The Christmas Promise (Heartsong Presents)

by Kimberly Rose Johnson

  “Hmm?”

  “I like him. I’d actually started fantasizing about a future with him. We seemed so right for each other.” She pulled the pizzas from the oven and grabbed the pizza cutter.

  “Are we talking about Pete?”

  Keira paused, holding the cutting wheel midair. “I know I need to forget about him in the romantic sense, but he’s kind of stuck on my brain, especially since I’ve been running into him so often.”

  Susan put tongs in the salad and placed it on the table. “Maybe you should start dating. I don’t mean another blind date, either. Don’t you know any single men?”

  “Probably.” She loved her friend, but she’d seriously gone loony with that suggestion. She leaned into the family room. “Dinner’s ready, Cody. Please turn off the TV.”

  Cody obeyed and scampered to the table. The three sat, and Keira offered a blessing. A lively conversation about Clifford ensued and the pizza was demolished in no time. To Keira’s chagrin she’d eaten at least half a pizza on her own. She couldn’t help it. Angst made her crave carbs, and pizza was the perfect fix. At least Susan didn’t bring up dating in front of Cody.

  Later that evening Susan whispered in her ear as she pulled on her coat, “I’m going to find the perfect man for you if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Keira gave her friend a squeeze and ignored the promise. “Will you come with me and Cody to the festival next Friday?”

  “Sure. Sounds like fun. See you Sunday and if I don’t see you sooner, have a nice Thanksgiving.”

  “You, too.” Keira locked up behind Susan and pondered her friend’s advice. Was dating a good idea? She hadn’t even considered it until recently and that hadn’t worked out well. But in spite of her busy life she was lonely and longed for companionship. Hmm, maybe she should get a dog. She chuckled. It’d be just her luck to end up with a sick dog and have to take him to see Pete.

  Cody padded over to her. “What’s so funny, Momma?”

  “Just thinking about getting a dog,” she mumbled.

  “Really?” His face lit with excitement. “I want a dog just like Clifford.”

  Oh, boy. She’d done it now. Why had she voiced that thought? “I don’t know, Cody. A dog is a lot of work, and I’m pretty busy. Plus, an animal that big would never fit through the door, and we don’t have a yard to keep him in.” She didn’t have the heart to tell him Clifford dogs weren’t real. In his young mind, Clifford the Big Red Dog was as real as he was.

  “I’ll take care of him. I promise.”

  Keira ruffled his hair with her hand and smiled. Those soulful blue eyes of his never failed to get her. It was like looking straight into his daddy’s gaze. How could she deny this boy a puppy? She hadn’t started Christmas shopping yet and Cody never asked for much. But a dog? “How about you go brush your teeth and get ready for bed?”

  “Aww, Mom. I’m never going to get a dog.” He shuffled away, taking a piece of her heart with him. How did kids do that?

  The Christmas ball invitation and ticket on the counter caught her attention. She picked it up again and read the small print at the bottom: No Children Allowed. There went that idea, but some part of her ached to dress up and forget chocolates and customers.

  * * *

  Pete handed a canvas bag containing four bottles of sparkling cider to Josh. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “Hey, glad you made it.” Josh took the bag and closed the door behind Pete. “When you said you were on call today we were afraid you wouldn’t show.”

  “So far so good. There were a few minor issues this morning, but this afternoon has been quiet. I imagine I’ll be busy fielding emergency calls later when people feed their pets leftovers that make them sick.”

  “Let’s hope not. Come on into the family room. The kids and I are watching the game.”

  Pete slipped out of his jacket and hung it on the coatrack by the entrance. “My kind of family—football and good food.”

  Josh chuckled and led the way.

  The rest of the day went by in a blur with laughter and too much to eat. His thoughts drifted to Keira. He’d gotten to know her a little over the past month, and she didn’t seem like the kind of woman who’d cheat on him and then take off. But then again, neither had Becky. No, he’d made the right decision in breaking things off with her before anything started. Kids just complicated things. It was the best thing for her son, too. What if he got close to Keira’s son and he and Keira later broke up? The child could be hurt. There was just too much risk for everyone.

  Josh’s oldest son, Trent, stood tall with his shoulders back. “You want to play a game of checkers? My dad says I’m a worthy opponent, whatever that means.” A bashful smile settled on his lips.

  Pete glanced toward Josh, who winked. “Why not? Set it up. But after that I need to head out.” He followed Trent to the card table Josh had placed in the bay window. He hadn’t played checkers since grade school, but surely he could hold his own against a nine-year-old. “Do you want to go first?”

  “Sure.” Trent set up the red pieces, while Pete placed the black ones on the correct squares. Trent slid a piece forward and Pete followed by doing the same with his.

  Several plays later Pete realized he’d been had. This kid was a checker shark. The game was over before it began. “How did you get so good at this?”

  “When I was little I got sick a lot. My mom and dad played checkers with me.”

  Pete looked to Josh for an explanation, but Josh had left the room.

  Trent jumped the last of his kings. “I win!”

  “You sure did.” He watched the boy a second. Would it bother him if he asked? But then again, Trent had brought the subject up. “You never said why you were sick all the time.”

  “I’m allergic to cats and Mom and Dad didn’t know. My friend has a cat, so I can’t play at his house anymore.”

  “I see. Cat allergies can be bad. Good thing they figured out the problem.”

  Trent nodded. “I actually ended up with pneumonia once because I kept getting sicker and sicker.”

  “Well, I’m glad you’re fine now.”

  “Me, too.” Trent grinned wide. “And the best part is I’m an expert checker player.”

  Pete chuckled. “That you are.” He stretched and patted his stomach. “I better head out before I’m tempted to eat more of your mom’s delicious apple pie and need to be rolled out the door.”

  Trent giggled and stood. “Dad! Pete’s leaving.”

  Josh sauntered back into the room with a plate covered in tinfoil. “Leftovers. Laura insisted.”

  “Sounds good to me.” There was nothing like leftover turkey and dressing. “I hope she included a piece of pie.”

  “Of course.” Josh followed him to the door. “Before you go, my sister Susan asked about a dog. Keira is looking for a small dog for her son.”

  Pete shrugged into his jacket, wishing he could ask how she was really doing. Sure, he saw her around town and at church, and she was always friendly, but he didn’t like to think that he’d hurt her. He’d closed the door on a relationship, though, so maybe it was better not to ask. Might give Josh the wrong idea. “I’ll keep my ears open. Do they have a particular breed in mind?”

  Josh chuckled. “Susan said Cody wants a dog like Clifford.”

  “The cartoon?”

  Josh laughed outright. “One and the same.”

  Pete grinned. “Don’t think that’ll work, but I’ll give Keira a call if I come across any small-to-medium breeds in need of a home.” Suddenly an idea percolated, and he couldn’t wait to find a dog for Keira’s son.

  * * *

  A week after Thanksgiving, Pete drove home from work, his fingers gripping the steering wheel. The recent snow had iced over, making driving treacherous. He had studded tires
but decided to take it easy. Something on the side of the road grabbed his attention. He glanced out the driver’s-side window and frowned. He pulled off the road and stepped out. The SUV hummed quietly in the still air. He shuffled across the road and spoke softly to the small bundle of brown-and-blond fur. “Hey, there.” He stood still and waited for the dog to respond.

  The beagle whimpered and limped toward him. Pete reached down and cradled her in his arms. “You’re such a sweet girl. What are you doing out here in the cold?” He took the animal to his Toyota 4Runner, rubbing his fingers along the fur where a collar should have been. Pete always kept a blanket in the backseat and spread it out before placing the dog on it. He’d take the beagle to the clinic and check her out. She favored her left paw, but he’d know more when he got her on the exam table.

  Other than a dirty coat and the paw, the animal seemed well cared for. He made a U-turn and headed back toward town. He’d check for a microchip. It’d be best to locate the owners tonight. He’d hate to leave her at the animal shelter.

  A few minutes later he pulled back into his assigned spot at the clinic. The beagle buried her head in his elbow as he carried her inside. He felt her start to relax and she snuggled into his arms like she belonged there.

  “You’re back!” Meghan stood from her desk chair. Her eyebrows rose. “Well, who do you have there?”

  “I found her alongside Highway 101.” He took the dog into one of the rooms and placed her on an exam table. “Now let’s see that paw.” Lifting her front left leg, he examined her pads closely. Sure enough a small sliver of glass was stuck in her paw. “How did you find glass with the ground covered in snow?” He ran his hands along her sides to check for any abnormalities. Everything felt fine.

  Meghan popped into the room. “Need anything?”

  He rattled off a few items and took the dog’s temperature while waiting for his assistant to return.

  “Here we are.” Meghan brought in a tray with the supplies and placed them on the counter.

  “Please stay. I might need you.” In no time Pete removed the glass. Thankfully the paw was not infected and didn’t require wrapping. “Blondie needs a bath, but first let’s see if she has a microchip. I’d like to let her owners know she’s safe.”

  Meghan smirked. “Blondie? I thought she didn’t have a tag.”

  He chuckled. “I dubbed her that because of her tan ears.” He scratched Blondie behind the ears and spoke softly to her. “She’s a beauty, don’t you think?”

  “A little dirty, but that can be fixed.”

  Pete picked up the animal and passed her off to Meghan, but couldn’t help giving the dog another scratch behind the ears. Her brown eyes stared up into his. “Let me know what you find out.”

  “Will do. You need a Blondie of your own. I’ve never seen you take to a dog like this. You’re usually all business.”

  “Not true. I treat all my patients the same.” A smile teased his lips. Okay, so maybe Blondie touched his heart a little more than most.

  “Whatever you say.” Meghan took Blondie from the room.

  Meghan’s words played in his head again and sent his mind tumbling toward the woman who had consumed his thoughts since the day they’d met, no matter how hard he tried not to think about her. He’d certainly taken to Keira right from the start.

  Pete went to his office and waited. What would he do if the dog didn’t have a chip? Sending her to the animal shelter didn’t appeal. He thought of Cody and shook his head. There was no sense getting ahead of himself. A knock sounded on his door. “Come in.”

  Meghan peeked around the corner. “No microchip. Would you like me to have her bathed now?”

  “Yes, please.” He leaned forward resting his elbows on the desk. Telling Keira about the dog would probably be a bad idea. He needed to try to find the owner first and if he couldn’t, he’d contact Keira. He wondered how she was doing.

  Whoa.

  Where had that thought come from? That little dog was messing with his mind.

  “What are you going to do with little Blondie?” Meghan stroked the dog’s back and she held her close.

  Pete frowned. He’d really hoped it wouldn’t come to this. “I guess I’ll take her to the shelter.”

  Meghan pursed her lips. “You know...” She dragged the word out. “There’s no reason we couldn’t try and find her owner ourselves. We could put her picture on Craigslist, and hang up a flyer here and there around town.”

  “Meghan, if I took the time to do that for every stray that came into this clinic—”

  “Hear me out. You clearly think a lot of this particular dog, and I don’t blame you. She’s very sweet. If you send her to the shelter she’ll just be another lost dog. Take her home, Dr. Harding. Feed her and give her a warm place to sleep. I’ll take care of finding her owners.”

  “But—”

  “No buts.”

  He reached out for the animal. “Okay. I’ll take her home. I’ll need a crate and some sample dog food. I don’t have anything at my house. I got rid of all my supplies back in Seattle after my German shepherd died.” He removed Blondie from Meghan’s arms.

  “No worries. The clinic has everything you need. Just borrow the supplies for a few days.” She nearly skipped from the room.

  Pete stifled a laugh. He’d never seen his assistant so animated about anything. He knew Meghan meant well, but she wasn’t considering his attachment to the animal. The longer he cared for the little beagle, the fonder of her he would grow.

  One good thing could come out of this. If Meghan failed to find the owner, he’d have an opportunity to see if the dog would make a good pet for Cody. Too bad he didn’t know anything about the child other than his age. Maybe he should give Keira a call.

  Chapter 4

  Keira sipped her morning coffee and leaned back into the comfy chaise while gazing out the window. Fresh snow covered the sidewalks and street, and wreaths and bells adorned the already beautiful buildings. Something about the German storefronts made her happy, and in spite of the snow they warmed her heart.

  A smile touched her lips. Her favorite time of day was early morning when few people were out and about, but the Lighting Festival officially began tonight and the quiet would soon disappear. In anticipation of the crowds that would be flooding the small village, she’d asked Holly to work all weekend beginning at noon today. Thankfully the young woman had agreed.

  Her thoughts shifted to her son. He’d asked her when he was going to get a dad again and she still felt at a loss as to how to answer. What she really wanted to know was what brought on the question.

  Maybe tonight at dinner she’d find a way to ask Cody if he was missing his daddy. Of course he’d never really known him. He was only six months old when the accident happened. The only knowledge he had about Michael was from pictures and what she’d told him, which wasn’t much. He’d only recently begun asking about his dad. Maybe he realized the other kids in his Sunday school class had dads and he didn’t.

  The phone blared into the silent apartment, causing her to jump and spill her coffee. “Oh, no!” She quickly set the mug on the counter and ran for her bedroom, ignoring her stinging hand. No way did she want Cody to wake up this early. She leaped across the bed for the phone before it rang again. “Hello.” Her voice was brusque, but she didn’t care.

  “Keira, it’s Pete.”

  “Oh.” Her mind blanked. He was the last person she expected to hear from. She moved into the bathroom and ran her hand under cold water.

  “Did I get you at a bad time? I wanted to catch you before you got too busy.” He rambled on without taking a breath. “Josh said you’re looking for a dog for Cody and asked for my help. I was hoping to find out a little about your son.”

  “Why?” Unease clouded her voice. Sure, they’d become friendly, but s
he had deliberately kept Cody away from the man. No sense in getting the child’s hopes up—especially in light of his question about when he was going to get a dad.

  “Maybe we should just start over. I can’t believe how badly I botched things between us when we first met, and you have every right to be wary. I’m sorry about that, Keira.” Silence hung in the air between them like a great wall. “Do you want my help or not?” He asked softly.

  Keira blinked, a little taken aback by his blunt question. “Well, I...” She really could use a professional’s opinion on this. Taking on a pet was a big responsibility, one she didn’t have time for. But she would make a sacrifice to please Cody. “Yes, Pete. I’d like your help, and starting over sounds good to me, too. What would you like to know?” After moving back into her bedroom, she spent the next five minutes answering questions ranging from Cody’s activity level to his temperament. Meanwhile the coffee stain on the chaise was probably setting.

  “Okay, I think I have all the information I need. Just one more thing.”

  “Shoot.” She sounded more confident than she felt. Hearing his voice again made her pulse race and her brain a little mushy.

  “Are you sure you want a dog? You work long days and a dog needs attention. Something he won’t get while you’re in the candy store.”

  She let out the breath she’d been holding. “That’s a fair question. You’re right, but this is important to Cody, and I’m willing to do what’s necessary to make it happen.”

  “That’s all I needed to know. It sounds like your son is ready for a pet, but I’d like to meet him to be certain.”

  “What?” Her voice rose a notch. “Aren’t you being just a little ridiculous about this whole thing?” She padded out to the living room to deal with the coffee spill. “I mean, really, we are talking about a dog.” She kept her voice soft, so Cody wouldn’t wake up. “It’s not like I’m applying to adopt a child.” Silence greeted her outburst.

  * * *

  Pete cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to offend you, Keira. I just want to make sure Blondie has the best home possible.”