Part 54
Michael leaned up against the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over his chest, and his expression one of boredom as he waited and watched. His position gave him a perfect view of both the front and rear entrances to Mr. Tony's house as well as the closed door to the laundry room. The fingers of his right hand drummed against his upper left arm as he waited impatiently for Max to emerge from the depths of the small room that smelled like laundry soap and some kind of scented dryer sheets. He scratched the side of his head against the doorframe and smirked slightly as he realized that not only was Max going to be prancing around in tights, he was going to smell all fresh and clean. Like a spring meadow, he thought as the slogan for some laundry detergent commercial crossed his mind.
His gaze shifted over to the girls, bouncing dismissively over Liz's costumed form to lock on Maria. He had seen bits and pieces of the costumes of course, but that was before Isabel had bestowed her personal touch on them. He could identify denim, flannel, and well, tee shirt material, whatever it was, but he had no clue what she had used to create the costumes. It looked soft and his hands were just itching to see if it was anywhere close to being as soft as the skin it covered. She shifted, drawing his attention to her legs that were encased in some kind of green tights decorated with glittering snowflakes. He knew from his brief passing glance that the ones Liz wore were different only in that they were decorated with glittering candy canes.
The girls were gathered around the table with Isabel as they ooh-ed and ah-ed over the 3D model the Christmas Nazi and her co-organizer, Mrs. Dana, had created. He had no idea why this much planning was needed for what basically amounted to a nauseatingly overdone party. Battle strategies had probably been planned down to the most minute detail without this much fanfare.
He rolled his eyes and shifted restlessly as he listened to Isabel's Christmas psychosis shift into full swing. All he wanted was for this absurdity of a rehearsal to be done so he could spend some time with Maria. They were facing a serious time crunch and as far as he was concerned, all of these little extracurricular activities were just putting more stress on an already overtaxed situation. They needed to focus on the meeting with the Sheriff after the insanity of tomorrow's festivities and their subsequent departure the following morning.
His thoughts drifted back to their morning that had been cut short as he watched the animated expression on Maria's face. She was talking to Liz mostly and as she gestured with such energy he realized it only enhanced the shining radiance that seemed to surround her. Like the others she had gotten lost in this crazy Christmas nonsense.
"I love you, Michael."
He lifted his hand to settle over the scar as he remembered the feel of her lips gently moving over the rough patch of flesh. He was quickly losing the battle to keep his need for her under control. He shifted again and shot a glance at Kyle, hoping to see him urging Isabel to wrap things up so they could get the day moving. The sooner it was started the sooner it would be over. But did the ungrateful gnome cooperate? No, he only encouraged her interest in the days' events and it nearly pushed him over the edge.
He moved to stand next to the laundry room door and rapped his knuckles on the wood insistently. "How long does it take to put on some tights, a sweater, and a friggin' hat, Maxwell?" he growled. "You've been in there long enough to dress Santa's entire elf department."
Inside the laundry room Max barely caught himself before he snapped out an irritated "bite me". He shuffled to the door, feeling like he had lost the ability to bend his knees thanks to the tights he was trying to pull on. His earlier thoughts of banging his head on the wall came to fruition when he tripped and smacked his forehead against the door. That was enough to cause his entire face to flush bright red even though no one had been there to witness it. He cursed under his breath and finished the arduous task of putting tights on before stepping back and yanking the door open.
"Two words, Michael," he snarled under his breath, "Reindeer glue."
He stood there staring at his friend and gave a valiant effort to not just laugh in his face. The costume that had been enhanced by the Christmas Nazi's own hands now came complete with a scratchy-looking tunic that dropped down to cover his um… essentials. Personally he was grateful for the addition because anything else would've just been too much information. His gaze lifted to the elf hat that topped off the entire outfit and he just nodded when he saw the jingle bell attached to the end. It was while he was biting the inside of his cheek hard enough to nearly draw blood that he realized the room had gone dead silent.
That was immediately interrupted by Isabel as she joined them. "What was that, Michael?"
Crap! He turned to meet her intense stare as he took a step back. "What?" He could hear Max snickering behind him but as far as he was concerned he'd have the last laugh because he wasn't the one prancing around in festive holiday tights and wearing a pointy little hat with a jingle bell.
Isabel's eyes narrowed but her lips pulled up in a smile that just dared him to repeat what had just been said. "Reindeer…?" she asked, doing her best to lead him into the trap.
Across the room Kyle was rubbing his face and trying to avoid laughing out loud. He shot a glance at his friend who was doing his level best to not be pinned down for his remarks. He was enjoying the show as Michael tried his best to avoid Isabel's clutches and she was having so much fun trying to nail him for the comment that he just didn't have the heart to step in. This was much better than her quiet, introspective mood at breakfast as they had been surrounded by all of the couples that seemed to be so close.
Michael crossed the room to sit down next to Maria, buying time as his gaze zeroed in on the Christmas cookie tins at the center of the table. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the impatient toe-tapping that indicated her highness was still waiting for an answer. "Wrangler," he barked. "Reindeer Wrangler, okay?"
Liz cracked a smile when she caught Maria's gaze.
Kyle was still watching Michael as he snatched one of the tins that Julia had placed on the table before they had arrived, wondering if he should warn him that they had been put there expressly to thaw for the next day. The guy was so confident that he had no role beyond tomorrow's expectation that he arrive wearing the fat man's suit. Confidence or denial? His musings were interrupted when Maria spoke up.
"Michael, what're you doing?! Those cookies are clearly out to thaw for tomorrow."
Next to drying the tub after a shower that was the next most absurd thing he'd ever heard. Thawing cookies? Why would you freeze them in the first place? He gave her a knowing look accompanied by a snort as he plowed through the cookies, searching for the perfect sugary, buttery treat. His big hand paused when he found a snowman missing its head. "Looks like this one goes first," he said and bit into the cookie.
Maria just stared at him, fighting back a smile when he grinned and mumbled around a mouthful of cookie that it wasn't frozen, it was perfectly thawed. She shook her head when he didn't even finish chewing the first one before he began pawing through the tin for his next treat. "How can you be hungry after three plates of pancakes, six sausage patties, and four cups of hot chocolate for breakfast?" she asked incredulously.
He didn't miss a beat as he plucked out a reindeer cookie and leaned back to pull a small bottle of hot sauce out of his front pocket. He opened it up and liberally sprinkled the hot liquid onto the sugary treat and gave her a brief glance. "Hey, Snowflake, what are you, the Christmas cookie police?"
She gave him a disbelieving look. "Where'd you get that bottle?" She pointed at the evidence that was plain as day. "That's premeditation, buddy!"
Michael leveled his gaze on her and placed the bottle on the table as he slowly and deliberately shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth. He chewed it slowly, savoring the blend of flavors on his tongue as he leaned towards her, his eyes locked on her lips. His voice was low to keep the words between them and husky enough to make her shiver when he murmured, "I'm still hungry, Snowflake."
Kyle lifted the planner a good 10 inches off of the table and dropped it, hoping to break up the moment between his friends. When that didn't seem to phase them he looked to Liz for help.
"You're on your own," she said, familiar enough with Michael and Maria's moments to know when to leave them alone. "I think I'll go check on Max."
Isabel just rolled her eyes, unconcerned with interrupting their moment or with their annoyance over said interruption. "You two should get a room."
Michael's gaze remained locked on Maria. "You're right, but Snowflake is on elf duty today."
Maria looked over at Isabel and then back to Michael, so ready to wipe that know-in-all smirk off of his face. "Well, the same can be said for Santa."
He just shook his head. "Santa doesn't do rehearsal, Snowflake."
And that was his cue. Kyle stood and reached for the planner, his laughing eyes meeting Isabel's as he held it out. "Planner?"
She returned his grin. "Why, thank you, Mr. Valenti." Her eyes flashed at Michael as she unsnapped the leather strap that bound the covers together and reached inside for the pen. She began sorting through the list, checking off a few of the items and moving to the bottom of the page to tack on a few new things as they came to mind. She peered over the top of the planner and flashed a smile at Michael. "Did you happen to notice just how beautifully made Maggie's little costume is?"
He shrugged one shoulder and snapped a cookie in half. "What, you want a parade in your honor?"
She rolled her eyes. "I didn't make it. Julia made it with her own hands," she said with a bright smile. "Of course, that's most likely due to the fact that her sewing machine is at our cabin as a cover."
"Not really seein' your point."
She stared at him for a minute, her jaw working as she tried to come up with a suitable response. "Anyway, according to the planner you have an appointment with the Reindeer Whisperer."
"No."
"Um-hmm," she went on as if he hadn't spoken. "You'll need to learn how to handle the reins so you don't scare the children by being dragged through their midst."
"Yeah, not gonna happen. This Santa isn't reindeer friendly. He's a little more up-to-date. You wanna turn one of those fleabags into a Chevelle we can talk. Otherwise, you can go suck on a pine cone."
Maria turned to look at him, ready with a response, but it was cut short when she saw his facial muscles shift as his body tensed. Her senses went on alert in response to his demeanor and she immediately picked up on the sound of the front doorknob turning. She turned in time to see the door fly open and absentmindedly noticed Kyle shifting to put himself between Isabel and whoever was coming through the door.
Maggie's face was pale beneath the flush that nearly matched the red of her costume as she rushed into the room. Her eyes shone with tears as the words burst out of her so quickly that it was difficult to put the words together at first.
"What's wrong with Cupid?" Maria asked as she knelt down in front of the little girl.
"You gotta come quick!" She rubbed the back of one gloved hand over her eyes. "Stefanie needs help with him."
Julia came in behind her upset daughter, her tone of voice gentle and low as she knelt down to meet Maggie's eyes. "Honey, it's okay. Stefanie and Travis know how to handle him."
"But he's scared, Mama. He ran outta the barn when she tried to put his harness on an' he's so close to the driveway."
Maria glanced back at Michael and Max, her own voice soothing as she spoke up. "Don't you worry, Maggie, we have Santa's Reindeer Wrangler here. And," she held her hand out in her boyfriend's direction, gesturing for him to join them, "your Captain of the Guard's here too." She lowered her voice. "He knows Santa, remember?"
Yeah, that's right, Snowflake, Michael thought with an internal growl, just tell her how I'm gonna go out and save that fleabag. He wouldn't though. He had rules. And putting himself out in front of a crazed four-legged coat rack was on the list of things he didn't do.
Maggie inhaled raggedly as she looked past Santa's special elves to let her watery gaze rest on the guys. She brought her sniffling under control and the trembling in her chin settled as her eyes locked on her Captain. "Please come help Cupid? He's so scared."
And there went every one of his rules about four-legged coat racks. Without consulting his brain about his opinion, he felt his feet take the few short steps over to Maggie and he saluted. "Your Captain, reporting for duty, Princess Maggie."
Julia looked up at Michael and mouthed a thank you.
Michael gave a sharp nod in her direction and then turned to Max. "Princess Maggie requires the aid of Santa's Reindeer Wrangler." It wasn't a question it was an order from the Princess' Captain of the Guard.
Isabel bit down a laugh, working hard to stifle a snort at the expression on her brother's face.
He reached for Maggie's hand as Maria stood to meet him. "Lead the way, Princess Maggie."
Travis, Stefanie, and Cupid came into view the moment they came around the corner of the barn and he glanced down when her gloved fingers tightened around his. He stopped and held his hand out behind him to warn the others coming up behind him, wanting them out of the animal's line of sight just in case.
Maggie shifted and the quiet sound of the jingle bells drew his gaze to her more so than the movement. He reached down and picked her up, silencing the tiny alarms. His eyes never left Cupid's position as he spoke quietly, "We need to be very quiet and still."
She wrapped her arm around his neck tightly and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Yes, my Captain."
It only took a moment for Michael to size up the situation. Although Stefanie had Cupid's lead rope and her brother was slowly working his way towards her to give her a hand it was clear the reindeer was still uneasy. His broad hooves pawed the ground and his eyes moved to Travis, noting the cautious way he slowed his approach to a stop.
How did he get into these situations? "Is Cupid doin' any better since you saw him a few minutes ago?"
Maggie watched the reindeer, her eyes widening when he shook his head, snorting loudly and expelling a loud breath that hung in the air for a moment before dissipating. She nodded slowly and then looked at Michael. "He's still too close to the driveway though."
He shifted the little girl in his arms and turned to talk to the Reindeer Wrangler. "Got a plan that doesn't involve me getting run over by a ton of muscle?"
"Pretty sure he doesn't weigh anywhere close to that," Kyle spoke up from his position leaning against the side of the barn. "Stefanie was saying they – "
"Stuff a sock in it, Secretary," he growled quietly. "I was talkin' to Santa's Chief Reindeer Wrangler."
Max just made a face at his sister before shifting his gaze back to Michael. His first thought was going out there in the outfit he had been stuck with would probably be enough to scare the reindeer into flight, but he decided against sharing that. "We need to think this out before we do anything."
"Yes," Kyle agreed with a solemn expression on his face. It almost hurt to keep a straight face as he lifted his gaze to the jingle bell dangling from the hat of Antar's leading royal family member. "Yes, thinking it through, that's probably the wisest thing we could do right now."
Michael ignored the two of them as he mentally calculated just how much money he'd have lining his pockets if he got paid every time Max made one of those comments. He was just about to roll his eyes to punctuate his thoughts when Maggie suddenly shifted. "What is it?" he asked, eyebrows unconsciously lifting as her eyes grew wide and her mouth moved.
"Ohhhh," she uttered, dragging the word out, "maybe we can get Cupid to come into the barn with some of Mama's Christmas cookies." She looked at him, her expression completely serious. "Like in my movie, Prancer." She looked at Mama over his shoulder. "Mama, may we have some Christmas cookies?"
Yeah, let's feed it, he thought. Load it up on cookies, because if it's not crazy now, it will be after a sugar rush. He gave himself a mental shake and studied the reindeer, noting his demeanor and realizing he could identify with that feeling of being closed in. Travis was about five feet from getting his hands on the lead rope and his sister was the only thing between Cupid and the driveway that led out to the busy road. It was time to do something.
He slowly and carefully set Maggie back down on her own two feet, one hand on her shoulder to keep her beside him and prevent her from bolting out to help with Cupid. "The cookies on the kitchen table," he said as he looked at Julia, "they out for tomorrow? The Princess may be onto something with her idea; she may just need to procure some for Plan B," he said, giving her a wink.
"They were put out as refreshments for Santa's special elves and helpers as they dressed for rehearsal. I told Edward and the boys they were out thawing for tomorrow's event." She stretched a hand out for her daughter. "I'll take the Princess up to the house for the cookies just in case Plan B needs to be enacted."
Maggie's lower lip trembled for a brief moment as she stared at Mama's hand. "But, what if the Captain needs me and I'm not here?"
Michael gave Julia a quick smile and hunkered down in front of Maggie. "I'm gonna talk to Santa's Reindeer Wrangler and get Plan A goin'." He reached up and pressed one gloved finger to the tip of her nose for a moment. "Your job's to get those cookies just in case we need to move on to Plan B." He grinned at her. "Every good soldier knows you've gotta have a backup plan just in case Plan A doesn't work out the way you think it should."
She looked at Cupid and then back at Michael, wiping her gloved hand over her eyes and nodding before whispering a solemn, "Okay."
Maria came up behind Michael as Maggie and Julie walked back to Mr. Tony's house and she stretched up on her tiptoes to get a look at Cupid. She pressed her lips together tightly and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly and forcing her mouth to relax. "Michael, what're you gonna do? I know he's not like huge or anything, but he does have antlers."
"I'm not gonna do anything," he said with a look in Max's direction. "Got a reindeer wrangler here and last I heard he was thinking up a plan."
Max shot a look at him. "Hey, I didn't ask for this, remember? This foolishness is all Isabel's idea."
Liz reached over and placed a hand on her husband's arm. "Max, maybe you can help. You remember when Rudy was chewing on Cindy's scarf and you managed to get it free? Even though you gave him a little nudge he responded well to you afterwards. Maybe if you can get eye contact with him you could form a connection like you do when you heal."
He glanced at the reindeer, trying not to lose focus by counting every point on the antlers sprouting from the animal's head. His eyes softened as he met her hopeful gaze. "Liz, it doesn't work that way. Even if I could get him to look at me without bolting I have to touch him in order to connect. Besides, I've never tried it on an animal before."
"That's not true," Isabel offered helpfully. "Mom has that video of you healing a bird."
Kyle stretched his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Looks like Plan A bombed so that leaves us with Plan B." He rubbed his hands together as his gaze bounced between Max and Michael. "So which one of you plans to go out there and have cookie time with Cupid?"
Michael glared at him, the force of it easily outmatching that of both Max and Isabel.
"What?" He shrank back with a small but irrepressible grin. "What'd I say? Always seems to work on you, Mi Capitan, and when it comes to moods I'd say you easily leave Cupid in the dust."
"Look."
Maria and Liz' hushed voices interrupted before Michael could respond and the others turned to follow their pointing fingers to look at the scene unfolding before them. Travis carefully wrapped one gloved hand around the lead rope dangling from Cupid's halter and Stefanie was petting the side of the reindeer's neck as her brother held his free hand out, palm side up, offering a shiny red apple. They all held their breath, releasing it collectively when Cupid snorted and tossed his head lightly before accepting the treat.
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Maggie walked into the barn and looked around, her eyes bouncing from the white lights interspersed with the garland that decorated the rafters to the activity around the reindeer pen. For a moment her gaze was pulled away and excitement fluttered in her chest when she saw Santa's chair holding its prominent position in the center of the barn. She knew the tables set up around the large area would be filled to overflowing the next day, weighed down with cookies and hot cider.
She looked up at Mama and tugged on her hand. "Mama, can I go see Cupid?"
Julia smiled as she met her daughter's eager expression. "I don't know, can you?"
"Oh," she smiled and she twisted and turned on the balls of her feet, "may I?"
"Why don't we give him just a few minutes to settle back in first?" she suggested in that tone that made it clear the question wasn't really a question at all.
Maggie heaved a weighted sigh. "Okay." She pulled her hand free to point across the room. "But Max is going over."
"Honey, Max is a grown man." She bit back the smile that wanted so badly to surface when her little girl wrinkled her nose and turned back to watch Max. It was only a matter of moments before she was distracted again.
"Well, can I go see Michael? I can take the cookies to him." She held up the little baggie holding a cookie for Cupid and a couple for her Captain.
"Go ahead, just stay back until I let you know it's alright to go over to see Cupid."
Maggie kicked a pile of straw out of her way as she moved over to stand next to Michael. She didn't know why Mama had to say no. If it was okay for Max to go then it was okay for her to go too. She sighed heavily and her eyes stared at the jingle bells on her toes. Boys always got to have the most fun!
"What's that look for, Princess Maggie?" Michael asked when he felt the little hand slip into his and he looked down to see her bottom lip sticking out as she stared across the barn. He turned to scoop her up in his arms, settling her against his side as he shifted to follow her gaze. "Oh, you're wantin' to go see Cupid, right?"
"Yeah, but Mama said not 'til she said it's okay."
He nodded and kept his own expression serious. "Yeah, Moms are like that sometimes."
"Why?" She pointed at Max. "Cupid's being nice to him."
Michael chuckled and watched his friend as he paused in front of the reindeer that was now calmly munching on an apple. He knew when Max reached out to pet the animal and he saw the way he was staring into the dark eyes watching his every move that he was forming a connection with Cupid. "Funny thing about that is most people, and animals too, seem to respond well to Max. But I'm sure once he's had some time to visit we'll be able to go over and see him."
"I don't wanna see Max."
"No," he laughed, "we'll go over and see Cupid. If your mom says it's okay, of course." He patted her back. "Once she sees how well behaved he is with Max I bet she'll say yes."
"Okay."
It didn't take long before Max finished his visit and he started to walk away, only to be summoned by Isabel. She was manically checking things off in her planner, once again with Kyle's full support and encouragement. She went over something with both of them for a minute or two and then sent Kyle off on an errand. Michael wondered what she was telling him when her expression turned serious but his attention was pulled away by Maggie tugging on his collar.
"What's up?"
She pointed at Maria and Liz who were busy discussing something else a few feet away, motioning at the tables and nodding as they came to an agreement about whatever it was. "Look," she whispered. "Look at their clothes."
He cleared his throat. "Yo, Snowflake, Candy Cane, front and center."
Maria just turned her head, flashing a condescending smile at him. "Can we help you?"
His right hand stretched out and he pointed at the floor in front of him. "Got a special elf over here that noticed your outfits." And if this day didn't end soon one of those outfits was either gonna kill him or get him in serious trouble.
She grinned when she saw his gaze roving over her elf costume and quickly decided she needed to shift his focus elsewhere. She and Liz moved to join them and she reached up to take Maggie's hand when the little girl leaned forward to run her hand over the shoulder of her outfit.
"You're secret elves," she whispered reverently.
Liz pressed her forefinger to her lips. "Shhh," she hushed, "we can't tell anyone."
Maggie's eyes widened. "But your work for HIM."
Michael chuckled at the little girl's wondrous tone. "Someone has to fetch Santa's Snapple and make sure he gets a good foot rub."
The little girl made a face and looked at the girls. "You gotta rub his feet?"
"It's a dirty job but someone has to do it," Maria said with a nod.
"Hey, the guy's feet probably hurt at the end of the day after lugging around those heavy boots for hours on end."
"Oh, yeah, bet they hurt a lot, huh?" Maggie sympathized. "So you gotta rub 'em real good, okay?"
He just grinned when the girls exchanged a look and then gave Maggie a smile and a promise to do just that.
"I'm not rubbing his feet," Liz muttered under her breath.
Michael turned his head to look at her, lowering his voice so it wouldn't carry to Maggie. "You have a Reindeer Wrangler who's likely to have chafed body parts after wearing those tights all day." He grinned unrepentantly. "You're probably gonna have other things to rub."
She made a face at him. "If I were you, I'd watch it. Isabel doesn't need much encouragement to have you doing all kinds of things today and it wouldn't take much to drag today out. I'm sure we'd all make the sacrifice just to see her having you jump through hoops."
"Michael? Michael?" Maggie yanked on his collar to get his attention. "Can we go see Cupid now?"
He glared at Liz. "You try to drag this out and you'll spend all day tomorrow itching," he growled before turning his head to smile at the little girl he held. "Cupid, right. Let's go make sure it's okay with your mom and then we'll take him a cookie."
Liz rolled her eyes when he walked away and she smiled at Maggie when the little girl waved at them over his shoulder. "You do realize he's still… Michael," she grumbled finally.
Maria just laughed and nodded. "Yeah, I know." Her eyes softened as she watched him talking to Julia before he and Maggie went over to the pen where Stefanie was standing next to Cupid.
Cupid was chewing on an apple, his teeth grinding it up and making a loud crunching sound as they approached. The dark eyes, so soft and warm now that he was once again calm, watched them curiously, and he made a sound low in his throat when Stefanie reached up to rub his neck.
"May we give Cupid a cookie?" Maggie asked when they were close enough to speak without startling the reindeer or his handler.
"Sure, I think he'd like that," Stefanie said with a smile. She showed the little girl how to hold it so he wouldn't accidentally nip her little fingers.
"So what happened back there?" Michael watched every move the reindeer made closely, ready to intervene if Cupid did anything that might risk his little Princess's safety.
She smiled and gently ran her hands over Cupid's shoulder and neck. "If you look you can see the scars where he was hurt." She nodded when he shifted to follow her direction. "Sometimes he gets a little spooked when we're harnessing him, the straps settle over the scarred areas and it triggers a fear response. See, when he received these injuries he was trapped by barbed wire and it kept him immobilized. The harder he fought against it, the worse he got hurt."
Michael reached up and rubbed his chest unconsciously. "But he's safe to have around the kids tomorrow?"
"Oh, yeah, he'll be harnessed well before people start arriving. Once he's ready and he's had a little time to adjust he's fine. We wouldn't bring him if he was gonna spook and scare the kids." She winked. "Not to mention, we don't want him to take off running with Santa at the reins." He swallowed hard as his gaze moved over the reindeer and she laughed as she reached out to pat his arm. "Don't worry, Santa's always in perfect control. He has elves that make sure everything runs the way it should."
"Great," he muttered. They wouldn't really put Cupid in the rig to pull the sleigh would they?
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Max stomped his boots on the tiny porch outside of the cabin Isabel and Kyle were sharing and did his best to ignore the grumbling coming from behind him. Was it his fault his sister had decided it was time to redecorate her cabin and she had chosen them to do all the heavy lifting? He probably could've dealt with the rest of it, but like Michael, crossing the snow-covered driveway and hauling Julia's sewing machine up to the main house hadn't been anywhere on his agenda today. However, that didn't mean he was having fun listening to Michael still griping about it after the fact.
"Just for the record," he muttered as he turned to look at his friend, "I didn't enjoy that either. But it's what Isabel wanted so what was I supposed to say?"
"Uh, the word no comes to mind."
"Yeah, and it's worked so well for you every time you've said no to her since we got here." He smirked. "Or practically every time you've said no to her since we were six years old."
"I'm not the one who was standin' there with my head bobbin' up an' down, agreeing to what she wanted like a mindless drone. And that's fine, if you wanna be a mindless drone, go for it, but don't drag me into it with you."
Max just rolled his eyes and turned the door knob. "Look, if you wanna tell her we're not gonna rearrange the cabin, then take your life in your own hands and tell her. You know how she gets when she has her mind set on something."
He followed Max inside. "I have no problem tellin' her. Someone needs to set her straight – "
"Tell me what?" Isabel asked, one eyebrow lifted in question.
Michael opened his mouth to unload on her but before he could get the first word out she turned around and started consulting the almighty planner once again.
"Alright, the first thing I want you to do is move the smaller furniture out of Kyle's room."
Max gawked at her. "Say what?"
"You'll need room to take the bunk beds down and reassemble them as a single unit. Kyle works too hard to be cramming himself into one of those tiny beds every night." She smiled and checked an item off of her list. "Oh, and when you're finished with that you'll need to put all of the other furniture back."
"What's the point?" Michael muttered.
"Excuse me?"
"Clean your ears out, you insane party planner. We're leavin' day after tomorrow. At first light we're outta here. You can have your little Christmas thing and then we're gone. That was the deal. So what I'm wantin' to know is why adjust things now? He's been bunkin' in here with no problem so far, what's a couple more nights?"
She waved the hand wielding the pen dismissively. They were not leaving before Christmas, she thought adamantly. "Like I said, smaller furniture out first. It shouldn't take long, there really isn't that much and there are two of you." She snapped the planner closed and pivoted on her heel as she took in the room around them. "Alright, get to work. Kyle will only be busy helping Edward and the boys move things to the bowling alley for so long." She handed a sheet of paper to her brother and graced him with a smile. "I'll leave the diagram with you since I know you won't tear it up and throw it away like some people." She leveled a look on Michael, who only shrugged. "Now, I need to get back and check on the progress over at Mr. Tony's."
"Great job tellin' her how we weren't gonna do the heavy lifting," Max said after his sister had taken her leave. He turned the diagram around to study it.
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Stefanie chuckled quietly and reached over to place her hand on top of Michael's white-knuckled fists where they were clenched around the reins. "You're gonna have to relax. These guys can feel your tension through the reins. What they need to feel is confidence and I can see you're a confident guy. You're used to being in charge, right?"
He sat up a little straighter but only gave a nonchalant shrug.
"You've watched westerns, right?"
"I guess. When nothin' else was on." Laughter caught his attention and his eyes tracked Maria as she helped Liz hang more decorations. He shook his head when Eddie ran over to her and started to flap his gums, gesturing excitedly as he told her about something he felt was worthy of her attention.
"Hey, Santa, you're gonna need to stay focused," Stefanie chastised gently. "I'll be right here with you just in case but you don't wanna lose control and take off with runaway reindeer because you can't keep your eyes off of Snowflake."
"I'm focused," he growled.
"Um-hmm, I can tell. But we'll wanna keep that focus on the reindeer. Now, what I was saying about westerns… have you ever noticed the way the cowboys held the reins? Or the way they sat in the saddle or on a wagon?"
He shrugged. "Not really."
She nodded. "Okay, well, think about it now. They weren't tense. They were relaxed, loose-limbed, and the reins were held," she shook his hands, "without a death grip. Like those horses, the reindeer are trained to respond to cues, to pressure, and to the confidence of the person holding the reins." She hid a smile. "Now, we can do this tomorrow and I can put on an elf costume and hold the reins for you…" Oh, yeah, that'd kick him into gear. He was not the kind of guy who wanted anyone, and certainly not a girl, showing that she was better at something than he was.
"What? Look, I may not be thrilled about this stupid Santa-fest, but I'm not gonna have a bunch of brats wantin' to know why Santa's got an elf steering the sleigh." He rolled his shoulders and clenched his hands a couple of times before visibly forcing himself to relax. "Alright, I've got this."
Stefanie hid a grin. "Yeah, that's much better." She reached over and demonstrated how to move the reins and give the correct commands to get her boys moving. "See? Easy as pie," she said when they began to move, the reindeer calmly pulling the sleigh in a circle around the pen. "And the distance we just covered is less than what you'll need for tomorrow's shindig. According to Isabel you'll enter through the barn doors as the snow flies around you, giving your arrival a truly magical moment."
"Magical my ass," he grumbled. "Maybe your brother would like to play Santa."
She glanced over at Travis and snorted. "My brother would sooner walk around outside in his boxers in the dead of winter than put on a red velvet suit."
"I can respect that." He gently pulled back on the reins the way she had showed him and as soon as the brake had been set on the sleigh he made his escape.
Across the room Isabel was finally, finally, wrapping things up and he was so ready to snatch Snowflake up and head back to their cabin. He came up next to Maria and inhaled her scent, taking it in deeply and slowly releasing a breath as he wrapped his arm around her. He smirked at Eddie when he saw the look of disappointment on the boy's face. Get over it, kid, she's mine. "So, we're all done here? We can go?"
"Oh, Michael, haven't you been paying attention?"
His nerves grated when Isabel called out to him, her sickeningly sweet tone warning him that she was about to say something he did NOT want to hear. "What?"
"A bunch of the folks around here are so happy that Christmas on the Lake is happening that they've put together a little gathering for tonight."
He grunted when she gave him a big smile laced with innocence. He knew better. "Great, bring us a plate when you come back."
Isabel shook her head at him. "Oh, no, Michael, it's for ALL of us, you included. It'd be rude for any of us not to go. And after everything the Stevens have done for us it wouldn't do for us to be rude, would it?"
Maria bit her bottom lip when Isabel completely derailed Michael's train of thought. She knew exactly what his plans were. He had been watching her like a hawk all day and she had taken several opportunities to tease him, knowing it was driving him insane to be able to look but not touch. "Don't worry," she whispered in his ear, "it's just a few more hours."
He groaned quietly and shot a glare at Isabel. She had probably orchestrated the entire idea, he thought grumpily.
"C'mon," Maria took his big hand in one of her smaller ones, "let's go get ready."
"Freaking great," he mumbled, "as if this day hasn't been enough fun, let's add a night at the bowling alley to it." He could just picture the kind of gathering it was gonna be and nothing about his imaginary rendering of the scene made him want to attend.
Kyle came up behind him and slapped him on the back. "C'mon, El Capitan, it'll be a blast. A little bit of bowling, a bunch of pizza, and hey, I know you're gonna be thrilled when I tell you this next part… are you ready?" He nodded. "They've got karaoke!"
Michael just glared at him.
"Yep, I knew you'd be excited as soon as I saw the stage." He grinned widely. "Now I know you're a little shy about getting up in front of a crowd, but maybe we could get Evans up there, huh? I'm thinkin' a rockin' Christmas song, he can sport that little elf hat…"
"I think you can both bite me," Max grumbled. "I don't sing for anyone." He rolled his eyes at them when they started debating whether or not they could actually get him on the stage.
Liz watched him thoughtfully, her mind running over a list of questions. She mentally kicked herself and started to go after him. "We'll go get ready. How long do we have?"
Isabel checked the ever-present planner and then the time. "About half an hour to get ready, 15 more minutes to give us some breathing room, so, let's say we all meet at the van in 45 minutes." She smiled when her decree was met with silence that she took as ascent. "Very good. Kyle, let's go. Julia said we could get ready up at the house."
Michael snorted when Kyle just grinned and went to retrieve their coats so they could go.