Page 11 of Rebel Without a Claus
Success! She follows me step by painstaking step into the shed and I toss her an apple slice I have in my pocket instead of giving her even more candy canes. She chuffs her approval… or maybe her disappointment… but before she can bolt again, I close the makeshift gate and throw my hands in the air, doing a little victory dance. “Suck it, Blitzen!”
Exhaling, I fall back against the frame of the shed, catching my breath. “This is for your own good, too, girl.”
Blitzen flicks her tail and promptly poops.
I groan.
Still, as I glance around at my work, a sense of satisfaction fills me. This is it. This isstep one. If I can prove to Luke that I can handleonereindeer, maybe—just maybe—I can convince him to let me have all eight for the festival… hopefully eight that exclude Blitzen here.
Because if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that we need those reindeer to win.
And I amnotlosing.
Not to Luke.
Not to some big, corporate hotel chain.
Not to anything.
This is my town. My family’s legacy. And Christmaswillshine brighter than ever this year.
Even if I have to wrangle every last reindeer myself.
CHAPTER 5
Luke
Downtown Holly Ridge is a Christmas fever dream. Everywhere I turn, there’s garland, twinkling lights, and people wearing Santa hats like it’s a mandatory uniform. It’s like the whole town has been swallowed by a Hallmark movie, and I’m the one guy who missed the memo.
I finish loading the last crate of sweet potatoes into the back of a café’s storage room, dusting my hands off before pulling my truck door open. I glance at the time—still early enough to swing by The North Star Lodge and witness whatever destruction Blitzen has unleashed upon Eve.
The thought alone makes my mood lighten considerably.
Blitzen is a force of nature. Stubborn. Chaotic. A furry menace with hooves. And Eve, with all her relentless optimism and Christmas cheer, has no idea what she signed up for. She wanted to prove she could handle reindeer?
Well, she was getting a first-class lesson in regret.
I pull onto Main Street, but something catches my eye before I can make it past the library. A huge crowd of kids surrounds the fountain in the town square, their giggles and shoutscarrying through the crisp winter air. That’s weird. Storytime is usuallyinsidethe library, not out in the cold.
Then I seeher.
Right in the center of it all, dressed in a ridiculous elf costume—striped tights, green dress, jingling shoes, and all—Eve stands in front of the fountain, holding Blitzen’s reins in one hand and a children’s book in the other.
I grip the steering wheel.What the hell?
Blitzen stands beside herperfectly stillas she reads aloud from some storybook—The Happiest Elfor whatever overly cheery title it has. Blitzen’s ears twitch, but otherwise, she looks… calm. Obedient, even.
I blink, convinced I’m seeing things. My mind must be playing tricks on me.
Because my reindeer? The one who literally tried to eat my jacket yesterday? The one who kicked me into a pile of manure? She’s standing there like she’s some well-trained show pony.
And the kids? They areenchanted. They’re laughing, gasping at all the right moments, and some are even reaching out to take turns petting Blitzen’s nose like she’s the star attraction at a petting zoo. And Blitzen doesn’t even seem to mind.
Then I see it.
The unmistakable red-and-white stripes of a candy cane sticking out of Blitzen’s mouth as she chews and Eve, holding the next one out in her hand.
She finishes chomping on the one in her mouth, then happily takes the next one from the pinch of Eve’s fingers.
