A Christmas Bun for Ulysses: A Moose Springs, Alaska Story by Sarah Morgenthaler

A CHRISTMAS BUN FOR ULYSSES

by Sarah Morgenthaler A MOOSE SPRINGS, ALASKA STORY

“You know, darlin’, when you put a blindfold on me and told me I was getting a Christmas present, this wasn’t exactly what I was imagining.”

The woman at Graham Barnett’s side laughed, her mitten-covered fingers tightening around his larger ones as she led him and his border collie Jake across a parking lot somewhere in their hometown of Moose Springs, Alaska. He didn’t know where exactly. She’d made sure of that ever since she’d driven them there, taking every snowy backroad she could to try to turn him around. All he knew was it was Christmas Day, and instead of snuggling with her in their warm bed at home, he was getting a surprise.

Up until the parking lot, he’d hoped it would be a sexy kind of surprise.

“You should probably take smaller steps,” Zoey Caldwell told him. “There’s ice on the blacktop, and if I have to save you or Jake, he’s first in line.”

“You always know how to make me feel extra special.” Grinning, he wrapped his arm around her waist, giving her a playful hug.

Being blindfolded had made it easier to hear the excitement in her voice during the drive. This was Zoey’s first Christmas since moving to Alaska the previous summer, and it clearly was her favorite holiday. So far, Graham had gone along with her determination to experience all things Moose Springs at Christmastime with bemused indulgence. A happy Zoey meant a happy Graham, and there were worse things than building snow forts on the mountainside or drinking his weight in cocoa while they hung decorations. The last six months had been the best he could remember, ever since she had walked into his diner and completely upended Graham’s plans to be unreliable and surly for the undetermined future.

It was possible—despite all his attempts to the contrary—that Graham was utterly content with his life.

The air was crisp and cold, with a strong breeze causing last night’s snow to flurry around them. Zoey had insisted on hiking clothes, including warm waterproof jackets, thick sock hats, and snow boots. The darn woman hadn’t even given him a chance to coordinate Jake before sticking the blindfold on his head.

“Ma’s going to get her feelings hurt if we don’t get over there in time for dinner,” he warned her.

“This won’t take long, and I brought a change of clothes in case we get too snowy.”

“What about Jake’s backup Christmas outfit?”

Zoey sighed in playful exasperation. “Yes, I grabbed that too. Although, I think you’re going overboard. The one he’s wearing is good enough.”

“Just good enough?” Pretending to be offended, Graham added, “Zoey, he’ll hear you. Positive comments only, please.”

After several weeks of serious deliberation, gnashing of teeth from indecision, and a significant amount of hand holding from the beautiful woman herself, Jake and Graham had finally settled on Jake’s Christmas outfit. The red headband with its single antler perched on his head tended to droop when Jake wagged his tail too hard, but Graham didn’t hold it against him.

Jake really liked Christmas too.

Even though it was impossible to see through the dark green fabric tied around his head, she’d accidentally set the blindfold higher on his nose than she should have, leaving him the slightest bit of light peeking through the bottom of the fabric. Not willing to ruin her surprise, even in the name of not falling on his ass in the parking lot, Graham tugged it down just a little lower.

“Leave that alone, mister. No cheating.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he promised.

Didn’t she know by now? Graham would do far more than eat it on some ice to keep her happy. If she didn’t want him to peek, he wasn’t peeking. He would keep stealing that mitten-covered hand though and tickling her sides just to tease her.

After swatting away his fingers, Zoey pulled them both to a stop. “Okay, get in,” she told him eagerly.

“Zoey, as cute as it is when you’re being bossy, where am I getting in exactly?”

“The door is right in front of you. Better duck though—oops. Maybe I should have said that first.”

A giggle escaped her lips, and her amusement was totally worth the fact that Graham had just cracked his head against something very smooth and hard and was now seeing stars. As he tried to feel his way through the door in front of him, Graham shot a rueful grin in the direction he thought Zoey was standing.

“You know, this is getting less sexy by the minute,” he murmured as the familiar scent of Ash’s helicopter hit his nostrils: a combination of engine oil, gasoline, and black coffee.

Ash’s jovial voice was tinged with amusement. “Don’t even think about getting sexy in my baby, Graham.

I’m not above kicking you both out mid-flight.”

“Can’t help what I’ve naturally got,” Graham told them both cheekily as he took a seat. Zoey elbowed him in the ribs, then dissolved into laughter as he hauled her up into his arms, kissing her thoroughly before letting her back down to take her own seat.

For once, their pilot didn’t make any gagging noises at the public display of overwhelming affection, even if she did start humming a Christmas song under her breath. After all, Ash loved this time of year almost as much as Jake did.

“Buckle up, kiddos, the wind gusts are strong today.” Her words were harder to hear as she started the engine.

Their Christmas Eve party had gotten pretty wild the night before. Considering how much everyone had imbibed, he was amazed they weren’t all still snoring in bed back home. Ash with a hangover wasn’t his favorite pilot in the world, but Graham was along for the ride at this point. Where Zoey would lead, Graham would happily follow. Still, he was surprised Ash was there at all.

“Isn’t your grandma going to be bummed that you’re here with us instead of at home this morning?” After all, Lockett family Christmases were not to be messed with. He assumed Ash shrugged.

“Ruby Lou is willing to make some exceptions for a special reason,” she replied.

“A special reason, huh? Zoey, what did you do?”

“It’s a surprise, Graham. Stop being so nosey.”

In his defense, Graham tried not to be too nosey, but that was easier said than done, especially when nosing his way down her neck caused her to snicker. Whatever this surprise was, he already loved that she’d put so much effort in. Jake must have curled up on the floor at their feet because a droopy antler kept bumping Graham’s shin.

“Is he secure?” Graham asked as they lifted into the air. “Did you get his noise canceling headphones?”

“Of course, I did.” Zoey settled a heavy headset on Graham’s head, but not before pressing a quick, sweet kiss to his lips. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you both.”

Never had any words been truer. Zoey had them hook, line and sinker.

Now, Graham had been at this airport so many times over the years that he knew exactly where Ash parked, what direction she turned when taking off, and her normal flight pattern when leaving the airstrip. Which was probably why Ash promptly banked to the left, then immediately banked to the right before flying in a circle or two.

“Jake gets airsick,” he warned them.

“Jake isn’t trying to guess where we’re going,” Ash replied through the headset. “You’re not nearly as clever as you think you are.”

Flashing a grin in Ash’s general direction, Graham decided it was best to sit back, relax, and accept that the two women he loved the most in his life had him pegged. Natural curiosity aside, there was no way he was ruining this for Zoey. But since it was Christmas and this was his present, Graham decided to make the most of it. There were worse ways to spend the day than making out with her on a private helicopter flight. Zoey seemed to heartily

agree. It was obvious that he was getting better with this whole blindfold thing, even if they could hear Ash finally start gagging through the headsets.

“Ugh, I’m about to barf eggnog. Hand check, children.”

“I might need a blindfold too,” a deep voice rumbled from right in front of Graham.

He’d never jerked so hard in his life, the seatbelt the only thing keeping him from knocking his head on the roof of the helicopter. “How long has Easton been here?”

“Too long,” his best friend grumbled.

“And no one warned me because—?”

“Because it was fun seeing the myriad of uncomfortable expressions on his face.” Snickering, Zoey added, “Although technically the beard covered most of them.”

Already Graham’s mind was racing. It was one thing for Ash to give them a ride. But for Easton to be there too? “So, do I get any guesses?”

“No,” three voices answered simultaneously.

A droopy antler nudged his knee again as Jake’s tail thumped his leg. “Does Jake get any guesses?”

Jake whined, clearly not enjoying being in the middle of this. They flew for longer than Graham had expected, piquing his curiosity even more as they started a descent.

“Hold on,” Ash warned. “This might be a little rough.”

The helicopter set down with a light thump, the impact only a little harder than normal. Ash was an excellent pilot, and her idea of rough was barely enough to make Zoey’s arm bump into his. Rough also meant that they hadn’t landed on a flat surface.

Hmmm…

“Whatever you’re thinking, no,” Zoey said firmly as she took off his headset.

“Me? Why would you think I was thinking anything?”

“Because I can see the little hamster running on his wheel behind your blindfold.”

As soon as Zoey opened the door, a gust of snowy wind hit them, the mountain air fresh and cold. Graham allowed her to pull him out of the helicopter. “Come on, Jake. The lovely lady has plans for us.”

“Actually, he needs to stay here,” Ash said. “I’ll stay and watch him. Zoey can’t carry him and lug you around at the same time.”

“Isn’t that Easton’s job?”

His friend never made a noise as he passed by, so the heavy hand on Graham’s shoulder made him jump a second time. “Nope.”

“You’re doing that on purpose now. I can hear your smirk. East? Hello?” Silence, then Graham tilted his head back to try to peer under the bottom of the blindfold. “He’s gone, isn’t he?”

A soft laugh was his only answer. To her credit, Zoey tried to help him as she led him into across the rough, uneven ground and into an area that smelled pleasantly of trees and fresh snowfall.

“Into the woods…” he began to hum, earning himself a tug on his jacket sleeve and a perfect voice shushing him.

“We have to be quiet.”

“Any particular reason why?”

Nope, she was not going to answer him. Unfortunately, traversing the woods in the middle of winter in Alaska was hard enough when one could see. This wasn’t working at all. She was trying, but Zoey just didn’t possess the experience to find the best paths through fresh snow. Or at least, she didn’t know how to warn him, because he’d stepped into snow up to his knees twice now, and nearly ended up on his nose both times.

“Zoey, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I doubt a Christmas concussion was on the list today. Or a Christmas broken ankle. Any way you can let me see enough not to keep eating it?”

She hummed as she thought about it, the ruthless woman. Then she sighed. “Okay, but you have to promise me you won’t try to figure out where we are.”

“Since when did Christmas presents come with all these rules?”

“Since you successfully ruined every other surprise gift that I tried to get for you.”

Well, okay maybe that was true. But it hadn’t been on purpose, so much as a benefitof Graham’s natural curiosity about random boxes he’d never seen before, and her forgetting that Jake could chew through anything.

Then she took the blindfold off. They were in a winter wonderland.

Even having grown up there, Graham wasn’t immune to the beauty of his home. The snowhad fallen like a thick pristine blanket across the forest floor, draping dark green limbs and capping outthrust boulders. Tiny icicles clung to the evergreens, reflecting the soft purple glow of a land in muted winter darkness. And when she turned, the flashlight in her hand caused a rainbow of light to glitter and sparkle through the ice on the trees.

His other senses were still enhanced from being denied his sight, and the scent of pine hit Graham’s nostrils stronger than ever, the kind of perfume only a place like this could get so perfectly right. The woman at his side was bundled up in her winter coat with her too big backpack, her bangs falling across her eyes as she stared at the forest around them. Damn, he loved her.

“Isn’t it beautiful, Graham?”

“You read my mind,” he replied in a softer voice. Not as beautiful as her, but a close second.

She beamed at him, then adjusted the glasses slipping down her nose. “Come on, your present is up the trail.”

As they followed a path deeper into the woods, Graham noticed that pieces of red fabric had been tied every so often, marking their way. A set of footprints had already passed this direction, crunching in last night’s snow.

Awfully big feet had made those footprints.

“Where’s Easton?”

Zoey shrugged, unconcerned, as if strolls through unfamiliar woods were a daily thing for her. “He’s around.

He’s our backup.”

Raising an eyebrow, Graham murmured, “Should I be nervous?”

“Let’s just say that we’re probably going to be fine?” A pretty grin lit up her face as they stepped into a small clearing. “Okay, this is it. We’re here.”

The clearing was unremarkable except for a large boulder situated on one side, and Graham scratched his head, trying to guess what they’d come for. Maybe his Christmas present was the rock? She’d all but skipped over to it, brushing the snow aside to make a place for them to sit.

“It’s a really great rock, Zoey.” It wasn’t what he’d expected, but she’d gone to an awful lot of effort here.

Too bad the boulder wouldn’t exactly fit under their Christmas tree.

“Goofball, this isn’t your gift. Sit down.” After rummaging through her backpack, Zoey pulled out a familiar white bakery box from Frankie’s tucked inside a large ziplocked plastic bag. And when she opened that plastic bag, a scent even better than the forest filled his nostrils.

“What do we do now?” he asked curiously.

“Now we wait.” ***** Okay, so logistically this had kind of been a nightmare. It had taken planting three different pretend Christmas presents around the house to keep Graham off their trail. The amount of secretive texting and furtive glances to Easton and Ash behind his back had been as excessive as they were fun and coordinating everyone’s schedules had been a serious pain.

Without the Lockett twins, Zoey never would have pulled this off.

Since they were deep in the woods, and Graham was behaving himself by not checking his phone for their location, Zoey was fairly certain he had no idea why they were there.

“I appreciate the Christmas-themed seduction scene you’re setting here,” Graham told her cheerfully, “But I probably could have done better back at home. I’ll make it work, but no judging me.”

She flashed him a cheeky look. “In this temperature? I’m impressed.”

Graham winked at her. Maybe someday his flirting wouldn’t make her grin like an idiot or her toes curl up in her moose-themed wool socks, but Zoey didn’t think that was likely. Leaning over, she kissed him, his wind-chilled lips still warm and soft and just as tempting as ever. Balancing a box of Frankie’s finest in her lap was the only thing keeping her out of his own.

“You know Easton’s wandering around here somewhere,” Graham murmured.

“Part of me doesn’t care,” she replied, then she giggled. “Although he accidentally walked in on us during the party last night, so he’s probably seen enough this week.”

“Considering how much you drank, I figured you’d be in bed until New Years. You sure did give Rick a piece of your mind, poor guy.”

“He deserved it. And hush, Graham, I’m working.”

His handsome face only looked better with a smile curving his lips. Graham watched her scrape at the sticker holding the box top closed, trying and failing to peel it off with her mittens on. With a little sound of annoyance, she bit the end of her mitten and pulled it off. The air was cold on her bare fingertips, but at least she could hook a fingernail under the sticker.

“I’m an expert at pretending to work, and you hanging out with some cinnamon rolls isn’t work.” He gave a her a naughty grin. “Unless this is actually the Christmas present.”

“Ooh, I got it!” When he leaned over to get his treat, Zoey shook her head. “Nope, no peeking.”

“That’s today’s theme, huh? You’re breaking my heart here, Zoey.”

Opening the lid just a little, she plucked a miniature cinnamon roll out of the box, then smiled at him. “Okay, fine. Just one bite.”

“Share it with me?”

Well…since he asked so nicely. Technically, even Frankie’s miniature cinnamon rolls were a solid two bites, three if you didn’t want to choke to death. The icing was sweet on her tongue, but she could have used a drink to wash the deliciousness down. Too bad Zoey hadn’t remembered a thermos of coffee.

“So, what are we actually doing out here?” he asked, bumping his arm companionably against hers. “Other than waiting for a suspicious looking woman in a sled offering us some Turkish Delight?”

Zoey exhaled in amusement, her breath visible in the chilly air. “Graham, do you remember when you said that all you wanted for Christmas was me and Jake?”

“I remember saying all I wanted was you in that super short Mrs. Claus outfit—” Midsentence, Graham stopped. His ears were sharper than hers, or maybe he just paid more attention to their surroundings, because Graham had already stiffened when she heard the rustle of branches against a large body, followed by the snap of a twig under a heavy foot. Standing slowly, he drew her up with him.

“Zoey, if that’s a winter bear, we’ve got problems.” His voice was gruff with concern. “Set the box down and get behind me, real slow, okay?”

Winter bears—grizzlies that woke up in the middle of hibernation—were nothing to mess around with. Even Zoey knew that. Instead of doing what he said, Zoey opened the bakery box completely and went up to her tiptoes, pressing a kiss to Graham’s cheek as she placed the box in his hands.

“I think we’ll be okay,” she whispered. “Merry Christmas, Graham.”

It took him a moment of staring down at the baked goods to understand. In one corner of the box were two more miniature cinnamon rolls, but the rest was full of buns. The same buns Graham used in his diner, only Frankie had baked these in the shape of little Christmas trees.

In the middle was one with icing that read “Tell him we miss him.”

Graham’s head snapped up just as the front of a massive bull moose emerged from the shelter of the forest trees. The moose was beautiful, nearly seven feet of powerful muscle, covered in a thick brown coat lightly dusted with snow. Antlers spanning six feet across scraped along a nearby branch as he stepped out into the clearing.

The moose gave a hopeful sniff.

“Zoey…is that?” Swallowing hard, Graham’s voice broke just a little.

“Yeah. We’ve been bringing these to him every day for a month now, just to make sure he’d show up.”

Blinking the moisture out of her eyes, Zoey pressed her palms to Graham’s back, encouraging him to take a step forward. “Go. Easton’s watching. If he charges, Easton will tranquilize him, but Ulysses has been good so far.”

“Trampled by a moose on a sugar bender is a bad way to spend Christmas,” he joked, but Zoey could see his arms were shaking just a little. She’d known how much he missed his friend.

Slowly, Graham closed half the distance between them, setting the box down on the snow. He backed up, giving the animal plenty of room. “Hey buddy. It’s been awhile.”

Ulysses sniffed again, his lips wiggling comically as he walked up to the box. Snuffing deeply at the buns, his eyes closed in pleasure. But instead of lipping at the treats like he’d done before, Ulysses stepped over the box, his big brown eyes fixed on Graham.

“Umm, this is new,” Zoey murmured, hoping that she hadn’t made a big mistake.

Graham didn’t move other than to drop to a knee in the snow as Ulysses stopped right in front of him. The moose lowered his head, those massive antlers inches from Graham’s face. Then he snuffed, a loud, put-upon noise, and rested his head on Graham’s shoulder.

Zoey was missing it. She couldn’t move and risk startling Ulysses, but Graham’s back was to her. She’d never get to see the look on his face at this reunion with his friend. Still, tears filled her eyes because she didn’t need to see to know what he was feeling. She could hear it in his voice as he all but crooned the animal’s name.

It was one thing to love someone with all your heart. It was another to know they loved you too. Even if they were a moose.

“You look good,” Graham said softly. “This place suits you.”

This time Graham was the one getting moose lips all over him as Ulysses lifted his head, snuffing his face.

Graham’s low chuckle was sweet and familiar, the same sound he made when particularly charmed by something Jake had done. Zoey desperately hoped Easton was taking pictures because she couldn’t, and Ash was going to kill them both for not getting this on film.

A soft whistling noise in the trees pulled her eyes away, a prearranged signal between herself and Easton when they first started luring Ulysses out here. After searching for what Easton wanted her to see, Zoey went still.

“Um, Graham?”

“Yeah?”

“We have more company than I’d planned on.”

A shorter, slimmer moose was hesitating on the edge of the clearing, her belly starting to round with pregnancy. Moose were solitary animals and parted ways after mating season, but for some reason, this one was staying close.

Ulysses always had done things differently. Kind of like Graham.

“Is that your lady moose? She’s a hottie, big guy.” Graham rested his hand for the briefest moment on Ulysses’ jaw, then he dropped it, because he knew better. Turning his head just enough for Zoey to see his smile, he murmured proudly. “Good for you.”

Zoey didn’t know what triggered it, but in a spray of snow, Ulysses spun and darted to the box, striking it with a sharp hoof and sending buns flying. He happily began munching on the scattered Christmas treats, the two humans forgotten.

“You know these are terrible for your waistline, right?” Graham told the moose, who blissfully ignored him.

Once the treats were finished, Ulysses gave a loud snort before trotting off. The cow moose blinked at them, then disappeared into the brush after Ulysses. Graham never moved until they were gone, then he slowly rose to his feet. Walking to Zoey, he opened his mouth to say something. Something sweet or something clever. Something he’d probably swat his arm for or maybe make her kiss him senseless.

Instead he wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head so she could no longer see the gleam of moisture in his eyes. Graham held her in a crushing hug, wordlessly thanking her.

And in their winter wonderland, Zoey held him back just as tight. ***** Cleaning up after a moose wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Ulysses had destroyed the bakery box, and the wind was strong enough they had to wander the clearing to find all the pieces of leftover cardboard his hooves had torn.

“You know why I’m better than a moose?” Graham asked Zoey as he watched her stuff a wet piece of pastry box back into her plastic bag, looking a little grossed out.

“Why?” “Because I know how to share.” Graham held up what was left of the remaining miniature cinnamon roll, now covered in Ulysses slobber. “Want some, Zoey Bear?”

“Eww. No thank you.”

Well, in that case…

Since it was Christmas, Graham felt compelled to chase her around the snow with the soggy cinnamon roll, taking far too much pleasure in her squeals. She was clever in her retribution though, and he learned quickly that Zoey was dangerous with a snowball. When she rained down havoc on him, Graham was forced to call uncle. He relaxed back in the snow and gazed up at the sky, with Zoey perched on him as she built a mini snowman on his chest.

All things were right in his world. Graham was in love. His moose was in love. Jake’s Christmas outfit was perfect. Honestly, what more could he ask for?

Stealing her left hand, Graham tugged her mitten down a couple inches, pressing a kiss to her fingers before drawing her down into the snow with him. “Zoey?”

“Mmm?” “Best Christmas present ever.”

“Yours was better,” she told him, grinning proudly. “But I’ll take it.”

He could have stayed there forever, but it was getting pretty chilly, and it would be nice for them to not have colds by New Years. So, Graham shouldered Zoey’s backpack and they headed back the way they’d come, making sure to take down the trail markers Easton had set for them as they walked.

“Do you think Ulysses will be disappointed when we don’t keep showing up with buns after today?” Zoey asked.

“Who says we aren’t showing up?” When she gave him a look of dismay, Graham chuckled. “Naw, he’ll get over it. He’s got bigger problems on his hands. Looks like he’s in a healthy, happy, committed relationship and those are a pain in the ass.”

“You’re a pain in the ass.” She wrinkled her nose cutely at him.

True, but she still let him wrap his arm around her waist anyway. Sometime before they reached the helicopter, Easton fell in behind Graham and Zoey, a tall, quiet shadow at their feet. Glancing over his shoulder, he offered a quick smile to Easton, who just gave a slight nod in return. They’d been friends for a long time and no more needed to be said.

Graham knew the value of their gift to him. It wasn’t often one was offered closure wrapped up in a bunscented Christmas package, but together, that’s what the people he loved the most had given him. Graham hadn’t

realized how much he’d needed to see Ulysses like that: at peace and in his own life, far away from people who could cause him problems.

It was a happier Graham who held the door as Zoey climbed into Ash’s helicopter, when he had been pretty damn happy to start with. Scooping Jake up into his arms, he hugged his pup, a floppy antler bopping him in his face. Ash turned in her seat, leaning over and flicking him in the middle of the forehead.

“What was that for?” he asked as Easton got in the copilot seat and shut the door.

“Don’t expect shit from any of us for the next year,” Ash told him. “You know this whole thing was a total pain in the ass, right?”

“I figured.” Graham chuckled, not buying the expression of mock-aggravation on Ash’s face.

“And it took a crap ton of fuel to keep coming out here,” Ash added as she turned around and started the rotor blades. “Plus, Easton tracked down the wrong moose, and we tried to seduce it with buns for a week before we realized he sucked at his job.”

The single grunt from the man next to her was an interesting combination of offended and embarrassed.

“And she almost got eaten by wolves twice.”

That one made Graham raise an eyebrow.

Zoey blushed, her already red cheeks turning crimson. “I did not. I had that completely handled.”

Ash’s grin was her only reply. As they lifted off into the sky, the mountains rising around them, Graham saw the faintest flicker in the trees below. And maybe it wasn’t a moose, maybe it wasn’t his moose, but maybe it was.

Tapping his finger to the window, Graham said a silent goodbye to his friend.

Not all goodbyes were bad, even if those goodbyes were forever.

That night as they curled up on the couch, enjoying the low flames in the fireplace, Graham pressed the softest kiss to the rim of Zoey’s ear. “So, what did you think about your first Christmas in Moose Springs?”

Her pretty eyes sparkled, reflecting the softly blinking lights of the Christmas tree. “I’ll tell you when it’s over.”

When she reached for him, Graham grinned even as he let himself be drawn into her arms. The blindfold was still tucked in his back pocket, and her slender fingers were already tugging on the fabric playfully. It was never too late to hope for a sexy Christmas surprise…they still had a couple hours left. Besides, he couldn’t deny this woman a thing. He never had and never would.

Zoey’s answering smile promised a life full of joy still to come.

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