Dunder stomped again and the next thing they knew, he was over the stall door, over their heads and coming in hot. The family backed up to the opposite wall to give him room to land in the breezeway.
“Wha-whoa,” Clove stayed in place, her whole head following him up and over the wall.
Drake stayed right with her and put his arm in front of her. Not that he’d be able to stop a raging reindeer, but he had to show Dunder that Clove was important to him.
Dunder took in their stance as he settled on his feet. He didn’t fly as much as he used to but showed no signs of fatigue or his age. In fact, he looked ten years younger with his chest puffed out and his head held high. His pelt was shiny and healthy and his eyes were as clear as ever, taking in everything.
His glare lingered on Drake’s arm.You claim her?
Drake nodded. “I do.”
His eyes shifted to Clove, and he stepped forward, sweeping his antlers in such a way that Drake had to dodge to the side and lose his physical connection with Clove.
“Hey!” he called, trying to get back in place.
Dunder wasn’t having it. He circled Clove, keeping his body between her and Drake.
Forest grabbed his shoulder. “Trust him.”
Drake fought with himself. He trusted Dunder—always had. But this was Clove, and she was spirited and skittish. If Dunder made one wrong move, she’d leave and not look back.
He realized with a start that nothing in his worries had anything to do with Felix or the ranch—he was truly terrified of losing Clove.
“I love her,” he said, stunned that he’d admitted it to his brothers so easily.
Forest chuckled and squeezed his shoulder tighter. “We kind of figured. Are you just catching up?”
Drake grinned. He couldn’t help it. Yes, the tension in the barn was so tight that he could have strummed it like a guitar, but he couldn't keep himself from smiling.
Dunder leaned in to sniff Clove, and Drake held his breath, praying with all his might that the protective, territorial, and wonderful reindeer would not mess up his chance with the woman he loved.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Clove held still as Dunder moved in. He was massive. His rack was twice the size of Felix’s and just as thick. The muscles in his neck rippled as he stretched out to smell her. His powerful legs could trample her in seconds.
“I’ll bet you pulled Santa’s sleigh all by yourself,” she whispered, not able to take her voice to full strength because of the lump of fear in her throat.
Dunder stopped, blinked as a tiny thank you for the compliment, and then continued to come closer.
She lifted a hand. “I smell like Felix.”
He sniffed:You smell like trees, sky, snow, human flower things, and Drake.He lifted an eyebrow.Can you explain that?
“You want me to explain why I smell like Drake?”
He sniffed her side, her cheek, her leg:He’s all over you.
Caleb snickered. Faith elbowed him in the stomach. Drake turned the color of holy berries.
Clove put a hand on her hip. “We camped together for a week, and Drake was a perfect gentleman.” She wasn’t going to share how he could kiss her in a place where no storm could ever reach her. “Look, I need to know what your intentions are with my reindeer.”
Dunder jerked his head back in surprise:You challenge me?
“I’m–” she glanced down at the floor. “I’m not much of anything in this world, but I’m all he’s got.”
“Clove—you’re ama–,” Drake's reassurances were cut off by Dunder’s stomp. Not as hard as he had before, but hard enough that the sound echoed through the barn like a judge dropping her gavel and calling for order.
“I love Felix and if you two are going to butt heads, then this whole thing is off.” The words tasted like salty sand in her mouth, and she didn’t know if she had the ability to follow through with her threat. She didn’t want to pick between Felix and Drake.
