Page 1 of A Bear Ski Instructor Christmas (Holiday Shifters of Frost Mountain)

not nearly enough to pay off her student loans without breaking a sweat, but enough to rent a studio apartment in Vegas with her best friend, Sam, enough to make sure she never went hungry. But Rachel was seldom one to settle for mere comfort. There was so much more to be gained. If she landed this job, she’d be opening herself to a host of opportunities.

Besides the fact that the mere prospect of that was enough to make anyone drool, it felt good to get out of Vegas for a while. Rachel’s therapist, Diane, had been right, after all. A change of scenery was in order.

For a second, Rachel felt a twinge of guilt. As happy as Sam had been to learn that Rachel had qualified for the casting call, she’d been a bit bummed to see her leave.

“I’ll miss you,” she’d said when Rachel told her she would be leaving for Chicago.

“It’s only for a couple of weeks,” Rachel assured her.

“You promise?”

“I’ll be back before you even know it. And if—I mean when —I get the job, I’ll try to work out a way to stay in Vegas.”

Sam’s round face brightened at that, but she frowned almost immediately.

“You’re going to miss Thanksgiving,” she said. “Will you be around for Christmas? You know my parents would love it if you came.”

Rachel had grinned. “Of course I will. Wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

Sam’s parents were two of the friendliest humans she’d ever met. They’d known her ever since she and Sam became friends in college. When Rachel’s parents passed away years ago, they’d practically adopted her as their own. But what she loved more than their kindness was their ability to mind their own business. Unlike most people Rachel had encountered over the years, they hadn’t pointed out the shape of her ears or grilled her about them, which was just as well. It was better that they, like Sam, simply assumed she was human than for her to actively have to hide the fact that she wasn’t one of them.

Somewhat out of habit, she smoothed her wispy, dark bangs, making sure her ears weren’t exposed. The last thing she needed right now was to get ogled by other passengers. She rarely wore her hair up except while working, and that had brought her more attention than she needed. People tended to have the most irritating reactions. Why are your ears so pointy? Is it some kind of mutation? Hey, Halloween was six months ago. Are you an elf or something?

Yes, I am; Rachel wanted to snap half the time.

But she knew that would end badly. Humans didn’t respond well to the existence of other beings. Supernaturals like shifters, fae, vampires, and elves were in constant danger of being discovered and attacked. As advanced as humans were, they were easily blinded by hate and bigotry. It was almost a miracle Rachel had lived this long without being discovered. As far as most people were concerned, her ears were little more than a genetic mutation.

Besides, she was beautiful enough that her ears didn’t attract that much attention. She’d looked like a model from an early age, and even now, at thirty-four, her body was still slender, her skin was creamy and smooth, her eyes were an almost unreal shade of turquoise, and her lips were plump and inviting, or so she’d been told by guys who were hitting on her.

Beauty had its perks. Rachel had learned that look ago.

“Mom,” said Billy, the young boy seated next to her. “Is Santa coming to visit us this Christmas?”

“If you’re a good little boy and keep quiet for a bit, he might drop by with a couple of gifts,” his mother replied with an exasperated sigh.

“Yay!” the boy chirped. “I can’t wait to see Santa!”

Rachel’s jaw clenched. She hated Christmas because it meant a lot of snow, and she hated the snow because it reminded her of… him .

It’s been three years, she told herself, but it didn’t ease the pangs of longing in her heart.

She felt for the silver pendant of a woman ice skating that hung from her neck. It was supposed to have been a woman on skis, but Rachel didn’t complain when Michael Malone put the necklace on her and asked her to open her eyes.

She’d met Michael four winters ago in a coffee shop. She and Sam were debating what to order when he’d walked in his ski gear—jacket, gloves, and all. It had been almost impossible for Rachel to keep her eyes off the guy. Anyone who saw him would’ve been at least a bit curious. But when he walked up to her and took off his dark goggles, she’d fallen hopelessly for him.

They went on a few dates after that, and she got to know him a lot more. It turned out that Michael was a professional skier practicing at Lee Canyon. Rachel wasn’t sure what it was that made him so attractive to her. Maybe it was his brilliant smile, or his perfect jaw, or the fact that he loved to ski and seemed not to have a care in the world. Within a couple of months, their relationship had grown serious.

She and Michael had been perfect for each other. He was a bear shifter, a fellow supernatural, which meant she didn’t have to worry about being looked at like some kind of freak. Only four years her senior, he ran a successful furniture business. He’d taught her to ski, introduced her to a couple of his friends, and always attended the shows she modeled in. They seemed inseparable and like an ideal match, but that was part of the irony of life. Just when it seemed like nothing could go wrong, everything did.

It had happened around Christmas when he was teaching her to ski. Rachel remembered pointing and laughing at the Santa costume he’d worn that day. Then Michael sped downhill on his skis and never returned.

For the first hour, she’d feared he was injured and lying in the snow somewhere, but all efforts to find him were unsuccessful. There was no sign of him anywhere—no skis, no helmet, nothing. He was just…gone.

For days, Rachel had cried until her eyes were red and swollen, unsure whether Michael had been taken by someone or had simply disappeared of his own accord. She had no idea whether he was even alive, only that he’d gone downhill and never returned. His disappearance had presented an interesting case for the police department, one that was never solved.

But even when the police gave up on finding him, Rachel hadn’t. It was one of her greatest qualities. She never gave up, not on her goals and desires, not on people, and certainly not on her heart. For months, she’d held out hope that he would return to her just as suddenly as he’d disappeared from her life. And then, nearly a year later, to her surprise and dismay, she’d thrown in the towel. There was simply no hope of finding him.

According to Diane, her psychotherapist, that realization meant she was making progress. In her mind’s eye, Rachel pictured Diane seated across from her, her spectacles sitting crookedly on her nose.

One of the important aspects of moving on is letting go, dear. You need to let go of what was and open yourself up to other possibilities. Go on dates. Meet new people.

In Rachel’s opinion, that was easier said than done, especially since she hadn’t exactly gotten over him. Even Sam had noticed.

“Have you really moved on?” she’d asked randomly one evening over pizza. “From Michael, I mean.”

Rachel had nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

Sam arched an eyebrow at her friend. “You sure? Because you haven’t even given any other guy the time of day in months .”

“I—”

“Not to mention you’re still wearing that necklace he gave you.”

Rachel touched the pendant. “It’s a pretty necklace.”

The look on her friend’s face told her she wasn’t convinced. “Look, honey, from what I can tell, that man took off. The only reason no one’s found him since is because he doesn’t want to be found.”

“Are you saying he abandoned me?”

Sam winced. “Not the word I’d use, but yeah, that’s pretty much it. Now, I don’t know why he did it, but he did it, and that’s all that matters. My point is that he’s a jerk. A big, stupid jerk. And you’re better off without him. You’re on the path to becoming a supermodel. Do you have any idea how many guys would willingly get a vasectomy if it meant they could get a chance with you?”

Rachel couldn’t resist a laugh. “A vasectomy? Really, Sam?”

Her friend shrugged. “You get my drift, though, right?”

“Yes,” Rachel assured her. “I do.”

And she did, really. She was quite the knockout; she didn’t need anyone to remind her of that. Most elves simply were naturally beautiful. Even when her ears were covered, she turned heads whenever she stepped outside. All types of men had approached her, and she’d turned them down as nicely as she could. That was the problem. It didn’t matter that she could get anyone she wanted. Her heart simply didn’t beat for anyone but Michael.

Maybe next year, she should put more effort into her dating life. That would please Diane. And maybe she’d be able to fully move on from Michael and find someone better, someone who wouldn’t abandon her out of the blue and leave a gaping hole in her heart.

Next year , she told herself.

For now, she had bigger concerns. She had to ace that audition and secure that job. What was the point of worrying about some guy when she should be focusing on her career? A smile tugged at her lips, and she closed her eyes. More rest was in order. Somehow, she had a feeling that once she arrived in Chicago, she wouldn’t have much time to sleep.

The plane shuddered again as it hit a patch of turbulence. But Rachel soon found refuge from her racing mind as sleep slowly descended upon her, undisturbed by the sounds of chattering that filled the cabin. She continued to dream of sharing ice cream with Brad Pitt.

When she opened her eyes again, the plane was coming apart.