Going Polar: A Stand Alone Holiday Howls Polar Bear Shifter Romance

by Abbie Zanders

  “Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, you did.”

  Lainey

  ANY LINGERING DOUBTS Lainey had had that she was doing the right thing vanished when she saw Finn. It was as if a switch had flipped. Just that quickly, everything seemed right with her world again.

  “Nice to see you again, Docs,” Beau said, arriving through the automatic sliding doors. He took one look at Finn’s arm around her waist and grinned.

  As happy as she was to see Beau’s smiling face, she wasn’t as pleased with what his presence might mean. “Does this mean we’re taking the helicopter again?” she asked as they stepped outside into the brisk, frosty air.

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but no. The roads are open—at least for now.” Beau looked up at the sky. “Probably not for long. It’s good you arrived when you did.”

  “You knew?” Finn said to Beau as they were walking out to Beau’s SUV.

  “Of course I knew.”

  Lainey didn’t see it, but she felt Finn’s weight shift slightly and saw Beau stumbling to the side, trying to keep his balance. He was laughing.

  “Hey, it’s not my fault if you’ve been too preoccupied to pay attention to what’s going on around here.”

  Finn grunted, a very bearlike sound. Henry looked slightly alarmed, but it filled Lainey with warmth.

  “I’m paying attention now. Someone fill me in, please.”

  “Like I said, Henry’s decided to take a position at the research center,” Lainey told him again.

  “I got that part. And you?”

  “Well ...”

  Lainey had thought time and time again about what she would tell Finn. His initial reaction to seeing her was promising, but she was still nervous. Being happy to see someone who had come for a visit was one thing. Finding out she’d walked away from everything and planned on staying permanently was quite another.

  “Tell him,” Henry coaxed.

  “Well, Henry heard that the area could use a veterinarian too,” she began. “And I thought, Hey, why not?”

  Finn’s lips quirked, but his eyes were practically glowing. “You did, huh?”

  “Yes, I mean, I like the area. The people are nice.”

  “They are,” he agreed.

  “And then there are the polar bears,” she continued, her eyes twinkling. “I did mention I have a thing for polar bears, didn’t I?”

  In the front seat, Beau started coughing, but it sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

  “I do seem to remember you mentioning something about that,” Finn said. He squeezed her hand. “What about the directorship though? Did that fall through?”

  “No, actually. The offer was waiting for me when I got home, but after giving it a lot of thought, I turned it down. Working in an office, dealing with all that administrative stuff—it just isn’t for me. I’m more of a hands-on type, you know?”

  “Yes.” Finn grinned wickedly as Beau broke into another coughing fit. “That I know.”

  “So, where to, pretty lady?” Beau asked once he’d recovered, catching her gaze in the rearview mirror.

  “The lodge, please. I’ll be staying there until I find another place.”

  “You got it. How about you, Finn?”

  Finn gave her a heated gaze. “The lodge is fine. I’ll make my way back from there.”

  Beau grinned. “Somehow, I thought you’d say that.”

  BEAU PULLED UP IN FRONT of the lodge, and everyone got out. Beau extracted Lainey’s and Finn’s bags from the back and set them by the entrance.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Henry asked, giving Lainey a hug.

  “I’ll be fine,” she replied, feeling the truth of it in her very bones. “Give me a call when you get settled in.”

  “I will.” He looked over to where Finn was talking with Beau. “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  Henry got back in the vehicle, and he and Beau drove off. Finn grabbed her bag as well as his and walked into the lobby.

  “Look who I found,” he called out to Mo.

  The lodge manager was all smiles when she saw Lainey.

  “I was so excited when I heard you were coming!” Mo exclaimed. “Are the rumors true? Are you really going to open up a practice here in Aurora Falls?”

  “That’s the plan,” Lainey told her.

  “Did everyone know, except me?” Finn muttered under his breath.

  “Mayor Bill wanted me to let him know the moment you arrived.”

  “How about holding off on that, Mo?” Finn said. “Lainey and I have plans.”

  “That’s right; we do,” Lainey confirmed. “Maybe tell him ... tomorrow?”

  “Tomorrow’s good,” Finn agreed.

  Mo’s smile went from ear to ear. “I knew it! I just knew it. My lips are sealed until tomorrow.” She handed Lainey a room key. “Same as last time. Mayor Bill says you’re welcome to have the room for as long as you want.”

  Lainey thanked her and went to the suite. It felt good to be back. A lot like coming home.

  The moment they were inside, Finn gathered her in his arms and kissed her until her toes curled in her hikers.

  “I’ve been waiting to do that for far too long,” he said, his voice rough and husky.

  “I’m sorry. It took a while to tie up loose ends and—”

  He cut off her words with another passionate kiss. “Doesn’t matter. You’re here now.”

  “I’m here now.” She looked up at him and smirked. “Is there anything else you’d like to do now that I’m here?”

  His lips curled into a wicked, feral grin. “As a matter of fact ...”

  Epilogue

  Lainey

  Lainey studied the massive fir with a critical eye. “A little more to the left. Yep, that’s it. Perfect. Hold it right there.”

  Finn held the tree in place while she got down on the floor and twisted the supports into the stand. Once done, she got up and nodded in approval. It was a gorgeous tree. She was anxious to start decorating it, but that would have to wait. Mayor Bill was having an Alliance meeting tonight before the next group of guests arrived for the special VIP holiday package.

  This would be her second Christmas in Aurora Falls, only this time, she was a resident, not a visitor. She had a thriving practice on the outskirts of town and lived with Finn in his—now their—cozy bungalow.

  Her brother lived less than an hour away, and they got to see each other often. He’d even started dating someone at the lab, a marine biologist who was smart and caring and kind—everything Henry deserved.

  And Finn’s family had welcomed her with open arms. Things had been a little awkward at first, but they’d gotten past that. Lainey and Hildie had become good friends, and she’d come to look forward to the weekly dinners at Finn’s parents’ house.

  Finn came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, turning her around to face him. “You’re right,” he said, gazing into her eyes. “Perfect.”

  Her heart—and her body—softened, just as it did every time he held her in his arms and said things like that. Lainey no longer questioned whether or not mates were a real thing; she was one hundred percent positive they were, and Finn was hers.

  They hadn’t made it official yet. Finn wanted her to be absolutely sure before he marked her. He said he didn’t mind waiting, that he knew in his soul that it would happen eventually. Lainey had come to the same conclusion sometime ago but was waiting for the right moment.

  That moment was tonight, after the Alliance meeting. It was the one-year anniversary of the day they’d met. She had stocked the bedroom with candles and bought special lingerie for the occasion.

  She leaned into him, pleased to feel proof that he was just as affected, but Finn surprised her by stepping away.

  “We should get going.”

  “They never start on time. And since when do you care about being late?”

  “Bill said it was important we get there on time tonight.”

  “Okay.” Lainey sm
iled, grabbed her coat, and followed him outside.

  The sooner they started, the sooner they could get back, so she could give him his present.

  EVERYONE WAS EXCITED for the holidays and ready to welcome the new group. They had things down to a science and ran each ten-day session like a well-oiled machine. That was why Lainey was a little surprised the Alliance meeting had dragged on as long as it had. What should have taken an hour had ended up taking four. As excited as she was for what she had planned, it felt more like twelve.

  “Did you leave the back porch spotlight on?” Lainey asked when they pulled into their driveway.

  Finn looked toward the bungalow, where a soft glow reflected off the snow-covered evergreens. “I guess I must have. Would you mind turning it off? I’m going to bring in some more firewood.”

  Lainey feigned a yawn and hung up her coat. Finn gathering firewood would give her time to get everything set up. “Sure, no problem.”

  When Lainey went to the back porch, however, it wasn’t the spotlight creating that glow.

  “Merry Christmas,” Finn said softly, wrapping his arms around her.

  “A hot tub?” She grinned.

  Finn’s hurry to get to the meeting and his uncharacteristic reluctance to leave suddenly made more sense.

  “Yes, well, you liked the one at the lodge so much.”

  “This is incredible. No wonder I love you. Best gift ever.”

  He laughed. “I’m hoping you’ll like this one better.”

  Finn went down on bended knee and took her hand in his. “Lainey Swann, I can’t imagine my life without you. You are my mate. My world. The other half of my soul. Will you marry me?”

  She looked down into his beautiful green eyes. There was only one answer. “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”

  He grinned and slipped the ring on her finger, and then he stood and kissed her soundly. By the time he released her, her body and her blood had heated to dangerously high levels.

  “You were right, you know.”

  “About what?”

  “About us.”

  “I told you,” he said softly, looking deep into her eyes. “A bear always knows.”

  She took his hand and led him toward the bedroom, ready to be his forever. “I couldn’t agree more.”

  CONTINUE THE HOLIDAY bear goodness with A Very Beary Christmas! Read on for a quick preview or click HERE to buy now.

  Ready for Sam and Chloe?

  Check out this excerpt from A Very Beary Christmas ...

  “SAM!”

  I rounded the corner of the house, my arms loaded with firewood, to find my cousin Kayden loping up the walk.

  “Is it Christmas break already?” I teased. Even if I hadn’t kept regular tabs on Kayden and the half dozen or so others attending the university a few hours south, I would have known they were coming based on the amount of cooking my mother had been doing all week. Everyone came to the lodge for Christmas.

  “Yeah,” he grinned. “Did you get a tree for the common room yet?”

  “Not yet. I’ve been waiting on you.”

  His eyes glittered. “Awesome. Thanks.”

  “Go on, throw your gear inside and say hi to Ma. I’ll pull out the sleigh.”

  He lumbered toward the lodge and I went out to the massive barn to ready the sleigh. It was the same one my father used, and his father before him. Now the task fell to me while my father and grandfather sat by the hearth bouncing cubs on their knees and telling ridiculous stories. We were big on tradition that way.

  Someday, the task would fall to my son, and I would be the one resting his paws by the fire. Maybe. I had yet to find a mate.

  That’s not true, my bear growled inside me. We met our mate a long time ago.

  I sighed, thinking of Chloe as I tested the reins. That had been what, twenty years ago? Though we’d looked for years, we’d never found her. I knew she was still out there, somewhere. I felt it in my heart. But where she was, I didn’t know.

  She probably still hated me. Hated us. We promised her she would be safe, and we’d failed her.

  My father did what he thought was the right thing, calling the town sheriff to let him know that Chloe had been found, and that she was alive and safe with us. He hadn’t expected the sheriff to show up with Chloe’s father, especially since everyone – including the sheriff – suspected something was wrong with that whole situation.

  The sheriff said his hands were tied. Legally, her father was her guardian, and without proof, there was little he could do. Chloe had refused to admit anything. I remember her sitting there in the kitchen, her piece of shit father glaring at her as the sheriff asked why she had run away. Where her bruises had come from. If she had enough to eat. She had answered all of his questions quietly with well-rehearsed answers, while staring at the floor.

  She had been lying. I knew it. My parents knew it. The sheriff knew it. Yet there was nothing he could do, not without evidence, and with reluctance, had said Chloe had to go with her father.

  I didn’t understand it at the time. How could a man sworn to serve and protect just hand her over like that? My father tried explaining it to me, talking about things like politics and fragile shifter-human relations. What it came down to, I think, was that the sheriff had been afraid of upsetting the delicate balance we had with the humans. Most of us, shifters and full-humans alike, coexisted peacefully, but there were always a few on both sides who would have preferred segregation. One small human female who refused to open her mouth in her own defense wasn’t worth a war or the exposure it would bring, the sheriff had said.

  My father didn’t believe that any more than I did, and that day, well, it changed him. I think it changed all of us. The sheriff retired shortly afterward and moved away, and the shifter community grew even closer.

  The thing I will always remember most about that day was those few moments when Chloe looked at me. She wouldn’t look at anyone else, but she had looked at me. I’d been yelling at them to stop, and she turned back, just that once. “It’s okay, Sam,” she’d said.

  And then the sheriff put her in the back of his car and they were gone. It was the last time I ever saw her.

  Not a day goes by when I don’t think about her. When I don’t think of the way she used to follow me around, skulking in the shadows, thinking I didn’t know. I knew. My bear knew.

  Because she was ours.

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