“Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Absolutely. She won’t give you any bother.”

  The male gave him a little more trouble, not wanting to give up his patch of grass, but Nick had experience with recalcitrant reindeer. This one definitely wasn’t going to get the better of him.

  “Come on,” Nick called, and clicked his tongue a few times. He wouldn’t really give any of the animals a slap on the arse to get them moving—just a bit of gentle nudging was all it took.

  He got some disgruntled grunting and tugging on the halter from the male reindeer, and was completely unsurprised to see the female walking docilely next to Joel, her flank pressed close to his leg.

  Joel gave him a smug kind of grin, and Nick’s stomach did a flip-flop.

  “Some people just have a knack with them,” Joel said.

  Nick scowled at him. “Or something like that.”

  They emerged from the woods next to the road to find Fergus attempting to herd two more reindeer into his truck—the young mother’s yearling calf, and another youngster. They really hadn’t wandered too far from the others.

  “Are you kidding?” Nick exclaimed.

  “They were just here waiting when I pulled up,” Fergus said. “Hanging around, happy as anything.”

  “We were looking for them. Stupid bloody animals.”

  “Will all four of them fit?”

  Fergus turned to Joel, scratching his head. “Yeah, should do. I haul Shetland ponies around in this thing all the time.”

  “Ponies I can handle,” Joel said as his reindeer bumped her head against his hip. “Go on,” he said to her. “Get in there.”

  She just blinked her big brown eyes at him.

  “This is your territory,” Joel said, and Nick reached to take the harness from him.

  “She’s just flirting with you.”

  Joel’s eyes met Nick’s for far too long, and Nick was acutely aware of Fergus watching them, and he wasn’t sure if he was even interpreting this right any more, he just really, really hoped he was.

  Fergus had loaded the truck up with hay and other goodies, and it didn’t take long for all four reindeer to be safely secured in the back.

  “I can walk home from here,” Joel said before Nick could offer him a lift. It would be a tight squeeze in the front of the truck, but he’d make it work.

  “We can—”

  “It’s fine,” Joel said with a soft smile. “I’m glad we found them all safely.”

  “Me too.”

  Fergus coughed decisively from the front of the truck and Nick wanted to say more—it felt like there was so much more to say, but probably not in front of poor Fergus, who had already witnessed to some very intense eye contact.

  “I’ll see you around,” Joel said.

  Nick spent the next few hours turning that over and over in his head—see you around, not see you later, or even see you soon. He was distracted enough while giving his reindeer a check-up that he got a kick in the shin and he probably deserved that, even if it wasn’t particularly violent.

  Seeing the little herd back in their paddock where they belonged was such a relief. He was more attached to these animals than he knew he should be, especially considering he only got to spend time with them over Christmas. They all needed rotating again on the weekend too, meaning Nick needed to borrow Fergus’s truck to take a couple into town and bring others back.

  Fortunately, once they were moved around he could leave them for a couple of days in the care of some very competent handlers that were brought in as part of Nick’s reindeer-hire contracts. He only needed to check on them if there was a problem, and reindeer—despite being quite good at escaping, apparently—were fairly low-maintenance animals.

  They had been a great excuse to spend a little time with Joel, who had captured Nick’s imagination in a way no other person had done in a while. He thought about that for a moment. It really had been a while. Not that his love life was an entirely depressing situation, there just hadn’t been anyone who had made Nick want. There was a longing in his belly, the sort he wasn’t sure how to handle.

  He turned the what-ifs over in his head as he trudged back up the hill to his house in a dusky light that was falling fast. What if he made a move and was rejected? What if he didn’t do anything at all? What if Joel liked him back? What then, in this small community? Nick hoped that his sexuality wouldn’t affect his integration here, and he had a feeling it wouldn’t make any difference to most folks. But there was still that nagging, doubting what-if.

  Letting himself into the cottage and lighting the fire, turning on the twinkly lights on the tree, and making a hot drink started to calm his frayed nerves. Instead of reaching for tea, Nick found an unopened box of hot chocolate in the back of the cupboard and stirred the chocolatey powder into milk that was heating on the stove. It wasn’t quite as good as Joel’s, but it was more festive than tea.

  Nick settled in his arm chair with his cat on his lap and took a long look around his softly sparkling room. Even though there was a part of himself that felt very settled and content with the world, there was another part that was feeling very quiet, and contemplative, and maybe just a little lonely.

  Christmas Eve came around with determined speed and Joel was caught in a fluster of last minute gift exchanges, trips to the pub, and one memorable but inadvisable game of football on the Meadows. Fingers and toes frozen and his stomach hurting from laughing so much, Joel stumbled home to a cottage steeped in the smell of gingerbread.

  His mum had left a whole tin of it when she’d visited the day before.

  Joel hated gingerbread.

  He walked around the cottage flicking lights on and was about to start a fire in the grate when he noticed one present still lingering under the tree. He’d given away all the rest, but the catnip reindeer he’d bought at the market was still there.

  In a fit of furious determination, Joel stamped his feet back into outdoor boots and pulled on a coat, hat, scarf, and gloves; shoved the reindeer in his pocket and hoisted the tin of delicious smelling, gross-tasting gingerbread under his arm.

  It had started to snow again and that just increased his frustration as he stomped up the hill to Nick’s house.

  Because Nick hadn’t called, or stopped by, or made any attempt to text Joel now that the reindeer were safe again. And that was just rude. Joel had taken time out from his Christmas break to track down those adorable, fuzzy little escape artists and Nick had barely said thank you.

  He let himself in through the gate and almost hesitated before knocking firmly on Nick’s dark blue front door.

  Nick had a wreath made with pine and holly hanging just above the knocker. Joel refused to be charmed by it.

  “Joel.”

  Nick sounded surprised to see him. Like the first time Joel saw him from just a little further up the hill, Nick was wearing loose joggers and fluffy slippers. His hair looked rumpled.

  “You didn’t call,” Joel blurted before his brain could come up with a real greeting.

  “Come inside, it’s freezing out here.”

  It had started to snow again, but Joel didn’t care. “I bought this,” he said, reaching into his pocket for the reindeer. “It’s for Bastet. And this is gingerbread.”

  “I love gingerbread. Thank you.”

  “I fucking hate it.”

  Nick turned away to put the gingerbread on a table in the hallway. Joel checked out his arse, then mentally slapped himself for it.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come in and give Bastet her present? I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

  “No,” Joel said, more frustrated than ever. “No, I want you to kiss me, you idiot.”

  Nick’s smile dropped and he gaped at Joel for a moment, then reached out, wrapped a hand around the back of Joel’s neck, and drew him in for the sweetest, softest kiss.

  Joel shivered as hot lips brushed against his own, and he grabbed Nick’s waist in his gloved hands for balance. When Nick parted his lips Joel took that as an invitation and even as the cold wind pressed against his back, he sought out the hot flickers of Nick’s tongue against his own.

  “Please,” Nick murmured, rubbing his warm nose against Joel’s cold one. “I am going to freeze to death out here. Come in to the warm.”

  “Hmm? Okay.”

  Nick stepped backwards into the hallway, dragging Joel with him, and backed him up against the closed front door. From this close, Joel could see the flecks of gold in Nick’s dark brown eyes.

  He really was exceptionally handsome.

  Joel startled at a sharp meow and Nick’s cat clawing at his leg, clearly trying to get at the catnip in the reindeer. He laughed and dug it out of his pocket, the bell around the reindeer’s neck jingling happily as he tossed it for Bastet to catch.

  “Single bells?” Nick asked he watched her run away with her treat, the reindeer’s bell still ringing.

  “Not any more.”

  Nick smiled, laughter dancing in his eyes, and kissed Joel again.

  About the author:

  Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England and now lives in Bristol. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before turning her hand as a professional writer.

  Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, Anna is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), visiting friends who live in other countries, Marvel Comics, learning new things, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.

  Although her most recent work is in the LGBT Fiction genre, in the past Anna has worked on a variety of different projects including short stories, drabbles, flash fiction, fan fiction, plays for both children and adults, and poetry. She has written novels in the Teen/ Young Adult genre, Romance, and Fantasy novels.

  Anna is, by her own admission, almost unhealthily obsessed with books. The library she has amassed is both large and diverse; "My favourite books," she says, "are The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood." She also several well-read copies of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park books and re-reads the Harry Potter novels with almost startling regularity.

  Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.

  Anna’s website: www.annamartin-fiction.com

  Twitter and Instagram: @missannamartin

  Also available from this author:

  Let It Sew

  It’s the day before the last day of term and Year One teacher Harry Britton has a problem: all of the costumes for his nativity play have been destroyed by accident. The only person who can possibly help him is Edward Saunders, who runs a small tailor and alterations shop in the village.

  Edward is more than a little shocked to be asked to make seventeen costumes for five year old children—he’s more comfortable making bespoke men’s suits. But there’s something beguiling and utterly charming about Harry Britton, so despite all his hesitations, he agrees to help.

  mybook.to/letitsnow

  We Whisk You a Merry Christmas

  After years working in fancy French patisseries, Alex Blake thought he was ready for a change of pace with his new independent bakery, but the demands of a small village at Christmas mean earlier mornings than he’s ever worked before.

  It’s still a shock when he walks into the kitchen one morning and finds a man asleep on his counter.

  Brandon Walker only meant to sneak into the bakery his father used to own to have a look around. He definitely didn’t mean to take a nap and get caught by the new owner. But when Alex asks for help Brandon finds it hard to refuse… it’s the season of goodwill to attractive men, or something like that.

  mybook.to/wewhiskyou

  Minter Wonderland

  Josh Turner is the proud owner of a small garden centre, OK Bloomer, that he inherited from his grandparents. It sits on the edge of a picturesque woodland area in Yorkshire, and despite his efforts to expand the business, Josh is struggling to compete with the evil conglomerate garden centre a few miles down the road.

  Lucas Gordon moved to a tiny village in Yorkshire to escape a TikTok meme that has haunted him since the summer. The cottage he bought needs massive renovations which are sure to keep him out of trouble until at least the spring. But when Josh recognizes him from the meme, Lucas feels like his world is crashing down all over again.

  Josh needs help keeping the garden centre afloat during the winter, and Lucas needs a distraction—and a little festive romance wouldn’t hurt either.

  mybook.to/minterwonderland

  Another Way Series

  Another Way

  Of Being Yours

  To Say I Love You

  The Impossible Boy Series

  The Impossible Boy

  The Lost Boy

  Tattoos & Teacups

  Cricket

  Anything Could Happen

  Summer Son

  Bright Young Things

  Signs

  My Prince

  5 Times My Best Friend Kissed Me

  Lone Wolf

  Helix

  The Color of Summer

  Something Wild

  Heart of Gold

  The Long Game

  Sugar

  Christmas Short Stories

  Let It Sew

  We Whisk You a Merry Christmas

  Minter Wonderland

  With MJ O’Shea

  Souffles at Sunrise

  Devil’s Food at Dusk

  Macarons at Midnight

  Short Stories

  Rainbow Sprinkles

  Whiskey Kisses

  annamartin-fiction.com

 

 

  Anna Martin, Single Bells

 

 

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