Page 1 of Bear Creek Christmas
Prologue
Late July, Bear Creek, PA
Knox McCoy ambled along a well-worn path to his favorite mulberry grove and stood to begin feasting. He’d been waiting for the plentiful fruit to ripen, and his long, flexible tongue enabled him to gobble down the plump, sweet berries with alacrity. While he’d clearly scent-marked the area, the lure of fresh mulberries proved too difficult for interlopers to resist. He’d been forced to drive off more than one opportunist this season already.
Well before filling his cavernous belly, Knox picked up the scent of a female in heat. This one was persistent—in and out of his territory for weeks now, presumably waiting to catch him at the height of her cycle. Irritated, he wished he could ignore the mating season or at least lie low in a den somewhere until things were less crazy. He wasn’t interested in breeding a female, though at least this one wasn’t a shifter. Like the others, he’d intercept her well beyond his territory and chase her off.
Every year from June to August, the mating drive imposed a hyper-promiscuity on bears and their shifter cousins. Knox handled it by hooking up with a select group of male friends in the area. These annual encounters—a few moments of bury-the-bone and see ya later—served their purpose by temporarily calming the insistent urge to mate. Neither he nor his friends expected more.
As planned, Knox met the eager female with aggression until she finally gave up—chasing her a bit longer than necessary just to get the point across. He waited to make sure she wasn’t circling back for another attempt and then returned the way he came. There were, after all, more berries to enjoy before heading home to his cozy cabin north of town. The place was perfect for his bear: peaceful, isolated from neighbors, and surrounded by forest. Knox had everything he needed with a large conservation area nearby and an extension of Bear Creek Lake outside his front door. Well,nearlyeverything.
While his bear was content to be alone, his human side longed for a mate. Knox hadn’t met anyone interested in settling down, certainly not any fellow shifters, which left human males. None caught his eye in the small community of Bear Creek, and it wasn’t due to being overly picky. His kind was known for selecting mates based on a person’s inner qualities, but there weren’t enough available men to choose from. Now in his thirties, Knox feared ending up a lonely, grizzled old man with no one to love.
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Meanwhile, Beechwood, OH
Not usually given over to dramatics, unless on stage, Levi Green heaved a deep sigh and grabbed the roll of tape to seal up another box. Statistics claimed that the average American moved almost a dozen times in their lifetime. As this would only be his second, he concluded the average American needed their head examined. The torturous process was little more than a monumental pain in the ass and should only be contemplated under extreme circumstances.
Laughing at himself, Levi hauled the box out to the living room and added it to the stack against the wall. There wasn’t much to see after selling all the furniture, and the apartment looked much like it did when he moved in five years ago. Never really “home” in his mind, it simply served as a convenient place to live—close to the school and not too far from his folks. He considered a house in the country much more appealing, assuming he could ever afford one.
Looking back, Levi appreciated cutting his professional teeth in the greater Cleveland school system—gaining valuable teaching experience while learning to navigate life on his own. He would definitely miss his parents and three younger siblings but realized a change was necessary if he were to be happy. The job offer from a school in northeast Pennsylvania allowed him to grow, both personally and professionally.
Bear Creek also happened to be a mixed human-shifter community, something new to Levi. Apparently, the town’s reputation included a bear-themed Christmas celebration every year involving the local schools. Leviadoredthe holidays, and being a vocal music teacher meant indulging his love of Christmas music through his students’ performances. Unfortunately, he knew nothing about shifters and wondered how the town combined the holiday with bears. He’d find out soon enough.
His new position required a long journey to another state but promised a simpler life and distance from his persistent ex-boyfriend. A glance at his phone showed several of Daniel’s calls already this morning, no doubt hoping Levi would suddenly change his mind about leaving. Not happening.
He cringed at the thought of wasting three years of his life with someone who never actually loved him. It took an overheard phone conversation to realize Daniel only wanted him as arm candy to impress his parents and social contacts. While nice to look at, Daniel considered Levi nothing but a mereteacher, socially and economically inferior. Their painful break-up left Levi angry, distrustful of love, and determined to keep men at arm’s length.
His parents were unhappy when he told them about the new job, concerned that he was running away from his problems instead of facing them head-on. Privately, Levi wondered if they might be right. Even if they were, he knew his heart better than anyone else and needed a fresh start on his own terms. In a couple of days, the reinvention of Levi Green would commence, and he couldn’t wait.
Chapter 1
High school athleticwing, mid-August
Knox swept up the mess he’d made and began putting his tools away. The new trophy cases were finally finished, and they looked even better than promised. The job wasn’t difficult, only time-sensitive, given that school started in another week. The building additions and remodels slated for the summer took longer than anticipated, and a frantic call from the school board resulted in Knox taking on a last-minute rush project. Even better, the financial bonus for finishing on time would help replenish his bank account.
Before he could load up the last of his gear, Principal Langtree rounded the corner and stopped to admire his work.
“These look great! Your reputation is well-deserved, my friend. I told the board you’d come through for us.”
Knox pulled the final invoice from his pocket and handed it over.
“Thanks, Matt. I was about to stop by your office and let you know I’d finished. All you need to do is to shine up the glass, and they’re ready to go. If you can encourage the powers-that-be to cut me a check soonest, I would appreciate it.”
