Table of Contents
Copyright
Foreword
Chapter One – Dash
Chapter Two – Gina
Chapter Three – Dash
Chapter Four – Gina
Chapter Five – Dash
Chapter Six – Gina
Chapter Seven – Dash
Chapter Eight – Gina
Chapter Nine – Dash
Chapter Ten – Gina
Chapter Eleven – Dash
Chapter Twelve – Gina
Epilogue
Get In Touch
Dashing Home for Christmas
A Wishing Moon Bay Romance
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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.
© 2021 Harmony Raines
Dashing Home for Christmas
A Wishing Moon Bay Romance
Reindeer shifter Dash is traveling home to Wishing Moon Bay for Christmas.
One phone mix-up later and he has the best Christmas gift ever. His mate.
But he soon realizes he will have to sacrifice his own happiness to make Gina’s Christmas wish come true.
Chapter One – Dash
Dash pushed open the door leading into the gas station and scanned the shelves for snacks. After driving for four hours straight, he needed an energy boost, or he wouldn’t make it home for Christmas. Strangely, until he stopped off for fuel, he’d felt good. But now...
He rubbed the back of his neck, flattening the hairs, only for them to stand back on end as soon as he reached for a couple of candy bars and some potato chips. Perhaps he’d feel better once he got back in his truck and drove the last fifty miles to Wishing Moon Bay. If his fuel gauge hadn’t been uncomfortably close to empty, he’d have kept on going.
That’s not exactly true, his reindeer told him. His other side was right. Something else had told him to stop at the gas station. Something irresistible, something that could not be ignored. But he couldn’t say exactly what that was.
The only other person in the store was the guy at the counter, who eyed Dash with some suspicion as he reached out to place his hand on the corner of a shelf to steady himself.
He thinks you’re drunk. Or under the influence of drugs.
Dash wasn’t. He was stone-cold sober. Whatever was affecting him was not alcohol or drugs, it was something deep down inside him, something that had awoken when he reached the gas station.
He placed the candy bars and chips on the counter, setting his phone down next to it. “I’m just going to grab a drink.”
“I bet you are,” the cashier mumbled under his breath. Most normal people wouldn’t have heard him speak, but as a shifter, Dash had the advantage of exceptional hearing and exceptional strength. He might be a reindeer shifter and not one of the big predators, but he could still pack a mean punch.
His fist clenched at his side. Dash wasn’t a violent man but something primal stirred inside him, rearing its head and fighting to break free.
The guy’s only saying what most people would think if they saw you lumbering around like a big old bear, his reindeer said. I just hope we can shake off whatever is wrong. We have a big night ahead of us in a couple of days. We must be on our A-game.
I’ll be okay once I’ve had something to eat and a drink. He opened the cooler and took out a couple of bottles of water and one of those super sweet drinks that were filled with caffeine and all kinds of unnatural things.
The guy at the counter watched him place them down in front of him. “Is that everything?”
“And the fuel on number two.” Dash inclined his head toward the window. Another car was driving away from the pumps, heading in the opposite direction to Dash.
“Okay. Card or cash?”
“Card.” Dash pulled out his wallet and paid for his stuff, which he scooped up along with his phone. Before he’d even reached the door, he tore the top off the candy bar with his teeth and took a bite. By the time he reached his truck, he’d eaten the whole thing. The sugar rush helped a whole lot, as he drove away from the gas station his energy levels were up, although he still didn’t feel quite right.
Did you forget something? his reindeer asked.
No. He patted his pocket. I have my wallet and my phone. A quick glance at the passenger seat confirmed he hadn’t left any of his purchases behind. Yet his reindeer was right, it was as if he’d lost something. But nothing was missing.
Aside from that mate we’ve never found, his reindeer said drily.
Unfortunately, a mate is not something you can pick up at a gas station. Dash turned on the radio. A sappy love song filled the cab of his truck and he flicked the dial to another channel. Better. A jingly Christmas tune replaced the heartache of the guy who’d lost his girl.
At least he’d found his girl, his reindeer groaned.
Hey, you need to get over this bad mood, Dash told him. ‘Tis the season to be jolly. And we’re supposed to be the jolliest.
No, that job goes to Santa. We just have to pull the sleigh.
It’ll be good to see everyone again. Dash had been away from home for a few months. He’d taken on some construction work for an old friend who’d been let down by his contractor. After promising his mate they’d be in their new house for Christmas, he’d begged Dash to come to his rescue. Dash could not refuse.
They worked sixteen-hour days over the last week to make sure the house was ready, and the family finally moved in yesterday. After a quick celebration, Dash had gotten in his truck and started the long drive home this morning. It was now late afternoon and the sun had slipped over the horizon an hour ago, leaving darkness in its wake.
The truck’s bright headlights illuminated the road ahead as he sang along to Christmas tunes on the radio and his thoughts turned toward his family who were waiting for him in Wishing Moon Bay.
He might not have a mate, but he had a brother and a sister, who had mates and children of her own. They all got together at Christmas to celebrate. Dash loved nothing more than doing his duty of pulling Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve and delivering all the gifts lovingly wrapped for friends and family. Tired and happy, he’d then head to his sister’s house to watch his own family open their gifts on Christmas morning.
Christmas was the best time of year. He never grew tired of it. He certainly never resented giving up his time to pull Santa’s sleigh and spread a little magic over the world.
The headlights reflected off the first signpost to Wishing Moon Bay. He was so close to home.
Rolling down the window, he breathed in the fresh cold air, filled with the promise of snow. He shivered, a thrill of excitement creeping up his spine, yet still, he could not get rid of the sense of loss that had sat in the back of his mind since the gas station. Once more he placed his hand on his pocket to check that he had his phone and wallet, before checking the passenger seat again.
He hadn’t left anything behind. So why couldn’t he shake that feeling?
The second sign for Wishing Moon Bay passed by almost unnoticed as his forehead creased and he stared at the road in front of him.
Whatever he sensed had really gotten to him. Perhaps when he got to his hometown, he’d feel more like himself.
A smile crossed his lips as he pictured the scene waitin
g for him. His sister had a boy and a girl, Russel and Juliet had a special place in his heart. Dash loved spending time with them any day, but Christmas was his favorite time of year to spend hours of fun playing with them. Especially if it snowed. They would hitch up a sled to his reindeer and he would take them all over town, and as they grew older, they even ventured onto the lower slopes of the hills that surrounded the mountain range to the north of town. If the temperatures dropped enough and the river flowing down from the mountains froze, he would also skate across the ice with them.
It brought back memories of when he and his siblings were children. His father, who was also a reindeer shifter, would take them out on the same sled Dash now pulled. Those were the fun, carefree days when anything seemed possible.
The turn-off for town was on his left, almost concealed by overhanging trees, if you didn’t know it was there, it was easy to miss. And if the town didn’t want you to visit, it could conceal itself and you would never find the road into Wishing Moon Bay, no matter how hard you looked.
The story passed down over generations told of how the first settlers in town were a group of witches and wizards, they cast a protection spell that kept out anyone who might want to harm them. Over the years, the town of Wishing Moon Bay grew bigger and became a hub for those who were different. Different in a supernatural way.
Along with witches and wizards, the town was now home to shifters of all varieties along with vampires and other supernatural creatures who, to those in the outside world, only exist in myths and legends. Even though he’d lived here his whole life, Dash had never met a unicorn or a gargoyle in person, but his mother had, and his mother never lied.
Unless it was for our own good, his reindeer answered.
Dash chuckled as they recalled their mom telling them if they didn’t take their medicine they would never fly.
We didn’t take our medicine, and we can fly. His reindeer ran around excitedly, prancing with his knees high in anticipation. The magic that enabled Santa’s reindeer to fly was only strong enough at Christmas. From tonight until two days after Christmas Eve, a few chosen reindeer shifters had the ability to fly. Dash was one of those lucky enough to pull Santa’s sleigh.
The trees that hemmed in the narrow road crowded in on them. The truck’s headlights barely pierced the darkness as they entered the tunnel that connected the outside world to the town of Wishing Moon Bay and the places beyond.
If you traveled far enough over the ocean that swept into the bay, you would find an island where the dragons lived. They were the oldest of the shifters, the most secretive. They rarely visited Wishing Moon Bay unless it was for supplies. Although, there were a handful of dragon shifters who lived in the town itself. Those who had mates who were not welcome on the Dragon Isle for whatever reason, and Ivan, who worked at the local hotel.
As an orphaned boy, he’d been taken in by Valerie, who owned the Wishing Moon Hotel. She’d raised him along with five other orphaned shifters even though the dragons told her the boy belonged with them.
Valerie had fought to keep the boy and after a meeting with the dragon clan, they had finally agreed. That was so long ago, Ivan was approaching middle age now, but the dragons acted as if he didn’t exist.
Home. His reindeer leaped for joy. Once we’ve dropped our gear off at home and said hello to everyone, I am going to run until I can run no more.
Dash’s other side had remained hidden while they worked in the outside world. There were no reindeer in the area where they’d worked, and if anyone had seen him and taken a photo, his face would have been plastered all over the news. He did not need that kind of publicity.
So tonight his reindeer would run and run until his lungs burned and his muscles ached. He needed to get rid of some of his pent-up energy so that he didn’t get carried away on Christmas Eve and cause the heavy sleigh to tip over. That might sound overdramatic but pulling the sleigh for Santa required all the reindeer to work together in perfect harmony with each pair of reindeer in perfect sync. How else would all the presents get delivered?
Dash steered the truck out of the tunnel and headed for the small cabin he called home. Nestled into a shallow valley in the foothills of the mountains, it gave him the peace and tranquility he craved but he was close enough to town that if his family needed him, he could be there in twenty minutes. Driving down the backroads, he whistled along to one of his favorite Christmas tunes. The feeling that he’d left something behind began to subside, but even when he reached his cabin and got out of the truck, filling his lungs with the cool mountain air, he could not shake it completely.
Perhaps once Christmas was over and the excitement had gone, he’d be back to his normal self.
Grabbing his luggage from the back of the truck, he strode to the porch and climbed the steps to the front door. Unlocking it, he stepped inside, the air damp. He’d light a fire and air the place out for an hour before he headed over to his sister’s house to say hello and see the children.
Dumping his luggage at the bottom of the stairs, he took his phone out of his pocket and swiped the screen, his finger hovering over the dial.
Only the phone was locked, the background picture was not the familiar one of his nieces and nephews seated on a fallen tree trunk with big smiles on their faces. Instead, there was a picture of a man and a woman holding hands with a child. He didn’t recognize any of their faces.
Worse, the phone was locked, and he had no idea what the code was. Somehow, he’d picked up someone else’s phone.
The gas station, his reindeer told him. It had to be the gas station.
But no one else was there. Just whose phone had he gotten and who exactly had his phone?
Chapter Two – Gina
“Damn it.” She ground the heel of her hand into the steering wheel and lowered her forehead to rest on the cool plastic. What was she supposed to do now?
Where the hell was her phone? She breathed deeply until she was calm. Getting upset wouldn’t help at all. She’d had her phone in the car before she went into the gas station, she must have left it there. If she doubled back, she could get back to the gas station and retrieve her phone in fifteen minutes.
Gina leaned forward, ignoring the bright crescent moon overhead as she fixed her attention on the heavy snow clouds to her right. She couldn’t risk getting stuck in the snow, but she figured she had plenty of time to go back, get her phone and continue her journey.
Checking for traffic, she turned the car around and headed back to the gas station. Her phone had better be there.
Fifteen minutes later she stood in front of the guy behind the counter at the gas station. “Hi, did I leave my phone?”
“Is this it?” He half turned and picked up her phone off the shelf behind the counter.
“It is. Thank you so much.” Relief swept over her. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“No problem.” The guy checked out her ass as she headed for the door, but she’d let him off. This one time.
Gina jogged across the lot her car and slid into the driver’s seat. She’d give her brother a call before she drove on, just to check that he was okay. He was stuck in a hotel room, five hundred miles away from his family with no hope of getting home for Christmas.
Are you home yet?
Gina reread the text message. She didn’t know who had sent it, worse she had no idea who the message was for. The phone in her hand didn’t belong to her.
Yanking open the car door, she got out and headed back into the gas station. The phone the clerk handed her was identical to hers to look at, same make, same model, but it was not her phone.
“Hi, sorry to bother you again.”
The guy looked her up and down with an expression that said she could bother him anytime. “What can I do for you?” He leaned forward over the counter as she approached. He must get lonely stuck out here at night on his own but if he thought she was about to ask him on a date, or even to share a coffee from the machine at the back of the
store, he was way off base.
“This isn’t my phone.” She held it up, but he just stared at it.
“That’s the phone you left on the counter.” He sounded defensive as if he suspected this was going to end up with him in trouble. “I picked it up after you left.”
“And there are no other phones on the back there? Another similar phone perhaps?” She smiled to put him at ease.
“No, there are no other phones at all, and I know that is the one you left because I picked it up and put it there myself.” He leaned back and folded his arms across his body.
“Okay.” She tapped the phone on her chin for a moment. “There was someone else here as I drove off. Is it possible they took my phone and left this phone?”
The guy frowned, obviously this wasn’t going the way he’d hoped when she walked back into the gas station. “It’s possible.” His frown deepened. “The guy seemed a little spaced. He did put his phone down on the counter.” He shrugged. “I guess that could be it. I found your phone after he left.”
“Right. Do you know who he was? Does he live locally?” She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer to whoever might be listening. “I really need my phone back.”
“I don’t know him. He comes in sometimes but not regularly.”
“Do you have any idea where he lives?” The guy shook his head. “What direction did he drive off in?”
“That way.” He pointed in the direction Gina had come from. She’d have to backtrack even farther and hope that the guy lived locally. The thought of driving for a hundred miles or more in search of her phone with the weather closing in gave her the chills.
“Thanks.” She stuffed her hand in her pocket and took out some coins which she set down on the counter. “Sorry, it’s the only cash I have on me. But I wanted to say thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He scooped up the coins and put them in the pocket of his baggy jeans. “I hope you find your phone.”
Dashing Home for Chrstmas Page 1