Page 56 of Loving Luna

“Great. Thanks.” I shot her a grateful smile as I pulled my shoulders back and headed toward Master Derek’s office.

As Yasmin had predicted, Erika wasn’t yet in her usual spot, so I passed her desk, straight up to his door, drew a deep breath and knocked.

“Ah… come in!” his gruff, yet kind voice called.

He smiled as I poked my head in. “Ah, Luna! Come in, darlin’, come in. Have a seat.” He motioned from behind his desk, and I did as told, closing the door behind me, and taking a seat on the other side of his massive desk.

His warm, welcoming smile seemed to ward off the chill of the morning, and my nerves about what I was about to ask.

Folding his hands in his lap, he leaned back in his chair. “I’m so glad to see you. I hope it’s something good that’s brought you here. Tell me, how is everything going? How’s Drake? And Hettie? And you? How are you holding up?”

His kindness bolstering my courage, I drew in a deep breath and smiled, matching his energy. “Well, Sir, that’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, and what I was hoping you could help me with.”

His brows rose, and his expression changed to one of genuine interest and helpfulness. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

I leaned forward, suddenly less nervous and very hopeful. “Well, Sir, I’m happy to hear you say that. But I’m aware it’s a big ask. Here’s what I’m thinking.” I spent several minutes laying out my plans and motivation, not quite ready to look at his face while I spoke, half afraid that if I did, I’d see my worst fearsrelayed there. It was too much. It wasn’t feasible, and there just plain wasn’t enough time. Christmas was nine days away.

When I finally finished speaking, I let myself look up at Master Derek to see him scratching his beard and nodding thoughtfully. “It certainly is a lot…”

“I know.” I sighed, feeling discouraged and already racking my brain for a plan B. “I don’t know what I was thinking. It would practically take a miracle at this point. I’d need actual magic to pull it off.”

And then, in a move I wasn’t expecting, Master Derek threw back his head with a jolly laugh. “Some magic indeed.” His face changed, and he leaned forward, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Lucky for you, Miss Luna, and for Master Drake, and his mother Miss Hettie, this is Rawhide Ranch, a place where magic and miracles are kind of our jam.”

“Are you saying…” I gasped, then held my breath, not quite ready to believe it. “Do you think we could do it?”

Derek grinned. “Well, I’m not ready to make any promises yet, but if you’ll let me make some calls to a couple Christmas-crazy, miracle-making Littles, and give me till the end of the day to see what I can do…”

“Oh! Yes, yes! Yes! Thank you, Sir!” I was so excited, I jumped out of my seat and nearly leaped around his desk, wrapping my arms around his neck. “Thank you, Sir! Thank you so much!” I gave one big squeeze before letting go, and when I did he was laughing and nodding.

“Well, now, don’t go thanking me yet. And don’t get too excited. Remember, I haven’t said yes yet. I said I’d see what I could do.”

“Right.” I nodded, trying my best to keep my expression neutral and not let my happiness show all over my face. But the truth was, Master Derek was right. Rawhide Ranch was a place for magic and miracles. Especially Christmas miracles. Andthere was a certain group of merry Littles who could truly pull off just about anything they put their minds to. I had no doubt that at least some of my plan would be happening.

Derek smiled again, and straightened his bolo tie, his cheeks as rosy as Santa’s himself, giving me an added layer of confidence in his magic-making abilities. “Right, I’ll make some calls and see what I can do on my end. You go ahead and get started on the stuff you can control, and I’ll give you a call in a few hours.”

“Perfect! Thank you again, Sir!” Anxious to get started, I spun on my heel, and turned toward the door. My brain was already racing with ideas.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

LUNA

Afew hours later, I was sitting in the library with a pile of Christmas books and magazines, hunting for ideas when my phone rang shrilly, earning me a glare from the University librarian.

“Sorry!” I whispered, rushing out into the hallway to answer. I didn’t even look at the caller ID until I was in the hall.

When I saw who it was, I frowned. It wasn’t the call I’d been expecting. “Hello?” I said as I answered. “Sadie?”

“Hi, Luna! Can you talk? Daddy said you were in the market for some Christmas magic!” She giggled, and I could hear more giggling in the background before she continued, “I've got some of my elves with me now. Can you meet? We’ve got big plans to make and sooo many ideas.”

My smile was so wide, it felt like it was going to break my face. It wasn’t the call I’d been expecting, but it was the one I needed. “I’d love to meet up! When and where?”

“Um… now? At the Big House? Daddy’s home for lunch and he said he wants to talk to you too.”

My heart pounded with excitement, and my stomach flipped as I inwardly prayed for a good outcome. “Now works! I’ll be there in ten.”

I hung up the phone and ran back into the library to grab my jacket, pulled it on as I ran back out to the hall, threw my backpack over my shoulders because I didn’t want to take the time to run it up to my suite and started my trek to the Big House.

When I got there, I’d barely raised my hand to knock when Sadie flung the door open, and I burst into laughter at the sight of her. The little minx was actually dressed up in a green velvet dress, with red and green striped stockings and red Mary James. Her brown hair was pulled into pigtails that poked out from beneath a green elf hat.

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