Page 17 of Puppy Christmas

“Here. I’ll take that little darling so you can hold your cup. Jeeves, you said his name was? Oh—or am I still not supposed to touch him?” This question was directed at Lila, who found herself at a continued loss for words.

She didn’t know what it was about these people that threw her so far off-balance, but they did. She was normally able to carry herself well in any situation. All it took was a little authority, a little dignity, and—

“I won’t pet him, see? Just cradle him like this. He’s awfully sweet.” The woman buried her nose in the puppy’s neck and inhaled. It was the exact same thing Lila did whenever presented with a four-legged bundle of joy, so she relaxed a little. “That’s my special brew you’re holding. It has a bit of spice to keep things warm on a morning like this one. I thought you two could use it. My name’s Helen, by the way. You must be Princess Lila.”

All attempts at relaxation fled, some of the special brew sloshing over the edge of Lila’s mug as she reared back. “Oh, I’m not really a—”

Ford coughed heavily and cast a knowing look back over his shoulder. Emily stood in the doorway to the house, a long purple nightgown brushing the tops of her bare feet. It was an ideal opportunity for Lila to assert her position as a woman of good sense, a dog trainer whoone timewore a pink dress to a party, but Anya’s praise still hung heavily around her neck.

“I’m not really supposed to talk about my lineage,” she said, resigned to her fate. If getting the Auditory Guild’s seal of approval meant wearing crowns and carrying fairy dust in her pockets, then so be it. Dawn and Sophie were more suited to the post, obviously, but they didn’t have a monopoly on benevolence.

She could do cheery. She could do light. She was even wearing some kind of gold-threaded sweater to prove it. It was the only thing she and Sophie could find that screamedprincess pizzazz.

“It’s a secret because of matters of immediate political importance,” she added. “Like, um…” She scanned her memory for the most child-friendly diplomatic issues plaguing the world, but nothing seemed to fit. Chemical warfare reserves seemed a touch dark, as did systemic and concentrated genocide. And she was no expert, but she was pretty sure no kid wanted to hear about capital-gains taxes.

Ford seemed to note her struggle, his lips hovering over a grin. “The evil prince trying to take over her throne,” he supplied.

Ah, yes. Evil princes. How could she have forgotten that one?

“He’s my brother,” Lila lied, thinking fast. “My twin brother.”

Ford winked. “Hereviltwin brother.”

“Oh dear,” Helen murmured sympathetically. “How terrible for your whole country.”

Lila was impressed by the way Helen took it all in stride. She must have kids of her own. Apparently, a fertile imagination was one of those things they handed out at the hospital after a baby was born, like maternal instincts and those cute knit caps in alternating shades of pink and blue.

Lila took a sip of the coffee, surprised to find it as delicious as promised, with a hint of cinnamon and cayenne to spice the blood. However, Helen was giving no signs of leaving, which made Lila suspect that it wasn’t reallyhershe’d come over to caffeinate. She’d probably peeked out the window and seen Ford without a shirt. It was enough to get any hot-blooded woman’s morning routine going.

Emily had disappeared from the doorway, so Lila took that as her cue to follow suit. “I’ll take Jeeves in and start setting up the training.” She reached for the puppy, that warm bundle of fur so easygoing that he took being handed from one person to another in stride. “Thank you for the coffee.”

“No, wait.” Ford stilled her with a hand on her arm. “I’ll come with you. I’d like to watch how you do things.”

“I can see I’m only in the way,” Helen said, cheerfully unconcerned with being given the brush-off. “But before you go, Ford, I wanted to see if you’re free this weekend. I hate to ask on such short notice, but I need a plus-one for a holiday party my work is throwing. I already have a sitter lined up for the boys, so you’d be more than welcome to leave Emily with them.”

Now Liladefinitelywished she’d escaped while she had the chance. She might have made another attempt, but Ford was still clinging to her forearm, his grip strangely firm.

“That’s a tempting offer, but Lila will be keeping me pretty busy for the next few weeks.”

She opened her mouth to protest. Hard work and diligence were important to ensure a successful placement, yes, but even she wasn’t so unyielding that she required her clients to give up their entire weekends. Before she could utter so much as a syllable to that effect, Ford’s clasp on her tightened even more.

“Isn’t that right, Princess Lila?”

Well able to take a hint when it was being imprinted on her skin, she forced a smile. “Oh, yes. Weekdays, weekends, nights… A dog trainer’s work is never done.”

Helen frowned. “Really? Nights?”

“She’sverydiligent. It’s her royal blood.”

“But on a Saturday evening?”

Ford looked at Lila with a note of such appeal in his eyes that she found herself nodding along. She’d always thought she was impervious to that kind of pleading—puppies were notoriously good at it, the wretches—but something about it coming from a fully grown man knocked her sideways.

“I’m afraid so,” she said. And since the lies seemed to be stacking up around her, she decided to add a bit of truthfulness. With a self-conscious pat on Jeeves’s head, she added, “I’m kind of a stickler about things like that. About everything, really.”

Ford’s grip on her relaxed. “And you know how obedient I am, Helen.” He winked. “Especially when the commands come from a woman like this one.”

Lila wasn’t sure she cared to hear what he meant by that—if it was her stern demeanor or her apparent inability to work with children that made her so intimidating—but she should have known better than to trust a word out of his mouth.