“Hop in,” said Clearance as he took a seat in the sleigh. Jack sat down in the two-seater, and she ended up on his lap—not that she minded at all.
“On Bogart,” Clearance called in a baritone voice that boomed off the library’s bricks. Goodness, but he was good at this Santa thing. He maneuvered the sleigh into the street behind the library and then onto Main Street, starting at the far end where the security barriers were set.
Lifting a white-gloved hand in greeting, Clearance didn’t slow the sleigh down as he approached, and security scrambled to get out of the way.
Natasha laughed. “That wasn’t very Santa-like,” she called over the rush of the wind.
Clearance Ho-Ho-Ho’d. “I’m retired!”
She and Jack laughed all the harder. Surprisingly, the feeling of Christmas Magic hadn’t worn off yet. The slight buzz was akin to the feeling she had when she drank too much coffee—except better because it was warm and made her feel like she wanted to stuff some stockings or wrap a hundred presents.
“Whoa,” Clearance called as he pulled back on the reins. They stopped right in the middle of the set where Jennifer was yelling at Miguel, the props crew shoved snowmen at one another as they argued over whose job it was to put them in the trailer, and the lighting guys and gals worked to take down the spotlights, and the techs rolled up extension cords.
“Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!” Clearance stood up in the sleigh and waved a hand magnanimously. “Did someone order a Santa Claus for Christmas?” He held his belly and laughed.
Raelynn ran out from behind the extras, who hovered together in confusion. “You came!” Her fur-lined Christmas dress bounced over her knees.
Clearance stepped out of the sleigh and bent down, his arms out for a hug. She flew into them; her smile brighter than a Christmas tree. “Of course I did. You sent a letter, didn’t you?”
Natasha’s mouth fell open, and she turned to Jack. “Really?”
He nodded. “She asked him to come to the set and meet her dad because he needed some Christmas spirit.”
Nat’s hand went to her heart. “Her first letter to Santa, and she asks for a present for someone else? No wonder he couldn’t resist.”
“Well, I had a little to do with getting him here,” he tickled her side.
She kissed him quickly. “Of course you did.”
Nat hopped out of the sleigh to talk to Jennifer, who was staring as if Tim Allen had walked onto her set. “We still have thirty minutes until the official shoot is over. Do you want to give it a shot?”
Jennifer snapped her fingers. “Places everyone. You—” she pointed to the props guys and gals, “you have two minutes to reset.” They stopped fighting and started tossing items to one another to prepare the set.
“I need lights!” she bellowed. Extension cords unrolled as if they had minds of their own, and soon the street was lit up. The business window lights came on, and their animated displays whirred to a start. Music played over the speakers, hidden behind fake Christmas trees and in wreaths.
The extras found their marks, their holiday shopping bags swinging from their hands. In two minutes flat, it was Christmas on Main Street.
“I don’t know how you did it,” Jennifer beamed at Natasha, “but I’m amazed enough to rehire you.”
Natasha grinned. “Thanks, but I quit.”
“You can’t quit! You have a bright future ahead of you. Coming in clutch is exactly what I want in a production house liaison.”
Natasha smiled at Jack. “But it’s not what I want. I’m over Hollywood. It’s the small-town life for me.” She watched Clearance talk to Raelynn’s dad and wished she knew what they were saying. “But I expect a bonus for this.”
“Fine.” Jennifer took up position behind the director. “If you want to come back, just call me.”
Natasha smiled. It was good to be wanted and know she had a place to go. But there was nowhere else she’d rather be than in Jack’s arms, his barn, his truck, or any of the dozens of other places that meant they were together.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
“Dad! It’s Santa!”
Jack grinned as Raelynn pulled her father over to meet Clearance. Christmas Magic positively oozed out of him tonight. It must be because he was here to fulfill Raelynn’s Christmas wish because normally, he was a lot less buzzy.
“Ho Ho Ho! It’s good to see you, Ronny.” Clearance held out his hand, and they shook firmly. “Have you been a good boy this year?”
Ronny tugged at his collar. “I wouldn’t say good, but not all that bad.”
