“Which was a bad idea.” Graham glanced at her with an indulgent look.
“Why? He’s alone on Christmas. How is that okay?”
“Rick’s alone on Christmas because he wants to be alone on Christmas,” Ash added. “And he’s not alone. He’s with his nephew, Diego.”
“Which is basically the same as being alone,” Graham joked.
Lana knew who Diego was but only in the context of the Moose Springs Resort employee who grimaced when he forced pamphlets and granola bars on unsuspecting guests.
Zoey’s chin lifted a little, a signal she was digging her proverbial heels in. “No one wants to be alone on Christmas.”
“Unless they’ve attended a Montgomery holiday party, in which case they absolutely want to be alone on Christmas.” Lana shared a knowing look with her friend, who had suffered through more than one of said parties at Lana’s side.
Zoey shuddered. “Yes. Unless that.”
“All right, people. I have an announcement,” Officer Jonah said, his words barely denting the chatter in the room. “I know we were hoping to be free of—”
A group in the back row started snickering, oblivious to the meeting starting. Someone had procured a beach ball–sized plastic inflatable snow globe, and it was hard for anyone to focus on Jonah with the snow globe bouncing back and forth from one side of the seats to the other.
Finally, Easton stood up. At almost seven feet tall, he didn’t need to glare at the collected locals, and he didn’t need to yell to make everyone quiet down. Instead, he simply stood there, meeting people’s eyes until they naturally fell quiet and into order.
Lana raised an eyebrow. “I need to package that and sell it to a few of my colleagues.”
“Easton comes from Sasquatch stock,” Graham said under his breath to Zoey. She bit her lip to cover her giggle as Easton dropped back into his seat.
The folding chair creaked beneath his weight, which made Lana nervous. Technically, this building was hers too, which meant if Easton was injured by way of collapsing folding chair, Lana’s company was liable for a lawsuit. The standard-size folding chair simply didn’t accommodate a Lockett-sized person.
On the stage, Jonah sighed. “Before we begin, does anyone have any announcements?”
“Oh, that’s me.” Lana stood, juggling her coffee, her phone, and her plate. “Sorry, I need…oops. Well, I suppose that cookie had better places to be than with me.”
Zoey smiled at her encouragingly. In a room full of people, hers was the only friendly face in the crowd. Lana had spent enough time in front of a boardroom not to shift uncomfortably, but she couldn’t keep her fingernails from drumming her coffee cup, a nervous tic she’d never been able to break.
“I’ve posted the information on social media and passed out flyers, but I wanted to remind everyone that the Montgomery Group is hosting a Christmas party for the town on the twenty-first, with cookie decorating, Santa, and lots of fun activities for kids of all ages. It starts at noon and lasts until the fun runs out.”
Silence. Complete silence.
“Special gifts for any children who come and free treats for all.”
A cookie could be heard dropping across the room. Lana added cheerfully, “And this party mix is delicious, in case anyone missed out.”
No one so much as blinked.
Okeydokey.
“That went well,” Zoey said with more optimism than Lana felt. Lana sank down in her seat. Love must have damaged Zoey’s eyesight along with her ability to read a room.
“They think I’m the Grinch about to steal their Christmas,” Lana replied.
Graham shot her a sympathetic look, reaching over Zoey to squeeze Lana’s hand. “Don’t worry, L. They’ll get used to it eventually.”
“That’s right,” Zoey said firmly. “And if they don’t, they’ll have us to deal with. We’ve got your back. Right, Graham?”
His expression melted. “Always, darlin’.”
It was hard to watch them and not feel a little hope about the status of the world. Too bad this group of people was convinced Lana was going to bring ruin to them all.
“As I was saying,” Jonah continued, “I know we were all hoping for a year free of trouble, but I regret to inform you, there’s been an…incident.”
“What kind of incident?” Easton asked.
“Out at John and Cheryl Price’s place.” Jonah hesitated long enough that Lana’s curiosity rose. Then he sighed as if exhausted. “All signs point to the Santa Moose having returned to town.”
A complete hush came over the town hall. Graham straightened from his customary slouch, shoulders tensed.
“What’s a Santa Moose?” Lana asked in a whisper.
“Scourge of our existence,” Graham replied. “Like an ROUS, but no flame spurts to save ourselves in.”
Jonah cleared his throat louder. “Last year, we almost managed to track him down, but unfortunately to no success. The Moose Springs police department—”
“That’s just him,” Ashtyn said.
“—and volunteers from the town—”
“That’s just me,” Easton added.
“—found that the closer to Christmas, the worse the pattern of destruction got. While in past years, we’ve been hesitant to get Fish and Game involved, after the seeing the Christmas decoration destruction out at the Prices’, I think it needs to go to a vote.”
“Are we talking about killing a moose?” Zoey shoved her glasses higher on her nose. “Why wouldn’t they move him, like Ulysses?”
Last summer, an accident had happened with a moose very close to Graham’s heart. Ulysses had been successfully relocated away from town after injuring a tourist, but Lana knew Graham still missed the massive animal.
“Move him?” Graham shook his head. “Zo, no one’s ever seen him.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope. For three years now, he’s been the Ghost and the Darkness. It drives East nuts. First thing on four feet he couldn’t track.”
Easton shrugged a single broad shoulder as if accepting this as truth.
“Graham, would you like to take over the meeting?” The officer’s face was a study in pleasant detachment, but his right eyelid had started to twitch.
“Naw, you’re doing great, Jonah.”
“Do we have volunteers to try to locate the Santa Moose?”
Another silence fell across the room—an atypical silence for a town normally happy to help one another. Especially when it involved sneaking about in camouflage and drinking beer.
“You’re not actually afraid of this thing.” Zoey looked between Easton and Ashtyn, both of whom would—and had—braved storms and flooding and everything else the brutal Alaskan weather could throw at them.
“You poor innocent woman,” Graham said. “We’re terrified of it.”
“Maybe I can catch it.” The words had left Lana’s mouth before she realized what she was saying.
“You’re going to locate an unhinged and possibly nonexistent moose?” Zoey looked at Lana as if she had lost her mind.
She hadn’t meant to volunteer, but so many people were looking at her that she felt compelled to say, “If it’s a threat to the town? Well, I suppose I should at least try.”
Graham’s eyes flickered over Zoey’s head to meet Lana’s. “L, the last thing anyone wants is for you to get hurt.”
“Has this moose hurt anyone yet? Besides Christmas decorations?”
“Well…no.” He flashed her a grin. “All right, if you want to take on the trouble of tracking an untrackable moose, be my guest. And we’ll do you one better: if you personally save us from the Santa Moose, the town of Moose Springs will consider your trespasses forgiven.”
“Promise?”
“I’ll even pinkie swear.”
Graham was a big guy to pinkie swear, but he did so with the seriousness she expected from a man who had never taken a thing seriously in his life.
“Let me know if you need some backup.” He gave their tangled pinkies an extra squeeze. “For real, this moose is dangerous.”
“Don’t worry. I’m all the backup she needs.” Zoey waited until Lana was free of Graham’s pinkie, then bumped her fist.
And okay, Lana knew nothing about catching wildlife. If she failed, she would only reinforce the assumption she didn’t belong in Moose Springs. Her position could weaken, and maybe negotiations with the town council would become more difficult. If Easton couldn’t track this moose, no one would ever believe she could do it. Still, Lana knew her limitations, but she also knew her strengths. This wasn’t the first challenge she’d taken upon herself. If anyone could think outside the box, it was her. And if she didn’t fail…
She wanted a home. Moose Springs was worth the risk.
Jonah—having waited with the patience of a man with a newborn at home—continued his tired drone.
“Well, it seems Ms. Montgomery will be apprehending the Santa Moose. Are there any more announcements anyone wants to make?”
Nope. Just that she was officially in over her head. Completely, utterly screwed. Stuffing the rest of a hard, moisture-stealing cookie in her mouth, Lana swallowed, determined to ignore the eyes still watching her with thinly veiled curiosity.
She was going to make it through her first Christmas in Moose Springs, even if it killed her.
Chapter 2
Sometimes it was hard for Rick to watch his beloved town—his friends and family—be complete asses.
The poor woman had announced a Christmas party, not the bulldozing of their homes. And as someone who’d personally tried to catch the Santa Moose, Rick knew Lana had set herself up to fall spectacularly. The only difference was that too many in this room would love to see her fail. Someone should warn her the moose was dangerous—someone closer to her than Rick. Zoey might not know better, but Graham shouldn’t keep giving her pinkie swears and promises that catching the Santa Moose would change anyone’s mind.