Page 56 of Run, Run Rudolph
“Yeah,” she said softly, her voice filled with disappointment. “Family.”
I nodded, unsure why her expression seemed so hurt. Maybe she’d hoped to rid herself of all the Powells when she and Kade broke up.
I turned back to my brother, and focused on the point I was trying to make. “She should call me if she needs help. Any time.”
“She’s not family, and you’re not her personal hero.”
“Family,” Santa said sadly. “It’s important. Has Mrs. Claus made her oats?”
My phone chirped, then seconds later, rang. I popped out my phone, checked the caller ID, then the text that had preceded it, and finally silenced the whole thing.
“All the single ladies?” Kade chirped.
“Only Haden Powell can fill their lonely pre-Christmas emptiness,” Tamara added flatly. Great. Now she was ganging up on me? Where was her loyalty?
“If only he could make up his mind which one to choose,” Kade said, but Tamara didn’t smile.
“I’m keeping my options open,” I snapped back, fingers flexing hard on my phone. I forced my hands to relax and silently cursed how the female attention I received brought out my brother’s insecurities. The irony was that he wanted to play the field, and I was the one who wanted to settle down and move on with life.
“According to the latest census info from Stats Canada,” Tamara said, her chin tipped upward, “I’d say there’s about five hundred options within a short radius. And I’m sure you’ve already sampled at least half of them. You’ve got to be close to finding the woman of your dreams.”
I rolled my eyes at the dig. Clearly she didn’t know me as well as I thought if she believed I was the kind of man who would run through women like that.
Still, I respected the fact that Tamara was willing to bust my chops about it. It might mean she’d allow me to clear up any misconceptions she carried.
“I’m going to change my phone number,” I told the both of them. “Remind me not to give it to either of you.”
A plastic cooler fell over with a dull clunk. Blitzen had taken advantage of our distraction and his invisibility to nose the empty container, licking up tiny puddles that remained inside it.
Kade glanced toward the cooler but didn’t react to the reindeer. “You making yukaflux? Sweet! Party at Tamara’s! When? New Year’s Eve?”
“Uh. Guess not. I seem to have spilled the batch.”
“Bummer. Hey, where’s your cat?” Kade’s eyes narrowed.
“Not sure. He ran outside on me earlier. But he has a cat door to let him in here as well as into the house.”
Tamara crouched down and called Puss in Boots, crossing her fingers behind her back, clearly hoping her healthy cat didn’t come running.
Santa chimed in, calling, “Kitty! Puss, puss, puss!” and I saw Tamara cross her fingers so hard, I worried she might dislocate a knuckle.
Mew!
Well, apparently her crossed fingers had been a worthless waste of time—or maybe Santa’s magic overrode what little she could summon. Either way, her ebony-coloured cat ran in, clearly a healthy beast.
Santa scooped the cat into the air.
Surely Kade saw the flying feline, right?
“Cat seems fine,” Kade said, and I choked on a laugh. What did he see? Clearly, some sort of illusion that didn’t include Santa making cute chirpy sounds while Boots purred in his arms several feet above the barn floor.
“What are you two really doing in here?” Kade asked, eyes narrowed at my not-quite-controlled mirth.
“Fine! It’s a Christmas surprise,” Tamara blurted out. “Haden’s helping me, and you’re ruining it.”
“It’s for me?” The hope in his voice was ridiculous. “What is it?” He glanced around, spying the bag he’d given Tamara sitting next to Santa. “You haven’t opened your gift yet.”
I stepped in front of him. “Not everything is about you.”
