It looked like these two had put their heads together and tried to head off her reservations.She had to admit that they were persuasive.
She tried to come up with any other reason this was a bad idea, but she struggled.A silence settled over the room, as though they were waiting for another objection.But what was it?She was certain there was another reason this was a bad idea.
And then it came to her.“It’s snowing outside, and I didn’t drive.You don’t want the puppy out in the snow.”
“No problem,” Colin said.“I have my pickup.I can give you a ride home.”
She frowned at him.He wasn’t supposed to keep solving her problems.All he did was smile back at her.
At last, she felt as though she’d lost the battle.She turned to the puppy.She reached out and petted him.His tail swished back and forth across the desktop.“You can come home with me, but it’s only temporary.Okay?”
Tater Tot’s tail continued to swish.
“I’ll take this stuff out.”Colin collected the supplies from the table.
As Holly took in the magnitude of what Merry had collected for her, she thought it was an awful lot of supplies for just a night or two.But Merry distracted her as she gave her tips about the pup’s feeding schedule and potty breaks.Holly tried to memorize it all, but there was so much, and her mind was still trying to come to terms with the fact that she would be taking care of a dog.
Now that her grandmother had passed, she’d been forced to sell the only home she’d ever known and move into the apartment above the soap company.Even though it had been five months since her grandmother’s passing, Holly would still forget and rush into the storage room in the back of the store to tell her grandmother something.When she would find her grandmother’s stool at the work table empty, the sense of loss would wash over her again.
Maybe Tater Tot would be a good distraction.Even though his stay would only be temporary.This arrangement was just for a night or two.
Needing reassurance, Holly looked at Merry.“This is just for a night or two at most.Right?”
Merry nodded.“I appreciate this.”
Colin entered the office after his second trip to the pickup.“Everything is ready to go.”
Holly’s stomach shivered with nerves.She didn’t want to mess this up.
Chapter Four
Hadtheydonetheright thing?
Colin had been surprised when he showed up at Purr ’n Woof Supplies and found Merry with Tater Tot.When Merry said she couldn’t take him home because of her husband’s allergies, Colin thought she was going to ask him to take the dog.As it was, he had three dogs and one cat in the house, plus the goat and pig in his backyard barn.
He truly did worry about alienating Merry’s husband, the mayor.Colin couldn’t afford to let that happen.He was happy living in town, close to the clinic.But on a practical side, he couldn’t afford to sell his house and buy a farm out in the country.He definitely didn’t have time to run the animal clinic and take care of a farm.No way.
But when Merry mentioned Holly, his ears had perked up.Growing up, she had been the girl-next-door.When she was little, she was an annoying shadow, but as she’d matured into a beautiful teenager, his feelings toward her had warmed up.But she was three years his junior, and when you were young, those three years made a big difference, so he kept her at arm’s length.
Now, Holly was all grown up, and even though he didn’t think it was possible, she grew more beautiful every day.And it wasn’t the makeup, because she hardly wore any.It was just her goodness that started on the inside and glowed outward in her smile and the twinkle in her blue-gray eyes.
He couldn’t believe all of the puppy things he’d loaded into his pickup.Merry had gone overboard, but he wasn’t saying a word.He knew if Holly backed out of taking care of the puppy, it would fall on his shoulders.Everyone in Kringle Falls knew he had a soft spot in his heart for animals.The sadder their story, the more he opened up his heart.
But he knew Holly—well, he used to know Holly—and she had a big heart too.He thought about how he’d failed to renew their friendship in the last two years since he’d moved home.It weighed on him.That was why he decided he’d help her to feel confident in her ability to care for Tater Tot.
After loading the remainder of the puppy supplies into the pickup, he closed the door and headed back into the back of the pet shop.When he stepped into the office, he found Holly sitting at the desk petting the puppy.It looked like this transition was going to go smoothly.
“Everything is loaded.”He approached Holly.“Are you ready to go?”
She got to her feet and looked at Merry.“You’ll let me know as soon as you find a home for the puppy?”
Merry nodded.“I will.”
Holly wrapped her fingers around Tater Tot and picked him up.The pup’s tail wagged as she snuggled him against her chest.Colin wondered if that puppy was already home in Holly’s arms.
He was usually good at making light conversation, but as he escorted Holly to his pickup, he found himself struggling to think of anything to talk about.
As they stepped outside, he said the first thing that came to mind.“Looks like snow.”
