One Tough Christmas Cookie - Lucy McConnell Page 0,95
big things that looked small to men. If anyone saw the smile on her face and the peace in her eyes, they’d think it was a small thing. But she knew it was a big thing to change her heart. “Merry Christmas, my future husband. Merry Christmas.”
Epilogue
The day after Christmas in Northern Idaho
Billy Edge
Billy trudged home from the sledding hill, his head low and his spirits even lower. He’d hoped the new sleigh would help the other kids see that he was just like them, but they’d laughed and called to one another and ignored him like always.
He hated it here.
In his old school, he had lots of friends. He wouldn’t be alone the day after Christmas; he’d be at Jeff’s house, building whatever giant Lego set Santa brought him that year. Or he’d be in Cade’s garage, fiddling with the scooter they almost got going. According to the YouTube videos, they only needed one more part.
He hated his dad. If he had just stuck around a little longer, then Billy and Mom wouldn’t have had to move to this tiny town.
Sniffing loudly, he swiped at his face. He hated crying. He hated feeling like he was out of control and that no one cared. Mom did, but she was stressed all the time and not the same as she’d been before Dad had left.
Neither of them were.
A whimper reached his ears, pulling Billy up short. He glanced behind him, expecting to see Jordan, the biggest bully in class, mocking him for crying. But Jordan wasn’t there, and his were the only footprints in the snow.
He stepped, and the sound came again. This time he thought it came from the right. Leaving his sled, he stepped off the path and into the brush. There might be a rabbit caught in a trap, or a wolf. He stopped and pulled his arms up to his chest. Wolves were dangerous enough when they were healthy, but a wounded one would bite him just to protect itself.
The sound came again, desperate and afraid. His little boy heart couldn’t take it anymore, and he moved faster, pushing branches aside. He stumbled into a clearing and froze at the sight of a reindeer tangled up in a harness attached to a sleigh. A real, honest-to-goodness Santa sleigh.
The reindeer met his eyes and pleaded for help. He held up his hands. “It’s okay.” He didn’t know why he wanted to speak to her, but he’d felt her tell him she needed help. “I can get you out.”
She held still as he approached, tracking his movements.
As he got closer, he noticed her leg was wrapped up in the leather. It was swollen and raw. “Oh man.” He fell to his knees and started pulling on the strap, looking for a way to loosen it. His eyes landed on a buckle, and he undid it.
The reindeer cried out when freed, and she sagged, breathing heavily against the snow.
“Sorry,” he apologized, and he worked with more thoughtfulness, making sure the rest of the harness unwound without jerking her. When he’d taken off everything but the harness around her face, he stepped back. “Okay, can you get up?”
She drew in a breath and struggled to stand. After a painful attempt to put weight on her back foot, she fell over again.
Billy went to her head and knelt down. He ached for her, hating the idea that she was going to die. “Please don’t leave me.” His tears fell on her cheek, and she turned to watch him. “I don’t want you to die. Please get better.”
She nuzzled his knee, and he rubbed her neck. “We have a barn. No one uses it but me.” He wiped his cheeks. “If we can get you there, I know you’ll be safe.” As if accenting his words, a wolf howled in the distance. “I can’t leave you here. Please, you have to walk.”
With a worried glance over the ridge where the wolf howled, the reindeer lifted off the ground.
Billy got to his feet and rubbed his eyes. “You’re—you’re floating.”
She lifted an eyebrow at him, asking him to rephrase that.
He looked at the sleigh. Santa’s sleigh. “You’re flying.”
She bobbed her head.
Billy grinned. For the first time since he’d learned the meaning of the word divorce and they’d come to this podunk town, he felt happy. “Come on. Let’s get you home, and I’ll find something for you to eat. Do you like carrots?”