by Mary Leo
Each of them carried a red walkie-talkie that looked more like a toy rather than the real thing.
“All clear in the oven room,” one of them said into his walkie-talkie as he moved about the room with a macho swagger, careful not to bump his head on the tables.
None of them was more than four-feet tall, and each wore an unfriendly scowl as if guarding Santa was serious business.
“All clear in the front of the bakery,” a grainy, high-pitched voice echoed through the room.
“Santa, you have three minutes,” the elf with the curly blond hair said, checking the huge clock that dangled from a thick gold chain around his neck. A fourth elf stood in front of the open back door, hands clasped just below his waist in true security form, looking all serious, head moving back and forth, keeping watch over the area.
Jenny had to jump-start her brain. Although she had met with Mrs. Clause a time or two, she hadn’t seen Santa since that first time in her parents’ living room when she was three.
When she had gathered a box of gingerbread boys and girls, one of the elves grabbed it out of her hands and opened the box.
“These look good,” he said to Santa. “We can go.”
“Wait!” Santa said as he gazed down at a tray of anise cookies, gleaming with white frosting, and garnished with silver sprinkles. “Can I have one of these? I know they were Mrs. Raindear’s favorite. I’ve always wanted to try them.”
“We haven’t time,” the clock elf said.
“There’s always time for cookies,” Santa said.
He took a bite, chewed, swallowed and a big grin stretched across his rosy face. “Yum, these are exceptional! Can I have a few more?”
“Sure,” Jenny said, still a bit overwhelmed by the whole event. “You can have them all. I have four trays, about twenty dozen cookies.”
“Oh, that’s a grand idea! I can give them to the children all over the world. Many of them don’t get cookies and these will be a real treat. Thank you, Jenny Bells. Mrs. Claus said you were a wonderful girl, and you are.”
The elves packed up the cookies in the blink of an eye and were outside before Jenny could move.
“I’ve got to go now. Please tell Gramps thank you,” he said and was on his way out.
“Oh, one more thing,” he said, turning back to her. “Rudy’s back on my Good List. A really good boy, that Rudy Raindear. He only needed a little nudge.”
Jenny ran to him and gave him a tight hug, molding herself around his round belly. He felt all cuddly and warm with his rosy cheeks and his silky red suit, and smelled of cinnamon and apples and everything sweet.
“We still have to pick up your sleigh, Santa. We’re now officially running late,” clock elf scolded. “Tick-tock, tick-tock.”
Santa pulled away with a jolly belly laugh, and in an instant he was gone.
Poof!
* * *
Rudy scanned the crowd for Jenny, but didn’t see her. Gramps and his two employees, wearing the new Sugar Plums red aprons over their coats, stood behind a long table handing out gingerbread boys and girls for the kids to decorate and hang on the massive blue spruce tree in the square. Nick had added about a million more lights. Now, not only was the tree ablaze with colored lights, but every berry bush, pine tree, bench and especially the gazebo—all twinkled Christmas. Even the star on the very top of the massive tree, that had been dark when Rudy first came to town, sparkled once again. The town square was truly magical looking, better than Rudy had remembered it from his childhood. Especially with Kris, looking even more like Santa, sitting in the gazebo laughing with the kids.
Nick and Vixen, a beauty Nick seemed totally in love with, helped pour hot chocolate and hand out cookies. People were singing carols, kids were running and playing, and all was right in North Pole, Maine.
Except for Rudy.
He had never been more miserable. Jenny hated him and Gramps would hardly look at him.
Still, Rudy sucked up his pride and went over to pitch in to help hand out cookies and hot chocolate. The way he had it figured, he had so screwed everything up, the least he could do was help out.
“Where you been, son?” Gramps asked.
“Licking my wounds,” Rudy answered.
He came around to the back of the table where Gramps was standing, wearing a bright red Santa hat, and a striped red and white scarf over his gray wool overcoat.
“That don’t do nothin’ but leave a bad taste in your mouth. Here,” Gramps said, handing Rudy a pecan sandie. “This’ll fix it.”
Rudy smiled, took the cookie and ate it in two bites. It was perfect, just the right amount of cinnamon, pecans and vanilla.
“Good, huh?” Gramps asked.
“Perfect.”
“You and Jenny are perfect. What ya’ gonna do about that, son?”
“She hates me.”
“Hate’s a strong word. That there girl could never hate you. She’s got too much love in her heart. You need to talk to her. Tell her what you done.”
“But she thinks I—”
“Don’t matter what she thinks. Only matters what’s true. I expect you fixed everything with them Smart-Ass people?”
Rudy grinned. His Gramps was the absolute best. “Yes, I told them the deal was off, but they didn’t care. They threatened to sue me. I think it’s bogus. Unfortunately, they liked the town so much they want to buy land on the outskirts for their new store.”
“Then we’ll just have to buy the land first.”
“We might be able to do that for a little while, but I don’t know how long we can keep them out.”
“A little while’s all I got, son. After that, it’s up to the next generation to keep the magic alive.”
Then, as if on cue, a resounding ho ho ho echoed from above and out of the clouds came Santa in a bright red sleigh pulled by all his reindeer flying across the sky. Rudy felt someone standing beside him as he looked up at the completely incredible sight.
It was Jenny.
She took his hand, and gave him a wickedly cute smile. “He told me you were off his naughty list.”
“He told you? Santa? When?
“Inside Sugar Plums. He stopped by with his security elves to pick up his cookies. One bite of our anis cookies and he was smitten. I gave him all we had.”
“Wait. Back up. Santa has security elves?”
“Three of them, and one to keep him on schedule.”
Rudy laughed. “I would’ve liked to have seen that.”
She shrugged. “Maybe next year. Apparently, the bakery is on his list of stops.”
“And speaking of Santa’s lists, if I’m off his naughty list does it mean my nose won’t turn red anymore?”
“He didn’t say, but a bit of a red nose might be good for all of us.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, you don’t want it.”
Santa and his reindeer landed directly behind them in front of Sugar Plums. The sleigh and the reindeer ran the entire length of the town square.
“Look,” Jenny said, pointing. “There’s one of Santa’s elves now, standing next to the sleigh.”
And sure enough, Rudy spotted a little person who was almost indistinguishable next to Santa’s bright red sleigh. He stood with his arms crossed, head jerking from side to side, as if scoping out the crowd.
“Are you sure that’s not one of the kids clowning around?”
“Nope. That’s an elf. He’s not wearing his security vest. I think he’s trying to blend in, but check out his shoes.”
Rudy stretched up on his toes to take a better look over the crowd, and sure enough … elf shoes!
“I wouldn’t want to mess with him. He looks mean.” The elf seemed tense, alert and completely into his job.
Jenny laughed. “I think he’s adorable.”
“I don’t think Mr. Security elf would appreciate your take.”
“Maybe not, but still … “
Then Santa announced in a booming voice, “A ride for all the chil
dren.”
Rudy watched as Santa, along with two more elves boarded the children into the shiny red sleigh along with a few of the parents who went along with the younger children. Santa’s monster bag of toys sat at one end while the kids and their parents sat up front, just behind Santa.
“Wow,” Rudy said. “That’s got to be incredible. Wish I was a kid.”
“Don’t you remember? We went for a ride in his sleigh right after we kissed under the mistletoe in Sugar Plums.”
And just like that, the memory came rushing back. The thrill of hopping into Santa’s sleigh and scooting closer to Jenny under the blankets, then the feeling of soaring off into the clouds and looking down on all the lights below. It was perhaps one of the most memorable moments of his childhood.
“How could I have forgotten that?”
“You didn’t. It was simply locked away until you could open your heart again to the magic of Christmas.”
“I’m so sorry, Jenny. Sorry for leaving you, for leaving Gramps, for my—”
She turned to him. “That’s all in the past. We have our future to think about now.”
They kissed, and Rudy was so happy he wanted to tell the whole town.
“Huh, that’s funny,” Jenny said when they moved apart after the kiss, and she snuggled up against his shoulder.
“Excuse me? My kisses are funny?”
“Not you, silly. There’s a light on in my old apartment building across the street. That place has been empty for months.”
The building stood directly behind Santa’s reindeer.
“Not anymore. I figure if I own the darn thing, the least I could do is restore it. With your help, of course. We might as well live there. It should be a little more comfortable than my grandfather’s attic, especially once we start having kids. We’ll just keep knocking down walls to make room.”
“Is that some kind of strange marriage proposal?”
“Not exactly.” He got down on one knee, right there in the snow, with Santa ho ho hoing in the distance, and took her hand. “This is a marriage proposal. Jennifer Mary Bells, on this magical Christmas Eve, will you fly away with me and be my Jenny so we can celebrate Christmas every day for the rest of our lives?
She knelt in front of him, then collapsed into his arms. “For all the Christmases forever more.”
They stood, hugged and kissed as Santa took off into the sky with a sleigh once again filled with awestruck children. And as Santa soared up higher, the clouds separated and the stars shone like a million Christmas lights across the sky.
Then as everyone watched, Santa returned, making a perfect landing on Prancer Street. The children jumped out of the sleigh each carrying a toy. After every child had had a ride, Santa, along with his security team, took off once again. As he soared up higher and higher, his voice rained down on the town, “On Dancer, on Prancer, on Donner and Vixen … Merry Christmas to all!”
Then, in the blink of an eye, the magical sleigh and reindeer disappeared into the starry night.
After a moment, Rudy’s attention returned to Jenny. “Did all of that really happen, or did I just imagine it?”
Jenny smiled, grabbed two hot chocolate-filled mugs from the table, tossed in some marshmallows, handed a mug to Rudy and said, “Let me tell you a story about me and Mrs. Claus.”
# # #
Anise Cookies
Preheat oven to 375
Makes a whole bunch of cookies!
9 eggs
1 cup cooking oil
1 cup sugar
¼ cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
½ teaspoon anise oil
7 ½ cups sifted flour
9 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Icing
1 cup powder sugar
¼ cup melted butter
Add enough *Anisette to whip smooth
Silver or colored sprinkles if desired
1 – Beat eggs until thick – lemon colored
2 – Add oil gradually, then sugar, milk, vanilla, and anise oil
3 – Beat 5 minutes longer
4 – Add in sifted dry ingredients gradually
5 – Turn dough out on floured board and knead until smooth
6 – Cut off enough dough to roll into a ½ inch thick rope about 9 inches long
7 – Cut this rope into three equal parts and place on prepared cookie sheet
8 – Continue this process until all the dough has been used
9 – Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for 10 minutes or until delicately brown
10 – Cool on wire rack. When cool, top with a thin coating of icing, add sprinkles while icing is wet.
*Anisette is an Italian liquor which can be purchased at any liquor store
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Romancing Rudy Raindear
Copyright © 2013 by Mary Leo
Published by Pryde Multimedia, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the author and/or publisher.
Dear Reader,
To continue the fun holiday experience with a few of the characters you've just enjoyed, look for these novellas from Erin Quinn and Calista Fox!
Happy reading…
* * * *
SHAKING IT UP
Erin Quinn
From the sexy, martini-inspired Love, Served with a Twist Valentine’s Day series
Daisy L’Amore is faced with impossible choices. A prophecy given a year ago has Daisy and her two best friends racing the clock to find love before midnight on Valentine’s Day or they will lose everything they’ve worked for, including With a Twist, the martini bar and bistro the three of them own. A crystal heart and a gypsy’s words guide them, but love has a way of making its own rules, and Daisy is afraid to break them.
Romeo Corazón is shaking up Daisy’s world, but will the transformation he brings to her life be the downfall of everything she values? Or will falling in love with the wrong man make everything right?
To purchase Shaking It Up on Amazon, click here.
* * * *
KISSING KRIS KRINGLE
Erin Quinn
Kissing Kris Kringle is a Books We Love mini romance
Kris Kringle is just an average guy living in the tiny town of North Pole, Maine where Christmas isn't just a holiday—it's a way of life. But not for Kris. He might be named after the big guy in red, but Kris is more Scrooge than Santa.
Until he wakes up from a night of partying with his friends to find himself in possession of a Santa suit, a toy bag and a puppy. Kris soon discovers that he's been relegated to Santa's naughty list and there's only one way to get his name removed....put on the suit and spread some cheer.
Lucky for Kris every cloud has a silver snowflake and his quest to get off that list lands him in the arms of the woman he's been lusting after for years.
To purchase Kissing Kris Kringle on Amazon, click here.
* * * *
DIRTYING IT UP
Calista Fox
From the sexy, martini-inspired Love, Served with a Twist Valentine’s Day series
A prophecy whispered in Jasmine Rosso’s ear by a gypsy fortuneteller in San Diego’s Seaport Village leads her to a sizzling night with sexy glass artist Jake Hartnett. But the clock’s running out on the time allotted to fulfill the prophecy, and if Jasmine doesn’t make a true love connection with Jake before midnight on Valentine’s Day, she’ll lose everything she’s worked so hard to achieve this past year…including the trendy martini bar and bistro, With a Twist, that she owns with he
r two best friends. Worst of all, she’ll lose Jake—the only man she’s ever wanted.
To purchase Dirtying It Up on Amazon, click here.
Contents
Main Menu
Acknowledgments
Start Reading
Anise Cookies
Dedication
Other Books You Might Enjoy
_________________
The Gypsy’s Valentine
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Epilogue
Irish Kiss
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Romancing Rudy Raindear
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Main Menu