Clearance peered over his half-moon wire-rimmed glasses, and Ronny shrunk. Ah, the weight of the naughty/nice radar. Jack loved every second of this.
“Maybe I could have been a little better.” He glanced down at Raelynn, who hugged his leg, “I could have had more holiday cheer for my little girl.”
Clearance lifted his chin and then nodded slowly as he stroked his beard. “I think you have it in you to do better. And because of that, I brought you this.” He reached into the sleigh and pulled out a pogo stick.
Ronny’s face lit up. “I wanted one of these! I asked for one every year.”
Clearance chuckled. “You lived on the fourth floor of an apartment building—I couldn’t do that to your neighbors.”
Ronny was too busy trying to mount the pogo stick to register what Clearance had just said. “I’m going to teach Raelynn how to ride it.”
Raelynn laughed as his foot slipped off the tread, and he stumbled. “I want to try!”
“Raelynn!” called the director. “We’re ready for you and Santa to take your Christmas Eve ride.”
Raelynn climbed into the sleigh. Someone from makeup appeared with a brush and made her nose rosy. Another lady straightened out her clothing. Clearance took his spot. No one came near him with a makeup brush, probably because they didn’t want to be on the Naughty List.
Jack chuckled to himself.
Natasha came over, smiling at him as if he was the only guy in the world. She slipped her arms around his middle, and he held onto her. “If we don’t move, we’ll be in the shot,” he warned her.
“We’ll blend in with the other extras,” she said as she tipped her chin up, inviting him to kiss her. “Thank you, Jack. Thank you for caring about my dreams and making them all come true.”
“That’s what you do when you’re in love.” Someone yelled action, and Jack took that as his cue to kiss Natasha. He kissed her and kissed her until the lights turned off on Main Street.
He’d found all he’d been looking for this Christmas and so much more.
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
Natasha sat on the Nicholas’s front porch swing, a mug of hot cocoa in her hand and a thick shawl lying over her shoulders. The shawl was a gift from Mitzi, who was addicted to crocheting and had known the minute she met Natasha that she’d be sticking around for Christmas morning.
Jack sat beside her, his arm across the back of the seat. They had a blanket over their lap and the heater humming, though she doubted she’d ever be cold when snuggled next to her wrangler.
“Is Christmas always this exciting around here?” Natasha asked, covering her mouth as she yawned. The cast was more than ready to get home to their families or off to their vacation destinations. They’d been up late, watching Tinsel Town pack up and pull out after shooting last night.
Clearance had collected his retired reindeer, along with a bag full of supplements and vitamins for him, thanks to Faith. She wanted Comet back for a checkup in one month. Clearance promised he would bring him and his wife to visit with Anna before turning his sleigh toward the North Pole to be with his family. She and Anna were dear friends from long ago.
“We don’t always get to save Christmas, but it happens more often than you think.” He winked at her.
She rested her head against his chest and snuggled deeper. Images from the night before played in her mind, and she suddenly remembered Ginger giving Jack a small package. “What did Ginger give you?”
“What?” Jack asked, as if stalling for time.
“Ginger gave you something; it was small. What was it?” she pressed, curious about what was on this wrangler’s Christmas wish list. “Was it something you wrote her for?”
“No,” he made a face and turned to the side.
“What?!” she laughed, poking him in the ribs as she sat up. “You’re acting funny. What was it?”
Rolling his eyes, Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a red velvet box. He cracked the lid to reveal a stunning diamond engagement ring.
Natasha gasped.
“She said I should hold on to it until the time was right—but you’re a keeper.” He snapped the lid shut.
Natasha let out a startled protest. “You can’t just wave that in front of me and then take it away.”
He startled, and then a mischievous grin spread across his face. “Did you want to wear it or something?”
