Christmas at Mistletoe Lodge: New Holiday Romances to Benefit St. Jude Hospital

by Sabrina York

  When the back door opened and the puppies took off in a dash almost knocking each other over, she found herself giggling and running after them, snapping pictures the entire time.

  “What are their breeds?” she asked, not even looking at him, but focusing on the cute balls of fur tumbling around and barking, running toward her, then back to each other again when she backed up to get them in the frames. She was determined to get pictures of these dogs playing and looking relaxed, not scared like the other pictures on the website. Or the ones that were posted every two weeks.

  “That black one over there is a shepherd Lab mix. The white and tan one is a boxer bulldog mix. The other two have a little bit of everything in them it seems, but mostly terrier and pit bull.

  “Is that why they’re left? Because they’ve got pit bull in them?” she asked. She’d always heard bad things about pit bulls, but they sure were cute just now rolling around by her feet.

  She crouched down to get closer and ended up being knocked on her butt when all four of the puppies jumped on her at once, tongues and little teeth licking and tugging.

  “As you can see, they’re so mean,” he said, laughing and pulling the wiggling puppies off of her, then helping her up. “I should have warned you about getting too close to the ground level with them. Or coming back in a white T-shirt. And yes, some breeds take longer to find a home because of the stereotype associated with them.”

  She looked down at the dirty smeared paw marks and shrugged. It was only a T-shirt.

  “I’m going to make them look as gentle and playful as can be,” she said.

  “If you want to take a picture of them for the website, let me just get them in a chair or something for you.”

  “I’ve got one of each already, no need.”

  “You did? I like a nice clear shot of them.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Trust me. I got what I need. I’ll upload them when I get home and email them to you, if you want to share your email address.”

  “Okay. I trust you. I guess you don’t need any pictures inside then?” he asked, and if she wasn’t mistaken there was a note of disappointment in his voice. She might be feeling a tad bit of that herself.

  “I’d still like pictures inside. I’d like to take some without the puppies, just those clean kennels if you don’t mind. I’ll work on the pamphlet some more since I’ve got pictures today. It’d be nice to get some of the building. I need one of you too.”

  “What?” he asked, looking shocked.

  “You. This is your organization. You should be on the pamphlet trying to help sell it.”

  “I guess. But it’s not about me.”

  “Sure it is,” she said, then didn’t say anymore when he frowned.

  Chase didn’t want his picture on the pamphlet. Everyone knew who he was. They knew what he did and what he was concerned with. No way having his picture would help or even make a difference.

  “If you say so,” he replied, not wanting to argue, nor wanting their time to come to an end. What he really wanted to do was find a way to make this night last a lot longer but had no clue how to do it.

  “So how do you get these puppies back inside?” she asked, leaning down to pet one of them, then pick up and cuddle it a little closer. “How old is this one?” she asked.

  The boxer bulldog mix was just loving the attention and he couldn’t blame the little fellow one bit.

  “Eight weeks. An apartment fire left that one homeless a few days ago not far from here.”

  “Oh, so you take dogs in at any time?” she asked.

  “If there is a need, I will, but the bulk are sent here like I said.” He walked forward. “This little guy is pretty lovable. I think he had a decent family that took him in, but unfortunately they were displaced and are staying in a hotel.”

  “They won’t come back for him?” she asked, then laughed when the dog licked her face. First she giggled, and now was a nice throaty laugh. He liked that better than the giggle, but the giggle was pretty special too.

  “No. I’m sure they’ve got other things to worry about than a puppy that was in their house for a few days. We’ll find a good home for him. Sure you don’t want him? He seems pretty smitten with you.” Lucky dog, being in her arms.

  “I’ve never had a dog before,” she said, walking forward with the pup in her arms, while the other three followed fast on his heels after he called them.

  “How come?” he asked, liking that they were just carrying on a conversation about something that was second nature to him. Something that was so important in his life.

  “I’ve always lived in apartments and flats. I’ve traveled a lot, even as a kid. It wasn’t something that would have worked out well.”

  “What about now?” he asked, thinking it wasn’t the time to talk about their pasts. “You said you just moved here and have time on your hands.” He hoped that didn’t sound like he was prying.

  “I wouldn’t know the first thing about taking care of a puppy,” she said, but she didn’t say no, so he was going to push a little bit more.

  “It’s not that hard,” he said and hoped she believed that lie.

  “Yeah, right,” she said back, laughing. Guess not.

  “Most puppies are forgiving. They just want some love. They don’t care if you’re late with their food, they’ll let you know when they’re hungry or want to play.”

  “Like just now,” she said when he handed the three remaining puppies small bones before they took off for the open room out front and started chasing each other. The one in her arms decided to settle in for a snooze. She didn’t look like she was going to put him down either, but rather shifted him like she was cradling a baby.

  “You can give him any name you want. He’s almost housebroken too. Did you notice how he was the first one out there doing his business before he came over to play?”

  “I did,” she said. She was caving, he could see a glimmer of it, like that tiny light in the distance that you were drawn to hoping it would just get brighter.

  “He sure seems attached to you.”

  She rubbed her nose on the pup’s wrinkly chin. “I don’t know how anyone can tell you no. Don’t I have to sign contracts or something? Buy bowls, food, leashes. I don’t even know,” she said, frowning now.

  “We can deal with the contract. Yes, you need those things, but I’ve got some over at the clinic if you want. Or the pet store is open...”

  “I don’t even know what to buy in terms of those things.”

  She wasn’t putting the pup down though, so he wasn’t stopping. “If you don’t have any plans, we could go over together and I’d walk you through the basics. I can help you get set up tonight if you want.”

  “Do you do this with everyone that adopts a dog?”

  Crap, was she seeing right through him? He was so not good at this.

  “No. But not everyone comes in here like this and offers to help, then finds a puppy falling in love with them. I’d hate to see you both not get to experience the bond.”

  “You’re good,” she said, looking down at the sleeping puppy she was rocking in her arms. He’d seen dogs grin before and this one was laying on the charm extremely thick.

  “What do we do with the puppy now?”

  He looked at his watch. “We can put him back in the kennel. These other three have been having fun. We’ll come back after you get what you need and pick the puppy up.”

  “I can’t believe I’m about to agree to this,” she said. “But if you’ve got the time and are willing, then we might as well. Let’s fill out the contract now, and he can continue with his nap.”

  Chase put the other three dogs back and then returned to see Noelle sitting in a chair whispering to the sleeping puppy. If there was a better sight on the face of this earth than a person falling in love with a dog, he’d yet to see it.

  6

  Make it Work

  She was nuts. What the heck did she just do? Did she actually
sign her name to a contract and adopt a puppy?

  Yes, she did. And said puppy was sitting in the kennel crying because he didn’t want her to put him down.

  The worse part was, she didn’t want to put him down either and felt not only her heart almost stop beating at those sad brown eyes, but moisture build in her own. If Chase hadn’t laughed at her, she might have given him her credit card to just go buy what was needed so she didn’t have to leave her new friend.

  Instead, she was following him to the pet store that she didn’t even know existed because she’d never had a reason to look for one.

  She parked next to Chase, who was still wearing scrubs. She didn’t know vets wore scrubs, not that she’d ever had a reason to even know that. “You better grab a cart. Even then, not everything will fit in it.”

  “Seriously?” she asked. Now she really was wondering what she got herself into.

  “You should get a crate.”

  “For what?” she asked.

  “Unless you plan on bringing the dog with you everywhere, you should crate train him for when you’re gone. Otherwise losing shoes would be the least of your worries.”

  “I don’t want to have second thoughts, but I’m starting to have them,” she said, feeling sad at just the thought of not keeping the puppy though. When was the last time she was scared, sad, and excited at once?

  “Which is only natural. Think of the cutie in your arms that you just left back there. Trust me when I say a dog makes everything better in life.” She didn’t have much to lose at this point. “If things don’t work out, don’t worry. I know I pressured you and will take the pup back.”

  She didn’t like the thought of that either. She’d make it work, she always made everything work in her life. How hard could this really be?

  Several hundreds of dollars later, Chase was helping her load up her SUV. She was the proud owner of a large crate that seemed way too big for the little puppy that was in her arms earlier. When Chase said her puppy could get up to eighty pounds, she didn’t believe him.

  But she also had a dog bed, a collar, a leash, bowls, food, treats, piddle pads, toys, chew sticks and a few other things she couldn’t remember the names of. She didn’t think she’d ever bought this much stuff for herself on a shopping trip.

  “Let’s go back and get your baby. Have you had a chance to think of a name yet?”

  “No. Do I need to give him one right now? Will it damage him if he doesn’t have one yet?”

  She didn’t appreciate that he burst out laughing, but damn it all, he was pretty darn cute when he smiled. “No, he won’t be damaged.”

  “Did he have a name when he came? I didn’t even think of that, but you said he lived with a family before?”

  “He did have a name. You don’t need to use it though.”

  “What was it?” she asked.

  “Chester.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Like I said, name him anything you want. Something will come to you, I’m sure.”

  “I’ll think about it,” she said, going to the driver’s door of her car.

  “Then let’s go get your new pup and we’ll set you up at home if you want.”

  “Don’t you have something to do?” she asked. “I mean I wouldn’t want to keep you from anything or anyone.”

  “You’re just keeping me from my dogs at home, but they’re used to me being gone for long hours. I run home at lunch and let them out, and some days I bring them in with me, but today I didn’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’ve got a few extra at home and it’s hard to pick and choose and not hurt any feelings.”

  She thought that was an odd statement, but decided to let it go and get her new companion. It seemed she was getting a male in her life after all.

  Chase was following Noelle home. Not that he needed to follow her anywhere because shockingly she lived on his street. He was just a little bit further up the road from her. He hadn’t said anything when she gave her address, but he figured he should before he was gone for the night.

  He pulled in behind her SUV in her driveway, then got out and walked forward, opening up the door for her when he noticed the pup jumping from the passenger seat into the driver’s and bathing her face.

  “Looks like he’s happy to be here. You’ve got plenty of land for him too.”

  “It’s not fenced though,” she said, getting out with the wiggling pup in her arms.

  “Boxers are a really smart breed. Teach them the boundaries and they’ll stay.”

  “You said he’s got bulldog in him too.”

  “Bulldogs are lazy but loyal like a boxer. Trust me when I say, he will stay close to home once you train him.”

  “That’s good to know. Of course I’ve got no clue how to train a dog either.”

  “Why don’t you set him down and let him do his business while I unload all of this? Then we can bring it in and get the crate set up for you.”

  She set the puppy down and started to walk him in the front yard while Chase pulled out the crate from the back and the rest of the bags.

  Once the puppy was all done sniffing and checking everything out, the two of them made their way in the front door, with Chase following behind loaded down with bags.

  “I’m not even sure where to tell you to put all of that stuff,” she said.

  He looked around her house. It was one of the smaller ones on the street, but nice and modern inside. Whoever lived here before must have fixed it up because he knew it hadn’t been off the market for long.

  “How about I bring everything to your kitchen and we’ll go from there. Do you have a mudroom?”

  “I do,” she said.

  “Then I suggest putting the bowls and crate in there if there is room.”

  Twenty minutes later everything was set up and the pup was making his way around every nook and cranny of the house. Chase would’ve liked to do that too, but he knew he was pushing his luck as it was.

  “I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to help me today,” she said.

  “Thank you for adopting the dog. Or better yet, congratulations on the new addition to your family.”

  “Thanks. I still can’t believe I did this. Now I’ll have my own barking dog to go with one of the neighbor’s around here.”

  Now seemed like the perfect time. “That would probably be me. Or my dogs. I don’t bark, or bite,” he said and then wondered why he threw that last part in there. It flew out of his mouth without thought.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I live up the road a bit. My dogs bark when I get home. More in excitement than anything. You don’t hear barking all day, do you? I’m sure my other neighbor would let me know if that was the case.”

  “No. Just in the morning, lunch, and at the end of the day.”

  “That’s about right. You’ll have to bring your pup up and let him play. Keep him socialized around other dogs.”

  “Do they need that?” she asked, looking confused.

  “They do.”

  They turned to look at the pup when it came running back into the kitchen dragging its bowl. “Oh my, is he hungry? I don’t even know how much to feed him or when.”

  He grinned, then reached over and patted her hand. “I told you he was smart. Let me explain a few more things for you.”

  “I need a pad and paper. Hang on.”

  He watched as she started to open and close drawers, looking adorably frustrated. He never would have pictured her as looking adorable, but her facial features always seemed to change, surprising him and pulling him in even more.

  There was something about her he couldn’t put his finger on, but for the moment, he wasn’t going to worry.

  7

  She Was Crazy

  Later that night, Chase was watching TV with his chocolate lab, Bruno, on the floor by his feet, napping peacefully, and his French bulldog, Snacks, next to him on the couch, because that dog ruled the house and no amou
nt of training seemed to keep the dog off the furniture. His sister’s two poodles, Gracie and Princess, were sitting regally in another chair. He couldn’t wait for his sister to get home from vacation and take those two terrors.

  Sure, they were nice well-behaved dogs, but they were two dogs too many for him to want to deal with right now. Not when he was gone all day and came back to have them thumb their noses up at him by peeing in the front hallway the minute he unlocked the door.

  It was on purpose he knew. They did it at the same time! Literally, he walked in the door, they trotted over and squatted down next to his feet as if saying, “If you came home earlier I wouldn’t need to do this now and prove to you you missed our dinnertime.”

  But everyone was fed and settled for the moment, himself included. It’d been almost eight by the time he walked in the door and he was starving. He’d been hoping Noelle would have asked him to stay for dinner, but he could tell she was flustered.

  He’d given her his number in case she had any questions or concerns tonight, or in the next few days, but he doubted she’d contact him. Even if he desperately wanted her to.

  She seemed to have it all together, or at least gave the impression she wanted him to think that.

  So when his phone went off with an email as he was getting ready for bed, he was shocked to see it was from her. Opening it up though, he found it was the pictures she’d taken today.

  She was right, those pups would go in a minute once he uploaded each one she’d sent for the remaining three. She’d explained she had more but figured these would be best for now.

  He replied back and asked how the puppy was doing, and rather than climb into bed, he pulled out his laptop and uploaded those new pictures, then changed them out on the social media pages. With any luck, they’d get some hits by tomorrow.

  When he didn’t hear back from her on the puppy, he assumed all was good and shut his light off, hoping to get some sleep.