Page 5 of The Bear's Christmas Wish
Pat inhaled deeply. “Mmm. Smells like snow.”
Emmy immediately copied her, sucking in a dramatic breath and releasing it in one long gush. “How do you know?” she asked, her exhale forming a cloud in the cold air.
Pat chuckled. “I’ve lived here long enough to know.”
Emmy skipped toward the car, turning back with bright eyes. “If I live in Bear Creek long enough, will I know the smell of snow, too?”
“Yes, honey,” Pat said, unlocking the car. “You’ll have plenty of practice, believe me.”
“I love snow!” Emmy declared as she climbed into the back of the car. “I’ve never seen a white Christmas. It’ll be just like on a Christmas card.” She pressed her mitten to the window and drew a lopsided star in the fog.
They drove through town, past the twinkling lights already strung along Main Street. Emmy chattered about which decorations she liked best, counting the snowmen in shop windows. Sarah felt herself relaxing as they wound through the quaint streets, now decked in holiday cheer. A hand-painted sign outside the bakery promised GINGERBREAD MEN & CAMPFIRE COCOA, and the post office door wore a wreath fat with dried oranges.
Sarah and Emmy had often visited in the summer when the town was filled with tourists. But never at Christmastime. Liam had always been against the cold and the snow, preferring to spend Christmas in the city where there was no danger of being snowed in.
What had they been missing! Bear Creek seemed to embrace the season fully. Even the mailboxes wore knitted scarves.
Maybe her mom was right, this was going to be the best Christmas ever!
As they approached North Peak Pines, something fluttered in Sarah’s stomach. Not anxiety, but something lighter. Anticipation, maybe. The feeling intensified as they pulled into the gravel parking area. The smell of wood smoke and sap welcomed them while neatly printed arrows pointed the way—CUT & NET, WREATH BARN, COCOA. Her designer’s heart approved of the clean fonts and clear contrast.
She stepped out of the car, tugging her beanie lower against the cold, and found herself staring directly at a man across the yard. Broad-shouldered and tall, with dark hair pushed back under a knit cap. And he was staring right back at her, his hands stilling on the axe he’d been sharpening.
For one suspended moment, the world narrowed to just them, connected by an invisible thread that made her cheeks warm despite the cold. He didn’t move closer. Instead, he simply tipped his chin, a silent hello that somehow felt…so very intimate.
Emmy bounded from the car, breaking the spell as she threaded her small hand through Pat’s.
Pat waved casually. “Hello there, Michael. We’ve come for your best Christmas tree.”
Emmy jumped up and down, her pom-pom bouncing. “The biggest one! With lots of branches for my new ornaments!”
The man—Michael—seemed to shake himself from whatever trance had held him. His face transformed with a warm smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes and made Sarah’s heart perform an unexpected somersault. He glanced at Sarah for a beat longer, then turned his attention to Pat and Emmy.
“The biggest and the best,” he said, his voice deep and rich. “Let’s see what we can find.” He paused by the path and, with a small, respectful nod toward Sarah, added, “Mind the ice. Step in my prints if you like.”
As Emmy tugged Pat toward the rows of trees, Sarah found herself unable to move, struck by a ridiculous thought that had no business forming in her head just three months after her divorce.
She tucked her hands into her pockets, laughed at herself under her breath, and followed his boot prints anyway.
And a voice in her head told her that Michael of North Peak Pines might just be the biggest and bestmanshe’d ever met.
Chapter Three – Michael
We’ve met our mate! We’ve met our mate!Michael’s head reverberated with the same sentence over and over again.
We have! We have!his bear said in reply.
For a long, long moment, all Michael could do was stare at her, as if he were afraid that if he took his eyes off her for one single moment, she might disappear and that meeting her might be a dream.
He wanted to go to her, reach out and touch his hand to her cheek, and reassure himself that she was real.
Oh, don’t do that,his bear said.You don’t want her to run before we’ve had a chance to explain everything.
So instead, Michael put on his best smile, hoping it didn’t look too desperate. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath before leading the trio toward the tree rows.
“This way,” Michael said, gesturing toward a neatly marked path. “We’ve got different sections organized by height and variety. The Wreath Barn is to your right if you want garlands later.”
“Oh, a wreath,” Emmy gushed. “I’ve always wanted a wreath.”
