One Tough Christmas Cookie (The Reindeer Wrangler Ranch Christmas Romance Book 1)

by Lucy McConnell

  Caleb came to stand behind her and placed his hands on her hips. Her heart leapt and she leaned against him, afraid her knees would give out. His woodsy scent, mingled with the crisp air and the smoke from nearby chimneys, filled her senses. “This is the second-best place to watch a sunset,” he said low, his breath warm against the sensitive skin beneath her ear.

  “What’s the first?”

  He chuckled, the sound coming from deep in his chest and reverberating through her. “I’m going to keep that as a surprise.”

  She took his hands and folded them over her front. “I can live with that. Although it’s hard to top this moment.”

  “I can think of a couple ways to make it better,” he mumbled.

  She thrilled at the possibilities, because she could think of some pretty wonderful ways to kick up a sunset too. Remembering the reasons not to fall for Caleb was getting harder and harder. While they were being friendly and exploring the waters, that didn’t mean she had to go and give her heart away even if he was intent on sneaking off with it.

  The hill was the perfect spot to observe every shade of the sky as it dropped from gray white to scarlet and then navy blue. When the first star came out, she pointed. “Make a wish.”

  Caleb gazed down at her. “Mine already came true.”

  She turned in his arms and wrapped her hands around his neck. “Did you happen to bring some mistletoe?”

  His face went white. “Shoot. No.”

  “Really? I’m shocked.”

  He looked like he could kick himself. “Jack told me I should, but I didn’t want to see too forward—since it’s a first date and all.”

  She laughed, feeling heady and reckless. “We lived together for two days. I don’t think it would have been too forward.”

  “No?”

  She reached up and kissed his cheek, slowly, deliberately, letting her breath warm his skin. “Was that too forward?” she whispered.

  “I don’t think so.” He pulled back so he could see her face. He nuzzled her nose. “I like being with you, Faith.”

  “Me too.” She relaxed a bit into that phrase. They weren’t promising the world, their futures, or anything beyond enjoying some time together, which took a lot of stress off this almost kiss. If he’d just lean in and get it over with, then her heart would stop hammering against her ribs and she’d be able to take a full breath.

  He kissed her cheek, and then her jaw. She angled to give him better access to her neck, but he used his thumb to pull her chin back down and brushed his lips across hers.

  Sparklers! Her skin prickled with awareness, and she moaned involuntarily.

  Caleb answered with a growl and kissed her again, slowly, exploring the feelings growing between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. When they pulled apart, she glanced down, feeling shy. She’d never put that much feeling into a kiss before. It was like all the other times she’d kissed, she’d been worried about what the guy was thinking or if she was screwing things up. But with Caleb, she’d lost herself and just … felt. And the feelings were beautiful.

  “Hey.” Caleb lifted her chin. “I don’t know how much time we’ll have together, but I’d like to make the most of it.”

  “So you want to kiss me again?” she teased without thinking.

  Caleb tickled her side. “Yes. Yes, I do.” He kissed her quickly. “And I’ll probably do that again before I drop you back home. But what I meant was, I’d like to have this Christmas with you—no talk of what comes after. Let’s just see where it all goes in the next week.”

  She counted in her head. Seven days until Christmas. Not even a full twelve to count down. It wouldn’t be enough. But it would be a memory she could carry with her for a lifetime. “I’d like that.”

  He hugged her close. “We have to do all the Christmas couple things.” Releasing her, he showed her to the gazebo, where there was an outdoor couch with huge red cushions and a table covered in heated dishes, warmed by candles burning underneath.

  “Two questions.” She held up one finger. “What couple things, and—” She popped up the second finger. “—when did you do all this?”

  He laughed. “I did this right before I came to get you. And we’ll brainstorm Christmas couple things while we eat.”

  “Deal.” She settled into the couch while he pulled the lids off the different foods. One was chicken soup, and the other was rolls. They had hot chocolate to drink and warm rice pudding for dessert.

  With all the care Caleb took on her behalf, Faith hardly felt the chill in the air.

  By the time he finished kissing her goodnight, she could have started a forest fire. As she let herself into the house, she sighed happily. She’d never had a boyfriend at Christmas. This was a new adventure—albeit a temporary one.

  She found herself humming “Jingle Bells” as she put on her pajamas. It was easy to get caught up in the holiday when Caleb loved it so much. Maybe even after she left the reindeer wrangler behind, she’d hang on to some holiday cheer.

  Either that or she’d end up with a broken heart and never want to celebrate Christmas again. “Nope.” She spoke out loud to give her thoughts more weight. “I’m not going to fall in love with him. And I’m going to keep Christmas in a separate compartment.”

  Her heart snickered like it knew better, but she told it to shush and squeezed her eyes shut, willing sleep to come so she could wake up quicker. She and Caleb were going Christmas shopping tomorrow.

  Chapter 25

  Caleb

  Caleb laced his fingers through Faith’s, on air that she let him. She glanced up from the shaving kit she debated over for her dad and winked. He tripped over how happy that wink made him feel. He was flying without a reindeer, and it felt so good.

  The local feed store was a compact version of a box store found in other towns. Sleigh Bell Country didn’t need much more than a half-rack of men’s clothing, a whole one for the ladies, and a couple patterns of bedsheets with matching towels and bathroom matts. However, when December 1st rolled around, the owner packed the aisles until the fire marshal came in, waving his badge around, and demanding they keep walkways open. Caleb had been here one year when Officer Adams had shown up, his face red and spit flying from his mouth as he’d barked orders. The shop owner, Timothy Write, had been just as loud and animated. It was right then that Caleb had ruled out a career in retail.

  “I think I’ll get him the one with the shaving bar.” Faith put the red box back and tucked the brown one into the crook of her arm. “What about you? Anything you need to pick up?”

  He nodded. “Something for my dad.” Reaching across her, he took the red box. “Thanks for helping me decide.”

  She laughed, and they made their way to the registers and then stepped out of the gold-framed doors. Caleb shuddered and stopped to button up his coat.

  “Caleb!”

  He spun around, looking for the person who had called out to him.

  “Who’s that?” Faith asked.

  He rolled his eyes. “Carlie Jefferson. I can’t imagine what she wants.”

  Carlie and a cameraman he didn’t recognize weaved in and out of the crowd on the sidewalk to catch Caleb. “Whew, I wasn’t sure you heard me.” Carlie tossed her long hair over her shoulder, thought better of it, and draped it all over one shoulder, patting the curls to make sure they were bouncy.

  “What can I help you with, Carlie?” He didn’t like the cameraman sizing him up. Caleb stood taller, beating him by at least an inch. Faith held his arm and stepped closer. He loved her possessiveness and wished it meant more than it probably did.

  Carlie ran her tongue over her teeth as if checking for lipstick. “I’ve been calling the ranch, but no one is home.”

  He shared a look with Faith—telling her that they knew full well who was calling and they hadn’t answered on purpose. She stifled her laughter with a cough.

  “Have you heard about the reindeer sightings in Yellowstone?” Carrie pressed. />
  Caleb lowered his brow. “That’s strange. Reindeer aren’t native to Yellowstone.”

  “I know!” She giggled. “That’s part of the story. How did the reindeer get there? But also—people say it flies.”

  He shot his eyebrows up in mock surprise that he hoped came across as real shock. “Flies?”

  “Yes! I’d love a quote from a reindeer expert. It could get my story picked up by the network.” Carlie clasped her hands around her microphone in front of her chest and pleaded with him.

  Caleb groaned. “I’m not the Nichollas you want—Forest is the one who does interviews.”

  She wrinkled her nose—just for a second, but the look of “yuck” was there. Hmm. What had his brother done to make Carlie think that of him? Caleb’s older-brother mentality of needing to pull his brothers out of their scrapes kicked in.

  Carlie switched back to being all smiles and happy pleading. “Forest is all the way out at the ranch, and you’re right here. Please?”

  He glanced down at Faith to see if she minded.

  She nudged his shoulder. “Go on. I’m interested to hear what you have to say about the mysterious reindeer sightings.”

  He smirked at her but told Carlie, “Fine.”

  She squealed—unprofessionally—and glanced around. “Let’s use Main Street for a backdrop.”

  The cameraman grunted.

  Carlie positioned herself with a decorated tree behind her, fluffing her hair. “We good, Tom?”

  Tom gave her a thumbs-up. She motioned for Caleb to come stand by her. Tom pushed a couple of buttons and then counted down from three before pointing at Carlie.

  Carlie’s smile brightened 60 watts. “I’ve tracked down one of Sleigh Bell Country’s resident reindeer experts, Caleb Nichollas, who works with one of the few herds of domesticated reindeer in the nation. Tell me, Caleb, have you ever seen a flying reindeer?”

  “Sure I have.” Caleb grinned at Carlie.

  She blinked several times and seemed to remember that she was the one who was supposed to ask questions. “Uhhh—when?”

  He glanced up as if looking for the memory in the power lines above their heads. “Every Christmas Eve.” He leaned a little closer. “I wait up for Santa.”

  She laughed, realizing that he was playing into the Santa story and that debunking flying reindeer would ruin Christmas for her younger viewers. “Have you ever seen one in Yellowstone National Park?”

  “I can’t say that I have. But I can see why Yellowstone would be a place a reindeer would want to visit; there’s been a lot of hype about Yellowstone being the first national park a hundred years ago.”

  Carlie laughed, though the sound was forced. Caleb felt bad; she was looking for a hard news quote that would get her some notice from the higher-ups, and he was doing his best to keep it light.

  He dropped the tongue-in-cheek attitude and got down to business. “The majority of reindeer don’t fly.” He added a wink here. “They aren’t particularly aerodynamic, and of course they don’t have wings. However, we have over a dozen reindeer at the ranch who are trained to pull sleighs. They work well in teams, and eight is an ideal number to have harnessed to a large load because it allows the wrangler to manage personalities.”

  “Not all reindeer get along?” Carlie asked, almost in spite of herself.

  “No. But the bigger problem is that most all reindeer think they should be in charge. Think of a baseball team: every guy on the bench thinks he’s a starter.”

  “So they’re egotistical, then?”

  “We prefer the term confident.”

  Carlie laughed again, and this time it was a natural sound. “So what do you think about the supposed flying reindeer sightings?”

  He rubbed his hand over his beard. “I hope it’s true.” Because then they’d know right were to go find Snowflake as soon as the holiday was over. “It would be a wonderful world to live in if reindeer really did fly.”

  Carlie grinned at him. The camera light went off and she threw her arms around Caleb, trapping his arms at his side. “That was perfect. Thank you so much.” She jumped back and waved for Tom to follow her. “We don’t have much time to edit.”

  Tom grunted.

  Caleb reached for Faith. She sidled up to him and tucked herself into his side. “You did pretty good. I think you’ve got a future in film.”

  He barked a laugh that earned him curious looks from the shoppers streaming in and out of the store. “What about you, ma’am?” He pretended to hold a microphone. “What do you think about the supposed flying reindeer in Yellowstone?” He pushed his hand toward her chin.

  She cocked her head. “I didn’t used to think that it was possible—but I’m starting to feel Christmas magic, so maybe it’s true.” She tapped her heart.

  Caleb dropped the interviewer act and kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and breathing in her cocoa-and-mint scent. He’d thought spending time with Faith—kissing, flirting, sharing—was safe because she would leave. But if she actually believed … He couldn’t even fathom what that would do to his heart.

  Chapter 26

  Faith

  Faith walked past the tree she and Caleb decorated that morning on her way out to the clinic for an emergency call. The a.m. might be a strange time to hang ornaments, but it was the only time they could fit it in, and since he was bent on doing all these couples’ holiday activities together, they had to be a little creative with their schedules.

  She touched a red bauble as she went by, making it sway. The alley between the house and the clinic was chilly, and she tucked her sweater around her body, hunching against the cold. What she wouldn’t give for Caleb’s warm body to cuddle up against right now.

  There was a woman waiting for her in the clinic entry, a cat carrier on her lap.

  Faith did a double take. “I know you, don’t I?” she asked.

  She shook her head, making her long hair bounce. “I usually see Doc.” She sniffed as if deigning to bring Faith her cat—which was currently dry-heaving in its case—was a personal insult.

  Faith held back her comment that she had more training than her dad. In the end, he had more experience, so she didn’t have much pride to stand on. “Dad’s out for a few more weeks. Why don’t you come on back to the exam room and we’ll figure out what’s going on?” Faith opened the door and held it as the woman breezed through, smelling like roses that were several days past their prime. Or maybe that was the cat.

  She set the case on the counter, and Faith read the name tag. “Can you tell me what’s been going on with Mr. Crumple-kins?” Faith asked as she pulled out a pair of gloves.

  “I could ask you the same thing,” the woman said.

  Faith took a moment to check her chart on the computer. Her name was Hazel. Hazel? Hazel! The woman who’d thrown darts from her eyes at Caleb when they’d been on their sleigh ride. The woman who’d wanted to be Mrs. Caleb Nichollas in high school.

  Well, that explained a lot.

  Grateful she’d finally connected the dots, Faith put on her professional mask and went to work, opening the cage and pretending she didn’t hear Hazel’s comment. The calico cat huddled in the back of the carrier and glared. “I know, you don’t feel good.” The smell of vomit wasn’t too overpowering. She’d worked on sicker cats.

  “I take good care of him, thank you very much.”

  Faith nodded, though she didn’t say anything. She reached inside and pulled the cat out, grateful it wasn’t angry enough to swipe at her. She had handling gloves but preferred not to use them if the animal was cooperative. “Has he eaten anything out of the ordinary lately?”

  Hazel huffed and stared up at the ceiling. “He got into a batch of fudge last night?”

  Faith cringed. “Cat’s don’t usually eat chocolate unless they’ve been given it before—have you ever fed him chocolate?”

  Hazel gulped. “I let him lick my fingers after eating—once.” Translation: I do it all the time and I think it’
s so funny.

  “Was there anything else in the fudge I need to know about? Nuts or berries?”

  “Bacon.”

  “Excuse me?” Faith stared at her.

  “I crumbled bacon and sprinkled it on top. My dad loves it.” She cocked a hip. “Doc does too. Mr. Crumple-kins ate his batch.”

  Like Dad needed all that fat. “Dad suffered a major heart attack. He can’t have bacon or fudge, and especially not bacon fudge—ever.” Faith used her clinical voice—which was shorter and tighter than her regular conversation voice, but she felt the need to establish boundaries with this woman.

  Hazel narrowed her eyes. “I saw you on a sleigh ridge with Caleb.”

  Faith glanced down at Mr. Crumple-kins, wondering whose side he’d be on if a catfight broke out in the exam room. Who was she kidding—he’d side with the woman who gave him bacon fudge.

  “How serious are you?” Hazel’s eyes dropped to Faith’s ring finger.

  “We aren’t that serious. This is Dad’s clinic. I’m just helping out until he’s able to return.” Although she had no idea how he was going to manage this place. He was still pale, and his energy was low. He’d work himself into another heart attack if he tried to help everyone in these parts who needed a vet. Then again, it wasn’t like he’d asked her to stay on and be his partner. He could—and she’d consider it. At the very least, she could extend her vacation time.

  Hazel smacked her palm on the table. “Don’t play innocent with me. Sleigh rides mean something in that family. Not one of those brothers have ever let a woman set foot in their sleighs.”

  Faith kept her head down to mask her shock. No one? She’d assumed sleigh rides were a regular part of the Nichollas men’s romancing routine. Caleb was so good at it with the gazebo and the bells. Was she really his first? That seemed unlikely and highly flattering all at once. “Maybe we should focus on your cat.” Faith pointed to the guy currently spewing on her counter.

  Hazel’s hands flew to her cheeks. “That’s the third time—do you think he’ll pull through?”