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Calm and collected. Feminine but fierce. She repeated the mantra several times before feeling at ease.
Bad enough she shifted into a huge grizzly when in her animal form. Even as a human, she was on the larger side of normal. Built curvy and always carrying extra pounds no matter what she did, she had a belly, boobs, and butt she couldn’t hide.
It was tough enough being a predator trying to find a mate, but throw in her larger size compared to all the svelte women in this town and she figured she might be alone forever.
She stepped out of her office and saw Gerald Winter filling two cups from the water cooler. Now there was one fine looking fox—pun intended. Tall, smart, and sexy. He had intelligence galore, model-good looks, and that streamlined frame that was all power and speed.
Never Jerry or Jer, Gerald had to be around her own age at just past thirty. Mr. Popularity could have his choice of any woman in town, though he seemed to have a circumspect dating life. As cool and untouchable as ever.
His assistant happened to be one of Laura’s best friends, and she spoke highly of him. Julia never failed to mention that her amazing boss had a reputation for getting along with just about everyone in town, including those annoying raptors.
Though his red fox was small in size, the man stood a few inches taller than Laura, with a runner’s body built on lean muscle and strong bones. She often saw him jogging around town—for fun, go figure—and had admired his form.
Oh hell yes, what a form.
But a man like him would never look twice at a woman like her. It wasn’t fair. Both her twin sister and mother were slender, like human gazelles who turned big and mean when the occasion called for it. But not Laura. Human or grizzly, she remained large, angry, and lonely.
He turned suddenly and caught her staring. But the typically composed lawyer only nodded before moving back into the interrogation room.
Man, what I wouldn’t give for him to smile at me with warmth and mean it.
“Laura?”
She whipped around to find the sheriff staring at her. “Oh, uh, what’s up, Ty?”
He nodded to his office, and she joined him inside, curious when he closed the door behind them.
He perched on the edge of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. Another fox, he and Gerald were friends. Ty in his human form was large and aggressive, an impressive lawman who would likely serve out consecutive terms as sheriff until he chose to retire. A good man, he’d fallen in love with her best friend, another fox.
Though they were Ac-taw, the animal spirits inside each of them submitted to the human. Mating happened more through emotion than any biological imperative to procreate.
Still, most of them mated among their own kind. Laura didn’t care about her partner’s shifter spirit; she just wanted a man she could care for, and who would care for her.
She wanted a love like the kind Ty and Julia shared, the kind her parents shared. Rachel and Burke. Gabby and Grady. And so many of her other friends. She constantly felt like a third wheel, and especially around the holidays.
She gazed past Ty to his desk, spotting a tiny Christmas tree with a shiny star on top. “Oh man. You too?”
He turned to see his tree and smiled. “What can I say? Julia insists I join in the Christmas spirit for the holidays. I noticed your desk is pretty empty.”
“Bah, humbug.”
He chuckled. Then his smile left him. “The raptors are a huge pain in my ass. Is this mess with Kyle going to be a problem?”
She filled him in on everything, including how Gerald had been taking care of her cousin.
“Good. Gerald will make sure he’s looked after.” Ty watched her.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing, just… So, ah, Julia wants you to come over tonight. For our annual holiday celebration. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, whatever floats your boat, we’re celebrating.”
“That’s tonight?” Laura honestly had nothing better to do on a Friday night, but she didn’t know if she could handle being around so many happy people. No matter how much fun the party would be, she’d still leave feeling all alone.
“Oh, come on. I know it’s tough to be away from your favorite tree and honey pot for a night, come have some fun with us.”
She smirked. “I’m a grizzly, not Winnie the Pooh.”
He laughed. “You know you want to.”
