Cougar christmas calamit.., p.26
Cougar Christmas Calamity (Heart of the Cougar Book 8),
p.26
“Well, I know she’s the only one for me,” Emerson said, hugging Jessie afterwards.
It was wonderful being part of an extended family again, to hear the children’s laughter, to have Jessie’s sister smiling at him, not trying to figure out if he was one of the good guys or bad. To have hugs from their mother as if he was the son they hadn’t had. He noted they treated Tracey’s husband Hal the same way—as a son.
Then Jessie and Emerson had to run to the hospital and pick up Uncle Paul while the family unpacked their luggage and presents and set up housekeeping at the cabins.
Every time Emerson and Jessie had gone to visit with Uncle Paul at the hospital, they had found Marjorie catering to Uncle Paul’s every need. Some of that probably had to do with them being fellow cougars. Emerson didn’t know if anything would come of it, but he was hoping Uncle Paul would find someone to settle down with who lived in the area.
He and Jessie smiled at each other before they entered Uncle Paul’s hospital room as they heard Marjorie say to him, “Now, just because you’re leaving the hospital tonight, doesn’t mean you can just go and do anything you want. No running as a big cat. A man of your age and after the bullet you took needs to take it easy for a couple of more weeks.”
“Yes, dear,” Paul said, amusing Emerson.
Then they entered the room and found Paul sitting in his wheelchair already, eager to leave the hospital. “The offer still stands for you to come and have dinner with us tonight,” Paul said to Marjorie.
“Thanks. I appreciate the offer.”
Then they said their goodbyes and Jessie and Emerson drove Uncle Paul home.
“So how has it been?” Paul asked.
“The family? They couldn’t be more welcoming. I hadn’t realized how much I missed having a family while I was away. And now it has increased like ten-fold all in one fell swoop. I couldn’t be happier.”
“They can’t wait to welcome you into the fold too, Uncle Paul,” Jessie said. “Tracey told the kids to be careful with their new granddad because of your injury. I hope that’s all right with you if they call you granddad.”
“Yeah, I’m ready for that. I have been for a good, long while.”
When they returned to the resort, the adults all came out to welcome Uncle Paul home and the kids stood by, minding their manners until he opened his arms to them. They looked at Tracey and Hal and they smiled and nodded. Then they all ran to hug him.
“Gently,” Tracey warned.
But Uncle Paul was in seventh heaven and he couldn’t have been any happier this Christmas Eve.
That night, they had a big feast in celebration of family, of Jessie and Emerson’s mating, that Smith was no longer a threat, and Christmas. Even the bears arrived, glad to take part in the big celebration. The kids were in awe and wanted to see the bears shift.
“If they want to, it’ll have to be after dinner,” Tracey said, Hal agreeing with her.
The bears made the special dinner even more festive.
A knock at the door had everyone glancing in that direction. Emerson and Barrett went to check it out since no one else was supposed to be coming to the party.
Dressed warmly in a parka and hat and gloves, Marjorie was standing on the patio with a bottle of red wine. She had showed up to the Christmas Eve dinner to everyone’s surprise, but delight. Especially, it appeared, Paul’s. He was all smiles when he greeted her and invited her in.
“I thought you had plans,” Paul said.
“I had a shift to work, but when one of the other nurses heard I could have had dinner plans, she switched with me since she didn’t have any plans and I never go out. There are no cougars around my age who are available in the area. Besides, I figured I would check on you and make sure you’re all right.”
“Oh, the minute you showed up, I was better than all right.”
Marjorie smiled at him. “So I heard you went to Florida to stay with a cougar and she wasn’t your cup of tea.”
Paul’s cheeks flushed a bit.
“The woman I was staying with said no to baking Christmas cookies,” Paul said to Marjorie as he helped her out of her coat. “She was watching her weight but baking cookies to me is just a fun tradition. Of course, I would make them so I could share with those who were staying at the resort.”
“Hmm,” Jessie said, coming by to give Uncle Paul a hug. “If you didn’t know, that’s why I always visited you when you were baking cookies for the season.”
“That’s why I always made them with extra chocolate chips because I knew you liked them that way.”
“A little sweet in life makes it a whole lot better,” Marjorie said.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Paul said.
“Well, I am all for baking Christmas cookies, New Year’s cookies. They’re good any time of year. I love the decorations you have up at the resort,” Marjorie said.
Paul smiled. “Jessie and Emerson outdid themselves to welcome me home. Do you want to celebrate New Year’s with us? If you don’t have any commitments, that is?” Paul quickly asked.
“Yeah, I would. Thanks. I was just planning to watch the ball drop in New York City on the television. So what’s the story about how your family discovered you were alive?” Marjorie asked as she and he began filling up their plates with food from the buffet.
“Emerson and Jessie were the true detectives. They discovered my body wasn’t in the coffin and the connection between me and Robbie. She was a prior resort guest. They just needed her phone number. I have to say I left the clues on purpose, hoping to ease their minds that I wasn’t truly dead, but I had to make it difficult enough that they wouldn’t find me right away.”
“Not until Emerson fell for Jessie,” Marjorie guessed.
“That was easy to do,” Emerson said, joining them, as he began filling up a plate for himself.
“Same for me. But without the phone number for Robbie, we might have missed finding you,” Jessie said, in front of Emerson, eyeing the roast beef on his platter and she reached over and forked up some for herself. “And no Christmas for you.”
Paul smiled. “I wouldn’t have stayed at Robbie’s house much longer and conceded it was a failed mission if Emerson hadn’t become your mate. I have to tell you my bear friends said if you had been a bear, Emerson would have lost out.”
They all laughed.
Paul was aglow with happiness. He was the nicest man and he so deserved that. His nephew was home for good. Jessie was now part of their family, and even Marjorie might be a keeper. Only time would tell.
Emerson wrapped his arm around Jessie’s shoulder. All she knew for sure was Emerson and Uncle Paul were family now too and she couldn’t be any happier this holiday season. And for once, she didn’t care a bit about making word count. Making real memories with her family and his, and with new friends, was all that mattered.
Acknowledgments
Thanks so much to Donna Fournier and making sure my names aren’t the same as they are in other cougar books and all the silly corrections that need to be made. You know, Word should have caught some of them! She and I have this ongoing discussion about cold weather in Minnesota and cold weather in Texas, so I have to make sure my characters dress warmer when they are in her part of the country! And thanks to Darla Taylor in her dedication to finding mistakes too!! You ladies are the greatest! Merry Christmas!
Author Bio
USA Today bestselling author Terry Spear has written over sixty paranormal and medieval Highland romances. In 2008, Heart of the Wolf was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. She has received a PNR Top Pick, a Best Book of the Month nomination by Long and Short Reviews, numerous Night Owl Romance Top Picks, and 2 Paranormal Excellence Awards for Romantic Literature (Finalist & Honorable Mention). In 2016, Billionaire in Wolf’s Clothing was an RT Book Reviews Top Pick. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry also creates award-winning teddy bears that have found homes all over the world, helps out with her granddaughter, and she is raising two Havanese puppies. She lives in Spring, Texas.
For more information, please visit www.terryspear.com, or follow her on Twitter, @TerrySpear. She is also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/terry.spear. And on Wordpress at:
Terry Spear's Shifters
http://terryspear.wordpress.com/
Also by Terry Spear
Heart of the Cougar Series:
Cougar’s Mate, Book 1
Call of the Cougar, Book 2
Taming the Wild Cougar, Book 3
Covert Cougar Christmas (Novella)
Double Cougar Trouble, Book 4
Cougar Undercover, Book 5
Cougar Magic, Book 6
Cougar Halloween Mischief (Novella)
Falling for the Cougar, Book 7
Catch the Cougar (A Halloween Novella)
Cougar Christmas Calamity
Heart of the Bear Series
Loving the White Bear, Book 1
Claiming the White Bear, Book 2
The Highlanders Series:Winning the Highlander's Heart, The Accidental Highland Hero, Highland Rake, Taming the Wild Highlander, The Highlander, Her Highland Hero, The Viking’s Highland Lass, His Wild Highland Lass (novella), Vexing the Highlander (novella), My Highlander
Other historical romances: Lady Caroline & the Egotistical Earl, A Ghost of a Chance at Love
Heart of the Wolf Series: Heart of the Wolf, Destiny of the Wolf, To Tempt the Wolf, Legend of the White Wolf, Seduced by the Wolf, Wolf Fever, Heart of the Highland Wolf, Dreaming of the Wolf, A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing, A Howl for a Highlander, A Highland Werewolf Wedding, A SEAL Wolf Christmas, Silence of the Wolf, Hero of a Highland Wolf, A Highland Wolf Christmas, A SEAL Wolf Hunting; A Silver Wolf Christmas, A SEAL Wolf in Too Deep, Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply, Billionaire in Wolf’s Clothing, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, SEAL Wolf Undercover, Dreaming of a White Wolf Christmas, Flight of the White Wolf, All’s Fair in Love and Wolf, A Billionaire Wolf for Christmas, SEAL Wolf Surrender (2019), Silver Town Wolf: Home for the Holidays (2019), Wolff Brothers: You Had Me at Wolf, Night of the Billionaire Wolf, Joy to the Wolves (Red Wolf), The Wolf Wore Plaid, Best of Both Wolves
SEAL Wolves: To Tempt the Wolf, A SEAL in Wolf's Clothing, A SEAL Wolf Christmas, A SEAL Wolf Hunting, A SEAL Wolf in Too Deep, SEAL Wolf Undercover, SEAL Wolf Surrender (2019)
Silver Bros Wolves: Destiny of the Wolf, Wolf Fever, Dreaming of the Wolf, Silence of the Wolf, A Silver Wolf Christmas, Alpha Wolf Need Not Apply, Between a Rock and a Hard Place, All’s Fair in Love and Wolf, Silver Town Wolf: Home for the Holidays (2019)
Wolff Brothers of Silver Town
Billionaire Wolves: Billionaire in Wolf’s Clothing, A Billionaire Wolf for Christmas, Night of the Billionaire Wolf
Highland Wolves: Heart of the Highland Wolf, A Howl for a Highlander, A Highland Werewolf Wedding, Hero of a Highland Wolf, A Highland Wolf Christmas, Wolf Wore Plaid
Red Wolf Series: Seduced by the Wolf, Joy to the Wolves
Heart of the Jaguar Series: Savage Hunger, Jaguar Fever, Jaguar Hunt, Jaguar Pride, A Very Jaguar Christmas, You Had Me at Jaguar (2019)
Novella: The Witch and the Jaguar (2018)
Romantic Suspense: Deadly Fortunes, In the Dead of the Night, Relative Danger, Bound by Danger
Vampire romances: Killing the Bloodlust, Deadly Liaisons, Huntress for Hire, Forbidden Love
Vampire Novellas: Vampiric Calling, The Siren’s Lure, Seducing the Huntress
Other Romance: Exchanging Grooms, Marriage, Las Vegas Style
Science Fiction Romance: Galaxy Warrior
Teen/Young Adult/Fantasy Books
The World of Fae:
The Dark Fae, Book 1
The Deadly Fae, Book 2
The Winged Fae, Book 3
The Ancient Fae, Book 4
Dragon Fae, Book 5
Hawk Fae, Book 6
Phantom Fae, Book 7
Golden Fae, Book 8
Falcon Fae, Book 9
Woodland Fae, Book 10
The World of Elf:
The Shadow Elf
Darkland Elf
Blood Moon Series:
Kiss of the Vampire
The Vampire…In My Dreams
Demon Guardian Series:
The Trouble with Demons
Demon Trouble, Too
Demon Hunter
Non-Series for Now:
Ghostly Liaisons
The Beast Within
Courtly Masquerade
Deidre's Secret
The Magic of Inherian:
The Scepter of Salvation
The Mage of Monrovia
Emerald Isle of Mists (TBA)
Terry Spear, Cougar Christmas Calamity (Heart of the Cougar Book 8)
