She did. Then opened them a smidge to peek at him. He smiled at her, and she closed them again. He leaned close enough that she could smell his aftershave, cologne, and the leather scent that clung to the wranglers. A moment later, she felt the soft hair of the reindeer under her hand. “Can you feel it? Christmas Magic? It’s real, Nat. Can you feel it?”
She breathed in Jack’s scent and opened her heart, truly wanting to experience the magic of this moment. Her hand began to tingle. The feeling spread up her arm, warm and sparkly inside of her. “I feel it,” she whispered back, afraid to scare the feeling off. A red light glowed; she could see it behind her eyelids.
Jack kissed her cheek. “Open your eyes, love.”
She stared at the reindeer’s nose as it glowed red. “Rudolf?” she asked in shock. “Is this him?” She pet his cheek in awe.
“His name is Rudy.” Jack’s arm encircled her. “Want to show her what else you can do?” he asked the reindeer.
Rudy took two steps forward and then leaped into the sky.
“Yeah!” yelled Billy as he threw his fist into the air. The rest of the group cheered as Rudy pranced his loop around their heads and then landed. He cocked his ear to the sky, and everyone else followed his gaze.
A thick blanket of silver clouds blocked out the stars. The group held its breath; the tension building.
“What are we looking at?” Natasha whispered to Jack as she stared at the clouds.
“Wait for it.” He kissed her softly.
She grinned at him. As long as he was going to kiss her, she could wait forever. She kissed him, this time holding on a little longer. “Are those jingle bells?” she asked against his lips.
“Sleigh bells,” he replied before pulling away.
“There!” Pax pointed to the east. Rudy squared his shoulders and lifted his head like a soldier standing at attention.
Natasha squinted and could just make out a speck in the sky. It grew quickly, and she couldn’t believe her eyes. “It’s… reindeer.”
“It’s Santa!” yelled Billy. He couldn’t hold his feet still.
Natasha felt the same way. She rubbed her eyes and then stared as the sleigh stopped in front of them. “Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!” called a beautiful woman in a long red dress trimmed with white fur.Thiswas Santa. Natasha knew it all the way down to the toe warmers in her boots. She looked at Jack. “It’s Santa,” she breathed in wonder.
He laughed. “It’s Santa. We call her Ginger. She’s a Kringle.”
“But… she’s here. Why is she here?”
Ginger turned at the question and zeroed in on Natasha. A moment of recognition hit, and her face lit up. She rushed forward. “Natasha Newberry!” She threw her arms around Natasha. “You’re on the Good List.”
Natasha laughed as the scent of Christmas cookies hit her nose. “That’s good to know.”
A handsome man in a Santa suit got up from the seat in the sleigh. “I hate to rush things… but this is the one night of the year we have a schedule to keep.”
“Right, Joseph!” Ginger released Natasha. She turned to Jack. “I don’t know how you managed to snag this one, but you did good, Jack.” With a merry wink, she made her way to Rudy, who hadn’t stepped a hoof out of place. “Rudy, is it?”
He nodded:Yes, Ma’am.
The wranglers gathered around the pair. Natasha took a moment to take in the rest of the reindeer harnessed to the sleigh. They were big, like Dunder. A mixture of males and females. Each one had distinct markings and attitudes. The one closest to the sleigh winked playfully. She had a large rack and a tuft of hair dyed pink.
Nat grinned. “You’re a handful, aren’t you?” she said.
She stomped his front hooves:You’d better believe it.
“That’s Blitz,” said Joseph. “Riding single, she’s all over the place, but she’s a dream back here by the sleigh. Lots of power.”
Blitz kicked the snow:Aw, go on.She stopped and gave Joseph a look.I mean it; go on.
Joseph rubbed her side. “You’re amazing, and you know it.”
She leaned into him:You’re pretty cool yourself.
