Page 10 of Reindeer in the Headlights
He cringed. “It’s pretty useless. There is an ugly sweater in there, but don’t worry about it.”
“I’m sure I have a pair of sweats and a T-shirt that’ll fit you.” I dug around, grabbed a few options for him, and left them on the bed. “If you need any help, let me know.”
To my surprise he did ask for my help a few minutes later, not in changing, but rather in getting onto the bed. I went in and helped him settle in and then got his foot on a pile of pillows. Afterward, I grabbed one of the dining chairs and set it beside him.
“What’s that for?” he asked.
“I thought maybe if the kittens wanted to join you, they could use it as a partway jump. If you hadn’t noticed, the bed is kinda high. They might need more than that, but I’ll figure that out if the time comes.”
“So clever.” He closed his eyes. “They sure are cute.”
“The cutest, now grab some sleep. I’m going to go down toward the road and call my brother. I think he has a friend with a tow truck, and that might be faster than waiting until it’s time to go into town.”
“Don’t go out there because of me.” He didn’t open his eyes, his words slower than normal. He was about to fall asleep.
“If I don’t call my brother in a snowstorm, he’s going to assume something happened to me. So don’t worry about it. I won’t be long.”
The trek down to the street was much better in the daylight, even if it was colder and snowier. I texted my brother, but not about the tow truck. No, I asked him if he’d ever scented someone so delicious that he wanted to lick them. It wasn’t really somethingI wanted anyone else to see, but it was my brother, and I trusted him completely.
He called back instantly, just like I knew he would.
“What does he smell like?” Jeffrey asked.
“Chocolate and cardamom.”
“So, basically, your two favorite smells?”
“Maybe?” There was no maybe to it, but I was freaking out about the direction this conversation was going, and any diversion was a good one.
“And why do you think someone would smell like your two favorite things?”
“I don’t know,” I lied. I knew, now that he’d led me there, and it terrified me.
My brother let out an exasperated sigh. “Start from the beginning and leave out no detail.”
“I’ll start from the beginning and leave out a few details, because it’s cold down here. We’re still in the middle of the storm.”
I told him everything, from the wild attraction I felt to the way my reindeer was acting to the car in the ditch.
“Okay, let’s start with the car. I bet Tommy can get it out in the morning. Probably. It looks like the road will be opened by then. Now, let’s move on to your hottie. Did you think maybe he might smell good and look good and fit your personality because, I don’t know, he could be your mate?” He was done playing games and cut straight to the chase.
“It’s impossible. He’s human. And besides, mates dream about each other’s beasts, and he doesn’t have one, so I can’t dream about his. And he’s human, so I’m pretty sure he isn’t going to dream about mine.”
I couldn’t allow myself the wishful thinking that he was mine, no matter how much having my brother say that he could be had set my heart thumping.
“Well, think what you will. I’m just putting it out there. I’ll have Tommy give you a call once he figures everything out.”
“And how’s he going to reach me? All I have right now is my cell phone, and it only works down here.”
“That won’t be for long. The crews are working on everything.”
“So you say.” My brother lived in town. He loved it there. Me? I was fine heading in there once, maybe twice a week. Max. But living in town meant he didn’t fully grasp how slowly things like road cleaning and phone repairs happened.
“All right, I gotta go, Jeffrey. Love you, bro.”
“Love you too, Ambrose. And don’t forget, mates don’t have to be the same beast.” He wasn’t letting it go.
“Maybe not, but they do have to have beasts.” If only that weren’t true. “Name one reindeer who’s mated to a human. Just one.”
