by Lynn Cahoon
As she walked to the pen, Baby stood on his hind legs and whined at her. He recognized her. Thomas hadn’t been able to, but Baby knew the woman who was walking toward him. Maybe he recognized the love she’d tried to pour into Thomas or just recognized her as someone he’d met in the past, but the dog was ecstatic to see her. And the feeling was mutual. I heard Beth’s voice as she picked him up out of the cage. “Hey, Baby, do you want to come home with me?”
The dog barked his answer and I smiled after wiping the tears from my eyes. Baby was going to have a very merry Christmas.
“You did good, Jill. Thanks for making her so happy.” Santa stood by me, a cookie in his hand.
“She just had to find her way.” I swallowed hard. “I’m just happy that Baby isn’t alone anymore.”
“Neither of them is alone, now. Thanks to you. And that’s the true meaning of the season, being with others.” Santa turned and looked at his line. “Time to go back and finish up my list.”
I watched him walk back to the chair they’d set up where Sasha could take a picture of each child on Santa’s lap.
“You okay?” Greg paused with a wriggling boxer on the leash. The dog knew where they were going and was anxious to get there.
“I’m perfect.” I glanced around the crowded Coffee, Books, and More, and realized I was just fine. I was home.
Author’s Note
Hello readers,
As I was writing Santa Puppy, I was thinking about what cookie I was going to bring for a cookie exchange. And, like Jill, it really freaked me out! Would it be special enough to share with a group of women I’d never met? Then I thought about Russian Tea Cakes. Or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Or they’re also called Snowballs. I learned to make these in high school and have loved them ever since.
Growing up in rural Idaho, I didn’t get exposed to many cultures, but my home economics teacher had Greek heritage. She exposed us to a wide range of foods. And Russian Tea Cakes were always my favorite.
According to Wikipedia, the cookie is a form of jumble, a pastry common in England during the Middle Ages.
Food has history. Recipes handed down from one kitchen to another. A heartbeat of a memory.
I’m so glad I can share this memory with you.
Lynn
Russian Tea Cakes
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
¾ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ teaspoon salt
Pre-heat oven to 400
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Then when mixed, add the flour, nuts, and salt. You may need more flour, but you want this to form and stay into a ball when rolled.
Roll into 1-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking pan. Bake 10-12 minutes. Don’t let the cookies brown. Roll the baked balls in powdered sugar. Let cool. Roll again.
Simple and elegant.
Love Lynn Cahoon? There’s lots more where this came from!
Be sure to check out all her series
The Tourist Trap Mysteries
The Cat Latimer Mysteries
And
The Farm-to-Fork Mysteries
Available wherever books are sold
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho expat. She grew up living the small town life she now loves to write about. Currently, she’s living with her husband and two fur babies in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. Guidebook to Murder, Book 1 of the Tourist Trap series, won the 2015 Reader’s Crown award for Mystery Fiction.