Furever Yours
Authors: Catherine Vale
Catherine
Vale
Furever Yours
A Holiday BBW
Shapeshifter Werewolf Romance
Copyright © 2015, Catherine
Vale
Published by Wild Hearts Press
Website:
http://www.CatherineVale.com
All rights reserved. Without
limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication
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both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All
names, characters, locations, brands, incidents, and places are either the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author
acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products
referenced in this work of fiction. The publication/use of these trademarks is
not associated with or sponsored by the trademark owners.
This book is licensed for your
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Table of Contents
One
The
morning sun broke through the horizon just as Jade’s Camry crested a hill,
spreading pale pink and gold light over the mountains. The snow-colored hills,
which had been an enigmatic blue-white, blushed prettily as the light touched
them, taking on the warm glow of the breathtaking sunrise.
Jade,
for her part, stopped her car at the top of the hill to take another sip out of
her Styrofoam coffee mug as she watched the light continue to spread over the
treetops and the blankets of snow. It was gorgeous, she admitted, far more
tranquil and picturesque than Los Angeles could ever hope to be, and it was
times like this that she regretted giving up the sights and sounds of nature in
favor of the hustle and bustle of Hollywood. But as she shifted the car into
gear and coasted down the hill, she abruptly remembered why
she’d been willing to give it all up when her
car skidded on a patch of ice.
Fear shot through her like a bullet, and she
instinctively started to slam the brakes before remembering what her grandpa,
Abuelito Garcia, had told her. Fighting against the panic, she focused her eyes
ahead as she eased her foot off the accelerator and waited until the car gained
traction before gently accelerating again.
“
Phew.”
She
resisted the urge to swipe the back of her hand across her brow and kept both
hands firmly on the steering wheel instead. Los Angeles roads rarely had ice
patches—hell, snow was practically unheard of. Sunny weather and clear
skies were the norm with temperatures rarely going below freezing even in the
winter, and that was just how she liked it.
Usually.
As
Jade rounded a corner, the sign
for Encantamiento Resort, her grandpa’s ski lodge, came into view. The
nostalgia that had been creeping up on her all year came back in full force,
and she sighed a little. Maybe she liked LA better for day-to-day living but
she missed the snowball fights of her childhood winters where she ran around
the outside of the lodge with her cousins, building forts and snowmen and
chucking snowy missiles at each other. She missed stomping inside afterward,
soaked and covered in snow, and receiving a huge mug of hot chocolate from
Abuelita, thick with marshmallows and topped with whipped cream, to sip as she
thawed out by the fire.
In
the end, those memories were what made her return to Encantamiento year after
year.
She longed to spend time with
her loved ones and reconnect with her roots. Back in LA she was Jade Garcia,
hot shot advertising executive, but here
…
she was just a little girl
surrounded by the wonder of nature and the warmth of family.
The
winding road continued for a little while further but eventually the thickets
of trees on either side of the path gave way to the sprawling resort. Cabins
dotted the snow-covered landscape on either side of the road,
available for people who wanted a more private
experience. Ahead, the lodge loomed looking like a rambling gingerbread house
with its frosted windows and snow-covered rooftops. Twinkling Christmas lights
dangled from the eaves and along the railing that wrapped around the porch, and
Jade could make out two gigantic wreaths hanging from the double doors.
Beyond the house and further up the hill, Jade
could see the ski slopes, still empty given the early morning hour. She knew by
the number of cars parked outside the lodge that they would be full in just a
few hours, though, and it made her glad that Encantamiento continued to be
popular amongst the locals.
Parking the car and making her way up to the
front porch, Jade found her Abuelita already standing outside waiting for her.
“Jade.”
Abuelita’s
face was wreathed in smiles as she embraced her, the scent of cinnamon and
green chili enveloping her.
“I
’m so glad you made it. I was worried when you
didn’t arrive yesterday
.”
Jade
pulled back and kissed her grandmother on the cheek.
“I
’m
sorry, Abuelita. I ended up stuck at work trying to finish up a project last
minute and didn’t leave until really late
.”
She stifled a yawn.
“
I only
slept a few hours, though, because I was so excited to get here
.”
Abuelita
’s dark eyes widened in shock.
“Don
’t tell
me you drove all night
?”
“
That sounds exactly like my girl,
”
interjected
the rich baritone that was Abuelito
’s
voice.
The wooden stairs behind Jade creaked, and she
turned to see her Abuelito walking up the steps to the front porch, dressed in
a heavy flannel jacket, snow pants, and a fleece hat with ear flaps. His dark
eyes sparkled as Jade flew into his arms, and he wrapped her up in his embrace,
still as strong and comforting as when she was a child.
“
Oh, I missed you so much,
”
Jade
murmured into the red and black plaid of his jacket. He smelled of wood smoke,
tobacco and clean, fresh snow.
“
You
’
ve already been up at the slopes
?”
His
handlebar mustache twitched as he grinned at her.
“
Someone’s
gotta keep this place running,
nina
,”
he said
in that gravelly voice of his. He then moved passed her to lift one of her
hefty suitcases.
“
Here, let
’s get
you inside to your room
.”
Jade
grabbed the other suitcase before her Abuelita could
and then followed her grandparents into the
lodge. The foyer was just as she remembered it—cozy groupings of couches
and chairs and bear rugs in front of multiple fireplaces where people could
hang out and talk plus a bar towards the back where guests could order
beverages and snacks.
Overhead, the ceiling soared and Jade could see
the garland-covered balconies of the three floors above where guests stayed.
Christmas music floated from hidden speakers, adding charm to the already
festive atmosphere and reminding Jade of the unwrapped presents in her trunk.
The one thing Jade did not see in the middle of
the foyer was a ten-foot tall Christmas tree. Her heart sank a little as she
remembered her grandfather’s words from a couple of days ago—even though
business was doing okay, they’d come upon a lot of unexpected expenses recently
and money was pretty tight. Usually the tree would have been up by now, and
there would have been presents under it for all the staff from her
grandparents, as they did every year. Instead, there was a much smaller tree
standing near one of the lounging chairs off to the right, decorated with a
modest amount of Christmas ornaments and with only a few fake presents sitting
atop the tree skirt.
A
sigh escaped
Jade’s lips. She was
going to have to do something about the lack of presents if she could.
Jade
waved at Gabriel, her cousin
’s son
who was checking in a guest at the front desk, and then hurried passed to keep
up with her grandparents. Abuelito bypassed the huge, carved wooden staircase
toward the rear in favor of the single-elevator, which they’d had installed
about ten years ago. They rode up to the third floor where her grandparents
kept a suite of rooms. Though they could have lived in any one of the cabins,
they preferred to live in the lodge so as to stay close at hand in case they
were needed.
“
Here you are,
”
Abuelita said, showing Jade to
the guest room. It was the same room she always stayed in, just outside the
living room. The cozy interior was adorned with hand-carved oak furniture and
Indian-style blankets and rugs.
“
Do you want some breakfast? I was about to whip
up some huevos rancheros
.”
The
idea of a plateful of eggs, beans, salsa and guacamole served on one of her
grandmother
’s freshly made
tortillas did sound appealing. But the queen-sized mattress’s call was
stronger, and Jade wasn’t able to suppress a yawn.
“
I
’d love
some but maybe after a nap
?”
She asked, running a hand through her long brown
curls.
Her
grandmother
’s dark brown eyes
scanned her critically.
“
Well, you do look healthy enough,
”
she
relented.
“I
’ll feed you after you
’
ve
slept. Sleep well,
nina
.”
Jade
blushed as her grandmother closed the door behind her and tugged a little on
the pink sweater she wore. Abuelita hadn
’t
meant anything by what she’d said, but there was no denying that Jade was a big
girl. Her thick, curvy shape was a far cry from the svelte figures that
populated Hollywood. She tried not to let it bug her too much, but it was hard
to ignore the pressure when all the other women who worked in her field looked
as if they could model for one of their own advertisements.
Oh, stop it with the negativity.
Shaking her head, she pulled off her gloves,
jacket and boots.
It hasn’t gotten you to where you are now, and it won’t
get you to anywhere else you
’
re trying to go.
True.
The fact that she was dwelling on it just meant that she was tired. Sighing,
she curled up under the thick, welcoming covers, laid her head against the
pillows, and promptly fell asleep.
* * *
“
Jade? Jade
!”
Jade
groaned at the sound of her Abuelito
’s
voice. Cracking open her eyelids, she looked at the digital clock by her bed
and then jolted upright when she saw that it was two o
’
clock.
Jesus,
where’d the time go? I must
’
ve been asleep for at least six hours!
“
What is it
?”
She asked, jumping out of bed
to pull open her bedroom door. Her grandfather’s troubled expression told her
it wasn’t something as simple as missing breakfast.
“
Is
something wrong
?”
Abuelito
sighed.
“
Rachel
’s car
died on the way up here, and Gabriel has to head out. I hate to ask this of you
so soon, but
…”
“
You want me to cover the front desk
.”
Jade
smiled and patted her grandfather’s shoulder despite the disappointment that
panged in her chest. Helping out the family business was par for the course
whenever she came to visit, but she was hoping to have at least one day of
reprieve.
“
No problem, Abuelito. Just give me a few minutes
to freshen up
.”