Chapter Twenty-Two – Sarah
Michael reached out his hand, palm up, an invitation in his warm brown eyes. “Come with me.”
Sarah hesitated for just a heartbeat, then placed her hand in his. “Where are we going?” she asked as he led her toward the door.
They had only just arrived. She hadn’t even had a chance to take her coat off, even though the fire now burned cheerily in the grate, the flames warming Michael’s home. A home she wanted to explore so she could learn all there was to know about this Christmas tree farmer.
“Outside.” His voice held a hint of nervousness that made her pulse quicken.
“Outside?” she asked. “You can’t show me inside?”
“No,” he replied simply.
Sarah followed him to the door but paused at the threshold as he opened it. The night air rushed in, shockingly cold after the warmth of the cabin. Stars glittered in the black velvet sky, countless and brilliant in a way she’d never seen in the city.
“It’s freezing,” she whispered, though she didn’t pull her hand away. “Can’t you show me in here?”
Michael squeezed her fingers gently. “We’ll just be a few minutes. Trust me?”
Those two words hung between them, weighted with meaning far beyond this moment. Did she trust him? This man she’d known for such a short time yet felt connected to in ways she couldn’t explain?
“Yes,” she said. The word came easier than she expected.
Sarah stepped outside beside him, the snow crunching beneath her boots. Her breath clouded in front of her face as Michael led her away from the cabin, their joined hands swinging gently between them. The night was utterly silent except for their footsteps and the occasional distant call of an owl.
Michael stopped in a small clearing and tilted his head back, looking up at the sky. Sarah followed his gaze and gasped.
Without the city’s light pollution, the stars were magnificent. A dazzling blanket of light spanned horizon to horizon. The Milky Way stretched across the darkness like spilled diamonds, more stars than she’d ever imagined possible.
“Wow,” she breathed, her voice barely audible even to her own ears. “This is the most incredible thing I have ever seen.”
She felt Michael’s eyes on her, though she couldn’t tear her gaze from the celestial display. They stood side by side, shoulders touching, sharing the moment in comfortable silence. The cold numbed her cheeks, but Sarah barely noticed, too entranced by the stars above.
Finally, she tore her eyes away from the sky and looked at Michael. His face was illuminated by starlight, his expression soft as he watched her. Something in her chest tightened at the tenderness in his gaze.
Sarah clutched his arm, suddenly overwhelmed by the beauty of the night, by his presence, by everything that had happened between them. “Thank you for bringing me here. I have never seen such a display of stars. Well worth braving the cold for a few minutes.”
Michael’s eyes held hers for a long moment. “Sarah,” he said, his voice low and serious, “the stars are not what I wanted to show you.”
“It’s not?” She blinked in surprise, searching his face.
“No.” He shook his head and gently pulled his hand from hers, stepping away.
Sarah watched, confused, as Michael moved to the edge of the clearing. He kneeled and lit two lanterns she hadn’t noticed before. They cast a golden glow across the snow, creating a small circle of warmth in the winter night.
Michael straightened, his tall frame silhouetted against the lantern light. “There’s something else,” he said, his voice tight with what sounded like nervousness. “And I want you to promise me you will stay right there.”
He held up his hands, palms out, his eyes fixed on her face as if searching for any sign of fear.
Sarah’s heart pounded against her ribs. What could he possibly want to show her that required such a warning? Part of her wanted to step back, to return to the safety of the cabin, but a stronger part—the part that had been drawn to Michael from the first moment—kept her rooted to the spot.
“Okay,” she said, her voice small against the vastness of the night sky and the mountains and forests.
Michael took a deep breath, his shoulders rising and falling with the motion. Then, with one last look at her, he closed his eyes.
What happened next defied everything Sarah thought she knew about reality. The air around Michael seemed to ripple, then pop and fizz like static electricity. For a split second, he appeared to blur at the edges, and then…
He was gone.
Then, a moment later, in place of the man stood an enormous bear, its dark fur gleaming in the lantern light, its massive head turned toward her.
Sarah’s breath caught in her throat. Her mind struggled to process what she was seeing. One moment, Michael had been standing there, and now...this wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be real.
But it was. The bear…Michael?…lowered its head and huffed softly, its breath visible in the cold night air. It remained where it was, as if giving her time to absorb what she was seeing.
Sarah stood frozen, not from fear but from pure astonishment. The bear took a tentative step forward, then another, moving with surprising grace for such a massive creature. Its eyes—dark, intelligent eyes that somehow looked familiar—never left her face.
Instead of running, Sarah sank to her knees in the snow. “Well,” she said, her voice steadier than she would have expected, “this is more spectacular than any starry display.”
The bear huffed again, coming closer until it was standing right in front of her. It lowered its massive head, blowing warm breath on her hands as she reached out.
Sarah’s fingers sank into thick, soft fur. The bear’s coat was warmer than she expected, radiating heat in the frosty night. She rubbed behind its ears, marveling at the softness, at the impossible reality of what was happening.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, running her hands along the bear’s muzzle. “Absolutely magnificent.”
The bear leaned into her touch, making a rumbling sound deep in its chest that felt almost like purring. Sarah laughed, the sound almost too loud in the quiet night. She stroked the bear’s massive head, scratched under its chin, and then pressed a quick kiss to its broad snout.
“I can’t believe this is real,” she said, her voice filled with wonder. “You’re really Michael, aren’t you? How is this possible?”
The bear nuzzled against her hand, its eyes—Michael’s eyes—warm and intelligent. She could see recognition there, understanding. This wasn’t just an animal; this was Michael, somehow transformed yet still himself.
“This is incredible,” she continued, unable to stop touching him, reassuring herself that he was real. “You’re incredible.”
A shiver ran through her, though whether from the cold or from the enormity of what she was witnessing, Sarah couldn’t tell. The bear seemed to notice immediately. It backed away, giving her space, and then the air crackled and popped again.
The bear disappeared, and Michael stood in its place, fully clothed just as he had been before. His face was uncertain as he watched her, waiting for her reaction.
Sarah rose slowly to her feet, snow clinging to her jeans.
Her mind raced with questions, with implications, with wonder.
But beneath all that was a certainty she couldn’t explain.
That this changed nothing about how she felt for Michael.
If anything, it only deepened the connection she’d sensed from the beginning.
“You’re shivering,” Michael said, his voice gentle as he took a step toward her. “We should get you back inside.”
“I’m not cold,” Sarah said as she went to him. “It’s just a shock. It’s not every day you see a man shift into a bear for the first time.”
“It seemed easier than telling you,” Michael replied. “And more believable.”
Sarah laughed as she nodded. “That is true.”
“Come on, let’s get you inside and warmed up.” Michael slipped his arm around her shoulders and guided her back to the cabin.
Back inside, the fire crackled and popped, casting dancing shadows across the wooden walls.
She peeled off her gloves first, then shrugged out of her coat, hanging it on a hook by the door.
Her fingers tingled as circulation returned, and she moved closer to the fire, extending her hands toward the flames.
Her mind still reeled from what she had witnessed.
A man who could turn into a bear. It should have been terrifying or at least unsettling, but instead, it felt.
..right somehow. Like a puzzle piece clicking into place.
Her mother’s cryptic comments about Bear Creek being “special” suddenly took on new meaning.
Had Pat known all along, there was more to this town than met the eye?
“Do you want something to drink?” Michael asked from behind her.
Sarah turned, almost laughing at how ordinary the question sounded after what had just happened outside. His voice was careful, measured, as if he were afraid of spooking her.
“Thanks,” she said, watching him closely. He looked exactly the same as before…tall, solid, handsome. Yet now she saw him differently. Because now she knew what lived beneath his skin.
“Coffee, tea, hot chocolate?” he offered, his movements slightly stiff as he moved toward the kitchen area.
Sarah considered for a moment. “I think I’d like something stronger,” she replied. “It seems more fitting.”
Michael nodded and crossed the living room to a cabinet in the corner. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey, the amber liquid catching the firelight as he turned back toward her.
“Perfect,” she said.
She watched as he poured two generous measures into glass tumblers. His hand trembled slightly as he extended one toward her, the whiskey sloshing against the sides.
Sarah took the glass, her fingers brushing his. “What are you afraid of?” she asked before taking a sip. The liquor burned pleasantly down her throat, warming her from the inside.
Michael held his glass to his lips, pausing before he took a drink. “I don’t know what you’re thinking,” he admitted.
She nodded slowly, swirling the amber liquid in her glass. “I’m thinking that maybe Santa is real.”
A surprised chuckle escaped him. “That would not have been my first guess.”
Sarah laughed and took a bigger sip of her whiskey. The fire beckoned, and she lowered herself to sit on the soft rug in front of it, tucking her legs beneath her.
“Well,” she said, looking up at him, “you shifting into a bear is like make-believe, yet it’s real.” She tilted her head, considering. “So what else is real? The tooth fairy, the Easter bunny...”
Michael settled beside her on the rug, his shoulder close enough that she could feel his warmth radiating through his sweater. “And Santa,” he added.
“Exactly,” she said, nodding.
“Well, I can’t answer that,” he said, the firelight playing across his features. “But I do know that what we share is real.”
Sarah’s eyes dropped to his lips, remembering their kiss at the Christmas market. Her heart quickened, and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to feel his mouth on hers again. “And what do we share?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Michael stared into his drink for a long moment. The fire crackled, sending a shower of sparks up the chimney. Finally, he looked up. “A mate bond.”
The words hung in the air between them. Sarah rolled them around in her mind, tasting their meaning. “A mate bond,” she repeated.
“Yes.” His eyes never left hers. “We belong together.” His gaze narrowed slightly as he studied her face. “But then I think you already know that.”
Sarah nodded, a strange sense of calm washing over her. “I think I do.”
She set her glass down on the hearth, the whiskey forgotten. The fire crackled behind them, sending sparks dancing up the chimney as she turned to face him fully.
“From the moment we met,” she whispered, “there was something... I couldn’t explain it.”
Michael’s free hand reached for hers, his thumb tracing small circles on her palm. “The mate bond forms instantly when shifters meet their true match. It’s rare, precious. Some go their whole lives without finding it.”
Sarah absorbed this information, thinking of all the relationships she’d had before. How none of them had ever felt like this immediate, undeniable connection.
“And Emmy?” she asked, thinking of her daughter. “What does this mean for her?”
Michael’s expression softened. “It means she’d have someone who would always protect her, care for her as his own.” He hesitated, then added, “If that’s what you want.”
Sarah thought of how Michael had rescued Emmy’s day when Liam had failed to show, how naturally he’d stepped in without making Emmy feel like a charity case. How her daughter’s eyes lit up whenever he was around.
“I think she’d like that,” Sarah whispered. “I know I would.”
Michael set his glass beside hers and turned to face her. His hand came up to cup her cheek, his touch achingly gentle. “There’s something else you should know about mate bonds,” he said, his voice husky. “They’re for life. For eternity.”
Sarah leaned into his touch, her eyes holding his. “That doesn’t scare me.”
“No?” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“No,” she confirmed, sliding her hand up his arm to rest on his shoulder. “What scares me is how much I want to kiss you right now.”
Michael’s smile widened into a grin. “That’s not scary at all.”
Sarah moved closer, her heart pounding as she closed the distance between them.
Their lips met in a kiss that started gently but quickly deepened, fueled by the knowledge of what they were to each other.
Michael’s arms encircled her waist, drawing her against him as she wound her fingers through his hair.
When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Sarah rested her forehead against his. “So this is real,” she whispered. “All of it.”
“All of it,” Michael confirmed, his arms still holding her close. “And it’s just the beginning.”