built-in bench surrounding it. She would have been concerned that it would start the place on fire, but there wasn’t anything flammable within fifteen feet. Not a speck of straw or sawdust.
Beyond the stalls, tractors and other equipment lined up like toy soldiers waiting for their orders. The stalls were framed with thick timbers and iron rods. Some of them had lowered ceilings, while two were open to the rafters. She’d never seen stalls that went all the way to the ceiling before. It was so strange.
Reindeer poked their heads out of the windows, looking her over. Animals were curious about new people. She could probably walk down the rows and take a moment to introduce herself to each of them and enjoy the feel of their velvet noses against her palm.
Wait—was that a red nose? She blinked. “Is that a red nose?” She pointed to the reindeer in the stall on the right. “I’ve never seen that before.”
Mr. Nichollas’s belly bounced as he laughed. It was endearing to see him enjoy the moment of showing off his reindeer as if it were his firstborn son. “It’s red alright. Just like his daddy.”
“Next you’re going to tell me his dad is Rudolph and that his nose wasn’t just red; it glowed.” She shook her head. Mr. Nichollas and Dad were two of a kind.
“I didn’t say anything about glowing. Dunder’s in here, dear.” Mr. Nichollas pulled open a heavy sliding door and revealed a beautiful gray-haired reindeer with a giant set of antlers, lying on his side and breathing deeply. “He’s been asleep for a few hours.”
She felt her pockets for a pair of medical-grade plastic gloves and then moaned. “I didn’t bring any supplies.”
“I’ve got a few in the tack room. I’ll see what I can dig up.” Mr. Nichollas left her there in the open doorway.
In her experience, large animals saw open doors as an escape and were willing to bowl over whoever stood in their way. She was about to step backward and do her best to slide the door shut when a warm hand landed on her lower back and pushed her though.
She glanced over her shoulder to see Caleb, his face tight with determination as he guided her inside the stall.
She stumbled, and he caught her arm, righting her. “Thank you,” she breathed out, discombobulated by the fact that his touch was both sure and gentle. Moving closer, she studied the reindeer with curiosity. He didn’t look like anything special. In fact, he seemed old and worn out. “He should have lost his antlers.” She reached for her phone to pull up Dunder’s file.
Caleb leaned against the stall wall and tucked his hands in his pockets. She wondered if he’d gotten a vibe when he’d touched her too—or if it was just her. “He doesn’t—ever. Not since he was two.”
“What?” She located the file and read through it. “Dad thought there was a hormone deficiency of some kind but didn’t worry about it because he was otherwise healthy. Hmm.” A mystery for sure. “Will he startle if I touch him?”
Caleb considered her. “I’m not sure. He’s an interesting guy.”
“Guy?” She rolled her eyes. “Please, he’s an animal.” If she was going to be here, she would not put up with aggrandizing the herd’s reputation.
Caleb chuckled. “You’ll see.”
“Whatever,” she mumbled as she ran her hand over the large antler. The reindeer was lying down, and the antler came almost to her belly button and in some places was as thick as her arm. “Carrying this rack is enough to wear out a reindeer his age. You should cut it off.”
Dunder’s eyes flew open, white and wild, and he snorted, lifting a cloud of sawdust and making her choke. She waved in front of her face and coughed.
Caleb laughed. “I don’t think he likes that idea.”
“He can’t understand me.” She turned her attention to Dunder and found herself caught in his deep, black-glass gaze. He seemed to be asking her for help, asking if she was a friend or foe. Going off her comment about cutting off his antlers, he might believe she was a foe. She shook off the haze that came from staring into his eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I really need sleep.”
Mr. Nichollas appeared with a bucket of supplies and handed her some blue gloves. “I’m going to the playground for a minute to check on things. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Okay, thanks,” she called after him.
She slipped into