A Christmas Home (2 page)

Chapter Two

Throwing
the wrench down onto the tool pad, Jagger scrubbed a hand down his face. There
were days he loved being a mechanic. Then there were days like today where he
knew he should have listened to his mother and gotten into something else. Not
that he’d ever tell the woman, even if he was still speaking to her. She
already thought too highly of her own opinions. Gods only knew where the woman
was today. At least she wasn’t in Shifter Falls giving him even more trouble.

He
grabbed the bottle of water he’d been working on and took a long haul while
staring at the engine in question. He was missing something, and it was really
starting to piss him off that he couldn’t figure it out.

For
the last ten years, he’d been head mechanic at the only automotive shop in
Shifter Falls. They were the only one there because they only hired the best
and did the best work. Competitors didn’t stand a hope in hell. A few other
places had tried to start up in the Falls. But they’d all shut down within a
year because they hadn’t had what it took to work in such a closely knit town.
That and they’d been outsiders, something that didn’t go over well with the
very private residents who ran the town.

Founded
by a shifter pack more than two hundred years prior, the town was home to six
different types of shifters. Only through harsh laws and firm hands at the helm
of each pack did it work. Especially considering the mix the Falls had running
around.

There
were plenty of humans living and working there, too, but the majority of the
population was other. Sometimes there were problems. Sometimes there were
all-out fights, but in the end they all knew they had to live together so
things had better damn well work out. Which they usually did, eventually.

Moving
to the open door of the bay he was working in, he stared out at the snow. The
weatherman had predicted another couple of inches throughout the day, and more
overnight. Great for all the tourists currently running around Shifter Falls in
search of as many wintertime activities as they could find. It also had its
perks for the business. It was amazing how many out-of-state tourists had no
idea how to handle driving in snow.

He
spotted a friend and lifted a hand in greeting. Conroy Hayden was the owner of
On The Plate, one of four restaurants in Shifter Falls. The guy was a damn
connoisseur when it came to flavors. Likely why his restaurant had managed to
get rave reviews in several travel and food magazines. Since then people had
come to Shifter Falls not only for the events held but in the hopes to get a
table in his restaurant.

“Con,
good to see you. I have to admit I didn’t think you’d actually get out during
the lunch rush.”

The
large redhead shrugged and shot him a smirk. “Figured I should bring you
something to eat or you’d forget. Again.”

Jagger
spotted the bag then and felt his belly rumble. He’d only had a piece of toast
and several cups of coffee for breakfast that morning. It was already one in
the afternoon and he wasn’t exactly a small guy. Waving Conroy into the bay, he
followed behind the man, shooting the troublesome engine a glare. He cleared
off a spot on his work table before grabbing a couple stools to set in front.
He took one while Conroy unloaded the bag, hitting Jagger with the scent of
cooked meat and spices. His stomach let out a hungry snarl that earned him a
knowing look. Jagger held his tongue, knowing anything he said would only
provide Con with more ammo to use against him at a later date.

He
accepted the plate from his friend and unwrapped it. A huge pile of roast beef
he knew was slow cooked, mashed potatoes, and seasonal greens from the
greenhouse at the end of town. Con handed him a little container which held
gravy, utensils, and a napkin.

“Thanks,”
he said. Cutting off a piece of the beef, Jagger slowly chewed the perfectly
cooked meat. It practically melted on his tongue. “Damn this is good,” he
practically moaned. Another bite he chewed slowly. He knew better than to shove
Con’s food down his throat as fast as possible. The man would beat him silly.
And Con was nearly as large as Jagger. They’d both taken boxing as kids, but
Jagger had plain meanness on his side. Con was a good soul who wanted to help
others, which was why he’d gotten into feeding folks. He said the food was good
for the soul and part of why On The Plate did the soup kitchen for those who
needed a helping hand.

After
finishing the meal, Jagger wiped his mouth while Con packed up the dishes. The
secondary dish caught his attention. “What’s that?”

“Dessert,”
Con told him.

Accepting
the dish, he pulled the top off and inhaled the scent from the hot dessert. It
was a crumble of some sort. Rhubarb, for sure, definitely strawberries, but
there was something else. He took a bite and let out a moan of pleasure.

“I’m
going to assume you like it.”

“Dude,
this is spectacular. What all’s in here?”

“The
usual, but I threw in some cranberries this time for a more seasonal flavor.
Gives it a different taste.”

He
nodded, it did at that. Scraping out the last, he licked off the spoon under
Con’s knowing watch and passed it back. Another wipe with his napkin before he
tossed it into the garbage closest and leveled a look at his friend. “I guess
this wasn’t just your need to feed me, since you usually dump and run. What’s
going on?”

“Don’t
know yet but figured I’d give you a heads-up. The sheriff and a couple deputies
were in for lunch today and we got to talking. Apparently there are rumblings
from the city council about another pack wanting to set up shop here. They’re
calling an emergency meeting tomorrow night to discuss it with the alphas and
their seconds. You’ll be getting the call soon, but I wanted to let you know
before you got it. I know how much you hate surprises.”

That
was an understatement. The last surprise Jagger had received was his parents
divorcing, his father leaving the Falls, and his mother hooking up with the
first of many younger males to keep her bed warm. Since then he’d managed to
avoid being surprised with the help of those he called and considered to be
true friends, like Conroy. Without them, he’d have been caught with his pants
down more than once. But they looked out for him, and he helped look out for
them in turn. They were more his family than his parents ever had been.

“I’ll
be ready, thanks.” Standing, he gave his friend the quintessential man hug and
walked him out of the bay. He stayed there a moment longer to watch the comings
and goings of the locals and tourists before turning to face his current
nemesis. One way or another he was damn well going to get this thing running.
Then he could take it over to the hotel and return it to the tourist to which
it belonged.

“All
right, you giant hunk of metal, let’s get down to business.”

****

It
was nearly seven that night before he made it to the hotel and got the keys
returned to the owner. The guy had been so thrilled he’d thrown in a healthy
tip for services rendered and for the speed with which Jagger had managed it.

Since
he had some time before he needed to meet with several of the pack for drinks,
he stopped in the hotel’s offices to check in with the gang there. It ended up
getting him a few more projects, but it was well worth it or would be in the
end. The hotel provided some activities for the guests that came to visit.
Among them were snowmobile rentals for either tour or for the guests to use at
their leisure.

With
the keys in hand to four that were due tune-ups, he made a call to the shop to
arrange for one of the boys to bring out the large flatbed truck. They could
load them up, take them back to the shop, then start working on them in the
morning.

Distracted
as he was, he didn’t see the little female until it was nearly too late.
Unfortunately, she didn’t see him at all and ran into him full force. At six
foot five inches and nearly three hundred pounds of pure muscle, not much could
move him. Especially not someone built as she was. All woman, for sure, but not
very tall. Biteable, he thought to himself, with all those luscious curves and
soft-looking skin.

He
caught her arms so she didn’t land on her ass, then took a step back so he
could see her better. “You okay?” he asked, staring into her eyes.

Chapter Three

She
could only look up at him stupidly. Finally, however, she found her brain,
somewhere. “Uhm, yes?” She was fine. Why had she made it sound like a question?
“Sorry, yes. Yes, I’m fine. Holy mother of all that’s holy you are huge. Not in
a bad way but—” She flushed and slapped her hand over her mouth. “Ignore me.
I’ve started a new leaf in life to never again tell an untruth and it just
slipped out. I mean no offense, it’s just, wow.” And hot. Holy Christ, the man
was panty-melting hot. “Hi,” she added when she realized her hands were on his
chest, moving around on the firm muscles there and practically feeling him up.
Okay, not practically, she was. “I guess since I’ve gotten to second base with
you I should introduce myself, huh? I’m Ophelia Lambros. My friends call me
Phi.” She wouldn’t blame him if he just laughed at her and walked away.

His
gaze was steady on her, and much like the beating of her own heart she could
feel the heat coming from his body. “Jagger,” he said. “A pleasure to meet you,
Ophelia. I’m going to take a wild guess here and assume you are a guest of the
hotel, right?”

“A
guest?” Christ, there went her brain again. She shook her head and laughed.
“Yes, sorry. I swear I am not normally like this.” Her brain usually was in her
head and not melting out of her panties. She so needed to get her
battery-operated boyfriend working again. “I’ve been here a week and love it.
It’s so beautiful here. I’m planning on staying until after New Year. And you?
Are you a guest?”

“I’m
a local,” he told her. She liked the deep rumble of his voice. It was only
adding to her fantasies, though. “I operate the auto shop here in town. I
stopped by to drop off a guest’s car that picked up an attitude and needed an
adjustment, and ended up getting a few snowmobiles needing their tune-ups. You
should come by one day, and I’ll take you around to show you the parts of the
Falls that only the locals know about.” For a second she thought he looked
startled by his own offer, but it vanished quickly so she figured she’d only
imagined it.

“I’d
like that. I love the snowmobiles, so whatever you do to them to keep them
running works. One of my favorite things is just how free you feel. I know how
silly that sounds, but I love it.” She loved the wide-open spaces and how
people gave her a wide berth to do what she wanted. Their friendliness was what
she had needed in order to heal.

“It’s
not silly at all,” he said. “Part of the draw for everyone, locals and tourists
alike, is the fact there is so much undeveloped space to play in. The feeling
of rushing over the surface of the snow at top speeds is pretty exhilarating.
Turning off your engine once you get somewhere and the pure silence, pretty
amazing stuff.”

“And
lying back on the seat and watching the sunset,” she added with a wistful smile
and a sigh. “It’s one of the best parts of this place. Maybe we could go out on
the snowmobiles tomorrow if you aren’t busy?” Had she really just done that?
She’d just asked this handsome man to go out with her. He was massive. His
deep, dark blue eyes seemed to look into her soul. His hair was like an
obsidian rock she had back home. Shiny and so dark that the color seemed to
reflect in it. He was beyond handsome and so not her type, but her body thought
he was exactly what she needed and wanted. Typically she was more of the gal
that went for the nerdy guys that were just an inch or so taller than her five
foot five inches, but not with this man. This man made her girly parts tingle.

“I
have to work in the morning, but I’m free for a couple hours after lunch. I
need to be back in town for a meeting in the evening, but we could do dinner
before I have to head off for that. If you’re interested. Why don’t I meet you
here around one, and then we can go grab lunch before we head off on the tour
and come back in time for dinner at a friend’s restaurant before I have to
leave you for the night.”

“Yeah,
that sounds good. I’ll check the snowmobiles out for the two of us,” she said
with a grin. “The fast ones, are those good for you? Because those are the ones
I like.”

“Fast
works for me,” he said.

Ophelia
nodded, then studied him for a moment. “You don’t seem so happy about your
meeting. I’m sorry about that.” She didn’t know him, but she felt the need to
make him feel better. How odd was that?

His
eyes narrowed. Leaning back slightly, he seemed to be searching for something
from her. “Thank you for your concern. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything I
can do about it except attend and figure out what’s going on. No need for you
to worry about it. Best for you to get some sleep, though, since there will be
a lot of hard riding tomorrow afternoon you’ll want to be ready for.”

“Don’t
worry, I’ll be ready.” She looked down at her hands, which were still on his
chest, then laughed. “I’m so sorry. I seem to be feeling you up.” His muscles
were so heavily defined they were rock solid under her hands and she liked it.
A lot. Finally she moved her hands back from his chest and bit her lower lip.
“Right, I really don’t go around feeling up total strangers. I swear I don’t. I
do like how you feel, though.”

His
mouth opened, closed, then opened again. “Yeah I’m not entirely sure what to
say to that. Thank you seems wrong, and yet fitting. We’ll just settle with you
not feeling up any more strangers during your stay here. Unless you happen to
be a doctor and your services are needed. Then that’s an entirely different
scenario.”

She
snorted. “No. No, I’m not a doctor,” she said with a smirk. “And no, I have
absolutely no desire to feel anyone else up. In fact, you are the first man
that I’ve touched since I’ve been here, and several men have been giving off
that
come fuck me
vibe.”

“You
should continue to ignore those vibes. Getting involved with someone that
desperate never ends well.” He looked past her, then handed off some keys to a
man who stopped next to them. “Leah marked them for us, and they’re out back
off to the side. Start loading them up and I’ll be there in a minute.”

The
other guy shot her a look before giving a nod and walking off. But Ophelia
caught him throwing her a speculative glance before he vanished from sight.

“I
should let you go, shouldn’t I?” But she stayed right there in front of him and
damn her soul, but she found herself lifting her hand and placing it over his
heart. Her thumb rubbed over his chest, and she felt the thumping of his heart
under her palm. “Right, okay, what was I doing?” Holy crap, this man made her
forget everything. She had no idea what it was. She’d never done that with her
ex so why and how in the world she did that with him was beyond her.

“You
were going to go and get some sleep,” he cooed. “And I need to go do some work.
I only have one speed on a snowmobile, so you better be ready to rock and roll
come tomorrow afternoon.” Lifting her hand from his chest, he pressed a kiss to
her knuckles, then let her go.

“Right.”
She stepped away from him and walked away, twice looking back at him. She made
it to her room without any trouble, showered, and fell into bed. As she drifted
off to sleep she thought about Jagger.