Christmas Catastrophe: BBW Holiday Bear Shifter Romance (Christmas Bear Brothers Book 2) by Harmony Raines
Authors: Harmony Raines
Tags: General Fiction
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Chapter One – Damon
Damon was running late, but he had made it just in time to celebrate with his brothers, although with none of them mated, he wasn’t sure if Christmas had any real meaning to them. Instead of spending the holidays with a mate and cubs, they would each spend it working.
“Here we are again. Another Christmas, and we are all still bachelors.” Declan looked at his two brothers.
“Come on, it’s not that bad. You get to spend the holidays with other sad, lonely people,” Damon said, taking a sip of his beer and trying to cheer up his older brother, who was the sheriff of Bear Bluff.
“Speak for yourselves—I love Christmas at work. Between calls, I get to spend time with all the people stuck on the wards. The nurses work hard to make it special, particularly for the kids who are in over the holidays.” Dermot grinned. “I bet I could rustle up some lonely nurses for a bit of fun.”
“I might take you up on that. I’m stuck with my crew at the fire station. And although there are the delightfully curvy figures of Kirsty and Sonia to gaze at, they are firmly off-limits. Work and relationships don’t mix,” Damon stated. He had worked as a firefighter for so long, the station was like his second home; however, he wanted to experience a real family Christmas with the woman he loved.
“Unless you are bonded,” Declan said evenly.
“Which we’re not,” Damon stated firmly. For so long, he had hoped that his mate would simply walk into his life, or he would be called out to rescue her, showing her that he was the kind of man she couldn’t do without.
A silence settled over them, and then Declan said, “Let’s face it, we hate Christmas,” Dermot glared at his brother, and Damon shook his head; it was one thing to think it, another to admit it. “What? We do. It reminds us of everything we haven’t got, everything that we long for.”
“OK. So let’s make a toast. Or a pact. By this time next year, we will all be looking forward to our first Christmas at home with our families. It will be some other lonely bachelor’s job to keep things rolling, while we eat too much food and make love to our mates.” Dermot raised his glass.
“Sure, why not,” Damon said. They had nothing to lose, only their loneliness. As he raised his glass, he wished not just for himself to find his mate, but for his brothers too. They had grown up together and kept in close contact; he loved them dearly and wanted the best for them. The best mate, and the best Christmas ever.
“I’m in.” Declan raised his glass, but then added, “But I still think it’s pointless. After all, we can’t change our fates just because we promise to.”
“Damn it, Declan. Lighten up. You never know what’s round the corner,” Dermot said, slapping his brother good-naturedly on the back. “And, if you haven’t found your mate by mid-summer, I’ll put your bad-tempered bear face on one of those dating websites. I heard Marjorie in Bear Creek was thinking of starting one.”
“If you do that, I will disown you,” Declan growled. “I don’t need help finding a woman.”
Dermot and Damon collapsed into fits of laughter. “Right, because your social diary is full of dates with women.”
“That’s through choice. I’ve gotten to an age where it seems shallow to date a woman, when you know you are never going to settle down with her because she isn’t your mate.” Declan looked as if he was going to sprout claws and swat his brothers round the head, but he reined his bear in.
Dermot wasn’t finished pushing Declan’s buttons. “See, you are a romantic at heart, and there was us thinking you were a miserable bear.”
“Listen, it’s hysterical to sit around and shoot the breeze with you guys,” Declan said sarcastically. “But some of us have got more important things to do than have their social life pulled apart.”
“Hey, just because you’ve hit a dry spell,” Dermot laughed.
“I
Damon was running late, but he had made it just in time to celebrate with his brothers, although with none of them mated, he wasn’t sure if Christmas had any real meaning to them. Instead of spending the holidays with a mate and cubs, they would each spend it working.
“Here we are again. Another Christmas, and we are all still bachelors.” Declan looked at his two brothers.
“Come on, it’s not that bad. You get to spend the holidays with other sad, lonely people,” Damon said, taking a sip of his beer and trying to cheer up his older brother, who was the sheriff of Bear Bluff.
“Speak for yourselves—I love Christmas at work. Between calls, I get to spend time with all the people stuck on the wards. The nurses work hard to make it special, particularly for the kids who are in over the holidays.” Dermot grinned. “I bet I could rustle up some lonely nurses for a bit of fun.”
“I might take you up on that. I’m stuck with my crew at the fire station. And although there are the delightfully curvy figures of Kirsty and Sonia to gaze at, they are firmly off-limits. Work and relationships don’t mix,” Damon stated. He had worked as a firefighter for so long, the station was like his second home; however, he wanted to experience a real family Christmas with the woman he loved.
“Unless you are bonded,” Declan said evenly.
“Which we’re not,” Damon stated firmly. For so long, he had hoped that his mate would simply walk into his life, or he would be called out to rescue her, showing her that he was the kind of man she couldn’t do without.
A silence settled over them, and then Declan said, “Let’s face it, we hate Christmas,” Dermot glared at his brother, and Damon shook his head; it was one thing to think it, another to admit it. “What? We do. It reminds us of everything we haven’t got, everything that we long for.”
“OK. So let’s make a toast. Or a pact. By this time next year, we will all be looking forward to our first Christmas at home with our families. It will be some other lonely bachelor’s job to keep things rolling, while we eat too much food and make love to our mates.” Dermot raised his glass.
“Sure, why not,” Damon said. They had nothing to lose, only their loneliness. As he raised his glass, he wished not just for himself to find his mate, but for his brothers too. They had grown up together and kept in close contact; he loved them dearly and wanted the best for them. The best mate, and the best Christmas ever.
“I’m in.” Declan raised his glass, but then added, “But I still think it’s pointless. After all, we can’t change our fates just because we promise to.”
“Damn it, Declan. Lighten up. You never know what’s round the corner,” Dermot said, slapping his brother good-naturedly on the back. “And, if you haven’t found your mate by mid-summer, I’ll put your bad-tempered bear face on one of those dating websites. I heard Marjorie in Bear Creek was thinking of starting one.”
“If you do that, I will disown you,” Declan growled. “I don’t need help finding a woman.”
Dermot and Damon collapsed into fits of laughter. “Right, because your social diary is full of dates with women.”
“That’s through choice. I’ve gotten to an age where it seems shallow to date a woman, when you know you are never going to settle down with her because she isn’t your mate.” Declan looked as if he was going to sprout claws and swat his brothers round the head, but he reined his bear in.
Dermot wasn’t finished pushing Declan’s buttons. “See, you are a romantic at heart, and there was us thinking you were a miserable bear.”
“Listen, it’s hysterical to sit around and shoot the breeze with you guys,” Declan said sarcastically. “But some of us have got more important things to do than have their social life pulled apart.”
“Hey, just because you’ve hit a dry spell,” Dermot laughed.
“I
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