Page 60 of Cold Foot Croc

He nodded, unable to find the words to respond.

The rest of the drive, Raynah talked about her favorite parts of the day, and the funny things the Crew had said and done. Her voice lightened more and more as he pushed his truck up the mountain road, and when at last they crested the final ridge and pulled into the clearing with the U-shape of A-frame cabins, he felt nothing but happiness coming from her in waves.

Because of that, he could see the benefit to being this—a shifter. He could feel her emotions, and when they were good, it fueled him with this deep sense of joy that he hadn’t felt since he was human, and never this potent. Not even close.

Now, when he looked back on his human life, it wasn’t only with nostalgia and longing. Now, the memories seemed dull. With each passing day, he was beginning to feel like he was going to be all right. He could Change now without much pain, and he could control it more. He understood the bear more, and he had found the beginnings of friendships with people who were like him, who wouldn’t judge him because they managed animals too.

And it was all because of this beautiful woman sitting next to him, staring over at him with this soft smile that said she was really here, really in this with him.

Her stomach had loosened up, and the baby moved under his touch. This was the moment, right? This was one that would be burned into his heart for the rest of his days. It was the moment when he knew no matter what, things could be okay.

What a relief after so long of believing he would never feel comfortable in his own skin again.

This was that rainbow-at-the-end-of-a-long-storm moment.

As they walked up to the second-to-last A-frame cabin on the right-hand side, Raynah turned apologetic. “I haven’t done much with it since I moved in.”

When she pushed open her front door, he could see instantly what she meant. There was no furniture in the living room, and nothing decorating the kitchen table. The price tags were still hanging off the chairs. The kitchen counters were bare, and the fireplace still had the sticker on it from installation that said she hadn’t ever used it.

There were several plants along the front wall, but other than that, the home didn’t look lived in. There were no pictures on the walls, no trinkets on the fireplace mantle, no rugs on the cold hardwood floor. Beside the stairs that led up to a loft, the Crew had piled all the presents, still in their boxes, which gave another layer of coldness to the space.

“Can I take this off?” he asked, gesturing to the sticker on the fireplace glass.

“Um, sure. I don’t really use it.”

He peeled the sticker off, then pushed the button on the wall that ignited warm-looking flames. He lowered his hand near the vent, and was happy to find that the gas fireplace gave off heat. So this thing wasn’t just for looks.

She made her way to the fridge, opened it, and stared at the chaos of all the leftover food the Crew had stuffed in there. “Um, maybe later we can eat some of this,” she said softly.

“We could picnic in front of the fireplace,” he suggested.

She twisted around and gave him this little smile that made his heart beat faster. “Whoa, mind-reader. That’s what I was thinking, too.”

Garret looked around. This home was simple, but had the highest-quality everything—from the real wood floors, to the cedar-plank walls, to the stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops in the kitchen. Even the stair railing looked like it belonged in magazines. He pointed to the empty space beside the stairs. “Christmas tree goes there, I bet.”

She shrugged. “I didn’t do one this year.”

“Next year. And do lights all up the railing. It’ll be the baby’s first Christmas.”

Her eyes were so soft right now, and full of some emotion he could only guess at. “Will you be here next Christmas?” she asked so low, he almost missed it.

Another test?

He closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. “If you want me here, I’ll be here.”

“I’ll want you here,” she whispered. “This is the first time I’ve felt comfortable in this home. You are a fixer.”

He smiled and hugged her tighter. Silly woman. Couldn’t she see? She was the one who was fixing everything.

“Where do you sleep?” he asked.

Raynah eased out of the hug and pointed her finger at the ceiling right above the kitchen.

“The loft?”

She nodded.

“Want to show me?”

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