Page 82 of The Holiday Gift

He nodded and followed her up, trying not to notice the way her jeans hugged her curves. “We’ve got a king bed in one room, a queen in the second bedroom and bunk beds in that one on the left. The children won’t mind sharing, will they?”

“I want to see!” Jack exclaimed and raced into the room she indicated. Ava followed more slowly, but even she looked curious about the accommodations, he saw.

The whole place smelled like vanilla and pine, fresh and clean, and he didn’t miss the vacuum tracks in the carpet. She really must have hurried over to make it ready for them.

“There’s a small bathroom off the master and another one in the hall between the other bedrooms. That’s it. Not much to it. Do you think it will work?”

“I like it!” Jack declared. “But only if I get the top bunk.”

“What do you think, Ava?”

She shrugged. “It’s okay. I still like the hotel better but it would be fun to live by Destry and ride the bus with her and stuff. AndIget the top bunk. I’m older.”

“We can work that out,” Ben said. “I guess it’s more or less unanimous. It should be great. Comfortable and spacious and not that far from the clinic. I appreciate the offer.”

She smiled but he thought it looked a little strained. “Great. You can move in anytime. Today if you want. All you need are your suitcases.”

The idea of a little breathing space was vastly appealing. “In that case, we can go back to the inn and pack our things and be back later this afternoon. Mrs. Michaels will be thrilled.”

“That should work.”

“Can we decorate the tree tonight?” Jack asked eagerly.

He tousled his son’s hair, deeply grateful for this cheerful child who gave his love unconditionally. “Yeah. We can probably do that. We’ll pick up some art supplies while we’re in town too.”

Even Ava looked mildly excited about that as they headed back outside.

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” Caidy said suddenly. “What are you doing all the way down here, you crazy dog? Just want to make a few new friends, do you?”

She spoke to an ancient-looking collie, with a gray muzzle and tired eyes, that was sitting at the bottom of the porch steps. Caidy knelt down, heedless of the snow, and petted the dog. “This is Sadie. She’s just about my best friend in the world.”

Ava smiled at the dog. “Hi, Sadie.”

Jack, however, hovered behind Ben. His son was nervous about any dog bigger than a Pekingese.

“She’s really old. Thirteen. I got her when I was just a teenager. We’ve been through a lot, Sadie and me.”

“Sadie and Caidy. That rhymes,” Ava said unexpectedly, earning a giggle from Jack.

“I know, right? My brothers used to call the dog and I would think they wanted me. Or they would call me and Sadie would come running. It was all very confusing but we’re used to it now after all these years. I didn’t name her, though—the rancher my parents got her from had already given her a name. By then she was already used to it so we decided not to change it.”

He saw a hint of sadness in her eyes and wondered at the source of it as she hugged the dog. “Do you know, she was a Christmas present the year I turned fourteen? That’s not much older than you, Ava.”

His daughter looked thrilled that someone would think she was anywhere close to the advanced age of fourteen instead of nine and he suddenly knew Caidy had said it on purpose.

“For months I’d been begging and begging for a dog of my own,” she went on. “We always had ranch dogs but my brothers took over working with them. I wanted one I could train myself. I was so excited that morning when I found her under the tree. She was so adorable with a big red bow around her neck.”

He pictured it clearly, a teenage Caidy and a cute little border collie puppy with curious ears and a wagging tail. He could certainly relate to the story. When he had been a boy, he had begged for a dog every year from about the time he turned eight. Every year, he had hoped and prayed he would find a puppy under the tree and every year had been another disappointment.

He held the door open. “Ava, you can sit in the middle next to Jack so we can make room for Sadie.”

“Oh, no. That’s not necessary. She’s probably wet and stinky. We can walk. It’s not that far.”

“If there’s one thing we don’t mind in this family, it’s wet stinky dogs, isn’t that right? Just wait until we bring Tri out here to romp in the snowdrifts.”

Both children giggled, even Ava, which filled him with a great sense of accomplishment.

He turned his attention away from his children to find Caidy watching him, her hand still on her dog’s scruff and an arrested expression in her eyes. He felt a return of that tensile connection of earlier, when he had walked out of the shower room to find her standing in the hallway.

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