by Marie Fraser
Incoming recruits would be tested with the Pulaski and a chainsaw. They’d be put through a physical and would be weighed down with more than one hundred and fifty pounds of gear and made to tote it, dead-weight. They’d work in two-man crews to take down a stand of trees on a past or potential fire line. They’d suffer through a week of tent living, cooking over an open fire and living without the comforts of civilized society.
If they could hack all of that and still wanted to be a hotshot, Alex would give them a shot on a crew.
If they could prove they were a shifter, they’d become part of the Lobo Crew or perhaps a different shifter crew, considering Alex now knew of several other crews who had the specialized benefits of their shifter animal.
The Lobo Crew was a crew of wolf-shifters, but Alex and Ava had met a crew of large cat shifters as well and anyone who fit into that criteria would be placed with the El Felino Crew to see if they made a good match before a permanent placement was made.
“You’re sure this is going to work?”
“It’s what we deal with isn’t it?”
“Yes, but-“
“No buts,” he said, pressing a kiss to her mouth. “We’re going to get the best recruits out there and then we’re going to find out if they can do what we do. If they can, they’ll be with us. If they can’t then we’ll see them on a team that can support their gifts and limitations.”
“And what’s next for the Lobo Crew?”
“You and me, making a life together outside the fire line.”
“Oh,” she smiled, giving him a saucy wink.
***
Two weeks later, Alex met Ava at the end of a sandy aisle and made her his wife. They had planned to take a two week honeymoon in Tahiti, but a sudden wildfire changed their plans and Alex knew Ava would want to be with him. So, the new husband and wife set out to see the underbrush of Texas.
“Let’s go, everyone!” Alex called out, noting their longtime comrades. It was good to see them all back and to watch as new recruits were worked in by those he trusted to teach them right. The fire line was cut and dug in less than a day with everyone working hard to see the twenty-mile stretch of trees and underbrush cleared in a mile wide path.
“Hell of a job,” JJ said, wiping his sweaty brow. “How’s Ava?”
“Hell of a woman,” Alex grinned. “Although I imagine you’re feeling pretty great about your lady.”
“She’s great,” JJ said. “I’m not sure she’s the one, yet. But I’m not ruling anything out either.”
“Good,” Alex said, slapping his shoulder.
“JJ,” Ava said, holding the Pulaski axe over her shoulder. “We did good.”
“We’re the best,” Alex agreed. “You know that’s why they always call us Lobos first.”
“Yeah well,” Ava shrugged. “I’m supposed to be in Tahiti so sue me if I’m feeling a little sorry for myself.”
“Don’t worry, baby,” Alex winked. “We’ll leave for Tahiti, as soon as we are sure this one’s under control.” Alex pulled Ava close and pressed a kiss to her brow and then, just to get a rise out of her, kissed her full on the mouth, nipping her bottom lip before she pushed back.
“You’re a jerk,” she said, punching him hard in the arm. He only smiled and winked. Then he watched with a good-natured chuckle when she walked away.
“Oh, she’s got you pinned, buddy,” Harry laughed. “You’re sunk for sure.”
“I was the moment I knew she was a shifter. Hell, before that. She’s everything.”
“Wanna share?” Harry laughed. “I’ll do anything if you’ll just let her clean my house, honest. There’s no way she can’t do a better job than me. Plus, she’s easy on the eyes.”
“Make no mistake,” Alex said, pointing a finger at his friends. “She’s mine and it has nothing to do with the ring on her finger or that paper we signed. She’s my heart.”
“Aw,” JJ said with a laugh. “Alex, you keep talking I’m going to think you’ve done lost your edge.”
“I’m still the same I was,” Alex defended. “I’m better even, now that I have her. She gives me an outlet for all the things I couldn’t express before. Now that I can, it clears the way to be the man, the leader I was meant to be.”
“You don’t regret it, getting with a member of the crew?”
“No,” he said. “I’m not going to say it wasn’t a risk, but Ava was worth it. I can’t say that every woman would be, but she was.”
Alex found her across the camp and watched her for a while before he turned to take stock of the two trucks they had. He smiled, thinking of the news Ava had shared with him just that morning.
Come fall, they’d be welcoming a little Hernandez into the world. Right now she still looked stunningly beautiful and slim, but Alex couldn’t wait for the changes pregnancy would bring. He knew, for instance, that her middle would swell with their growing child. He knew her hair would get thicker, if that was possible, and she’d go through a smorgasbord of symptoms, mostly pleasant he hoped.
Turning to watch her again, he thought she looked very much like a woman with a secret; the way her hand would drop to her middle without the merest hint of thought.
Alex put down the last Pulaski and walked over to where Ava was talking with the newer recruits. “Mind if I steal her away for a moment?”
“What are you doing?”
“Taking a moment with my wife,” he said, pulling her closer and making her smile when he kissed her. “Is that allowed?”
“Once in a while, I suppose,” she grinned. Alex pressed his hand gently to her belly. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Me either,” Alex said. “You know what this means right?”
“That eventually I won’t be coming out with you.”
“After this tour, I want you home, safe.”
“But-“
“No buts,” Alex said firmly. “This isn’t about you or me. It’s about our baby. You know we can’t risk it.”
“Yeah,” Ava said, a hint of sadness tinging her voice. “I’m just scared that it’ll never be like this for us again.”
“Maybe,” he said with a patient smile. “But think about all the great things that will come our way in October. This baby is a blessing unlike any other.”
“I know,” Ava agreed. She rose up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’ll be happy, no matter what.”
“That’s my girl,” Alex said. And it turned out that Ava was over the moon in October when she delivered a sweet-faced baby boy. They named him Antonio Gerardo Hernandez, giving tribute to both Ava and Alex’s fathers.
***
And when Alex returned to the fire line six months’ later, Ava and Antonio kissed him goodbye, settling into their own routine as mom and baby. When he called, she told him all about how their little boy was growing and she’d sigh and admit that she missed it like an amputee missed their limb. It was a grief she hadn’t been prepared for, but one she could get through, because Antonio was worth it, every day, always.
“I love you, Ava,” Alex said, playing with the soul patch of his goatee.
“I love you, Alex,” she said, a smile in her voice. “And always Antonio loves you.”
“Then I’ll see you in two weeks’ okay?”
“I’ll be waiting with open arms, well they’ll probably be full of our boy, but you know what I mean.”
“I do,” Alex said, missing with an ache like a heart attack. When he hung up he returned to his tent, knowing that the next two weeks would be the longest of his life. No one had prepared him, nothing life had ever given him, had readied him for the love that swamped him every time he thought about Ava or Antonio. And who would have thought that the fire line of all places would have set to light this wild tinder, let alone that it would create a whole life for him, one that went so far beyond anything he’d had before.
Alex pulled the zipper closed on his tent and fell asleep with pictures of Ava and their son pantomiming in hi
s mind. Two weeks and he could take his wild heart home to the only woman who’d ever been able to tame it.
Sneak Peak at Dash:
As one of the two reindeer closest to Mr. Claus when Christmas Eve comes, Dasher is charged with keeping the other eight reindeer calm until takeoff. Serene by nature, he’s just as cool and collected in his everyday life as he is during the holiday season, except for a few, very obvious changes.
During the holidays, he tends to prance around in his four-legged, hairy self. During the other eleven months of the year, however, he struts his stuff as a 5’11” brown eyed babe. Tall, dark and handsome; Dasher Holland-who goes by Dash to his friends and family-isn’t looking for love when it comes to find him.
Ashley Bogart is a sales clerk at a local retail outlet. Her love life is non-existent and she doesn’t want to say she’s desperate, but she’s so darn close it’s not even funny. Doing a random search of dating sites late one night, she comes across an unusual one that advertises itself as Mrs. C’s Rayne Deare Dating Agency.
Curious, even if just for a laugh, she clicks on the site and is more than taken aback at the incredibly hot guys that grace the front page. One in particular is right up her alley and before she can talk herself out of it, she’s clicking on a picture that says “Dasher” under it.
Can Dasher convince Ashley that dating a shifter is worth the risk? Will Ashley be able to see past Dasher’s job description and peculiar December issues to see the man he is inside? Only time will tell when Dasher takes the reins.
Chapter One: Desperation
Ashely Bogart trudged into her job with about as much enthusiasm as a death row inmate going to the electric chair. She loathed her job, but trying to be thankful for her only source of income, she sighed and pasted on a smile. Today was the first of July and as always, her boss was ready with a ridiculous costume for her to wear, just so she could feel extra imbecilic while she advertised her store’s Christmas in July savings.
It took her twenty minutes to pull on the shoes, stockings, shirt and hat and another ten to adjust the massive elf ears that was the proverbial nail in her social coffin. Sighing, she stepped out into the heat of summer and inwardly cursed her regional manager and everyone above and below him. Why couldn’t she have found a nice retail cashiering position that only required her to be nice to her customers?
Two hours into her shift and sweat was trickling down her back faster than lightning takes to strike. She was miserable and plastering on a fake smile while she held a sign that read: 60% savings on all merchandise, was not endearing her to her job.
“You look like you could use a drink,” came a voice from behind her. Turning, Ashley just stared at possibly the hottest guy she’d ever seen.
Swallowing past the paste of saliva in her mouth she tried to smile. “I’m dying, if you want the truth,” she said. “But, a job’s a job.”
“True, but let’s face it, loving what you do is much better than just working to make a dime,” the hot guy said.
“Unfortunately, I’m in no position to gripe. I can’t afford to be picky.”
“Well, I certainly hope you find something you love to do. When you do, enjoy the hell out of it.”
“I will,” Ashley smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he grinned, making her heart rate speed up. Despite the heat she breathed a sigh of relief when he walked into the store.
***
Dasher had to admit that Christmas in July sales had always intrigued him. What was the point of having Christmas in December if you were going to start celebrating in the middle of summer? Personally, not that anyone had asked him, but for himself, he liked that it was a winter holiday. Christmas just wasn’t the same when you were sweating in a terrible elf costume. Whoever thought that elves wore pointed shoes with bells on them had obviously never met a real elf.
Grinning, he picked up the few things he needed, added a soda and two waters to his tab and thanked the cashier. Stopping next to the woman he’d met in the elf costume, he smiled as she swung her sign. She was lean and petite with dark brown hair and a pretty set of blue eyes. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted a soda or water,” he said when she turned and her eyes showed surprise.
“Both,” she chuckled. “I don’t know who thinks up this sort of misery, but I’m over it.”
“Can’t say I blame you,” he grinned. He handed her a water and a soda, noticing the tingle that went up his arm when their hands touched.
“Thank you,” she said and he knew she meant it when she popped the top on the water and drank half the contents.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “Have a great day.”
“I will, thanks to you.”
“It’s the least I could do,” he said. “Your store is the only one that carries the specifics I need.”
“Then I’m happy we’re here.”
“That makes two of us,” he said. “I’ll catch ya later.”
“Okay,” Ashley said, feeling like an ass after he’d walked away.
***
Why hadn’t she asked his name? And why in god’s name hadn’t she given him her number?
“Because you’ve been out of the game for way too long, girl,” she chided herself. After work, Ashley stopped by her favorite pizza joint, ordered a single supreme and a 2-liter of her favorite beverage. She watched a movie while she ate, took a shower and chilled in front of her computer, wondering what the hot guy she’d met earlier was doing…probably a pretty blonde, Ashley thought, blowing out her frustration.
Typing dating sites into her search engine, Ashley laughed outright when a Christmas themed site popped up first on her results. Of course, there would be a Christmas themed dating site ranking number one in the middle summer, she chuckled. For kicks Ashley clicked on the Enter button. Giving a low whistle, she had to admit that whoever ran the site, knew some extremely hot men. Scrolling through the names and faces, Ashley’s grin only widened when she landed on Mr. Hot from earlier in the afternoon. “No way,” she said, clapping her hands in disbelief. The face said, Dasher under it and finding that peculiar, she clicked on the picture.
Hi, I’m Dasher Holland. I work seasonally, mainly during the Christmas season and while I love almost all holidays, Christmas is definitely my favorite. I’m desperately in need of something more permanent in my life, even if I don’t like to admit it. And while I enjoy hanging out with friends and loved ones, I prefer keeping my love life under wraps. Message me if you’re interested-Dash.
Ashley thought he sounded nice, especially considering she’d already run into him and he’d certainly seemed genuine. Even as she rolled her eyes, she clicked on the message board and scrolled off her interests, availability and attached a photo. She clicked send before she could talk herself out of it.
***
Dasher was sitting in his apartment in the Artic when his email beeped at him. Setting his soda down, he pulled his laptop onto his thighs and scrolled over to his email. When it said, message from Mrs. C’s Rayne Deare Dating Agency he chuckled. Over the last several weeks he’d received at least a dozen emails from women who were interested in dating him. Unfortunately, he wasn’t keen on any of them, not that they weren’t great sounding women. He simply wasn’t into the whole internet dating scene. Still, he always clicked them open, perusing the women who wrote him.
Opening the tab for the message, Dash sat up straighter when a pair of baby blues stared back at him. Mix in the dark hair and the lop-sided grin and he knew he was staring at the women he’d met earlier in the day. How had she found him? He wondered. He read her quick message, smiled when she thanked him for the soda again and hit reply before he reminded himself that he didn’t do the internet dating thing.
Hi Ashley, he began. You’re most welcome for the soda. I have no idea how you managed to find my online presence as it’s nearly non-existent. However, that be said, I’d really enjoy taking you out. How about this Saturday? I’ll pick you up at seven-if yo
u give me your address.
-Dasher “Dash” Holland
He sent his reply and then closed his laptop so it wouldn’t alert him to a reply until at least the next morning.
When he woke the next day, Dash woke himself up in the shower, luxuriating for an hour in the warmth of the hot water. Then he fixed his staple beverage, coffee so dark it was practically just grounds with a splash of milk and heavy on the sugar. Sitting himself in front of his laptop, he booted up just to see if she had replied.
“By the bells of Christmas!” he hollered when he saw she had replied.
Hi Dash! I have to work on Saturday, thanks to the world of retail, but am off work at 6. If you give me an hour to shed my elf persona then I would be ready at 7. Will that work for you? Just let me know,
-Ashley
He had a date!
Saturday came and Dash couldn’t explain the nervous excitement that ran through him as he made his way into Canada. With Ashley’s address in hand he parked in front of her apartment complex and headed for the door, thermos in hand. He rang her number and smiled when she answered.
“Hello!” came her jubilant voice. “I’ll be right down.”
Ten minutes later, Dash was floored by the woman who came to the door. Dressed to the nines in a barely there cocktail dress and matching shoes, Ashley was a knockout in Dash’s opinion. “You look phenomenal,” he said as her eyes lit up.
“Thanks,” she smiled. “I’m just glad I don’t have to go out tonight in my elf costume.” He laughed and leaned closer, catching a hint of the perfume she’d put on.
“I won’t tell if you don’t,” he grinned. “But it’s rather a sexy costume.”
“If you say so,” she laughed. She took his offered arm and together they headed toward his car. “you didn’t drive?”
“Oh,” he said. “I did. I just didn’t drive a car.”
Turning her head, Ashley saw a beautiful sleigh with two reindeer strapped to it. “You brought a sled with reindeer?” Before he could tell her not to, she reached out and ran her hand along the muzzle of the deer closest to her. “I’ve never seen one in real life, let alone this close. They’re beautiful animals.”
