“Of course,” I said. “If you can put up with my brother, that is.”
He smiled. “Yeah, I can tolerate Vic for a bit. It beats getting drunk by myself.”
“That’s really pathetic, Trevor. Come over at five for dinner, then we’ll all head over to the Christmas Festival. It should be interesting to see if the reindeer are there.”
Again, how I was going to manage Christmas Eve dinner with a kitchen full of puppies, I wasn’t sure. Perhaps I could lay out some pee pads in the living room and corral them out there for a bit while I cooked.
“Sounds good,” he replied. “Maybe we’ll actually get to the bottom of who took Rudolph and hit Charlie while we’re there.”
“Wouldn’t that be nice?”
I exited the car and headed toward the house. Daisy greeted me at the door, her tail wagging. “Gina! Gina! I missed you sooo much!”
“I missed you too,” I whispered as I stroked her head.
“Hey, Mom.” I glanced up to find Jacob coming down the hall.
“Hi, honey. What’s on your agenda today?”
After he listed off some errands and time with his friends, I said, “Don’t forget Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow at five, and then we’ll head over to the Christmas Festival.”
“Sounds good,” he said. “I’ll be home in a few hours.”
“You can help me peel potatoes for tomorrow.”
He rolled his eyes. “Great. Loads of fun to be had, Mom.”
“I agree,” I snickered. “I’ll see you later.” He’d been helping me peel potatoes on every holiday since he was five. It was a task we mutually detested, and it often ended up in a potato peel war. Some years, I found bits and pieces months later around the kitchen.
As the door clicked shut, I hurried down to my bedroom to check my social media posts again. To my delight, I had a message.
Hi –
My name is Linda, and I think you may have my dog.
She responds to Sasha, and she’s pregnant.
Can you please give me a call?
I sighed with relief. It appeared I’d found Sasha’s owner—or her human, I should say—so she’d be home just in time for Christmas.
After picking up my phone, I dialed the number. When the woman answered, I said, “Hi, Linda. My name’s Gina Dunner. You sent me a message about Sasha.”
“Oh, thank goodness. I’m so glad you called! I have to get her home as soon as possible. She should be having her pups at any time!”
“She already did,” I replied. “I’ve got her and eleven puppies in my kitchen right now.”
“Oh, no! Are they all okay?”
“They’re fine,” I said. “All are healthy and eating and pooping up a storm.”
“Can you tell me where you found her?” Linda asked. “It was the strangest thing. One minute Sasha was here, and it was like she just disappeared into thin air.”
I told her about Charlie calling me regarding the puppies, but Sasha not being around. I left out the part of her chasing off the person who had stolen Rudolph because I couldn’t explain how I knew such details without revealing my talking dog.
“I went back to the barn hoping Sasha would return to find her babies, and I’d been right. I was able to bring her back to my house and reunite them.”
Linda sighed, and when she spoke again, it sounded as if she’d been crying. “I’m so glad you could help,” she said. “The puppies will all be trained to become service dogs, most of them going to children and veterans. They’ll detect epilepsy, help with PTSD, and lead the blind. Those puppies are going to be so important. Thank you, Gina.”
And suddenly, all the cleanings and feedings that we’d endured the past days became worth it, and I was glad that Linda wasn’t some backyard breeder only in it for the money. The dogs would be critical to people’s lives. “I’m glad I was able to help out.”
She sniffed again. “Can I get your address? I’ll come get them right now.”
“Google Maps says that’s about an hour away from me. I’ll leave shortly,” Linda said after I rattled it off.
Perfect timing. I could make it to the grocery store and back before they arrived. “Take my number and text me when you’re close.”
I got to the store and back in record time, despite Christmas Eve being the next day. Just as I finished putting away the groceries, which was difficult at best with the puppies weaving in and out of my legs and biting my shoelaces, a tap sounded at my front door. I opened it and met the gaze of a woman my age with a thick black ponytail wrapped around her shoulder. “Hi, Gina. I’m Linda.”
“Come on in,” I said. “Wait until you see the puppies. They’re beautiful.”
She followed me to the kitchen and stepped over the gate. Sasha rose from the blankets and barked, then began whining while her tail slapped the cupboards. Linda fell to her knees to take the canine into an embrace.
“I’m so glad to see you!” Linda whispered. “I’ve missed you so much, Sasha.”
Tears welled in the woman’s eyes as she held her dog. After a moment, she glanced at all the puppies that had gathered around her. “Oh, my goodness. Look what you did, Sasha. They’re beautiful.”
