Her Christmas Wolf

by Cecilia Lane

  "It’s just that I’m not getting any younger. Cubs, pups, even a kit. I just need to dote on a wee little babe."

  Tommy leaned on his elbows and lowered his voice to a hiss. "And that won’t change. Even if the perfect woman fell into my lap right this moment, you’re staring down at least a year before babies enter the picture. Christ, Ma, ever think I’d want to spend a little time with my mate before procreating? I don’t exist just to make you grandchildren."

  His mother reached forward and pinched his cheek. There was no malice on her face and he almost missed the genuinely sad glint in her eyes or the whisper of it in her scent. He was trained to spot and smell the fake and the guilting, but rarely did she ever let her true emotions play out on her face.

  It made him quiet all his objections. Deep down, she knew there was something wrong with him. All her cajoling and hopes for the future were just wishes she’d never see come to life.

  His wolf howled inside him.

  "Now," she said, all trace of her true sadness packed away, "it’s time for me to make my rounds. Today’s the day we draw for the gift exchange."

  "Not doing it. Don’t even start," he warned her with a lopsided smile.

  "Fine. I see making your poor, lonely mother happy isn’t on today’s menu." She sniffed and dragged her large purse closer to her chest. Another sniffle was accompanied by a slow melting out of her seat and drawn out gathering of her entry box.

  Tommy stared hard at the ceiling above him. By the Broken, he’d been cursed from the moment of his birth. "Fine, Ma. You win. I’ll do your gift exchange, but only if you stay off my back about the Christmas party."

  Her eyes widened almost comically large, and she clasped her hands to her heart. "My darling boy does have a heart! I haven’t been such a horrible mother after all!"

  She held up her box and gave it a good shake. The thing was outlandishly festive. Red, with green trim and gold outlines of present boxes and snowflakes. Satisfied, she shoved it across the counter and into his chest. With a heavy sigh, Tommy pulled out a name.

  Before he could even unfold the slip of paper, his mother had dashed out the door.

  Frowning, Tommy stared after her. She was up to something, he just didn’t know what. He shrugged his wide shoulders and opened up the paper.

  He read and reread the name half a dozen times. Faith Holden.

  Maybe there was a little Christmas magic in the air.

  Chapter 3

  Faith tracked Sabrina Conri exiting her son’s diner and quickly crossing the street. She frowned at the red box in the woman’s hands. Sabrina never visited the coffee shop unless it was on town business. She was all too happy to side with the diner in the rivalry between the shops.

  The red box and time of the year could only mean one thing: gift exchange.

  It was a horrid tradition that nearly always ended in some sort of fight. One Winter Wonderland Bash had culminated in what the town dubbed The Great Brawl. Allegedly, it was a disastrous mix up of gifts that sparked the fight. All the parties involved refused to explain themselves and instead typically shouted, "He knows what he did!"

  Faith did not want to take part.

  The door rang with foreboding. Faith was certain the shadows darkened slightly as Sabrina stepped inside and threw her arms wide. "Holdens! I come in peace!"

  "I think this might be some diner malfeasance. What do you think, Becca?" Faith folded her arms across her chest and eyed the woman in what she hoped resembled tough bravado. She might not like the invisible war between shops, but she’d take any advantage she could to get out of the gift exchange.

  "Did she bring us any bacon as a peace offering?" Becca asked hopefully and shot another glare toward the Old Maids.

  Sabrina approached the counter and laid her giant red box down with a dramatic huff. "No bacon, darlings. Only Christmas tidings. As you know, I have fought for my place as one of Bearden’s top social planners. It’s time to put aside our differences for a truce and draw names for the annual gift exchange."

  "I’m not sure I should do it this year, Sabrina. I already have my gifts bought and wrapped," Faith said, but the woman wasn’t about to be put off.

  "You’re one of our top business owners, Faith. How would it look if you declined to participate? One after another, businesses and employees wouldn’t draw names. Children would go without presents at the end of our celebration. If we don’t have a gift exchange, why even bother with the Winter Wonderland Bash? Or Christmas, even?"

  "Yeah, Faith. Do you really want to ruin Christmas?" Becca grinned.

  "You’re getting coal. Again," Faith grumbled at her sister. Knowing she would regret agreeing, she reached into the box and drew out a name. It took only a second to unfold the paper and feel the flush creep over her cheeks.

  Thomas Conri.

  Sugar cookies, it was really happening.

  She flicked a glance out the window and swallowed hard. Her fox yipped and danced in the back of her mind.

  There was no avoiding him now, even if she wanted to back away before even asking him to any of the Bash events. He’d still be in her path for the gift exchange. Now she needed to find something to give him. Something perfect, in case he rejected her. It’d have to be perfect if he accepted, too. She wouldn’t be the date who gave terrible gifts.

  Something to do with cooking? Maybe a fancy knife set? No, he probably had one of those and wasn’t obsessive about his business. He probably went home and wanted to forget the day job while relaxing with a nice brandy or something. Rampaging reindeer, she was bad at finding presents.

  Faith tuned back in to find Sabrina trying to bully Becca into participating.

  "Becca..." Sabrina shook her box enticingly.

  "No."

  "It’s your first time back in years. You should take part in everything Bearden has to offer."

  "No."

  "Rebecca Holden, you will pull a name from this box right this instant," Sabrina demanded in her best motherly tone.

  Becca blinked slowly. "No."

  "Fine," Sabrina huffed. "You will get coal for Christmas, just like you sister said."

  "Loving the holiday spirit, Mrs. C," Becca said and turned to dump some coffee grounds into the trash.

  Sabrina glared at her back, shot the Old Maids a look that could set them on fire, and bustled out the door, presumably to harass the rest of Bearden into her gift exchange.

  Faith didn’t have much time to enjoy her sister’s victory or wallow in her own defeat. The morning rush truly began, and she focused on shouting orders to Becca between serving up hot beverages and sweet pastries to customer after customer. The line that formed kept her busy enough to not freak out over her impending doom.

  But the worry was waiting for her when the Old Maids exited with the final customer of the morning and Faith had a chance to breathe before the lunch snack attack.

  She had just under a week to figure out a gift, and even less time to ask Tommy to the final night of the Bash. The food and craft fair was scheduled for the next day, then they’d have activities in the town square for the days after that, followed in the evenings by parties hosted by the Old Maids and Sabrina Conri and other socialite hopefuls. The final day would end with music and dancing, and likely a giant brawl that destroyed all the pretty snow sculptures once gifts were exchanged.

  Winter was truly one of her favorite times of the year in Bearden.

  Faith couldn’t help herself. She shot another glance toward the diner. Maybe if she watched enough, an idea would spark to life. But she couldn’t watch too closely. She didn’t want to be a total stalker.

  She looked up in time to see Tommy drop off the curb and step into the street.

  Sugarplums and gumdrops, he was heading her way.

  She was vaguely aware of a high-pitched keen making its way out of her throat. Becca stopped refilling the pastry case and stared at her like she’d suddenly sprouted a second head.

  Maybe she had. She wasn’t
the type of girl to go crazy over a man. Never had been, anyway. Not until she took time to herself after her very public breakup with Bruce. Maybe she played it too safe and went for the ones that wouldn’t ever challenge or excite her.

  There was a built-in war between businesses that came with Tommy. And her inner fox certainly had enough excitement for the both of them.

  Down, girl, Faith thought.

  Her sister slowly swiveled her head and followed where she was looking.

  "Gotta get something from the back," Becca said and disappeared behind the double doors fast enough that Faith thought she saw smoke.

  The door chimed with Tommy’s entry and let in a crisp blast of the chilliness outside. The cold breath of air did nothing to calm her nerves or the heat that suddenly coursed through her. Every part of her felt more alive than ever before, and all from the man that stood on the opposite side of her counter.

  He’d been single for over a year, she reminded herself. And not for a lack of trying from the women in the town. She hadn’t heard any tales of him partying down at the local drinking holes or slipping out of the enclave to seek companionship in the nearest human town. She couldn’t count on that forever.

  It was now or never. The stars had aligned and she couldn’t miss her shot.

  Faith drank the man in as he approached her counter. She gave him her best smile and tried to find words. The damnable little fox in the back of her head made it a challenge to think through all the excited yips.

  Tommy rubbed a hand over his head and mussed up the strands. How could one action be so sexy? Oh, she knew. Raising his arm stretched his shirt tight across his chest and nearly outlined his abs. His arm flexed with his fingers scratching into his dark hair. Then that, too, turned her thoughts to mush as she imagined how he’d look straight out of bed. She was nearly panting by the time he dropped his hand back to his side.

  And then he spoke and crushed her dreams.

  "Is Becca around?"

  Faith felt disappointment down to her bones. She should have expected it. Becca always was the prettier sister. More outgoing. Unafraid to say what she wanted, even if it got her in trouble. She was a wild child and exotic fare after living outside an enclave for years. Faith didn’t blame her at all for who she was or how she looked. That was just how the cards fell.

  She just hated that the week she decided to make her move was the same week her sister decided to travel back home.

  "Yeah," she choked out. "Let me get her."

  She fled through the double doors and physically pushed Becca back out.

  She didn’t stick around to hear the conversation. It’d go one of two ways, just like they’d always gone. Tommy would ask Becca out and she’d either accept or deny.

  With her fox fighting her every step of the way, Faith stepped into the walk-in freezer and found something to deep clean while she waited for Tommy to leave.

  Chapter 4

  Faith eyed the tents that’d gone up overnight. She usually occupied one at the end of the street. That’d been her assigned spot on the proposal sent over a month ago. Now, her tent stood right outside her door. Her neighbor, which hadn’t ever been the case due to the imagined rivalry, was none other than Tommy’s Diner.

  She wanted to growl. Her fox was under no such compulsion. The traitorous little beast jumped to attention. Tommy would be near, and that pleased the creature.

  Annoying little things like ‘not interested’ and ‘likes someone else’ weren’t valid reasons to tone down the anticipation. Sorry, critter, you’re about to be disappointed.

  Faith refused to hear anything Becca had to say about her conversation with Tommy. Not that she’d been willing to spill. Her sister practically floated around the coffee shop for the rest of the day. As if that wasn’t a giant, flashing, neon clue.

  She waved down one of the event coordinators and tried to find a way to switch her tent location, but that hope was dashed immediately when Sabrina and the Old Maids started in on one another with accusations of sabotage. Faith backed away as quickly as she dared and decided just to get on with her day.

  It didn’t take long to set up her table and flick on the heaters. All the booths were in a flurry of activity. Bearden took the holidays seriously and every single person wanted to show off their best food or crafts. Faith could see wood carvings set up next to jewelry, and those were mixed in with other homemade foods. The best booth would be voted on at the end of the day.

  Thermoses filled with hot cocoa balanced out her display. Trays of filled cups sat on a heater to keep them warm. Sugar and gingerbread cookies were packaged in festive plastic wrap, while bigger boxes waited under the table for larger purchases. She’d even dipped pretzels in white chocolate and drizzled them with red icing to make them look like candy canes.

  “Quite the spread this year.”

  The voice made her jump. Tommy had sidled up next to her without her noticing.

  Stupid fox. What good were shifter instincts if she didn’t use them? The little beast danced happily in her head at his appearance.

  And what an appearance he made. Heavy boots on his feet, jeans clinging to his legs, tight shirt layered with dark plaid flannel over top. He’d rolled back the sleeves, and she found it hard to tear her eyes away from his forearms. Tendrils of ink curled out of his cuffs and danced on his skin with his every tiny movement.

  “At least the Old Maids won’t be down here, with the pile of bacon you have going.” The beginnings of his booth had a sample of morning diner food. French toast cut into sticks were laid out with pancakes the size of silver dollars, both speared with toothpicks and paired with tiny cups of syrup. Sausage links and bacon made Faith’s mouth water.

  Tommy raised his eyebrows and grinned around a crunching bite. "Maybe that’s the plan."

  “I’ll let you in on a secret.” Faith dropped to her knees and pulled out a container hidden away with her boxes. She glanced up and found Tommy staring at her, dark eyes heating in a way that made her breath catch.

  Had she been wrong? Maybe he was testing the waters and trying to get Becca to spill secrets.

  Tommy swallowed hard and shook away whatever thought had him staring. “What tricks are up your sleeves?”

  “My secret weapon for the competition and possible Old Maid repellant if they’re a success. Maple bacon cupcakes.” She peeled back the container lid. Inside was an entire batch of golden cupcakes. Small pieces of bacon and sea salt were sprinkled on the maple frosting.

  Quicker than she could track, Tommy stuck a hand into the container and swiped a finger through one of the frosted tops. "Hey!" she yelped and slammed the lid closed.

  Tommy stuck his finger in his mouth and sucked it clean. "You’re going to win. These are good."

  "You’re just saying that. You didn’t even have the cupcake part."

  "I have a massive sweet tooth. You can’t possibly imagine how tempting it is to have you across the street."

  Faith inhaled sharply and felt her cheeks go red. She peeked at him from under her lashes and found him staring at her again. At her lips. And his dark eyes were slowly churning to gold.

  He was near enough to kiss. A shiver worked its way down her spine as she watched him lean in.

  Yes, she wanted to scream. Yes!

  "If you two are done necking down there, can we get started? People are coming." Becca, typically late for everything, arrived just in time for interruptions and teasing.

  Faith squeaked and shoved to her feet. She did her best to ignore her sister’s knowing appraisal and tried to look anywhere but the man still kneeling before her. Sure enough, the first few festival goers had arrived. And she remained hyper-aware of how close Tommy was to her.

  Tommy rose to his feet slowly. He was close enough she could feel heat radiating off his skin. Shifters ran hot, but this... this felt different. All her nerves thrummed with his nearness and the entire world narrowed down to his slightly gold eyes. Hello, wolf.

  "Go
od luck," he said and stepped away.

  Faith slumped with her released breath, then shot a look to her sister. Becca studiously paid them no attention. Either she’d missed the exchange entirely—unlikely—or she had zero interest in Tommy.

  Which meant she’d read yesterday entirely wrong.

  Faith replayed his words over and over. Sweet tooth. Temptation. Her stomach fluttered and her knees went weak. It was a struggle to shake herself and help the first person to approach her tent, especially with Becca trying to wipe a sly smile off her stupid face.

  Up and down the street, the festival goers and tent volunteers slipped into an easy rhythm. The air buzzed with chatter between neighbors and haggling on prices. Even a few fits were thrown between competitors, though only two bears ripped out of their human sides. They were quickly herded out of the fair to resolve whatever made them want to brawl in the first place.

  The morning passed in a blur of sending Becca off scurrying for replacement sheets of goodies and refilled thermoses. But when a large family ate up her sister’s attention, it came down to Faith to run a canister back inside to prep for another round of beverages.

  Faith grabbed hold of the handle and swung the thermos over the table at the same time she spun to take her first steps toward her shop. The lid slipped open, and she fumbled to keep hold of the pot. It tilted in her hands and spilled the remains of hot coffee across her skin.

  "Mothergrincher," she cursed and dropped the pot to the sidewalk under her feet. A quick shake of her hand rid the flash of pain. It wasn’t a bad burn, but the sudden sting came as a surprise.

  Tommy turned at the noise with confusion on his face. “Mothergrincher?”

  Becca shook her head and grinned. “Don’t even question it. She’s done this since we were kids. December rolls around and she forgets how to curse like a proper lady. It’s all snowflakes and mistletoe until January. You okay?”