His face crumpled in, like he might cry. But that was ridiculous. Why should he be upset? He had his perfect Santa who smelled like gingersnaps and charmed forest animals like some princess. And what did she have to offer? A messy bun, a run-down house, and a bag of issues.
She hurried into the house before he could respond, too upset to listen to his excuses or apologies. It was better this way. Better that she found out now what kind of a man he really was and that she saved herself from doing something really dumb like falling in love with him.
Sure, because that hadn’t happened. Not even a little bit.
She stared up the ceiling, willing the tears not to fall, because somehow she had to muster up enough stability to be the strong one when she told Billy that Snowflake was leaving. He was at the church tonight, and by the time he got home, he’d be wiped. She’d have to tell him tomorrow.
Her stomach hurt and she held herself tight. She could face this—she’d been through harder things. The trouble with giving herself a pep talk was that she knew when she was lying. This was one of those times. Divorcing her ex had been painful but necessary and a relief in so many ways, because she didn’t love him anymore and didn’t see a future with him.
With Forest, it was different.
Chapter Twenty-Three
For two days, Forest did his best not to see or think about Mitzi or Billy. Each of them caused him grief and guilt he could hardly bear, but for different reasons.
With Billy, it was the knowledge that by taking Snowflake away, he was crushing the boy’s spirit and probably his belief in Santa. No matter how much believing Forest could muster up, he didn’t see a way how Ginger could make this right.
With Mitzi, he just wanted to hold her this Christmas and every Christmas thereafter. She didn’t need him in her life, but she’d chosen him and trusted him, and that was worth more than all the gifts he’d ever found under the Christmas tree.
And yet, he couldn’t stay here. Not with Ely after Snowflake. If he knew she could fly, there was no telling what he’d do to her to make money. The man had an evil gleam and just enough sneakiness about him that he set Forest on edge.
If there was one thing Forest had learned growing up, it was that family came first, and the reindeer were family. He couldn’t leave Snowflake in harm’s way just so he could spend more time with Mitzi. Maybe after the holidays he could come back … probably not, though. Not after the way she’d looked at him the other night.
He was such a jerk!
He finished working with Snowflake. She was strong enough and had stamina. He’d run her for a good 45 minutes—which was nothing for one of Santa’s reindeer—and she hadn’t broken a sweat. She also seemed more intent on training, putting herself into each exercise and not giving him as much attitude. Perhaps she felt better. Not good enough to fly, but she probably enjoyed feeling strong.
All these thoughts tumbled through and around in his head as he made his way back to the B&B, where he planned to hide out until he had to go to the diner or café. If he never ate another plate of grease in his life, he’d be thrilled.
First Street was packed with people, and he had to tap the brakes to keep from plowing through them. They were all gathered around a large trailer with the Reindeer Wrangler Ranch logo on the side. It looked like they’d only pulled into the gas station across from the hardware store a couple minutes before, as people were spilling out of the buildings to see them.
Excitement coursed through his veins. His brothers were here!
Forest found a parking spot and jogged over. Homesickness spurred him to run faster. He hadn’t seen either of his brothers in 11 months, and he missed them! When he’d first left home, the sense of being lost had almost overtaken him. But with time, he’d gotten used to being on his own and only talking to them on the phone. The normal wasn’t at all normal, and his whole being suddenly knew that.
“Hey!” He threw himself at Pax, pounding his back and laughing.
Pax hugged him back just as fiercely. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”
Jack came around the truck and pulled him out of Pax’s very manly hug to give him one of his own. His eyes shimmered with … well, they weren’t tears, because wranglers don’t cry. “I can’t believe it’s you. Look at that beard.”
“And let the teasing begin,” Forest said, laughing.
“If you want teasing, tell us that this is all about.” He touched Forest’s brace on his arm.
“Not on your life.” Forest pulled his arm away.
“Don’t tell me you fell off during a workout,” said Pax.
“I told you not to take off the training wheels,” joked Jack.
Forest was so happy to see them, he didn’t even care that they were giving him a hard time.
Bang. Bang. Bang.The sound of a disgruntled animal who’d been in the trailer too long broke them all apart. “Who’d you bring with you?” Forest asked eagerly.
“Who else would be that grumpy?” Jack pounded on the side of the trailer, responding to the reindeer inside, as he made his way down to the door. “Dunder.” People stepped back to let him through, curious enough to stand close but not in a hurry to get in the way.
“Dunder!” Forest called through the open slats, trying to get a glimpse of the legend. Dunder was retired from the North Pole. It was possible the retirement was only temporary. He’d been sick last Christmas and needed a vet, so the Kringles had brought him back to the ranch. He used to be Santa’s lead reindeer. He was still strong, had a soft spot for Lux Kringle, and never lost his antlers—which was unprecedented in the reindeer world.
