Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Michael was eagerly offering a particularly unimpressed reindeer a handful of hay he’d somehow managed to free from the bale in the corner of the enclosure, and Melody couldn’t help but admire his tenacity. “Thank you for helping Delaney out,” Melody said, walking alongside Reid at a leisurely pace. As long as they could see Michael, there was really no need to rush.

“I’m kind of surprised she didn’t have that worked out already,” he replied, his hands deep in his coat pockets. “She really didn’t know what she was going to say if she couldn’t find him?”

“Well, in her defense,” Melody offered, “sometimes it’s a lot harder to actually carry out those types of plans once you’re in the situation. I mean… sometimes even the best planning doesn’t quite go as as expected.”

“Yeah?” he asked. “I guess it just didn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. I mean, there are a million reasons why she might have been looking for Josh that have nothing to do with the fact that she finds him attractive. Why does she assume that’s what he would think if he saw her here? She does need a Christmas tree, right?”

“Right, but there are lots of places to get them in Charles Town.”

“So maybe she just thought he made a good case for his family tree farm, and she’s a small business owner, so she wanted to support another one.”

“You’re so logical,” Melody said, with a smile. She was wearing a white beret, but the wind was blowing a bit and a strand of her hair kept catching in her mouth. She brushed it back out of the way again. “I always assume that people can see right through me.”

“Really?” he asked, pausing for a second and turning to look at her before continuing. They were nearly behind Michael now with only a few more steps to cover.

“Yes. But then… I have a tendency to ramble, and that means I say more than I intend to. So I end up spilling my intentions pretty easily.”

He smiled a crooked grin in her direction, and Melody felt her knees buckle just a tad. “I know we just met, but I have never known you to ramble.”

“Really?” It was her turn to be surprised. “I think I ramble all the time. Maybe we just haven’t talked long enough for you to notice yet.”

“Maybe. Guess we’ll just have to keep conversing and see.” He raised his eyebrows and lowered them, just once, and then turned to his son, leaving Melody melting into the snow behind him. “Whatcha doin’, Mikey?”

“This reindeer does not want to eat this straw!” the child exclaimed, tossing it back into the pen.

“Maybe Santa just fed him,” Reid offered, his hands resting on his son’s shoulders.

“Dad, these aren’t Santa’s reindeers, silly. They’re Farmer Taylor’s.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Reid replied, shaking his head as if he couldn’t believe he’d made such a ridiculous mistake.

“We should’ve brought some carrots.” Michael dropped both hands to his side as if he felt utterly defeated.

“I am sure that they get plenty of healthy food, perfect for reindeers,” his dad assured him.

Melody glanced over her shoulder at the sound of a tractor in the distance. She could easily spot Delaney’s red coat offset against the green of the pines and spruce, and she noticed her straightening her hair and laughed. She hoped her friend was able to think of something to say to Josh, since Reid wouldn’t be there to rescue her this time. But she knew Delaney was extremely outgoing and likely wouldn’t have any trouble at all carrying on a coherent conversation with the man she’d driven so far to see. Her friend was definitely more suited toward that type of thing than she was.

“Do you want to pet him, Miss Melody?” Michael asked, tugging on the bottom of her coat.

She wondered if he’d asked more than once. “Oh, sure,” she said. “Can you show me how?”

“You just stroke his nose, like this,” Michael demonstrated, running his hand up and down the nose of the animal, “and be careful of his mouth. They have sharp teeth.”

“Right,” Melody nodded, certain that these animals had to be as tame as the trail horses she used to ride with her parents on vacation when she was Michael’s age. “Like this?”

“Yes,” he replied, as if he were now the reindeer expert. “Ms. Swanner says you must be gentle with all creatures.”

“Whose Ms. Swanner?” Melody asked over her shoulder to Reid who was standing just behind Michael.

“His teacher.”

“Oh, right,” Melody nodded. “Ms. Swanner is very wise.”

“Yes, and she also says you should never forget to wash your hands after you go to the bathroom. And keep your finger out of your nose….”

“All right, Michael. I think we have had enough examples of Ms. Swanner’s wisdom for today,” Reid spoke up.

Melody was doing her best not to laugh, afraid she’d continue to encourage Michael to list off Ms. Swanner’s advice. “Are you about ready to go look for a tree?” she asked.

“No,” Michael answered, turning to face his father. “Can I go play with those other kids? It looks like they are building a fort, and I am a great snow fort builder. I can help them.” He pointed off in the distance where a group of about six other boys and a couple of girls were digging in the snow, constructing some sort of a mound which could potentially become a fort with a bit of work.

“It does look like they need your help,” Reid admitted, with a nod. “All right. But don’t go any further than where they are right now.”

Without a response, Michael ran off in their direction, shouting, “Hey guys! I can help!”

Melody couldn’t help but laugh at his enthusiasm. “At what age do they stop running wherever they go?”

“I don’t know,” Reid sighed, “but it doesn’t matter how many times you remind him to walk, he has no comprehension of that word.”

Melody smiled at him. He was only a few inches away and despite the crisp smell of the snow, which was still lightly falling, she caught the faint scent of pine and leather. Clearing her voice, she turned and looked over her shoulder. She could see Delaney talking to a man a little taller than Reid with broad shoulders and tufts of brown hair sticking out from beneath his winter hat. It was too far to see exactly what he looked like, but she thought he seemed to be quite attractive in his own way, certainly the type that Delaney was usually drawn to, although right now no one could’ve held a candle to Reid in her book.

“I guess that’s Josh?” he asked, turning to see what she was looking at.

“Guess so. And she seems to have worked out her inability to talk.”

He laughed, a sound that made Melody’s stomach flip flop. “Shall we find a seat on one of those benches closer to Michael? I think this reindeer has tired of us.”

Melody turned to look at the reindeer. “I’ve never seen an animal look quite so bored before,” she said, turning her head to the side to more closely examine the animal’s disposition.

“Maybe we should tell it a joke.” The sincerity in his expression was enough to send her into a fit of giggles. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “You never know. He might not be bored; he might just be unamused.”

Still struggling to regain her composure, Melody said, “I liked your first idea better. Let’s leave him alone.”

“Yeah?” Reid asked.

“Yes,” Melody replied, beginning to walk toward an empty bench near where Michael was running around gathering armfuls of snow to add to their construction project.