The Dog Who Came for Christmas

by Sue Pethick

  “Such moves,” she said. “Why, I’m tempted to think you do this all the time.”

  He gave her a sly smile, twisting the bottle with his right hand and easing the cork out with his left.

  “There are some moves a gentleman never forgets.”

  The cork popped and Savannah held her flute under the neck as the champagne began to flow. When each flute had been half-filled and topped off with orange juice, she held hers up in triumph.

  “To Christmas Eve,” she said.

  “Christmas Eve!”

  She raised the glass and took a sip.

  “Do you remember our first Christmas Eve?”

  Travis hesitated. Of course he did. It was their senior year of high school, and her parents were at a party they’d taken pains to mention that they wouldn’t be returning from for hours. Travis was no virgin, but the luxury of making love in a real bed had been almost indescribable. Until that night, his limited experience had been gained in the steamy confines of his father’s Camry—the same type of car, he realized with a jolt, that Savannah had just arrived in. Was there more to this visit, he wondered, than just a desire to ward off the Christmas Eve blues?

  “I do,” he said. “But it was a long time ago.”

  “Not so long.”

  Savannah downed the rest of her mimosa and set her flute aside.

  “So,” she said. “How have you been?”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “Just okay?” She looked around. “Did things not go well at the group home?”

  “No, no. They called me this morning; he’s taken to it like a duck to water.”

  She reached out and set a gentle hand on his arm.

  “Then what is it, dear? I could tell something was on your mind the second I walked in. Is it just the holiday blues?”

  Travis took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. The frustrations of the last couple of days had churned up his stomach to the point that even the mimosa was hard to swallow. He felt like his emotions were in a pressure cooker—a stew of suppressed fury simmering just beneath the surface calm. It would be a relief, he thought, to let off a bit of that pressure before it burst out and damaged everyone around him.

  “Max is missing,” he said.

  “Hugh’s dog?”

  He nodded.

  “Well, maybe it’s nothing,” she said hopefully. “Some dogs do like to roam. How long’s he been gone?”

  “Two days. Hugh let him out on Sunday morning, and I haven’t seen him since.”

  She frowned.

  “I’m not going to ask if you’ve called around. I know you better than that.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But with everyone out of town or on vacation, I suppose it’s been hard to get any answers.”

  He nodded, grateful that, for once, he didn’t have to explain his inability to recover the dog.

  Savannah gave him a hard look.

  “I have a feeling, however, that that’s not the only thing that’s eating you.”

  Travis looked away, working his mouth. Should he tell her about Hank’s call? About the rumor that was threatening to undo everything he’d been dedicating his time and effort to for the last year? If he did, how would he keep himself from showing the bitterness he felt? It seemed almost irrational to him how helpless and angry the whole situation had made him. How could he possibly explain it in a way that made sense to anyone else?

  Savannah was still watching him, her soft brown eyes inviting his confession, and he was suddenly transported to that first Christmas Eve. How he’d given himself up to her and she to him. At the time, he’d thought the two of them were meant to be together for always. Who else knew him so well?

  No one.

  “Hank Fielding called me yesterday,” he said. “Someone’s been telling the parents in the program at school that the point is to medicate the children in our program. Hank says he’s pretty sure who’s behind it, but he won’t tell me.”

  As the story spilled out, Travis felt instantly relieved. Just having someone else to share the situation had made him light-headed. But as much of a relief as it was to him, the news seemed to have an opposite effect on Savannah, who blanched noticeably and looked away.

  Travis reached for her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I had no business burdening you with my problems.”

  “It isn’t that,” she said, looking troubled. “It’s—”

  “What?”

  She sighed and shook her head.

  “I don’t know if I should say anything. If Hank didn’t tell you who it was, then I shouldn’t either.”

  He gripped her arm.

  “You mean you know who did it?”

  She nodded.

  “Tell me.”

  Savannah looked away.

  “I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair.”

  “Fair? Are you kidding me? How ‘fair’ is it to ruin something I’ve dreamed about for years?” He tightened his grip on her arm.

  “Savannah, if you know who it is, you need to tell me.”

  She looked at her arm.

  “You’re hurting me.”

  Travis opened his hand as quickly as if he’d been burned.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I had no right. I’m just—”

  He shook his head.

  “Forgive me. I’ve just been so upset.”

  She reached out and placed a hand on his.

  “I understand,” she said. “I’d be angry, too. In fact, I was angry when she told me she’d done it. I just—I guess I just didn’t think she was being serious.”

  Travis took her hands in his. They felt cold to the touch, and he realized that Savannah was shaking.

  “Whoever it is,” he said. “I promise you, they will not find out who told me. You know that, don’t you?”

  She hesitated a moment before nodding.

  “Then tell me, please. Who was it?”

  Savannah looked away and bit her lip, as if trying to make up her mind. It was all that Travis could do not to take her shoulders and try to shake it out of her. When she finally looked up, there were tears in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It was Renee.”

  Travis released her hands and staggered back. It couldn’t be, he thought. Renee wouldn’t do that to him. She knew how much the program meant to him. She’d been there when he received his award.

  No, he thought. She’d left early that night. What had Marissa told him?

  “She looked over and saw you talking to Hank and then she just ran off.”

  Hank! Hank must have already known who spread the rumor that night. Seeing him there, with Travis, Renee had to have realized she couldn’t keep up the ruse. No wonder she’d bolted, he thought. Lying to people over the phone was a lot easier than lying to someone’s face. She must have known that if Hank looked her in the eye, she’d give herself away.

  What a fool I’ve been.

  “Why didn’t you tell me before?” he said.

  Savannah’s look was bleak.

  “Why?” she shook her head. “You think I don’t know what you think of me? Or of her? If I’d come to you and told you that Renee had told me in a moment of weakness that she’d been calling the other parents in the program and telling them lies, would you have believed me?”

  Travis hesitated.

  “I’m not sure,” he said.

  “Well, I am. You’d have said I was trying to turn you against her, sabotage your relationship.”

  He shook his head.

  “I’d like to think I would have taken you seriously.”

  “I’d like to think it, too,” she said quietly. “But I just couldn’t.”

  A tear ran down her cheek, heartbreakingly slowly, and Travis felt as if his own heart would break. Not just because he’d hurt Savannah, but because he’d thought he might be falling in love with Renee. He felt shaken to the core. How could he have been so wrong?

&
nbsp; The phone rang, breaking the tension in the air and making both of them flinch. Travis caught his breath and excused himself as Savannah hurried off to the bathroom. He took a moment to calm down before picking up.

  “Hello?”

  “Travis Diehl?”

  “Speaking.”

  “My name is Ted Coburn, and I believe I have some good news for you.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Everyone agreed that it was the most beautiful Christmas Eve ever. In spite of the cold, the sun was dazzling and the light dusting of snow twinkled like stars on the ground. After the tension of the night before, Renee couldn’t help feeling it was a good omen.

  Jack and Wendell were out on the back porch getting the grill ready to cook hamburgers and brats for lunch while Renee and Megan got everything else ready in the kitchen and the little kids set up their “dog hospital” in the living room. The dog—now referred to as “Rex” in spite of Renee’s entreaties—had finally gotten up on its feet and was making the rounds through the house, cadging pats and snuffling hands in hopes of finding illicit treats. Jack had gone to the store with instructions to buy dog food only, but had somehow managed to come back with an entire bag of canine goodies. In spite of Renee’s warning not to give the dog too many, the level in the bag continued to diminish, and she suspected that someone of a grandfatherly nature was resupplying the youngsters. As the dog returned to his “hospital bed” on the floor, she hoped the animal didn’t actually get sick before its owner showed up.

  In accordance with Berenice’s instructions to keep her houseguest well-oiled, Renee had broken out another bottle of Shiraz, and so far, it was working like a charm. Not only had Megan raised no more objections about the food being served, but she’d grown almost fond of the dog. Renee considered the money she’d spent on alcohol that week to be a worthwhile investment.

  Megan took the bowl of coleslaw to the table and glanced into the living room, shaking her head.

  “I must say, I am surprised,” she drawled, her accent thicker after three glasses of wine. “The girls have never taken to an animal quite like that one.”

  Renee hadn’t drunk as much as her sister-in-law had, but on an empty stomach, the wine made her feel almost giddy. She nodded.

  “He’s a good patient.”

  “A patient patient.” Megan giggled.

  She walked back to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle, noting its diminished contents.

  “Mind if I finish this off?”

  “Help yourself,” Renee said. “There’s plenty more.”

  As Megan poured out the last of the Shiraz, Renee took the opportunity to peek into the living room to see how the kids were doing. Her sister-in-law was right: The little ones were playing nicely together. Even McKenna, whose interest in the dog had tapered off quickly, was still hanging around the periphery, playing a game on her phone. Dylan was in the club chair, reading a novel for his English class while he kept an eye on his cousins, ready to step in if there was a problem. He’d taken on so much since Greg had left them, she thought—more than she’d ever have asked him to and probably more than he should have. Renee thought she should probably feel guiltier about it than she did, but it would be a moot point in a few months when he left for college. Until then, she was just grateful for his help.

  Megan plopped herself down on the settee and patted the cushion next to her.

  “Come tell me what’s new and exciting in your world.”

  “New and exciting? You must be kidding.”

  “Really? No romance on the horizon?”

  Renee took another sip of Shiraz. It had been a long time since the two of them had shared any personal information, and it felt odd to open up now. Still, they’d been close once, and she wouldn’t mind having another woman to talk to about the situation with Travis. Maybe this was Megan’s way of offering an olive branch. She glanced out at the two men on the porch; Wendell and Jack would be putting the meat patties on the grill soon. Everything else was ready, she thought. Why not?

  “Well,” she said, taking a seat. “There was this one guy.”

  “Ooh, I knew it,” her sister-in-law said, leaning closer. “Tell me all about it.”

  “There really isn’t much to tell. We met at the school one night, and he seemed nice—”

  Megan leered. “Good looking?”

  Renee felt a dimple crease her cheek.

  “Very,” she said.

  “And then?”

  “And then . . . he showed up at the salon asking for a haircut.”

  Megan seemed disappointed.

  “Oh. So, he was one of your customers?”

  “No.”

  Renee laughed, remembering how Travis had looked, standing at Winona’s front counter while the ladies in the salon ogled him.

  “I’d told him I was a hairdresser, so he called all the salons in town to find out where I worked.”

  “Aww,” Megan said. “It’s like the prince looking for Cinderella after the ball.”

  Renee rolled her eyes. Megan must be drunk if she thought this was a fairy tale.

  Wait ’til she gets to the part about the evil queen.

  “Anyway,” she said, “we went for coffee after, and it was really nice, then we went Christmas shopping and he helped me pick out a video game for Kieran.”

  She swallowed, thinking about how sweet Travis had been that day. It was the first time she’d thought that the two of them might have something special going.

  “And . . . ?” Megan prompted. “Don’t keep me in suspense.”

  Renee sighed.

  “And then my most important client took him away.”

  “What?”

  “It’s true. Turns out, she thinks the guy is her personal property, and she’s prepared to chase off every single one of my clients if I don’t leave him alone.” She shrugged. “Sorry, Meg. Looks like the fairy tale has a sad ending.”

  Megan narrowed her eyes.

  “So, that’s it? You’re just going to let some bitch take him away from you without a fight?”

  Renee glanced toward the living room, hoping the kids hadn’t heard.

  “It’s no big deal,” she said quietly. “It’s not like we were serious. Besides, the guy was way out of my league.”

  Megan pointed a finger in her face.

  “You know what your problem is? You need to learn to stand up for yourself.”

  Renee took a sip of wine. Leave it to Megan to take umbrage at someone else’s bad behavior.

  “This gal, what’s her name?”

  “Savannah.”

  “I thought so. Savannah is a Southern woman and Southern women are steely inside. If you don’t want her to push you around, you need to put some steel in your own spine and stand up to her. Go for what you want instead of giving up. It would be good for Wendell, too.”

  Renee frowned. How had the conversation veered from Travis to her father?

  “I’m not following you.”

  Megan set her empty glass on the coffee table and leaned forward. When she spoke, the alcohol on her breath made Renee’s eyes water.

  “Letting him run the show around here has him thinking he can run our lives, too. That’s why he and Jack don’t get along. If you’d learn to stand up for yourself, he could back off and let Jack be in charge of his own family for a change.”

  Renee paused. Megan’s logic might be a bit tortured, but knowing her father, it did sort of make sense. The two of them had certainly gotten along better before Greg had left her. Maybe in some strange way, taking care of her had made Wendell see himself as a father again—not just hers, but Jack’s, too. Looking at it that way, she could see that their fights weren’t just honest disagreements, but part of a struggle to prove who was boss.

  “I’m sorry,” Renee said. “I guess I never thought of that. Has Jack tried talking to Dad about it?”

  Megan laughed.

  “Of course not,” she said. “My husband’s just as spineless as you are.�
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  Renee was about to tell her sister-in-law what she could do with her opinion when the phone rang. She walked over and answered the phone. It was their neighbor, Ted.

  “Merry Christmas Eve!” he said.

  “Merry Christmas Eve to you, too, Doctor Coburn. How’s Molly these days?”

  “Oh, fine, fine. I called to tell you that I’ve got good news.”

  “Oh?” she said.

  “Yes; I’ve found the dog’s owner.”

  It took a second before Renee understood. What dog? she thought, then she remembered.

  Rex.

  She stepped over to the living room and glanced at the kids, happily playing with the dog on the floor, and felt a stab of disappointment.

  “That’s great,” she said, forcing herself to smile.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” the man said, “but the man was anxious to get him back. I told him I thought it would be all right if he just headed over now to pick it up.”

  “Oh,” she said. “No, that’s fine. Thank you. We’ll keep an eye out for him. What’s his name?”

  “Travis Diehl.”

  CHAPTER 30

  Renee hung up the phone and looked at her sister-in-law.

  “You won’t believe this,” she said, a smile playing on her lips.

  Megan gave her a bleary-eyed look.

  “Try me.”

  “That was our neighbor, the one who fixed up the dog. He found the dog’s owner.”

  “So . . . ?”

  “It’s that guy I told you about. The one my client thinks is hers.”

  Megan’s eyes widened.

  “Well, don’t that beat all,” she said, grinning. “When’s he coming to get the dog?”

  “Now, apparently. He should be here in about ten minutes.”

  “Good,” Megan said. “Maybe you’ll be able to set him straight.”

  Renee glanced guiltily into the living room where the young cousins were lavishing attention on their “patient.” They were going to be brokenhearted, she thought—especially Kieran. Since rescuing the dog, he and Rex had been practically inseparable.

  “It isn’t going to be easy telling the kids.”