She looked down at his arms wrapped around her. “You gotta let me go, big guy.”
He moaned in protest as he slowly lowered his arms to his sides.
She hopped up and then stooped down to gather the blanket, which she folded and handed to him. “I’ll see you later?”
“You can count on it.” He found his hat and settled it on his head.
Natasha melted at the sight. She walked on weak knees down the steps and then to her trailer. With each footstep away from Jack, the cold nipped in a little more. By the time she got inside, she was freezing.
Well, if that wasn’t a sign of where she was supposed to be.
Taking a moment to pull out her measuring stick, she thought about how she felt about herself when she was with Jack. She felt strong, capable, attractive, beautiful, and peaceful. Even when scraping her nails through his hair, she felt like she was right where she was supposed to be.
Who cared if he believed in Santa when he made her feel like that?
A wiggly little doubt raised its hand.You care, it whispered.
She ignored it and dove into making phone calls. Jack was wonderful just the way he was—Santa delusion and all.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Jack and Drake hopped out of the truck at the rented barn. The McMichaels were excited about being a part of the movie. Mrs. McMichaels had a propane stove going, frying fresh doughnuts for one and all. Mr. McMichaels kept the warm cider coming. The crew seemed happy to be appreciated and gobbled up doughnuts as quickly as Mrs. McMichaels could sugar them.
Jack waved at the older couple as he walked to the back of the truck. They grinned and waved. Natasha had chosen a suitable spot for the crew. They wouldn’t have to rush out of here in the morning—although, after filming for 24 hours, they might happily crawl out of here at sunrise.
“You talked to Dad today?” Drake asked as he put on his leather gloves.
“Yeah. He looks good. Mom says he has his color back.” Jack smiled, thinking of the report he gave his father on Natasha. Dad hung on his every word—a testament that the man was bored out of his mind.
Which was a very good sign. The sooner they got him up and going, the happier he’d be.
Things were looking up around the ranch. Dad was on the mend, and he and Nat were getting along great. The animals were healthy, and Rudy had his best workout yet. Today was a good day.
They put down the tailgate. Sparkle was waiting in the special transport Pax had welded together a couple of years ago when they had to take Rudy in for his eye surgery. Faith didn’t know reindeer could fly, and Caleb had bunked over with the reindeer during recovery. At the time, it was stressful for everyone to have a reindeer off the ranch. However, it all worked out in the end; Faith and Caleb fell in love, and Rudy regained his sight.
Drake unhooked the latch and swung the door open. “Come on, beautiful. Your adoring fans are waiting.”
Sparkle’s head swooped out of the carrier; her chin held high as she paused.
Jack attached the ramp. “It’s not the red carpet, but it’ll have to do.”
Sparkle stepped out, one slow hoof at a time, swaying her hips as she walked. Jack and Drake exchanged a can-you-believe-this-reindeer look. Jack took hold of her lead rope. “Alright, you’re a superstar, and we all love you, but knock off the queen act. There’s work to do.”
She blew a raspberry at him and continued the hip swaying.
“I’m going to check out food services,” Drake called. He pointed to the food truck.
“Bring me a doughnut, will you?” Jack called back. He’d grabbed a quick lunch before stopping to talk to his dad, but it wasn’t enough to hold him over, and his stomach rumbled.
“Will do,” Drake responded.
As Jack and Sparkle went through the big double doors, crew members dodged out of the way. They set heaters around the perimeter to take the frost out of the air. Mostly so the actors could talk, and their breath wouldn’t be caught on camera puffing out around them.
The heaters also meant that cast members crowded in close. “It’s a good thing they didn’t hire Dunder,” Jack whispered to Sparkle as he put his hands up around his head, imitating Dunder’s large rack.
Sparkle chortled.
They got closer to the set, and both of them quieted down. By now, Sparkle was well aware of the way movie-making magic unfolded. They tucked themselves to a side where they could watch.
