He liked the softness he’d found under all her prickly edges. From what he could tell, not a lot of people got to see that side of her, and he wanted more. Opening up to him wasn’t easy for her though–not with her past. She hadn’t told him what happened to her parents, and after the story of going to bed hungry, he wondered if it was too painful for her to talk about.
Felix walked into his pen, giving the oats bucket a hard glare for being empty. The water bucket had frozen so Drake tapped the giant ice cube out and filled it again. Without a warmer in the bucket, he’d have to do that three times a day. He gave Felix a scoop of oats to hold him over until dinner.
When that was all taken care of, he decided to go back to the shop and get some more work done. He had a sinking suspicion that they hadn’t seen the last of the mayor or the sheriff. They needed to get out of town, and soon.
He contemplated inviting Clove to help him but he needed room to think about how she affected him and it seemed he needed to evaluate his life’s decisions once more. He did a lot of that lately. That was the trouble with having a woman in his life. He knew they were trouble going into all this.
So why hadn’t he been able to stop it?
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Clove woke up to someone yelling outside her window and Felix kicking the panels. She flew out of bed, startling Grandma awake too.
“What in the what?” Grandma exclaimed, flinging her arm out to the side like a toddler having a bad dream.
Clove’s heart thundered, and she blinked several times before her eyes realized she needed to use them. She squinted through the early morning half-light. The sun wasn’t quite up, but that didn’t mean the day wasn’t underway.
There was a truck and trailer parked right next to Felix’s pen, the back door swinging open. The sheriff in his green coat and Smokey the Bear hat came around the side of the trailer and directed someone else to back up to one of the panels.
“What’s going on?” Grandma asked, her throat thick and groggy.
“They’re taking Felix!” She ran to the bedroom door, threw it open and hurdled herself into Drake’s bedroom door landing both hands and a hip bone against the wood. In the back of her mind she registered that she wore the embarrassing one piece pink pajamas, which she swore he would never see her in again, but she didn’t care. She pounded with all her might. “Drake!” she screamed in panic.
The door whipped open, revealing Drake in plaid pajama pants and no shirt.
If she had even three seconds to appreciate the view, she would have taken it all in so she could bring up the image later on and savor it, but there was no time for that right now. “The police are back and they’re taking Felix.”
“Over my dead body,” he growled. He stepped out, pushing her in front of him toward the stairs.
Holiday cheese and crackers! He was sexy when he looked dangerous. “Uh–you might die out there if you don’t get a shirt on,” she managed to get out. That sounded right, didn’t it? Not like her throat had closed off at the feel of a half-naked man hot on her heels and breathing warmth down her neck.
“No time.”
Be still her pounding heart, the man was blazingly brilliant in his anger.
They hurried down the back stairs and into the kitchen, where he threw on a coat and stuffed his bare feet into boots. Clove grabbed whatever was hanging up and shoved her arms inside.
Drake was faster. He tore out of the house, leaving the door open for her. “Stop!” His voice boomed across the half-morning light. Clove slammed the door behind her wanting to create as much of a scene as Drake could with his deep and commanding tone and make the thieves pause in the middle of their crime.
Felix kept his antlers at hazardous levels and the sheriff, who was already weary, was having a difficult time trying to get behind him and prod him into the trailer. The second man hopped out of the truck and Clove scowled at his five-foot-two frame. Since when did the mayor join the police force? This was a small town, but still . . . it all seemed fishy.
“Knock it off–you’re scaring him!” Clove demanded.
Felix looked anything but scared. His nostrils flared, and when he took one mighty step, the ground shook. She stumbled at the vibrations but plowed on. That was new. He’d never done anything like that before.
She glanced at Sheriff Hoffman’s new rig and spied an animal control logo on the side. “Do you have any experience with reindeer?” She ran to the panel and started climbing. If she could get to Felix, she might save one of the men from impalement.
“Ma’am,” barked the Sheriff in that same tone that made Drake’s hair stand on end. “Stand back.”
Clove ignored him.
“Yeah right.” Drake motioned for her to keep going. Once she was climbing down the other side, he put one foot on the bottom rail and launched himself over, landing his feet on the ground before she did.
Now there were three humans and a reindeer in a small pen made from temporary panels. What could go wrong?
Clove wasn’t afraid of Felix, but she was terrifiedforhim. Being with people who loved him allowed him to push past his comfort zones and do things like ride in trailers, not fly, and stay in a small space when he was used to having a whole forest to roam. Having to do any of those things while strange men pushed, yelled and prodded him would be traumatizing. He may or may not be able to control himself. Best and worst-case scenario was that he flew away.
“I’ve got it.” Mayor Winston approached, a cattle prod in his hand.
