Table of Contents
Copyright
Foreword
Chapter One – Bas
Chapter Two – Pepper
Chapter Three – Bas
Chapter Four – Pepper
Chapter Five – Bas
Chapter Six – Pepper
Chapter Seven – Bas
Chapter Eight – Pepper
Chapter Nine – Bas
Chapter Ten – Pepper
Chapter Eleven – Bas
Chapter Twelve – Pepper
Chapter Thirteen – Bas
Chapter Fourteen – Pepper
Chapter Fifteen – Bas
Chapter Sixteen – Pepper
Chapter Seventeen – Bas
Chapter Eighteen – Pepper
Chapter Nineteen – Bas
Chapter Twenty – Pepper
Epilogue
Get In Touch
Also By Harmony Raines
Sleighed
Christmas Bears
(Book One)
***
All rights reserved. This book, or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written consent of the author or publisher.
This is a work of fiction and is intended for mature audiences only. All characters within are eighteen years of age or older. Names, places, businesses, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, actual events or places is purely coincidental.
© 2016 Harmony Raines
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Sleighed
Christmas Bears
(Book One)
Join bear shifter Bas as he decides to visit Mistletoe Mountain for some R&R, just him and his bear—when his mate falls out of the sky. Literally.
Pepper has one job. It’s a pity she can’t remember what it is!
Waking up in a strange cabin, well everything is strange when you’ve lost your memory, she learns to trust Bas, even if he is a lawyer! Things get stranger when she learns what she was wearing when Bas found her.
Something is amok! Join Bas and Pepper, as they put the pieces back together in this fun filled, holiday romp.
Warning, includes two flying reindeer, a sleigh, a sexy bear shifter, Krampus and maybe a Christmas Elf or two. Unsuitable for those who do not believe in Christmas Magic! You have been warned!
Chapter One – Bas
“We’re going to draw straws again? Me or you, Kain, whoever pulls the shortest straw, gets to work over Christmas,” Bas Manners said, as he sat at the bar, sipping a cold beer. He wanted something stronger, but he also wanted to keep a clear head. Once this was over, he was going to enjoy his long weekend off, the first one he’d had for over two months.
And he had plans that involved going into the mountains, where there was no phone reception. Bliss: no one calling him into the office to work on his days off, no mom ringing him to ask if he’d found his mate yet. Did he know it was Christmas in a couple of weeks, and then New Year? And did he know he had made it his goal to find his true mate this year? And time was running out.
He smiled. He loved his mom, but he had a difficult relationship with his dad. To his father, Bas was the son who rebelled against his father’s dreams of his two sons joining the law firm he’d built from nothing. To his mom, he was the son who would never settle down. Unlike his brother, Teddy, who had both joined the law firm and found a mate. Oh, and fathered the next generation of Manners.
“OK, ladies, let the best man win,” said Asher, a police detective who was always much too chipper about life.
“Such charm and sophistication,” Kain said, drawing a drinking straw from Asher’s hand. “Short?”
“I think so.” Asher moved his hands closer to Bas. “Take yours, Bas, and then compare.”
Bas pulled out a straw and held it up next to Kain’s. “That means you get to work Christmas,” Bas said to Kain.
“Bummer,” Kain said, slipping his straw into his pocket.
“Hey, wait, you two set this up!” Bas said, dragging Kain’s hand back into view. “It was marked.” Kain laughed, they’d known each other for too long, and could read each other’s body language. But Bas had reacted too late, the draw had been made, the result would stand. He’d have to find another excuse not to fly home for Christmas. Maybe he could simply blame it on his fear of flying, Bas could say it had gotten worse. Or maybe he should just go, and try to make a fresh start with his father.
“You have been hustled,” Kain said, grinning at Asher.
“Are you telling us you want to work over the holidays that much?” Bas asked.
“That’s what holidays are for, working,” Asher said.
“We really need to figure out how to find our mates,” Kain said sadly. “I used to love Christmas, but it’s lost it’s magic.”
“We are a sad bunch of losers,” Bas said.
“Yes, we are. It’s just another day to me,” Asher said, as way of an explanation. He shrugged. “I have no family that I know of, no mate, and nowhere to be if you ladies are working or visiting family.”
“You could come to my parents’,” Bas said. “At least that way the accusations will be split two ways.”
“Accusations?” Kain asked. “Have you two been up to something I don’t know about?”
“No. But you know if I go home for Christmas, I get accused of purposely not finding a mate, as well as sabotaging my career by working the wrong kind of cases.”
“You mean defending poor people, instead of the rich ones?” Kain asked.
“That’s how my dad sees it. My mom just wants me settled down with a wife and kids. Although I’m sure they both think that once I find my mate, I’ll run back home and demand a place in my father’s law firm so that I can provide my trophy wife with everything she’ll ever need.” Did he really sound that bitter? “I won’t, and it’s not as if I am avoiding finding my mate. I’m not sure where she expects me to look. Or if she believes my mate will just fall into my lap.”
“Now, that would be amazing,” Kain said. “But we live in the real world, and that does not happen.”
“What we need is some Christmas Magic,” Asher said.
Bas and Kain laughed, and Kain said, “Yeah, because fairy godmothers are real, and one day ours will wave her magic wand and we’ll all have mates.”
“Or maybe Santa will bring my mate on his sleigh and put her in my Christmas stocking this year. Note to self,” Bas said, pretending to write on the palm of his hand, “Bigger Christmas stocking needed.”
Asher laughed. “A lot bigger, because I want my woman to have curves in all the right places.”
“All the right places,” Kain agreed.
“OK,” Bas said. “I would love to stay and chat, but if we’re done here, I’m getting out of town for the weekend. Are you sure neither of you want to join me?”
“Working,” said Kain. “I’m on call. Why do you think I’m drinking lemonade?”
“Asher?” Bas asked.
“Wish I could. But I promised to help downtown.”
“Always the good Samaritan,” Bas said.
; “Paying it back, paying it forward, whichever way you look at it.” Asher had been in a children’s home his whole life, until he was thirteen, and the shift was nearly upon him. Not knowing what it was, and sensing the change in himself, he’d run, afraid of what he was. Too many werewolf movies had made him think he was going to turn into a crazed killer.
He’d gotten lucky. Found in the local park by a wolf shifter, he’d been taken in, and given a new start. He’d learned who he was, and what he was. Ever since, he’d paid back his good fortune, becoming a police officer to help those who needed it.
“I know.” Bas patted Asher on the shoulder. “If you need anything, call.”
“I thought you were escaping?” Asher said.
“I am, but you know…”
“Soft-hearted Barnabas Bear,” Kain said, laughing and draining his lemonade.
“Yeah, don’t tell everyone, though, especially the DA.” Bas downed the rest of his beer. “You know how much she loves us.”
“Loves us—yeah, right. Although we all know she has a crush on Asher,” Kain said.
Asher smiled. “Working relationship only,” he said. “She is not my mate.”
“Behave, both of you. Uncle Bas will be back late Monday evening, I expect to find you living your boring lives, but if you happen to find mates…”
“No teasing,” Kain said.
“Find that fairy godmother and her magic wand, then,” Bas said. “And get her to use it on us all.”
“Get going,” Asher said. “You know none of us believe in Santa or the tooth fairy. After the things we see every day, there is no way I believe in magic.”
“True,” Bas sighed. “But you never know. It’s Christmas, or will be in a couple of weeks. So if there is any magic anywhere, this is the time to find it.”
“Do you really believe that?” Kain asked seriously.
Bas burst out laughing. “No. But I had you two going. There is no magic in the world. Or if there is, it is us. Shifters. Sad, but that’s the truth.”
“Have a good trip,” Kain called as Bas left the bar.
“Will do. Call me if you need me, I’ll check in tomorrow sometime.”
Why had he said that? The idea was for him to be out of reach for the whole time he was away. He knew why, because while he had no mate, the only way he felt needed was if he was called on to defend someone who could not afford a good lawyer. His clients had become almost like his family: he wanted to protect them, the innocent at least. It was his bear instincts and that was never going to change.
Unless he found his mate—yeah, right, he doubted that was ever going to happen.
Walking along the street, he took in a deep breath; there was snow on the air, and he couldn’t wait to get up into the mountains. He needed to forget about work and enjoy the freedom his bear offered.
His bear stretched and agreed, it was time to get out and run on all paws.
Chapter Two – Pepper
Something was wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but they weren’t traveling straight. Maybe it was the snow coming down too hard, or the tail wind that was buffeting them around.
Damn, if she crashed the sleigh her father would never trust her with it again. She pictured him now, giving her instructions and ending it with, don’t fail. I’m trusting you with this. You have one job to do. Make sure you do it right!
In truth, it hadn’t been his choice to send her on this mission, but Mrs. Claus had insisted. Pepper had been thrilled to have such trust placed in her, and now she was about to blow it!
The reindeer champed at their bits and tried to keep flying straight. They were used to flying in all kinds of bad weather: it wasn’t as if you could put Christmas off if the weather forecast said it was going to be lousy, but then she wasn’t Santa—his magic was strong; the weather probably went around him. Pepper, on the other hand, was a nobody, and destined to stay a nobody if she didn’t get the job done.
One job.
She took up the reins, and decided to risk going lower. Thinking about it, the best thing would be to land and let the snowstorm pass. There was plenty of time; Pepper hated being late, it was about the only thing her father ever praised her for. How great was that? Her father was proud of her timekeeping. Then she let the reins fall from her hands. She trusted Dan and Dash. They knew more about flying this sleigh than she could ever hope to learn.
Pepper immediately regretted her decision, as a gust of wind hit them side-on and the sleigh took a nosedive. Pepper clung on. If she crashed the sleigh, she was in trouble. That would just about finish her off; she would ruin Christmas for everyone.
“Not happening,” she shouted to the wind.
Down, she could see the treetops looming under them; the visibility was so bad she didn’t realize they were so close to the ground. Hoping Dash and Dan could see where they were going, and wishing she’d been trusted with Rudolph, who could see in the worst of any storm, she let the two reindeer bring them down in a clearing.
Only when the ground loomed into view, did she see the man walking across the clearing, wrapped up against the snow and wind. He looked up, but didn’t seem to see them.
“Get down,” she yelled. It was too late; they clipped his shoulder, even as the reindeer tried to swerve. With no time to correct their course, the sleigh bounced, hit a boulder hidden in the snow, and then tipped over, spilling Pepper and her cargo into the snow.
It was cold on her face as she plowed forward. She put her hands out to stop herself, but there was nothing but soft, wet snow to swallow her up. The last thing she remembered was seeing a cloud of sparkling dust rise up from the ground and cover the two reindeer. Their harness snapped, and she saw them rising up into the air, glowing gold in the night sky, and disappearing from view. They were gone, leaving Pepper and the damaged sleigh lying on its side. Then her eyes closed and the darkness took her.
***
The next thing she remembered was motion, but not the motion of the sleigh, the motion of being carried. Just like her father used to carry her up to bed, before he became so distant toward her. She lay back in the strong arms surrounding her and decided she must be dreaming. It was a nice dream, and one she didn’t want to wake up from. She was safe, she felt loved, and she wanted it to go on forever.
***
Stretching, testing her toes first, and then circling her feet, she worked her way up her body until she was satisfied nothing was broken. Her body felt whole, but her head ached. Now, if she could just remember where she was and what she was supposed to be doing, everything would be just fine.
Her eyes flew open and she sat up, a difficult task when you were swaddled like a baby in thick blankets. Was that the point? Had she been kidnapped and tied up so she couldn’t move?
Pepper moved her arms until they were free. No, she wasn’t tied up. But she was half-naked under the blankets. Pulling them back up under her chin, she looked around. The light was dim, curtains drawn against the night, and only the light of a candle and the glow of the fire illuminated the room.
Where the hell was she? Wait! Who the hell was she?
Pepper, that was all she knew.
Not good enough. The voice in her head saying those words wasn’t her own. She clung to them, trying to place whose voice it was that spoke to her so gruffly. But the memory wasn’t there; she could not match a face to the voice.
A whimper escaped her. This wasn’t right, none of this was right. She shouldn’t be here, but she had no idea where she should be.
Lying here wasn’t going to solve the mystery. Slipping one foot, and then the other, out from under the warm blankets, she let them touch the threadbare rug and wiggled them. The temptation to lift them back up and fold them into the safety of the blanket was almost too much.
But she had to get moving. She had a job to do. One job. You have one job to do. Make sure you do it right!
That voice again. Did it belong to some kind of ogre? Listening to the sounds of the cab
in around her, she decided if there was an ogre, then he was asleep and she should make a run for it now.
Steeling herself against the dull ache in her head, she placed her feet more firmly on the floor, and then took her weight on her legs, standing in the strange room, of which she had no memory. That didn’t mean she shouldn’t know it, it didn’t mean this was not her home. How could someone not remember their home?
As she let her body settle into a vertical position, she figured she might have the answer to that. It came in the shape of a large lump on the side of her head: at least she’d found the cause of the dull ache in her temples. She’d hit her head; she was concussed.
So was this her home? Fear gave way to curiosity. She was going to have to find out. Someone must have put her on the sofa and wrapped her in blankets, and she was going to find out who.
One quiet footstep at a time, she tiptoed across the floor, heading for the door leading from the room. It was open a little, just enough for her to tip her head at an angle and look out. No sign of anyone. Pulling the door open she slipped out, lifting the blankets so they didn’t drag along the floor.
Slowly, quietly, she moved along the hallway. Pausing, she listened: no sound. Deciding to check each room in turn, she opened the doors and looked inside. Kitchen: with a small table in the center and a stove, which gave out a nice, comforting warmth; bathroom: serviceable, just. Then a bedroom, empty except for a bed and a small closet, but with a merry fire in the grate.
Going back to the hallway, she listened once more. Nothing except the wind outside. She let out the breath she had been holding. The cabin was empty. Which reassured her, and scared the hell out of her.
With no memory, she didn’t know why she was here, or where she was. So how was she supposed to leave? Which way did she go?
Follow the road, she thought, berating herself for being so melodramatic.
Clothes. She couldn’t very well go outside in just a blanket. Back to the bedroom, she opened the closet, half hoping to find women’s clothes, her clothes. It would tell her she belonged here, and had not been kidnapped.
Sleighed: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Paranormal Romance (Christmas Bears Book 1) Page 1
