Marrying Miss Kringle: Lux

by McConnell, Lucy

  Quik removed his hand as if she were sparking again. Well, she didn’t spark. They sp—never mind. “I knew it. I’m going nuts.” He paced for a minute. “They said it could happen. Long periods without human interaction do strange things to a person’s head. I thought I was tougher than that, that I would outlast the solitude. But—” He waved his hand in her direction. “Clearly I was over-exaggerating my mental stability.” He laughed. “Like I could make up a woman this pretty who drove a reindeer attached to a sleigh. I’m crazy.” He went back to the sleigh and took a seat, running his rough hands over the green velvet. “This even feels real.”

  Instead of trying to convince him, Lux decided to let the magic speak for itself. She opened the flap to her messenger bag and began pulling out pillows and blankets and sheets and quilts. Finally, she handed him a green toothbrush with a picture of the Grinch dressed as Santa. She rolled her eyes. She’d only asked for a green toothbrush. Christmas Magic had a sense of humor.

  “That’s a neat trick. I once saw a magician pull a hundred handkerchiefs out of his sleeve.”

  “You don’t believe me.” It wasn’t a question. Lux could tell by the hollow look in Quik’s eyes that he was having a breakdown. She huffed and began making her bed on one side of the sleigh. He could have the other to himself, the big old Scrooge.

  “Are you upset?” he asked, clearly confused.

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “For a smart guy, you’re being dumb.”

  He lowered his brow before throwing himself into the task of making his bed and ignoring her. Fine. He thought she was a figment of his imagination anyway. Let him believe what he wanted.

  She climbed into her makeshift bed and flipped onto her side with her back to Quik. Maybe her dad and Ginger could get used to it, but nothing hurt more than Quik not believing in her. That one stung. She sniffed.

  One giant Hershey’s kiss-sized tear landed on her pillow. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, hoping to stem the flow of tears. Maybe it didn’t cut them to the core because they weren’t in love with the unbelievers. Maybe the more she opened her heart to Quik, the more pain he could cause.

  She snuggled deeper into the blankets. Kringles could stay awake for over twenty-four hours, but she was pushing forty-eight. She wouldn’t sleep long. She yawned. Someone needed to stay alert in case the planes came back or they were discovered. With a deep breath, she relaxed into the sleigh bed and drifted off to sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Quik held still, waiting for Lux’s breathing to even out. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought she might have cried. The idea that he made her cry was like an ice pick to the chest. He had no desire to hurt her. He’d just freaked out—sort of. She’d thrown him off—Santa’s daughter! Who said something like that?

  Then again, who said things like son of a Grinch or Nutcracker or Christmas swear in April?

  Only Lux.

  He shifted positions, embarrassed by his outburst. Truly, of all the horrible situations he’d conjured up over the past two months, this one wasn’t even a blip on the screen.

  If he wasn’t crazy, then she was. And he could almost believe that if he hadn’t met her family. The whole Santa wedding. Maybe she was part of some weird joy-spreading St. Nick cult. He rolled, taking the blanket with him.

  If he could just get the chill out of his bones, he would be able to think clearly.

  The sleigh was warm, but Lux was warmer. He scooted closer as a plane went overhead. They weren’t letting up in their search. Neither would he. If he’d seen an energy release like that show up on a report, he’d swathe the area with surveillance. The military was probably assembling their elite crew of soldiers now. They were in transit. It was only a matter of time before he and Lux were caught. The planes were scanning for heat signatures. The cave should be deep enough to hide them for now. Once the cave was discovered, they’d be trapped.

  He rolled so he could see Lux. She’d turned toward him in her sleep. Her red hair spilled over the pillow. Upon close inspection, her eyelashes were a dark brown, her skin soft and inviting. He reached out to run his fingers over her cheek and she leaned into his touch, humming softly.

  She’d said the substation was for Christmas Magic. Ridiculous. You couldn’t quantify magic. Magic didn’t exist.

  He leaned close enough to smell Lux’s minty cocoa scent. She was intoxicating. If there was magic, it was in her. He closed his eyes and leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead. He’d wake her up and tell her he was sorry for whatever he’d done and they could talk about all this.

  A soft growl reverberated in his ears, and he opened his eyes to find Dunder hovering over Lux, glaring. His antlers looked especially menacing from underneath. Dunder may be a grandpa soon, but he had all the fire of an overprotective father burning in his eyes.

  Quik removed his hand from Lux’s cheek and shifted away. “See, I’m moving,” he said to the creature.

  Lux shifted and moaned.

  Dunder snorted right in his face, his breath hot and oaty. Quik put both hands in the air. “Got it,” he told the guard-reindeer while scooting back to his side of the sleigh. His apology would have to wait until Lux woke up on her own.

  And not a minute more.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  216 Days until Christmas Eve

  The sky didn’t lighten, but Lux awoke as if it were seven a.m. She checked her watch, cringing at the cracked screen. Not even the high-tech coating had been enough to withstand the pressure of her and Quik’s bodies.

  The screen lit, momentarily blinding her. It was seven a.m. She blinked, staring at the inky black ceiling, trying to reorient herself. Dunder lay on her side of the sleigh, his head resting on his front legs as if he’d watched her sleep. Creepy reindeer.

  Trying not to wake Quik, she shoved her blankets back into her bag, not bothering to fold them, and braided her hair. She turned to find Quik sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

  “Morning, sleeping beauty,” she teased. His longer hair stood up in odd places, and his beard was a fluffy mess. He looked like a wolf-man, all dangerous and hot. Suddenly wishing Frost hadn’t convinced her to read that sweet werewolf romance last Halloween, she yanked his blanket off and stuffed it into her bag, too. He shivered, and she felt bad for making him cold. Until she remembered he was an unbeliever. Then she didn’t feel bad at all. She would personally write his name on the Naughty List when she got home. That would show him. The sooner she got home, the better. They were probably in fits trying to find her as it was. Everyone wanted to find her—the US government, her father. “Peanut butter fudge! I have to get back to my family. They’re counting on me.”

  He scrubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair, taming it just enough that visions of wolves faded. “Lux, about last night, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to.”

  She clenched and unclenched her hands. “My job isn’t to make you believe.” Her words rang true in her own ears even as they echoed off the cave walls. “Making someone believe isn’t an option.” She dropped her gaze to the sleigh floor. “That’s why it hurts so bad—I guess. You chose not to believe in me.”

  “What do you want me to say? I’m a man of science.”

  Her hands fell to her sides, her fingers splayed open. “Hello! Scientist right here.”

  He tipped his head to the side. “I didn’t mean that you aren’t one.”

  “Sure sounded like it.” She grabbed the sheet he was lying on and yanked, sending him rolling out of the sleigh.

  He yelped and got to his feet, hugging his arms close. His breath rose around him in a white cloud. Without the sleigh for heat, he’d be as cold as he was when she picked him up yesterday. Was that only yesterday? Sleeping messed with the clock in his head.

  “Are you going to be okay? You’re not going to turn into an iceman, are you?” Icemen were not attractive.

  Something flew overhe
ad. It had a lower tone and didn’t make the impact that the last plane had made.

  “Military drones,” Quik informed her. “They’re taking photos, looking for tracks.”

  “Our tracks go right into this cave.” Lux held the sheet close to her body.

  “You like deals—let’s make a deal.” Quik hopped back into the sleigh. “I will help you build the substation for your …” He paused as if he couldn’t believe he was about to say the words. “Toy factory, and you let me lie low in North Pole.”

  “It’s at the North Pole.”

  “Potato, potahto.”

  He still didn’t get it. “Sounds like a great deal, but I can’t make that happen. Maybe I could fly you to Mexico to stay with my grandparents.”

  “Yeah, cuz no one ever runs off to Mexico to escape imprisonment.”

  She looked him up and down, shrinking away. “When you say it like that, I’m a little worried that I shared a sleigh with you last night.”

  He chuckled. “Come on—take me to the North Pole.”

  She noticed the shift in his attempt from bargaining to charming. Man, he was good at all this flirting stuff. Compared to him, she was a preschooler. That didn’t change her answer. “Only Kringles allowed. It’s one of the rules of Christmas Magic.”

  “Isn’t Joseph with Ginger?”

  “They’re married, so technically he is part of the family. Layla, too.”

  “Christmas Magic isn’t very picky about who it lets into the family.”

  Dunder snorted awake. His huffing was overdrawn and menacing. He swung his large head back and forth between her and Quik. She petted his muzzle and pulled a bowl of grain out of her bag for him. He grunted once at Quik before burying his nose in the meal. His behavior was off-character for a reindeer—even an older one. “We’ll get home soon,” she promised him. “I don’t think he likes you very much,” she whispered to Quik.

  “I got that feeling too.” Quik rubbed his palms together. “So we need to get married, then.”

  “Uuuuhhhhh.” Lux grabbed the sled. “You can’t be serious.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “There are so many.”

  “Biggest problem first.”

  “Okay, if you and I get married, the whole North Pole would BOOM!” She mimed an explosion. “We blew up the Mini-Sub with a kiss.” Her cheeks warmed. They kept doing that when she was around Quik.

  “So we won’t kiss.” He said it so naturally—as if not kissing her would be the easiest thing in the world.

  She threw her bag on the seat. “That sounds like a fun marriage.” He had to have felt the magic yesterday. Unless it only came from her. Perhaps it wasn’t necessary for the other half of the couple to love the Kringle in return. Unrequited love was still love, wasn’t it?

  “What happens if you don’t get the substation built before Christmas?” He stepped closer.

  “Well, assuming Stella can find another boyfriend, turn him into a fiancé, and then marry him before Christmas Eve, we’ll overload the system and send the whole factory into the Dark Ages. We’ll lose years of work on the List, and forget making electronic toys.” She twirled her braid. “Of course, now that Stella and Axel broke up, the likelihood of any of us getting married this year flew off like a teenaged reindeer.”

  “One of you has to get married this year?” Quik steepled his fingers.

  “One per year, or the magic fades and dies. Stella was our best shot. She’s been dating this guy since before last Christmas, so we put all our candy canes in her basket. None of the rest of us were even trying.”

  “This is perfect.” Quik scooped up her hands and held them close to his chest. The glint in his eyes said he’d already won this argument, but Lux wasn’t ready to concede. “You can get married and save Christmas, and I will help you build the substation.”

  “But—”

  “Lux—can you think of another way? I’m open for suggestions here.” He brushed his thumb over her knuckles, sending thrills over her skin.

  She extracted her hands. “I need to think.” Stomping to the edge of the cave, she took a deep breath of the crisp air.

  Out of all her sisters, she was the one most likely to elope. The other Kringle women wanted fancy dresses and delighted in pomp and circumstance. Lux preferred the background. She liked being a wallflower. There was very little pressure outside the spotlight. But that didn’t mean she hadn’t dreamed of her wedding. Instead of focusing on the flower arrangements and the number of guests, she’d always focused on the groom. In all her little-girl playtimes and her teenaged fantasies, her husband had loved her. And they’d kissed. Kissed good. Kissed lots—mistletoe or no.

  She wasn’t a child anymore. She was a Kringle, and she had a responsibility to her family and to children all over the world to make sure they woke up on Christmas morning to find gifts from Santa. What was her heart—aching to be loved—compared to all their Christmas hopes and dreams?

  She turned quickly, before she could change her mind. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” Quik dropped his feet off the velvet chair and stood where he’d taken up an I-don’t-care-how-this-turns-out posture.

  “Yes.” She nodded once. “Let’s get married.”

  “Good.” Quik wasn’t as enthusiastic as a man who’d just proposed should be, but then they’d just become engaged, so that might have been something of a shock. He scrambled to pick up the cave and put the prototype back in the sleigh.

  Lux approached Dunder with the harness. The bells jingled, reminding her of home. She was suddenly homesick, wishing her sisters were here to help her navigate these dangerous winds.

  Dunder slammed his powerful hind leg to the ground, shaking the entire cave. He shook his head and backed away. Lux’s shoulders dropped, and she reached out to scratch his neck. “I’m sorry you don’t approve, but I’ve got to do this—Christmas needs me.” She scratched a little harder. He leaned into her hand, and she slipped the harness over his muzzle. “If it makes you feel any better, you’re not the only one who is going to be upset about this.”

  He shook his head again.

  “You can say ‘I told you so’ later. Right now, you need to get us back to Clearview.”

  She ran the reins through the loop and climbed aboard the sleigh. Besides the pile of straw on the far side of the cave, there was no sign that they’d been there. Somehow, she doubted Quik would be able to leave her life as untouched. With a sense of hopeful trepidation, she slapped the reins, and they were off to swim in uncharted waters.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Quik grabbed the side of the sleigh as the crazy old reindeer took them straight down the side of a mountain instead of following the snowmobile trail that zigzagged at a reasonable decent. He proceeded to hit every rock and pound through gullies as if he were aiming for them. After the way Dunder looked at him last night, Quik wouldn’t put it past him.

  “If you’re Santa’s daughter, shouldn’t your reindeer fly?”

  Lux flipped her braid over her shoulder. She wore her cloak, the emerald green doing amazing things with the color of her eyes. “With the drones and planes flying low, we’re better off staying on the ground.”

  They hit another gully and he flew off the seat. “That’s debatable.”

  “Trust me, this is much better than flying.” Her jaw flexed as she pulled hard to the right, her arms tightening, her feet pushing against the brace, and her hair flying out behind her. Man, she’s gorgeous. They bounced over a river. And crazy.

  Convincing her to marry him was a calculated risk. Sure, he was getting a wife who thought she was Santa’s daughter and believed in flying reindeer. That was a lot to take on. Although, he had to admit, not as much to take on as his first wife. Now, she had been a handful and a half with her wild mood swings, anxiety of their social standing, and constant pressure for him to rise in the ranks and be a general like her daddy.

  He hadn’t been half as attracted to his ex as he was t
o Lux. And that kiss that felt like the whole world exploded—that was … incredible. Then again, a machine had exploded, so maybe it was the electricity in the air that made him tingle all over and not the kiss. He hadn’t thought of that before. Any other time he’d work for a second opportunity to test his new theory, purely for the sake of science, of course, but he’d promised Lux he wasn’t going to kiss her, so that left him without recourse.

  He wished he’d never made that promise.

  The closer they got to town, the easier the roads. The sky was lighter, and warm sunlight spilled over their shoulders, giving the scene a sense of rightness. Quik may have calculated the risk, but he hadn’t calculated the feelings that stirred inside of him at the knowledge that this woman would be his wife. He didn’t take that lightly, no matter what his clandestine proposal may have portrayed. His attraction to Lux was strong, he admired her intelligence, and he enjoyed her company. Marriages based on much less had survived the test of time—this could too.

  They pulled up to the church, right next to another sleigh where Stella was unloading baskets full of cookies.

  “Schnitzel!” Lux cursed under her breath.

  Quik leaned over and whispered in her ear. “No Christmas cursing.”

  Lux shivered. He took much too much satisfaction seeing her affected by his nearness.

  Stella waved. “Lux! We’ve been searching all over for you. What are you doing here?” Her eyes jumped back and forth between the two of them.

  Lux twisted the reins around her hands. “We, um. We’re. Well.”

  Quik lifted his chest. If Lux believed she was Santa’s daughter, her sister either believed the same thing or knew she was nuts, so announcing their plans would be tame in comparison to all that crazy. “We’re getting married.”

  “You’re what?!” Stella dropped the basket in her arms, and cookies crumbled all over the snow. Their scent filled the air, reminding Quik of putting cookies out for Santa. He tried to shake off the memory of frosting sugar cookies with his mom and sister. Emily liked to make red snowmen, and he’d made a chocolate snowflake.