The Bear’s Christmas Mate (A Bear Creek Christmas #3)

Chapter One – Doreen

It had all seemed like such a good idea when Doreen agreed to bring the book-deal contracts to Bear Creek for her friend Sorcha to sign.

A few days of peace and quiet in the small town Sorcha had fallen in love with was just what she needed. A small escape, a soft reset, a chance to breathe again after months of feeling stretched thin.

“Urgh.” Doreen wiped dog drool from her face with the sleeve of her sweater as Bash eagerly attempted another slobbery kiss. The golden retriever’s tail wagged with such enthusiasm that it seemed capable of generating electricity.

Honestly, she admired the dog’s optimism. Someone ought to. It certainly wasn’t coming from her right now. This peaceful retreat was beginning to have “disaster waiting to happen” written all over it!

“Bash! Down, boy!” Jake called from the backseat of her once immaculate SUV, though his giggles undermined any authority in the command.

What Doreen hadn’t counted on was the frantic phone call from her sister Pauline, two hours before she was supposed to leave.

Her husband, Mark, had taken a tumble down some hotel stairs during his business trip.

Nothing life-threatening, just a suspected broken ankle and a concussion that required monitoring—but enough that Pauline needed to fly out immediately.

“It’ll just be for a few days, Dor,” Pauline had promised, her voice tight with worry. “Jake’s been looking forward to spending time with his favorite aunt, anyway.”

Doreen had agreed. Of course, she had. But this sudden change of plans meant she’d hastily finished packing before heading over to collect Jake and Bash, along with all the paraphernalia that went along with a boy and his dog.

And she had a sneaky suspicion she had definitely forgotten something. Probably several somethings.

Not that she didn’t love the boy and his canine friends to bits.

But with only two hours’ notice, she hadn’t had time to work out an itinerary to keep dog and boy busy.

For a woman whose life revolved around strict schedules, this left her feeling a little panicky.

But she’d cope. She always did, no matter what life threw at her.

Coping was her superpower… and her curse. It kept her steady, but it also kept her lonely.

Jake pressed his face against the window as they turned off the highway onto a narrow road lined with towering pines. “Look at those trees, Bash!” he exclaimed, his breath fogging the glass. “We could play hide and seek for hours!”

Doreen glanced at the snow-covered forest surrounding them, mentally calculating the likelihood of frostbite, lost children, and wild animal encounters.

Hide and seek in a wilderness was not exactly her idea of a relaxing retreat.

But she knew this trip was not about her.

Not anymore. Plus, she wanted Jake to have fun.

It would take his mind off his father’s accident.

But safe fun. The kind with boundaries. Real boundaries, not miles and miles of open forests and mountains.

It would be so easy to get lost out there, and in these temperatures, they would not last long.

Maybe she should fit trackers to Jake and Bash.

Was it weird to microchip a nephew? Probably. But still…

Panic welled up inside her. A ridiculous thought, she told herself, but the fear underneath it wasn’t ridiculous at all. Maybe she should just drop off the contracts, then head home.

However, as she glanced over her shoulder at Jake’s excited face as he stared out of the window, one arm wrapped around Bash, she knew that wasn’t an option.

“We’ll see what activities they have around town,” she said, her fingers tightening on the steering wheel.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the lingering scent of dog and beef jerky that now permeated her car.

She was determined to enjoy this stay, no matter what unexpected turns it took.

It would be good to spend time with Jake.

Since he was probably the closest she would ever get to having a child of her own.

A dream she’d quietly folded up and packed away years ago.

When Pauline had broken the news that she was pregnant, Doreen had been so excited at the idea of them raising kids together. She’d gone home and talked it over with her husband, Walt.

Walt had made all the right noises, said he wanted kids too… one day. But that day never came. Instead, he had had an affair, which had ended their marriage.

The memory of her ex-husband’s betrayal sharpened briefly, then settled back into its familiar dull ache.

Her divorce eight years ago had left more than just paperwork in its wake.

The trust she’d once given so freely had shattered, leaving her cautious and guarded.

That’s why she felt that twinge of something—was it jealousy?

—when thinking about Sorcha. Her friend had somehow abandoned all reason and fallen head over heels for a man she’d just met.

Doreen wasn’t bitter. She was… bruised. There was a difference. Mostly. Which gave her a glimmer of hope. After all, bruised people could still heal. They just needed a safer place to do it.

Doreen was yet to find that safe place. Or safe person. Someone she could trust completely. No questions. No reservations.

“Are we almost there, Aunt D?” Jake bounced in his seat, Bash mirroring his excitement with panting enthusiasm.

“Just a few more minutes,” she promised, following the signs for Bear Creek Cabins.

When they finally pulled into the parking area, Doreen’s shoulders were tight with tension. She’d spent the last twenty minutes mentally cataloging everything she’d forgotten to pack in her rush—extra dog food, Jake’s favorite cereal, her own carefully selected novels.

Her suitcase looked full, but she felt unprepared anyway. This was way out of her comfort zone.

“We’re here!” Jake shouted, unbuckling his seatbelt before she’d even put the car in park.

“Wait, Jake…” But he was already tumbling out of the car, Bash following in a blur of golden fur.

A car door slammed somewhere nearby, the sound echoing through the trees. Bash’s ears perked up, and before Doreen could grab his collar, he bolted across the parking area toward the woods.

“Bash!” Jake called, his voice rising with panic.

“Stay right there!” Doreen ordered, her stomach rolling with fear as she scrambled out of the car, nearly slipping on a patch of ice.

“Need some help?” A deep voice came from behind her.

Doreen turned to find herself face to face with a tall man in a sheriff’s department uniform. His slate-blue eyes assessed the situation quickly, taking in her distress and the runaway dog in one efficient glance.

Those eyes. Calm. Capable. Comforting in a way that made her breath catch.

And a little too perceptive.

“My nephew’s dog,” she explained breathlessly, pressing a hand to her chest. “He’s not used to the woods, and he just…”

“I saw,” the deputy said, already moving. “He headed toward the maintenance shed. Dogs usually follow their noses. There’s probably something interesting over there. Squirrels most likely.”

Together they jogged toward the edge of the property, Doreen calling Bash’s name while the deputy whistled low and steady. They found the golden retriever barking frantically at the base of a pine tree, where a squirrel chittered defiantly from a high branch.

“Bash, come!” Doreen commanded, her voice rising with anxiety. The dog ignored her completely.

Jake came running up behind them, breathless. “He never listens when there are squirrels.”

“Let’s try something,” Deputy Pike said, kneeling to Jake’s level. “Think you could help me with a special police technique for dog rescue?”

Jake’s eyes widened. “Yes, please!”

The deputy showed Jake how to make a specific whistle-click sound with his tongue, then positioned himself on one side of the tree while directing Jake to the other. “Now we’re going to close in slowly, making that sound. Dogs can’t resist investigating two different sources.”

Doreen watched as Jake mimicked the deputy perfectly, his small face serious with concentration. Within moments, Bash’s attention wavered, his head swiveling between Jake and the deputy until, with a final bark of farewell to the squirrel, he bounded toward Jake.

“You did it!” Doreen exclaimed, something twisting in her chest as she watched the easy way Deputy Pike high-fived her nephew. She probably would have just grabbed for the collar in panic, maybe even scared Bash deeper into the woods. Some substitute parent she was turning out to be.

But watching Jake beam under the deputy’s praise helped, and she found herself smiling too.

“Team effort,” the deputy said as he turned toward her, his eyes lingering on her in a way that made her shiver with excitement. There was something intensely focused in the way he looked at her—steady, warm, far too intimate for a first meeting, and yet she couldn’t look away.

“Thank you,” she managed, suddenly aware of how disheveled she must look after the chase. “I’m Doreen. Doreen Whitlow, and this is my nephew Jake and his dog Bash.”

“James Pike,” he replied, extending his hand. The corner of his mouth lifted in a half-smile that sent an unexpected warmth through her chest. “Deputy James Pike. Welcome to Bear Creek.”

She slipped her hand into his. His palm was warm against her cold fingers, calloused in places that spoke of work beyond the badge.

Their eyes met over their clasped hands, and the world around them seemed to recede—the barking dog, her nephew’s excited chatter, even the biting cold—all fading to background noise.

His eyes were the deep blue of mountain lakes, steady and clear.

Something passed between them, a current of recognition so unexpected it left her momentarily speechless.

Destiny? Fate? Or just a hint of possibility? Of hope.

His thumb brushed almost imperceptibly across her knuckles before he released her hand, though neither looked away.

There was something in his gaze, something trustworthy and solid that she hadn’t encountered in years.

One second stretched into three, then five, until Doreen realized she was still staring, still feeling the ghost of his touch on her skin.

“Doreen!”

The moment was shattered as Sorcha’s voice rang out across the parking area. Doreen turned to see her friend hurrying toward them, bundled in a bright red coat, her face glowing with happiness.

“You made it!” Sorcha embraced her, then pulled back with a grin. “And I see you’ve already met our local hero.”

“Just doing my job,” Deputy Pike said, tipping his hat.

“James is nothing but modest,” Sorcha said. “But he’s always around to help people out and keep them safe.”

“Well, you helped us,” Doreen said.

“And you kept Bash safe,” Jake piped up.

But Doreen had a sneaking suspicion there was one thing that James might not keep safe. Her heart. Or her dignity, if she misread that look.

James kneeled down to Jake’s level, his badge catching the winter sunlight. “Remember to keep Bash on a leash around the cabins,” he said, his voice gentle but firm. “We don’t want him chasing after squirrels again.”

Jake nodded solemnly. “I will.”

“And if you want,” James continued, brushing snow from his uniform pants as he straightened, “maybe I could give you some tips on training him. Golden retrievers are smart, but they need consistent guidance.”

Doreen’s heart skipped, then raced at the thought of seeing James again. She pressed her mittened hand against her coat as if to quiet the sudden drumming beneath her ribs.

What was wrong with her? One rescue of a runaway dog, and she was acting like a teenager.

“That would be cool,” Jake replied, his face brightening with excitement.

James’s gaze shifted to Doreen, his blue eyes questioning. “If that’s okay with your aunt?”

“Yes. That would be great,” Doreen said a little too quickly. She cleared her throat. “I mean, Jake would love that, and Bash definitely needs the training.”

She told herself this was about Jake. The flutter in her stomach suggested otherwise.

“Perfect. I patrol near the cabins most mornings,” James said. “I could stop by tomorrow around nine?”

“Nine is perfect,” Doreen replied, trying—and failing—to ignore the flutter in her stomach.

Sorcha glanced between them with a knowing smile that made Doreen want to disappear into her coat collar. “Doreen and Jake are coming over to us for dinner tonight,” she said to James. “Why don’t you come too? As a thank you for finding Bash.”

Doreen’s cheeks flushed pink. What was even happening? Was Sorcha trying to set her up with her own mountain man?

Was she hoping that Doreen might be persuaded to stay in Bear Creek, too? For love!

But when she looked at James from under her lashes, Doreen realized she might not be too hard to persuade at all, and that terrified her almost as much as it thrilled her.