Jack nodded. “All right then.”
“And bring Ralph too,” Avery said.
Jack chuckled. “My guess is that he’ll beat me over here.”
17
Jack guessed right. Shortly before noon on Christmas Day, Ralph came over to visit them again. “He must’ve smelled the turkey cooking,” Avery told Betty. She led the little dog into the kitchen, then returned to where she’d been rolling out pie dough.
“Merry Christmas, Ralph.” Betty plucked a turkey giblet out of the dressing she was mixing and tossed it to him.
“You’re too early for dinner,” Avery told him.
“Should we take him back?” Betty asked.
Avery paused with the rolling pin in her hand. “I suppose that’s the right thing to do, Grandma. Although I’ll bet Jack can guess where he is.”
“How about if I take him,” Betty offered as she wiped her hands on her apron. “That way you can finish the pie crust before it dries out. And I wanted to give Jack another cookie plate anyway.”
Betty put together a generous goodie platter, but instead of putting the red bow on the plastic wrap like she usually did, she stuck it on Ralph’s head. “Come on, boy,” she called as she went for her coat. Acting as if he’d received top honors at doggy obedience school, Ralph stuck to her heels as she led him out the front door and down the walk.
Betty smiled as the little dog took the lead, trotting about a foot in front of her like he knew exactly where he was going and why. He turned the corner and headed straight to Jack’s house just like he lived there. And, well, didn’t he? Still, as Betty followed him, she couldn’t help but wonder how a little stray dog like that had wandered into their lives, or how he had attached himself to not just one person in need, but two. Make that three. And she considered how this little dog had brought them all together. Really, in some ways, it seemed nothing short of a miracle.
“Merry Christmas,” she told Jack when he opened the door.
“Hey, I was just looking for you, Ralphie.” Jack grinned to see the red bow on his dog’s head. “You’re like a real party animal.”
“He’s a very special dog,” Betty said. She handed Jack the cookies. “I think he just likes bringing people together.”
“I guess so.” Jack’s expression grew thoughtful. “You know, Betty, I was wondering if it would be okay for me to give Ralph to Avery for Christmas. I know how much she loves him and everything. But then I got worried that you might not appreciate that—you might not want a dog in your house. And I sure don’t want to rock your boat again.”
Betty just laughed. “You know what I think, Jack?”
He looked slightly bewildered now. “What?”
“I think Ralph is a Christmas dog, and I think he’s going to give himself to whoever he feels needs him the most.”
Jack nodded. “I think you’re right. Kinda like share the love?”
“And maybe we’ll just have to share him too.”
“Tell you what, Betty.” Jack nodded toward the backyard. “I’m going to rebuild that fence—right where it’s standing now, where my grandparents built it—but how about if we put a gate between the two yards?”
“And a doggy door too?”
“Absolutely.” He stuck out his hand. “Deal?”
“It’s a deal.” Betty firmly shook his hand, then opened her arms to hug him, nearly toppling his cookie platter. “Welcome to the neighborhood, Jack!”
“Thanks, Betty. I think I’m starting to feel at home.”
Betty patted Ralph’s head again. “I thank you, little Christmas dog, for bringing us all together. And now I have a turkey to baste.”
“We’ll see you at two,” Jack called. “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas,” she called back. As she walked toward home, it occurred to her that her old neighborhood—which looked more spectacular than ever in its clean white blanket of fresh, fallen snow—was getting better all the time.
Melody Carlson is the prolific author of more than two hundred books, including fiction, nonfiction, and gift books for adults, young adults, and children. She is also the author of Three Days, The Gift of Christmas Present, The Christmas Bus, An Irish Christmas, and All I Have to Give. Her writing has won several awards, including a Gold Medallion for King of the Stable (Crossway, 1998) and a Romance Writers of America Rita Award for Homeward (Multnomah, 1997). She lives with her husband in Sisters, Oregon. Visit her website at www.melodycarlson.com.
“Make sure you have a tissue nearby,
because you are going to need it!”
—TERRI BLACKSTOCK, bestselling author
A YOUNG BOY’S PRAYERS, a shoebox full of love letters, and an old wooden soldier make a Christmas that will not be forgotten. Can a gift from the past mend a broken heart?
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