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Gabe stares me down for a moment longer before accepting my answer. “Alright, then. Come on.”

He grabs my hand and tugs me toward the barn. The excitement rolls off of him in waves, and my own anticipation builds as he pulls me forward. My senses roar to life. It smells like grain and earth and snow. Whinnying comes from the far side of the barn.

“Does Felipe keep any other animals?”

“Chickens and goats,” Gabe tells me. He motions behind the barn in the opposite direction. “Goats are back there getting some fresh air, and the chickens have their own separate coop. But these gals were always my favorites.”

We round the corner and sunlight reflects off the white snow, momentarily blinding me, but then my eyes land on the reindeer.

I let out a squeal. “Look at them!”

Gabe laughs. “I know, right?”

We walk closer to the fenced-in pen, and two reindeer saunter over, sticking their snouts through the slats.

“Can I pet them?” I ask, breathless. There’s something so whimsical—so magical—about these majestic storybook creatures, I feel almost giddy.

“Go ahead. They’re very friendly.”

I reach out a tentative hand, and the reindeer closest to me sniffs my glove. I pause, giving her a chance to get used to me before I begin rubbing her head. She snickers appreciatively.

“Ah, she likes ya.” Felipe comes up on the opposite side of me.

“They’re incredible,” I tell him. “If I were you, I would spend all my time out here with them.”

“Now you understand why I don’t get into town too often, yeah?”

I laugh. “Definitely.”

I catch a brief smile from Felipe out of the corner of my eye before he schools his features and looks past me to Gabe.

“Well, Gaber, they’re actually ready to be fed if you wouldn’t mind giving me a hand.”

“Seriously? Why didn’t you tell me that before I got them all out here? It’s way easier to feed them when they’re inside. Now I have to bring the food out this way.” Gabe sounds a touch whiny.

Felipe’s lips twitch. “I can do it myself if it’s too much trouble for ya.”

Gabe sighs. “No, sir.”

“That’s what I thought.” Felipe nods his head toward the barn. “Grain meal is kept where it always was.”

Gabe sets off for the barn, and Felipe starts telling me about Marilla, the reindeer who is my new bestie.

“Marilla is a unique name. I’ve only ever heard of it in—”

“Anne of Green Gables,” Gabe calls. He’s carrying a bucket. He shoots me a grin when he walks past, unhooking the gate and entering the pen. “I named this little lady back when she was just a baby, didn’t I, sweet girl?”

Marilla snickers and trots away from the fence toward Gabe. The four other reindeer join her, and they all start nudging him with their noses, like he’s their favorite toy and they’re playing catch.

I swoon a little at Gabe talking to reindeer in a baby voice.

And because he picked one of the best mother figures in all of literature as his naming inspiration. If he did so well with reindeer, a girl’s gotta wonder how he’d name his children someday.

Wait. What?

No, I do not need to be wondering that.

“Easy, ladies.” Gabe holds up the bucket and walks farther in the pen. “Patience is a virtue.”