Jingle Bears: A Pacific Northwest Bear Novella: (Shifter Romance) by Moxie North Page A

t-shirt. As he made it to Edward, his tiny body shimmered in a rainbow of colors and Edward scooped up the tiny bear cub in his arms. He was still wearing the diaper and shirt that made him all the more adorable.
    When shifters got older, clothes got in the way. When they were young everything was stretchy, so it wasn’t much of a problem.
    “First time today,” Sophie said, looking at little sad about it.
    She looked up at Cage, and he gave her a small smile and hug. Their little boy was growing up. Pretty soon he’d stop shifting, letting his bear go dormant until puberty. No more torn up hardwood floors from tiny nails. No more furry wrestles on the floor. And no more Daddy and son runs in the woods, at least in bear form.
    They would still play outside and go fishing. They would just do it with poles. Climbing trees would be a little more cautious even though shifters healed quickly. Bad falls still hurt.
    “My you’ve gotten big! Did you grow since yesterday?” Edward said, scratching at his grandson’s bear belly. The little cub growled and squirmed in his hold.
    “Here give me my little Micah. I’ve got treats for him,” Connie clucked. She scooped up Micah and took him to the kitchen. In no time, she had his tiny bear butt on the counter and was spoon feeding him honey.
    “Mom, not too much. You know it makes him all crazy,” Cage warned. He watched his mother glare at him, stick out her tongue and continue feeding his son sugar.
    “So, shouldn’t you be working? Making a living to keep your wife in tight jeans and your son in honey?” Edward asked his son.
    “Wyatt is on today. Tanner and Cash came up too; they are both subbing in on foreman duties for the cut. We should get finished before any major snow comes in. Although, it’s looking like it might be another dry year,” Cage remarked.
    Tanner and Cash were Cage’s cousins. They were his father’s third and fifth brothers’ sons. Since Edward was the first to mate, all of Cage’s cousins were younger than him although their fathers were much older than his dad. Crazy shifter genetics made things confusing.
    “Good, those guys need to remember where all those logs come from. Get too cushy sitting down at the mill letting all the machines do the work,” Edward groused.
    Cage snorted, “Yeah easy job, don’t mind the fact that they use machines a lot scarier than we have. And they actually have to turn the wood into something useful.”
    Edward sniffed and tried to look bored. He knew how hard his brothers worked. When Edward decided to start his own logging company, his brothers were all on board. As the years went by, they expanded from logging to processing and manufacturing. They even had their own trucking company to move everything. They were truly a complete operation, and it made Edward damn proud.
    “So what are you doing here? Interrupting me gettin’ lucky.”
    “Dad!” Sophie said with a giggle. She was taking off her puffball knit hat that was bobbing on her head. Since moving to the Pacific Northwest, she’d taken to the garment choices most people wore. Layers namely with clothing that you weren’t sure if someone was going on a two-week hike or just the grocery store. Now Sophie was usually in a stretchy pants and long sleeve shirts with puffy vests over the top. Knee high boots that could go from the muddy job site to the grocery store without people giving you a second look.
    “We have the tree. Remember, Christmas, too many people in a small space? Eggnog, wrapping paper flying, mom getting’ tipsy,” Cage finished.
    “I do not get tipsy. I get festive,” his mother called out from the kitchen.
    “Well, let’s go get this monstrosity. I know you couldn’t help yourself, so I’m not even going to bitch too much,” Edward said to Sophie.
    “You love big trees. Who doesn’t?” She gave him a saucy wink and went to join Connie in the kitchen.

Chapter 2
    “ P ick up your end high or it won’t fit through