Shifters in the Snow

by Jacqueline Sweet

  “Mother! Please… No, I’m not pregnant! Can’t I have an off day?”

  “Fine! I can but dream. So what are your plans for later?”

  I perched myself on a stool and carefully sipped the hot beverage in my hands. “Oh, nothing special. I’ll probably go on a hike through the woods as usual, then come back, wrap a few presents, then cozy up by the fire and read. It’ll be good to relax for a little bit.”

  “Oh, actually, before you go on your hike, would you be a dear and go to the store for me? Your father forgot to pack a few of the ingredients I’ll need for the meal tomorrow.”

  “Sure, write me a list, and I’ll be back in no time.”

  Once dressed, I grabbed the list my mom had made and jumped into my car. It was only a 20-minute drive to the nearest open store, and I’d be back in time to fit in a healthy walk.

  I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but doing Mom this small favor also gave me the excuse to drive slowly past Noah’s cabin. I don’t know what I expected to see, but as I drove alongside the makeshift curb, he wasn’t anywhere in sight; there were no lights on inside—not that it would be an indicator that he was home, of course, but there was no truck in the driveway, either. Perhaps he’d decided to leave? And forgo Christmas altogether, which in a way would be a relief. His having Christmas dinner with us would only amount to torture for me. I wouldn’t be able to stop staring at him… On the other hand my heart sank, knowing that I might not see him ever again.

  I pushed him out of my thoughts and continued the drive to the store. Once there, I grabbed a cart and studied the quite extensive list my mom had provided—she was definitely going overboard with some things, no doubt hoping to impress our guest—and proceeded to go up and down the aisles trying to find all items she needed. After picking up some goat cheese, (god only knows what she wanted with that), I saw a familiar form disappearing down the liquor aisle out of the corner of my eye.

  Without a second thought, I followed Noah, then peeked around the shelves at the end of the aisle to take a closer look. In the harsh light of the supermarket I was able to study him a little bit better than I had been able to the night before, and I found my heart racing again as I watched him standing there, motionless. Actually, he was glaring at the rows of wine bottles in front of him as if they offended him somehow. His brow was furrowed as he scanned the countless rows of bottles.

  I was in two minds as to whether I should approach him or not; I was still mildly pissed at him for the way he’d shouted at me, so I skirted around the area, hoping he’d move on. I’d come back later to get the bottle of cooking sherry that was still on my list. I’d go gather the other ingredients in the meantime.

  I slowly turned the cart back around, hoping he wouldn’t hear or see me, and just when I thought I was out of his line of sight, I heard my name being called.

  “Katie? Is that you?”

  I stopped. He knew my name. How on earth did he know my name? I began to push the cart away from him, he probably wasn’t calling after me anyway. There were plenty of other Katies in the world. But he said my name again, this time somewhere closer, and I could hear his footsteps behind me.

  But I continued to walk anyway. His footfalls got increasingly faster until he was almost by my side.

  “Your name is Katie, right?” He placed his thick hands on the side of my cart and stopped it in its tracks. I couldn’t make it budge even if I wanted to. I glared at him, hoping he’d let go, but his grip was too strong… and he just glared back.

  “What do you want?”

  He sighed. “Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot last night, and I owe you an apology. I didn’t mean to scare you. Or shout at you.”

  “In order for you to actually apologize you have to say the words, you know.”

  He chuckled. The corners of his lips creaked up into a smile from behind his stubble-lined face. For a moment I forgot what on earth I was mad about and concentrated only on his soft, pink lips that were begging to be kissed.

  “In that case, Katie, I am very sorry.” His eyes sparkled. “Will you forgive me?”

  “We’ll see,” I said with a hint of a smile that I was doing a bad job at hiding. “Now if you don’t mind, can you let go? I need to do some shopping.”

  His hand suddenly sprang free from the edges of the cart, and he shoved them into his jacket pockets. “Sorry,” he said, looking sheepish. Though he continued to stand and stare at me as if he was trying to figure out what else to say.

  I raised my eyebrows inquisitively. “Was there anything else?” I asked coldly.

  “Actually, if you have a moment, I wouldn’t mind getting your advice.” He backed away from me and turned towards the shelves that contained the wine bottles and motioned for me to follow him. It would have been rude to turn away at that point, so I followed, all the while happily watching his strong legs and his perfectly muscled buns doing wonders in the jeans he was wearing. I couldn’t help but look, and I could feel a slight reddening of my cheeks as he turned around and caught me.

  He raised an eyebrow but refrained from calling me out on it, which I was grateful for. “So, you’re probably aware that your mom invited me to dinner tomorrow?” I nodded. “Well, I didn’t want to turn up empty-handed and was trying to decide whether I should bring white or red,” he said, pointing to the bottles of wine.

  I shook my head and smiled. “Neither.”

  “Huh?”

  “My mom doesn’t drink wine, and my dad will only drink whiskey. Well, that or water, or beer.”

  I smiled, but Noah’s face fell, and his lips twisted. “Well there goes my plan,” he said quietly.

  I couldn’t bear to see him so miserable and quickly added, “You can always try chocolates instead. They’re both chocoholics.”

  “Good idea, thanks. I’d feel like such a schmuck if I didn’t turn up with something. Your mom has been so kind to me after what happened to my uncle Emmett.”

  My hand reached out to his arm, and I patted him gently, feeling the twisted rope of muscle underneath. It was an innocent gesture, but I didn’t expect to feel a thrilling sensation shoot up my arm as a result, and I almost gasped. I tilted my head to look up to him. “I’m so very sorry for your loss. And I know people always say that, but I truly mean it. Mr. Jenkins was a lovely man.”

  “That he was. He will be sorely missed.”

  We wandered slowly towards the confectionery aisle, and I kept sneaking glances at him. It was like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders; his uncle’s passing had really hit him hard, and my heart went out to him. I didn’t know what else to say, except to be there for him, but I hoped a change of subject might help take his mind off it. “So, are you going to be living on Scarfell Mountain permanently now?”

  “Yup. That’s the plan. Emmett left me the cabin in his will, but even if he hadn’t, I would’ve found my way here eventually.”

  “Oh? How come? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I adore the mountains and would probably live here full-time if I could, but won’t you miss the city?”

  “Probably. But this is where I belong.” I couldn’t help but think that there was more to his words than what he’d said, but his tone indicated that if I inquired any further, I wouldn’t get anywhere.

  I scanned the shelves, looking for my mother’s favorite chocolates. Once I found them, I reached up and handed them to him. “Here, these will get you into my mom’s good books.”

  “And what about your good books? How do I get into those?”

  Had he really just said that to me? If my cheeks weren’t already glowing red, they surely were now. I tried to compose myself and prayed that I wouldn’t stutter. “That, you’ll have to find out for yourself,” I said and quickly turned my cart around, scampering away.

  Chapter 4

  After coming back from the store and dropping off the shopping, I headed straight for the trail that would lead me a few miles up and around the mountain. It made for a refreshing
change, being outdoors in the wilderness, and it gave me time to think about what had happened with Simon and my brazen behavior this morning at the store with Noah. He was cute and all, and he definitely hit all my right buttons, but did I really want to enter into a new relationship so soon after leaving Simon? Not to mention Noah had said he would be living permanently on Scarfell for the foreseeable future. There would be no way we could have a decent relationship, what with me being in the city for the majority of the time and him up on the mountain.

  But I was getting way ahead of myself… we hadn’t even kissed yet. I was letting my wayward mind daydream dangerously. It was silly to think that he would be interested in anything more than a casual holiday fling, anyway.

  As I trundled down the trail and back towards the cabin, Noah was still in my thoughts, and I found myself wanting the next day to come sooner than it would. Not because it was Christmas Day, and I was waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney like I was still ten years old, but because I’d have another excuse to see him again.

  I came out of the trees, the snow crunching beneath my boots, and I made my way down to the main path that led to the cabins. A loud banging could be heard not too far away, definitely disturbing the peace and tranquility of the area. As I approached our cabin, I could hear the noise coming from Noah’s side. I climbed up on the porch and tried my best to peek over the fence that divided the properties.

  I struggled to contain a gasp as I witnessed the raw scene in front of me. Noah was bent over a makeshift workbench, sweat dripping down his naked back, his shirt tied around his waist, and his arm pounding nails into what looked like a new front door. It puzzled me to see him like that; it seemed downright weird, to be honest. I was standing in full protective gear to ward off the cold, and yet here Noah was half-naked, without a care in the world, his back muscles bulging as flurries of snow danced around his form.

  I ducked back down, swallowed the thick lump in my throat and quietly went into the house.

  I found my mom in the kitchen again; she sat at the kitchen table nursing a cup of cocoa. “There’s still some in the saucepan if you want it.”

  “Just the ticket,” I said, a plan formulating in my wicked head.

  “Do you know what the banging outside is all about?” she asked as I maneuvered over towards the stove. I poured the steaming cocoa into a cup, then grabbed another and did the same. It was times like these that made me so grateful for my mom.

  “You remember I said I thought Noah was breaking in last night?” She nodded. “Well, I think he’s trying to fix his front door.”

  Her eyebrow arched upwards and I saw the most devious twinkle in her eye. “He must be freezing out there. Why don’t you take him some of the cocoa?”

  I narrowed my eyes at her and wondered if she could read my thoughts. “Maybe I will,” I said with a smirk, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing that it’d been my plan all along. It was the least I could do, a peace offering of sorts. He’d found it in his heart to apologize for last night, plus, it would also give me an excuse to get another peek at him.

  I grabbed the cups and went outside. It was a bit of a struggle to open my neighbor’s back gate with no hands free, but I managed anyway, and I propped it open. I thought I’d been quiet, but Noah must’ve heard me as I moved towards the back of the property because his whole body was turned in my direction as I rounded the corner.

  My jaw clenched as I saw him, and I nibbled on my lip as I tried hard to keep eye contact with him. But my wayward eyes couldn’t be controlled, and I found myself looking him up and down, studying his broad shoulders and washboard abs. He was positively primal… How could he not be cold, standing there half-naked like that?

  “Like what you see?” he asked, bringing me out of my reverie.

  Flustered, I coughed and couldn’t bring myself to answer as I felt that once again my cheeks were set alight.

  He seemed to enjoy teasing me and chuckled at my silence. “So, what brings you to my neck of the woods? Didn’t think I’d see you till tomorrow.”

  “You looked cold, so I thought I’d bring you some cocoa to warm you up,” I said as I handed him the mug, the liquid inside giving away my nerves as it nearly sloshed over the rim.

  “Oh, you were spying on me, were you?”

  “What? No, I wasn’t spying.”

  “Don’t deny it, you little minx.”

  “Hey! Well, you were making such a racket that I… Anyone could’ve seen you standing there like that,” I replied, knowing full well I was letting him get under my skin.

  “You still haven’t answered my question.”

  “What question is that?” I asked, as I put a hand on my hip and squared up to him defensively.

  He stepped forward and leaned in closer, making my heart flutter. My breathing halted as I felt the heat radiate off his bare chest. He was like a furnace, on fire, and I felt like I was melting in front of him. “Do you like what you see?” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear, making me shudder.

  I almost spilled the cocoa down his front as my head snapped up to stare at him.

  What should I say? Should I tell him the truth? That I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, that I wanted him… practically needed him to lay his hands on me?

  I was in dangerous territory, swimming in shark-infested waters, and I had no idea what to do. He looked like he was ready to devour me.

  Perhaps he thought I hadn’t heard him. “I said—”

  “I heard what you said,” I replied breathlessly as I gazed into his crystal clear green eyes. I hadn’t noticed before now, but being this close, I could see flecks of sparkling gold within his irises.

  Before I could say anything else, he closed the distance between us, reducing it to almost nothing; his head was barely an inch away from mine and his body towered over me, radiating heat that threatened to burn my skin.

  A second later, his lips were on mine, his hands in my hair… he tasted like spicy chocolate. I had no idea what I was doing, my brain switched off, and my body took over. The cup of cocoa in my hand fell onto the waiting snow below as my arms wrapped around his neck, and I had to step on my tiptoes to do so.

  His hands moved down my body, then wrapped around my waist. He lifted me easily and positioned me on the workbench. His tongue sneaked into my mouth, and I moaned.

  The whole world fell away. It was just Noah and me… and it felt like fate. As if this kiss had been pre-destined and planned even before we were born.

  “What the hell?” a familiar voice yelled, and for a second I closed my eyes and willed it to go away. “Katie!”

  My hands went out and pushed Noah away. His chest was a mass of solid muscle, and under other circumstances there would be no way I would be able to push him away, but he’d already taken a step back to face the intruder.

  “I came all this way, and the first thing that I see is you with your hands on another man,” Simon said as he glared at the two of us.

  “Who the fuck is he?” Simon yelled as he came towards us.

  Not realizing that I still had my hands on Noah’s chest, I felt a rumble as Noah started to growl at Simon. It was as if he were turning into a wild animal, ready and eager to protect me.

  A persistent mantra kept playing over and over in my head as I stared at Simon. What the fuck? What the fuck? What the fuck?

  Why on earth was he here? Hadn’t he gotten the message that we were over? I think I was pretty fucking clear when I told him that I didn’t ever want to see him again, that we were over, finito! There was no way I was ever going to give Simon a second chance after he’d laid his hands on me one night when he’d come home drunk, accusing me of all sorts of things. And in a drunken rage, when I didn’t provide him with what he thought were the right answers, he’d pushed me down, causing me to fall and bruise my tailbone. He had been so full of fury he’d reeled back his arm in preparation to strike me when I managed to scramble away and lock myself
in the bathroom. Of course he’d come to his senses and started begging me over and over again to forgive him, and that he was truly sorry for what he’d done and was about to do. But it was the last warning sign that I needed to end the relationship and kick him out of the apartment. I only regretted not handing back the engagement ring.

  “Let me deal with this,” I said quietly. Noah took a deep breath and stepped aside, letting me pass and head off Simon’s approach. I couldn’t let Simon anywhere near Noah, as it was plain to see Noah would pulverize him without much effort. But knowing Simon, he would try it—antagonize him, just to prove how much of a man he was.

  “Katie, answer me. Who the hell is he?” His face was red, and he was practically yelling. There would be no doubt that my parents would be coming outside to see what was going on. I had to get rid of Simon before they saw him. I didn’t want to explain to them what he’d done to me and make them worry even more.

  “I do not have to explain myself to you, Simon. And keep your fucking voice down,” I hissed at him as I strode past him, forcing him to follow me out towards the front end of Noah’s cabin and out of my parents’ earshot.

  Once I was satisfied that we were far enough away, I stopped and turned to face him. I was determined not to shy away from him and let him see how scared I was to confront him. I placed my hands on my hips, bracing myself, ready for the fight that was about to begin. I was fully expecting him to continue ranting and raving as he had been doing only moments ago, but he surprised me when his face softened and turned doe-eyed. But I wasn’t a fool—I wasn’t going to fall for his games again.

  “Katie, why do you do this to me?” he said sweetly, and it almost turned my stomach the way he said my name.

  “Do what? I told you I never wanted to see you again.”

  “Shhh, don’t say that. You don’t mean it. Hell, you haven’t even taken your ring off.”

  Goddamnit! I thought. How I’d forgotten to take it off again I did not know. But I was not going let another moment pass with it still on my finger. I reached for it, turned the metal around my cold finger and slid it off. There, it was done.