Chapter Four – James
What just happened? James was in shock as he and Sorcha walked away from the cabin.
From his mate!
It was as if his world had lurched sideways, the frozen ground shifting beneath his feet. Each step he took away from the cabin, away from his mate, was harder than the last. As if every part of him knew this was a mistake.
So, why are we walking away? His bear prowled restlessly beneath his skin, agitated and impatient. We should go back. Go back. NOW.
We’ll see her later tonight at dinner, James replied, trying to calm the primal urge surging through him. His fingers trembled as he tugged at his collar, betraying a crack in the composure he fought to maintain.
But we could see her now, be with her now, his bear roared.
It would be all too easy to turn around and go back to her. He could make some excuse about needing to check the wiring, or the stove, or…
No, he had to keep walking forward. But it was so damn hard. The cold bit at his cheeks, sharp enough to sting, but it was nothing compared to the ache inside him. Every breath puffed out in a shaky cloud, too quick, too shallow, like his lungs couldn’t quite pull in enough air without her.
His body leaned backward instinctively, a traitorous tug toward the cabin behind him.
One more step and he might have turned around entirely—if not for sheer stubborn force of will keeping him moving forward.
Sorcha finally broke the tense silence. “So...” she said, fixing him with a direct look, her breath forming small clouds in the cold air. “Are you going to pretend nothing happened back there?”
“No.” James winced at how strangled the word sounded. He sounded like a man desperately trying to hold on to his sanity.
Tell her. Tell her now. She’ll help us, his bear urged.
James clenched his jaw. He’d never been great at hiding emotions on a normal day. Today was anything but normal.
“Doreen is my mate,” he admitted quietly, the words barely audible above the whisper of wind through the pines.
Sorcha reacted instantly. A high-pitched squeal burst out of her, loud enough to scatter wildlife for miles. Before he could react, she flung her arms around his neck, nearly knocking him backward.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed, practically bursting with excitement. “The way you looked at her! The way you stumbled with all that luggage! Oh, James… I knew it! This is the best news ever.”
Damn right, his bear rumbled in agreement, the wild thing inside him finally settling as Sorcha’s infectious joy spread through him.
Her enthusiasm was infectious, and James found himself grinning like a fool. However, just as quickly, her expression shifted, excitement giving way to concern as she stepped back to study his face.
“Just… be careful,” she said quietly.
His smile faltered. “What do you mean?”
“Doreen’s been hurt badly. She doesn’t trust easily.” Sorcha looked toward the cabin with a protective sadness. “She does not know shifters exist. None. And she’s been through more than she lets on.”
“How so?” James asked.
Sorcha pressed her lips together. “It’s not my story to tell. But Doreen went through a painful divorce a few years ago. It’s left scars. Deep scars.”
James felt the words like a claw to the chest. Scars.
Someone had carved hurt into the woman meant for him, leaving pieces of her bruised and tender.
His bear pressed hard against his ribs, wanting to shield her with his whole body, with his whole being.
The thought of anyone dimming her spirit made something primal and furious rise within him, something that vowed he would spend the rest of his life undoing that damage.
His bear growled. We should find this man and make him pay.
No, James said firmly.
Just a little mauling? his bear urged.
No, James repeated.
Maybe a warning growl… his bear said hopefully.
Absolutely not, James insisted, though a dark corner of his mind couldn’t help wondering exactly what Doreen’s ex would look like, running in fear for his life through the woods.
“I’ll never hurt her,” James vowed fiercely.
“I know,” Sorcha said gently. “But she doesn’t know that yet.”
James’s throat tightened as he at last looked back at the cabin. The primal need to go to her now was replaced by a deep sense of longing. Longing to make her happy, to help heal her scars.
“I’ve been waiting for her for so long,” he admitted. “I thought maybe it wasn’t going to happen for me.”
“I know how you feel,” Sorcha said. “Before I came to Bear Creek and met Christopher, I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life alone.”
“Exactly. I’ve spent so many Christmases,” he murmured, almost to himself.
“So many dinners, so many nights watching other people find their mates, have kids, build their families.” He swallowed down his emotions.
“I was happy for them…I was. I am... But there comes a point when you start wondering if maybe you were meant to live your life on the sidelines. Watching everyone else get their chance while yours never comes.”
“But she’s here now,” Sorcha said.
“Yes,” James nodded. “She is. But now I’m…”
“What, James? You can tell me…” Sorcha whispered.
He shook his head, the words suddenly too tangled to articulate. “Terrified,” he finished.
Terrified? his bear rumbled. This is the best day of our lives.
“Over the years, I’ve watched so many other shifters find their mates, their happy ever after,” James said as he tried to explain his feelings. “I’d finally accepted that was something not meant for me.”
“Well, you were wrong,” Sorcha told him flatly.
“I know,” James said, his mouth curling up in a smile. “Oh, I know.”
“You’ve got this, James.” Sorcha touched his arm. “All you have to do is go slow. Be patient. Let her get to know you as James first. Then worry about the…” She put on a deep voice, “‘hey, by the way, I occasionally turn into a bear’ part.”
James let out a startled laugh, grateful Sorcha was here with him. “When you put it that way…”
“You know I am a writer. That means I have a way with words,” Sorcha teased.
“Oh, you do,” James said. “And I am going to be eternally grateful to you for choosing to come to Bear Creek and write an article about Christmas here. Because if you hadn’t come to Bear Creek and met Christopher, then the chances are I’d never have met my mate.”
“I’m not sure you should be thanking me,” Sorcha said. “This is all fate’s doing!”
“Fate…” James tilted his head and looked up at the stars in the sky.
“Your wish came true,” Sorcha said, linking arms with him as she looked up at the heavens.
James remembered that night clearly when he, Michael, Christopher, and Daniel had made a wish upon a star. It was the night they chose the tree for the town square. The four of them were standing in the freezing dark, staring up at the sky as they each made their wish.
His had been simple: Let me find someone to build a life with. Someone to come home to. Someone to love. He’d felt ridiculous at the time, a grown man making childish wishes… yet here he was. The universe had heard him after all.
“It sure did,” James said, in awe.
In the best possible way, his bear said with a contented sigh.
“It’s not just the mate bond,” he admitted.
“I’m scared because… what if she gets to know me and decides she wants something else?
Someone else? Someone who isn’t tied to this town, to this life?
” He let out a breath that fogged between them.
“I’ve been alone for a long time. I don’t want to lose her before I’ve even had the chance to show her who I am.
And if I do get the chance… what if what I have to offer her isn’t enough? ”
His bear growled sharply. We are enough. We’ll protect her. We’ll cherish her. We WANT her.
What if she wants someone exciting? James said bleakly, as he dragged a gloved hand over his face.
We ARE exciting, his bear argued. We shift into an apex predator.
That’s not what humans usually mean by exciting, James said with a snort.
Humans are strange, his bear said, flexing his claws.
“You’re exactly what she needs,” Sorcha said.
“Am I? What if she doesn’t want a shifter?” James whispered. “What if she doesn’t want… me?”
Sorcha stepped closer, moonlight catching in her auburn hair. “James, did you see how she looked at you? She’s already smitten.” Her voice softened. “The way she watched you with Jake… the smile she had? That wasn’t nothing. Believe me.”
No, it wasn’t, his bear agreed, comforted by the words Sorcha spoke from the heart.
She bumped her shoulder against his. “Don’t overthink it. Fate brought her here to you. Remember?”
She’s right. His bear hummed in fierce approval.
“Who are we to argue with fate?” James cracked a smile.
“That’s better,” Sorcha said as they resumed walking. Moonlight filtered through pine branches, dappling the snow at their feet. The air smelled of frost and resin, and he breathed it in, letting go of his fears.
“So, what do I do?” James asked. “I can’t just show up at dinner and say,” he mimicked her deep voice, “Hi, I’m a bear, and you’re my fated mate. Pretty sure that would make her run screaming.”
His bear disagreed wholeheartedly. We could give it a try.
Absolutely not, James shot back.
“Take it slow, be yourself. And more importantly, trust in yourself,” Sorcha encouraged. “You’ll know when she’s ready.”
James nodded, knowing she was right. “Baby steps.”
“Exactly. Dog training sessions, dinner with friends, maybe a coffee date.” Her breath puffed in white clouds. “Let her get to know you. And trust you.”
“And… you won’t tell her about shifters?” James asked. He wasn’t sure if that had been on Sorcha’s agenda during Doreen’s visit.
“No. That’s your story to tell, when the time is right.” Sorcha smiled at him. “Christopher and I will follow your lead. We’ll be like your backup. When you tell Doreen, tell her if she needs to talk, then I’m here for her. And you.”
Relief washed over James. They had a plan. And more importantly, he had backup. Always important in a crisis.
This isn’t a crisis, his bear said. It’s fate.
Sorcha stopped suddenly and turned to him. Her expression turned earnest, bordering on solemn. “You know,” she whispered. “If I could pick who Doreen fell in love with… I’d pick you.”
James’s breath caught in his throat. Praise, he could handle. Teasing, he could handle. But this, being seen, being chosen, being deemed worthy by someone he respected, hit him square in the heart.
His bear stilled. She believes in us.
“I should get going,” he said, rough with emotion. “I need to shower and change before dinner.”
“Seven o’clock,” Sorcha reminded him. “Don’t be late!”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said as he kissed her cheek and then turned and headed for his truck.
“Drive safe,” Sorcha called out.
“Always.” He raised his hand and waved as he took his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the truck.
A fine dusting of snow coated the windshield, and he brushed it off before climbing into the cab and starting the engine. He glanced at the clock on the dashboard. He had plenty of time to get home, take a shower, and put on fresh clothes.
Then he’d be back here to spend the evening with his mate.
As he drove into the darkness, the soft glow of Doreen’s cabin lights faded in the rear-view mirror…
…but the pull toward her burned bright and undeniable. He’d waited half a lifetime to feel this kind of hope. And now that he’d found her, he knew one thing with absolute certainty…he would do anything to keep her.
Tonight would mark the beginning.
The first step toward everything he’d waited for.
Everything he’d dreamed of… and never believed he’d find.
Not until her.