Natasha smiled to hide our true intentions. She’d be honest with Abner. If he were anything like the farmers and ranchers she’d grown up with, he’d respect her for telling the truth.
After receiving a few more details, she left Jennifer’s office with a lightness in her step she hadn’t felt since taking this job. She’d been a fan of Forever Love Productions long before she worked here and continually fought the disappointment that came from getting a behind-the-curtain look at her hero.
Once she was back in her dull gray cubicle, she found the website for the Reindeer Wrangler Ranch and perused the About Us page. Once she read through their humble beginnings, she picked the phone up and dialed the primary contact, Abner Nicholas.
It rang twice before someone picked up. “Nicholas residence, Amelia speaking.”
Natasha’s eyes jerked to the page where a picture of a slight woman with white hair and a kind smile stared back at her. Amelia was Abner’s wife. “Hello, Amelia!” she said with way too much enthusiasm. Seriously though, reading their webpage was like sipping cocoa and listening to Michael Bublé in front of a Christmas tree. “This is Natasha from Forever Love Productions. Is Abner around?”
“He’s not available at the moment, but you can talk to me.”
Nat pressed on. “I’m calling because there’s been a slight change in our team, and I wanted to inform you immediately.”
“Oh… Um…”
“You don’t need to worry.” Nat hurried on to reassure her. Everything will continue as planned. I just wanted to introduce myself as the new liaison between the production company and y’all.” Her southern roots were showing. “If there’s anything you need, anything at all, just let me know.”
There was a long pause, the kind that left Nat wondering if she’d spoken too fast or unloaded too much too soon. Maybe she should have waited to talk to Abner?
“Well, that’s just it, sweetheart. I’m afraid we’re going to have to cancel the movie.”
CHAPTERTWO
Sleigh Bell County was a small ranching community in North Dakota. There were miles and miles of barbed wire fencing between houses and open fields of untouched snow which had knocked on doors before trick-or-treaters this year. October storms were normal; by the time they rolled in, the hay was covered, and the trough heaters were in place.
December was almost upon them, bringing a magical tingle into the air.
Today was special for Jack Nicholas. He was going to take Chloe for a sleigh ride and have that all-important DTR–determine the relationship–talk. Chloe was great–always up for a date and pretty. She had a friendly attitude and was ambitious. The obvious next step was taking things to the official girlfriend/boyfriend level.
Besides, he’d love to have a girlfriend at Christmas.
He couldn’t imagine anything as romantic as curling up by a roaring fire or watching moonlit clouds float across the sky by the lake. He snapped the reins to encourage Sparrow, the reindeer, to move faster. She high-stepped for a moment and then slowed back down to her leisurely walk.
“Come on,” Jack urged. “I have a date.” And Chloe didn’t like it when he was late. She’d pout and refuse to hold his hand.
“I think she’d rather go to the vet than visit Chloe,” teased Drake from the back seat.
Sparrow let out a short trumpet that sounded an awful lot like she agreed with Drake.
He and Paxton, two of Jack’s younger brothers, had tagged along for the ride. Their added weight stabilized the back of the sleigh, and they promised to spend the afternoon whittling away time at the feed store or diner while Jack wooed his woman but wanted to get off the ranch for a while. The ride into town was long–especially at Sparrow’s current speed–so he welcomed the company.
Even though they brought a healthy dose of teasing with them.
His twin, Caleb, and his wife, Faith, would have been better company. They wanted him married almost as much as he wanted to be lawfully wedded. Alas, being born together didn’t mean he’d fallen in love at the same time as his twin. Though they’d hit every milestone together–first steps, first words, first whiskers–he’d fallen two years behind his brother, who had a one-year-old.
Two long years.
It didn’t help that his younger brother, Forest, came back from his year-long search to find a missing reindeer with a new family of his own. Mitzi and her son Billy were amazing, and their new home was stunning.
Time slipped by, and Jack was starting to wonder if he’d ever find someone to share his life and the family secret with; or if he was destined to be a bachelor.
Where he and Caleb had once shared everything from socks to thoughts, Caleb’s eyes always went to Faith first, as it should be. Indeed, what kind of man would he be if his brother took precedence over his spouse?
Being proud of the husband and father Caleb had become didn’t stop the pangs of loneliness that still caught Jack off guard. He knew enough about marriage to know that he needed to give them space to develop their relationship without him, no matter how understanding Faith was about the twin mind meld. The only cure for his loneliness was to find his other half. Hisbetter half,as his father would say.
He missed having a partner in crime, a best friend who understood him better than anybody else.
Ignoring the two knuckleheads in the back, Jack drove Sparrow straight to Chloe’s house. He’d swing by the diner, pick up some fresh hot cocoa, and leave them behind.
