Page 43 of Run, Run Rudolph
“You know there’s a glow-in-the-dark pull-tab thing in the trunk, right? You could’ve let yourself out at any time.”
The elf was silent for a long moment, then I heard the telltale click and pop of my trunk opening.
“Dude! I’m driving!”
The trunk lid rattled and banged up and down as I made my way through the snow-packed ruts toward the barn. Haden’s headlights bounced over us as he followed behind.
“Does Haden still believe in Christmas? He saw the herd outside his clinic.”
“Weakened walls. Belief. Touching Rudolph. What does it matter? He’s going on the list, too,” Snarky informed me in a bored tone. “You’ve both been interfering with the process of Christmas.”
“Haden’s innocent. I asked him to help.”
“He touched Rudolph. Gave him drugs. He’s aiding and abetting in the transportation of the lead reindeer to undisclosed locations within the Christmas bubble of time.” He sounded like a lawyer laying out charges, like they were cards in a game of Solitaire.
As I pulled my car up to the big barn doors, I checked the sky for reindeer circling to land or whatever they did. The last thing I needed was to mow down a few more of Santa’s drunken finest, and add to my list of growing charges. I grumbled my concerns aloud, becoming aware that I was quickly ending up in a pickle similar to what Char had had with Estelle. The magical world made their own rules and then held unwitting humans to those rules. Even if they didn’t know or understand them. And it looked like I was getting caught up in a big mess I had no clue about.
The only option was to get Rudolph healed and back home as soon as possible.
Chapter 13
~ Haden ~
There was a glow of determination in Tamara’s eyes by the time she parked her car and marched Rudolph into the barn along with the rest of the herd. I hoped they understood what they were up against.
Tamara might be a sweetheart, but she also had a way of making things go in the direction she thought best. I’d heard how kind and firm she could be with the kindergarteners in her school, and how she had them following her orders like imprinted ducklings within a day.
Hearing stories about Tamara always filled me with something I couldn’t describe. It was part pride and part something else that left me feeling good inside. She deserved to be recognized for all she did for others, and there needed to be more people like Tamara in the world. She was the type of person who inspired others. For example, I probably wouldn’t have thought to offer free care to animals in need every day throughout the month of December without her role modelling. And I knew some of her financial constriction this month was due in part for the way she’d filled a few of her student’s fridges this holiday season. Stuff like that didn’t stay secret in Eagle Creek.
Again, I hoped the reindeer understood who they were dealing with. The woman might give off warm, homey vibes ninety-nine per cent of the time, but that other one per cent? Watch out. You didn’t mess with Tamara, because once she decided something or her patience was up, the fuse was lit, and there was no putting it out.
Case in point, her giving my brother what-for in the grocery store during their breakup. When I’d heard the story, I’d felt embarrassed for Tamara, knowing she’d hate the rumours about her. But I’d also felt a lot of admiration and pride that she’d stood up for herself, and finally spoken to Kade in a way he couldn’t ignore.
Honestly, I hadn’t been able to stop grinning for a week.
She deserved better than my brother and had let him and others know it. She might be kind, and she might sometimes come across as a pushover, but she wasn’t.
Not to say my kid brother was a bad guy, but the two of them had never been the right match. He’d helped her open up and be less timid in high school, and she’d helped him cool his jets and get in touch with his calmer side. But Kade needed someone who would push back—constantly. And that wasn’t Tamara’s style. She was kind and gentle, and needed more space than a man like Kade would ever provide. Not that I believed myself to be the man for her. She needed someone she liked and respected, and somewhere along the line, I’d obviously failed her.
That was a crappy feeling. Failing a woman like Tamara who brought only good to the world.
Right now, despite her take-charge attitude, I’d bet she wanted to go curl up under some blankets with a cup of hot chocolate by her twinkling Christmas tree and lose herself in her next book club story.
I also knew she’d never do that because she was too much like me. She felt responsible to see this through, no matter how weird it was, because the idea of not helping fix Christmas was too huge of a weight.
“All right,” she announced, her voice carrying through the barn. She had her hands on her hips and was glowering at the reindeer, who were shifting nervously. I gently closed the door, curious what she’d command us to do.
“How are we getting Rudolph to the North Pole? I need an answer now. One that’s helpful and actionable.”
There was no reply from the herd. Even Dolly stepped further back in her stall, as though afraid to be in Tamara’s line of sight.
These were her boundaries, so firm you could ricochet off them.
“Now, boys.” She waited a beat. “Either you come up with a plan, or I figure out a way to contact Santa or Mrs. Claus. And might I remind you that I have a fairy godmother?”
A fairy godmother? I found myself taking in the barn, on the lookout for a small woman with wings. I didn’t see anyone who fit a fairy godmother description.
“So, it’s your choice as to how I proceed,” she continued. “Because we’re not sitting around any longer.”
