It wouldn’t be horrible to have someone look at him like that–or kiss him like that.
Natasha asked Dad for an interview. He set Ryder down so he could run to Caleb. Caleb tossed him into the air and then set him on his hip.
“What’s this new reindeer’s name?” Natasha asked. She added sunshine to her voice–as if Tundra wasn’t a tremendous disappointment that dashed their hopes to the South Pole.
The rest of them took note of that and squared their shoulders. Any new reindeer on the ranch should be celebrated, not born under this cloud of unmet expectations. It was difficult to dispel all the clouds. Flying reindeer were a symbol of hope and magic, and without new calves, the world seemed a little darker.
Faith moved out of Caleb’s arms to check on Snowball as she nursed, talking in a soothing voice as she checked her vitals. She allowed the reindeer to keep her body between her and the baby. As closely as they worked with the reindeer, they were cautious to remember that they were large animals with instincts, and protecting their young was one of the strongest.
The brothers gathered in a circle behind the four-wheelers. Pax kicked at the grass, his chin to his chest. The scent of clovers lifted into the air, and Drake took a deep breath.
Caleb pulled his leather work gloves from his back pocket and slapped them against his jeans. “Let’s not get discouraged.”
Jack, Caleb’s younger twin, scoffed. “Three years, bro. Three years without a flier. What are we going to do?” He ran his hand down his cheek. He had a beard last winter and shaved it off this spring. They all cycled through facial hair, depending on how early they wanted to get up in the morning so they could shave. Drake liked to shave in the summer. It was too hot to deal with facial hair.
“The thing is …” Caleb glanced over his shoulder. “Faith thinks it could be our studs. It’s possible the flying gene isn’t strong enough in them.”
Drake blanched. “None of them?”
Caleb cupped the back of his neck. “None. They’re all at least two generations away from fliers.”
Forest snapped his fingers, his hazel eyes lighting with hope. “What about that one lady who called? The one from Montana?”
Drake shook his head. “I talked to her. Mom talked to her. Dad tried, and she blocked his number. She won’t sell the reindeer. She wouldn’t even consider it.” He wanted to scream every time he thought of her uppity tone and dismissive texts. “It’s stupid because she shouldn’t even have him–it’s illegal.” Now that reindeer were a protected species, owning one required permits and permission from federal and state agencies.
He hooked his thumbs in his belt loops. “We could report her. Once the authorities get a hold of him, they’ll bring him here.” Of course, if they found out he was a flying reindeer, they’d turn him over to a group of scientists for research or whatever.
Forest lifted an eyebrow. “And have her arrested?”
Drake rocked back on his heels. “No. Of course not,” he said to appease them. But at this point, he wasn’t sure he cared if a stranger went to prison for keeping an illegal reindeer. There were children all over the world who needed Santa. What was a year in prison for one woman compared to that?
Jack shook his head. “Not if he’s bonded with her. Can you imagine separating Billy and Snowflake?”
Drake sucked in a breath. The repercussions for both reindeer and human could be catastrophic.
Over the years, they’d each had a reindeer that claimed them as their person. For them, it all happened when they were kids. Reindeer made the best best friends. They were loyal and fun. Protective and playful. You could tell them all your secrets, and they never shared. Once they bonded with a person, they refused to leave–ever.
Drake’s reindeer BFF, Zane, passed away seven years ago, and he still missed him.
Helplessness was not something Drake liked. In fact, he hated the feeling with all of his being. “There has to be something we can do. We can’t keep trying andfailing. EVERY. YEAR. ”
Caleb narrowed his eyes.
“Nothing against Faith–” he backtracked quickly. “She’s doing the best she can with what we have, but we need to give her something else to work with.”
It wasn’t like they could bring the reindeer from the North Pole down. Once they joined Santa’s crew, their focus was on that Christmas Eve ride and only that ride. Which was another reason having the ranch in North Dakota was so important to Christmas. Even Dunder, their current reindeer king, didn’t produce any offspring.
Jack’s large hand landed on Drake’s shoulder. “Let’s just take two steps backward.”
Drake shook off his hand. “I’m going in.” Being told to calm down was the worst! Especially when you didn’t want to calm down. Sometimes, he just wanted to act instead of having to talk in circles with his brothers over every little thing that happened on the ranch.
He climbed on his four-wheeler and tore out of the clearing. A hard ride through the hills would blow off steam. His family was a keep-the-faith family.
He had faith. Their pastor was the first one to remind them all that sometimes you had to get off your knees and give God something to work with. A starving man who sat down in a wheat field and prayed for a loaf of bread to appear would continue to starve. Yeah, he’d paid attention in Sunday school. Widows had oil, blind men washed clay off their eyes; God didn’t just drop a miracle out of the clear blue sky.
He’d find a way to get that reindeer to the ranch. And if God wanted to step in and make a Christmas miracle out of it? Well, that would be up to Him.
CHAPTERONE
