Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Elaine sighed as she pulled on a comfortable red sweater. She still felt sleepy, and she knew that the first thing she would do when she got downstairs would be to put on a pot of coffee. She sat down in the armchair that rested next to her wardrobe and pulled on a pair of thick socks.
Oh, this whole buying a gift for Shep adventure is proving to be ridiculously hard, she thought with a groan. I should have just picked something out, so I’d at least have a backup option if I can’t find something really good. But nothing seemed like something he’d like!
She’d gone out Christmas shopping the afternoon before, traveling to a neighboring town that was a little bigger and had a couple of department stores as well as local gift shops.
She’d spent a fun but tiring day perusing store after store.
It had proved to be a good use of her time in that she’d finished buying the rest of the gifts on her list, and she’d found some truly lovely items for Audrey and Michelle, but despite all her hunting, she hadn’t found anything good for Shep.
She’d treated herself to a hearty dinner at a family diner and then continued to wander through the department stores until they closed.
Still without even a small trinket for Shep, she’d returned to The Birchwood House late and gone straight to bed, feeling exhausted and trying not to be discouraged.
She made her bed and carefully brushed her curly white hair in front of her dresser mirror. She glanced out her windows and saw that a light snowfall had begun. Smiling slightly, she put on her soft slippers and made her way down the staircase to the kitchen.
She hummed quietly to herself as she began to bustle about in the spacious but cozy room.
The kitchen smelled faintly of oregano, and she had a feeling that Audrey and Michelle had made spaghetti for dinner the night before.
She hadn’t checked in with them at all, since she’d been too wrapped up in her shopping, and she hadn’t said goodnight to them either.
That’s not like me, she thought, shaking her head. I don’t mean to neglect my girls. I need to not have tunnel vision over this gift-finding fiasco.
She started the coffee pot and then slipped out into the front hallway.
The Birchwood House’s mailbox was a metal box attached to the front of the house, next to the front door, and she liked how convenient it was to get the mail.
She made her way out to the front porch and paused for a moment to enjoy the beauty of the falling snow.
It was cold, however, and after a few seconds she shivered violently. Chuckling, she grabbed the mail and went back inside the house, flipping through the envelopes casually as she walked. She was halfway to the kitchen when a flyer caught her interest.
A business conference in Boston? she thought with a flutter of excitement. We should go to that! Audrey and I could go together, and Michelle could take care of the hotel without us. I’ll have to bring this up to the girls and see what they think.
Feeling excited, she returned to the kitchen and set the mail down on the kitchen island. She was just about to check the coffee pot to see if the coffee was ready when she heard a bark.
Startled, Elaine froze and cocked her head to one side.
I must be hearing something else that just sounded like a bark, she thought, frowning a little. None of our guests have dogs. It couldn’t have been a bark.
She was starting toward the coffee maker when she heard it again—an unmistakable “ARF!” that was high-pitched and sounded as though it was coming from a puppy.
“What on earth?” she said out loud, and a moment later, Audrey and Michelle tumbled into the kitchen, talking and laughing.
Elaine’s mouth popped open in shock when she saw that Audrey was holding onto a leash that was attached to a wriggling, joyous, adorable goldendoodle puppy.
“Oh!” Audrey froze when she saw Elaine. “Hi, Mom, this—um—”
“Have you two started a pet sitting business on the side?” Elaine asked, confused. “Or dog walking?”
Audrey and Michelle glanced at each other, their eyes meeting mischievously.
“No, Grandma,” Michelle said. “Harper’s adoption event was yesterday, remember?”
“Oh my goodness.” Elaine clamped her hand over her mouth.
“This is the newest member of our family,” Audrey said.
The puppy wagged her tail gleefully and looked up at Elaine with bright brown eyes. Elaine’s heart instantly melted and she hurried over to the dog and bent down to scratch her behind the ears.
“Well, you could knock me over with a feather right now,” she said with a laugh, “but she’s darling. Good choice for our new family member.”
Michelle grinned. “She’s having so much fun already.
We’ve got her set up in the back closet with newspapers and toys and a little bed, and as soon as she’s potty trained, we’ll start letting her roam around the house.
We’ll have to be careful and make sure she doesn’t gnaw on anything, but so far, she seems like she’s learning to be obedient already. ”
“Wow, a cutie and a scholar,” Elaine said.
She noticed that the puppy’s legs were crusted in snow, which was beginning to melt all over the kitchen floor.
“And a puddle-maker! The newest member of our family needs to be dried off, I think.” She grabbed a kitchen towel and crouched down, looking right at the dog. “Come here, Puddle.”
Michelle burst out laughing as the puppy bounded toward Elaine and flopped over onto her back, loving having the snow wiped off her legs. “Well, she seems to like that title. I think that’s a perfect name for her. Let’s name her Puddle.”
“Really?” Elaine laughed. “I was joking.”
“I love it,” Audrey said. “It’s cute and unique. I think it suits her.”
“What do you think, Puddle? Is that a good name for you?” Elaine petted the puppy’s stomach, and the little canine wagged her tail furiously and then let out a little bark.
All three of the Sutton women laughed.
“I guess that settles it,” Michelle said. “Puddle it is.”
Audrey leaned against the kitchen island, grinning, and then her attention was caught by the brightly colored flyer advertising the business conference. “Hey, what’s this?”
Elaine finished drying off Puddle and stood up. “I have a surprise for you too. How would you like to go to a conference in Boston, Massachusetts? I was thinking that Audrey and I could go and Michelle could man the fort, so to speak.”
“Sure.” Michelle smiled. “Good with me.”
“A conference?” Audrey looked thrilled. “Like a business conference?”
Elaine nodded. “Although that might be out of the question now that we have this spontaneous furry addition to our family.”
Audrey shook her head, clasping her hands together excitedly. “No, we should still go! I mean, you didn’t even notice Puddle was in the house last night, right Mom? She didn’t bark or whine too much or anything. She’s a little angel. You can manage her by yourself for a while, right Michelle?”
“Totally,” Michelle said, reaching for Puddle and scooping the puppy up into her arms. “Puddle and I are going to have a girl’s night every night, aren’t we, buddy?”
Elaine laughed, feeling a thrill of excitement.
I can hardly believe how lovely my life has become, she thought. We get to live here together, we get to run the hotel, we get to go to a business conference, and now we have this darling new addition to our family. I feel like I’m living in technicolor.
“We can talk about it all more while we make breakfast,” Audrey said. She glanced at the clock. “And I think we’d better get to it! We only have an hour before breakfast is scheduled.”
Together, they set to work scrambling eggs and mixing pancake batter.
Puddle lay in the corner, gnawing on an old sock that Michelle had given her.
Elaine’s heart was full as she looked out at the falling snow.
Even if she wasn’t able to find Shep the perfect gift like she wanted to, it was going to be the best Christmas she’d had in a very long time.