Deja crept back to her bed as slow as she could. She sent up a prayer that she could make it to the plush mattress, where she could potentially get at least one more hour of sleep. Her eyes were heavy and begged to shut. She took another step and reached her hand out.

Almost there.

The wood floor was usually unforgiving, but tonight, the big guy upstairs was looking out for her. She leapt and landed softly on the bed, then quickly crawled underneath her comforter as she tried to hide from the chilled air. She held her breath and peeked from beneath her cover and stared out across her small bedroom.

Quiet.

She sighed as she rolled over onto her side, and tucked her pillow beneath her head.

“Thank goodness,” she whispered.

Her three-month-old son, Augie, was still asleep. August Dixon Scarlett was her pride and joy. Right now, the little stinker had yet to master the art of sleeping through the night.

If she weren’t so tired she would laugh at herself. Life as a single mother to a three-month-old was certainly not glamorous, but she wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world.

But she knew that one day it would come. She just had to hold out and continue working with him to finally get her much-needed, sleep-filled nights.

She peeked over at the small crib again and took in his still form. He was her angel, her everything.

She wished she didn’t have to do the single mom thing, but it was what it was. There was no way that she could contact his father and tell him that he had left her a little present.

She sighed.

His father.

There wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t think of Dixon. He was her tall, dark, and handsome that she had met a year ago while working as a waitress at the Ski Bar and Grille. The minute their eyes had met, her body reacted to his like no other man before. He and his friends had kept her laughing all night while she served them, but it was him that she had eyes for, and he for her.

Dixon, as all other patrons of the Ski Bar and Grille, had come to Breckenridge for the fun, snow, and skiing. He had come into the bar a total of three times, always requesting to be seated in her section. By the last time, he had won her over with his intense amber eyes. Just remembering his heated look had her squeezing her legs shut.

How could a memory of a single look make her want him all over again?

She already knew the answer.

Their single night together was one that she would never forget. He had taken care of her sexually in such a way that she couldn’t even remember her past lover’s names. He had totally ruined her for the next man. Whoever she would have a relationship with in the future would have big shoes—very big shoes—to fill.

Just the thought of how her softer body felt against his hard, naked one sent a shiver down her spine. That night she had been able to trace every ridge of muscle on his abdomen with her tongue. It had been a magical night. She could remember it as if it were yesterday. The memory of his thick length filling her, thrusting deep inside of her, caused her breath to catch. She groaned as her core clenched. That single night had left her a small gift that she would forever hold dear to her heart.

A small cry filled the air.

Augie.

She paused, waiting to see if he would calm down, but the cry grew louder. She turned over and looked at her alarm clock and rolled her eyes. There was no point in staying in the bed.

“Okay, Mommy’s coming,” she announced, flinging back the covers and standing from the bed. There wasn’t much room in her bedroom, aside from her and Augie’s bed. She rented a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The area wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t rundown. It was what she could afford on a waitress’ salary at the moment.

“It’s all right. I’m here,” she cooed as she reached into the crib and picked him up. He immediately calmed down as she cradled him to her. She gave up on the notion of sleep and carried him over to her bed. Turning on the light, she placed him on the bed. “Now why can’t Momma’s little man just sleep through the night?”

A smile spread across his little face and her heart melted. He looked just like Dixon, with those same dark hair and amber eyes. She didn’t know Dixon’s last name, or even how to get a hold of him. She knew deep down that she should inform him that he had become a father, but shame washed over her.

What if he was married and had a family already? What if she was just a one-night stand while away with the guys? Would he even want to see her again? Would he even want to know about Augie?

She smiled at her little man as she checked his diaper. She loved his name, August. It came to her in a dream and she knew it would fit him perfectly. She gave him his father’s first name as a middle name, just so he could have some part of his father as he grew up in life. She knew that when he grew up she would have to explain his father’s absence, and she dreaded that day.

I’m sorry, son. Your mother had a one-night stand, and I never caught your father’s last name.

She bit her lip as tears blurred her vision, but she willed them back, not wanting to cry. She’d done enough of that when she found out she was pregnant. She was an only child, and her parents were both deceased.

It was just she and Augie.

Her little gift that she received on a steamy Christmas morning.

Thank goodness for her best friend, Niki Vincent, and her babysitter, Sharon Hickman. She didn’t know what she would do without the two of them. Niki had recently been trying to convince Deja to move to Colorado Springs with her, and lately, Deja had been thinking on it. It would be nice to share some of these late-night sessions with someone.

“Okay, August Dixon Scarlett. You’re up, I’m up, so we might as well get this day started.”

Dixon stared across the desk at his best friend, Percy Sinnett. They had been best friends since they were cubs, and right now, his friend stared at him as if he grew another head.

“What’s wrong with that? We had a really good time last year,” Dixon said, tapping his fingers along the sturdy mahogany wood.

“It’s just that we usually don’t have the council meeting in the same town two years in a row,” Percy replied, settling back in his chair.

Dixon’s tiger huffed. His friend was right, but Dixon had an alternative reason for why he wanted to go back to the Rocky Mountains. His animal loved running around in the thick forest in the midst of all the snow. As a tiger shifter, he needed to be able to let his animal roam free, and his tiger loved to run through the snow in the winter.

But there was another reason that Dixon wanted to go back to Breckenridge, Colorado.

Deja.

The sexy waitress that had plagued his mind and dreams for the past year. He had contemplated going back to see her, but didn’t want to seem like a stalker. They’d had one night together that he couldn’t shake from his mind. Shit, he didn’t even know her last name to even look her up.

How many women in Breckenridge had the first name of Deja? Maybe he could call the bar where she worked and see if they would give him her information.

Hell no, they wouldn’t, he scoffed at himself.

This had not been the first time that he’d had a one-night stand. In all of his years he’d had plenty of them, and most he couldn’t even remember the women’s names, but Deja stood out to him. She, at first, would cross his mind, and his tiger would whine about not being with her anymore. As time drew on, the need to see her grew. He literally ached in his chest to see her.

“What’s wrong with doing something out of the ordinary?” he asked, chuckling. He didn’t want to let his friend know that he was causing a fuss over a woman. He would never live that down.

“I guess nothing is wrong with it.” Percy smiled and released a chuckle. “We did have some fun nights while we were there, and if I recall, you did disappear that last night with the pretty little waitress. I’m sure you don’t even remember her name. She was something pretty.”

“Deja,” he murmured unconsciously. He remembered her name. There was no way he could forget her. His tiger paced beneath his skin at the thought of her clear blue eyes and her thick brunette waves.

“Wow,” Percy chuckled, breaking into Dixon’s thoughts.

“What?”

“That’s why you want to go back to Breckenridge! The little waitress has caught Dixon Blackburn’s attention.” Percy shook his head as he laughed. Dixon scowled at his friend for knowing him too well. “Have you had any contact with her since we left?”

Dixon shook his head. His scowl grew as his friend laughed harder at his expense. He blew out a deep breath and turned away from his friend. Standing from his office desk, he walked over to the massive window that looked out onto the city. He wondered if she had even thought of him since last year. Did she even remember him?

He had kept this secret to himself until recently, when he turned to his mother with his problem. Amelda Blackburn had listened to him pour his heart out about his regret at leaving Deja behind and never going back. It was his mother who had made him see why his tiger was acting the way he was. She urged him to go back and find Deja.

“I just can’t get her out of my mind. Lately, the need to see her has grown stronger. My animal wants to tear out of here and go find her. I think she’s my—”

“Mate?” Percy’s response caused both of them to pause. Dixon hadn’t really said the word out loud before, but the way that his tiger had been acting lately, he knew it to be true. He needed to find her. “It’s taken you almost a year to figure that out?”

He snorted at how he and his tiger had almost missed that she was his mate. Mating for a tiger was a once in a lifetime chance. Missing a mate would mean that he would spend an entire lifetime without his other half. His tiger knew it though. That’s what it had been trying to tell him, but he just hadn’t listened to his animal.

“Yes, I think Deja was my mate and I let her slip through my fingers.”