The Dragon's Christmas Treasure (Howls for the Holidays) Read online

  It was Noam’s hope that they would be able to start doing things like offering classes for children and families in the community. One of the hardest things about getting a pet was learning how to care for them. If the holiday event was enough to inspire even a couple of people to take a class or focus a little more carefully on becoming a proper pet owner, then it would be a success.

  He finished playing with his cat, and then he got back to work. The holiday was coming whether Noam wanted it to or not, and Christmas wasn’t going to plan itself. He took a deep breath, and then he kept writing.

  “HE’S NEW,” ERIN SAID, jerking her head toward the little boy with the mop of brown hair. “His mother just dropped him off.”

  “I didn’t realize we were getting a new student this close to winter break,” Noam commented. He sipped his coffee before setting it down on his desk. Then he slipped off his jacket, dropped his bag, and walked over to the little child.

  The kid couldn’t have been older than seven or eight. Hell, maybe he was even nine. He was small, and he was obviously scared. Noam could smell the nervousness radiating off of the little boy.

  “My name is Principal Noam,” he said gently. Noam had learned through trial and error that it was always best to be up front, but gentle with new students, especially students who felt shy or nervous. Moving to a new place sucked. There was no nice way to put it. He knew from his own experience that when you were the new kid, you usually felt lonelier than you could ever imagine.

  The little boy looked up and Noam and blew his bangs out of his face.

  “Hi.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Rory.”

  “That’s a nice name. How old are you, Rory?”

  “Eight,” Rory said proudly. He puffed up his chest and nodded.

  “Really?”

  “Okay,” Rory sighed. “Seven and a half...but my birthday’s on Christmas!”

  “Well, that’s a good day for a birthday,” Noam told him. “I hear it’s your first day.”

  “Yeah,” Rory sighed. “I just moved here.”

  “Well, let’s get you to your first class, Rory,” Noam told the little guy.

  “Do I have to?”

  “You have to.”

  “I don’t really want to,” Rory lowered his voice, as though he could somehow persuade Noam not to make him go to school. “I’m not exactly a fan of school.”

  “What are you a fan of, Rory?” Noam tried not to laugh. He hadn’t been much of a “fan” of school, either. Somehow, though, he’d ended up working in one. Wasn’t that ironic?

  “Ice cream,” Rory said.

  “I like that, too. You know,” Noam said, gesturing for Rory to get up and come with him, “I heard a rumor that there’s going to be ice cream served with lunch tomorrow.”

  Rory’s eyes lit up.

  “Really?”

  “Really,” Noam said. That seemed to be good enough for Rory, because he hopped to his feet, followed Noam out of the waiting area near the principal’s office, and together, they headed to the classroom where Rory would be spending the rest of the year. Noam introduced Rory to his teacher and helped him get settled. He reminded the other students to play nice with the new kid, and then he went back to his office and reached for his coffee.

  It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

  Chapter 2

  Rawr County, Colorado.

  It had a bit of a ring to it, didn’t it? This was the kind of place a person could go to reinvent themselves. It was the kind of place a person could go to hide. At least, that was what Heather Capshaw was counting on. She needed something fresh, something wonderful. She needed a place where she could be filled with hope, and where she wouldn’t be scared anymore.

  She needed a place where she could be safe, and where nobody would hurt her child, and where he wouldn’t be viewed as crazy or stupid or wild. She looked up at the elementary school where she’d just dropped Rory off. It was his very first day, and she knew he was going to be just fine. The principal hadn’t been in yet, but she’d met the secretary, and everyone had seemed really kind.

  They’d seemed normal, and welcoming. She knew she needed to get used to the fact that not everyone was out to get her. Plenty of people in the world were kind and nice. Not everyone was going to try to hurt them, but it was a hard realization. Heather took a deep breath and headed back to the car. She had three different job interviews lined up that week, and the first one was in about ten minutes. She had no interest in being late, so she hopped in the car and drove over to the medical office where she’d be interviewing as a receptionist.

  She stopped outside and looked up at the building.

  LITTLE CUBS URGENT CARE blinked above the building. It was a cute name for a clinic, to be sure. The idea that little kids could be called cubs was kind of endearing. She wondered if that was the proper term for a little dragon shifter like Rory. Was he technically a cub? Was he a dragonling? She didn’t know, and she had no one to ask. Heather put that at the back of her mind and headed inside.

  The receptionist was smiling brightly, but her hair was frazzled, and she had dark circles under her eyes.

  “Hello,” Heather gave a little wave.

  “How can I help you? Do you have an appointment?” A sign on the desk said JUDY MILLINGTON. Judy was a pretty woman, probably around forty, and she was pregnant. Heather smiled, remembering what it felt like to be filled with excitement about a new baby coming.

  “Nope, no appointment,” Heather said. “Actually, I have an interview.”

  “For the receptionist job?” Judy smiled. Okay, so that made her happy.

  “Yes.”

  “Good. It’s yours,” Judy stood up. “Can you start now? You can start now.”

  “Um...” Heather looked around wildly. Was she serious right now? “Don’t you want to actually interview me?”

  “Nope. I do not,” Judy grabbed her jacket and waddled around from behind the desk. “Look, I went into labor like an hour ago, and I was hoping that you’d show up and look even slightly normal so that I could go birth these twins in peace.”

  “Twins?”

  “Twins,” Judy patted her belly. “You’ve got experience, right?”

  “Well, yeah, but-”

  “Then you’ll do fine. I know this is unconventional and weird, but you have no idea how happy I am that you just walked in here. I was about to have to shut the clinic down and,” Judy shook her head and shuddered, “that would seriously piss off the doctor. Well, I have to go now. Bye.”

  Then Judy left.

  She literally waddled out of the clinic and let the door close behind her.

  A laugh erupted from behind Heather, and she turned to see a pretty nurse standing there. She had long dreadlocks that hung past her shoulders, and she wore glasses, which she pushed up the end of her nose.

  “I wondered if she was actually going to go through with it.”

  “I assume that was planned?”

  “More or less. Less, if we’re being honest.”

  “What happened?”

  “Judy’s pregnant. The doctor didn’t hire a replacement. Judy thought the babies were coming early. They did. You’re here, so you’re kind of an unsung hero, you know?”

  Heather didn’t know. She felt a little overwhelmed at the fact that she was basically being ushered into a job. Had she wanted the position? Yes, absolutely. She’d wanted it. Still, she didn’t know if she was quite ready for this. There wasn’t going to be any training, apparently, but she was a fast learned. She could learn as she went.

  “What’s your name?” Heather asked the woman.

  “Debbie.”

  “That’s a good name.”

  “Thanks. I like it. It’s the one my mama gave me, so I can’t complain. You must be Heather, is that right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, Heather, well, come around the desk, and let’s get you settled.”

  Heather was re
lieved that the waiting room was empty. Either the clinic wasn’t open this early, or it was a slow morning. She had a feeling that things were going to pick up quickly, though, and she knew that she needed to be ready.

  “This is where you’ll be,” Debbie said. She gestured to the desk and the bookshelves and filing cabinets behind the seat. “You’re the only receptionist, so you’ll work from eight until five every day.”

  “I can do that,” she said. “I have a son. He gets out of school at three.”

  “It’s only two blocks,” Debbie shrugged. “He can walk over and hang out in the back room with my son, if you like.”

  “That would be perfect,” Heather said. She couldn’t believe it. “How old is your son?”

  “He’s nine going on thirty. He walks over every day and does his homework in the back. The doctor doesn’t care as long as they’re quiet and they stay in the breakroom. Sometimes the doctor’s daughter comes over, too, but she’s twelve, so she mostly just hangs out with her friends after school.”

  “Understood.”

  “Look,” Debbie said, “I can tell that you’re a bit anxious.”

  She could?

  “And I know that dealing with this kind of stuff can be tricky, but you’re going to do great, okay?”

  “Okay,” Heather nodded. She could do this, she told herself. If Weston was still alive, he would have believed in her. She knew without a doubt that he would have believed in her. Polly would, too.

  “First things first, though,” Debbie grabbed a folder and placed it in front of Heather. “Paperwork,” she said.

  “Paperwork?”

  “Yep. Let’s do everything by the book, okay? So you’ll fill out your information, tax stuff, all of that. If you have a resume, slip it in here, too. I know that Judy kind of took off before she could interview you, but chances are that Dr. Bear is going to have some questions.”

  “Dr. Bear?” That was an interesting name, she thought. It kind of matched the name of the clinic. When Heather had applied for receptionist positions in town, she hadn’t spent much time looking at the different names of places. She’d sort of just cast a wide net and hoped that something stuck. Maybe it was a little unconventional, but she hoped that it worked.

  “Someone called?” Dr. Bear stepped into the waiting room and stood in front of the desk.

  “Uh, hi,” Heather gave a nervous little wave. Dr. Bear kind of looked like a bear. He was really tall, and kind of wide, but he didn’t seem fat. He just seemed...big.

  “You must be the new employee,” Dr. Bear said gruffly. He smiled, though, so she didn’t think he was being mean. He just seemed a bit nervous. It reminded her a little of the way Weston was when she’d met him.

  Then it hit her.

  She’d been so blind.

  Little Cubs.

  Dr. Bear.

  “You’re a shifter,” she blurted out.

  Debbie started laughing out loud, but the doctor just looked at Heather.

  “Come again?”

  “You’re a shifter,” she whispered.

  “And you’re human,” the man nodded.

  “This is a shifter clinic.”

  “Is that going to be a problem for you?” Dr. Bear didn’t deny the accusation, but he did seem a little nervous, as though he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t going to cause problems for him. Oh, he didn’t need to worry about Heather. She wasn’t going to cause any issues.

  “No,” she said quickly.

  “Good,” Dr. Bear nodded. “I’m going to be honest with you, human. I don’t usually hire your kind. I have nothing against humans at all, but I’ve found that many of them are unusually curious about shifters, and it tends to make my patients nervous. That said, Judy went to have her babies and we’re in a bit of a bind. I need Debbie to help me with my patients, and I can’t exactly have a nurse pulling double duty with front desk management.”

  “I understand,” Heather said. Then, she realized she should tell him a little bit about her history. “My late husband was a shifter,” she blurted out. “A dragon.” Was she supposed to say that? Was it still a secret now that he was gone?

  Dr. Bear seemed surprised. Debbie, too. They both raised their eyebrows at the same time.

  “Is that so?”

  “Yes.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Weston Capshaw.”

  A flash of recognition crossed the doctor’s face.

  “You knew him,” Heather said.

  “I didn’t know he’d passed.”

  “Cancer.”

  “I’m sorry,” the doctor said quietly. “I knew Weston when he was just a little dragonling. I didn’t even know he was sick.”

  “It all happened really fast,” Heather said. “It’s been six years now.”

  “Did you have any children?”

  “One,” Heather said. “A little boy. He’s already shifted. He had his first shift a couple of days ago,” she told him. “That’s...well, that’s why we moved.”

  “You wanted him to be around shifters?”

  “I wanted him to be around people who would love him and respect him,” she said.

  “Well, then,” Dr. Bear smiled, “I think it’s safe to say you chose the right place. Welcome to Rawr County, Heather.”

  Chapter 3

  “You’re such a grouch about Christmas,” Debbie told Noam.

  “You don’t have to bring it up all of the time,” he said, “you’re starting to sound like Mom.”

  “Maybe Mom has a point,” Debbie said.

  “I don’t think so.”

  The two of them were standing outside of the elementary school hanging lights for the holiday. Noam had been complaining about how cold it was and how dark it was and how he wanted to be at home inside. Luckily, his sister, despite being a busy nurse, was wildly patient with him.

  It didn’t take long for them to finish decorating, and Noam was pleased with how nice everything looked. Debbie had an eye for the beautiful, and she was able to transform anything she touched into something – somewhere – lovely. Noam had seen the way she’d decorated the clinic where she worked. Now he was thrilled she’d taken the time to help him, too.

  “Thanks for helping me,” he said.

  “Anything for you.”

  “I mean it,” Noam said. “You didn’t have to take time away from Quinton and Paul.”

  “They’re fine spending one night on their own,” Debbie said of her husband and son. Quinton was a construction worked in town, and Paul was a student at Noam’s school. He liked having his nephew around all day. It was fun to see him from time to time, especially because Paul was such a cool kid. He’d even gotten along pretty well with the new kid.

  “Did Paul get a chance to tell you he made a new friend?”

  “Nope. Who?”

  “A new student. His name is Rory. He just moved here.”

  “Ah, the dragon kid?”

  “Dragon kid?” Noam was curious. He hadn’t known that Rory was a shifter. Usually, he could tell right away if a student was a shifter rather than a human, but he hadn’t had any indication that Rory was.

  “Yeah, his mom is the new receptionist at the clinic,” Debbie said. She stood back, surveying her work. She seemed happy with the placement of the lights.

  “Nobody told me he was a shifter.”

  “Well, he’s half-shifter, half-human. Apparently, he just started shifting.”

  “Wow,” Noam was surprised. Eight years old was pretty young for a shifter to learn how to change. It wasn’t unheard of, but it was unusual enough that it was unexpected.

  “That’s what she said. Did you know that’s why they moved here?”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. Apparently, Rory shifted at his old school and everyone saw. They made fun of him. Heather – that’s his mom – wasn’t having any part of it. She packed him up and moved him here. She said it was only supposed to be temporary until she figured out where they we
re going to put down roots.”

  “What about his dad?”

  “Rory’s dad passed away of cancer a few years ago. He was a full-blooded shifter. Heather knew, but she said she still hadn’t expected him to pass away so quickly.”

  That must have been hard. Noam felt his heart hurting for the little family. He’d had no idea. Rory had been bright-eyed and kind at school that day. He’d done his best, and his teacher had confirmed that Rory had gone out of his way to pay attention and work hard.

  Noam and his sister chatted for a few more minutes, but then they went their separate ways. Debbie needed to get home to hang out with Paul before he went to sleep for the night, and Noam found himself walking slowly home.

  He thought about what his mother had said. She and Debbie both accused him of being a negative Nancy on Christmas. Was that true? He didn’t like Christmas much because he felt like it was all about presents and money, but maybe there was more to it than that. Maybe his problem was that he’d lost sight of what Christmas actually meant.

  Noam wandered toward his house. He stopped outside of a little coffee shop. It was after six, and it was already dark, but he could go for a cup of cocoa. If nothing else, it would warm him up before he went home to Edgar. As soon as Noam stepped inside, he was overwhelmed by the Christmas music playing. There was a big tree in the corner, and the entire café smelled like peppermint. He went up to the counter.

  “What can I get for you?” The woman working the register was young, probably barely out of high school. She had red-and-white striped pigtails, which Noam thought were weirdly festive and actually pretty fun. How hard had it been to get her hair to look like that?

  “A peppermint hot chocolate, please.”

  “What size?”

  “Um,” Noam looked at the different cups on the counter that had been set out to help people like him decide which size they needed. “Medium, please.”

  “Sure thing.”

  The woman told him his total, and he paid, and then he turned to find a seat while he waited for his coffee. The café was completely empty save for a woman and her child. They were sitting in the corner at a little table that had only two chairs. They each had a cup in front of them, and the woman appeared to be helping her child with his homework.