Christmas Catastrophe: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Romance (Christmas Bear Brothers Book 2) (9 page)

“The rest of the towns rely on tourism. That’s going to be tough, unless you start hiding who you are. What you are.” It was true, that was the main problem with the town as far as he could see.

“Not going to happen.” Ron shook his head.

“We’re going to have to think a little more laterally than that,” Zara said.

“But not today,” Cindy said. “Let’s forget about the future. And celebrate what we have here that’s special. Change can wait for the New Year.”

“That’s it!” Damon exclaimed. “You don’t have to change.”

“OK, speak English. I’m no good at riddles,” Zara said, with hope in her voice.

“You have something unique here. You are open about who you are. So why not attract other shifters? You know, they can come here and relax, not have to worry about anyone seeing them, because you all know who they are. If they want to go into the bar as a bear, who cares. Right?”

“A vacation town for shifters?” Ron said, frowning. Then he smiled. “I like the idea. Damon. Welcome to the family.”

Damon grinned. He wasn’t going to feel like an outsider after all. He had managed to win over Zara’s father. He thought he might be able to chalk that up to Christmas miracle number two.

“I know how nervous you felt now,” Zara said. They were heading down to Bear Bluff to meet Damon’s family.

“I have to see my brothers, and celebrate with them,” Damon said. “I feel as if we have been uniquely blessed this year. Beyond what we deserve.”

She leaned over and took his hand in hers, squeezing it affectionately. “You know what I think? You boys have been the best you could be. All of your jobs revolve around helping people, so maybe it is your turn. Maybe you made it onto Santa’s list. Not the naughty one.”

Damon laughed. “You know, I don’t believe in Santa.”

“Maybe you should start. How else do you explain how well things have turned out?”

“Luck. Coincidence,” he said, pulling up outside the wooden vacation cabins owned by Mrs. McKinley. “I have no idea why we have to meet them here, but let’s go and find out.”

“What number?” Zara asked.

“Number four,” he said, pointing to the number carved into a piece of wood, hung up on the wall of a small cabin.

He knocked on the door, and waited. Just as they began to look at each other, wondering if they had the right cabin, a large, broad-chested man—who looked so like Damon, she instantly knew it was one of his brothers—opened the door.

“Declan,” Damon said. “Merry Christmas. This is Zara.”

“Zara, at last!” he said leaning forward and kissing her on the cheek. “Come in. It feels as if the party is complete now.”

“Hey everyone, Damon and Zara are here,” Declan announced. “I’ll introduce you to everyone. This is Maria, my mate.”

They all said hello, and then Declan moved around introducing Jason, who was Maria’s nephew. Then Dermot, and Vicky, who was a reindeer.

“And you really can fly?” Damon asked.

“Yes. I can. But only because Dermot helped me find my Christmas spirit,” Vicky said.

“A long story,” said Dermot.

“And the black eye?” Damon asked.

“Polar bear fight,” Vicky said. “Dermot was very brave and let the polar bear beat him.”

“Let him?” Damon asked bemused.

“That is the story I am sticking to,” Dermot said.

“Oh, come and meet Sorcha and Marla,” Vicky said, tactfully changing the conversation.

She took Damon and Zara over to where a young girl sat in a wheelchair, with her mom by her side.

“Hello, Damon. I’m so pleased you could come,” Marla said, looking teary eyed. “I’m so sorry. It’s been an emotional day.”

“Marla lost her husband in a terrible accident a few months ago,” Declan said, putting his arm around Marla. “She and Sorcha have been living here since then.”

“I just wanted to thank you for helping to cut Sorcha out of the car wreck. I feel so blessed to have three of the men who helped to save her here on Christmas Day. It means the world to me that I have my daughter.”

Zara watched the emotion wash over Damon. “I remember it so well. I am sorry about your dad, Sorcha.”

Sorcha nodded. In her lap lay a doll, and some candies. “Seeing Vicky flying, and then changing from a reindeer into a … person made it easier. I can believe in magic. And that makes me hope one day I will see my dad again.”

Zara turned away, tears running down her cheeks. Damon felt for her hand and took hold of it, squeezing it tightly. Then he said to Sorcha, “You know, there is a magic tree in Cougar Ridge. Zara, do you think it would be OK if we all go and visit it?”

“I don’t think anyone would mind,” she said, unsure of what he had planned, but she trusted him.

“Come on, everyone. Road trip.”

***

The convoy of cars had brought them all back to Cougar Ridge. Zara had gone to find her father, and by the time she reached the tree, there were many more people crowding round. Damon came over and spoke to her father, who thought for a moment and then smiled.

“Wonderful idea.” He spoke to Logan, who disappeared, before returning with a box and a permanent marker pen.

“A little crude,” Logan said.

“Perfect.”

Damon put his hand in the box and pulled out a glossy Christmas ornament. Then he handed the pen to Sorcha and said, “Here, write your dad’s name on here. Then we can hang it on the tree.”

Zara’s dad stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Before I hand over the running of Cougar Ridge to my daughter Zara.” A murmur passed through the people gathered round. “I want to make one last announcement. Her mate, Damon, has asked that we make our tree, a tree of remembrance. And I invite each and every one of you to place the name of a loved one you have lost on the tree. Each year we may add to those who have passed from this life. But when we look upon our tree, we will never forget them.”

One by one, the tree was hung with baubles. Each carried the name of a loved one. As Zara stood leaning on Damon’s shoulder, she felt sad for those that had been lost.

Damon placed a hand on her cheek, feeling her tears. “Don’t cry, Zara. Remember that there is always loss. But there are new beginnings, too.”

He was right. As she stood in front of the tree, surrounded by her old and her new family, she knew that this was a new beginning, for her, her family, and the town of Cougar Ridge.

How could it be otherwise when she was in the presence of one of Santa’s reindeer and a magic star?

“Here we are again. Another Christmas is here and we are all still bachelors.” Declan looked at his two brothers. They were having their traditional family get-together before they all took off to work their Christmas shifts. It was three solid days of duty for which they always volunteered, because the Holidays were a time for being with mates and cubs. Something none of them had.

“Come on, it’s not that bad. You get to spend the Holidays with other sad, lonely people,” Damon said, taking a sip of his beer.

“Speak for yourselves—I love Christmas at work. Between calls, I get to spend time with all the people stuck on the wards. The nurses work hard to make it special, particularly for the kids who are in over the Holidays.” Dermot grinned. “I bet I could rustle up some lonely nurses for a bit of fun.”

“I might take you up on that. I’m stuck with my crew at the fire station. And although there are the delightfully curvy figures of Kirsty and Sonia to gaze at, they are firmly off-limits. Work and relationships don’t mix,” Damon stated.

“Unless you are bonded,” Declan said evenly.

“Which we’re not.” Damon had that far off-look in his eyes, and Declan wondered how much his brother longed for a mate. A lot. Both his brothers did. While Declan, on the other hand, wasn’t interested ... oh, who was he kidding? He longed to have a woman in his bed and a cub running around. Sometimes he even dreamed of what it would be like. Getting up at stupid o’clock on Christmas morning with an overexcited child. To Declan it was the perfect dream. How sad was that?

He was longing for something unattainable. Waiting for his bonded mate to come along was taking more patience than he possibly possessed. It was why Christmas was particularly difficult for him, usually turning him into a bear with a sore head. God help anyone who decided to break the law over this Holiday period. They would feel the very strong arm of the law. Or at least get one hell of a tongue-lashing from the Declan, who was the sheriff of Bear Bluff.

“Let’s face it, we hate Christmas,” Declan announced. The other two rounded on him. But he insisted. “What? We do. It reminds us of everything we haven’t got, everything that we long for.”

For a man who kept his feelings under very tight control, this was an outburst that came from… where? His heart? Yes, it did. A heart that longed to be filled with love and happiness. Damn it, he was a sap. And he could only blame the Holiday season for making these feelings surface.

“OK. So let’s make a toast. Or a pact. By this time next year, we will all be looking forward to our first Christmas at home with our families. It will be some other lonely bachelor’s job to keep things rolling, while we eat too much food and make love to our mates.” Dermot raised his glass.

“Sure, why not,” Damon said.

“I’m in.” Declan raised his glass, but then added, “But I still think it’s pointless. After all, we can’t change our fates just because we promise to.”

“Damn it, Declan. Lighten up. You never know what’s round the corner,” Dermot said, slapping his brother good-naturedly on the back. And, if you haven’t found your mate by mid-summer, I’ll put your bad-tempered bear face on one of those dating websites. I heard Marjorie in Bear Creek was thinking of starting one.”

“If you do that, I will disown you,” Declan growled. “I don’t need help finding a woman.”

Dermot and Damon collapsed into fits of laughter. “Right, because your social diary is full of dates with women.”

“That’s through choice. I’ve gotten to an age where it seems shallow to date a woman, when you know you are never going to settle down with her because she isn’t your mate.”

“See, you are a romantic at heart, and there was us thinking you were a miserable bear.”

“Listen, it’s hysterical to sit around and shoot the breeze with you guys,” Declan said sarcastically. “But some of us have got more important things to do than have their social life pulled apart.”

“Hey, just because you’ve hit a dry spell,” Dermot laughed.

“I have not hit a dry spell,” Declan ground out. “It is my choice not to date. The same as it is my choice to work at Christmas.”

“It’s also your choice to be miserable at Christmas,” Damon said.

“I am not miserable.”

“Come on, any minute now the words bah humbug! are going to come out of your mouth as you tell some kid off for being too cheerful in front of you.”

“Bear humbug,” Dermot said in his deep, growly voice, making Damon collapse with laughter.

Declan came back towards them, placing one hand on the back of each of their chairs.

“Thank you for the beer. I am so glad that no matter how miserable I am feeling, I can always count on you two to cheer me up.” Then, with a broad grin, he ruffled both his younger brothers’ hair and growled “Bah humbug” as he left the bar.

Maria was seated in the small reception area outside sheriff’s office, which was locked. It was cold, and she kept looking at the door leading out onto the street, willing it to open and for someone to come in. Although she had avoided meeting people since she had moved to Bear Bluff to look after her nephew, now that she needed help, she cursed being left hanging around.

The weather outside had taken a turn for the worse. Snow was beginning to fall heavily, prompting her to come for the sheriff instead of giving Jason more time to bring himself home. Surely, the office shouldn’t have been left empty this long time. Bear Bluff might be a small town, but it didn’t mean the sheriff could just abandon his post for hours!

She guessed he probably had other duties, maybe personal obligations to attend to; it was the day before Christmas Eve, after all. There was no way she could blame him for being home with his family instead of at his desk. But surely someone should be here?