Christmas in Bayberry

Princess took off toward the house next door, kicking up snow. The dog’s tail swished back and forth.

Kate straightened. “Hello, Mrs. Johnson.”

“I hope Princess wasn’t bothering you.”

“Not at all,” Wes said. “She’s quite friendly.”

Mrs. Johnson smiled. “She was probably excited to get away from the little ones.”

“Puppies?” Kate’s face lit up.

Mrs. Johnson nodded. “Would you like to see them?”

“We’d love to,” Kate said without the slightest hesitation. And then, as though she remembered him, she turned to Wes. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Princess barked as though telling them to get a move on.

Wes shook his head. That’s all it took for Kate to set off, following Princess’s tracks through the snow. He’d already missed part of the afternoon at the office. What was a little more? And he wouldn’t mind seeing the puppies.

Once they stepped on the porch, Kate paused. “Mrs. Johnson, I’d like you to meet Wes Adams. He’s here consulting at the candle company. And Wes, this is Mrs. Johnson. She was my math teacher many years ago.”

He shook the older woman’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to put a face to the name.” She smiled at him, making him feel welcome. “Let’s get inside. It’s still mighty cold out here.”

Inside they slipped off their boots and coats. Princess had already disappeared, undoubtedly to check on her puppies. Mrs. Johnson led them to her spacious laundry room, where five little puppies were running around. A smile pulled at his lips.

When his family moved to Bayberry, he’d hoped that at last he could have what he wanted most—a dog. He recalled telling his mother it was all he wanted for Christmas that year.

Instead, he’d ended up in a small apartment in Atlanta for Christmas that year, far from Bayberry. And there was a no-pets-allowed policy. He never did get a dog.

Kate sat on the floor and let the puppies climb all over her. Her face glowed with happiness. If anyone needed a p

uppy, it was her. He pulled out his phone and took a picture so he could remember this moment.

“Aww…look.” Mrs. Johnson pointed down at his feet.

He glanced down and saw that a puppy had climbed on his foot. Wes had been so caught up in watching Kate that he hadn’t noticed.

“He likes you,” Kate said.

“He’s the runt of the litter.” Mrs. Johnson tossed Kate a toy ball for the puppies. Then she turned back to Wes. “We call him Rascal. He’s ornery. And he has his own mind. He doesn’t take to many people. You must be special.”

Wes moved slowly so as not to startle Rascal. The puppy remained on his foot, and let Wes pet him. And then Wes picked him up, expecting the puppy to fuss to get down. Instead, Rascal was docile and settled against his chest. At that moment, Wes was tempted to take the little puppy home.

“He doesn’t have a family yet,” Mrs. Johnson said. “Would you like to adopt him?”

Wes gazed into the puppy’s eyes. Rascal really was cute. Wes’s answer stuck in the back of his throat. His mind and his heart were at odds.

“You can have some time to think about it,” Mrs. Johnson said.

“Thanks. But I can’t have a pet where I live.” He ran his finger over the puppy’s head and he wished he lived somewhere else—someplace that allowed pets.

Wes didn’t know how much time had passed before they said goodbye to the puppies and headed back to the candle company. As they walked, he couldn’t shake how nice this afternoon had been and how he would have passed it up if it hadn’t been for Kate’s insistence. He used to make time for fun and relaxing. Now, his life was all about meetings and deadlines. When had his work become the focus of his life?

He paused outside the candle company and turned to Kate. “Thank you for the tour. I really enjoyed it.”

“And weren’t the puppies the cutest?” When he nodded, she said, “You really should adopt Rascal. You two looked perfect together”