Page 10 of Puppy Christmas

Lila opened her mouth and closed it again, looking at him as though he’d arrived from a distant star.

Before she could reply, the door swung open again and Emily’s head peeped through the opening, an expression of such rapture on her face that Ford knew he was done for. He hadn’t seen his daughter light up like that in a long time.

Great.They were getting a Saint Bernard. They were probably gettingtwoSaint Bernards, the pair of them conjoined at the massive, hairy hip.

“It’s Christmas,” she breathed. “Daddy, come see! It’s Christmas.”

He cast one last forlorn look at Lila before following his daughter into the dog kennel. This was going to be a long, painful slog of daily three-hour walks and buckets of dog slobber, but for Emily, he’d endure much worse.

His first thought as he moved through the door was that it was unlike any dog kennel he’d ever seen before. Instead of crates, each animal was held in a half-walled pen that allowed them to run and jump and sniff happily at the creature next door. It was also, as his daughter suggested, a lot like Christmas. There weren’t any decorations up or anything like that—there was still a good month to go before the holiday hit—but half of the dozen or so puppies inside were adorned with giant red bows around their necks.

“Look!” Emily cried, as if his eyes weren’t already open and drinking in the various puppies around him. “Presents. Forme!”

“Emily, moppet, they aren’t all for you—” he began, but he was cut short by Lila’s low laugh.

“Yes, actually. They are.” She brushed past him and squatted down to Emily’s level. It was the sort of thing that was going to be the death of him—not only was it a kind thing to do to make a little girl feel more comfortable, but it made it easier for Emily to understand her. “Emily, all the puppies with red bows are ones you can choose from. I picked them out specifically for you. They’re the ones who are best at hearing the important sounds you might sometimes miss. They’re not too big to follow you around school, but theyarebig enough to help catch you when you get dizzy sometimes. And most importantly, they love kids.”

In other words, she’d done her research—and done it well. This woman he’d met only once had somehow anticipated every one of his fears and staved them off at the outset. He relaxed and crossed his arms, watching the pair of them interact. Apparently, he’d underestimated the princess.

“Any one of them will be a perfect fit for you.” Lila added, “But—and this is the most important thing—you have to play with each and every one of them.”

“I do?”

“Absolutely. This is going to be your dog for years and years, so you need to be sure you’re going to be best friends first.”

Emily’s eyes widened, the weight of the decision heavy on her shoulders. “Okay,” she said and lifted her finger. “I want that one.”

“You want to play with him first? Sure. Let’s get him out, and—”

“No, I don’t want to play. I want him. I pick that one.”

Ford had to struggle to keep his lips from twitching.

“Right. So, there’s a special yard out back where you can introduce yourself. Then, when you’re done with him, we can bring him in and we’ll get another one out.”

“No, thank you.” Emily was nothing but polite as she turned down each and every one of Lila’s suggestions. “I want the floofy one with the curly ears.”

“Um.” Lila cast a helpless look up at Ford. “Am I not explaining this correctly?”

“Oh, you’re doing just fine. Better than most, in fact. But I warned you how it would be.”

“His name is Jeeves,” Emily announced.

“Actually, his name is—”

“Jeeves von Hinklebottom.”

“I’m not sure—”

“Jeeves von Hinklebottom the Third.”

Although Lila didn’t look convinced, the floofy puppy with the curly ears seemed to accept his name with dignified grace. Then again, that could have just been how he always looked. There was something about his shaggy face—a perfect blend of black and white—and dark, piercing eyes that made him appear preternaturally wise. Especially when all he did was sit down and lift his head in a majestic nod.

That was a Jeeves von Hinklebottom the Third if Ford had ever met one.

With a laugh, he decided to come to Lila’s rescue. It seemed the least he could do after she was so careful to set up a selection process that his daughter quashed in thirty seconds flat. “Jeeves looks absolutely perfect to me. What is he? A poodle of some kind?”

“Half poodle and half cocker spaniel, actually. He’s what’s known as a cockapoo. They’re perfect for kids and perfect as hearing service dogs, but I wasn’t kidding about the whole meet-and-greet process. She really should try to get to know them all first.”