“It’s December twentieth!” bellowed the not-so-jolly voice through the phone line.
Natasha pulled her cell away from her ear and glanced around the diner to see if the people at the counter had heard Santa’s bellow. They continued eating, their eardrums still intact. Lucky them, she’d have to ask Santa for a hearing aid.
“I know it’s late notice, but this is an amazing opportunity. Working with Forever Love Studios is always a boost to a Santa’s resume. We’re known for being picky,” she tried to soothe his frustration at being asked to fly to a small town in North Dakota four days before Christmas.
“I’m booked solid. I’d have to cancel six other gigs to fly out there. Are you going to pay me enough to cover them?” he demanded.
She gulped. The only law in movie making was the budget. “I’m maxed out at what I’ve already offered you.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. No way I can drop my other clients. Better luck next time. And hey, give me a call next year; maybe we can work something out.” He hung up.
“Merry Christmas to you, too,” she muttered as she crossed his name off the list. Throwing her pen down, she sank into the vinyl-covered seat. That was it. The last name on the list. “Looks like I’m out of a job.” She picked up the mug of hot cocoa with more whipped cream than a dairy farmandcaramel drizzle and took a sip. It was warm and comforting and probably the last item she’d be able to splurge on.
“Hey, it’s the elf.”
Nat looked up from her sorrows only to find Chloe, the extra—the woman who told her Jack was a player. She smiled politely. “It’s good to see you again.” She glanced over the tight jeans and tighter shirt. Chloe had highlights in her hair and wore a smoky eye done in plum. “You look like a million bucks.”
“You’re so sweet.” Chloe went to tuck her hands in her pockets and then pulled them out quickly. Looking like she wasn’t sure what to do with them, she rested them at her sides, her shoulders stiff. “I signed up for an online acting class—I tell you what, there’s so much to remember about body placement! Makes me wonder how I made it through life standing on my own two feet.”
Nat nodded. “It’s not as easy as people make it out to be.” It wasn’t as hard as some teachers made it out to be, either. But who was she to pop this woman’s bubble? If it made her happy to take a class, then she should go for it.
“I can’t believe y’all have survived on that ranch for so long. It’ssoboring.” She hooked a finger under her hair and smoothed it around her face, a lá Jennifer Aniston style on Friends.
Boring? “I couldn’t disagree more. There’s always something going on out there.” And the reindeer, with their distinct personalities, were like an extended family. She wished she could spend some real time with them. Sparkle was adorable, like a child full of wonder who knew she could steal hearts. And Dunder was an old cowboy on the range, living by his own rules, and no one would tame him. He was a hero through and through. Bogart was a stud. He had all the aloofness of a man of danger.
And those were just the reindeer she’d met. There were hundreds more.
“Well, sure, with Hollywood in town, the place is hopping. As soon as you pack up, it will be quiet as a Christmas mouse.” She chortled at her joke.
“That sounds wonderful,” Nat said quietly. Setting her own schedule, working outside, a warm fire to warm up at night, and a wrangler to snuggle–it sounded pretty amazing.
“The ranch life is one thing, but the whole Santa fanaticism is another.” Chloe put a hand on the table and leaned in. “Even the adults write Santa letters every year. You can’t join the family without catching the bug. Faith and Mitzi are as bad as anyone raised out there. Worse if you ask me because they choose to be crazy.”
Nat blinked in shock. “They don’t really believe….” The stories, letters, and encouragement Jack gave Raelynn were all in holiday fun. Weren’t they?
“Oh, they do.” She stood up, flipped her hair over her shoulder, then quickly pulled it back and smoothed it. “I shouldn’t even be touching my hair.” She laughed at herself. “I’m not giving up, though. A star isn’t made in a day.” She wiggled her fingers goodbye.
Nat waved back, her mind on Jack and Santa. A grown man—a wrangler—wrote letters to Santa? They couldn’t possibly.
“Don’t you listen to a thing she says.” The server refilled her water glass. Nat read her nametag: Jovi. Cute. “The Nicolas’ are good people.”
Nat put a hand out to stop her from walking away. “Is it true, though? Do they believe in Santa Claus—like kids?”
Jovi hesitated. Her blonde hair fell in her eye, and she blew it back. “They do. But it’s not crazy. I’ve known Drake and Pax all my life. All I can say is that they’re as normal as can be.”
She rubbed her forehead. “But they put out cookies and all that?” she pressed, needing to know. It was one thing for adults to do the fun stuff for kids, but to do them as if the myth was real was… crazy.
“I don’t know what they do in their own house. You’d have to ask them about all that.” She turned abruptly and went behind the counter.
“I will ask.” She packed up her list of movie Santas that weren’t coming to town and made her way back to the ranch in her rental car that was one lug nut away from being stranded in a snowbank. As she drove, she thought over the things she’d heard about Jack. He certainly had enough rumors flying around about him.
First, that he was a cowboy Casanova. Maybe he was, and maybe he wasn’t. She couldn’t verify how many people he’d dated before. From what he’d said the other night at their bonfire, he dated a lot because he was looking for someone special to share his life. He didn’t come right out and say that she was the one, but he’d never taken a lady to that patch of starry sky before, and she felt like she was special.
The second rumor was this Santa belief. Had it only come from Chloe, she would have brushed it off, but to have the server pop in and confirm that the whole family could be certifiably nuts. Well, that was a little different.
She liked the Nicholas’. All the ones she’d met, anyway. Caleb and Faith were a darling couple. They worked hard, with Caleb taking on his fair share of parenting duties. They doted on baby Ryder. And the way Faith talked about the herd and her work as a vet seemed… normal.
Mitzi, Forest, and Billy were equally normal. Mitzi stayed at home, helping Anna with paperwork and the office duties that kept the ranch running while Billy was at school. She’d hosted the cookie decorating party with flair, and when she’d told Natasha that she was welcome in their home, Nat believed her. Again, nothing stood out as being fanatical or crazy.
