AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fine,” she huffed. “But I’m not putting on a dress.”
“You’ll be disappointing a lot of lonely shifters, but whatever.”
She snarled, showing teeth.
He showed his own, then winked.
She left his office, determined to at least try to enjoy the holidays this year. Because God knew if she waited for a man to make her happy, she’d be waiting forever.
Chapter Four
Laura pulled into Ty’s driveway, not surprised to see the area full of cars and a few horses tied off near the barn.
No doubt many of the Ac-taw in attendance had run over in animal form. The idea of feeling the snow under her paws and dancing over her fur coat had tempted her. But it had been a long day, and she didn’t relish walking home under a romantic moonlight with only her shadow for company.
The house looked welcoming, the way it always did. Laura spent as much time at Ty and Julia’s house as she did her own, so she didn’t always appreciate its niceties.
She parked and walked up the drive, hearing the sounds of laughter and Christmas music. Snow continued to flutter down, coating the evergreens and giving the air a crisp scent. The scene was like a postcard for the holiday spirit.
She entered, comfortable in a red sweater and jeans, accentuating but not overemphasizing her assets. Plus she loved her boots, cute yet practical. With a sigh, she set them aside in the mudroom, right next to a pair of shoes she recognized. Her heart immediately started racing, and she did her best to calm down.
Hmm. Gerald must have come straight from work. Or maybe he liked wearing fancy wingtips around the house. Who knew?
She followed her nose, passing friendly faces with smiles and waves.
The house really was a dream, a two-story colonial with a large living area for entertaining. It had an open floor plan so that the kitchen with its expansive island could seat at least six around the countertop now filled with treats.
Everywhere she looked, Laura saw evergreen and splashes of garland and red bows, the tall Fraser Fir, decorated to the hilt, the highlight of the décor.
The scent of evergreen didn’t overpower, but the hot apple cider did, mixed with one familiar fox. She found Julia by the pot warming on the stove.
“Hey, there you are.” Julia grinned, a beautiful redhead and fox Ty had married a few years ago. She shifted as a pair of children raced past, howling at each other like loons. “Nothing like a pair of cats pretending to be wolves for the holidays.” Julia made a face, and Laura laughed.
“Speaking of children, where’s yours?”
“She’s with Ty’s mom and dad, who were too busy to come tonight.” Julia leaned closer. “Babysitting is their excuse. They didn’t want to come since they’re currently feuding with family.”
Laura rolled her eyes. “You foxes are always infighting.”
“Hey, I’m part of the pride, remember.” Her eyes twinkled, and Laura knew she and Ty loved living as part of the catamount clan, having parted from the foxes a few years ago. “The pride is crazy, but they don’t argue so much. Or if they do, it’s a brief spat and over quickly.”
“True. But at least the foxes stick together. Not like the raptors.” Laura gave Julia the rundown on the situation with her cousin earlier.
“Ugh. More trouble we don’t need, and especially not at the holidays. But on a lighter note, I love your sweater. Did you happen to pass by Mona wearing that leopard-print dress? She lost a bet.” Julia grinned. “But you should hear what we’ve been dealing with at work.”
Laura would never admit it, but she loved hearing Julia’s Gerald stories.
“…and then he put a legal smackdown on Harvey, who tried roaring back. But you know, Gerald never lets anyone intimidate him. You’d think he was a polar bear the way he ignores anything that annoys him.”
Laura laughed. “Well, he seems cold enough.”
“Not at all. That’s just a front he puts on when he’s acting all lawyerly. He’s super sweet and funny.”
Funny? Laura had never seen that side of the man. And she wanted to, which annoyed her. Changing the subject, she shared a few work stories, having her friend nearly in tears.
“It’s bad enough we have a bear accused of trying to eat his friend. But an older wolf refused to stop peeing all over our tires, claiming territory by right of scent marking. The wolf alpha looked beyond embarrassed dragging his great uncle home.”
Julia snorted with laughter. “I would have loved to have seen that.”
