Sleighed by the Farmer’s Daughter (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter Three

Mackenzie couldn’t feel her toes, and Seth was convinced he’d never be warm again. By the time they reached the barn, the wind had turned Mackenzie’s cheeks a bright cherry red. Seth jumped out to swing open the doors so Mackenzie could guide the sleigh down the center aisle. He was taken aback when an entire herd of reindeer popped their heads over the stable doors and started grunting their greeting.

Mackenzie quickly released Dasher from her harness and got her into her stall before scooping feed into each stall’s bucket.

“How many of these beauties do you have?” Seth asked, touring the barn after closing the doors to seal out the elements.

“I can’t say I’ve counted since I got home, but probably around fifteen. There will be more in spring when the babies drop.”

“Is your family some kind of reindeer breeder or something?” Seth asked, never having heard of such a thing.

“I don’t know if it’s official, but sort of. My family started Santas’ Village almost a hundred years ago, and each generation brings something new to the experience. My dad’s was the reindeer. He said when he was a boy, he didn’t understand why a Clydesdale pulled Santa’s sleigh and not reindeer, so when he took over the village in his twenties, he changed it. Now, raising this herd of reindeer is his hobby.”

“Why so many? Can they do anything else besides pull the sleigh? Doesn’t seem very practical,” Seth commented, thinking through the possible scenarios.

“Well, he needs eight for Santa’s sleigh, and they don’t live forever, so he has to keep young ones coming up to fill the harness. Is any hobby ever really practical? Most of the time, they take a bunch of resources but just bring a person joy. These guys work three weeks a year and play with Dad and sometimes my brothers the other 49 weeks. They aren’t born knowing how to pull a sleigh and put on a grand show for people. That takes long hours of training and domestication before he will allow anyone near them. Hearing the kids’ responses when he brings them out makes it worth it, though, and these furry friends love it. Don’t you, Prancer? You love dancing for the visitors.”

The large beast chuffed and grunted as she scratched her enormous head, the full rack of fuzzy antlers bouncing in pleasure.

Soon after the reindeer feeding was finished, Mackenzie led the way to her home, fighting the wind with every step. It was an imposing two-story brick structure that was nothing like the farmhouses Seth had ever seen. Christmas lights wrapping the window wreaths and draped over bushes twinkled despite the storm.

“Welcome to Cloverdale Farms,” Mackenzie said, guiding him inside the mud room where they removed their wet shoes and outer layers. “Let’s get you some warmer clothes. You look like a car salesman in your khakis and polo.”

She found some of her older brother’s clothes in the laundry room for Seth to wear, and he gratefully changed. The pants were a few inches too short, and the shirt needed an extra fifty pounds of muscle to fill out, but it would work for the short term.

“Dinner’s ready in the crockpot. Get comfortable in the family room. It’s warmest in there,” she called from the kitchen. “Hope you like chili.”

“Chili sounds amazing,” Seth replied, taking in his surroundings. The warmth from the pellet stove was a welcome relief. The room was cozy and festive, decorated with garlands and a large Christmas tree.

Seth placed a call to Eric while Mackenzie finished preparing dinner. The signal was weak, and the voices distorted, but he needed his family to know he was safe. “Eric, I’m safe at Cloverdale Farms. I’ll miss Christmas. Tell Sarah I’m sorry.”

“– safe – see – when – – passes. Love – Merry –” Eric’s voice sounded like Darth Vader, but Seth got the message before the line went dead, his last bar of cell service vanishing into the snowy ether.

Moments later, they settled on the floor in front of the pellet stove, balancing bowls of steaming chili and crackers on trays across their laps.

“So, Peppermint, what’s an elf like you doing in a place like this?” Seth teased, spooning chili into his mouth.

Mackenzie laughed. “You can call me Mack when I’m out of uniform; all my family does. I’m trying to save Christmas. My family runs a dairy farm and creamery for a living, but Santa’s Village, or the North Pole, as the kids call it, is kind of our thing. A family legacy, if you will. My family had to leave town for a few days to attend a funeral, and this storm hit unexpectedly, delaying their return home. Now, I have to try and get everything together, which would normally take eight people to prepare.”

Seth whistled. “Well, you’re certainly dedicated. Most people would stay inside with hot cocoa, not go out in a blizzard wearing a costume... no matter how popular their family attraction may be.”

“Yeah, well, dedication or insanity, take your pick,” Mackenzie said with a grin. “But seriously, I couldn’t disappoint the townsfolk who had signed up for pictures or leave the town up to get damaged.”

“Wait a minute, you were out in this storm doing a photo shoot?” Seth asked incredulously.

“It wasn’t storming this morning,” Mackenzie defended. “I canceled the sessions scheduled for the evening. It’s not my fault the storm blew in several hours earlier than expected. I had to clean up the photo shoot and undo all the work my brothers did before they left. So now, on top of all the work my mother and I do for Santa’s Village every year, I will need to clean up the mess this blizzard leaves behind, resurrect all the facades I just knocked down, and finish setting up the town before 11 o’clock on the 24 th . Oh, and entertain a stranger I had to rescue on top of everything else! It is going to take an absolute miracle to get everything done on time and not disappoint all the children living within twenty-five miles of Cloverdale!”

“Thanks for the save. You don’t have to worry about entertaining me, though. I’ll stay busy being an extra pair of hands,” Seth said, raising his bowl in a mock toast. “Here’s to unexpected rescues and Christmas miracles.”

“Cheers to that,” Mackenzie agreed, clinking her bowl against his.

They finished their meal in companionable silence as the storm raged outside.

Standing and collecting her tray of dirty dishes, Mackenzie informed Seth, “I’ve got to go feed the calves. There’s plenty more chili in the pot. Help yourself if you’re still hungry. I’ll dig out some night clothes for you when I return.”

Seth collected his dishes and followed behind her. “Feed the calves? Need some help with that?”

Mackenzie grinned mischievously as she turned to him. “Feel like getting a little… dirty? You don’t strike me as the farm animal kind of guy.”

Seth shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not. It’s not that I don’t like animals; I just haven’t had the opportunity to be around them. I’m not afraid of getting dirty, though. I grew up in a small town where logging was the main industry, and hard work put food on the table.”

Chuckling, she pulled a pair of large boots out of a utility closet and handed them to him, along with a worn flannel coat. “There’s a big difference between sawdust and manure, but if you want to give it a try, I won’t turn down the extra hands. I’m so tired I could sleep for a week and I’m not looking forward to braving this storm again.”

A few minutes later, Seth opened the mudroom door and held it as the wind tried to rip it from his grasp. Then, he wrapped his arm around Mackenzie and helped her walk against the wind to another barn hidden from view by the driving snow.

Shaking out their coats and hanging them on a hook inside the barn door, Mackenzie prepared the bottles, explaining as she worked, “The last of the December calves dropped the day my family left. Thankfully, our vet took care of the deliveries, but that leaves me with ten calves to bottle-feed this week. By the time my dad returns, they’ll be ready for pails. I’m telling you, the timing of all of this is downright hilarious.”

Handing him a white plastic bottle with a large red rubber nipple attached to the top, she made her way to the pen holding a small herd of baby cows. “Okay, the number on the bottle matches the number on the ear tag. Make sure you give the correct bottle to each calf, as the milk comes from their mother and has the nutrients each calf needs to survive. Some of these little ones are a day or two older, so their milk won’t have the colostrum that the younger ones need.”

“Why not feed two at a time? It would cut the feeding time in half,” Seth asked, identifying the calf that matched his bottle and making his way over to it.

Mackenzie giggled, a mischievous glint in her eye. “One hand for feeding and one hand… for protection,” she said cryptically, not elaborating further.

Seth frowned, puzzled. “Protection? From what?”