Getting ahead of yourself, buddy,James told his bear, even though he relished the thought of showing his mate his world. The world he loved.
“Okay, time to get going,” James said.
They packed up and headed back toward the cabin, snowflakes drifting down like tiny stars. Jake raced ahead with Bash, and James and Doreen walked side by side along the trail.
Doreen rubbed her arms for warmth. Without thinking, James stepped closer. “Cold?”
“A little,” she admitted.
He didn’t touch her… but he walked closer, and she didn’t move away.
“This morning was really lovely,” she said quietly.
He swallowed. “We could do it again tomorrow. Another dog training session, or a safety talk.”
Her breath stalled, just slightly, as he waited for her answer. “I’d like that.” She nodded.
Relief hit him so sharply he nearly stumbled. His bear let out a long, satisfied rumble.
All too soon, they reached the cabin. Jake and Bash tumbled inside, leaving Doreen and James standing alone on the porch.
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at him shyly. “For everything.”
“Thank you,” James echoed. “For today.”
Their eyes locked together, and hope soared inside him. He hadn’t needed to reveal his other side for their bond to deepen. Sorcha was right; he simply needed to take it slow, let her get to know him. And then tell her they were mates.
“See you tomorrow?” she asked, and he swore he heard hope in her voice.
James’s heart thumped in his chest. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Her smile bloomed, as a summer rose, and then she stepped inside and closed the door.
James stood for a long moment in the falling snow, the mate bond pulsing through him…steady, powerful, absolute.
Not a hope.
Not a wish.
A truth.
His bear rumbled his agreement.Yes!
Chapter Nine – Doreen
Doreen’s heart skipped a beat as she rounded the last bend in the path and Sorcha and Christopher’s cabin came into view. Last night, with its fairy lights glowing against the deep blue winter darkness, it had looked like something straight off a Christmas card. This afternoon, under a soft wash of pale sun, it looked even better. Like the kind of place where you could curl up with a book and watch the snow fall while smoke curled lazily from the chimney and warm light glowed behind frost-edged windows.
Last night, if she was honest, she’d been almost as excited about seeing the deputy again as she’d been about catching up with Sorcha and finally meeting Christopher. Today was different. Today was all about Sorcha. With no handsome, safety-minded deputy in sight, and oddly, that took the pressure off.
So, when Sorcha had texted earlier this afternoon—If you’re free, come over. I’d love to catch up.Doreen had accepted without a second thought.
Sorcha was the reason she was here in Bear Creek in the first place, and Doreen didn’t want to lose sight of that. Even if, somewhere between Jake, Bash…and James…her focus kept slipping.
No, James was not here this afternoon,she reminded herself. He was probably off rescuing someone from a snowdrift or making sure the roads were safe.
So why had she spent the entire walk here trying to steady the flutter low in her stomach? A flutter that had only begun when she’d met him.
“We’re here!” Jake called out as he came pounding up the trail behind her and spotted the cabin. He took off instantly, Bash bounding after him in wild circles that kicked up tiny explosions of powdery snow.
