by Jenny Dale
Neil looked outside, hoping she wouldn’t notice the tracks he and Jake had left the night before, but the snow in the yard was deeper than ever and he knew that they would have been filled in.
Just then the front doorbell rang and Neil ran to answer it.
Alex was on the step. “Hi,” she said. “I’ve come to see how you got on last night.”
Neil shook his head. “No luck. Jake and I waited for ages but no one showed up.” As he stood aside to let her come in, a car pulled into the drive.
Alex looked round.
“We’re expecting some people from Manchester,” Neil explained. “They know your grandad and they want one of the puppies.” He saw Alex’s face cloud over. “Look – I can tell them that Holly’s already promised to you, if you want. You’ve still got time to change your mind—”
“No, thanks,” Alex interrupted, looking down at the ground.
“Come on!” said Emily, racing past them. “Oh, hello, Alex. Let’s go and show the puppies to the Todds.”
A woman and a boy of about eight climbed out of the car parked in the courtyard. Neil stopped to talk to them while Alex and Emily went on ahead to the rescue centre.
Just then Carole came out of Kennel Block One. “I thought I heard a car,” she said, smiling. “You must be Mrs Todd. Thanks for coming. Did you have a difficult journey?”
Mrs Todd laughed wryly. “It could have been better,” she said, “but we’re here now. That’s the main thing. Michael’s been over the moon since he found out we were getting another dog.”
Michael, a serious-looking boy with glasses and dark cropped hair, tugged his mother’s hand. “Can we see the puppies now, Mum? Please.”
“Of course you can,” Carole said as she led the way to the rescue centre.
Emily and Alex were already inside. Alex was throwing a ball for Holly and the puppy was scampering after it. Cracker was lying in the basket, watching his sister’s antics lazily.
Neil unfastened the pen and he and Michael went inside. Alex watched Michael anxiously as he looked from Holly to Cracker and back again. “They’re lovely, aren’t they?” he said. Holly charged towards him with the ball in her mouth and he stooped down to stroke her. Cracker got to his feet slowly, and padded over to meet the newcomer too.
“Shep, my last puppy, was run over,” Michael said sadly, glancing at Alex and Emily. “It was terrible. I thought I’d never want another dog but I’ve changed my mind now. I still miss Shep but it’s horrible not having a dog at home.” He grinned at the girls. “Which one do you want?”
Emily glanced at Alex. Neil knew that she was hoping Alex would tell him she’d chosen Holly – but Alex didn’t say anything.
“We’re not here to choose a puppy,” Emily said at last. “I live here – and Alex is my friend.”
Carole and Mrs Todd came towards the pen, chatting. “Of course Michael was devastated when Shep was run over,” Mrs Todd was saying. “But there are so many dogs in need of good homes that it seems a shame not to have another one. Michael soon got used to the idea.”
“I agree,” Carole said. “Committed dog owners are hard to find.”
Neil watched Alex’s face. She looked guilty and confused. Perhaps seeing Michael choose a new puppy after the death of his old dog would finally help her to feel OK about adopting Holly.
“Have you chosen, Michael?” Mrs Todd asked.
Michael reached out a hand to both puppies. Cracker rolled over to have his tummy stroked. Holly darted to Alex, dropped the ball and tugged at her shoelace. “I think this black one has chosen me,” Michael said, grinning. He picked up the puppy and held him against his chest. “He’s great, isn’t he, Mum?”
“He certainly is,” agreed Mrs Todd.
Neil waited until the Todds and Carole had gone out of the rescue centre to fill in the paperwork, then he turned to Alex. “I think Holly has chosen you, Alex.”
Alex blushed. “I shouldn’t have come,” she said sadly. “It’s not fair to Holly. She might want to live with me but I can’t have her.” She opened the door of the pen and started to walk away. “I won’t come again. And I hope you hurry up and find somebody to take her,” she called.
Emily raced after her. Neil picked Holly up. He didn’t want the little puppy to be alone just yet. It would probably take her a while to adjust to life without any brothers or sisters. “That’s it, then, girl,” he said sadly. “I’ve done my best but Alex just isn’t going to see that the two of you belong together.”
Holly’s eyes began to close. Gently Neil laid her in her basket. “We’ll just have to find someone else to love you,” he said with a sigh.
9
“Enjoy yourself, Father Christmas,” Carole called from the doorstep as Bob unlocked the Range Rover. “I hope the grotto’s a success.” Neil, Emily, Sarah and Jake piled into the back and Alex got into the front seat.
“Enjoy myself? There’s not much chance of that!” Bob replied with a grin. “I mean, think of that beard!”
“You’ll be fine,” Carole assured him.
“Are you sure you don’t want to come, Mum?” asked Emily.
Carole shook her head. “There’s too much to do here. Bev and Kate have been working flat out to prepare for our Christmas boarders, and one of us ought to be around to give them a hand.”
Bob started the engine and manoeuvred the Range Rover carefully through the snow to the end of the drive. “The roads don’t look too bad,” he said as he turned towards Compton. “I thought we’d have to walk to the church when I got up this morning – it must have been snowing most of the night.”
“It’s a shame the real Father Christmas couldn’t come,” sighed Sarah.
“He’s too busy getting ready for tomorrow night,” Neil explained. “He’s probably starting to load the sleigh already.”
Sarah giggled with excitement. “I wish Christmas would hurry up. I can’t wait to see what Father Christmas brings me.” She suddenly became serious. “I won’t tell anybody you’re not the real Father Christmas, Dad,” she promised.
“Good for you. We don’t want people to be disappointed,” said Bob as he pulled up outside the church. “Come on, you lot. Let’s get a move on. I’ve still got to get changed.”
They hurried to the vicarage and rang the bell. Gavin came to the door. “Hello, Bob, thanks for coming so early,” he said gratefully. He showed Bob into his study, where the Father Christmas suit was hanging, and left him to get changed. “Why don’t the rest of you come into the warm kitchen?”
Jet was lying by the stove. He lifted his head and looked at them as they came in, then flopped down again. “He doesn’t look too lively,” Neil said, crouching down to pat him.
Gavin frowned. “He’s been a bit low lately.”
Sarah went to stroke the black Labrador. “He’s really excited about seeing Father Christmas,” she said. Then she added in a whisper, “He doesn’t know it’s only Dad dressed up.” Jake trotted over to her, and lay down beside Jet with his head resting on the older dog’s back.
“Oh, I nearly forgot,” said Neil suddenly. “We’ve brought a few posters with us advertising the last of our Labrador puppies. Would you mind if we put them up in the grotto?”
“Not at all,” Gavin said.
Susie, Gavin’s wife, came into the kitchen. “I thought I heard voices,” she said, beaming round at them.
“Hello,” said Emily. “How’s Joshua?”
“He’s fine – he’s asleep upstairs. Would you all like to see him?”
“Oh yes, please!” Emily said enthusiastically.
Neil couldn’t see why anyone would get so excited about seeing a new baby. If Gavin and Susie had a new puppy, that would be different . . .
As they went out of the kitchen, Jake got up to follow them. “You stay here, Jake,” Neil commanded.
“It’s all right,” said Susie. “Jake can come too, if he likes. Joshua’s got to get used to dogs.”
“Come
on then, Jake,” Neil said. “But be quiet. You’ll be in trouble if you wake the baby.”
Susie led the way upstairs. “He’s in here,” she said softly. A double bed occupied most of the floor space but there was a wicker crib standing beside it. “Go in and have a look at him,” said Susie. “I’m just going to run myself a bath.”
They crept into the room and gathered round the crib. The baby was fast asleep, his downy blond hair standing up in wisps and his tiny hands clutching his quilt. “Isn’t he lovely?” Alex whispered.
“I wish we could take him home,” said Sarah. Suddenly, Neil heard a rustling and crunching sound behind him. Leaving the girls to admire Joshua, he turned quickly, worried that Jake was up to mischief. The Border collie was lying half under Gavin and Susie’s bed. He seemed to be chewing something.
“What have you got there, Jake?” Neil hissed. He bent down to see, then drew back in astonishment. Jake was chewing a rubber bone wrapped in paper. Neil recognized it. It was one of the presents from the church.
“Where did you get that? Come out of there.” As Jake slunk out from under the bed, Neil saw that there were more presents there. Hardly able to believe his eyes, he bent down to have a proper look. There was no doubt about it. The missing presents were piled under the vicar’s bed!
Neil took the rubber bone away from Jake, then sat back on his heels to think. Surely Gavin hadn’t stolen the presents himself. But what other explanation could there be? The last place a thief would think to hide them would be in the vicarage.
He looked round to see if anyone else had noticed but Emily, Sarah and Alex were still peering at the baby.
Just then Jet came into the bedroom. To Neil’s surprise, he was carrying one of the presents from the grotto in his mouth. He squirmed under the bed, deposited the present on the pile and wriggled out again. Then he lay down beside Neil, looking rather pleased with himself.
“Jet’s the thief!” Neil cried.
“What?” said Emily, whirling round in astonishment. “He can’t be!”
“He is.” Neil showed her the heap of presents. “He just brought one in and added it to the pile.”
“The baby’s waking up,” Alex said.
Neil’s hand flew to his mouth. “I’d forgotten all about him.”
Joshua began to cry and Susie rushed into the bedroom and picked him up.
“Sorry,” Neil apologized. “It was my fault. I’d just discovered what had happened to your missing presents and I forgot that I had to be quiet.”
“What do you mean?” asked Gavin, coming into the room.
Neil pointed to the bed. “They’re here – Jake found them. It looks like Jet’s been taking them all along.”
Gavin bent down and peered under the bed. He ruffled Jet’s fur. “What on earth have you been up to, Jet?” He pulled out a few of the presents. “They look all right,” he said. “I should be able to take the second lot I bought back to the shop and get a refund.”
“The dogs will get more exciting presents, too, rather than just dog treats,” Neil said.
“And the grotto will make some money for the church hall roof repairs,” said Emily.
Gavin smiled. “Yes, it will. And it’s all thanks to you, Neil, and to Jake.”
“How did Jet take the presents during the night, though?” asked Alex. “The church is closed then.”
Gavin looked thoughtful. “Well, he came with me when I went to lock up. I was there for a while, sorting a few things out, so I suppose he could have taken them then. He must have gone backwards and forwards from the church hall to the house to steal all those presents, though – and without me even noticing.”
“We saw that he’d left lots of tracks in the snow,” Emily said.
“And being a dog, he’d be able to sniff the presents out,” Neil added, “even after we’d hidden them. Does he usually take things?”
Gavin shook his head. “Not that I know of.”
“So why has he suddenly started it now?” asked Neil, thinking out loud.
“He’s been a bit moody and depressed lately,” Gavin said. “And I’ve been feeling bad because I haven’t had time to walk him much.”
“He’s probably been stealing to get your attention then,” Neil said knowledgeably. “He must feel a bit left out. Dogs often feel like that when there’s a new baby in the family.”
“Oh, poor Jet!” cried Susie. She called him and the Labrador trotted eagerly to her. “We still love you, boy,” she said, rubbing the side of his head with her free hand. The big dog’s tail wagged happily.
“Let’s get the presents out,” Gavin said, lying down and reaching under the bed.
Suddenly they heard a voice from downstairs. “Ho ho ho!”
“It’s Father Christmas!” cried Sarah.
“It’s Dad,” Neil laughed. They all carried an armful of presents downstairs. Bob was standing in the hall, dressed in his Father Christmas outfit. His face was almost hidden by a white beard, which was even bushier than his real one. “How do I look?” he asked.
Jake sat at Bob’s feet and gazed up at him with his head on one side, as though he couldn’t work out why Bob was dressed in such strange clothes. Neil burst out laughing.
“It’s not that bad, is it?” Bob asked.
“Worse!” Neil grinned. He put the presents down on the hall table. “I wouldn’t want to be seen in an outfit like that.”
“It wouldn’t fit you anyway,” Sarah said, taking Bob’s hand protectively and scowling at Neil.
“But the elf suit would,” said Bob. He turned to Gavin. “That elf suit you’ve got hanging in your study looks exactly the right size for Neil.”
Neil stared at his dad in horror. “No way!” he said. “I’m not dressing up as an elf for anybody.”
“But Gavin got it out specially for you,” Bob persisted, with a twinkle in his eye.
Neil shook his head firmly. “Absolutely not!”
Emily, Alex and Sarah laughed. “Make him wear it, Dad,” begged Emily. “Then we can take a picture of him and hang it up at home for everyone to see.”
Alex glanced at her watch. “The grotto’s meant to be opening in a few minutes,” she reminded them. “Do you think we ought to get over to the church hall?”
They went out into the snow, with Jake and Jet bounding ahead of them. A queue of people and dogs were waiting outside. They cheered when they saw Father Christmas. Neil recognized most of them. He stopped to speak to Doctor Harvey and to make a fuss of his two dogs, Finn and Sandy. Mr Hamley, Neil’s head teacher, was in the queue too, with Dotty his wayward Dalmatian. Neil wished he had time to greet all of the dogs but Gavin was obviously in a hurry to open the grotto.
Bob went into the church hall and sat on the tinsel-covered chair behind the screen. Emily arranged the presents on either side of him – one pile for children and another for dogs – while Alex switched on the fairy lights and Neil hung up the posters with Holly’s picture on them. “Let’s hope these do the trick,” he said to himself.
“Are you ready?” Gavin asked, sticking his head round the door.
“I think so,” said Neil. He peered behind the screen. “Good luck, Dad.”
“Thanks,” Bob said, tugging at his white beard. “This thing is driving me mad already and I haven’t even started yet.” He chuckled. “I don’t know how I let myself get talked into this.”
Emily and Alex positioned themselves at the edge of the screen, ready to take the money.
“Ladies, gentlemen, children and dogs,” Gavin said from the other side of the door. “I declare this Christmas grotto open.” He flung the door wide and people began to flock inside, admiring the Christmas tree and the decorations. A queue quickly formed by the screen and Emily and Alex began to collect the money.
Sarah was working her way around the room, stroking all the dogs and saying hello to schoolfriends. Neil couldn’t help smiling as he watched her – she looked ready to burst at having to keep their Father C
hristmas’s true identity a secret.
Looking round the room, he could see excitement on lots of faces. Only two more days to go! he thought. Then he spotted the poster of Holly and his happiness evaporated. It wouldn’t be much of a Christmas for the Labrador puppy unless they could find her a home.
10
The crowd was finally thinning when Gavin appeared with a tray of tea. “Could you take one of these in to Father Christmas, please, Neil?”
“Right.” Neil went behind the screen and waited until Bob’s visitor had finished, then he handed him the cup.
“Just what I need!” Bob croaked. “I’ve said ‘Ho ho ho’ so many times that I’ve almost lost my voice.”
“How’s it going, apart from that?” asked Neil.
Bob fiddled with the white beard. “I’m so hot I feel as though I’ve been cooked, and this wretched beard is tickling my nose. But I’ve patted lots of friendly dogs, seen lots of cheerful faces and heard about all the things the children of Compton would like for Christmas. I’ve nearly run out of presents, though. How many people are still waiting to see me?”
“Only four or five,” Neil said. “But one of them is Mrs Jepson. Sugar and Spice are really looking forward to seeing you,” he added, laughing.
“Oh no! Spare me!”
“I’ll leave you to it,” said Neil, with a grin.
A young couple were looking at one of the posters of Holly when he came out from behind the screen. A red setter was sitting listlessly at their feet, her head drooping and her eyes half closed.
Neil went over and crouched down beside her. He held out a hand to her. “Hello, girl. What’s up?”
The dog sniffed him half-heartedly, and he patted her gently.
“Your dog doesn’t look too happy,” Neil said to its owners, standing up.
The couple turned. “I know,” the woman said anxiously. “Poor Topsy. We’ve got a vet’s appointment today but a friend of ours thinks she might be lonely.” She pointed to the poster. “We’ve been thinking of getting a puppy to keep her company. That one looks perfect.”