Caribou's Gift (5 page)

And when he barked at someone for using a cuss word in front of a little girl, Gigi didn’t flinch or cringe. Instead, the minx beamed up at him.

Crystal spent the morning in an odd state of disbelief.
It’s like I’m living some really weird Christmas movie. Like
Twilight Zone
meets
Scrooged
.

At lunch, they joined up in line to grab a plate of food—mountains of sandwiches, potato salads, and roasted chicken, because shifters could never have too much meat. The community hall buzzed with conversation as folks took a break, enjoying the repast donated and made by town volunteers. There were more people than even Crystal expected, the explanation being that, this close to Christmas, most businesses were winding down.

Laughter abounded along with plans.

“We’re going to go skiing in the Rockies for the New Year.”

“Got some moonshine ready for drinking and some presents to wrap.”

“Wait until Jorge sees what I bought for Christmas. It’s baby-making time.”

Some plans caught her attention. Crystal tuned in to Kyle and what he was discussing with Frank—the guy in charge of the Three Bears float but, in a twist, presented as the Wise Men.

“I’ll run to the next town over and grab some more Christmas lights from their Walmart. It’s not as big as the one in the city, but it should have what we need.”

Crystal butted in. “You’re going shopping?” Suddenly the prospect of getting something cool for Gigi this Christmas became a bit more possible. Much as she hated to ask Kyle a favor, in this case, sacrifices had to be made. She needed a gift.

“Yup. Want to come along?”

Kyle and her, together, in his truck? She opened her mouth to say no when it occurred to her she’d not left Kodiak Point in weeks. A change of scenery sounded like fun. But an almost two-hour road trip with him? Could she handle the temptation? “I shouldn’t. There’s a ton I need to do around here.”

“You’re right, there is,” Frank interjected, still a part of the conversation. “I know I’m not the only one in need of supplies. It doesn’t make sense for us all to go. How about we get the lists together, along with some money, and you go with Kyle to make sure he gets the right stuff?”

How to say no when someone made it her job? She made one last feeble attempt. “But what about Gigi?”

“She can come, of course.” Kyle beamed down at her. “What do you say, sweetie? Are you up for a road trip and dinner at McD’s?”

Neatly, Kyle boxed her in, making it impossible for her to say no. But at least Gigi would serve as a barrier between them on the ride.

Funny how that didn’t really work, given that every time she looked over her daughter’s head as they rumbled along the ice- and snow-covered road, she caught his attention. And sparks fairly flew.

When they reached the store, Crystal just about dove out of his truck, craving the cold and fresh air. She also strove for mental clarity. A lost cause.

It being midafternoon and this close to Christmas, the place hummed with activity as lots of people got their last-minute holiday shopping done. Kind of like Crystal, who started out buying the stuff needed for the parade, but once she got it all, she decided it was time to ask for yet another favor. Why not, in for a dime, in for a dollar.

As Gigi oohed and aahed over the brightly lit sample trees, Crystal pulled Kyle aside. “I kind of need a few minutes alone. Would you mind keeping Gigi entertained?”

“Why ask for alone-time when I’m more than willing to help?” His wink brought a blush to her cheek as his implication sank in.

“Not for that, you idiot. To get…you know.” She inclined her head at her daughter, who giggled at a fat Santa who kept getting stuck in an inflatable chimney display.

“I know. I just really enjoy it when your eyes flash. The angry kitty look is hot.” Completely unrepentant about his answer, Kyle grinned, and though she tried to scowl, heat still warmed her cheeks.

Turning from Crystal, Kyle scooped Gigi into his arms. She let out a happy squeal.

“Hey, sweetie, what do you say you and I go check out the—” He dropped his voice and whispered in her ear. Two pairs of conspiratorial eyes peered Crystal’s way, and her heart just about turned into a big pile of goo at their shared giggle. And, yes, Kyle giggled. The big, tattooed, vain, stupid, adorable jerk giggled like a schoolgirl—with a deep voice.

I hate him.
Because not only did he make her want to try again at love and a relationship, he had the most scrumptious ass in tight jeans when he walked away.

Wasting no time, Crystal headed for the toy section, only to groan in defeat when she located the practically empty Lego section. December twenty-third and virtually all the shelves were bare. Forget a decent-sized play set. Even if she could have afforded the mall one Gigi wanted, or any of the other mid-sized ones, none were left. Crystal had to content herself with the mini play packs. But she consoled herself with the knowledge that at least Gigi would have something under their mini fir tree—which they’d chopped down themselves and decorated with popcorn, colored macaroni, and a mixture of aluminum and Styrofoam balls. The hand-painted monstrosities were truly a crowning achievement to the ugliest tree ever, but they both loved it.

Hurrying with her purchases, Crystal brought them out to the truck and headed back before texting Kyle to tell him the coast was clear.

Meet you at the front door in just a few minutes
,
was his reply along with a happy face.

Warm breath coalesced into a fog as Crystal stood outside waiting, but she enjoyed the cold air, knowing all too soon she’d find it too hot again in the truck with Kyle. She blamed hunger as the reason why she craned anxiously for a glimpse of Kyle and Gigi.

What’s taking them so long?

There was no mistaking the butterflies in her tummy. The tingle in her body. The anticipation thrumming through her.

Ugh. I’m crushing on the caribou.

So much for a new leaf.

Or should she look at the situation in a different light?

She’d come to Kodiak Point to start fresh. To create a new and better life for herself. Her ban on men wasn’t a permanent thing, more of a be-more-careful-who-you-choose.

Except, in this case, she wasn’t the one necessarily choosing. Kyle seemed bound and determined to become a part of her life. Unlike previous boyfriends, he didn’t pretend interest in Gigi while Crystal was around to make himself appear a good guy. Kyle genuinely liked her daughter—
probably because she is utterly awesome.

“Well, well, well. I never expected to run into you here.”

No. Oh no. Oh fuck no.

Crystal needed only to turn her head slightly to meet the sneer on the handsome face of her ex-boyfriend—and violent stalker—to know the day would not end well. “Malcolm.” Nothing else. No hello, no sorry I-didn’t-answer-any-of-your-hundreds-of-crazy-texts-and-phonecalls. Perhaps if she played it cool, he’d walk away.

He skipped the amenities too. “What luck running in to you here?”

“How did you find me?”

“I was visiting an old college friend for the holidays. It must have been fate we both ended up here at the same time.”

“More like bad luck,” she muttered.

Her words didn’t go unnoticed and his gaze narrowed. Not a good sign. “We need to go somewhere to talk.” His tight grip on her upper arm indicated a probably less-than-pleasant conversation.

She yanked and exclaimed, “Let me go. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Shut your piehole before you cause a scene.”

Cause a scene? Oh, she’d cause a scene all right if it kept her out of this psycho’s reach.

But, before she could, a gigantic panda came to her rescue?

Kyle fought it. He truly did, but the allure of Crystal, and her way-too-cute daughter, shoved him off a cliff, which he might have survived, if not for what waited for him at the bottom. Domestication.

Now don’t get him wrong, Kyle had no problem settling down, per se. Eventually. But, at the same time, commitment scared him. Just not for the reason most folks thought.

Everyone in Kodiak Point knew him as the ex-soldier and town heartbreaker. He seduced the ladies but never stayed with them. He made no promises, put down no real roots.

Yet, once upon a time, that hadn’t been the case. A long time ago, when a certain boy—with a small fuzzy rack—was in high school, he fell in love with a beautiful girl. And she loved him back.

If perfection had a name, then it was Bethany. Imagine a girl who possessed everything a man could desire— kind, sweet, and with a pair of perky breasts to die for. She became his first real girlfriend. His first love. His fiancée before he went off to war.

He did his best to correspond with her while overseas, but there came a time when that wasn’t possible. A time when his only focus had been staying alive, and escaping. Oh the despair of those days when he’d used her face to help him through. But he refused to dredge up that unpleasant part of his past. It was a vile place which he’d come to grips with, shoved in a closet, and thrown a giant lock on. Then he tossed the key.

The time after his incarceration by the enemy was a dark time for him, so when he returned, a little bit older, definitely wiser, could anyone fault a man for needing the embrace of his lover? Instead, he received the rudest awakening.

With the most innocent brown-eyed gaze, Bethany tried to justify her actions. “I wasn’t sure you were coming back, Kyle.” A feeble explanation he still thought, given she’d answered the door almost nine months pregnant, with another man’s child.

Yeah, needless to say, the wedding was called off. Kyle heavily supported the local tavern for a few months and might have gone rabid caribou—goring anyone in sight—if not for Reid. Reid had been the one to talk him out of his despair and request he join the clan in Kodiak Point.

“I need a man I can trust. One who knows his way around technology since I’m a dumbass when it comes to anything electrical.”

Reid had offered him a chance. A chance to escape the clan he belonged to, where he never knew when he might glimpse Bethany and the man she chose over him—a regular pack wolf. And a mangy one at that.

Kyle jumped on the opportunity for change, but he didn’t jump on the bandwagon of love and commitment after that. He never had an interest because that type of betrayal stuck with a man. Colored his view of women in general. Bethany had broken his trust when it came to the concept of love and commitment.

And then Crystal came along. Crystal with her refusal to give in to his charm. Crystal with her strong attitude, protective mama instincts, and a nice rack made to pillow his head—shirtless of course. Add to that a little girl who thought him a knight—
me a freaking knight
, it still made him chuckle—and he was practically a goner.

Heck, since he’d met the pair, he’d already felt the curse of domestication infecting him, his cussing having gone from hardcore to almost sanitary.

Mission #741: No swearing around little sweetie, which came right after mission #740: Tell Darren if he leers at Crystal’s ass one more time, he’s going to need money for a dentist.

No cussing. Getting up early. Now shopping.
How soon before they’ve got me wearing collared shirts that are tucked in instead of hairband, heavy metal T-shirts? How long until I fall victim to the ugly, knit Christmas sweater geekdom that all the manacled husbands wear this time of year?

Argh. It almost made a caribou want to shed his human skin and take off running for the wild. The beast maybe wanted to flee the harness, but the man had no interest in running.

Nope, instead, Kyle plunged headlong into trouble by taking the cutest little sweetie shopping, first for a gift for her mother. Nothing like a present to soften a lady’s stance. He hoped. The hard part was in selecting a gift.

Having not shopped for anyone in years—he preferred to send his mother cards with cash—he dubiously eyed the item Gigi solemnly insisted Crystal needed. “Are you sure she wants this?” he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically. He grimaced as he grasped the item and put it in the cart. He trusted Gigi’s judgment. What the heck did he know about gift buying? But just in case Gigi was wrong, he threw in a second present.

Mission #742 accomplished—buy Crystal a gift—it was time for super-secret mission #739. Having spotted Crystal’s head in line at the cash registers, he hightailed it with Gigi—seated in the shopping cart, holding on to the handle, giggling as he raced the cart—to the toy section in search of the coolest stuffed toy ever.

Little girl laughter? Coolest sound ever. A man would do anything to cause it.

Mission #743: Have Gigi repeat laughter as often as possible.

Given his newest mission, he had an excuse as to why he was lugging a giant panda bear when he came across Crystal, trying to disentangle herself from the vise-like grip of some guy.
Say it like it is, a dead fucking asshole if he doesn’t get his hands off my woman
.

He glared. It had no effect. Then again, nothing screamed I’m-a-tough-guy-who-is-going-to-kick-your-ass-if-you-don’t-step-away-from-the-cougar than a big, fluffy stuffed animal. No wonder the guy laughed when Kyle growled, “Be a smart doggy and walk away from the woman.”
Mine.

“Is a guy with a giant teddy bear really trying to threaten me?” Said with utmost disdain and totally unacceptable.

Shaking with fear, Gigi huddled beside the panda Kyle set down. She raised big eyes his way, and he didn’t need her softly lisped, “That’s Malcolm,” to guess the jerk’s identity.

Early Christmas present for me. I knew I was a good boy this year.
“Threat? I didn’t hear a threat. I heard a promise. And this is your last warning. Remove your hands from Crystal or else.”

“Or else what, tough guy?”

About to show him what, Kyle had to force his arm to stay at his side as Crystal shook Malcolm’s hand free and stepped between them.

A pair of pleading eyes met his. “Kyle, would you please take my daughter and go somewhere while I deal with this?”