Marrying Miss Kringle: Lux

by McConnell, Lucy

  CRACK!

  A deep rumble shook the ground and Dunder skidded to a stop, his ears twitching to find the danger. He turned his head to make eye contact with Lux.

  Another crack snapped through the air like a whip. Lux jerked in her seat to take in the lake. She gasped. The light gray smoke tumbling out the pipe in the roof turned black, and orange flames danced behind the window. One corner of the building sunk into the ice. The opposite corner jutted into the air. A chair crashed through the window and a man followed soon after.

  Lux pulled heavily on the reins. “Go, Dunder!” she ordered. Dunder shook his antlers in protest. Lux slapped the reins on his back, making the bells on his harness jingle. He snorted and pawed at the ground before taking off across the ice.

  The ice jolted as the building sank lower. The man scrambled away from the structure, his feet scraping against the ice. Swish-swish-swish-swish. His arms windmilled as if they could help him move out of danger. Around him, the ice fissured and jarred. He caught sight of Lux and waved his hands over his head, shouting something she couldn’t make out. Just as Lux lifted her arm to return the wave, he disappeared, falling beneath the ice.

  Muttering words that would set off Santa’s Naughty List radar, Lux urged Dunder toward the hole. She shed her coat and threw her gloves on the floor of the sleigh. Dunder moved with the speed of a reindeer half his age, sensing the danger. He slammed on the brakes, nearly tripping over a half-inch crack. “Good boy.” Lux climbed down as fast and carefully as she could. If they’d gotten any closer, the weight of the sleigh and reindeer would cause the ice to shift and possibly close off the hole where the man disappeared.

  She reached into her magical carrier bag while simultaneously wishing for a long rope. The coils filled her hand and she tied one end around the sleigh. “Wait here,” she told Dunder. He didn’t need to be told twice. His eyes were the size of snowballs as he stared at the crack three feet in front of him as if it would jump up and attack.

  As Lux ran, the ice bobbing beneath her feet, she tied the rope around her middle, leaving a long tail. Her boots crunched ice and snow and her breath trailed behind her as she ran. Up close, she could see Quik holding to the edge of the ice. “Quik!” she called, though her voice didn’t get far. Fear wrapped its icy fingers around her rib cage, and for the first time in her life, Lux went cold. Her whole soul cried out for her to save him. Her legs couldn’t pump fast enough.

  He panted, his face red and his jaw set in determination. He lunged up out of the water and tried to grab at the ice to keep from falling back in. With a yell, he slipped under the surface.

  “No!” Sliding on her belly like she was trying to steal home, Lux plunged her arms into the slushy water and grasped the hood of Quik’s coat.

  She heaved, barely moving him. He was heavy, soaking wet and all muscle. “Pull, Dunder!” she screamed. Panic made her clumsy and she wished she had on her climbing gear with spikes in her toes.

  Dunder dug his hooves into the snow and ice and thunder rumbled through the valley. No wonder he didn’t like ice; he could break through with legs that powerful. His movement tightened the rope around her middle and dragged her backwards in the snow. The ice cut at her exposed arms and bumped her knees and hip bones. That was going to hurt later.

  Quik’s head surfaced. He had on layers and layers of clothing, and her arms shook with the effort to hold on to him. The cold didn’t bother her—the water felt like a bath thanks to her magical heritage—but her muscles weren’t going to hold out. She wedged her elbow against the ice and used her other hand to wrap the tail of her rope under Quik’s arms. His blue lips and blank stare unnerved her, but he blinked several times, so she knew he was still alive. With the rope in place, she called over her shoulder, “Go, Dunder.”

  Within moments both she and Quik were pulled to solid ground. She chuckled as relief poured through her system. Dunder hadn’t just gotten them away from the hole; he’d taken them all the way to shore. He was fast when he wanted to be. She could hear him panting.

  Sitting up, she shook the water off her bare arms. She was wet, sore, bumped, and bruised, but otherwise fine. Quik, on the other hand, wouldn’t live long if she didn’t hurry.

  Rolling him over, she found his weak pulse. His breathing was shallow, and she didn’t like the color of his skin at all. Dunder wandered her direction, sniffing Quik’s hair. He’d lost his hat in the water.

  “We need to get him warm,” she said to the reindeer.

  Dunder snorted at the sleigh—the enchanted sleigh.

  “Good idea.” She grabbed both of Quik’s hands and pulled with all her might to slide him onto the floor. He looked rather pathetic lying there with his arms above his head and his face tipped to the side, but Lux’s muscles were shot. She was running on willpower now. Wearing out a Kringle usually took twenty-four hours of toy delivery. She panted as she plopped onto the velvet seat.

  A large puddle grew under Quik. The sleigh maintained seventy-two degrees. “With all those clothes on, he’d freeze in Hawaii.”

  Dunder stomped his front foot, ready to fly them there right this minute.

  “Whoa.” She held up a hand. As tired as she was, flying would do her in. She was Quik’s best shot right now, and if she was incapacitated, he’d—she squeezed her eyes shut against scary possibilities. Gritting her teeth, she stripped off Quik’s coat, boots, snow pants, scarf, and one remaining glove. Her hands hesitated over his chest, which was making bigger movements now that it wasn’t smothered by twenty pounds of wet cloth. With a “one, two, three!” she unbuttoned his flannel shirt, trying to shake the dirty feeling of someone who peeks at Christmas presents. She tossed everything in the corner of the sleigh. “For the love of fudge.” She bit her cheek and pulled his white T-shirt over his head. She’d been right—Quik was no lump of coal. He had a nice set of muscles and a flat stomach. She let out a low whistle.

  Dunder snorted, his eyes wide again.

  “I’m keeping it PG,” she growled out. She reached into her magical bag and retrieved a pair of sewing scissors, which she used to cut his pants into shorts. Short shorts. Yikes. She quickly reached into her bag for warm blankets and wrapped Quik up tight. Finally, she retrieved a thermos of warm chocolate laced with peppermint and was able to get him to take a few sips. The chocolate was for comfort and the peppermint was a zing to wake him up. He still hadn’t opened his eyes, but he’d started to shake. She took that as a good sign.

  With Quik’s immediate needs met, she removed her own wet clothes down to her tank top and jeans. Now she wasn’t dripping on Quik and undoing all her hard work. She quickly rolled up the long rope and stuffed it into her bag, feeling it disintegrate beneath her palm, and then took up the reins.

  Dunder turned to look at her. She could imagine him raising an eyebrow and asking her, “Can we fly now?”

  “Reindeer don’t have eyebrows,” she said. Dunder pawed at the ground in response. He was anxious to get into the air—flying relaxed him. Lux rubbed her forehead. “I can’t believe I’m saying this … On, Dunder.”

  They were above the treetops before Lux could change her mind. With her stomach spinning, she scanned the ground for Quik’s cabin. They flew over Boulder Canyon and a wisp of smoke caught her eye. She followed it down to land Dunder at Quik’s front door. Her stomach lurched as they stopped, and she leaned over the edge to dry-heave.

  Dunder growled.

  Every other Kringle had an iron stomach. Lux broke that mold and apparently offended reindeer because of it. “It’s not you, boy; it’s me.”

  She flopped to the floor next to Quik, sipping lightly from the thermos. His face was still white, but his lips weren’t blue. That was good. He needed to be indoors and fast. “Quik.” Lux nudged him. She’d never be able to carry him inside. It wasn’t far from the sleigh to the door, but the distance was too much for her. And now that she’d taken off all his clothes, she didn’t feel right about dragging him over the snow.


  Quik coughed twice and slowly opened his eyes.

  Chapter Eight

  Quik stared into a pair of entrancing green eyes. The last thing he remembered was throwing the chair through the window and then somehow water filled his ears, hitting his eardrums like icicles.

  “Did I die?” he croaked.

  “Almost,” replied the angel with wet red hair. She seemed familiar, like he’d known her in a happy place at one point. She pressed a cup to his lips.

  The warm liquid burned down his throat, and he coughed, shoving her arm away. He caught a whiff of mint chocolate from the cup. “Lux?” His head was working, just not as fast as he was used to. His throat still burned. So did his skin. He twisted and shoved against the heavy blankets.

  “Hold still.” Lux tossed the cocoa into the snow, leaving a brown trail. “You’re, um …” She averted her gaze. “Not dressed.”

  An animal snorted.

  “I’m what?” He tucked his face under the blankets and found only a wet pair of cutoff jeans and his belt. “What?” he snapped.

  Lux’s cheeks dusted pink. With her red hair and fair skin, she should have flushed bright red, but only this sprinkling of pink appeared, like she’d been dusted with pink powdered sugar. Why did this woman bring to mind sweet things like powdered sugar and chocolate and kisses at sunset? He gave his head a mighty shake.

  “You fell in the water.”

  “I know.” At least, he thought he knew. Everything had happened so fast. He’d fallen asleep and woken up when the ice cracked. He plopped his feet to the floor only to have them land in several inches of water. His stove had tipped over and the hot metal had melted clear through the ice. There must have been a crack in the ice nearby.

  “We pulled you out.”

  “We?” Quik adjusted the blankets over his arms. He could only imagine Lux and Ginger and Frost tearing his clothes off.

  Lux made to adjust her glasses, but they weren’t there. She looked around like they’d fallen off and she didn’t know how. So he wasn’t the only one thrown off by all this. Quik’s eyes traveled lower to find her bare shoulders and her skintight tank top. He jerked his eyes back up to her face, hoping she hadn’t caught his wandering eye.

  “Me and Dunder.” She chewed her lip. “My reindeer.”

  “Of course.” The situation was going up in weirdness. Having used up all his ability to care about propriety, Quik leaned back against the seat. He was in the bottom of a fancy velvet-lined sled. Yep. Weird. His eyes dropped shut. “You cut my pants?” he asked.

  “I’ll get you new ones,” offered Lux.

  “Did you cut my shirt too?”

  “No!” She was offended. That was kind of cute.

  “Too bad. I needed a new shirt.” He half smiled.

  Lux tossed her hands in the air. “You are much more at ease with almost dying than I would be.” Lux poked him through the blanket. “Time to get you inside. Can you walk?”

  “Not without boots.” He waved his bare foot outside the blanket. His foot was white, too white. To his surprise, the temperature was comfortable. That wasn’t right. He must be suffering from frostbite and lost the feeling in his foot. He frowned.

  Lux pulled a long carpet out of her bag and unrolled it across the short distance to his front door. “You should be fine for a few steps. Just make sure you hang on to me.”

  Quik used the seat to pull himself to standing. He should have felt a chill as the blankets slipped, but instead he continued to burn with the sensation of putting frozen flesh under warm water. The pins and needles were uncomfortable, but the alternative was worse. The pricks meant his circulation was working—or rather, starting to work again. The feeling of trying to kick his way out of the water and being sucked back down dug its icy fingers into his lower back. He hunched forward.

  Lux took his hand and stepped out of the sleigh. There was a nasty red scrape down her elbow. She glanced worriedly over her shoulder. Quik’s muscles were slow to cooperate. He stumbled out of the sleigh and let go of her hand so he didn’t pull her down with him. He landed on his hands and knees on the carpet. The cold enveloped him once again, as if he’d been dumped back into the lake. The cold sharpened everything, including his thoughts.

  Lux was a warm body. She was somehow able to regulate her body temperature—and his with a touch.

  Lux muttered something that sounded like peppermint fudge and pulled him to his feet. He swayed, unsteady and unhappy, standing on a thousand pins. He didn’t mean to lean so heavily into Lux, but her touch was affecting him like no woman’s had before. The previous chill was cast off the moment their skin connected. His head spun with possibilities, none of which made any sense. He stared down at her, tracing her cheek with his eyes, glancing at her bare and beautiful neck, and then moving up to her lips. If just touching her created this much warmth, not only on his skin but inside his soul, kissing her could cause him to positively melt. Now that was an experiment worth trying. The blankets fell away as Quik moved his hand to cup the back of her head. He leaned forward, ready to commence the kissing test.

  Lux squeaked. Placing both hands on his chest, she steadied him. He liked the feel of her hands against his skin. His gaze traveled over the thin straps of her tank top, the smooth skin underneath, and his hands moved to her slim shoulders and graceful neck, and then he brushed his thumb over her plump bottom lip. His thoughts scattered to places the pastor would blush over. “Lux?” He looked down at her and she looked up at him, and his gaze dropped to her lips once again. “Why are you here?”

  “I need your help,” she whispered.

  He nodded. At least, he thought he did. He didn’t remember much that happened after his eyes fell shut and he swayed towards Lux once again. Had he been trying to kiss her? Maybe. She’d just saved his life. She deserved a kiss. He walked a little, and he might have changed into pajama bottoms, and then he was in his bed and so very sleepy.

  Chapter Nine

  Fatigue, unlike any she’d known before, had pulled and tugged and scraped at Lux on the ride back to the cabin. However, being close to Quik, his body pressed against hers and his gaze continually dropping to her lips, her heart rate accelerated like Dunder flying off a frozen lake, bringing her fully awake. He mumbled and was clearly confused. But his joke about wishing she’d cut off his shirt moved his cuteness factor up three notches. That put him at a solid five. Though why she was even thinking along the lines of cuteness factors when he’d almost died was beyond her.

  “He’s not the only one confused.” She pressed her palm to her forehead.

  Quik had stayed awake, but maybe not aware, long enough to change himself into a pair of fleece pajamas. Lux stood over his bed, watching his bare chest move up and down and his skin turn pink. Staring at that really nice-looking chest gave him another two notches. She waved her hand in front of her face, feeling the heat spread all the way through her chest.

  When she was sure the danger had passed and that he would live, she allowed herself to look around the cabin. Quik’s bed was on the west wall, positioned so he could see the stars through the high window while his head rested on the pillow. Nice. He was so out of it, she could probably snuggle up next to him for a while and watch the day turn into night. The days were getting longer, but it would be dark soon. Shaking off the idea, she turned away from the bed.

  A wood-burning stove was in the corner; a couch was on the east wall. There was also a small round table and a counter with a sink. She flicked a light switch, surprised that the lights actually worked. He had to have solar panels somewhere on the roof. The water coming from the faucet was a welcome sight. Melting snow took forever, and Quik would need something warm to eat and drink. The two-burner stove had one clean pan on top. The shelves held one plate, one cup, one bowl, and a couple books and maps.

  His clothes must be under the bed in the plastic containers. Smart.

  She ran her finger over the shelf, looking for dust, and didn’t find any. Everything i
n the cabin had a place. There weren’t any knickknacks or personal effects. She rubbed her hands over her arms. It was all so very formal and imposing.

  Still not able to settle down after her close encounter with Quik, Lux brushed her hands and went out to take care of Dunder.

  The reindeer was waiting out front. He shook his antlers as she softly shut the door behind her. “I’m coming.” She bent down and rolled up the carpet, returning it to her magical bag. Stopping alongside Dunder, she rubbed his neck. “You did good, old boy.”

  He huffed as if exasperated that she’d called him old. She laughed. “I’m sorry.” She gave him a good scratch under the chin. He allowed her affections and then began walking toward the small barn just past the house, dragging the sleigh behind him. He probably wanted to rest up. Selora would want him rubbed down, watered, and fed.

  “Hold up.” She took off the harness, the bells jingling as she did so. Dunder shook, sending hair floating through the air. Lux laughed. He was getting old, all right. “This way.” She led him through the sliding door and into the two-stall barn with an empty hay storage. She used her bag to make hay for the reindeer, followed by a bowl of oats and three large fresh carrots. Dunder’s ears perked up at the sight of the pretty vegetables.

  “Quik might need something to eat too.” He was becoming quite the project. A handsome project. She shook the thought out of her head like shaking sprinkles out of a shaker. No such thoughts were allowed. Quik had made himself clear the last time she was here—she wasn’t welcome. He tolerated her now because he was too cold to care. And she’d saved his life. That had to count for something.

  Lux closed the stall door behind Dunder. He wasn’t likely to wander, and if he decided to fly out of there, a door wasn’t going to stop him, but she wasn’t taking any chances. There were other animals up here—wolves being one of her biggest concerns. She closed the barn door behind her to keep the heat in and predators out and headed back to the house.