The Sleigh Maker

by Candace Sams

  He frowned. “What are you doing here? And what’s the trunk for?”

  “I’m here because I want to be…and the trunk has all my work stuff in it.” She bent down to grab the handle at one end of the old oak box. “Will you help me or not?”

  Confused, he simply stood there gawking.

  “I’m moving my office into one of your empty reindeer stalls,” she declared. “Mrs. C says you have spare space in the barn, but I can’t carry this thing any farther.”

  “Moving your―” he left the thought unfinished. “Don’t do this to me, Pru. Please?”

  She smiled, sat on the trunk, and tossed her hair back. “Don’t do what?”

  He rolled his eyes, and put out his hands in a pleading gesture. “I don’t know what you’ve cooked up with Mrs. Claus but this isn’t a good idea. We don’t get along. We tried…or don’t you remember?”

  “We’re trying again.” She hopped off the trunk, moved very close to him, and jumped up against his body so that he’d be forced to catch her or get knocked backward. When his hands automatically wrapped around her torso, she looped her arms around his neck. “It’s New Year’s Eve, Gavin. I gave up my office space to another Elf. You wouldn’t make me stay out in the cold snow, would you?”

  He looked down at her and saw something in those beautiful blue eyes he hadn’t seen in a very long time. His heart began to beat a bit faster. “This isn’t a good idea, Pru.”

  “You never let me apologize to you when we last spoke. I want to do it now, Gav.”

  “Your only fault was in working too much, Pru. That trait can’t be altered. I said it before…you’re an Elf who’s in charge of a huge union. It’s what you do.”

  “Uh uh. Not any more,” she quietly told him. “I quit.”

  “Y-You what?”

  “I said…I quit. I handed over the union presidency to another Elf. I’m not even back on the labor lines any longer.”

  He blinked several times while still holding her against him. “What do you mean you quit?” Gavin looked at her askance and tried to gauge the merry expression in her eyes; an expression he hadn’t seen in years.

  “I’m working in the bows and wrapping department. I’m using my CandyWorks computer and I’m keeping office hours from now on…eight to five. I won’t even have anyone working with me since I’ll actually be designing.”

  “Designing what?” he asked incredulously. “What’s going on Pru?”

  “I’ve actually made a new job for nothing but designing wrapping paper and bows. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I’m the only one doing what I’m doing so there’s no union. I’m like you. I work alone.” She tried to explain.

  He pulled her hands away from his neck and let her slide to the floor. As he did so, he noticed she was wearing her engagement ring. He held her left hand in his and gazed down at it. “Why have you got this on?”

  She smiled up at him. “Haven’t you heard anything I just said?” She shook her head and tried to explain again. “I’m out of the Elf union. I’m doing something completely different; something that I’ve always wanted to try.”

  “I-I don’t understand―”

  She took a deep breath, gazed up into his eyes, and suddenly became very serious. “Gavin, life is going by and I’m missing the very best parts of it. I had a long talk with myself the last few days, and I think the reason I’d turned into such a workaholic shrew is because I didn’t like things the way they were. Nobody did the work fast enough to suit me or it wasn’t done to my specifications.” She shrugged. “I just figured it out.”

  “Figured what out?” he murmured softly.

  “I wasn’t happy. The harder I worked the less happy I became.” She gazed down at the ring on her hand. ”I come home to nothing. Members of my family are getting older and I’m not there for them. I-I can’t even have a pet because I’m never there to care for one.” She shook her head. “What I’ve become isn’t me. I’m a shrieking floor boss with delusions of grandeur. And finally…I’m tired. I’m so damned tired all the time. I see other Elves going home at the end of their shifts and I don’t even have a space that I can actually call my own. I have cubicles. I move where I’m needed and never stay anywhere for longer than a few weeks at a time.”

  He swallowed hard and tried to blink back tears forming in his eyes. “Do you really mean all this, Pru? Because if you’re only doing this for my sake, you won’t be happy.”

  “I’m doing it because I’ve had enough of working until I drop. I’m tired of crying myself to sleep because I’m alone,” she whispered. “I want you and what we had when we first fell in love, Gav. I want to be happy again.” Pru blinked back tears of her own. “I want to sit down and have meals with my family and garden in the spring with my grandmother.” She took a shaky breath before continuing. “I want to see my nieces and nephews grow up and be there for birthday parties and anniversaries.” She barely stemmed emotion that now threatened to overwhelm her.

  “They won’t always be there, Gav.” She sniffed. “The work goes on and on and will until infinity. There’ll always be toys to build and rushes at the holiday season. But the things that matter all year long―the most important things like family and friends―won’t be here forever. They’ll be gone in the twinkling of an eye.” She paused and tried to regain her composure. ”I’ve learned a very hard lesson, but I learned it well.”

  “And what’s that?” he asked as he pulled her close again.

  “I’ve done my share of work. It’s time to let others take over.” She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “I can’t get back the time I’ve lost, but I can try and make good use of what’s left.” Her best efforts at remaining in control faltered. Every word was coming straight from her heart. Pru began to cry and couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard she tried.

  Gavin wrapped his arms around her and ignored the tears flowing down his own cheeks. “It’s all right, Pru. We’ll work it out. We will!” he determinedly announced.

  “I-I hurt you so much,” she wept. “I said terrible things that I didn’t mean and then didn’t know how to take back…p-please forgive me G-Gavin. I’m s-so sorry. You’re a wonderful man. I was gone so much that I had to see how good you are through other people’s eyes.” She sobbed. “I love you, Gavin. I never stopped loving you.”

  “Ohhhh, honey…I love you, too. That won’t ever change.”

  She cried for a long time thereafter. But Gavin kept holding her and whispered nonsensical things just to make her feel better.

  “Let’s sit down and talk, Pru. We’ll work this out. We have to,” Gavin insisted. “I’m not gonna let you go again. I’m not gonna act like an insecure idiot anymore. I’ll fight to keep you this time.”

  She smiled up at him through her tears and nodded. ”I want us together. I-I want a life with you.”

  “We’ll take it one day at a time, baby. All we’ve gotta do is remember to talk to each other. I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to get you to listen. So…w-we’ll communicate. Okay?” He shakily offered and tried to clear his vision.

  “I’m listening this time, Gav. I’m listening―” she broke down again and let him hold her tight.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Christmas Day, one year later

  Gavin looked up into the star-filled sky. The night was the most beautiful he could ever remember. The snow lay like a soft white carpet over the landscape. Small patches of it settled on branches of spruce and other nearby trees and shrubs.

  Someone―he assumed it was his mother or Pru’s―had lit dozens of small votives, placed them in fire-safe containers and had tucked them into rock outcrops and set them on tree stumps. The clearing was gorgeous. No more decoration was needed than that. Nature had done all the designing that was necessary.

  He stood in front of a large stone dais that had been there as long as anyone could remember. Santa and Mrs. Claus were eternal spirits of goodwill on Earth and even they didn’t know how the big, outdoo
r stage with its massive steps had originated.

  The Claus’s subordinates―like him and Pru―were not eternal. The two of them had finite life spans and had spent the better part of the last six months planning this outdoor wedding. They meant to soon begin their fixed time together as a wedded couple.

  In the tradition of the North Pole, Santa could preside over a ceremony for any pair who wished to be wed. Christmas Day was a perfect date to join lives; the hustle and bustle of the season was over, and all the denizens of the Pole were enjoying a well-earned rest. They were celebrating the season in ways customary to each race.

  The gnomes typically took their children from their forest, knot-hole houses, out onto gently sloping, snow covered hills. Sledding was all the rage where their people were concerned.

  Sprites loved to plan small parties in snow-laden forest clearings. It was his mother’s suggestion to Pru that they be wed in just such a place. Pru and her mother loved the idea as much as he did; and so the plans were made.

  In the distance, Gavin could hear the Snow Fairies cavorting on the landscape. They were sleighing, ice-skating, and courting in their typical bawdy fashion. Spring would find the older couples of their kind looking for permanent mates, and they would haunt the woods and meadows, using these places as trysting spots.

  For now, even the trolls and imps were eager to take a well-earned holiday. It was their habit to collect greenery, bring it into their woodland homes, and tell stories of Yule’s gone by. They’d do so around tiny fires where they would roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate and cider. Occasionally, one or two of the groups might slip something a bit stronger into their cider. There’d be rumors of an all night ruckus with dancing and loud merrymaking, but Santa never seemed to mind. It was, after all, Christmas—a time for laughter, love, and remembrance. It was also a time for giving.

  Gavin was prepared to give his all.

  In the past year, he and Pru had worked very hard at their relationship. From their labors, a loving bond had formed that no one could destroy. They weren’t just in love. They were best friends and co-workers. Pru’s attitude had changed dramatically. She was no longer the workaholic, shrewish Elf around whom everyone had walked on eggshells. She’d transformed into a loving, giving woman who smiled constantly and laughed often. He could actually see the joy and magic of her race filter back into her shimmering eyes and expression. Hers were the features of pure happiness.

  Oh, there’d been some days when she showed frustration because a design in her head wouldn’t come out on her little red and white striped CandyWorks computer. But he’d been there to help her draw them out on an artist’s sketch pad which was how he’d always produced his designs for Santa’s sleighs. Pru was a natural at designing and contributed greatly to the magnificent, silver sleigh that he’d designed for Santa this year. The runners had looked like they’d been carved from ice. The idea to use specially blown glass for them had been Pru’s. Indeed, this year’s sleigh design had been the most beautiful creation anyone had ever seen. Gavin had felt pride and love when the great man had seen it, as unveiled in the pre-loading dock party on Christmas Eve.

  But today…today was Christmas. And he was marrying Pru.

  He took a deep breath and felt the clean, crisp North air fill his lungs. Something about the little candles burning so brightly in their niches reminded him of her. It might have been their sweet, vanilla scent or the way their light shimmered in their crystal containers. They were both enchanting and whimsical. Just like Pru.

  He began to pace back and forth in front of the rock dais. He heard Santa’s happy and effervescent chuckle and saw the merry twinkle in Mrs. C’s eyes. They―like his family and Pru’s―were waiting for his bride’s arrival.

  When such an outdoor wedding was planned, it was traditional for the groom, the families, and the wedding officials to arrive at the location first. The bride and her court, as the bridesmaids were called, arrived in a series of sleighs when the bride was ready…and not before.

  Also traditional was the fact that he hadn’t seen Pru since yesterday morning. Earlier on Christmas Eve, she’d helped load sleighs but then had been whisked away by her court to get ready for her big day.

  No man had ever been privy to the goings on at these bride disappearances. He suspected that there might have been a bit of holiday drinking going on, but it didn’t matter as long as Pru showed up.

  There was no set time for her arrival except for ‘any hour past sunset’. That was one of the traditional rules. So he and all those in attendance were simply forced to wait until she made an appearance, in her own time.

  It was typical for the bride to make the groom wait; it was also normal for the groom to pace as he did now.

  He couldn’t wait to see her and to finally bind their lives.

  From designing and printing out the hundreds of shower and wedding invitations to picking out his clothing for the great event, it had all been a pure pleasure. Gavin couldn’t have imagined most grooms would care about the wedding colors, but he and Pru had stayed up late, many, many nights trying to choose court gowns and attire for the male attendants. It’d finally been decided that forest green and sparkling white would best match the forest décor.

  His garments consisted of traditional medieval dress; a green, long-sleeved jerkin, matching pants and tall, shiny black riding boots, along with green gauntlets and hood and cape to match. Of course, Pru hadn’t seen him in his splendid clothing yet.

  His father and brothers had joked about him looking like a very large shrub, but he’d laughed it off. Their remarks were meant to diminish his display of nerves. He’d exhibited his shakiness by repeatedly dropping every garment he’d tried to don.

  He hadn’t seen Pru’s gown and no one would tell him a single thing about it. But it had been his privilege to provide her with a bouquet.

  Not knowing what she’d wear, he stuck to flowers that were the colors of the forest. His aim was to delight her when her bouquet was eventually delivered.

  For the bulk of it, he’d chosen a dozen snow-white roses. In Pole tradition, the number twelve represented the sentiment of being mine for each month of the year and for every year they lived. And tucked within the roses, were sprigs of holly, mistletoe and variegated hostas. To the captivating arrangement he’d added one more thing–his wedding gift.

  Pru had already given him a beautiful gold watch. It was meant to keep a schedule for her as much as for him.

  For his gift to her, he wanted her to have something that might enhance her gown; something she could remember him by, even when he wasn’t near. He’d given something she could wear near her heart.

  To match the blue star diamond in her engagement ring, he’d slide a band of channel-set blue diamonds next to it when they were wed. But, in her bouquet, he’d wanted to give her something more.

  He’d gone to the forest trolls, who were inordinately skilled in mining and gem setting. He’d had them fashion a necklace with one solitaire, three-karat blue diamond hanging from a silvery, lace-like chain. That necklace had been placed within a tiny white box and nestled within the roses of her wedding spray. A silver, snowflake embellished card accompanied the arrangement. On it was printed the same word that had been inscribed inside her new wedding band. And that word was…Forever. Even now his gloved hand drifted toward the wedding band that lay in his right hip pocket.

  Time passed and he grew more and more anxious to begin the wedding.

  Glancing at Santa gave no comfort. The great man was sitting on the steps of the dais in his official red suit; his smoking pipe in his hand.

  Once more, soft chuckles emanated from the crowds. Gavin was sure his face was a mask of nerves. It wasn’t getting married to Pru that bothered him. He’d been ready for this night for a very long time.

  No. His anxiety was being magnified by the wait. What if something had gone wrong? What if the bouquet hadn’t arrived and Pru assumed he had forgotten? What if her sleigh b
roke down or the deer pulling it had balked because their driver wasn’t as experienced as he or she should have been.

  Gavin clasped his gloved hands behind his back and paced again, but in a more agitated fashion. It was more than two hours past sunset; where was she? There was champagne chilling in the snow banks and Irish crystal goblets were beautifully arranged for the guests on the fallen trunk of a once mighty oak. Petit fours, sparkling cookies, nuts, and any hors d’oeuvre that could possibly please a magical palate were all waiting on nearby white-covered tables; tables decorated with seasonal flowers.

  In the middle of the spectacular array of food was a massive, ten-layer cake, dripping with greenery and crystal decorations. A crystal sleigh bearing small, gnome-carved images of Pru and himself topped the huge piece of pastry. The confection glittered in the evening light as nearby candles had been carefully situated to show it off.

  Even the weather had cooperated. The sky was still clear and the snow was well-packed and easy to walk upon. Guests murmured and chuckled among themselves. Their lovely winter cloaks, hoods and gloves kept them warm as they waited for the main event.

  He gazed around at the splendor of a winter evening in a magical woodland. It was a place bearing mysterious plants and mystical folk; all of which were unknown to mankind and therefore unspoiled.

  Invisible to the outside world, these woods were the perfect place for a loving relationship to start…if the bride would ever make an appearance.

  Suddenly, sleigh bells jingled in the distance. Along with them was the sound of the young women of Pru’s court. They were laughing, singing, and joking with the bride-to-be, as was the custom.

  Gavin drew himself up and took his place directly in front of the dais. He was vaguely aware of Santa taking his position on its wide stone surface and of Mrs. C joining her red-suited husband.

  The crowds parted so that the sleigh could be driven to within a few dozen yards from the dais. Gavin caught site of his bride-to-be and momentarily forgot to breathe.