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He gave her hand a quick shake. “I’m Shaun Higgins. It’s nice to meet you. I really like your shop.”
“Thank you. But I can’t take a lot of credit for it. It’s been passed down through the generations. I’m just the caretaker for now.” She turned her attention back to Leah. “I take it the guests like the soaps.”
“They love them.”
Just then a little dog came running from the back. His tail was swishing back and forth with such enthusiasm that his whole butt wiggled. The pup came to a stop next to Holly. He looked at them with curiosity in his brown eyes while his tail beat the floor at a steady pace.
“And who is this?” Leah asked.
Holly glanced down. “This is Tater Tot. And he’s being on his best behavior today.”
Leah’s gaze moved from the dog to its owner. “Is it okay if I pet him?”
“Certainly. He’s used to it after coming to work with me for the past year. In fact, his gotcha day is coming up.”
Her words got Shaun thinking. “You didn’t happen to get him from Candi Goodman, did you?”
“Not directly. But he is one of the puppies that Candi brought to town last Christmas.” She reached down and petted Tater’s head. “It wasn’t supposed to be permanent. Was it Tater? But one thing led to another, and well, a year later, here we are.”
Shaun couldn’t help but think that his father would love to be here and see one of his shelter dogs living his best life. “Would you mind if I took your picture with Tater?” Realizing he was getting ahead of things, he backed up. “Let me explain…before Tater came to live with you, he was at my dad’s animal shelter. Candi worked there and volunteered to drive three of the pups to Kringle Falls.”
Holly’s eyes widened as it made sense. “Did you bring more pups this year?”
“Actually, I did. Four of them—but only two are still at the pet shop. Merry Kringle said she could find them homes. I hope she does.”
“She will,” Holly said with conviction. “Merry is like a dog matchmaker. She’ll find them the perfect home.”
His thoughts turned to Mochi, who was back at the inn. He felt awful that Merry couldn’t find Mochi the perfect home. If she couldn’t do it, he would take on the job. Mochi’s loving home was out there, waiting for her.
He turned the conversation around and took it back to the beginning. “Could I take a picture of you two? My father would love to see Tater Tot with you.”
Holly nodded. “Sure. Maybe someday your dad could come visit Tater Tot and the others.”
“Actually, he’s going to be here later this month for Candi’s wedding. He’s escorting her down the aisle.”
“Aw… That’s so sweet,” Holly said.
Shaun snapped the photo. “Wait. Let me take one more.” He looked over at Leah. “Step over there next to Tater and Holly and let me take a photo.” When Leah shook her head, he said, “Please...”
“Come on,” Holly said. “I don’t think he’s going to give up until you do it.”
Leah sighed. “You’re probably right.”
She stepped toward the dog, whose tail once more thumped the floor. She showered him with compliments before petting his head.
Shaun snapped the picture. He couldn’t think of anything cuter. And it would be a nice photo to look back on when he was back in Kentucky.
She glanced over at him. “I wasn’t posing.”
“Sorry. My finger slipped.” He grinned at her.
“Why don’t I believe you?” Leah moved so that she was lined up with Holly and Tater. “Okay. You can take the picture now.”
He snapped two more. Then his gaze moved to Holly. “Would you happen to know where the other pups from last year ended up?”
Holly nodded. “Actually I do. It’s a small town. Tank, the husky, was adopted by Candi’s fiancé, Michael Bishop. And Odie was adopted by Belle Sinclair—she now runs the Frills & Heels Boutique–and Sunny was adopted by Justin Bishop. However, Sunny spends a lot of his time at Jingle Bell Books with Felicity Wright. And every now and then, we all get together for a play date. The pups chase each other and wrestle. It’s something special for them.”
“It sounds like it,” he said. “I sure would like to get their pictures, you know, for my father. It’ll do him a lot of good to know they are happy.”
