Sleigh Bell Sweethearts. Teri Wilson
Second Chance Yuletide
Owning her own plane is all charter pilot Zoey Hathaway’s ever dreamed of. So when she inherits a struggling reindeer farm, with three dozen unruly reindeer and one dangerously attractive ranch hand, Zoey’s well-crafted plans seem to fly out the window. Now she must put her trust in Alec Wynn, and hope that the troubled cowboy’s past won’t interfere with her plans to save the farm. Zoey knows that if she wants to succeed, she can’t do everything on her own. But as she accepts Alec’s help, she’ll soon realize it’s not just her farm that’s at stake—but her heart.
“Trouble sleeping?” Alec’s voice was a low rumble as he sauntered up beside her.
“Oh.” Zoey turned, her heart thumping hard in her chest. “You startled me.”
“You’re not accustomed to having someone around.”
“I guess I’m not.” She dropped her gaze to the snow collecting on the fence post. Alec had a way of looking at her that made her feel exposed, and standing beside him in the darkness only exacerbated that sensation.
“Sorry,” he murmured.
“Don’t be.” She cleared her throat and forced herself to look him in the eyes. Why was she suddenly so flustered? “I just got distracted.”
He nodded toward the reindeer. “I can’t blame you. They make a pretty picture at night.”
“Gorgeous.” She glanced again at the snowy scene. It was as if she and Alec had stepped straight into a Christmas movie. Visions of mistletoe danced in Zoey’s head and she suddenly felt flushed, despite the cold.
“You okay?” Alec gave her a sideways glance.
“Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?” Zoey shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
Mistletoe? Clearly, the reindeer weren’t the only distraction on this ranch.
TERI WILSON
grew up as an only child and could often be found with her head in a book, lost in a world of heroes, heroines and exotic places. As an adult, her love of books has led her to her dream career—writing. Now an award-winning author of inspirational romance, Teri spends as much time as she can seeing exotic places for herself, then coming home and writing about them, of course. When she isn’t traveling or spending quality time with her laptop, she enjoys baking cupcakes,
going to movies and hanging out with her family, friends and five dogs. Teri lives in San Antonio, Texas, and loves to hear from readers. She can be contacted via her website at www.teriwilson.net.
Sleigh Bell Sweethearts
Teri Wilson
Every good and perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of heavenly lights….
—James 1:17
In loving memory of my father,
Robert K. Wilson, Jr. Like Zoey, the heroine of this book, in many ways I am my father’s daughter.
Acknowledgments
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Denise Hardy
of Williams Reindeer Farm in Palmer, Alaska, for answering my many questions and doing her best to make a reindeer expert out of this Texas girl. Any and all reindeer errors are purely my own.
Many thanks to Elizabeth Winick and her staff
at McIntosh & Otis. You are a dear friend, in addition to the best agent in the world!
And Rachel Burkot, my beloved editor—
here’s to our third book together! I hope there are many, many more.
Thank you to Meg Benjamin,
my friend and valuable critique partner, for whipping this manuscript into shape.
Thank you to my family for always supporting me.
And as always, I thank God for making my dreams come true and allowing me to write for a living.
Contents
Chapter One
In her wildest dreams, Zoey Hathaway never thought she’d wind up an heiress. And dreaming was something of a specialty for Zoey. She’d been dreaming for the better part of her life.
But this...
She glanced overhead at the snow-covered arched sign that read Up on the Rooftop Reindeer Farm, wondering how in the world she’d lived in Aurora, Alaska, her entire life and never known such a place was nestled right in the cleft of the mountains. She’d never even heard of the place. And now, according to the lawyer who’d called her the day before, it was her reindeer farm.
...impossible.
“Smile!” Anya Parker, Zoey’s friend and former boss, snapped a photo with her cell phone. “I still can’t believe it. You’re a reindeer heiress.”
“I know. I’m having trouble processing it myself.” Zoey peered at the snow-covered horizon, searching for a glimpse of antlers.
Nothing.
From what the lawyer had told her, this was a small operation. A hobby ranch—that was what he’d called it. Which made sense, considering she’d never even known Gus lived on a reindeer farm. Her flight instructor had been like a surrogate grandfather to her, but he’d been a man of few words. Too few, apparently.
She wondered where the reindeer were hiding. And how many of them were