Santa Paws: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Romance (Christmas Bear Brothers Book 1)

Copyright

Chapter One – Dermot

Chapter Two – Vicky

Chapter Three – Dermot

Chapter Four – Vicky

Chapter Five – Dermot

Chapter Six – Vicky

Chapter Seven – Dermot

Chapter Eight – Vicky

Chapter Nine – Dermot

Chapter Ten – Vicky

Chapter Eleven – Dermot

Chapter Twelve – Vicky

Chapter Thirteen – Dermot

Chapter Fourteen – Vicky

Chapter Fifteen – Dermot

Chapter Sixteen – Vicky

Chapter Seventeen – Dermot

Chapter Eighteen – Vicky

Bear Humbug Sneak Peek

Also By Harmony Raines

Note from the author: My books are written, produced and edited in the UK where spellings and word usage can vary from U.S. English. The use of quotes in dialogue and other punctuation can also differ.

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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.  

© 2015 Harmony Raines

Silver Moon Erotica

Kindle Edition

Dermot took a sip of his beer, relaxing into his seat. He was in the local bar with his brothers for a pre-Christmas drink. Afterwards, they would go their separate ways, each putting in long shifts to make up for their lonely Christmas.

“Here we are again. Another Christmas, and we are all still bachelors.” Declan looked at his two brothers. Trust his older brother to put a downer on the festivities, but he was right, another year had gone by and still no mate. However, there was always hope for the New Year.

“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 stated firmly.

Dermot began to feel their pain. He wished he could make it right for them, that he could spread a little Christmas magic and help them find their mates. But this kind of thing was down to fate, and he had no control over that.

“Let’s face it, we hate Christmas,” Declan announced. Dermot glared at his brother, and Damon shook his head. “What? We do. It reminds us of everything we haven’t got, everything that we long for.”

Talk about zapping all the fun out the holiday season! Even Dermot was beginning to lose his Christmas cheer. He had to turn it around, make them all feel positive about life. After all, Christmas only came once a year, and alone or not, he was sure going to enjoy it.

“OK. So, let’s make a toast. Or a pact. By this time next year, we will all be looking forward to our first Christmases 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 then he had a thought. “And, if you haven’t found your mate by mid-summer, I’ll stick 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.” Declan looked as if he was going to sprout claws and swat his brothers round the head, but he reined his bear in.

Dermot wasn’t finished pushing Declan’s buttons. “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.” Declan got up, drained his beer, and then headed for the door.

“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,” Damon said.

“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.

Damon wiped the tears from his eyes. “Damn it, Dermot, we need to find ourselves some women.”

“I know,” Dermot said, drinking the rest of his beer. “It’s sad that none of us have got a family. I wouldn’t even mind being an uncle at Christmas. At least I would have someone to spoil.”

“Least you have the kids at the hospital to look in on. Now, that has to be tough on a parent,” Damon said. “I don’t know how I would bear having my kid sick.”

“That reminds me,” Dermot said, “I offered to take one of the kids home. She’s been given the go-ahead to spend the next couple of days at home, and her mom doesn’t have a car. You might remember her. Sorcha. Her dad died in that pile-up a couple of months ago.”

“How could I forget? Now I feel bad moaning about the small things that are missing in our lives.”

Damon was right. All three of them had attended the accident, one of the worst they had ever seen. It sure brought home to him how lucky he was to be alive, even if he was without a mate.

Dermot stood up, stretching his arms, and then said, “See you on the other side, Damon. Maybe we can all get together after Christmas. And definitely for New Year’s.”

“You never know, Dermot. By some Christmas miracle, we might have found our mates by then.”

Dermot nodded. “That would take some Christmas magic, Damon. But a man can dream. Have a good one.”

He headed for the door, waving at Penny, who always gave him a longing look.
If only
, he thought. But she wasn’t for him, and Declan was right, no point leading a woman on. Not when you knew she wasn’t
the one
.

Vicky unlocked the door of the small cabin she was renting for the holiday season; she had come here to get away from everything. Oh, who was she kidding, she had come here to hide.

“Now, if there’s anything you need, you just ask,” Mrs. McKinley said.

Mrs. McKinley owned the cabins, which were usually used for summer holiday rentals, and Vicky had managed to get a great deal for the holidays. Everyone else would be in their own homes for Christmas, not amongst strangers in a small town where everyone else knew each other. This was why she was here, she wanted to be invisible, but Mrs. McKinley had other ideas.

“I will. And thank you again.” Vicky pushed the door open. “Oh, you lit the fire.”

“Yes, well, since you don’t seem to have brought a man with you to keep you warm on these cold Bear Bluff nights.” Mrs. McKinley had already pried into Vicky’s personal life and established she didn’t have a husband, a boyfriend, or a mate of any kind.

“The fire will be just the thing to make up for not having a man, Mrs. McKinley,” Vicky said with a smile.

“There are plenty of good men here in Bear Bluff. You never know, the fates might have brought you here for a reason, Vicky.” Mrs. McKinley nodded sagely.

Vicky felt the need to put an end to any matchmaking plans she might have. “I am not looking for a mate, or a man of any kind, but thank you anyway. Now, if you don’t mind, I would love a cup of tea and a soak in a hot bath.”

“As you like.” Mrs. McKinley turned to go, but pulled up short when the sight of flashing blue lights came into the small courtyard. There were several other cabins and Vicky wondered who was ill. But Mrs. McKinley smiled and went out to meet the ambulance, calling to Vicky, “If you want to meet a good man, then you should let me introduce you to Dermot.”

“Thanks, but I don’t need a good man,” Vicky insisted, but found herself taking a step back outside the cabin and pulling the door shut, to keep the heat in. Several other people had started to come out of their cabins now, all looking happy, waiting for the ambulance to stop. “This is a weird town.”

“Oh, no. They aren’t happy because someone is ill,” Mrs. McKinley said, reading her thoughts. “They are happy because the ambulance is bringing Sorcha home for Christmas. Wee small bairn has been on the hospital ward these last three months and the doctors have finally said she can come home for a few days. Nothing like Christmas under your own roof.”

The ambulance pulled up in front of the cabin next door to Vicky’s, giving her a strange sensation along the length of her spine. Her brain grasped hold of the sensation and clung on to it. Maybe she wasn’t a lost cause after all; maybe she could feel the same happy feelings as other people. As her friends.

It was why she had run here to Bear Bluff. Where no one could find her. She had been very careful not to leave a trail that could be followed by the one person she knew would be searching for her. As hard as it was, she didn’t want to be found. Not when she was such a useless fraud.

“Here is our Dermot,” Mrs. McKinley said. The door of the ambulance opened and a huge, broad-chested man got out. “Hello, Dermot. Oh, is there something wrong?”

Dermot had the same expression on his face as Vicky knew was on hers.

She told herself to open the cabin door, go inside, and shut it firmly behind her. Yet she couldn’t move; his eyes held hers, captured in their beautiful green web of desire. In her chest, her heart hammered so hard, she was sure they would be taking her to the hospital in the back of this ambulance, if she couldn’t calm herself down.

He can take us anywhere
, the other voice in her head said.

“Oh, dears,” Mrs. McKinley said. “What did I tell you about Christmas magic?” The old lady slipped out of the way, leaving them alone.