A Catamount Christmas, Paranormal Romance (Catamount Lion Shifters Book 5) Read online

  A Catamount Christmas

  Catamount Lion Shifters

  J.H. Croix

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: The Lion Within by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved

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  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2016 J.H. Croix

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1537727745

  ISBN 13: 9781537727745

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Dedication

  Cheers to holiday romance!

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  http://jhcroix.com/page4/

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  1

  Roxanne Morgan spun around and passed a sandwich over the counter, immediately turning to take the order of the next person in line. She was covering the deli counter for lunch at the small business she owned—a grocery store, hardware store and deli all rolled into one.

  “What’ll it be?” she asked, her eyes quickly scanning the area beyond the counter. When there was no reply, she glanced up. Her heart stuttered and then lunged forward into a wild pounding.

  “Hey Roxy,” the man standing across the counter said.

  Roxanne didn’t find herself speechless very often, but at the moment, she couldn’t seem to form a word. Max Stone stood in front of her—the one and only boy she’d ever loved, the boy who’d broken her heart when he left Catamount, Maine…and their love behind. Her eyes soaked him in—his mahogany brown hair, his amber eyes, and his lanky, muscled body. He wore a black down jacket, unzipped to reveal a charcoal gray shirt and faded jeans. His gaze coasted over her. She felt bare and exposed, and frantically tried to gather herself together inside.

  Her cheeks felt hot, but she ignored it. She could do this. All she had to do was be polite. Her body was only reacting because she hadn’t seen Max in so long. It was an echo of their past and nothing more. “Hey Max. Haven’t seen you around in years,” she finally replied, her words belying the turmoil she felt inside.

  The truth was it had been precisely fifteen years since Max had been in Catamount. He had moved away with his mother after his father died in an accident at the mill in a nearby town. Roxanne and Max had started dating the year before, and she’d loved him in the way only youth allowed—head over heels infatuation mingled with the rosy yearning to be together forever. The hopes of youth had kept her tendency toward cynicism at bay, and she’d flung herself into their relationship. One afternoon when Max was supposed to come over, he’d called instead. In a conversation that lasted maybe five minutes, he told her his father had died, they were moving, and he broke up with her. She’d been too stunned to fully absorb what he said. A few days later when she managed to cobble together a coherent thought, she’d raced over to his house to try to talk to him and found his family’s home locked up. No one answered the door after she knocked for what felt like hours.

  She’d swung between the emotional poles of grief, about his father and about the abrupt end of their relationship. She’d stuffed her grief away and done her damnedest to move on. The first few years after he left, she would occasionally wonder if she might hear from him, or if he would return to Catamount. She finally gave up hoping and wishing, but she never quite got over Max.

  Now, he stood here before her and a tornado of feelings swirled through her—confusion, hope, joy, anger, sadness and more. She twirled a pen between her fingers and wondered what to do. A small part of her wanted to storm past him and not look back, just the way he’d left her all those years ago. She couldn’t do that though because she owned Roxanne’s Country Store. An arc of annoyance flashed through her. Max was showing up in the heart of her world.

  “It’s really good to see you, Roxy,” Max said, cutting through her short walk down memory lane.

  Max happened to be the only person who’d ever called her Roxy with any regularity. It chafed to hear him call her that now.

  She willed herself to stay calm. Still struggling to form words sensibly, she nodded. She couldn’t quite bring herself to say it was good to see him. She was relieved when another customer stepped to the counter.

  Hank Anderson, Catamount’s police chief, leaned against the counter. “Hey Roxanne, can I get the usual today?”

  Roxanne glanced to Hank. “Sure. Give me a sec.” She forced a smile and turned away to pour a cup of coffee for Hank. At the moment, she would have given just about anything to have Becky here to help this morning. Becky was one of her regular deli employees and would normally be here, but she’d called in sick with a nasty cold. Roxanne was reconsidering how relieved she’d been to not be exposed to whatever the hell Becky had. She sounded like she was on the verge of death when she called, so Roxanne had happily supported her staying home until she was better. But now, with Max here, Roxanne didn’t have any back up, so she couldn’t busy herself in the back of the kitchen. She had no choice but to stay here and somehow fumble through the next few minutes. She prayed Max wouldn’t stay long. As she fitted the lid over Hank’s coffee, she heard him start talking to Max and anxiety tightened in her chest.

  “Max Stone? Damn, haven’t seen you around in years! How are ya?” Hank asked.

  Roxanne turned back to face them, gripping Hank’s coffee tightly in her hand. Max grinned over at Hank. “Hey Hank, it’s good to see you. It might have been a long time, but I’m back to stay.”

  Roxanne felt as if she were falling inside. Max was back to stay? So many questions tumbled through her mind, she couldn’t think clearly. She mentally shook herself. It had been fifteen years. She was long past her youthful love for him, and he’d clearly never felt the same way. If he had, she didn’t see how he could have left things between them the way he did and then just walk in here casually. Anger rose inside, but she batted it back. She needed to stay calm and not make a scene.

  Max and Hank were still talking when she turned and took the few steps to the counter. She set Hank’s coffee down and slid it over. “Here you go”

  Hank snagged it and took a gulp. “Ahh. Perfect.” He pulled his wallet out, glancing between Roxanne and Max as he did. “Did you two stay in touch all these years?” Hank asked.

  His question was innocent enough, but it sent another flash of anger through Roxanne. She wasn’t up for nosy questions. She busied herself taking the ten-dollar bill Hank handed over and getting his change from the register, her ears perked to see how Max responded to Hank’s question.

>   “Unfortunately not,” Max replied. “Things were a little hectic that first year after my dad died, and I wasn’t thinking too clearly.”

  Roxanne couldn’t stop herself from looking over to Max. His amber eyes caught hers. “Roxanne was the first person I looked for when I got here, so I’m hoping we’ll have time to catch up.”

  Hank chuckled. “Roxanne’s Country Store here is still the heart and soul of Catamount. She’s done her family proud running it the way she does.” Hank took another swallow of coffee. “Anyway, good to see you, Max. If you need anything, just stop by. Where you staying?”

  “My mom never sold our old house, so I’m planning to renovate it. Until then, I booked a room at the inn down the street.”

  Hank pushed away from the counter. “Well, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Don’t think anybody’s been there since you left.”

  Something flashed in Max’s eyes. Once upon a time, Roxanne might have thought it was pain, but she wouldn’t know right now. Though her body was spinning with heat and the familiarity of Max’s presence, her mind was bolting steel doors around her heart and insisting she not go thinking she knew him the way she once did.

  “I’m sure I do. I plan to head up there in a little bit to take a look. Good to see you, Hank.”

  “If you need any help, let me know. I’m sure I can round up a few kids from the high school to help out with the land clearing. They’re young and too strong to worry about their backs yet,” Hank said as he lifted his coffee cup in a farewell and turned away.

  Max turned back to the counter. For a long moment, he didn’t say anything. He simply looked at her, his eyes coasting over her face and dipping down before returning. Her cheeks heated when his gaze met hers again. “I’m guessing this feels kind of out of the blue for you, huh?”

  Her heart in her throat, Roxanne nodded.

  Max curled his hands on the edge of the counter. “I have enough sense to know now probably isn’t a great time to talk, but I just need you to know I’m sorry. I couldn’t have stopped my mom from up and leaving Catamount the way we did right after my dad died, but I shouldn’t have broken things off with you the way I did.”

  Another customer approached the counter. Gail Anderson, Hank’s wife, stepped to Max’s side. “I just saw Hank on his way out,” Gail said, not even bothering with a perfunctory greeting.

  With her mind spinning over what Max had just said, Roxanne turned to Gail, barely able to think. She must have managed to nod because Gail huffed. “I told him I was only running a few minutes behind!” Gail’s blue eyes snapped. Gail and Hank were long-time Catamount residents, both born and raised here, and entwined in the community. Hank was the police chief and Gail was a retired schoolteacher. Gail glanced to her side, her eyes widening. “Max Stone?”

  Oh. My. God. Just how many of these moments am I going to have to survive? Well, Max’s family was here for a long time before they left. Anyone that knew him is going to be startled to see him. You’d better get used to this. Roxanne mentally sighed as she tried to marshal her thoughts. It might mean nothing that Max said he shouldn’t have broken things off the way he did. He might not have felt the way you did anyway, he just feels bad about how he handled it. Don’t go thinking it’s anything other than that. Just act normal and get through this.

  Roxanne cued in to the conversation between Max and Gail. “I decided to move back last summer after my mom died. Her sister was the reason we moved there, and she died the year before, so there was nothing left holding me there. I missed Catamount the entire time we were gone, so I decided it was time to come home,” Max said.

  Gail looked between Max and Roxanne, her eyes considering. She appeared about to say something, but she stayed quiet for several beats. “Well, it’s nice to have you back. I missed your mother. I’m sorry to hear she passed away.”

  Max nodded solemnly. “I wish she’d had a chance to get back here before she died.”

  Gail nodded firmly. “It is what it is. Everyone will be glad to know you’re here.” She turned to Roxanne. “I was supposed to meet Hank for coffee, but since he couldn’t be bothered to wait, I’ll get some to go.”

  Roxanne felt like she was in a surreal dream. On autopilot, she swung around and poured a cup of coffee for Gail. Moments later, Gail was walking through the deli and down one of the grocery aisles to the front door.

  When Roxanne turned back to Max, she forced herself to keep it light because she couldn’t deal with anything else right now. “What can I get for you?” she asked, her words coming out smoothly only because she’d said them thousands of times.

  Max looked over at Roxanne and tamped down the urge to leap over the counter and pull her into his arms. She stood there before him, her blonde hair pulled back in a haphazard ponytail, loose curls escaping and framing her heart-shaped face. Her blue eyes were as gorgeous as he remembered—wide eyes that tipped up at the corners, the blue so rich he could lose himself in it. Not a day had passed since he left when he didn’t think about her, and here she stood before him—taking his breath away. Fifteen years later, she’d filled out and her figure was all curves—generous breasts, an hourglass dip at her waist, and lush hips. She emanated a strength and power she hadn’t had back when they were young. She’d always been strong and independent, so it didn’t surprise him to sense those qualities had blossomed within her.

  Max had so much to say, yet now clearly was not the time or place. Roxanne’s Country Store was bustling. The deli area where they were now had customers seated at tables scattered throughout the small area. The rest of the store, a mix of groceries, hardware and just about everything, had customers meandering through the aisles as they filled shopping baskets. This place held so many memories for him, it was almost overwhelming.

  Fifteen years ago, he came home from school to find his mother had already packed up everything in his bedroom and announced they were moving to Virginia. That morning, his father had died in an accident at the paper mill in a neighboring town. The police had shown up at school to tell him and driven him home. His mother’s eyes had been puffy and red, and the only thing that seemed to hold her together was the drive to get out of Catamount as quickly as possible. Max was emotionally reeling and didn’t know what to think about anything. He still didn’t know why he’d broken up with Roxanne when he called her to tell her what happened. He’d replayed that conversation in his mind over and over again. The only conclusion he could come to was he’d been in such shock between his father’s death and his mother’s abrupt announcement that he thought everything was ending at once.

  He’d stumbled through the next few weeks, twisted and turned in the emotional turmoil of his father’s death, his mother’s grief and trying to adjust to living somewhere new. He’d been born and raised in Catamount, Maine—a shifter stronghold and the founding community of all shifters. Being born into a family of shifters, when they moved to Virginia, he’d been forced to adjust to a life of secrecy. Until the year before his mother died, he’d never quite understood why they left Catamount. The years passed and he never forgot Roxanne. Every so often, he thought about calling her. Once, he actually did. Her mother had answered and told him in no uncertain terms that he’d broken Roxanne’s heart, which devastated him. Whether or not she told Roxanne he called, he didn’t know. After that, he’d never gathered the nerve to call Roxanne again.

  He looked over at Roxanne. A sharp pain slashed through him to see the guarded expression in her eyes. He wanted to make things right with her. Now. He started to say something when yet another customer approached the counter. Blessedly, whoever this was didn’t seem to know him. They ordered a sandwich and went to sit at one of the small round tables. Roxanne caught his eyes. “If you’d like to order, now would be the time.”

  There was a sharp edge to her voice, which cut him to the core. He needed to fix this with her. Max fought back the urge to ask her if they could talk now. “Right. I can see you’re busy. I’ll take a coffee.�
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  She spun away and stepped behind another counter to make the requested sandwich. She called out when it was ready, handing it over to the customer, before she got his coffee ready. When she slid the bright blue paper coffee cup across the counter, his heart gave a hard kick. He remembered spending many afternoons here with her. She was still using the same cups her parents used when they ran the store. She was busy doing something at the register. He waited, hoping she would pause. When she didn’t, he moved to stand in front of the register. This was too important, so he wasn’t walking away just yet.

  “Roxy?”

  Her eyes whipped up. For a flash, he saw pain and something else there, but she quickly shuttered it. He forged ahead. “Look, I’m hoping we can talk. Soon. I missed you. More than I can even say. I’ll go now because I know you’re working, but maybe I could take you out for dinner or something?”

  Roxanne stared at him for so long, uncertainty began to slide through him. He heard her take a deep breath and close her eyes. When she opened them, she looked right at him. “Okay. Fine. We might as well get this over with. Tonight’s no good because Becky’s out sick, so I’ll be here until closing. How about tomorrow?”

  He couldn’t keep from smiling. “Tomorrow’s perfect. Six o’clock work?”

  She nodded slowly. He reached over and grabbed a small pad of paper and a pen sitting by the register. He quickly jotted down his cell number. “Just so you have it.”

  Roxanne watched Max leave. He wove through the tables and headed down the center aisle, his lean body ambling, yet giving off a sense of leashed power. His dark hair glinted in the sun cast through the front windows. He looked back when he reached the door, and she felt as if there was an invisible current between them. Even from across the room with tables and aisles between them, she felt that shimmering connection. She forced her eyes away and looked up at the next customer, wondering if she’d gone and lost her mind by so quickly agreeing to have dinner with him.