“I know that now,” I said softly.
“So, you don’t think I’m a playboy, huh?” a rumbling voice called out from behind the door.
“Zane!”
“Toss me my jeans, Anne.”
I tossed Zane his jeans and his hand reached out from behind the door to grab them mid-air. He pulled them on quickly and in seconds was by my side.
“I started to go for a run, but I changed my mind. Anne, I know when I met you I acted like I was a player, and there’s no excuse for it. I’m not going to lie. I’m used to getting my way with women. But there’s something about you that’s different. When I asked you if you wanted to fu…” Zane caught sight of his mother, “…sleep with me that night at Janet’s party, it was my animal talking. As soon as I said it, I was mentally kicking myself. Yes I wanted you but I knew you were different and I shouldn’t have come on to you like that. And when you said yes I was thrown off guard.”
“I normally would have said no,” I murmured.
“I think that you trying to use me like a sperm bank was wrong, but I was acting like a jerk when I met you. I hope I’ve become more to you than just a sperm donor over the past weeks…and I think I have.”
“Oh my God! Oh yes you have,” I said. “Please. I was an idiot and using you to make a baby was wrong. But I care for you…deeply. You mean so much to me. If you were just a sperm donor, I wouldn’t have gone out with you after I discovered I was pregnant. I hope you realize I think you’re the most wonderful man in the world.”
“Mom—Anne’s words in your shop…calling men nasty—they’re just words. Maybe she was having a rough day…but I know she doesn’t feel that way. And you were the one selling magic potions, so you can’t blame her for trying one when it was accidentally given to her. After all, you were selling them in your shop.”
“Well, I suppose,” Serena said. “I have to admit I used a love potion on your dad to get him interested.”
My eyes widened in surprise and Susie let out a gasp. We all looked at each other and started laughing.
“I should have guessed that.” Zane said shaking his head and grinning. “Anne, I’m thrilled about the baby,” Zane smiled at me. “I can’t wait. Maybe you went about it a little differently thanks to the help of my mother’s blue water, but who cares. I was wrong in how I came on to you. It takes two to tango and I was more than a willing partner.”
As Zane spoke I felt as if a cloud had been lifted. He moved next to me wrapping his arm around my shoulder.
“I love you, Anne.”
“And I love you, Zane.”
“You know I’ve thought of you as my mate since the night we met. I just had a feeling you were the one for me. And as time went on we’ve become closer and closer. I want to be with you, now and forever,” Zane squeezed me tighter.
I nodded. This was like a dream come true.
“Will you accept this?” Zane got down on one knee and reached into his pocket.
I gasped as he pulled out a jewelry bag from Courtland’s. He reached in and pulled out a small, red velvet box. He didn’t even have to open it. I already knew what was inside.
“Will you be mine for all time?” Zane asked, opening the lid on the box.
“Oh my God! Yes, yes!”
Zane slipped the ring on my finger. It was the beautiful asscher cut diamond that I loved so much. I held out my hand and enjoyed the ring’s glorious sparkle in the full light of the jewelry store.
“It’s so beautiful!”
“I remember you saying this was your favorite ring when I came into the store for the first time, and I bought it last night. I got the good friends discount!” Zane grinned.
“Susie! You said you ran into Zane last night on the way to a gig!” I squealed.
Susie grinned. “It accidentally slipped out that I had seen him. I couldn’t tell you he was in here buying your engagement ring!”
“Speaking of gigs,” Zane said, “the Hogwashers are officially playing Ventuno’s every weekend night next year. They loved our demo and we are booked baby!”
“Oh my gosh. That’s wonderful, Zane!”
“Congratulations!” Serena smiled at me. “I have a feeling you and I may be very much alike.”
I smiled at her and gave her a light hug.
“I can’t wait to be a grandmother!” Serena’s eyes twinkled. “I want at least four grandchildren. I’ll have to give you another ‘baby maker potion’ after you’ve had this child.”
I laughed. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble making more babies.”
Zane picked me up and twirled me around the room. “You bet your ass we won’t. I love you!”
Zane leaned in, giving me a deep kiss.
“I love you, Zane,” I said softly, staring into Zane’s dark eyes. They were rich with love and promise. I glanced outside. It had just started to snow—a soft, wintry mix. I looked back at Zane. I knew deep down it was going to be a wonderful winter this year, as well as all the future seasons to come. We were going to enjoy them together—for the rest of our lives!
The End
From the Author
The steamy romance continues in the next Shifter Seasons book. Spring For Tiger.
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About Kate
Kate Kent loves to read and write steamy paranormal romances. She is happily married to her alpha and she enjoys taking long walks outside and spending time with her family and friends.
There’s Snow Place Like Home…By Lola Kidd
Curvy storm chaser Maya Diaz finds herself stuck in a small town when the storm she’s chasing takes an unexpected turn. When she meets a handsome snow leopard shifter with an equally gorgeous twin brother, she wonders if the storm took her to exactly the place she needs to be.
Follow the trio as they find love this holiday season in a Shifters Everafter holiday story.
There’s Snow Place Like Home
(A Shifters Everafter Holiday Story)
Lola Kidd
Chapter One
Maya Diaz pulled to the side of the road and checked her map again. There was no more denying it. She was lost. Very lost. She should have been in Combes, Iowa an hour ago. She put the map away and pulled back onto the road with a sigh. She hadn’t seen an exit for more than thirty miles. That should have been her first clue that she’d made a wrong turn at the last exit.
It was a simple trip from her home outside Milwaukee to the little town in Iowa. But as always in Illinois, there was construction. Her GPS had confused her even more, and she’d turned the damn thing off after had it told her to make an illegal U-turn for the fifth time. And now she was lost. This was going to hurt her. She’d chosen Combes because of its flat landscape and few buildings. Maya was chasing a rare winter tornado and hoped this would finally be her time to shine.
She was in a unique position to catch this one. Besides the fact that it was winter, it was also three days before Christmas. Nobody wanted to leave their family and friends on Christmas to chase a killer storm. Lucky for Maya, she had no family and her closest friend was her Nikon. There was no guarantee that any of the storms in the area would brew a twister, but there was a chance.
It was morbid wishing for a disaster on a holiday, but that was the nature of the job. In an ideal world, there would be a warning long before anything happened and no one
would ever get hurt. But Maya knew that would never be possible without people like her that got on the road and spotted funnel clouds. She had lost her first home after college to a relatively small tornado. She had been shocked to discover how such a small tornado could destroy her whole life in the blink of an eye.
From then on, she’d vowed to do her part to make sure that people got enough warning before disaster stuck. She had always been fascinated by storms and followed them for years after she got her own car. She never dreamed what she was doing could be a real job. It was a strange hobby that no one in her life understood. It wasn’t until she got on the internet and started doing some research that she got serious about storm chasing. She had only been doing it seriously for two years and had much to learn but she loved her job. She was able to use her photography skills to fund her chasing and she wasn’t cooped up in an office all day.
She didn’t make a lot of money selling her storm pictures and video but she made it work. She lived modestly and didn’t have any expensive vices beyond manicures and late night junk food. The pictures she took of storms were enough to fund her not-so-lavish lifestyle. Maya knew in the future it would become a problem but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. Right now, she was enjoying herself and living her life on her own terms. That was enough.
Of course there were downsides to the job. Her irregular schedule made it hard to date. Did she wish that she had someone to come home to? Not often. But there were times that she wished she had someone in real life to share her successes. Her friends on online message boards were always offered support and friendly words but it wasn’t the same. But here was always time to find her soulmate and she rarely thought about it.
Her friends all thought her lack of home was her real problem. She had a house she lived in but she wasn’t very attached to it. Maya liked being able to travel around freely and not have to worry about what she missing out on at home. For the time being, she liked her life just the way it was. Yes, there were drawbacks but mostly her life was wonderful and she didn’t want for much. There was only one thing she wanted: getting a winter tornado on video.
They were incredibly rare and difficult to find. It was her white whale. She’d been trying to see one since she’d started chasing storms as a teen. In that entire time, there had only been one touch down during the winter. Which meant the chances of her seeing one were very low. But this was her chance, if she could find the damn turnoff and get her bearings.
Keep it positive, she reminded herself. She had already gotten herself lost. Having a bad attitude wouldn’t make things any better. She turned the radio to her favorite pick-me station and sang along as she drove. By the second song, she was feeling better already. It would turn out okay. She was only a little tired. Even if she was way off course, she still had time to drive back in the right direction and catch the tail end of the storm.
“Hallelujah!” she yelled when she saw the sign for the next town. Emerald, Iowa, population 15,000, was only ten miles up the road. She sang along with the radio and danced in her seat as she drove. It might be a small town, but it was something. There had to be a gas station where she could fuel up and grab some food. Maybe they’d even have a fast food joint or a diner open early. It was almost five in the morning. In her experience on the road that was when family-owned, restaurants started opening in towns like this. She could practically smell the coffee and pancakes as she drove into town.
There was nothing on either side of the road for most of the ten miles, and then she hit what had to be downtown Emerald. There was nothing open. No lights were on and she only passed two cars on the road. The stoplights were still in flashing red mode. She didn’t even see a diner. Her good mood started to fade. What kind of town was this?
Maya had driven all the way to the other side of town before she finally spotted a Wizard Gas. The small place had two pumps out front and a dark sign with a wizard hat on it. All the lights were off at the shop. She parked in front, got out of the car, and looked in through the glass door. The business hours posted on the door claimed they opened at four in the morning. It was now quarter after five. She could see a light on at the back of the shop, so she knocked on the glass.
When no one came, she knocked more, and more. She beat on the glass until she saw movement. She smiled triumphantly. Her good mood started to return.
A little old man with a long, white bushy beard opened the door. He looked surprised to see Maya, which she was used to. She was a strange face in a small town. At least he looked friendly. She’d run into some assholes as a woman traveling alone.
“Can I help you?” the man asked, looking her up and down with a smile. That, she was also used to. She was bombshell curvy, after all and her coat was open.
She zipped her puffy winter coat before she answered. “I’m lost and I need gas. Could you help me?”
“Please come in.” The man opened the door wider for her to come in. He locked it as soon as she was inside. “Stay put. I’ll turn on some lights so you don’t fall down.”
He shuffled away and a few moments later the florescent lights across the store flickered to life. It was small but clean and well stocked. Her stomach rumbled as she looked at the rows and rows of chips and Little Debbie snacks.
“Help yourself.” The man pulled a package of Hostess cupcakes down and unwrapped it. “I have maps in my office. I know you younger folk like to use your technology, but I’ve never had any problems with my good old paper maps.”
“I use paper maps sometimes too.” Maya smiled. She chose a bag of chips and a Christmas tree shaped brownie from the shelf and took out her wallet. “How much?”
He waved his hand. “I can’t take money from a pretty lady like you. Consider it an early Christmas gift. I’m Dale Wizard, by the way.”
“Maya Diaz.” She put away her wallet. “Thanks for the gift. I could really use a snack.”
He led her to the back room and started looking through his desk until he found a map. “Okay. Where you trying to get to?”
“I’m looking for Combes.”
Dale looked up. “You ain’t gonna make it to Combes anytime soon, girl. You’re a long ways from there.”
“I’m used to driving for hours on end,” Maya assured him. “If I can just get my bearings, I’ll be fine.”
He pointed to a spot on the map and put a finger on a second. “This is where you want to be, and here is where you are.”
Maya looked at the map. “Damn! How can I be that far off? I can still see the storm clouds.”
“That’s exactly your problem. This storm is going to dump a heap of snow across the whole area. Look, I know you had your heart set on getting to Combes, but you should wait out the storm here.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that much snow. I’m from Wisconsin. I can handle it. Anyway, I have work to do in Combes.”
“Work? You willing to drive in a blizzard for work?” Dale looked at her, flabbergasted. “It’s almost Christmas and we’re going to get more than a few inches. You a doctor or something?”
“Not exactly.” Maya said. “Last time I checked we were only supposed to get four to six inches of snow.”
Dale laughed. “Not even close. They were saying more than fourteen inches when I got up this morning. I wouldn’t feel right letting you go out in this to get to some job. Please, stay at my son’s bed and breakfast for the night. He’s closed down since he didn’t have any customers, but I can get him to open up for you. No charge.”
“I can’t. I have to get to Combes.” She looked at the map on his desk. She had gone an hour out of the way. She could still make it, but she had to be sure first. “I just need a minute to check the weather reports.”
“You’re still gonna go?” Dale shook his head. “Stubborn. You stay back here. I’m gonna open the store up.”
Maya checked all the weather stations and message boards. It looked like this was her lucky night. The storm had turned—it was going to c
ome closer to Emerald than to Combes. She wasn’t far from the center of the storm now. Looking at how it was tracking, she wasn’t sure if there would even be a tornado. She sighed. Better no tornado than a missed one. But it was disappointing. She had made the entire trip for this! That was the way it went. Powerful storms could fall apart in minutes. After all these years, she should have expected it.
They were going to get a ton of snow, though, much more than her tiny car could handle. There had been a slim chance that the winter thunderstorm could turn into a snowstorm but she didn’t think she’d be in too much trouble. Getting lost had changed her plans drastically. Things would have been a little easier if she wasn’t in her economy car.
She cursed herself. In an attempt to be frugal, she’d decided to put off buying a big, sturdy SUV until February. Car prices would be lower then as dealerships tried to get rid of last year’s models to make room for new stock. She had figured she had months until the height of storm season. At the time it had seemed like a solid plan, now she wished she’d just bought the darn truck.
She got up to find Dale and say goodbye. She was going to try to beat the snow. When she went to the front of the store, there were two new people there: a pretty young woman and a gorgeous man. Maya was sure her eyes bugged out comically when she saw the man. His beauty was so arresting, the air was sucked from her lungs. She could only stare dumbly as all three turned toward her.
“Here she is now,” Dale said. He motioned for Maya to come over. “Maya, this is my wife Marietta and my son Logan. Guys, this is Maya.”
“Wife?” Maya was too shocked to stop herself from speaking. There was no way she had heard him right.
Marietta laughed a deep, rich belly laugh. “Yes, his wife.”
Maya blushed at her outburst. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that.”
Shifter Wonderland: Twelve BBW Paranormal Holiday Shape Shifter Romances Page 31
