by V. Vaughn
The man he'd been about to strangle huffed out a grunt of anger, holding his ground and rubbing at his throat as he stared back at Wyatt. “The fuck,” the guy started to growl, his bear rumbling beneath his voice, but Brynna cut him off.
“Both of you, stop being such guys,” she snapped, the usually creamy-smooth voice that about brought Wyatt to his knees each time he heard it sounding more sandpaper rough at the moment. “What the hell is this, Wyatt? You're acting like a psycho! Thor could call the sheriff and have you charged with assault if you touch him." Her pretty brown eyes narrowed at him. “Of course, since you're the new deputy here, your po-po buddies would make sure the charges wouldn't stick."
Po-po? Despite the situation, Wyatt snorted in some amusement.
Brynna's beautiful eyes narrowed even more. Beautiful woman, beautiful little deer shifter. Fuck him, he was halfway to getting a boner just looking at her angry fire right now. What the hell was wrong with him, anyway? Mate, his bear roared again. Wyatt tightened his jaw in frustration at that impossibility. No, she wasn't. Not anymore.
Not ever again.
The man she was with interjected again. "There won't be any charges, though it's tempting. Idiot,” he snapped, glaring at Wyatt. His bear flared bright in his eyes. “I'm not competition. I'm engaged to Brynna's sister. Whom I love dearly and have eyes only for.” He turned his frown on Brynna. “So this blockhead is Wyatt, huh? And he's the new deputy here?" Shaking his head, he glared back at Wyatt again. "If you want to make it in Deep Hollow, you need to get a handle on that temper of yours. That's just asking for trouble around here.”
Wyatt clenched his jaw as his temper flared again past the edges of his control. “There won't be any trouble as long as you stay away from her. Do you understand me?” His voice was gravel. He could hear the edge of his still pissed off bear in it. He didn't care what the guy said, or who he was engaged to. He was standing way too fucking close to Brynna.
The man opened his mouth again, but this time Brynna jerked her head no. “Don't bother, Thor. He's playing over-possessive cave bear again. Something that hasn't changed in the last five years, apparently.” She looked at Wyatt with her chin tipped up a bit, an unconsciously defiant stance that suddenly made him want to smile at how fierce she was. Which was very fierce. And strong.
The night they'd had dinner, she'd told him about the bad accident she'd been in a few months ago, the sheer grit and determination of her healing journey. Being half human, she didn't have the swift healing capabilities of a shifter, though she could still heal much faster than any pure human. But it had still been a tough journey for her. Yeah, she was as strong as she was sexy. He'd always loved that about her. It turned him on to a ridiculous degree, in fact. Turned him on so much he wanted to grab her, right here and now, and pull her close to him while he aimed his lengthening canines for the sweet flesh of her shoulder.
So he could bite her and make her his.
Wait, what? The fuck was wrong with him? No. Wyatt ground his lower jaw at the bizarre, completely unexpected thoughts that had been dogging him ever since he'd reconnected with her. He needed to focus. His bear rumbled inside, not wanting to focus on anything but Brynna.
Fine. She thought he was a cave bear? He could play that game. That was something he'd always been good at. Especially around Brynna Darby. "All right, Bryn.” She bristled at the familiar way he said it, but he didn't miss the catch in her breath or the scent of her undeniable arousal. Yup. No matter what had happened in the past, they were both goners, at least as far as physical attraction to one another went. “So since we've made sure your little tagalong here”—the other bear growled under his breath but kept still—“isn't a problem, you will agree to have dinner with me again. Tonight." His tone said he expected nothing but a yes answer.
There, fierce little reindeer shifter. Let's see how you handle that, he thought with a satisfaction that was both grim and somewhat amused. He always had liked pushing her buttons. Her reaction would be worth it.
Yup. Her eyes now widened as her mouth dropped open. Then pure fire stormed back into her expression. Her chest heaved with an outraged gasp, and she clenched adorable little fists at her sides. But before she could answer, Wyatt got jostled from behind. Whipping around to level a glare at the clumsy other shifter who'd just smacked into him, Wyatt growled. But his running buddy ignored him and looked past Wyatt. Then he made a grunting noise of understanding.
"Hey, Brynna.” Orson nodded at her. “This dickhead giving you any trouble?"
Wyatt snapped his head back around just in time to see Brynna's full lips twitch. She snorted, then shook her head. “Just making trouble for himself, Orson. Same as when we were kids. He never grew out of it.”
Orson gravely shook his head back at Brynna. “Yeah. Fatal disease for him, troublemaking. You hear that, World Wide Web?” He jabbed Wyatt in the side and gave him a hard glare. “You're going to troublemake yourself to an early grave.”
Brynna's eyebrows rose. “You guys still call him that?” A sudden, reminiscent smile turned her lips up more as her irritation suddenly seemed to ebb.
Wyatt caught his breath at the sight. Yes. Finally, Brynna smiled, full and open. Right at Wyatt. Ahh, shit. He was a goner again. He felt his rage and possessiveness leak away in the face of the sweet, stunning beauty that was Brynna Darby, cutest, sexiest little reindeer shifter he'd ever met. Not like he'd met that many, since reindeer shifters were pretty rare. But she was definitely the cutest and the sexiest one. His sudden high spirits couldn't be dampened even when the guy still too close to Brynna snorted, “World Wide Web? Why do you call him that?”
Brynna's face bloomed like a gorgeous flower as she still smiled, just looking at Wyatt. It was genuine, too. She wasn't nearly as pissed anymore, and she wasn't mocking him. “Childhood nickname. Because his name is Wyatt Walker Webber.”
Wyatt felt a shiver of delight tiptoe up and down his spine at the sound of his full name rolled in her mouth, kissed by her lips. Shiiiiit. He was so screwed.
“It got turned into World Wide Web when we were all kids. I guess it stuck. I almost forgot about it,” she added softly.
Wyatt forced himself to take a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. Picking a fight practically in the middle of town wasn't a good idea. No, he and his fellow po-po couldn't go around terrorizing the very citizens they were supposed to protect. He needed to chill the hell out. Now that Brynna was smiling at him—and why did that make him so stupidly happy, anyway?—Wyatt could let himself relax. Some.
“Look, I'm sorry I was a dick.” Relaxed or not, that was hard to say. He ignored Orson's huffed snort of agreement. His friend always called him dick anyway, like it was his name or something. He forced himself to stick out his hand to the guy next to Brynna, Thor or whatever, ordering himself not to crush it. “I'm Deputy Webber. Call me Wyatt. You are?”
With a final glance at Brynna, the guy shrugged. Sticking out his own hand to meet Wyatt's in a strong grip, he said easily, “Cool. I'm Thor Calhoun. Your middle name's Walker, huh?”
Wyatt nodded.
“You happen to be related to the Walker clan?” Thor's voice stayed casual, though his eyes sized Wyatt up with some new respect. The Walkers were held in high regard here in Deep Hollow.
Wyatt nodded again. “Cousin. I grew up here. Left for a job somewhere else years ago.” He didn't look at Brynna when he said that. “Then came back for a job here. I'm home to stay,” he couldn't help adding. He'd said that to Brynna the other night at dinner, but he felt the strong need to remind her. This time, he wasn't going anywhere.
Thor grunted. He sounded calm again when he spoke. “Well then, I guess you might not be a total asshole if you're a Walker.” He shrugged, then grinned suddenly. “Okay. Welcome home. It's a good time of year to be here. Christmas in this town is the best.”
A brief silence thunked over them, awkward and abruptly uncomfortable. Fuuuck. Wyatt didn't look at Brynna. Even so, he could feel her
determinedly not looking at him, either.
Wyatt loved Christmas in Deep Hollow, and always had ever since he was a cub. He loved the sparkle and jingle of the holiday. The way Main Street was lit from end to end with colorful lights draped over the street signs, the lamp posts, the benches and business windows. It was dumb, but he'd also always loved caroling, and drinking hot cider, and the smell of fresh pine needles as everyone hung wreaths on doorways. But the last time he'd seen Brynna, before the other night, had been on Christmas Eve five years ago. The memory of that night had ruined his Christmases for years.
It had been a week before he was set to go to Montana for his new job. He knew she'd never liked Christmas, and he understood why, but he'd been so damned pleased with his idea, so sure she'd love it, that he couldn't help himself. He'd dressed up as Santa, complete with the classic hat on his head and his beard temporarily dyed white. His big plan was to give her a Christmas gift she'd always remember: a gorgeous engagement ring. He planned to ask her to come with him to Montana, ring on her finger, and make him the happiest bear on the planet.
Well, that was a big, fat nope.
Cute little Brynna Darby, fuckin' love of his life and definitely his mate, had broken up with him on Christmas Eve instead. “I'm sorry, Wyatt,” she'd said, her eyes shining with tears even as she stood firm. “I just can't go with you.” She needed more than being a reindeer shifter, living in little towns that had ridiculous expectations of her every holiday season. She wasn't about to move from tiny Deep Hollow, Colorado, to equally tiny Snowhaven, Montana, just to follow Wyatt, even if she loved him. A place called Snowhaven probably had even more crazy Christmas celebrations than Deep Hollow anyway, and who wanted that? Not Brynna Darby, reindeer shifter. No, she needed more than Wyatt could offer her.
So instead of saying yes to his romantic holiday proposal, she had news for him. Since he was leaving Deep Hollow and she had nothing to keep her there anymore, she'd secretly applied for and then accepted a job in Miami. Fuckin’ Florida. Far from winter, other reindeer, and holiday traditions like the ones here.
Far from Wyatt.
Yeah, that had stung. Bad. Worst Christmas ever, and it had soured him on the season for a while. So he'd worked hard over the past several years to forget Brynna, and he'd practically succeeded. But then the other night happened. Oh, yeah. The other night.
Shit. Sexy, sexy little Brynna that night. It was just a kiss, but the hottest one of his life. And that was saying a lot, considering how many times he'd been privileged enough to kiss her in the past. He couldn't focus on that too much right now, or he'd get a freaking boner for sure. Just like damned teenager again.
Quickly, before it got any more awkward, Wyatt went the other direction. Caveman style, all the way. He looked square at Brynna and said, “What do you say, Bryn? Dinner? Tonight.” He pushed as much bold assurance into his voice as he could. He was still pushing her buttons a bit, yeah. But he also meant it. He'd pissed her off the other night, and he wanted a chance to make it good again. The holiday season was giving him confidence.
Brynna stayed quiet for a moment, then dragged her eyes to his. Her irritation was gone, and something else flared in her eyes. After she paused too long, Thor jerked his chin at Wyatt. “Come on, Bryn, tell him what's up.” The guy flashed a quick glance at Wyatt before he looked away. It looked almost sympathetic.
Shit.
Taking a breath, the sexiest little reindeer shifter in the world opened her mouth and reminded Wyatt why he'd avoided women for the past several years for anything more committed than a few months. “Sorry, Wyatt, I can't have dinner with you. I'm healed up and ready to go back to work. In Florida,” she added quickly, studying his face. “I'm packing my stuff tonight and hitting the road soon. Uh, day after tomorrow. I'm leaving Deep Hollow.” Her voice was soft, but firm.
“Day after tomorrow.” His voice was soft, but he heard a sharp edge under it that he couldn't control. “Just before Christmas Eve.”
Brynna swallowed hard, then nodded.
The world narrowed in on Wyatt as another damned awkward silence fell over them all. Orson and Thor both looked anywhere else they could, while Brynna finally kept her gaze on his. Something flickered in her pretty eyes, but she stood firmly where she was. Not taking his invitation.
Right. The other night had given him hope again. Stupid, stupid hope. Because Wyatt's burning, nearly unstoppable desire to protect this woman, his bear's fierce, nearly overwhelming urge to claim her, told him something he couldn't deny.
Sexy, fiery, amazing Brynna was still his mate. But even so, even though he knew it and she knew it and everyone knew it, she once again was leaving both Deep Hollow and him.
Fuck his life, and fuck Christmas.
3
The gawky young shifter jogging along behind Wyatt as he strode into the town sheriff's office made him want to swat the kid away, like he was a fly. Orson had peeled off earlier, muttering something about needing to call his mate. The goofy smile on Orson's face as he said it made Wyatt wince. Hell, he was glad his old friend recently had found his mate, but he had admit it smarted to see happy couples everywhere right now. They walked along the town's little Main Street arm in arm, caroling and drinking hot cider and shopping for gifts and kissing under the mistletoe that had sprouted seemingly overnight above a lot of business doorways in town.
Kinda made a bear grouchier than usual. Especially with Brynna's bombshell announcement that she was out of here again. Damn, this day sucked.
And now this kid, who was also a rookie deputy here in the sheriff's department, had attached himself like a barnacle to Wyatt a month earlier when he'd moved back to town. Word of Wyatt's stellar record back at his old department in Montana had preceded him here, especially his feat saving that little boy from drowning in the local river late last summer after a huge storm had swelled the water over its banks. He did so-called hero shit like that because he was supposed to save lives. Not because he wanted a worshipful little shifter dogging his every step. He couldn't even tell what kind of shifter the kid was, but he was on the small side. Probably some kind of rodent shifter, for crying out loud.
“Did your paperwork come through yet, Wyatt? I bet you'll be starting any day now. Sure hope we can be partners out on patrol beats.” The kid was all animation as Wyatt strode down the hallway to his cousin's office. “I'm fast, and I pay attention, and my partner now gave me a good commendation during the last evaluation period. I'm ready to step up and learn from the best,” he added so seriously that Wyatt almost choked trying to hold in his disbelieving snort. Instead, he grunted something noncommittal and walked faster.
He was not long past the rookie stage himself, having completed his grueling first years back in Snowhaven. He'd gotten restless there, though, and when the time came for him to move up in the ranks, he'd instead decided to come back to the town that had been his home until five years ago. He'd always liked Deep Hollow, and he still had family here. Being a deputy in a tiny shifter town wasn't quite the same as being a deputy in a mostly human town, but he'd realized with each passing day that it suited him just fine. Being back home in the Colorado mountains, surrounded by his own kind, felt damned good. It felt like coming home again, in more ways than one.
But seeing Brynna again. That had been an enormous shock. He never really thought he would see her again until last week, when he'd been out on his daily training run along the river walk and almost literally ran right into her jogging the opposite direction on the same path.
He'd breathed an unbelieving, "Brynna?" when he saw her. It made her stop short and cock her head at him as she stared at him. Just as he started to be afraid she was angry to see him, that he was the last person she'd wanted to run into, a huge smile had filled her face, making it shine like all the light of the sun resided within her.
And just like that, he was a goner. Hook, line, and sinker, he wanted nothing more than to see that smile again every day of his life, preferably beca
use he was the one to put it on her face.
But now, any possibility like that was probably over for good. After Brynna had dropped her bombshell about leaving, she'd said a stiff good-bye, then marched smartly away down the path with Thor following her. After a long moment, Wyatt and Orson had continued their own run, Orson almost dragging a numb Wyatt along at first. “Let her go,” he'd said with the kind of wisdom possessed only by a bear with a mate. “It's done, Wyatt. Sorry, man.”
“Yeah,” Wyatt had grunted in return, his entire body buzzing with the need to run after Brynna and grab her. He'd instead decided being crazy twice in one day wasn't too smart, and forced himself to keep running with Orson. He had some damned pride. He wasn't chasing after a woman who didn't want him. A woman who had kissed him the other night like he was the air to her breath, then up and just decided to leave.
Well. He'd been a possessive grump that night, too. But hell. His bear knew Brynna was his mate, and once his bear had his sights set on something, it was hard to rein him in. But Wyatt had spent a lot of time the past few years working on that side of his personality. He'd made strides and was a lot calmer now, more methodical about responding instead of reacting. Sometimes. Gritting his teeth, he just nodded and ran.
Orson was kind of quiet at times, which actually made him a great running partner. They didn't talk much during runs, just pushed each other hard, thereby ensuring they got their training time in. But he'd served up a surprising burst of words during this run.
“Looks like Brynna still hates being a reindeer shifter,” Orson had offered out of nowhere as they ran their usual route. He and Brynna had also known one another for years.
Startled, Wyatt had almost stumbled over a crusty pile of snow that had been kicked into the path. “How do you get that?”
Orson ran around a small pack of moms and kids filled with mittens and red cheeks and shrieks and laughter. “Because she's leaving town again now. It's right before Christmas, Wyatt. You know how much she always hated Christmas. She's bailing back to the land of palm trees and beaches.”