The kitchen and bathrooms showed their age and were updated in what Odessa called a “retro chic” style. He had no strong opinions. The shower in the master bath was large enough for two adults; that was his priority.
Fresh paint, new carpeting, and refinishing the floor removed whatever ghosts of his childhood remained.
Odessa protested the expense, but he had a not-inconsiderable stash of gold and precious gems and a desire to spoil his mate. She had spent too long on her own, struggling with expenses and renting a substandard abode. She was by far his greatest treasure and as such required suitable accommodations and finery. Pretty rocks could not compare.
A shop in the center of town sold his carvings, both wood and stone, and mostly animal figures. The reilendeer figurines did well during the holiday season, even if the shop mislabeled them as “reindeer.” Tourists had an insatiable appetite for crafts from local artists, even though Mads did not feel comfortable calling himself an artist. That was just… weird. He was a former soldier and bounty hunter. He did not art, even if his creations made his mate’s aura a bit brighter and that made him shine in return.
He set up a workshop in the garage, to contain the dust and mess of his not-art. Given the way Ruby eyed the chisels and power tools, the workshop needed to be in a separate location, preferably with a lock. In the spring, he could convert an old shed in the back.
Ruby thundered down the stairs and skidded into the living room. She wore a pair of felt reindeer antlers on her head. “She’s coming!”
“We match.” He pointed to his own antlers. He revealed his reilendeer origins to Ruby three months ago. Her response was that Sally Jean’s mom’s boyfriend was a regular boring guy and Mads was so much better because he was an alien. “Are you ready?”
She gave a longing look to the tree and nodded enthusiastically. “Mommy’s so slow. What’s taking so long? I’m aging down here.”
“Patience.”
“We’re wasting Christmas. I bet you got me socks. Those are the worst. Hurry up, Mommy, before Mads gets me socks.” She tilted her head back to shout the last sentence.
“I seriously doubt that.”
Ruby grinned. “Too much?”
“Just the right amount.” He held out a fist and she bumped it, then he lowered his head and they bumped antlers. He was adept at the latest in youth slang.
“What kind of nonsense hour is this?” Odessa appeared in the doorway, wearing red plaid pajama pants and a too-large shirt that slipped off her shoulder. Her dark hair was wonderfully mussed and her aura a soft gold. “It’s not even six.”
“Santa came!” Ruby grabbed her mother’s hand, dragged her to the sofa, then placed matching felt reindeer antlers on her head.
Mads approved.
“Did Santa bring coffee?” Mads placed a freshly brewed mug in her hand. “Santa’s all right by me,” she mumbled, sipping the brew.
Ruby tore through her presents with fierce glee that verged on mania. The calf sat at the epicenter of torn paper and discarded ribbons, like the splatter pattern of a vanquished foe. He could not have been prouder of his daughter.
He unwrapped his gifts and thanked them both with kisses and hugs. Odessa smiled at his gifts of bath soap and lotions, along with the gift certificate to a clothing store she favored. They were adequate gifts, not amazing gifts, and he could see the visible disappointment in her forced smile. He did not need to read her aura to know that.
“I think there’s one more present,” he said. He pointed to a small, flat box tucked into the branches of the tree. Ruby scurried to retrieve it and brought it to her mother.
“What’s this?” Odessa examined the hand-carved wooden box. Gerald helped Mads make the box. Shaping an item from one piece was a completely different skill set than cutting and joining pieces together. He carved the entwined hearts design and inlaid it with crushed stone and resin. Polished to a smooth finish, lacquered, and sealed, the box gleamed in the twinkling lights from the tree.
Mads moved to his knees. “Open it.”
Inside, Odessa found a gold ring nestled on a bed of velvet.
“Odessa—”
She screamed. A happy scream, he hoped.
“Yes! Ohmigod, yes.” Clenching the ring in one hand, she threw her arms around him. The felt antler whacked him in the face. “Yes, yes,” she repeated, peppering him with kisses.
A happy scream.
He held his mate, who managed to laugh and sob at the same time. “Can I ask my question now?”
She held the ring protectively against her chest. “Oh no. You’re going to say something stupid and ruin the moment, aren’t you?”
“Stupid’s not a nice word, Mommy,” Ruby chided.
“Only if it’s stupid to say that I adore you, love you, and I always have,” Mads said.
“So stupid,” Odessa whispered.
“There’s only ever been you in my heart.” He gently forced open her hand and took the ring. “You’re the best person I know. My first friend. My first love. My first kiss.”
“Mine too. All those things.”
“Marry me? Let’s do that legally binding thing you humans seem so fond of.”
“There it is,” she said with the brightest smile he had ever seen. He slipped the ring on her finger. “Oh. My. God.”
“Yes?”
“Yes!” More hugs and kisses.
This was the greatest day of his life and it was about to get better.
“I’ve always wanted a Christmas proposal. How did you know?” She admired the ring on her hand. A ring of daisies cast in gold circled her finger, with a topaz chip in each blossom. The design reminded him of the flowered crown she made him once. He wore it proudly, decorated like the king of the forest. He hid the blossoms from his father and pressed them in a book to preserve them.
“Mommy, you watch that kissing movie every Christmas,” Ruby said.
“It is true,” he added. When they were young, Odessa had been obsessed with a low-budget romantic comedy. The couple did not like each other at first but meddling friends conspired to bring them together. At the end, the romantic lead proposes on Christmas Day in front of the tree. Odessa would give a dreamy sigh and proclaim that was exactly how she wanted to be proposed to. “Every time we watched it, you said that’s what you wanted.”
“You remembered.” She smiled, eyes watering.
“You watch it every Christmas. We can’t forget,” Ruby said. She moved to her mother’s lap and admired the ring. “I don’t think this is the right ring. It’s s’posed to be diamonds.”
“Diamonds are extraordinarily common. The most common stone in the universe. Why would I give your mother an ordinary rock?” Nothing matched the way her aura shone, golden and bright, a rainbow of every changing color shifting with her mood. How could colorless, common diamonds hope to compare?
Diamonds. Pah.
Ruby shrugged. “I dunno. That’s what they do on TV. I like the daisies. They’re pretty.”
“There’s more,” he said, retrieving the box forgotten on the floor. He handed it to Ruby, who cocked her head dramatically to one side. He consulted with the calf on the proposal and enlisted her help in hiding the box in the tree. The next part would surprise her. “Lift up the bottom.”
Ruby bit her lower lip, removing the velvet padded layer. Underneath was a pendant in silver, a large daisy similar to Odessa’s ring, on a silver chain.
“Ruby Muller, I am thrilled to be your stepfather, but I’d like to be your dad. May I adopt you?”
“You want to be my dad?”
“More than anything,” he answered.
“Holy shit,” Odessa whispered. His proposition should not have caught her off guard. They had discussed step-parenting and possible adoption when they moved into the house. His mate didn’t know he planned a one-two proposal punch, though.
The calf nodded, the felt antlers bouncing with the motion. She rushed toward him, slamming into his chest and wrapping
her arms around him with surprising strength. “Okay,” she said.
“Okay?” He looked from Ruby to Odessa, who smiled even as tears rolled down her face. “Happy crying?” he asked.
“The happiest.”
Home.
Family.
Happy crying.
It was all he ever wanted.
Afterword
Thank you for reading!
And thanks for giving an alien reindeer a chance. I hope you enjoyed Mads and Odessa’s story. They frustrated me and made me cry (from frustration and happy tears, too). Their HEA wasn’t easy and took a long, long time but they got there.
So I’m blaming this one squarely on Zara Zenia. When she suggested “alien reindeer shifter” for the theme of this year’s holiday book, I thought she was joking. Then the more I thought about it, the more I really liked it. There was just so many directions the story could go and I wanted an over-the-top Hallmark movie type of story.
Fun reindeer fact, they’re real life shifters! Their eyes really do change from brown to blue in the winter, due to the low levels of light. And their hooves change based on temperature: soft and pliable in the summer, shrinking in the winter to be hard enough to dig up frozen ground.
There are more alien reindeer shifters in this year’s batch of Winter Starr books. Check them out on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/262631
Some are in KU and some are available in all the major stores. It was the author’s choice in that regard.
And I have people I need to thank. First, to Regine Abel and Stephanie West who talked me down from a “secret baby” plot and suggested an accidental mate bond. That idea took hold and the entire tone and plot changed but I think it’s a more compelling book for it. The Ministry of Christmas was invented by my friend Del, who enforces a No Christmas Decorations Before Thanksgiving policy. I think anyone who has worked retail understands that particular kind of hell when the Xmas stuff shows up before Halloween and you have to listen to the same ten songs until January.
People who work retail are stronger than we can ever imagine.
Finally, thank you for reading. You let me tell stories for a living, which I’ve wanted to do since I realized how magically books are, and I am immensely grateful. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season, no matter what you celebrate, and a stellar New Year!
Also by Nancey Cummings
Warlord Bride Index (with Starr Huntress)
Snowed in with the Alien Warlord
Alien Warlord’s Passion
Alien Warlord’s Miracle
Warriors of Sangrin (with Starr Huntress)
Paax
Kalen
Mylomon
Vox
Warlord’s Baby
Seeran
Rohn
Delivered to the Aliens
Tail and Claw (Celestial Mates)
Have Tail, Will Travel
Pulled by the Tail
Valos of Sonhadra
Blazing
Inferno
Taken for Granite (Khargals of Duras)
Dragons of Wye (with Juno Wells)
Korven’s Fire
Ragnar
Alpha Aliens of Fremm
Claimed by the Aline Prince
Bride of the Alien Prince
Alien Warrior’s Mate
Alien Rogue’s Price
About the Author
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I write fun, flirty and fast stories featuring sassy heroines, out-of-this-world heroes, all
the mischief they can managed and plenty of steamy fun. Hopefully you want to read
them too.
I live in an old house with my husband and a growing collection of cats.
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The Alien Reindeer’s Bounty Page 20
