A Perfect Christmas Wish

by Wilde, Lori

  “She needed a home more than any of the other dogs.” Abby bounced on the balls of her feet.

  “Okay, so where is she?” Abby and Zach were to bring the new dog in so Dr. Chloe could check her out. Suzannah pushed back her chair, got up and walked around the counter. “Did you adopt an invisible dog?”

  Abby laughed. “No, Zach is bringing her in. She’s terrified. She’s shivering all over.”

  “Lots of dogs fear the vet,” Suzannah said. “That’s normal.”

  “No, Betty fears everything.”

  “Betty?”

  Abby bobbed her head. “Yep. I don’t really like it, but that’s her name, and she’s too old for me to give her a new one now.”

  Suzannah bit her lip and craned her neck to peer through the window into the parking lot. Before Abby had left this morning, they had discussed getting a younger dog that was safely past the puppy stage. Obviously, her daughter’s heart had led her in a different direction.

  “Let me meet her.” Suzannah pushed out the door and headed into the small grassy area in front of the clinic. In the middle of the grass, Zach hunkered down talking to a small dog.

  “Hey there, old girl,” he murmured, petting her. “It will be okay. I promise.”

  “Hi, Zach.” Suzannah walked over to where he crouched beside the animal, blocking her view of the dog.

  When she got closer, she saw that Betty was small and brown and of no discernable breed and terrified. When Zach stood, she started shaking even harder.

  “You poor thing,” he soothed and picked her up. As he held her close to his chest, the dog seemed to relax a little, and the shaking went from earthquake to mere tremor.

  “Betty, why are you so scared?” Suzannah started to reach out to pet her, she remembered what Dr. Chloe had taught her about interacting with frightened dogs and she put out the back of her hand for Betty to sniff.

  The dog sank deeper into Zach’s arms, but after a moment, she delicately leaned forward to sniff Suzannah’s hand.

  Slowly, Suzannah eased her hand closer until she could scratch under Betty’s chin and the little dog seemed to like that.

  “Someone found Betty abandoned on the side of the road. They think someone dumped her,” Abby explained.

  “That’s such a shame.” Suzannah clicked her tongue, sympathy for the poor creature swelled against her heart. “But if they found her on the side of the road, how do they know her name is Betty?”

  Abby looked surprised. “I don’t know. I didn’t think to ask. Maybe they just named her at the rescue because she’s been there so long.”

  “Did you think she’s just lost and not abandoned? Did they wand her for a chip?” Suzannah asked. These days most pet owners had chips implanted in their dogs so they could trace them if they ever went missing.

  “She didn’t have a chip,” Zach said. “They tried to find an owner but couldn’t locate one. She’d been at the shelter for over a year.”

  “Can I hold her?” Abby looked up at Zach. “I want her to know she’ll never have to fear getting dumped ever again.”

  “Easy does it,” he said, gently transferring the dog into Abby’s outstretched hands.

  Abby wrapped both arms around Betty, drew her against her chest, held on tight and kissed the top of the dog’s head.

  “I’m so proud of your daughter,” Zach said, stepping back to join Suzannah. “She bypassed the cute puppies and instead asked Ava’s parents which dog most needed a home. Abby’s got a heart the size of Texas.”

  Betty snuggled in Abby’s arm, her brown eyes filled with relief as she licked her cheek. “Betty really, really needs a home.”

  “Good work, kiddo,” Suzannah said, not the least bit surprised by Abby’s generosity. She was her father’s daughter.

  “Wanna hold her, Mom?”

  “She looks pretty comfortable right where she is.”

  “But she needs to get to know other people and…” She wrinkled her nose at Zach. “What was it they said about Betty?”

  “That she needed socialization,” Zach said.

  “Oh, yeah. She needs to be around lots of people and pets so she can socialize. That will give her confidence and help her not to be so scared.” Abby peered into Betty’s face. “Isn’t that right, Betty?”

  “All right then.” Suzannah held out her arms.

  Abby handed the dog to her.

  Suzannah held her close and Betty licked the underside of Suzannah’s chin, her tremors lessened. She laughed. The dog really was a sweetheart. Betty weighed about ten pounds and had short light brown fur and deep brown eyes. She was a mix of a few breeds and looked more than a little scrawny.

  “I think she needs to put on some weight,” Suzannah said. “Let’s take her inside and get Dr. Chloe to check her out.”

  When they went inside, they discovered Dr. Chloe at the desk, already expecting them, a purple stethoscope dangling from around her neck. Purple was Chloe’s favorite color.

  Betty started shivering all over again.

  “What have we got here?” Chloe asked, drawing closer. “Aww, sweetheart. It’s okay.” To Suzannah, she said, “Could you put her on the scale, please?”

  Suzannah eased her down onto the scale. Betty looked up at her with forlorn eyes. “I’m right here,” she soothed.

  “She is a cutie pie. What’s her name?” Chloe studied the scale. It registered at nine pounds and six ounces. Chloe shook her head and wrote something down on a chart.

  “Her name is Betty,” Abby said. “We just got her from Kringle Kritters Rescue. Is she okay?”

  “Let’s find out.” Chloe picked up Betty and carried her into the exam room. Suzannah, Zach and Abby all followed her in.

  For the next few minutes, the vet gave Betty a thorough exam. Suzannah helped, praying that Betty would be okay. She could tell her daughter was already attached to the dog, and the last thing Abby needed was another loss.

  “Betty is about nine years old,” Dr. Chloe said.

  “How old is that in dog years?” Abby screwed her mouth up as if trying to calculate the math in her head.

  “Sixty-three.”

  “The same age as Grandma?” Abby’s eyes widened.

  “Don’t tell that to Edith,” Suzannah cautioned with a laugh. “I don’t know if she would appreciate it.”

  “Why not? Betty is awesome.”

  “She’s a little underweight,” Chloe went on. “But otherwise, Betty looks very healthy. You just need to convince her to eat. I’ll outline a schedule for you and place her on a special diet.”

  “She’s okay?” Abby asked.

  “She’s perfect,” Chloe announced, then turned to the computer to complete the paperwork on the dog.

  A small smile had been lurking around Abby’s mouth, but now it burst free. She gave Betty a big hug. Even though it had only been a few hours, the dog became smitten with Abby, a feeling that was mutual.

  “I’d say you should give her lots of love, too, but I can see you’ve got that covered,” Chloe teased.

  Abby hugged her dog close. “I will. I’ll make sure she gets lots and lots of love.”

  While Chloe discussed with Abby when and what to feed Betty, Suzannah turned and looked for Zach. She’d been so caught up with her daughter and the dog that she hadn’t noticed he’d slipped out. She left the exam room, wanting to thank him for his help.

  “Hey,” she said, finding him in the lobby. “There you are.”

  Zach sauntered over. He had such a relaxed way of walking and being around him instantly calmed Suzannah. “So how is Betty?”

  She smiled at him and felt her whole face light up. Zach was such a great guy, and it always made her happy to see him. “She’s fine. I’m so relieved.”

  “I’m glad she’s good. Betty’s a sweet dog, and your daughter is a really sweet kid,” he said. “She was adamant about adopting a dog that would be the hardest to place.”

  “Keith was like that.” Suzannah’s smile wavered a
bit.

  Zach’s eyes met hers. “So are you.”

  And so was Zach. He was the most loyal, considerate man she’d known outside of her late husband.

  “And you’re a terrific friend and a good sport. Thank you for taking her,” she said, leaning forward and giving him a hug. “This is something she’ll remember forever.”

  Zach’s warm hug made her feel safe and protected, as it always did. But this time, though, she felt something else. Her skin tingled and her pulse quickened and suddenly she had trouble inhaling. The sandalwood scent of his soap with a peppermint flavor underneath. The shape of his muscled arms as they wrapped around her. The tickle of his breath against her skin.

  There was an attraction there and she couldn’t deny it. Should she go on a date with Zach? The thought was electrifying.

  Shaken, she quickly dropped her arms and moved back. “Um, thanks again.”

  Zach seemed equally thrown. He glanced at her and then looked away. After a few awkward moments, his gaze caught hers and he looked serious. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Oh?” She pasted on a bright smile past the knot of anxiety scaling her throat.

  “It’s about Abby.”

  Suzannah’s heart clutched and her smile faded. “What is it?”

  “This morning…” He paused. He was a straightforward man, and it wasn’t like him to hee-haw. His hesitating worried her.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I just thought you should know Abby told me this morning that her true Christmas wish is for us to get married.”

  It took a moment for that to register. Suzannah felt the air whoosh from her lungs. When had one date progressed to getting married? She was going to have a long talk with her daughter.

  “What? I told her I would think about going on a date and she suggested I start with someone comfortable and nonthreatening like you. I do not know how that child made the wild leap to us getting married.”

  “Nonthreatening?” He did not look amused.

  “You know what I mean. You’re safe. I’m not ready to jump headfirst into the dating pool.”

  “I see.”

  “Don’t feel hurt. I meant it in a good way.”

  Finally, he smiled and nodded slowly. “Abby said she wants us to get married. I told her you and I are just friends, but she didn’t accept that.”

  “But I’m already married,” Suzannah said, then realized what she’d said. “I mean, I was…”

  Zach looked as uncomfortable as she felt. Why would Abby tell him that her Christmas wish was for her mother and him to get married?

  “Zach, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say.”

  He patted her shoulder. “Suzannah, don’t let this upset you. I just wanted to tell you in case Abby doesn’t tell you. She promised me she would, but I’m not sure she will. I think you two should talk.”

  “She promised if we went on one date, she’d stop bugging me about dating. Want to go out to dinner and put a stop to this nonsense?” Suzannah blurted.

  “I don’t know if we should feed this fire, do you?”

  “No, no, of course not. I was teasing.” She pushed her hair from her forehead. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Suzannah, you have no reason to be sorry.”

  She waved her hands. “I’m sorry about all of it. I’ve taken advantage of you for years, and now Abby thinks there’s something more between us than friendship.”

  He surprised her by smiling slowly.

  That smile got to her and quickened her pulse.

  “Ah, Suzannah, but there is something between us,” he said. “You know how much you mean to me.”

  She returned his smile. She knew. Zach was the best friend she’d ever had. She loved him deeply, but not in the way her daughter meant. She was going to have to talk to Abby soon.

  “I’ll talk to her this evening,” she told Zach. “We’ll squash this before it turns into a mess.”

  “Or as you said, we could grab that dinner, get her off our case, and go back to the way things were before she got a bee in her bonnet over this,” he said.

  “What about not feeding the fire?”

  He pulled his mouth to one side. “Sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.”

  She paused a minute, studying his face. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Let’s do this.” She met Zach’s gaze and held it for a few seconds.

  “For real.”

  “Sure. It’s just a meal, right.”

  “Right.”

  “When?” she asked, feeling her pulse quicken even faster. “Where?”

  “We’ll work out the details later.” With another small smile, he plucked his cowboy hat from the hat rack beside the door and headed out to his truck.

  “All rightee then.”

  “Tell Abby I’ll drive her home.” He called over his shoulder. “I’ll be waiting in the truck.”

  Suzannah turned and headed back inside the exam room. This day had taken a really strange turn, and she honestly wasn’t sure how she felt about it.

  Not in the least.

  Chapter 5

  A few minutes later, Abby came out of the clinic, carrying Betty, and climbed into the back seat of his extended cab pickup truck.

  “You ready?”

  “Yep. Take us home, please.”

  “At your service,” he said and drove from the parking lot. He looked at Abby in the rear-view mirror, she was rocking Betty in her arms as if she was a baby doll.

  He drove through downtown Kringle, past the decorated Christmas displays and the courthouse square. “I talked to your mom.”

  A big grin crossed her face. “About you asking her to marry you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Awesome sauce,” Abby crowed. “So when are you getting married? I want to be in the wedding, and I don’t mean as a flower girl. I’m too old to be—”

  “Whoa, whoa.” Zach frowned. Okay, that hadn’t worked out right. “Slow down.”

  “What is it? Am I talking too fast?”

  “No, we’re not getting married, Abby. Your mom and I are just friends. I talked to her because I wanted her to know that you were hoping for something that won’t happen. We’ll go on a date as friends to please you, but that’s all.”

  “Why can’t it happen?” Abby looked hurt. “Why can’t you get married?”

  “That’s why you need to talk to your mother. So she can explain.”

  “I don’t get it. You like Mom. Mom likes you. I like you. You’d be a great dad.”

  “Sweetheart, it’s not that simple. Your mom and dad were deeply in love. She’ll love no man the same way she loved him.” A deep ache caught him in the middle of his stomach, blindsiding Zach. He knew in his heart it was true.

  There. That was the reason he and Suzannah could never be more than friends. She was still in love with Keith. Even death couldn’t break that emotional bond. Keith was her first love and her last. Zach wondered what it would be like to have a woman love him the way Suzannah loved his best friend.

  Abby notched up her chin. “I miss Dad too, but I know he’s not coming back.” Her voice caught, and she wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. Betty had fallen asleep in her lap. “Mom needs to move on. Everyone says so.”

  “Everyone being your friend Stephie?” Zach asked.

  “And Grandma.”

  “I see.” He pulled up in front of the small brick house where Suzannah and Abby lived. “Why don’t you let your mother decide what’s best for her?”

  “Thanks for the ride,” Abby said, cutting him off. She opened her door and hopped out. Then she picked up Betty and set her down in the driveway. Rather than pulling at the leash and trying to get away, Betty just cowered.

  “C’mon Betty,” Abby said, tugging on the leash.

  Betty didn’t move.

  Helplessly, Abby met Zach’s gaze. “What do I do now?”

  Zach got out and hunkered down next to the dog and waved for
Abby to crouch down too. “You need to realize that Betty has been through something traumatic.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “We’ll never know for sure, but dogs don’t act this scared unless something bad happened. She needs time to adjust to you.”

  “How much time?” Abby looked worried.

  “However long it takes.”

  Abby nibbled her bottom lip and looked forlorn. “Will she ever love me?”

  “Yes, but it won’t happen overnight. She’s got to learn to trust you. Your job is important. You need to show her that she’s safe and loved. Be patient and don’t rush her to do things on your time schedule.”

  Abby nodded, and then she said, “And I need to do the same with Mom, right?”

  Zach hadn’t meant the discussion to have a double meaning, but now that he considered what he’d said, it definitely did. “Yes. You need to be patient.”

  Before he could add anything else, the front door opened, and Edith came out. He hadn’t realized that Keith’s mother was visiting since her car wasn’t in the driveway.

  “Hi, Edith.” He stood and smiled at her.

  “Zach.” Her smile was tight, and her nod, while not exactly unfriendly, wasn’t warm and inviting. Edith had made it clear over the years after Keith had died that she disapproved of his involvement with Suzannah and Abby. He wasn’t exactly sure why.

  “Grandma, look at the dog I adopted. Her name is Betty.” Abby picked the dog up and cradled her to her chest.

  Edith looked horrified. “You adopted a dog?” Glaring at Zach, she added, “Abby, you should have asked your mother first. Zach can’t make this decision for your family.”

  “Mom said I could,” Abby said. “We talked it over last night. It was her idea for Zach to take me.”

  Edith’s immediate reaction might have hurt his feelings if it weren’t for the empathy he felt for Keith’s mother. Edith still struggled with the loss of her only child, and he knew that every time she saw him, she wondered why Zach was here and her son was not.

  Edith patted the dog, then muttered, “Oh, okay. If your mother said you could have her.”

  Abby carried Betty into the house.