Santa's Daughter (1st bk of Santa Series) (Completed)

Chapter 24 (Edited)

A male stood in our parking spot, playing on his phone before he looked up when my mom honked the horn. A smile appeared on his face, disappearing into his dark brown beard while he raised his hand in greeting.

He stood about 6'7 and was well muscled with thick, long, brown hair and a brown curly beard. His skin was tan, even though it was in the winter because of his Native American heritage.

"Who is that?" Frankie asked while my mother gave him a half wave.

"That's Big Henry," Mom replied. "He owns the barn and helps us get horses that have been abused so we can rehabilitate them before we sell them back to people that we can trust with them."

"So, he helps by giving you the horses to help out?" Frankie asked as we pulled up next to the male.

I grunted out a response and opened up the door to the truck. "Ya," I replied. I jumped out of the truck and waved at Big Henry. "Hey, Big Henry," I said. "How have you been?"

"All right, you?" he asked, moving a hand through his hair. "I have horses that we can look at." He winked at my mother when she came around followed by Frankie. "You can check out the twelfth barn with me, and your mother can do whatever she wants to do."

"Just try to keep my daughter out of trouble, please," Mom said, shaking her head smiling.

"Will do," Big Henry said, nodding his head. He placed his arm across my shoulder and started to lead us toward the twelfth barn. "Well, we have different selections of horses that need a place for rehabilitation purposes," he said.

I nodded my head, my left hand starting to itch for some odd reason. "So, anything interesting?" I asked, trying to not focus on the itch.

"Sort of," Big Henry replied. "But, I do not know if you will be able to do anything with this... stallion. He has been a huge pain in the ass and wouldn't let anyone touch him."

I nodded my head, following him into the twelfth barn. I knew that he was talking about something, but I could really care less since my hand was itching harder than it had before hand.

"And, here we are," Big Henry said, stopping in front of a dirty brown horse. He gestured towards his rear end that did look more like a reindeer than a horse. "We found him at a sales barn in the back. He hasn't let anyone near him, and the vet couldn't do anything for the cuts that were on his legs."

I stopped in front of the stall and nodded my head. It was him. I knew that this was my reindeer. "Copper," I whispered, shivering when it felt as if magic came out of my voice.

The reindeer flicked his ears towards the sound of my voice and turned around. His big brown eyes looked into mine, and he took a step forward. His whole body was tense but still, he moved forward towards me.

"What did you say?" Big Henry asked, looking at me.

"I said Copper," I said, softly. "It's his name... I think." I stepped up to the "horse" and held out the hand that was itching. I couldn't help but reach out and touch his nose with my left hand, gasping when I felt a shock going between us.

Copper reared and shook his head while I fell and landed on my on my butt. He snorted and laid his ears down on the back of his head.

"Are you alright, Mary?" Big Henry asked, looking at me. Worry filled his eyes while he held out his hand for me.

I took hold of his hand and let him lift me up, still a little shocked that from the fact that there had been a spark between us. "I want to take him out," I said, not going to take no for an answer.

"Why?" Big Henry asked, cautious. "Why do you want to take him out?" He took a look at the reindeer and saw that there was a glare on his face. "He doesn't look like he wants to be taken out."

I shook my head and let out a whistle, remembering how my father used to whistle for the horses to come. A smile appeared on my lips when Copper flicked his ears towards me and let out a hesitant whicker. "Because," I replied, looking at Big Henry. "Copper used to be mine."

***

"What do you mean he 'used to be yours'?" Big Henry asked, looking at me with narrowed eyes. "I know for a fact that you haven't had him at your mother's barn."

I bit back a scoff and rolled my eyes. "It's because he was a gift for me from my father," I replied. "I haven't seen him since..." I shook my head, not knowing when. "A long time ago. I just know that it is him, 'cause I have seen pictures of him in old books that my mother had kept for me." I couldn't help but lie straight through my teeth. I couldn't tell him that Copper was a reindeer disguised as a horse.

Big Henry looked me up and down, debating on whether or not he should believe me. Finally, after much debate, he sighed and nodded his head. "Didn't your father try to find him?"

"He did," I replied. "He just didn't know where to look." I looked at Copper before looking a Big Henry. "So, can I have him back?"

Big Henry shook his head, smiling a bit. "Fine," he said. "I'll get the lead rope. You just... bond with your horse again and be careful." He gave me a scowl. "I don't want to send you to the hospital because you were too stupid to go in."

I grinned at him, glad that he knew me well enough to know that I would go into the stall without his consent. "Don't worry, I will be fine," I assured him, eagerly going to the stall. "Just make sure that you have some alfalfa cubes with you, will you?"

Big Henry snorted and shook his head. "All right. I'll be back in a few." With that, he walked away from us, going to get the halter and alfalfa cubes for Copper and I.