She tapped the Answer icon. “Hey. Did you make it to Vail okay?”
“Just got settled in,” Henry told her. “It’s absolutely beautiful here. Eight inches of fresh powder with another twelve expected. You’d love it.”
The town and scenery? Yeah, she probably would. Spending time with Vicki and her family? Not so much.
She gazed beyond the deck railing at her own pristine, snow-covered landscape. “It’s pretty nice here too.”
“Nice? It was sleeting when we left this morning with a nor’easter predicted.”
“I’m not in Vermont.”
“Where are you?”
“Aurora Falls, Canada. I told you I had plans.”
“You were serious about that?”
Lainey pushed down her irritation. “Yes, I was serious about that. I figured it was better than spending the holidays in the house alone.”
“Aren’t you alone now?” he countered.
Well, he had her there.
“Yes, but I’m treating it as a vacation, so it’s not the same thing.”
“You don’t have to be alone. Please reconsider. There’s still time to make it here by Christmas.”
Lainey bit her lip. In their nearly thirty years, she and Henry had never been apart for Christmas, and for the last ten years, it had been just the two of them. Was she being selfish and unreasonable in choosing to spend the holiday alone rather than by setting aside her personal dislikes for her brother’s benefit?
“What does Vicki think about that idea?” she asked.
Henry was quiet for several long moments before he said, “Vicki’s stepmother knows someone with a place nearby who is spending the holidays in Switzerland this year. She thinks she’d be willing to let you stay there. I could get us lift tickets for the day after Christmas when Vicki and her mom go shopping.”
Translation: Lainey was supposed to bide her time out of sight until Vicki let Henry off the leash.
The softness Lainey had been feeling vanished. “Thanks, but no, thanks.”
“Lainey ...”
“I have to go, Henry. Have a great time in Vail, and please wish everyone a merry Christmas for me. I’ll talk to you when I get back. Love you.”
Finn
FINN LOOKED AROUND at the adolescents gathered at the rec center. He knew them all, having had coached most of them in youth ice hockey. The polar bear shifter community was a close-knit one, and mature males and females were expected to provide hands-on support and be good role models for the younger boars and sows.
“All right, boys and girls, the VIPs should be finishing up dinner by now. You know what to do. Just a quick glimpse tonight to give them a thrill. Amble around outside the restaurant, peek in a window or two, but keep a safe distance, yeah?”
“When do we get to airlift?” one eager bear asked, her eyes bright with anticipation.
Finn withheld his grin. Before the Alliance, local residents used to capture “nuisance” bears who wandered into town and airlift them back out to the ice floes. It had since become a favorite reward among adventurous shifter youths and was usually all the incentive they needed to put on a good performance.
“At the end of the week, if you’ve done well. You have to earn it. No stunts. I’ll be watching. Screw up, and you won’t be coming back tomorrow, got it?”
Confirmations of, “Got it, Coach,” mixed with more nods and grunts of agreement.
Finn shifted into his bear form. It was easier to keep an eye on them that way. In the unlikely event that one of them did get a wild hair and go rogue, he could remove them from the situation quicker as well.
The young bears moved toward the center of town, their excitement palpable. Finn followed along at a safe distance, his eyes watchful, ears alert.
When they got to the lodge, the kids put on a little show, parading in front of the window. A few of the more outgoing ones went up to the window and peered inside, turning away and trotting off when someone inside squealed. Soon, the guests could be seen against the glass, looking out and pointing with smiles on their faces.
The one face Finn had been hoping to see wasn’t among them. Where was Lainey? Was she standing back in the shadows, out of sight, or had she retired early?
All was going according to plan. The kids were doing well and having a good time. Finn took the opportunity to wander off to the side to see if the lights were on in Lainey’s room.
He heard her before he saw her. She was in the hot tub again and appeared to be on the phone with someone. Stealthily moving closer on silent paws, he stayed out of sight and was able to overhear snippets of her conversation.
Who was Henry? And why did Finn feel that spear of possessiveness when she said she loved him?
Watching her as he was, he saw her eyes widen. She sat up abruptly, and then she stepped out of the hot tub and stared at the wandering bears over the rail. Only then did he realize some of the youngsters had followed him over and were standing in a pool of light.
“Are we doing a special show for that one, Coach?” one of them chuffed in bear speak.
“Not tonight,” he answered. “Good job, everyone. Back to the center.”
Chapter Eight
Finn
“Coming to the lodge for breakfast two days in a row,” Beau commented as Finn joined him at the table the next morning. “You must really like this woman, huh?”
Beau knew him well. Maybe too well.
“She intrigues me.” Finn raised the mug to his lips and drank, his eyes scanning the nearly empty dining room.
At that early hour, it was mostly locals, grabbing a bite to eat before starting their day. Finn was hoping that yesterday hadn’t been a fluke and Lainey would be up and about before the other guests. It was a calculated risk, one he was willing to take to see her again.
“I mean, I get it. She is your type. Beautiful. Smart. Has a thing for four-legged beasties.”
Finn grunted, a sound as bear as it was human.
“But she’s also human and a VIP guest. You know the rules, dude.”
“I haven’t broken any rules.” Yet. “And you were on that helicopter tour too.”
Beau’s brow furrowed. “You haven’t seen her since then?”
“No.”
Finn knew Beau too. Knew that Beau had assumed he’d follow up that VIP chopper tour with additional personal service—because that was what Beau would have done.
He gave Beau a few minutes to digest that. He waited patiently and quietly, his eyes peeled on the door. It wasn’t unlike spending hours on the ice, biding his time until a tasty seal popped up for air. Only he wanted to devour Lainey in a completely different way.
“So, what are you planning to do exactly?” Beau pressed. “Lie in wait and then pounce?”
“I don’t know,” Finn answered honestly. He knew he needed to be careful, but he also needed to see her again. “I’m winging it at this point.”
Beau piled his mug, silverware, and napkin on his empty plate and rose. He patted Finn’s shoulder with one hand. “I wish you luck, my friend. But step lightly with those big paws of yours, and don’t do anything reckless that’s going to put us all in danger, yeah?”