by Zoe Chant
Devon and Jamie talked about Dean’s house and the hardware store, and Jim haltingly offered to help out with a down payment, if they needed it. “I’ve done alright for myself,” he said sheepishly. “And you missed out on a few child support payments.”
Marta then asked nosy questions about his financial situation until Devon firmly said that it was time for dessert and turned the topic to her pie.
Eventually, they all retired to couches, where they watched football and discretely unbuttoned their pants and groaned for a while and shared praises of the food.
“I’ll go get started on the dishes,” Jamie finally sighed.
“I’ll help you,” Jim offered at once, and the two vanished into the kitchen.
Everyone left in the living room pretended not to be listening to their hushed conversation except Marta, who scooted her chair closer to the door.
“We should be going,” Turner said firmly, glaring at her. “I’ll walk you home, Marta.”
Marta pouted and dawdled as Turner got their coats from the overstuffed closet, and then managed to slip back into the living room under the pretense of getting a recipe from Abby while Turner made polite noises of farewell at the others.
He waited pointedly on the porch, but it was Jamie who stepped out after him and shut the door behind her.
“Thanks for coming,” she said gruffly. “I...really wanted you to meet him.”
She hadn’t pulled on a coat, and she was shivering and fidgeting. Turner might have put an arm around her, but he couldn’t figure out if she would want him to.
“He seems like a nice guy,” Turner said, and he sounded almost sad to his own ears. “I’m glad you’ll have a chance to get to know your dad.”
Jamie shot him a sharp look. “He’s my father,” she said firmly. “But he’s not really my dad.”
Then she stepped into his arms and squeezed him tightly. “Thanks,” she murmured. “For everything.”
Turner hugged her close and let her go when the door squeaked behind them and Marta came out onto the porch, pulling her coat close around her and complaining about the cold. She had a tinfoil-wrapped casserole dish in one arm.
“Thanks for dinner,” Turner said gruffly.
“It was surprisingly good,” Marta agreed. “That Abby has a lot of potential.”
“I’ll tell her you said so,” Jamie said, stifling a grin. “Thanks for coming.” She slipped back inside, waving, and shut the door behind her.
Marta tucked her free arm into Turner’s elbow and clung to him for balance as they walked down the icy path. “When are you going to find a woman of your own and raise a herd of your own young ones?” she asked pointedly. “You’ve clearly got a knack for it.”
“I’m a little past planning for a family,” Turner said regretfully. “And anyway, a family doesn’t have to be your blood.”
Marta looked pleased with herself. “No, it doesn’t,” she agreed, patting his arm. “But I’m still going to enjoy watching you find your own mate.”
Turner gave her a suspicious glance, not sure how she meant the term. A skeptical grunt seemed like the appropriate response.
It started snowing again, as they meandered down the quiet street. “You ever regret not having a family of your own?” Turner asked her in return.
“I have a family,” Marta scoffed, as they came up to the converted brick bank that she lived in. The gold lettering outside still proclaimed that it was the Habert Gutten bank and there was a historical plaque at one corner of the ostentatious building. “All of Green Valley is my family. I could have had my pick of Thanksgiving dinners tonight, but I’d heard that Abby was quite the young cook and wanted to see for myself.”
“And you wanted to meet Jamie’s father for yourself,” Turner said wryly.
Marta laughed without shame. “So did you, fire chief.” She unlocked her door—the small side door, not the huge front door. “And did you like what you found?” she asked pryingly.
Turner thought about Jim, his mannerisms surprisingly like his newfound daughter. “Yes,” he said. But it was Jamie’s warm hug that his thoughts returned to, and the kind, cheerful banter around the table. “Good night, Marta.”
“Good night,” she said, and then she was gone, and Turner was left to walk alone through the snow to his own quiet old farmhouse at the far side of the town.
It was dark inside, and only a can of olives was waiting for him on the kitchen counter, but he had family in his heart.
Want more Green Valley Shifters? Join my mailing list to find out about new releases and read on for more information about books I’ve written that you may have missed, as well as a special sneak preview…
A Thank You from Zoe
Thank you for reading my book! I hope you enjoyed following Jamie and Devon on their bumpy journey to love and trust. I am thinking about writing a Christmas story for Turner…
This cover was done by Ellen Million. Visit her site for coloring pages of my characters and signed bookplates!
I always love to know what you thought—you can leave a review at Amazon or Goodreads or Bookbub, or email me at [email protected].
If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list. You can also visit my webpage, where I have a complete book list by series, or follow me on Facebook. You are also invited to join my VIP Readers Group on Facebook, where I show off new covers first, and you can get sneak previews and ask questions.
Readers like you are why I write, and I am so grateful for your support.
~Zoe
Shifting Sands Resort
Writing as Zoe Chant
* Hot, strong, protective shifter heroes...who aren't jerks.
* Capable, complicated shifter heroines...who aren't doormats.
* Fresh new plots, not recycled stories, with unique magic and fantasy worldbuilding.
* ALL THE FEELS.
* Diverse leads: queer, disabled, multicultural, not all the same shape, the same color, or the same animal.
* A gorgeous tropical setting that you'll desperately wish you could visit.
* A complete 10 book series with a thrilling conclusion.
A luxury shifters-only resort on an island full of secrets…Shifting Sands Resort is the series you didn't know you were waiting for. Hot, hilarious, and heartwarming, each book is an electrifying standalone with a satisfying happy ever after...but they all tie together into an epic magical mystery that will leave you flying through the books.
Start the series with TROPICAL TIGER SPY, in which Tony Lukin uncovers the first of many mysteries and finds the love of his life.
The Dragon Prince of Alaska
Writing as Elva Birch
An unplanned promotion to princess!
Carina was just trying to advance to manager at her accounting firm. Instead, she uncovered the dirty secrets of a giant bank, got framed for murder, and fled the country. Now she’s hiding out in a van with a stray dog in the kingdom of Alaska…
...And a gorgeous park ranger is telling her that she’s his destiny (and also, camping illegally on royal land).
Before she knows it, she’s whisked off to a palace on the arm of a dragon shifter (!) prince and fitted for a crown...because she’s been chosen by an ancient magic spell to be the mate of the next king of Alaska.
As the youngest (and arguably most unsuitable) prince, Toren never thought that he would be tapped to rule, but he knows that Carina is worth the weight of his new duties. Now he’s just got to figure out how to be a king, and even more importantly, how to protect his queen-to-be from old enemies...and new foes who will stop at nothing to see Alaska fall.
From the creator of the addictive and off-beat Shifting Sands Resort series comes a fresh new world of secret shifters and hidden magic. Set in an alternate world Alaska, where being a princess is more hiking boots and field hockey than it is tiaras and balls, THE DRAGON PRINCE OF ALASKA is a steamy, standalone, fast-paced
paranormal romance adventure. Read on for a sneak preview…
Fae Shifter Knights
Book 1: Dragon of Glass
Jingle bells and magic spells!
Daniella has everything she needs for a quiet Christmas at home with her dog, Fabio. She’s got way too much food, a real Christmas tree, a cable station streaming non-stop holiday movies, and even fruitcake. All she needs now is an ornament for her tree…
But what she gets instead is a glass dragon imprisoning a gorgeous naked guy from another world.
Trey, fae dragon knight, protector of the realm, and defender of the fallen crown, has finally been released from his spell by a kiss from a beautiful woman (and her noble hound). His power hobbled, his dragon form embarrassingly small, he finds himself navigating a strange world of wonders like televisions, refrigerators, and ham sandwiches, absolutely enspelled by a woman who swears she isn’t a witch.
Then Trey discovers that the enemy from his homeworld is starting to spill into Daniella’s and it will take power he no longer has to protect her…power that is locked in Daniella’s heart.
Start the Fae Shifter Knights series with Dragon of Glass today!
Shape Shifters: Vol 1
Writing as Elva Birch
From fated mates to fairy tales, from the cold depths of space to hot wildfires in Alaska, Elva Birch spins entrancing tales of love and transformation.
These seven stories range from flash fiction to novellas, at various levels of heat, with a variety of pairings. Some have been previously published in anthologies, some under other names, and several are new and exclusive to this collection.
Shape Shifters
Sneak Preview of The Dragon Prince of Alaska…
Writing as Elva Birch
Carina Andresen surged to her feet, sweeping her camp chair out from under her as a make-shift weapon.
Wolf! her brain hammered at her. Wolf! She was going to become an Alaska tourist statistic and get eaten by a wolf on her second week in the kingdom.
Logic slowly caught up with her panic.
The animal across the campfire from her was smaller and doggier than a wolf, and it was only a moment before Carina could get her breath and heartbeat back under control and recognize that it was well-groomed, shyly eyeing her sizzling hot dog, and wagging its tail.
Alaska probably had stray dogs, too; she wasn’t that far from civilization.
“Hi there, sweetie,” Carina said, her voice still unnaturally high as she put her chair back on its legs. “Does that smell good? Want a bit of hot dog?” Carina turned the hot dog in the flame and waggled it suggestively.
The non-edible dog sped up his tail and when Carina broke off a piece of the meat and dropped it beside her, he crept around the fire and slurped it eagerly up off the ground.
The second bite he took gently from her fingers, and by the second hot dog she dared to pet him.
Within about thirty minutes and five hot dogs, he was leaning on her and letting her scratch his ears and neck as he wagged his tail and groaned in delight.
“Oh, you’re just a dear,” Carina said. “I bet someone’s missing you.” He was a husky mix, Carina guessed; he was tall and strong, with a long, thick coat of dark gray fur and white feet. His ears were upright, and his tail was long and feathered. He didn’t have a collar, but he was clearly friendly. “You want some water?”
The dog licked his lips as if he had understood, and Carina carefully stood so she didn’t frighten him.
But he seemed to be past any shyness now, and he followed Carina to her van trustingly, tail waving happily. He drank the offered water from a frying pan, and then tried to give Carina a kiss dripping with slobber.
“You probably already have a name,” Carina said, laughingly trying to escape the wet tongue. “But I’m going to call you Shadow for now.” She had a grubby towel hanging from her clothesline and used it to dry off his face. They played a gentle game of tug-of-war, testing each other’s strength and manners.
Shadow seemed to approve of his new name and gave her a canine grin once she’d won the towel back from him.
“Alright, Shadow, let’s go collect some more firewood.”
The area was rich with downed wood to harvest, and with the assistance of a folding hand saw, Carina was able to find several heaping armloads of solid, dry wood, enough to keep a cheerful fire going for a few days if she was frugal. It was comforting to have Shadow around for the task; she wasn’t quite as nervous about the noises she heard, and he was a happy distraction from her own brain.
He frolicked with her, and found a stick three times his own length to drag around possessively.
“So helpful!” Carina laughed at him, as he knocked over an empty pot and swiped her across the knees so that she nearly fell.
When she sat down beside the crackling fire in her low camp chair, Shadow abandoned his prize stick and crowded close to lay his head on her knee. Carina petted him absently.
“Someone’s looking for you, you big softy,” she said regretfully. She would have to try to reunite the dog with his owner but, for now, it was nice having a companion around the camp.
Of all the things she expected when she went running for the wilderness, she had never guessed that the silence would be the worst. She had been camping plenty, but it was always with someone. Since their parents had died, that someone was usually her sister, June, but sometimes it was a friend or a roommate. She was used to having someone to point out birds and animals to, someone to share chores with, stretch out tarps with. When it was just her, the spaces seemed vaster, the wind bit harder, and even the birds were less cheerful.
“You probably don’t care about the birds that would make my life list,” she told Shadow mournfully.
Shadow wagged his tail in a rustle of leaves.
She didn’t have her life list anymore to add to anyway. Everything had been left behind: her phone, her computer, her identity. Her entire life was on hold. She had the van to live in, some supplies and a small nest egg to start from, so she ought to be able to stay out of sight long enough to regroup and…she didn’t know what to do from here. Find a journalist willing to take her story and clear her name?
To fill the quiet, and to help ignore the ache in her chest, she read aloud from the brochure on Alaska that she had been given at the border station. She’d found it that evening while she was emptying the glovebox to take stock of supplies, and Shadow seemed as good a listener as any.
“Like many modern monarchies, Alaska has an elected council of officials who do most of the day to day rulings of this vast, rich land. The royal family is steeped in tradition and mystery, and holds many veto powers, as well as acting as ambassadors to other countries. Known as the Dragon King, the Alaskan sovereign is a reserved figure who rarely appears in public. Margaret, the Queen of Alaska, died twelve years ago, leaving behind six sons.” There was a photo, with boys ranging from about seven to maybe twenty-five. Two of the middle children were identical. One of the twins was wearing a hockey jersey and grinning, the other wore glasses and looked annoyed. The oldest—or at least the tallest—was frowning seriously at the others. The only blonde of the bunch was one of the middle boys, who was looking intently at the camera. The youngest looked painfully bored. They all had tongue-twisting names of more syllables than Carina wanted to try pronouncing.
Carina thought it was an interesting photo. The tension between the oldest two was palpable, and the they were all dressed surprisingly casually. She didn’t follow royal gossip much beyond scanning headlines at grocery store checkouts, but Alaska never seemed to make waves; they were rarely involved in dramas and scandals.
Shadow raised his head and cocked his head at some imagined noise in the forest.
“That’s a lot of siblings,” Carina observed, ruffling his ears. She felt so much safer having him beside her. “Just one sister was more than enough for me.” She didn’t want to admit how much she missed that sister right now.
Sha
dow returned his head to her knee. “Alaska is a member of the Small Kingdoms Alliance, an exclusive collective of independent monarchies scattered throughout the world. Although Alaska has large amounts of land, they qualify for membership because of their small population.”
Carina turned the brochure over. “There are hot springs about fifty miles north of Fairbanks! I hope to make it there.” Before she ran out of cash. It looked expensive. Maybe she could get work there...she’d heard that it wasn’t hard to find under-the-table jobs in this country.
Shadow suddenly leapt to his feet, barking at something crashing through the woods behind them and Carina nearly tipped over backwards in her camp chair trying to stand up.
She expected to find a moose, or possibly a bear, and she was already picking up the chair to use as a flimsy defense against a charging wild animal.
But it was only a man stepping out of the woods, in an official dark blue uniform emblazoned with the eight gold stars of Alaska.
For a moment, terror every bit as keen as the panic that had gripped her at the first sight of Shadow washed over her. They’d found her.
“You’re trespassing on royal land and I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” he said.
Then she realized with relief that it wasn’t a police officer. He was only a park ranger.
…or was he? Discover love and adventure in a wonderful alternate Alaska with camping and dogs and magic. Reluctant royalty and relentless enemies! Pick up The Dragon Prince of Alaska today!