Page 52 of From Helsinki with Love
I look forward and spot them right away. Three reindeer are standing in the middle of the two-lane road, and another truck is waiting on the other side. The animals are so majestic and graceful.
Between my relieved giggles, I say, “I was looking out my window, admiring Lapland, so I had no idea what was happening in front of us.”
He laughs with me. “Well, now you do. We have to wait until those three get off of the road.”
“Is this an everyday occurrence in Lapland?”
“It happens,” he shrugs. “But as they don’t know the danger of crossing the road, we need to be the ones who give them space.”
As we wait for the reindeer to move out of the way, I turn to Jasper and ask, “Do you think we’ll get to see the Northern Lights while we’re here?”
His eyes sparkling, he answers, “If we do, it’ll be worth the wait.”
I lean my head back against the seat and close my eyes, imagining what it must look like—the vibrant colors dancing across the sky, illuminating everything in sight. I can’t wait to experience it myself.
Suddenly, Jasper nudges my arm. “Look.”
I open my eyes, and there, right in front, is one of the reindeer staring at us. The other two have already made it to the other side. But the one seems to be interested in us or the truck. It watches us with its large, dark eyes. And I can’t stop staring back.
“It’s a she,” Jasper tells me, breaking the spell.
“How do you know?”
“Antlers,” is his one-word answer.
“What about them?”
“Typically, the male reindeer drop theirs after the mating season in the late fall or early winter, and females keep theirs through the winter. It’s actually believed that Santa’s reindeer are probably all female for that exact reason.”
“I should have known that only a group of females can lead Santa exactly where he needs to go.” I huff out a laugh. “Is it weird if I think it’s sexy how you know the weirdest facts?”
Jasper chuckles in a low, sexy way. “I like to read a lot during the away games and road trips whenever we have free time, so if that makes me sexy, why not.”
“Totally hot.”
He scoots closer and kisses me over the center console, his lips soft and inviting. I feel a shiver run down my spine as I wrap my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. His lips feel like they were made to fit perfectly with mine.
I pull away when I remember where we are and grin as I catch my breath. I then notice the reindeer approaching the driver’s side of the truck and sniffing around, her warm breath creating a fog on the window. I hold my breath, afraid to move and scare her away.
“Jasper—” I whisper when I finally exhale.
“I know,” he quietly replies before he slowly faces the road ahead, having a side view of the animal. I grab my phone from my pocket and take photos of the reindeer behind Jasper.
After a moment, she finally moves aside to be with her buddies, and Jasper starts up the truck again. There are five cars in line behind us, ready to continue driving.
“That was beyond amazing. Wow, I’ve got the chills,” I exclaim, moving my hands up and down my arms in a soothing motion.
“You’re having such great luck with everything on this trip.”
His comment makes me laugh. “Remember why we’re spending the holidays together?”
“Sure, but it feels like your luck has changed.”
He might be right. Since what I assumed is bad luck brought me to this incredible man.
We drive the rest of the way to our hotel in comfortable silence, and I admire the views, both outside and inside the truck.
“We’re here,” Jasper finally says, turning to a smaller road. “Welcome to our home for the next three nights.”
