The Christmas Pickup by Knox Abby

Author:Knox, Abby [Knox, Abby]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Author Abby Knox, LLC
Published: 2018-12-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Mary

Almost as soon as we approach the trembling little camel calf, we notice she’s wearing a tiny bridle, and her reins are hanging loose.

The calf is frightened; too frightened to come with us on her own motivation. She’s lost and confused.

And then, out of the blinding snow, comes another figure. It looks like a man. Dressed in…a bathrobe?

The strange man approaches, and I have to yell to be heard over the noise of the pounding wind.

“My camel,” is all he says.

“Get in the truck!” Bear shouts over the din.

Moments later, the man in the robes is sitting next to me, with a baby camel on his lap.

Violet is in back, tucked in next to the baby and the family.

And where does that leave me?

Nowhere left to sit but on Bear’s lap.

Yep.

When we’re all settled in, into the weirdest assembly of passengers known to man on Christmas Eve night, I have to ask. I’m dying to know what’s going on here.

“So, spill it. What are you doing out here in a bathrobe with a baby camel?” I ask.

“We had to pack up the live nativity early. My wife stayed with the animal trailer. Essie, the baby here, bolted when the snow started falling. I’ve been looking for her for hours.”

“In a bathrobe?” I say.

“Well, I’ve got boots and snow pants under the robes. Look, the whole ensemble makes more sense when I’ve got my crown,” he says, putting out a hand. “Trey. Trey Wiseman.”

The man called Trey takes out his phone. “I’d better let the my wife know what happened to me.”

I fiddle with the heater to blow warm air directly onto Wiseman and his little camel.

She mewls meekly.

This night is getting weirder by the second.

The plow is scraping away at the snow and ice on the road in front of us.

We are inching along the road, and my phone’s GPS, which Bear has finally agreed to let me use, tells us we are about a mile from the hospital now.

Trey is petting his camel and speaking to her softly. Violet seems to be snoring in the back seat. The family with the baby is obviously enthralled with their little miracle.

And Bear has got one arm around my waist with his hand on the gear shift.

His other hand is on the steering wheel and I’m sitting across his lap with one arm around his shoulders.

My left breast is dangerously close to his sandy whiskers. I find my thoughts wandering, wishing I could feel those whiskers against my bare skin. My nipples turn into little pebbles beneath my sweater.

Bear’s strong jaw is rippling, like he’s angry. Or frustrated with something.

Under my legs, I can feel the large rod, all the way through his rough canvas snow pants.

If I’m not mistaken, I can hear a faint, guttural growl coming from the back of Bear’s throat.

I study his face and he looks like keeping his eyes on the road is literally causing him pain.

“You OK?” I ask in a low whisper.

He nods and says, “C’mere, I need to say something.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.