A Dragon for Christmas: Shifters for Christmas #2 Read online

  “Anthony and Jonathan donated it,” Rowan explained. “And all costs are included, so don’t worry about that.”

  Well, that did explain that, Georgia thought. Anthony and Jonathan were millionaires – they’d made their money in tech before retiring to Fairhill to run a diner and live their quiet country dream. Money was absolutely no object to them.

  “Yes, so you have literally nothing to be concerned about,” Emilia said, with what Georgia thought might be a hint of smugness. “No one’s had to scrimp and save or go without to give you a good, relaxing Christmas. Now, get going. You have a long drive ahead of you, and I want you to arrive in time to have a great dinner and a hot bath before tucking yourself into bed.”

  Pity I don’t have anyone else to tuck me in, Georgia thought as she hugged Emilia and Rowan goodbye, before getting into her car.

  Emilia was far too good of a friend for Georgia to feel envy toward her – but nonetheless, she had to admit to a certain wistfulness when she saw how utterly happy Emilia and Rowan were together. Georgia knew Emilia had had her own share of heartbreak before Rowan had come into her life, but the two of them were so utterly perfect together that sometimes Georgia wondered if they hadn’t been made for each other.

  Well, she knew that was at least partially true. Emilia had confided in her about what Rowan was: a shifter.

  Of course, Georgia hadn’t believed it at first. It couldn’t have been real. A gorgeous, loving man who turned into a massive mythical creature? Those kinds of things were just fairytales. But one day, Rowan had shown her it was true – by shifting into his griffin form right in front of her. True, it had been to rescue a kitten that had gotten stuck up on the very uppermost branches of a 70-foot fir tree, but she liked to think it also showed just how much they both trusted her.

  It’d forced her to re-think a lot of things about life – and about love, since Emilia had also confided in her about her and Rowan being fated mates. For a while, Georgia had dreamed of finding her own fated mate… though she realized just how unlikely that was. According to Rowan, shifters liked to keep themselves to themselves, hiding their existence from the world, and mated bonds between shifters and humans were rare.

  And anyway, more importantly than a mythical bond, Rowan had accepted Emilia exactly as she came: with six dogs, three cats, two rabbits and a pony. And they’d even added a couple of animals to their family since then, too. Emilia had a soft heart when it came to these things. She fostered all kinds of rescue animals, but every now and then she fell completely in love, and a lucky creature found its forever home with her and Rowan.

  Guys like that don’t come along every day, Georgia thought as she buckled her seatbelt, before turning to look at Logan. Not that I need a guy – and especially not one I can’t rely on. And I won’t risk doing that to Logan. He needs stability.

  “All buckled up back there?” she asked.

  Logan glanced up from his book, nodding. “Yeah, Mom.”

  Georgia hesitated, about to ask him if he wanted to come sit in the front with her, but Logan’s head was already back down over his book. Georgia was really happy he was reading – most of his classmates had to be nagged into looking at anything that wasn’t a computer game – but at the same time, she’d sort of hoped he might be interested in chatting to her on the drive. Still, she wasn’t about to force him into doing something he didn’t want to do.

  “All right then, let’s get going,” she said finally, turning back and twisting the key in the ignition. “You make sure Freddy stays calm, I can’t have him jumping around back there.”

  “Sure, Mom.”

  “And let me know if you get hungry – it’s three and a half hours! We can pull over at a diner along the way. You can get whatever you like – a burger as big as your head, fries, whatever.” She glanced at Logan in the rearview mirror as she pulled out onto Fairhill’s main road. “Would you like that?”

  Logan looked up at her briefly. “Are there burgers as big as my head?”

  Georgia smiled.

  Gotcha!

  She should have known talk of food would get Logan’s attention – he loved burgers, but they didn’t get to eat out very often. Money was a bit too tight for that.

  “Maybe,” she said. “If there aren’t, I’ll ask the cook to make you one. You don’t have that big of a head, he should be able to manage it.”

  She caught the tiniest hint of a smile on Logan’s face before he looked back down at his book.

  “Sure, Mom.”

  * * *

  The burger they’d stopped for along the way might not have been quite as big as Logan’s head, but he had seemed to enjoy it nonetheless. The only problem was that they hadn’t been able to bring Freddy inside the diner – of course – and so Logan had spent a lot of the meal glancing out of the window to make sure he was all right. Freddy had certainly been happy to see them both again, licking Logan’s hands ecstatically and wagging his tail fast enough to send him into orbit.

  “I don’t think it’s fair I can’t bring Freddy with me,” Logan said once they were back on the road. “He’s alive too. He misses me.”

  Georgia shook her head. “I know, honey, but the diner has to think of its other customers. Some dogs misbehave.”

  “Not Freddy. He’s a good dog.”

  “No, not Freddy,” Georgia agreed. Emilia had helped them train him, and as a result Freddy’s manners were pristine. “But the diner owner doesn’t know that. And it’s easier for him to have one rule for everyone, so it’s fair. Just like at school, when you have to wear your gloves outside during winter, even if you’re not that cold.”

  Logan nodded at that, seeming to accept what she said. “But Freddy will be allowed at the camp?”

  It took Georgia a moment to realize Logan meant the resort, but then she nodded.

  “Maybe not in the restaurants,” she said. “But where we’re staying allows pets, I definitely checked. Freddy is part of our family – we wouldn’t go if we couldn’t take him.”

  “That’s good.” There was a brief pause before Logan spoke again. “Thanks, Mom.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetheart,” Georgia said, warmth flooding her heart. Logan didn’t talk much, so when he did, she knew he meant it.

  I really hope this trip helps him come out of his shell a little, she thought. Well, if that’s what he wants.

  “Do you think there’ll be a lot of other kids at the camp?” Logan asked suddenly. When Georgia glanced at him in the rearview mirror, she found him looking up at her, eyes bright.

  “Probably, sweetheart. It’s a family resort. We’ll be staying up at one of the mountain chalets, but we can spend as much time as you want down by the lake. I read there’s ice skating there at this time of year, plus all kinds of other activities. But if you want some peace and quiet, we can always go back to the chalet. It’s your choice, Logan.”

  She swallowed, and, for the first time since she’d ‘won’ the raffle, it hit her that this was really the first family vacation she and Logan had taken. All her money usually went on bills, bills, and more bills.

  “We’ll have a great time, honey,” she said softly, her chest feeling tight. She’d always known Fairhill was a great place to live and that she was lucky, but she’d never imagined everyone would conspire to give her such a wonderful gift. Something that meant she could give Logan a wonderful childhood memory, after everything he’d been through.

  Logan seemed content to bury himself in his book for the rest of the journey to Lake Smithson Christmas Resort – he occasionally glanced up to look out of the window, but Georgia could see why the passing scenery didn’t interest him much. Fairhill itself sat at the edge of a vast, dense forest, so snow-covered trees weren’t anything new to Logan, even if Georgia herself found them utterly beautiful. There’d been heavy snowfall last night, but today the sky was an endless crystal blue, the bright, clear sunshine making the immaculate white snow sparkle like a diamond.

  It
made Georgia’s heart sing to look at it. She knew some people – like Emilia – found the winters in this part of the country a struggle, but she personally loved them. The crisp snow and the bracing wind, snowball fights, the glistening ice on the lake, the black silhouettes of the trees against the sky… all of it seemed magical to her.

  Of course, like with anyone else, the magic of this time of year had faded as she grew older and learned more about life, and all the ways it could be disappointing and painful. But looking around now, Georgia almost dared to let a little of her childhood excitement creep back into her heart.

  “Not long now, sweetheart,” she called out to Logan as they passed a sign reading Lake Smithson – 2mi, followed by a bigger, much more elaborate sign, featuring a giant picture of Santa Claus and bright green and red lettering about a foot tall.

  WELCOME! LAKE SMITHSON CHRISTMAS RESORT AND CHALETS THIS WAY!

  A little frisson of excitement ran through Georgia’s stomach. Soon they’d be tucked away in their very own Christmas chalet! She just hoped she remembered how to get an open fire going.

  It wasn’t long before she was turning down a side road marked CHALETS – THIS WAY. She followed the road through the trees and up the side of the mountain. The trees were denser here, crowding around the side of the road, their branches covered in snow. Every now and then she passed the twinkling lights of one of the private chalets, buried in amongst them, a cozy refuge from the winter weather.

  “Logan, honey, did you see what number that chalet was?” She hadn’t caught it as they drove by – the sign had been partially covered by snow, and she wasn’t sure how many they’d already passed.

  “Nope,” Logan said. “I wasn’t counting.”

  “Me neither,” Georgia said. “We’re in Chalet Six… but I have no idea what one we just went by.”

  Well, let’s just take a chance, she thought, swinging the car down the next driveway she came to. If it wasn’t the right one, she could just apologize to whoever was staying there, check the chalet number with them, and go on her way.

  This driveway seemed longer than the ones leading to the other chalets – it wound through the trees, taking them deep into the forest. Clearly, this was the chalet for people who valued their privacy.

  Maybe this is the chalet reserved for movie stars and rock singers who need to get away from it all, Georgia thought, holding back a little giggle at the thought. I’m going to look like a stalker if I go up this driveway and find a Hemsworth at the end of it.

  Not, she thought, that I’d object to that happening.

  It might have been just a joke, but Georgia quickly shoved the thought from her mind. She did fine. She and Logan – and Freddy, of course – were okay. They were surrounded by good friends like Emilia and Rowan and a town full of people who’d give up their own luxurious chalet getaway so she could have a special Christmas with her son. What was a man compared with that?

  Georgia breathed out a sigh of relief as she rounded what turned out to be the last curve of the drive, and the chalet came into view. The sigh of relief quickly became a gasp of delight as she took in the chalet itself – two stories high, made of beautiful amber-colored wood, and tucked away in the secrecy of the forest. Icicles hung like crystals from the eaves, a thick blanket of snow on the roof. It looked like something out of a postcard – no, out of a dream.

  Georgia might have grown up familiar with snowy winter scenes, but this was something else entirely. Despite the snow and the dark trees, the chalet looked warm, cozy and inviting, a little hideaway nestled here on the mountain. It was perfect. From here, you’d never know there was a bustling resort just ten minutes’ drive away.

  Now to find out if I actually have the right one, Georgia thought, stopping the car.

  “Logan, honey, just wait here with Freddy a moment. I just need to check the key and make sure this is our chalet.”

  Logan didn’t answer, and when Georgia glanced at him she saw him staring, round-eyed, at the chalet. Clearly, he was just as enchanted as she was. Beside him, Freddy was standing on the car seat, paws dancing, obviously impatient to be out of the car.

  “Just a second, Freddy,” Georgia said. “Just be patient a little while longer.”

  She didn’t blame him for wanting to be out and about – and he’d been so beautifully behaved on the drive she’d barely known he was there.

  Grabbing her wallet and stepping out of the car, Georgia zipped up her jacket against the cold, stuffing her mittens in her pocket in case she needed them. The sun might have been shining, but the air was freezing. It was just the kind of weather she loved: cold, crisp, and bracing. The scrunching sound of fresh snow beneath her boots was one of her favorite sounds in the world.

  She crunched her way up the drive, and the smell of woodsmoke hit her nose. A moment later, she noticed it puffing merrily away from the chimney.

  Ahh. Right. Someone else is here already.

  Georgia felt a momentary disappointment that this beautiful chalet wasn’t theirs, but she was sure whatever chalet they were staying in was just as nice.

  She was about to turn back to her car, when she heard a sudden thwack! sound from beside the chalet. She would have known that sound anywhere – the sound of someone chopping firewood. She’d used to ‘help’ her father with it when she was a kid, carrying tiny pieces of kindling and twigs into the house, while he took care of the larger logs. He’d shown her how to build a fire, making sure not to choke it or create too much smoke, and how to tend it once it got going.

  Let’s hope I can remember how!

  The thwack of the axe through the wood at least let her know that someone else was here. Hopefully, they wouldn’t mind her intruding to ask for directions.

  Waving to Logan to let him know to stay put, Georgia crunched her way through the snow to the side of the house.

  Maybe whoever’s renting this chalet has kids with them, Georgia thought hopefully. It was certainly big enough to accommodate a whole family. If they have kids, then maybe Logan can spend some time with them, and – and –

  Regardless of where that train of thought had been headed, it promptly careened off the tracks, over a cliff and crashed into burning wreckage as Georgia took in the sight before her.

  Because there, chopping wood by the side of the house, was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in her life.

  And not just gorgeous, but also totally, completely shirtless.

  A shaft of golden sunlight had broken through the trees, making the sheen of sweat that coated his tanned skin glisten, and turning his dark, slightly curled hair a deep red. A light stubble ran across his strong, square jawline, while his cheekbones looked like they could have cut glass.

  And his muscles…

  His muscles rippled as he raised the axe above his head, gripping the handle in his large hands, before swinging it down expertly on the piece of wood on the chopping block, his biceps curling, his abs bunching in a tight grid.

  Everything about him was lean, taut, and powerful.

  Holy moly.

  Georgia was aware that she was staring, her mouth hanging open, and that any second now the guy was going to look up and see her, but she felt powerless to collect herself. She’d never seen anything like this before… unless it was in some kind of two-page spread in the Cosmo mags she remembered sneaking giggly peeks at as a pre-teen.

  The thought made her snap out of her open-mouthed gawping – well, at least partially, anyway.

  You’re not thirteen years old, Georgia told herself off. You’re a fully-grown woman and a mother. Not like you’ve never seen a man’s bod before.

  Having said that, she really never had seen a man’s bod that was quite like this one before.

  Yeah, and he’s not going to appreciate you turning up at his chalet and peeping on him while he’s clearly trying to have some private time with his wood!

  Okay, that sounded wrong.

  Shaking her head to try to clear it, Georgia tried t
o decide whether she should call out to him or simply run back the way she had come, when the man set his axe aside, and, for the first time, looked up and noticed her.

  For the second time in as many seconds, Georgia found herself gasping for breath.

  Oh, boy.

  His eyes were beautiful.

  Deep sea blue – like the darkest of sapphires.

  Georgia could feel herself falling into them, in a way she hadn’t imagined could happen outside of cheesy romance novels.

  “Who’re you?”

  The sound of his voice sent a jolt through her stomach – and through her brain. Swallowing, she looked around for her power of speech, and finally found it.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, realizing she sounded flustered. “I didn’t mean to intrude on you. I was just – uh, that is, my son and I are staying at one of these chalets – and I – uh, well, I’ve got the wrong one, obviously.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed slightly, and it was only now that Georgia noticed the tension in his broad, muscular shoulders, and the way he carried himself – as if he was ready for action at a moment’s notice.

  “I… see,” the man said at last, his voice a low rumble. “This is Chalet Five. What number are you looking for?”

  “Oh, well, that explains it,” Georgia heard herself rattle on, while letting out a silly-sounding laugh. Good God, what is wrong with me?! “I’m looking for Chalet Six. I – I’m sorry to have –”

  At that moment, she heard an ecstatic bark, and turned around just in time to see Freddy bounding around the corner of the chalet, tongue lolling, tail wagging frantically. He was clearly over the moon to be finally out of the car, and she didn’t blame him. But hadn’t she told Logan and Freddy to stay in the car?!

  A moment later, Logan himself appeared, trotting around the corner. He pulled up short when he saw Georgia – and, probably, the expression on her face.

  “Logan! Didn’t you see me wave? I told you to wait in the car!”

  Logan’s eyebrows drew together. “I didn’t know what you meant. Then you didn’t come back, so I thought you meant we should get out.”