by Marie Mason
HER CHRISTMAS BEAR
(Christmas Bears)
BY MARIE MASON
Other Books in This Series
Her Holiday Bear (Book 1)
Her Bah Humbug Bear (Book 2)
HER CHRISTMAS BEAR
Copyright © 2016 by Marie Mason
First electronic publication: February 2016
Marie Mason
www.mariemasonwrites.com
All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print without the author’s permission.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Published in the United States of America
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ABOUT THIS BOOK
Curvy girl Hope Martin’s usual Christmas celebration consisted of a pizza with everything and an action-adventure movie. No silly rom-coms for her. She’d given up on love a long time ago. Deciding to celebrate with her best friend in Riverton, Colorado, was either going to be the best decision of her life… or her worst.
Trapped in her car on a snowy mountainside with a lump on her head and the ability to distinguish fact from fiction fading fast, Hope decides it must be the worst.
Until he shows up.
Bear shifter Marcus Abrams had always dreamed of having a mate, but he’d long ago accepted the fact that he was meant to be a lone bear. He’d settled into his less-than-exciting existence farming Christmas trees in the small town of Riverton, helping the shifter community as best he could—like trying to knock some sense into the other two bears in the area. Bears who were slowly driving their mates away with their grumpy, Ba Humbug attitudes. Not Marcus. If the fates favored him with a mate, he’d do everything in his power to prove he was the bear for her.
He didn’t know who more surprised when he lumbered down the snowy mountain side that fateful morning—him, his bear or his mate.
table of contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
FIND ME/FOLLOW ME
BOOKS BY MARIE MASON
CHAPTER ONE
Marcus’s two-ton grizzly lumbered through the forest that bordered his land, the bear restless. That was nothing new. The bear had been restless for decades. The animal wanted a mate. And so did the man.
He tried not to be jealous of the two other bear shifters in Riverton who had recently found their mates. Mates the stubborn shifters had tried so hard to deny.
Marcus would gladly give up honey if he could be so lucky.
He was older than both of those bears and had long ago accepted the fact that he was not meant to have a mate. But at Christmas time that longing came back. With a vengeance.
He slowed as he neared the two-lane road that was the only way in and out of his mountain. It was still white from the light snow that had fallen yesterday evening. He saw no tire tracks which wasn’t surprising. Not many people ventured onto his mountain, mainly just the men who worked for him as they reported for work or the trucks that hauled away the Christmas trees his crew harvested.
He hoped to change that next year. He’d seen the need for creating more jobs in the area and was preparing to open a year round nursery and gift shop. Even if it were slow the rest of the year, the gift shop would do great at Christmas time. The mountain was bountiful. He’d had settled here years ago, when the town of Riverton had consisted of little more than a few houses and a handful of businesses. When it wasn’t listed on any map.
Turning to go back home and start the day, he picked up the sound of an engine. Someone was coming to work early. As he listened, he realized the sound of the engine was all wrong for the type of trucks and four-wheel drives his men usually drove. At this time of year, a heavy snowfall could occur in the blink of an eye.
No, this reminded him more of a sedan, or a—the rumble of the engine grew strained, quickly followed by the sound of snapping trees as they gave way under the weight of a two-ton car. Then there was silence.
Damn it! Someone had wrecked and he was in bear form without a phone.
Suddenly, his bear reared up on its hind legs and gave a roar. WTF?
Before he could stop it, the animal took control and started down the mountain in the direction of the wreck. What the hell was wrong with his bear? He knew they had to investigate and needed to hurry, but the rate at which his bear was moving bordered on desperation.
Once he reached the wreck, it didn’t take Marcus long to realized what had driven his bear to such an extreme reaction. He smelled blood. But not just any blood.
The blood of his mate.
He quickly shifted back into human form. The vehicle had traveled a good two hundred yards down the mountainside. From the look of things, he wouldn’t have to worry about it sliding the rest of the way. The passenger’s side was firmly wedged against a large cedar tree that had stopped the deadly decent. The driver’s side door had sustained some damage in the tumble down the mountain and he had to use his supernatural strength to pry it open. His heart hammered in his chest, desperate to get to the woman behind the wheel. As he wrenched open the door, he heard her groan. That was a good sign, wasn’t it?
Despite the cold temperatures and the fact that he was naked as the day he was born, he knelt in the snow beside the car. Thankfully, she’d been wearing her seatbelt and he prayed any injuries she had sustained were minor. He found the source of the blood as soon as he brushed the hair from her eyes. She must have hit her head against the side window because there was a good-sized lump and a laceration on her temple. His senses took the time to admire the milk-washed coffee color of her hair and register its silky and soft feel even as he cursed the fact that she had been hurt. Running his hands down her neck and across her shoulders, he checked for any obvious injuries. As he touched her, she moaned again.
“Hush, beautiful. I’ve got you.” He finished running his hands over the rest of her body.
“Not.”
His heart gave a sigh of relief. She was awake and talking. He moved closer so he could hear, not wanting her to exert herself. He didn’t think her injuries were extensive, but he couldn’t be sure. If anything happened to her now that he’d found her… he couldn’t contemplate such a fate.
“Beautiful.” Her raspy voice sounded again.
“What?”
“Not. Beautiful. I’m not beautiful.”
“Oh, but sweetheart, you are. So very, very beautiful to me.” He leaned over her, seeking the lock of the seatbelt blindly with his hand, unwilling to turn away in case she opened her eyes. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to show you,” he added as he heard the click of the lock releasing and pulled the belt away from her body.
He cursed again. She wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather. She wore a pair of jeans and a lightweight sweater that did nothing to hide her luscious curves from him or his bear. The animal pushed against his chest, wanting out. Wanting to touch its mate. She was
perfect for them. He loved a woman who had enough meat on her bones to let him know she was a woman. For a moment, he was distracted by the rise and fall of her full breasts—until his bear forcibly reminded him he needed to take care of their mate. Scanning the interior of the car, he saw a coat on the floor on the passenger’s side.
“Do you have a phone?” He tucked the coat around her to keep away the early morning cold.
“Umm,” she mumbled.
He watched as she patted the seat beside her, noticing the phone just as she found it. Her eyes started to flutter open, the long, thick lashes lifting from her rosy cheeks. As he stared, she opened her eyes. Dark green looked back at him. Beautiful. His bear chuffed inside his head, agreeing with the man. Their mate was indeed beautiful. But first things first. He needed to get help.
Taking the phone from her hand, he briefly debated about whom he should call—the sheriff or his closest neighbor, Dirk Stockwell. The bear lived higher up on the mountain and was closer, but he wouldn’t have any emergency gear to help get Marcus’s mate up the side of the mountain. In the end, he called both. Dirk first so he could bring some blankets for her and a set of clothing for him. Then he called the sheriff, another bear shifter, so he could send an ambulance.
He’d just disconnected the last call when his mate stirred again.
“Why are you naked? Am I dreaming?”
Her hand reached to touch him and he folded it briefly against his chest before kissing it and tucking it back under her coat. “Stay still, beautiful. Help is on the way.”
He thought about carrying her up the mountain himself. It would be no problem as a bear if she was lucid enough to hang onto his fur. In human form, he was afraid he would slip and slide on the slick mountainside. If he lost his footing, they could both go rolling back down, doing her more harm than good. Besides, he’d still have to wait for the ambulance. He had no way to transport her and he didn’t think the good people of Riverton, Colorado, would appreciate a twelve-foot grizzly showing up in the emergency room, carrying an unconscious female.
“Uh-uh. You’re the beautiful one. And you’re naked.” She gave a tiny giggle. “I really must have banged my head hard.”
Marcus smiled. “Do you remember what happened?”
“Gave it too much gas going up the incline. I’m not use to driving in this much snow.”
“This ain’t nothing, darling. Just a little light sprinkling.”
“Great to know,” she scowled.
“What were you doing on this road?”
She shifted in her seat and gave a grimace of discomfort. Where the hell was Dirk? Or the sheriff? Where the hell was the ambulance? His mate was cold and in pain. She could be more seriously injured than he’d realized, his bear roared inside him. The man was getting as antsy as the animal. He needed to care for his mate and that wasn’t the fuck happening right now.
“Got lost,” she mumbled, a full body shiver running through her curvy frame.
“Fuck this,” he growled. He needed to get her out of the cold and he needed to do it now. He prepared to carry her up the steep incline.
“Hey, Marcus!”
Just as he was slipping his arms beneath her round hips, Dirk’s voice called from the road. He settled her gently back down on the seat, tucking the coat around her again. “Dirk, get your ass down here,” he ordered in a harsh voice he rarely used and rose to his feet.
The older a bear got, the meaner he became. Bears also had a tendency to go rogue if something happened to them, like the tragedy Dirk had suffered or, if a mate was a long time coming like it had been for Jagger. Marcus was a hell of a lot older than both of those bears and had no mate. Until now.
But despite his age, and his unmated status, he was usually an easy going bear. He’d realized long ago that life was short. He could choose to be a grumpy-assed bear or take life as it was handed to him.
“Did you bring me some fucking clothes?” Not that he minded being naked in the snow as a bear, but he was getting mighty cold in his human form. Plus, he didn’t want to arrive at the hospital buck naked. He was sure that would go over as well as his bear showing up with a human on its back.
Which was exactly how he was going to get his mate up the mountain. The other man could walk beside them, ensuring his mate stayed on, even though his bear growled thinking of the other shifter touching her. He’d tolerate the other man’s touch on his mate—but only to get her to safety.
Marcus chuffed at his bear, showing his dominance over the animal. If you have a better idea, pal, now would be a good time to share.
Dirk said something, but Marcus wasn’t paying attention. His mate was trying to get out of the car. “Whoa, sweetheart, where do you think you’re going?” He turned around and she gasped. He realized his front was directly in front of her face. Normally, that would be a very good thing, but not now. “Damn it.”
Before he could crouch back down, she reached out as if to touch him again. He barely managed to catch her hand before she grabbed his cock. A cock that was growing by the second when confronted with his mate’s wide-eyed stare and a luscious red mouth just inches away.
“I guess you don’t have to worry about shrinkage to you?” she asked, looking up at him with those big green eyes.
A deep, masculine laugh sounded behind him and he whirled around as Dirk slid the last few feet down to the wreckage. “What are you laughing at?”
“You.”
Dirk was blunt. When he’d first appeared in Riverton, Marcus had thought the other bear was doomed to live a life off the grid, never interacting with humans. Time—and meeting his mate—had given him another chance.
Before he could say anything, his mate was asking another question. This one directed at Dirk. “Why aren’t you naked?”
That set Dirk off again, his gruff laughter ringing in the still morning air. “Should I strip?” he asked Marcus.
“Like hell. Hypothermia is setting in you idiot, she doesn’t really want to see your naked ass.”
“If you say so, boss.”
Marcus’s animal gave a warning huff that the other bear ignored. “I’m going to shift, and you’re going to lift her on to my back so I can get her up to the road.”
“Sounds like a plan, but why don’t you put these clothes on and wait for help.” Marcus caught the bundle he threw at him. Tied together was a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. Just as he was about to tell Dirk to go fuck himself, Marcus heard the sound of sirens. Something he would have noticed if he hadn’t been so infuriated with the idea of his friend stripping in front of his mate.
He quickly dressed and in just minutes, the rescue squad was lowering a gurney and two paramedics were scrambling down the side of the mountain.
It took everything in him to allow the other shifters near his injured mate. It might not have happened except Dirk held him by the arm and one of the paramedics was female. A fox named Alice who immediately took the lead when she figured out Marcus was more than a Good Samaritan that had happened upon the accident.
“What’s your name?” Alice asked. Marcus’s bear perked up and waited for the answer.
“Hope.”
“Hello, Hope. Can you tell me if you hurt anywhere?”
“Her head. She has a bump and laceration on the left side of her head.” Marcus stepped forward, needing to be near his mate.
“Let them do their job, Marcus.” Dirk’s hand tightened on his arm.
He turned on the man, his bear ready to rip out of his body. “Would you, if that was Mercy lying there, hurt and bleeding?”
“Yes.”
“You damn liar.”
“Did you know there was a naked man here?” Hope’s question caught everyone’s attention.
“Was there now?”
Marcus tried not to let himself bristle at the laughter he heard in the female fox’s voice. Hope’s smile took his breath away. Damn, his mate was beautiful, even with the bruise that was beginning to form on the side o
f her forehead.
“And his coc—”
“Alright, that’s enough talking. Get her on the damn gurney and up the mountain.” Marcus broke Dirk’s hold and pushed the paramedics away. His face had turned ruddy. Not from the cold air, but the fact that his mate had been on the verge of describing his male parts to one and all.
Alice stood up. “She seems okay besides the bump on her head.”
Marcus felt his heart lighten at the announcement.
“But, Marcus is right. We need to get her out of here. Hypothermia is still a threat. Marcus you lift her out of the car.” Everyone knew it would drive his bear into a frenzy if one of the other men touched her right now. The paramedics and Dirk stood by the gurney waiting.
“Right.” He bent by the driver’s side door. “Ready, baby?”
She smiled at him again. “You’re my naked man.”
“Sure am. Now let’s get you someplace warmer.”
He slipped his hands beneath her body and pulled her from the car. In minutes, she was tucked into the gurney, thermal blankets covering her from head to toe. With two bear shifters and a wolf carrying her, she was up the side of the mountain in no time. Alice came up the rear carrying the coat and purse she’d retrieved from the car.
“You riding with them to the hospital?” Dirk watched as they loaded the gurney into the ambulance, Marcus hovering anxiously. Hope’s eyes were closed and she wasn’t talking any more. It looked as if she had lost consciousness.
“What do you think?” Marcus growled in answer.
Dirk gave him a look of sympathy before ruining it with a wicked smile. “I think I wouldn’t want to be on the hospital staff right now.”
No one argued when Marcus climbed into the back of the ambulance with Hope and Alice. His bear circled inside and the journey down the mountain seemed to take forever.
“Keep it together man. You’re not going to do her any good if you fall apart,” Alice reprimanded him. “She’s got a mild concussion and maybe a slight case of hyperthermia. She’ll be fine.”