Falling for Snow

By Chrysta Mane

What happens when Fate steps in and throws a curveball guranteed to change everything? One either gives in or fights back.. Gabriele Pope had always known she was different from others but college gave her a chance to shine without guilt. But lust for one of her Environmental Studies professor? Definitely not high on her list of things to do. When the sinfully sexy man winds up being her boss at her job at the environmental lab, she can't help wondering what she did to piss off the universe. The hunk of a man is what every woman dreams of and now her head (and inner snow leopard) are willing to do whatever it takes to get him.

 

Fooling around with a student was not only wrong but a sure career killer. Professor Braxton Taggett staunchly held that belief. At least until the day curvy, opinionated Gabriele Pope showed up as a student in his intro class and turned life as he knew it upside down. A mate? For him? He'd never wanted one. So why was his inner snow leopard yammering "mate" every time the annoying female was near? If that wasn't enough, his body seemed to crave her like an addicitive drug and she was still nothing more than a student number on an auditorium seating chart. 

 

When unknoen family matters threaten to keep them apart, will Braxton be willing to fight for her or stay caught in the tentackes of the past and miss out on everlasting love. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chrysta Mane
• Release date: Jun 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386650904

Book preview

Chapter One

Western Maryland, 2000

Holy guacamole, who ordered polar bear weather? A normal winter snowstorm isn’t good enough? Gaby muttered while switching the defroster to high, hoping to swiftly melt the clumps of snowflakes landing on the windshield. A thick coat of snow covered the road and effectively obscured the lane markings, which made seeing she was still driving on pavement that much more difficult. Can’t help wondering if any job is worth being on the road in this nasty stuff? People around here react as if it’s a major catastrophe when it’s raining, but the sight of first flakes and they go nuts.

An annoyed hiss accompanied the sharp nick of claws inside her skull. "Okay, okay, my mistake...the full humans living here, not people like us. You sure are skittish today. What’s your problem anyway?"

You know. Must I spell it out? hissed the voice in her head.

Don’t get your fur all fluffed, but no way what you want is going to happen, even if I may be second-guessing the decision to go out in this kooky weather. I need this job and you know darn well why. The ramifications of losing a steady income could be stark, if not deadly. I am not ready to end life as I know it, are you?

No, the voice whispered low and slightly irritated. It really didn’t need things spelled out. It had a vivid memory of what had, thankfully, been left behind, nor was it anxious to revisit that scenario.

Good, because the boss has a penchant for everyone on the team to show up on time and ready to work. Pretty sure he’d take a dim view of me taking a day off to fool around in the snow, so quit asking. Got it?

More angry hisses resounded in her head, and Gaby fought not to laugh. Her other half definitely didn’t like being told no, especially when its mind was set on something. Yes, it was freakish weather and the idea of playing in snow instead of work had a certain delight, but with no word not to come into work, the idea got summarily banished.

The pavement kept doing a disappearing/reappearing act faster than one could blink. Gaby put full focus on watching the road. Going into a skid only to land in a snowbank on the side of the road would not be the highlight of the day.

There were definite perks to being a shifter over a mere human, such as romping around on four legs with padded paws compared to unsure two legs and feet, the ability to heal fast when injured, and finding a forever mate. The dating and getting to know one another humans engaged in, sometimes for years, seemed a huge waste of time compared to how shifters hooked up for life. Between Fate choosing and instinct recognizing, finding a forever mate could happen in less than a blink of an eye. Of course, that assumed one actually encountered their forever mate. It had been known to take years for some, others never ever found theirs.

Much as she hated to admit it, the work first, play later rule might be a tad restricting, but if it made living and working with humans easier, then so be it. Frolicking in cat form in mounds of snow definitely fell into the play later category. Besides which, Gaby took being a responsible adult seriously. Staying on the snow-coated road in order to get to work was the task at hand and she meant to fulfill it.

This is so not fun. Good thing I remembered to dress in layers of warm clothes, and the down-filled jacket and pile-lined ski hat and gloves, everyone said were a waste of money, are definitely worth what I spent to buy them.

Although bundled up from head to toe, Gaby still felt more than slightly chilly. The vehicle’s heater struggled to warm the interior and keep the windshield clear. Playing during a blizzard might be fun but maneuvering through one totally missed making the fun list. Despite blowing snow, the frigid temperature, and Gaby’s astonishment, the vehicle kept chugging along.

As long as they stayed on the road, she’d be happy, though her fingers might be screaming by the time they got to the lab. The white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel wasn’t the most comfortable, even while wearing padded ski gloves. But a perfect attendance record could be a powerful motivator.

I am not OCD, I am not OCD, she chanted into the stark, unnerving silence, her breath crystallizing before her face in the chilly air.

Another prick of claws scratched inside her head.

Okay, okay, maybe I’m a little OCD, but there’s nothing wrong with being punctual to work every day. It shows initiative and dedication to the job, she muttered in self-defense.

Uh huh, her inner cat chided, not bothering to hide its disdain. You keep telling yourself that if it helps justify driving in this stuff instead of playing in it.

Sneer all you want, kitty cat, but you’re not the one who needs to hold down a job. Without that paycheck, I might be forced to return to the pack’s compound. You want that? I sure don’t.

Me neither, it muttered. No need to get snippy or bring up the past. I was merely trying to remind you we rarely had fun anymore.

Sorry, I didn’t mean to get an attitude. We will play when it’s appropriate. Now is definitely not the time.

Issuing a huff, the creature went silent, modestly appeased by what it viewed as a half-hearted acceptance of what it earnestly wanted.

Pleased at the quiet in her head, Gaby poured full focus on driving, though the ice again gathering on the sides of the windshield was worrisome. She flicked the switch to re-engage the defroster, thereby sending all heat to the windshield. It seemed to take forever before the telltale melting spot appeared and then slowly expanded. A clear windshield was a necessity, as was an unobstructed view of the road. Thanks to the furious gusting wind and swirls of falling snow, that proved infinitely more difficult with each passing minute.

For a fleeting moment she thought maybe turning around and going home would be better. She quickly banished the idea. No freak winter storm would destroy a perfect attendance record, not if she had any say about it.

The nagging memory of turning down a chance to spend a week in the warmth down south popped to mind and she grimaced. Wow, why did she do that? Going where it was warm, even for only seven days, should have been a no-brainer. Apparently her mind had taken a nap when the offer came up.

Did I goof bigtime? If one of my brothers heard I said no, they’d never let me hear the end of it, though I suspect given the choice, Steponas might pick frigid cold over heat. Of all of us, he’s the one who gives into his cat’s desires the most. It’s positively obscene how he indulges the feline.

A barrage of giggles bubbled out of her mouth this time. Her oldest brother won his nickname of great indulger for good reason. When it came to one’s inner feline, Steponas never refused what it asked for. A number of his friends even went so far as to speculate he hadn’t found a forever mate because Fate thought he cared more about his other half and would neglect a mate. Gaby knew better. The man was a hard working paleontologist who generally indulged his cat as a way to relieve stress and fully clear his mind. When he found his forever mate, she didn’t doubt he’d put the feline in its proper place.

Where her cat was concerned, she’d formulated strict rules on indulgence. A spoiled cat was a demanding one. She already had more than enough demands to contend with.

A shaky giggle tripped off her lips, but she quickly reprimanded herself. Stay focused. Black ice could be anywhere. If even one tire found a patch, the vehicle could go into a slide and wind up tossed into a huge snowbank.  Not desirable, nor was the idea of her beloved SUV sustaining damage. A shiver rolled down her spine at the thought.

My insurance agent would have a fit hearing that one, not to mention remind me way too often how I drove in a major snow storm and wrecked my vehicle thanks to a fit of giggles which interrupted my focus. Oh, yeah, the creep would get a lot of mileage out of it.

The stuffed shirt didn’t have a smidgen of humor in his entire scrawny body. He also took too much glee in lecturing female clients as if they were uneducated and morons. Guaranteed she had more education than him, as well as manners. For a guy who dealt with the public for a living, he was way too sexist in his dealings with women.

Squinting through the small defrosted spot on the windshield, Gaby grimaced as globs of snowflakes kept mounding on the far sides of the glass. The wipers were furtively trying to remove the dense flakes, but those which managed to elude the swipes dropped onto the warming glass, melted, then quickly refroze and were pushed to the sides. Not taking today as a vacation day had definitely been a mental misfire and she was now being made to pay for it.

Just think about it. You might be snug and warm at home or lounging on a sunny beach if you’d used the smarts you were born with.

Is this the good part of the job? Her inner cat asked sarcastically.

Hush up, kitty cat. I’ve had more than enough of your bellyaching, Gaby snapped back. She was cold, frustrated, getting more and more irritable as the weather seemed to worsen right before her eyes. Driving in this felt like a horrible nightmare, except she was wide awake. Her patience was doing a quick vanishing act and each new snipe by the cranky, finicky feline wasn’t helping. "Why is it you have no problem speaking up when it suits you, yet somehow failed to voice an objection when I interviewed for the job? Unless you’ve forgotten my options boiled down to two...take the job or move back to the compound. Is that what you want? Do you have some sadistic craving to again live in their midst and under his rules for god knows how long?"

No, of course not, but...?

No buts, furball. If I have any say in the matter, no living at that place ever again. Occasional visits are tough enough, but I do them for Edie’s sake. This job means I, and you, can live on our own. Stop with the incessant complaining. Heck, I was prepared to live in this vehicle or on the street rather than suffer the humiliation of having to go back there. The man is despicable, self-indulgent, cruel to others, and a bigger nosy body than any of those old biddies. Edie recently texted that he’s been asking about my job and all, which means he’s working on a plan of some sort. I refuse to give him ammo to sabotage my life and freedom. Hush up and let me concentrate on driving or life as we both know it may reach an early, possibly deadly, end.

Right, the cat grumbled and lashed its long, flat, furry tail. Then it curled up into a quasi-ball and went silent. Talk of the scummy old puma shifter blackened its mood, overshadowing any delight about later playing in the snow.

Gaby understood the animal’s upset...a little. It would have been nice if the HR person mentioned new hires without proven, suitable experience weren’t eligible for the advertised fieldwork, which is why she applied for the position. Apparently, a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Environmental Studies weren’t sufficient to fulfill the requirement. Instead of working outdoors, she was stuck in a chair in a cubicle adding numbers into spreadsheets along with reading and assessing bulletins and departmental releases all day, every day. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the project manager hadn’t turned out to be him.

Him was none other than Professor Braxton Taggett - bane of her existence for the last few of years. They first crossed paths during her sophomore year in college. Given his almost celebrity in the field, the courses he taught filled fast, though Gaby quickly learned most of the females in class were there simply to ogle the Hunky Professor.

Being an environmental studies major, Gaby was there to learn, but the man’s mere presence set her sense reeling. Thankfully, he only taught one of her classes each semester, but when she got accepted to the graduate program, who should be assigned as her graduate school thesis adviser? You guessed it, none other than Professor Braxton Taggett. The man pushed and prodded and argued right up until the day she defended her thesis. Despite his lofty prognostication she might fail, Gaby passed the exam with extremely high marks.

The way he set off a storm of hormones within her was like nothing she’d ever felt before. Every so often, she would have sworn it meant to eat her alive. Of course, her bat-shit crazy cat seemed on the verge of doing that with its own off-the-wall reaction whenever the man was near.

Professor Braxton Taggett. Tall, handsome, self-assured, short curly brown hair, always neatly dressed in blazer and snug jeans to show off well-defined legs. The mere thought of that hot bod set her pulse racing as if seated in a formula one racing car speeding around a track. The very sight of him took her breath away, though passing out from lack of oxygen was to be avoided at all costs. Talk about mortifying and embarrassing. She studiously avoided the man whenever possible. Paying strict attention in class, in order to take sensible and legible notes, proved a feat of unparalleled perseverance, especially since the man had a habit of walking up and down the aisles of the lecture hall. A few times, Gaby thought she’d combust from straining not to give into the need firing her insides.

When her cat frantically paced and mewed mate, she knew she was in big trouble. She knew the rules. Fate picked one’s forever mate and there was no refusing the choice. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. One could refuse to mate, but that meant spending the rest of life in a self-ordained form of purgatory. But openly lust for one’s professor? That was grounds for possible expulsion. The ramifications were too high. No degree, undergraduate and/or graduate, meant not getting a job in the field she loved. It also meant more than likely moving back to the compound, a situation to be avoided at all costs.

Now the man was her boss. The case of lust came raging back, tormenting her day and night. If there’d been an inkling the job was on his project, she might have thought twice before applying. Yes, she needed a job, but knowingly subject oneself to feeling burnt alive day in and day out? Uh, no! She might be stubborn but not a masochist.

Too late now, she had the job, but if there was even a hint floating around of something between her and the Professor, she’d been toast. Maryland was a right to work state, which meant everything was in the company’s favor and nothing in hers. A company need not give a stated reason for termination under current law and the former employee had no legal recourse, whatsoever.

Hotly lusting for the man meant she walked around on eggshells at the lab, furtively trying to hide the fact from her coworkers. So far so good, but how much longer was anyone’s guess. Gaby recognized the small cracks in her inner defenses and it didn’t look promising.

I need my head examined for refusing a week in the sun on a sandy beach. 

Could always bang the professor, it’s sure to heat up things, her cat flippantly suggested. I wouldn’t say no to another round of hot and sweaty hijinks same as after the holiday party.

Listen here, you...you...sex-crazed feline, the man is my boss. Banging him, as you lewdly put it, is strictly forbidden. I will not risk losing my job to maybe satisfy some weird carnal itch of yours. If anyone finds out what happened that night, its goodbye job and apartment and back to living in hell. I won’t, I can’t. Her voice took on a noticeably shaky sound, unconscionable images flashing through her head. No way was she going back there to live.

Shivering again, and not because of the horrendous weather or the tough driving conditions, she valiantly tried to banish the thought of the dreaded compound and its modern day embodiment of hell on earth. It proved impossible.

The compound in question bordered State Forest land many miles west of the campus and was well out of sight of tourists or campers. If outsiders somehow ventured onto the property, it was not by accident. Most of them came to visit the showroom of the furniture factory and each had been thoroughly vetted beforehand. No one walked onto puma pack land uninvited, not unless they had an instant death wish.

Lord, she wished her cat would stop bringing it up. And what was with mentioning the holiday party? Obviously something of interest happened at the event, but for the life of her, she could only recall tiny snippets of that night and nothing of any great importance. It was frustrating as hell to know her cat recalled stuff and her memory was riddle by thick fog. But the way the furball gloated was totally uncommon. A sadistic streak was not its forte.

Surely he’d have said something by now if it meant anything, right? she pondered, though it would have sounded more convincing if her voice would stop shaking. Right, a good looking guy like him really wants a chubby, smart-mouth female instead of a slender, sexy one.

Unbidden tears clouded her eyes, and she blinked to clear them away. The effort failed miserably, but she tried anyway.

All of a sudden a loud clap of thunder broke overhead, startling her back to the present. Yeah, he’s way out of my league. Nothing good can come of pining for one like him.

A deep frown creased her smooth forehead and she gripped one hand on the steering while using the other to shift the secondary gear shaft from two-wheel drive into four-wheel low. To her surprise, it engaged with relative ease. The small SUV lurched a bit as the all-weather tires began to hug tighter on the pavement. Snow tires would have been better, but too late now to worry about not having any. Too bad predicting weather wasn’t a benefit of being a shifter.

A normally short commute had turned into an epic crawl, exacerbating the fear of having her pay docked for showing up late. Facing the possibility of being confronted by the blonde receptionist, and self-appointed office snitch, didn’t ease her growing trepidation.

Gaby felt reasonably confident about handling the attitudinal busty blonde. After all, she had spent a dozen years or so living in a pack of sneaky, nasty shifters, most of whom took inordinate delight in getting others in trouble to cover up their own misdeeds.

Come on, girl, you can do it. I have faith in you. Gaby exhorted the slow moving vehicle, gave it a reassuring pat on the steering wheel. Drifting snow might be piling up on both sides of the shrinking road surface, but it still kept chugging along.

Soon a familiar parking lot loomed up ahead. As soon as she reached the entrance, she turned onto it, parking in the first empty space she happened upon. Turning off the engine, she wearily slumped back in the driver’s seat and heaved a heartfelt sigh of relief.

The good news: she’d made it safely to the lab despite the horrendous weather.

The bad news: her vehicle was the only one in the parking lot.

Does that mean no work and we can go run and play instead? The snow looks deep and wet and yummy, her cat asked gleefully.

Heaving another sigh, Gaby rolled her eyes and vehemently shook her head. No, no, no, we are not going for a run. Others will start showing up soon. There’s no way to explain leaving my car in the parking lot, disappearing, and then reappearing some time later and seemingly out of nowhere. Not to mention getting undressed and redressed without someone noticing. Way too risky. There’s bad history in this region concerning shifters. I won’t expose myself to appease your grossly inappropriate needs.

You can’t be the only one. There’s got to be others like us in this place, the feline mewed.

Maybe, but how do you propose I find out? Email a survey to everyone working here and ask them to check the appropriate box? Are you a shifter, yes or no? Come on, get real, there’s no polite way to ask and I sincerely doubt anyone would own up to it. I am not sticking my neck out so you can satisfy some stupid itch.

It’s not stupid. It’s a natural calling, of which you are fully aware, protested the feline.

Still not doing it, Gaby reiterated.

At the stern reprimand, the stubborn cat went silent, giving Gaby the chance to breathe a little easier. She opened the driver’s side door and got out of the car, mildly startled when her winter boots sank ankle deep in snow. Clumps of wet, thick flakes clung to her boots and made it difficult to stand upright and walk. Every time she lifted a foot, it felt more like it was stuck in a huge pool of quicksand disguised as white goo.

Somehow she managed to turn and click the key fob to lock the vehicle. Then she slowly trudged through mounds of unplowed snow. To her dismay, the sidewalk proved no better. By the time she reached the front door of the building, her legs ached, joints felt oddly stiff, her breath panted in and out and crystallized right in front of her face.

Grasping the front door with gloved hands, she was stunned when it steadfastly refused to open. She tried again. The darn door stubbornly wouldn’t budge.

Well, isn’t this terrific? Drive through hellacious weather, risk life and limb and my car, only to find the darn place locked up tight. What did I do to piss off the Universe? I show up every day, work my ass off, often under extremely trying circumstances, yet I’m not good enough to get a call to say the lab is closed on account of weather?

Frustrated, she stamped a booted foot on the ground and succeeded in causing a spray of snowflakes to fly into the air. A gust of wind swept around the corner of the building and buffeted her body, and she hugged her arms around her chest while turning her back towards the wind. Even the best winter outer gear money could buy failed to completely protect her, uncontrollable shivers taking hold of her body.

Bet the busty blonde made sure my number was left off the call list. She’s had it in for me since my first day, though I don’t know why. I tried to be nice to her even when she made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me. Not my fault I was raised to be polite, even to those who are pointedly rude.

A pinched expression contorted her face, but ruminating over the woman’s weird reaction would be a pure waste of time. The front door was locked, meaning no work today. She needed to get back to her car and then try and make it back home.

Issuing a snort, Gaby began trudging down the sidewalk towards the parking lot. Given the snow was falling fast, she figured by now her small SUV must look more like an oversized snowball than a drivable piece of machinery. Everything was covered by snow. Its thick, wet, heavy flakes made the branches of trees bend over to almost touch the snow-covered ground. An expanse of white covered the grass, making it look like a picturesque ocean of pristine white. If not for the biting cold and wind, it might actually be rather enjoyable.

Thoroughly focused on the mounds snow weighing down the bottoms of her boots, Gaby failed to remember what possibly lay underneath. Halfway to the curb, one of her booted feet slid out from under her and instantly threw her off-balance. The foot and its leg sailed into the air, as the rest of her careened the other way. Without something to grab onto, she unceremoniously crashed backwards onto the snow covered sidewalk, the impact sending billows of white flakes shooting into the air.

THUD!

Her backside hit the hard, cold surface first, swiftly followed by her back, and then the back of her head. Shards of bright light flashed in her eyes, seconds before stabs of pain lanced through her skull and ricocheted through each vertebrae of her spine.

A low, painful groan slipped through her parted lips, her eyes fluttering open and closed. Then, all of a sudden, everything went totally black.

Chapter Two

Lane markings kept disappearing before miraculously reappearing. Braxton Taggett still had to squint to see any visible pavement. Driving in white-out conditions was hardly ideal. Hell, it was actually insane, but when the unexpected call came, he had no other choice.

He’d much rather be snug and warm at home. He had nothing against winter. He actually liked it, just not a damn blizzard. He didn’t know anyone who liked this kind of weather other than his inner cat. It loved snow and the deeper the better. Personally, he preferred groomed trails with skis attached to his booted feet, which is exactly where he’d be right now if not for the storm’s unexpected turn into a blizzard with white-out conditions.

Clenching his jaw, Braxton narrowed his eyes on the mostly snow-covered road. According to his calculations, quite a few in the department had four-wheel drive vehicles, which meant his number shouldn’t have come up this winter.

Dammit, I got called two, three, or more times in the last twelve months. With all of those vehicles sporting roof racks for skis and/or snowboards in the parking lot, my number should be last on the list for this kind of call, he muttered angrily, his deep voice clashing with the persistent low-level hum of the heater. The poor thing was working overtime to keep him toasty warm against the frigid cold outside.

Equipped with new off-road tires, whose deep tread qualified as legal for snow, the truck had no problem gripping the slick pavement. However, he was highly cognizant of how easy it would be to hit a patch of black ice and wind up in a tail spin into the high snow drifts lining the shoulder. He kept a tight grip on the steering wheel. Better safe than sorry.

All the years living and working in this region, this was the first time he could recall a storm closing down pretty much everything. Once things got back to normal, he intended to find out why his number came up more than anyone else. "

No more call Taggett, he won’t mind going out in bad weather. No more Mister Nice Guy, you hear me? he shouted angrily into the dead silence. They don’t give hazard pay for doing this kind of recon. When I find the idiot who ventured out in this blizzard and set off the silent alarm, they’re getting a stern lecture they’ll not soon forget. Won’t do it again, I guarantee it."

Spying the entrance to the lab’s snow-covered parking lot, he blew out a harsh breath and steered the truck onto it, parking next to the only other discernible vehicle. Seeing another vehicle bolstered his initial assessment a blithering idiot set off the silent alarm.

Maybe their car won’t start? It is almost buried in snow, he thought, getting out of the truck and slamming shut the driver’s side door.

With conditions steadily worsening, he figured locking the truck would be a waste of time. No one in their right mind came out in this weather to steal a vehicle. Besides, the truck’s security system worked whether the door was locked or not. All he needed to do was hit the panic button on the key fob. The alarm’s loud blare could wake the dead, a definite deterrent to a would-be thief.

Confident, he tromped through never-ending mounds of deep snow, headed to the front of the building. Halfway to the double front doors, he noticed an unusual mound on the sidewalk and instinct kicked in. He took a deep sniff. It took a few seconds before the hint of a familiar scent hit his nostrils and he squatted, hurriedly brushing off snow. Slowly a body came into view, and he worked even faster. As the face was revealed, a startled gasp left his mouth, his pulse ramping up as recognition dawned.

What, the hell, are you doing here, Gaby? There’s a goddamn blizzard raging out here, or hadn’t you noticed? Why aren’t you home like everyone else?

Strong gusts of wind swallowed up his loud, angry words and he leaned in closer. Barely able to discern her breathing, his initial pang of fear receded a bit. For years, the stubborn, contentious female had been a thorn in his side. From the little he knew about her, she didn’t seem the type to deliberately go out in nasty weather for no reason. The blue tinge of her lips, however, was quite worrisome.