by Teri Wilson
He slipped his fleece layer over his head and added it to the heap of discarded clothing beside him. He was down to nothing more than old jeans and a T-shirt, but the bite of cold felt good against his bare arms. He inhaled a cooling lungful of mountain air then laughed as Dasher turned three circles and plopped down on his clothes with a contented sigh.
At least there was one female in his life who didn’t drive him to the brink of crazy.
He drove the ax into the wood with a satisfying swing. Then, just as the ribbon of tension in his body had begun to unfurl, a truck pulled into the driveway. He easily spotted Zoey in the front passenger seat chatting away with the driver—a man whom Alec didn’t recognize. And just in case the sight of her smiling and tossing her hair at a strange man wasn’t enough to give him a migraine bigger than Alaska itself, behind the truck was a sleigh.
An actual sleigh.
Like something he might see at the North Pole.
He planted the head of the ax on the ground and leaned on the handle as he tried to catch his breath. From inside the truck, Zoey giggled. He could hear it clear across the yard. And it made his blood boil.
So much for his attempt to unwind. There wasn’t enough wood in the entire arctic circle to release this kind of tension, even if he chopped it into toothpicks.
The stranger climbed down from the cab of the truck, unhooked the sleigh and then backed out of the drive as Zoey stood and waved a red-mittened hand at him. It took superhuman effort for Alec not to march over there and ask her where she’d been and why exactly there was something that resembled a prop from a Christmas pageant in the front yard. Yesterday, he might have done precisely that. But since they weren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment, he refrained.
Instead, he heaved the ax overhead and plowed into a chunk of wood. He hit it off-center this time, and a small piece flew up and nearly hit him in the head.
Perfect.
Zoey sprinted toward him, her blond hair flying in the wind. “Alec? Are you all right?”
Nothing like a near decapitation to break the ice.
“I’m fine,” he muttered and took aim once again at the wood.
Chop!
“What are you doing?” She frowned at the woodpile.
What does it look like I’m doing? Making sure you don’t freeze by Valentine’s Day. “Getting some exercise. Nothing to worry about.”
“I’m not worried.” She rolled her eyes, then her emerald gaze seemed to snag on his biceps. Her cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink. “Aren’t you, um, cold?”
“I thought you weren’t worried about me,” he said, fighting off an accusatory grin.
She cleared her throat and dragged her gaze back to his. “Once again, I’m not. If you want to get frostbite, suit yourself.”
Dasher chose that moment to climb off the pile of clothes and stretch her mouth in a wide yawn before scampering over to Zoey. Her tail wagged back and forth, sending snow flying in every direction as she threw herself into Zoey’s legs.
“Well, hello there, gorgeous,” Zoey cooed. “It’s nice to see you, too.”
For some reason, the sweet tone she used with the dog spiked Alec’s frustration. He took another swing.
Chop!
“Where’s Palmer?” she asked as one of the logs rolled off the chopping block and onto his toe.
What was going on? He’d never been so clumsy in his life. “He’s napping. This one here wore him out.” He gestured to Dasher, who was now on her back flailing in throes of delight as Zoey scratched her belly.
Zoey frowned at Alec’s throbbing toe. “Maybe you should forget the firewood. There are easier ways to get exercise.”
He tightened his grip on the ax. “I’m fine.”
How many hours had he been out here, chopping away without incident? Then Zoey showed up and he turned into an awkward adolescent. It made him want to punch something. Or chop it in half.
She shook her head. “Whatever, Mr. Macho.”
Maybe she was right. Perhaps he should forget the firewood and simply let her freeze.
He pointed the ax toward the sleigh, still sitting in the driveway as if Santa had parked it there after a hard day’s work of letting kids sit in his lap at the local mall. “Were you going to mention what that thing is doing here, or were you thinking I hadn’t noticed?”
She glanced over her shoulder. Her hair whipped around in the wind, reminding Alec what it had felt like to bury his fingers in those blond waves.
He clenched his fists.
She turned back around. “Oh, that. It’s a sleigh.”
“I know what a sleigh looks like. What’s it doing here?” He could tell by the goofy smile on her face that he wasn’t going to like her answer.
“It’s part of the newest phase of my Save the Reindeer campaign.” Her grin grew wider.
“Why do they need saving? You’re keeping them.” He peered around the corner of the barn. “And right now they’re stuffing themselves with reindeer pellets. They look perfectly fine to me.”
“They still cost money. And I’m still determined to buy an airplane. Hopefully, the Super Cub. So we’re having a Christmas festival for the whole town. A fundraiser for the reindeer. It will be fun, don’t you think?”
It was worse than he’d thought. “We? As in you and me?”
“Is that a problem?” Her lips curved into a frown, which did nothing to lessen their appeal.
How would he ever make it to Christmas?
Zoey had already stirred up a whole host of feelings inside him he’d rather not deal with, and now she wanted him to host a Christmas festival with her. “I’d say that was an understatement.”
Her eyes grew wide, and she was wearing that nutty old-man hat again. The look was beginning to grow on Alec. “Why? You told me you were staying until Christmas. You promised.”
She had him there. “I agreed to work for you until Christmas. I’m a ranch hand, not a party planner. Besides, I don’t do Christmas.”
She jammed her hands on her hips. “What does that mean?”
He wasn’t about to launch into another explanation of his messed-up psyche. He had a right not to like Christmas. It wasn’t a crime or anything.
“I told you—I don’t go for all of that sappy Christmas stuff. Sorry. It’s just not me.” He shrugged and tried to ignore the fact that even Dasher appeared to be eyeing him with disdain.
“You’re really determined to remain a Grinch for the rest of your life, aren’t you?”
“I never said I was a Grinch.”
“It was heavily implied.” She narrowed her pretty green eyes as if she were waiting for him to slither down someone’s chimney and steal their roast beast.
“I’ll be happy to take care of any reindeer-related duties. You know that.” And wasn’t that Christmasy enough?
“I was hoping you’d say that.” She smiled so wide, it frightened him a little. “Because I need you to teach a few of the reindeer how to pull the sleigh.”
She was crazy. First off, there was no way he could harness-train a reindeer in less than two weeks. And second, no. Just no.
“By Christmas? Impossible.” He crossed his arms. The ax handle fell on his still-throbbing toe. Naturally.
She stifled a grin and winked at him. “If anyone can do it, you can. I have faith in you, Ebenezer.”
Chapter Thirteen
Zoey had a problem.
She had reindeer coming out of her ears, and she had a sleigh. And now she even had a Santa suit. It was spread out on the worktable of the thrift store in all its fuzzy red glory.
But Zoey was still short one Santa Claus.
“Santa is going to make an appearance at your reindeer festival, Zoey?” Pearl, the airport receptionist,
had finally stopped by to select a few things for her new grandbaby. Her arms overflowed with onesies and knitted baby blankets.
“Yes, of course.” Surely she wouldn’t have to wear the suit herself. Please, God, no. “You should bring the new baby. We’re taking Santa pictures.”
“I wouldn’t miss it. Everyone from the airport is coming.” Pearl grinned and made her way back toward the baby aisle.
For a very brief, very desperate moment, Zoey considered asking Chuck Baker to wear the Santa suit...as if he had nothing better to do than play dress-up at her reindeer festival, and the air traffic would just take care of itself.
“I can’t believe someone brought this in today, just in time for your big reindeer event. There are a few holes in it, but nothing I can’t fix.” Kirimi sent Zoey a reassuring wink and stuck a straight pin through the plush red suit, marking a tiny hole near the elbow.
Zoey picked up the fluffy white beard that went with the rest of the ensemble. Technically, it was closer to gray than white. Nothing that a good washing couldn’t fix. “Where did this come from? Do you have any idea?”
Aurora had only recently gotten a department store, so it wasn’t as though the town had a long history of department-store Santas.
“The youth pastor brought it by. I think it was used for a holiday outreach program a while back. It’s in good condition, dear. Your festival will have a picture-perfect Santa.” Kirimi held a few spools of red thread against the Santa suit. They all looked exactly the same to Zoey, but Kirimi chose one and winked. “Got it. The perfect red.”
Picture-perfect Santa.
Of all people, why did those words bring Alec to mind? It was absurd. Alec was pretty much the anti-Santa.
She wanted him in the suit, though. She just couldn’t help it. It seemed appropriate. He was the one who worked with the reindeer day in and day out. He was the one training them to pull the sleigh. He was the one who made her feel as though she wasn’t in this all alone.
He’s the one...
She blinked.
“Zoey, dear?” Kirimi planted her hands on her hips and stared at her expectantly. “I just asked you a question...three times. You’re standing there staring at that fake white beard like it holds the secrets of the universe.”
Such as why in the world I would ever think that Alec is the one? She tossed the beard back on the worktable. “Sorry. I got, um, distracted.”
“Are you okay? I’m beginning to think you’ve bitten off more than you can chew with this whole Christmas festival.”
“I’m fine.” Other than the completely ludicrous thought that had hit her out of nowhere.
He’s the one.
It was crazy. Of course he wasn’t The One. She hated the thought of needing anyone, much less the one. She was perfectly fine on her own. Besides, Alec had one foot out the door already.
Her heart clenched.
Kirimi eyed her with concern. “Forgive me, dear, but you don’t look altogether fine.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“You know that’s not what I meant. You’re lovely as always. But you look a little sad.” Kirimi slipped a reassuring arm around her.
“There’s nothing to be sad about.” Then why did she feel like crying sometimes? “Other than I don’t have a Santa for the festival. I’ve got Rudolph covered. Thirty times over. But all those reindeer might be pulling an empty sleigh.”
Kirimi unspooled a long strand of the red thread and snipped it with her scissors. “What about that nice young man who works for you? Alec, right? He seems like the logical choice.”
“I can’t ask him.”
“Why in the world not? You’re his boss, dear.”
Zoey hesitated. People didn’t just dislike Christmas on a whim. She knew Alec’s feelings about the holiday were all tangled up with his childhood and his ex-fiancée, but she didn’t feel right sharing that information. “It’s complicated. I just can’t.”
Kirimi shrugged. “Well, I’m sure Brock will do it.”
“Dress up as Santa? Really?”
“Sure. He loves dressing in crazy getups. You know that.” Already finished repairing the first hole, she tied a knot in the thread and moved on to the next one.
“That’s right. The bear suit.” Zoey rolled her eyes. She’d forgotten Brock had been dressed as a grizzly bear the first time Anya had met him.
“I can ask him for you, if you like. He can’t very well say no to his mother-in-law, can he?” Kirimi’s kind brown face creased into a smile.
“I’ll ask him. You’re already doing so much to help.”
“It’s my pleasure, dear. You’re every bit as much a daughter to me as Anya is.” Kirimi’s words hit Zoey square in the chest. Why was she so emotional lately? “Well, you’ve got a Santa. Now, what else is on your to-do list? You’ve only got a few days left to prepare.”
“Well, Ben and Clementine are bringing one of their dog teams so the guests can go dog sledding. We’re charging ten dollars for a ride around the farm.” Dog sledding was always a huge attraction in Alaska. And Ben Grayson was a well-known professional musher, so Zoey had a feeling he’d have his work cut out for him. “And I’ve already got everything together for the antler wreath toss.”
Kirimi glanced up from her work. “Antler wreath toss? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
Zoey laughed. “Alec found a whole stash of antlers that the reindeer shed a while back. I thought we could use them for a game. Kind of like horseshoes, only we’ll toss wreaths onto antlers. We’ve got all those activities, plus a reindeer-petting area, where guests can interact with the reindeer and take photos. And then Santa and his sleigh will be the grand finale.”
It sounded like a lot. But would it be enough?
Zoey folded and refolded the pants to the Santa suit. “Once I get the farm all decorated with Christmas lights and bring in some music, everything will be pretty much under control.”
Except for the trivial matter of teaching the reindeer how to pull the sleigh.
But Alec had that covered.
At least she hoped he did.
* * *
I have faith in you, Ebenezer.
It was that line that had done him in. Not the Ebenezer part—that was just her inner princess messing with him. Again.
She’d told him she had faith in him. And she’d meant it. He could see it in her unwavering gaze, and it had just about turned his insides to mush.
She was completely misguided, of course. No one in his life had ever had any kind of faith in him. For good reason. What did he know about being a stand-up kind of guy?
He should have told her as much. He could have just said it. You’re wrong to have faith in me. I’ll let you down. So for your own good, don’t.
But instead he’d just stood there and let her words sink into his soul.
I have faith in you.
And here he was, three days later, leading a reindeer by a rope around its neck, as though he were walking a dog. A very big dog. With pointy antlers.
“Come on, Prancer.” He clipped the lead rope onto the reindeer’s head harness. It pained him to call the poor thing Prancer. Her name was actually Gretchen, but Zoey had vetoed it on the grounds that it wasn’t Christmasy enough. So she’d up and changed the animal’s name.
Kind of like she’d changed his. She was still calling him Ebenezer. Alec pretended not to notice, figuring she’d go back to his real name once she realized her teasing was ineffective. So far she hadn’t. He was almost impressed with her tenacity.
At least he’d managed to save Snowflake, Holly and Sparkle from being renamed. And Palmer. He’d put his foot down where Palmer was concerned. Zoey had reluctantly agreed. It seemed the most mischievous reindeer of them all could do no wrong now that she knew he could “
fly.”
As Alec led Gretchen-now-Prancer to the sleigh, Brock’s truck pulled into the drive.
Perfect timing.
Alec had asked Brock to come by and give him a hand with reindeer training for the day. Since they’d done so well with the halter and lead rope—and since the arrival of Christmas was becoming more imminent by the hour—Alec had decided it was time to hook them up to the sleigh. An extra pair of hands couldn’t hurt.
What had seemed like a pretty good idea came into question when Brock stepped out of his truck. Alec might have been able to overlook the furry red-and-white Santa hat on Brock’s head, but that was only the tip of the Jolly St. Nick iceberg. Brock was decked out in the whole getup—red suit, black boots, giant gold belt buckle. The only thing lacking was a pillow in the region of his stomach.
“Hey,” Brock said as he approached. At least he hadn’t said ho, ho, ho.
He was accompanied by a man Alec didn’t recognize. The stranger rolled his eyes at Brock. “Don’t you mean ho, ho, ho?”
And there it was. The first of what Alec assumed would be countless ho, ho, ho references. His temples throbbed. Maybe he should have just tried this on his own.
“Very funny.” Brock grinned. Then he introduced his friend. “Alec, this is Ben Grayson. He mushes dogs, so I thought he might be able to help with your, ah, situation.”
Alec shook Ben’s hand. So now he had a situation. He thought about the state of things for a minute. He was surrounded by reindeer, Christmas was in a matter of days and Zoey was acting even nuttier than usual. Driving him even crazier than usual. A situation? Yeah, that sounded about right.
“It’s Alec’s fault I’m dressed this way.” Brock gestured to his Santa suit.
“Is that so?” Ben coughed into his hand, a semisuccessful effort to hide the smirk on his face.
Alec frowned. “How do you figure?”
