color to darkest. Faith had commented on how different he and Drake were in coloring, but the contrast didn’t seem so stark if you looked at the brothers between them.
Caleb, the oldest, was white blond. Jack, his twin, was honey blond. Then there was Forest with sandy brown hair and beard, followed by Pax, who had medium brown with a lot of red mixed in. He didn’t particularly like being called a ginger, but his beard came in all red, so there was no denying it. Dad said it was from their Viking heritage, which made them all better suited for living in the northernmost parts of North Dakota than on some tropical island. Finally, Drake was as dark of a brown as you could get.
Pax came in behind him and took a seat on the smaller sofa. Caleb should have sat down, but he was too anxious to settle. A flying reindeer loose in Yellowstone park was bad.
So very bad.
Great-Grandpa’s whole purpose in getting the herd in one place was to keep the general populace from finding out that flying reindeer were a real thing. If people knew, they’d want to study the animals. Which didn’t sound so bad, until they started talking about caging, testing flying limits, and other such measures that would stress the reindeer’s gentle nature. These weren’t just animals that could fly; they were individuals with personalities and pet peeves. By keeping them on the ranch, the Nichollas family protected them.
“According to Google Maps, it will take just over nine hours to get to Yellowstone.” Jack looked up from his phone. “That’s if there’s no weather or traffic. Caleb and I can hook up a trailer and be on the road in twenty minutes.”
“Hang on there.” Dad motioned for Forest to slow down. He liked to jump into things with both feet and then find a way out of the predicament if needed. Most of the time it worked out for him, which was so annoying. If Caleb ever tried that approach, he’d end up losing a limb or something. “We have the Christmas Eve parade to think about. We can’t let down the children.”
Mom nodded beside him.
The Christmas Eve parade was a huge deal to the kids around here. People decorated their trucks, there was an ice princess float, and the whole thing was done at night. The grand finale was usually Dad dressed as Santa in a sleigh pulled by reindeer—the non-flying kind. Parents were able to hurry their kids home and get them in bed, because Santa was close by and no child wanted to be skipped over for being awake when the big guy came down the chimney.
Dad had decided it was time to turn the reins over to the younger generation and let his sons take turns playing Santa. Caleb was first up to wear the red suit and call out “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
“Tracking and capturing a flying reindeer could take weeks, even months,” offered Jack.
Snowflake wasn’t the type to come when called. She liked to fly fast and furious, which meant she could be anywhere.
“I can’t go—I have to check the fences this week,” said Drake.
Caleb and Pax exchanged a look. “We can go.”
“What about the work on the sleigh?” asked Mom. They needed a new runner. It wasn’t something they could pick up on Amazon; they had to craft it themselves. Pax was the resident welder of the family.
“I—” Pax started, but he was cut off by Caleb’s ringtone.
He glanced down at the screen, and his heart leapt. Faith. She was calling him—it had to be about Dunder. The sick reindeer was never far from his thoughts. Knowing they were close to an answer had him moving faster than Flash. “Hello?” he answered before he realized that he’d put the phone to his ear.
“Caleb? This is Faith.”
He smiled because he’d seen her name, but it was cute that she still identified herself—kind of old-fashioned. He turned his back to the family but heard Dad say, “Before we decide who is going, let’s see if we can figure out a route she might have taken. Anna, can you get the maps out?”
Focusing on the call, he said, “Hey, Faith. I hope you have some good news for us—we could sure use some.”
“Uh—I’m afraid not.”
His gut sank to the floor.
She cleared her throat. “It appears Dunder has a virus. It’s kicking his butt, and it’s possible he’s transmitted it to the rest of