Jack’s eyes grew dark and dangerous. “You’re out of here. All of you.” He handed Seth off to Drake and took the lead rope. Sparkle hung close to him; her head tipped to the side as if she was trying to understand what was happening. Natasha wasn’t buying the innocent act.
Jack glanced at her and unzipped his coat, shrugging it off and handing it to her. The whole time, he glared down at Miguel. Natasha would have argued, but she was freezing. Slipping her arms in, she breathed the wonderful scent, and Jack’s residual body heat helped her stop shaking.
“We caught him trying to take our reindeer.” Jack’s voice was deep and threatening. “No. One. Touches our reindeer. You have twelve hours to pack up and get out.” He thundered.
“Let’s not be so hasty.” Jennifer arrived. She’d jogged over and didn’t look out of breath at all. “Is there a problem?”
Her act was worse than Sparkle’s.
Seth had messed things up—exponentially. “He tried to take their reindeer,” Natasha bit out. “They have every right to kick us off the property.”
“I wasn’t!” Seth protested. “I was going to brush her before filming today.”
Jack glanced down at Sparkle as if verifying the man’s statement with the reindeer.
She looked up at him and blinked slowly.
He groaned in a way that made it sound like she agreed with Seth, and he was annoyed with her. “That’s what you told her to lure her out of the barn, but how do we know those were your intentions? Why’d you bring her to the parking lot?”
“I’ll show you.” He checked with Drake to see if he would let him go. Drake checked with Jack. Jack nodded curtly.
Seth walked to his truck and pulled out a bag from the local feed store. He revealed a currycomb and a brush. “I’d forgotten to take these in the barn when I went to get her.”
Jack scowled.
Natasha shook her head. “There are signs posted. You knew the barn was off limits.”
Jennifer grabbed her arm and hissed, “You’re supposed to represent us—not get us kicked off the property.”
Natasha shook her off. “I’m not the one who broke the rule—he is.” She jerked a hand at Seth. “Why did you think you could go in there?” she asked him.
He clamped his mouth shut. This was a clear sign that there was more to his story than wanting to make Sparkle shine for her closeup.
Jennifer ground her teeth. She was caught, and she knew it. “Let’s make a deal. Seth leaves, and we stay?” She nudged Natasha. “That’s fair, right?”
Miguel nodded his head so fast that he got dizzy.
Natasha shook her head. “I’m not talking them into trusting us when we were the ones who messed up. They have every right to require us to pack up and head home.”
Miguel looked pained. “We don’t have enough to patch together something presentable. If we leave now, we have to scrap the project.”
Jennifer turned pleading eyes on Jack and Drake. “The rest of us stay out of the barn. We don’t even go near it. Don’t ruin all our hard work because of one rotten apple. I will ensure he’s on a plane and out of the state before midnight tonight.”
Back home, horse theft was punishable by up to ten years in jail. Natasha twisted her hands together as she waited for the verdict. She did not know what the laws were for reindeer in North Dakota, but had a feeling the Nicholas family lobbied for strict punishment.
Drake and Jack took a moment to step aside and talk. Natasha wished she was in their inner circle and knew what they were thinking.
Someone grabbed her arm. “Nice coat,” Jennifer smirked knowingly.
Natasha’s ears burned. Had she seen the front porch kiss? Or was she just insinuating there was something between her and Jack because he’d given her his coat?
“You can stay—but you will give all of your people a review of the rules outlined in the contract.” Jack’s grip tightened on the lead rope. “This is the only second chance you’ll get. Next time, there will be no discussion.”
“And you,” Drake pointed at Seth, “are out of here.”
“But—this is my job,” Seth protested. “How will I pay rent?”
“Talk to her,” Drake pointed at Jennifer.
