“Thanks, I thought it turned out okay considering I had to use whatever you had in the cupboards. I’m so used to just popping out to the store whenever I need anything. And I’m guessing they don’t deliver pizza out here.” She sat down across the table from him and picked up her fork. “So the calculations are good?”
“I think so. Of course, they don’t factor in the unknown.” He placed his pen down next to the notepad and picked up his fork.
“That’s life, isn’t it?” Gina’s fork hovered over her plate as she looked at him. “I certainly didn’t factor in the unknown when I planned my trip yesterday. I figured I’d have a straight run-through, only stopping once for gas. How wrong I was.”
“I know things didn’t turn out as you expected. But I’m glad you made the detour and came here to find me.”
“Hey, I came here to find my phone. You were a bonus.” She chuckled as she ate. Outside the snow had started to fall again, the large flakes settling on the previous snowfall. They needed to leave as soon as they were ready. The heavy snow clouds and the falling flakes would make it easy for them to remain unseen as they flew across town and even beyond the borders of Wishing Moon Bay. The earlier they set out on their journey, the better.
“Do you have a number you can contact your brother on?” He focused on eating his lunch as they talked.
“I do. I might get a signal from upstairs, but I didn’t want to call ahead too early and get his hopes up in case we don’t make it.” She glanced over her shoulder at the snow. “But we also need him to be packed and ready to leave as soon as we land, or we’ll waste precious time.”
“You can call him when we’re close. We can give him an hour to pack. I have a firm idea of where we need to be by eleven or else we’ll turn back. But I’m hoping to reach your brother by about ten.” He finished his meal and stood up. “That was incredible. Thanks for cooking. Maybe one day after Christmas I can take you out to dinner.”
“I’d like that. My treat,” she offered as she took her plate to the sink. “And before you argue about who should pay, I insist. It’s my way of saying thank you.”
“Then I accept your invitation.” He reached out for her and wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “If I accept your invitation to dinner, it means I will definitely see you again.”
She slid her hands up his chest and crossed her hands behind the nape of his neck. “Are you worried I might not come back?”
“No, I have your car. It’s a nice car, I’m sure you’ll come back for it.”
“Don’t do that.” She slipped her hand down his neck and he shivered at her touch. “I have waited my whole life to meet a man like you. I just never realized what I wanted until today. You’ve been so selfless. So kind to me.”
“I want you to be happy. I want you to fulfill the promise you made to your brother. Although, we’ve gone a little off track with that.”
“Picking up my brother and bringing him to his family is more than fulfilling the promise I made, and I couldn’t do any of it without you.”
“Without me, you wouldn’t need to. You would be with your sister-in-law drinking eggnog and watching Christmas movies.”
“Yeah, you’re right. You have ruined my Christmas plans, but I think a flying reindeer might just be a little more exciting. And riding in a sleigh across the sky like Santa. Now that is the way to show a woman a good time.”
“Except for the freezing part. I’m going to find you many layers of clothes.” His arms tightened around her as once more he asked himself if this was a good idea.
“Maybe you should warm me up before we leave.” She tilted her chin up and he lowered his head, capturing her lips in a searing kiss, hot enough to melt the snow.
Chapter Ten – Gina
Dash wasn’t joking when he told her to dress warmly. He’d insisted on her wearing layers. So many layers.
“I can hardly move.” The layers of shirts and sweaters, plus one thick coat, and one waterproof coat, prevented her arms from resting by her side and she walked with them sticking out. She wasn’t uncomfortable but was grateful all she was expected to do was sit in the sleigh.
“You’ll thank me.” Dash had packed a second bunch of clothes into a backpack. These were for her brother to wear on the journey to his house, which was thankfully shorter than the first. “I’ve packed food in this bag, along with a thermos.” He placed the bags in the sleigh and then stood for a moment with his hands on his hips.
“It’ll be okay.” Waddling toward him, Gina placed her gloved hand on his arm. “If there are any problems, we can just turn around and come back.”
“As long as we can make it back.” His mouth curved up on one side. “I’m being unusually pessimistic. I keep thinking of all the things that could go wrong.”
“I’ve been thinking about this.” She lifted his arm and put it over her shoulder, and he held her close and kissed the top of her hat-covered head. “This is going to work. Your fate set this whole thing up. It’s a bonding experience for us.”
“Fate has a strange idea of bonding. I’d rather bond with you in front of a log fire in my cabin.”
“Think about it. If I wasn’t stranded here in the snow with the need to be somewhere else by Christmas, then you would never have been compelled to show me your reindeer. And if you hadn’t shown me your reindeer now, I’d never have seen you fly.” It all sounded so simple. Even if the whole thing was complicated. She was meant to spend her life with a man who could shift into an animal. If they had children, those children would inherit their father’s ability to shift. That all took some getting used to. But she’d accepted the whole thing because Dash was an incredible man working to make her wish come true.
“That all makes sense.” He chuckled. “You’re telling me to believe.”
“I think I am.” She looked up at the sky. “Come on, we should go. The snow is getting heavier and we need to be there by midnight, remember?”
“Oh, yes, I remember.” He glanced up at the sky then turned to her and kissed her. “Wait, we? You’re coming back with me tonight?”
“I am. My brother deserves Christmas alone with his family and you deserve Christmas with your mate.” Gina wrapped her padded arms around him and held him close, his kiss tempting her to forget all about Christmas and her family so they could spend their time bonding in front of his log fire. “You have been good all year, haven’t you?”
“Very good,” he confirmed.
“I’m so happy to hear that. We should go,” she murmured before he made her forget all about her promise to her brother. There was time for kissing and more once they had completed their mission. “Mission Get Andy Home for Christmas is a go.”
He groaned but reluctantly released her. “Okay, climb on board. And hold on tight.” He held her hand and she stepped over the low side of the sleigh, which was painted white with a red line around the edge that ended in a bow on the back panel. Aside from the red ribbon paint, the sleigh was small and serviceable. Dash said they used them for training throughout the winter when they pulled the sleighs over the snow and practiced their turns and brushed up on their skills as a team. Santa’s sleigh was a lot bigger and a lot redder.
As she seated herself on the cushion that covered the hard seat, she closed her eyes and let her surroundings fall away. Maybe she’d had a car accident and was lying on a hospital bed in a coma. That explanation made so much more sense than her being in a town filled with magical people where she was about to fly into the sky in a sleigh pulled by a magical reindeer.
Opening her eyes, Gina was relieved to see Dash picking up the harness. If this was a world inside her head, she was going to enjoy every minute of it. This world might not be real but her feelings for the man about to shift into a reindeer were truer than anything else she’d ever experienced.
“Ready?” Dash called to her. She put up her thumb and watched as the air around him popped and crackled. His human form slipped away, snowf
lakes fell where he’d stood, instantly filling his footprints. Then a dark shadow loomed against the bright white of the snow and a large reindeer came into focus. The reindeer nodded at her and she waved at him before he ducked his head and wriggled into the harness. The reindeer stood still for a moment, checking the straps that ran across his chest and around his belly. Then he swung his head around to look at her.
“I’m okay,” she called out in answer to his questioning stare.
The reindeer nodded his large head and then turned away. The sleigh slid forward as the reindeer took two long strides, leaning into the harness as he pulled. Then the magic happened, his feet were no longer on the ground and as he rose into the air, the sleigh followed.
With a stomach-churning jolt, the sleigh left the ground and Gina grabbed hold of the front of the sleigh as she slipped to the right. However, Dash corrected the tilt and she leaned back as they climbed steadily higher, the town of Wishing Moon Bay growing smaller and smaller as they headed toward the mountain peaks above the cabin. Low clouds soon obscured her view of the town, and she focused on the mountain peaks as she fought her rising panic. This was so wrong. If Dash faltered or the harness snapped, she’d crash back down to the ground and no amount of magic would save her.
But he loved her, she was his mate, he wouldn’t bring her up here if he wasn’t confident he could keep her safe. Sure, he knew how much her promise to her brother meant to her, but she meant more to him than that promise. Much more.
With this knowledge, she relaxed her hold on the front of the sleigh and forced herself to enjoy what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the world from the back of a sleigh pulled by a reindeer. Boy, that was never going to get old.
The mountain peak was close, so close she could reach down and touch the tip as they sailed right over it and kept climbing. Gina imagined bringing their children on a sleigh ride just like this. They would huddle together, the children filled with wonder and awe as their father gave them a ride no other child would ever experience.
If they lived here in Wishing Moon Bay. Was she ready to give up her life and move here?
What was there to give up? She lived alone in an apartment. Most of her work she carried out from that apartment, so relocating wasn’t an issue. She could still visit her brother and surely her brother could visit the town since after tonight he would also know about flying reindeer and magic.
How would Andy take that news? He’d always kept his feet on the ground. Even as a child growing up, he’d never believed in magic. Instead of fairy tales he preferred to watch TV shows with trains and builders as their main characters. They’d even argued more than once when he said she was stupid to believe in fairy tales. And Santa. Andy had been the one who had made her believe it was all a lie. Yet here she was in a sleigh being pulled by one of Santa’s reindeer.
She threw her head back and whooped loudly, calling out to the stars above. And there were stars above. They had broken through the clouds and the sky above was clear and bright, the moon watching over them as they flew toward their destination.
After an hour of marveling at the sky and the stars and dreaming of going to the moon, not in a space shuttle, but in a sleigh, the wonder started to wear off as the cold set in. The cold air penetrated so deep, that despite the numerous layers she wore, Gina wondered if she would ever be warm again. With no landmarks below, only a vast ocean of cloud, time lost all meaning.
She had to stay strong. They were going to get her brother and take him home for Christmas. Gina focused on that one single thought as they flew on through the night. She pictured her brother with Lynette and Scott. Their happy faces when they opened the door and saw him standing there would make the cold worthwhile.
Another hour passed. Gina hadn’t thought to ask Dash how long the journey would take. She checked her phone, they’d been traveling for three hours and it was barely eight o’clock. If Dash was worried about not getting to her brother before midnight, they must have at least two more hours to go. If not three. Or four.
She clapped her hands together and shuffled around in the seat, trying to keep the blood flowing to her extremities.
Then they were falling.
She gripped the sides of the sleigh as they banked to the left and headed down, down, back through the clouds and toward the ground. At least she figured it must be the ground since there was no light, only dark below. Down, farther down until the sleigh leveled out and bumped across the ground before coming to a stop.
Relief and warmth flooded her veins and she stood up on cold, stiff legs, stamping to get her blood flow going. At the front of the sleigh, the air shimmered and the reindeer became a man.
“Why did we stop?” Gina held onto the front of the sleigh as she put her leg over the side and stepped onto the ground. Firm, unmovable ground.
“We’re making good time and I figured you might need a rest.” He stuck his hand in the backpack and took out a flashlight. As he flicked it on, she read the concern in his expression. “I sensed you slipping away.”
“I was cold. But I would’ve been okay.” That might be a lie but now, thankfully, they would never know.
“Have something to eat and drink some coffee.” He passed her a Tupperware with sandwiches that were half frozen. “It was cold. Leave them on the seat for a few minutes and they’ll soon thaw out.”
“Where are we?” She accepted the coffee with gratitude and warmed her hands on the small cup.
“The last open ground before we hit an expanse of built-up area. We’re in the foothills of the Ramshead Mountains. I crested the peaks and decided this was a good place to land. We can stay at a lower altitude from now on, the cloud coverage is good, and the snow means there are no planes to avoid. So you shouldn’t get so cold.” He smiled apologetically.
“The cold is not your fault.” She took a welcoming sip of coffee. “Aren’t you cold?”
“No, not really. Shifters are hot-blooded, and my reindeer has a thick coat and I’m running so the exercise keeps me warm. I might not be touching the ground, but it takes a lot of effort to pull the sleigh.” He stretched and climbed into the sleigh. “Shall we have a picnic?”
“Sure. Although I’ll stand out here, if you don’t mind. I need to stretch my legs and get the circulation back. Pulling the sleigh might be hard work but sitting still in the freezing cold is not easy either.” She moved closer to the sleigh and leaned forward, putting her free arm around him. “Thanks for doing this.”
“Thanks for walking into my life.” He ducked his head and stared out into the darkness.
“Thanks for picking up my phone.” She grinned, feeling better as she warmed up. “And I don’t mean that sarcastically. I’m glad I met you. Really glad.”
“When Christmas is over, I can’t wait to spend some time alone with you.”
“You haven’t had enough of spending time alone with me? We’ve been alone for over twenty-four hours.”
“I mean, us alone time. Where it’s just you and me and we don’t have to worry about the snow, or Santa, or anyone else. Just for a day or two.”
“I like the sound of that, we’ll have earned it. At least you will have. I can’t imagine how good it must feel delivering gifts to people all over the world.” She stared up at the sky, an image of reindeer pulling a sleigh filled with gifts filling her mind. “How does that even work? Do you have to keep going back to the North Pole? Does Santa come from the North Pole?”
“Some things can’t be explained. It just happens.” He handed her a sandwich. “Eat, these have thawed out.”
“I suppose it’s better to leave some things shrouded in mystery. As humans we try to pick apart every little thread, take apart every nut and bolt so we can see the inner workings of everything around us.”
“It’s like love,” Dash told her. “We don’t know how it works but it’s there and that is the undeniable truth.”
“Here’s to love.” She touched her coffee cup against
his. “May it never die.”
Chapter Eleven – Dash
Dash leaned forward and pulled the sleigh over the rough terrain, the snow was only a couple of inches thick here, the ground sheltered by the high mountains above. He had to get it moving, he had to get the sleigh into the air so he could complete this leg of their journey. The stopover had eaten into their travel time, but it had been vital. As they flew over the Ramshead Mountains, he’d sensed Gina drifting off to sleep, her breath came too slow and her heart rate dipped. If he hadn’t stopped, he might have lost her. Now he had to make up the time.
With a huge effort, his legs straining as the sleigh bumped over a large rock, he gained the momentum he needed to rise into the sky. The wind buffeted them as they skimmed the ground but the higher he climbed, the faster they flew. Through the thick clouds, heavy with snow, they rose until they were hidden from the people below. Dash’s reindeer ran, his feet touching the tops of the clouds as he headed for their destination. They would make faster time if he flew higher, but up there the air became colder and put his mate in danger.
His muscles ached and his shoulders were sore, this was the farthest he’d ever flown on his own. Normally he’d have another reindeer at his side, even when they made their practice runs. He was part of a team, Dash had never appreciated his fellow reindeer as much as he did in those lonely hours as he fought to make his mate’s wish come true.
Time ticked by, as the stars wheeled above their heads and the moon reached its zenith in the clear winter sky. They were close now, they would reach Gina’s brother shortly. Before they left their rest stop, he’d told Gina to call him and tell him to drive to a set of coordinates where they would meet him. She’d told him to make sure he was alone. He’d questioned her on what was going on, but eventually, he’d agreed.
They trust each other, his reindeer said as he descended into the thick cloud. Just like we trust Ingrid and Greg.
Dashing Home for Chrstmas Page 7