wonderful.”
“So I’m told.” I lean over to reach the faucet to flip it off. We’re close enough that I could easily graze my breasts across his face, but I refrain. The footrest clunks as I lower it, and I lift the seat up for Luke to stand. I say, “Back to the chair, please.”
This time I walk behind him to watch his gait. It’s not as graceful as a cougar’s, and I decide he’s probably not a panther either. Maybe he’s a tiger, although I’m not sure what he’d be doing in the ski county of Vermont.
My comb is slick in my hand as I untangle his mane. “Opal tells me you’re new in town. Where did you come from?”
“A ways from here.”
Mysterious. I wonder if he’s got a past he doesn’t want to share, because most people don’t seek out a remote tourist area like this to relocate unless they’re running from something. I change the subject because I’ve got more important things I want to know. “How long have you been here?”
