Page 62 of Rebel Without a Claus
They’re getting nervous with all the noise. It isn’t like my reindeer, but then again, no one in town has had them all strapped to a sleigh like this prior to today. From across the crowded lawn, I see Mr. Mikhail puts two fingers in his mouth and before I can stop him, he lets loose the loudest whistle I’ve ever heard.
All I can think to do in that moment is grab the reins right as Dasher and Prancer spook hard at the whistle, surging forward. The rest follow in a chain reaction of muscle and hooves.
The sleigh lurches violently, nearly pitching me into the crowd, but Eve grabs my coat like her life depends on it. A wave of shrieks and laughter follows us as we surge down the slope in this runaway sleigh.
“Don’t just sit there—do something!” she yells, clutching the bench as her hat slides sideways.
“What do you want me to do? Do you think I’m a literal reindeer whisperer?” I shout back, gripping the reins and hauling, but the reindeer only take it as encouragement, barreling faster.
“Well… kind of! Yeah!” She squeals and hides her face in my shoulder
“Hold on!” I bark, instinctively throwing an arm around Eve as the sleigh jerks off balance.
The sleigh skids, spraying snow as we careen downhill straight toward the twinkling lights of the town square. Bells are clanging, people are laughing, and Eve’s Mrs. Claus scarf flies loose, streaming behind her like some kind of festive flag of surrender.
Her wide eyes meet mine, and despite the panic in them, I catch it—the absurdity.
Eve clutches me, her eyes wide with terror. “Oh my God! Luke!” she cries. “We’re going to ruin Christmas,” she gasps.
“That’swhat you’re worried about right now?” I shout.
She merely nods, tears filling her eyes.
“We’re not going to ruin Christmas!” I say with conviction I don’t exactly feel as I grip the reins firmly in my white knuckled fists.
“Yes, we are!” she repeats. “We’re going to crash the sleigh and kill ourselves, and all the kids in town will be traumatized forever because Santa and Mrs. Claus died right before their very eyes?—”
I cup her jaw and amidst all the chaos, I pull her in for another kiss, this one, just for me. Just for us. “Eve, don’t take this the wrong way because I love you and all… but I need you to stop talking.”
She blinks up at me, startled. “You love me?” Before I can answer, we’re interrupted as we hit a rock, sending us momentarily into the air. And then the sleigh is flying, careening downhill, the town square looming fast ahead.
CHAPTER 21
Eve
We land in the town square with a bone-rattlingthud. The sleigh skids sideways, spraying snow across the cobblestones, and finally screeches to a halt beside the giant Christmas tree.
For a second, all I can hear is the pounding of my heart and the jingling of the reindeer’s harnesses. The poor things paw at the ground, tossing their heads like they just pulled off the stunt of the century.
And they kind of did.
But they’re fine.
And we’re fine.
Everyone’s fine.
Somehow, the sleigh’s still in one piece.
Miracle of miracles—Holly Ridge will not be suing us this Christmas… or revoking our trophy.
I hope.
I push my knit cap back up from where it’s practically swallowed my face and turn to Luke.
He’s staring at me like the world could explode right now and he wouldn’t notice. His Santa beard’s half-hanging off one ear,his hair is sticking up in six different directions, and yet—he’s never looked more heartbreakingly, stupidly handsome.
“You—you said you love me.” My voice comes out shaky, small. Like maybe I dreamed it while flying downhill on Santa’s personal death trap.
