Page 56 of Sweet Home

“Toy store,” Elizabeth said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“A perfect plan,” Dulcie told her.

Anita, one of the moms in the preschool library group, was putting together stockings to take to a shelter in the city. Dulcie had been so charmed at the idea that when the lady asked for volunteers to ask around town for any items that could be included, she and Elizabeth had raised their hands.

She was happy that West had dropped them off in the village today. They had gone to story time, and now they had a perfect mission for their day in town.

When they arrived at the store, Elizabeth went right past the door and headed over to the big window to look in at the castle she had been dreaming of.

“It’s still here,” she told Dulcie happily before pressing her little face right against the glass to take in the stone walls and the tiny figures on the turret.

Dulcie smiled at the sight. It was so nice that Elizabeth’s world was a safe place where her biggest worry wasthat she might not get the toy she was dreaming of this Christmas.

West gave his little girl a life most children could only dream of.

I’m going to give Delphine a wonderful life too,she told herself happily.I can’t start her childhood over, but we’ll start making up for all the bad stuff as soon as she gets here.

When the lady working inside smiled and waved to them, Dulcie figured she wasn’t going to get a better opportunity.

“Let’s go in,” she said to Elizabeth. “Maybe the nice lady will want to help us help the kids.”

“Okay,” Elizabeth said, peeling herself off the window right away.

Dulcie was impressed yet again that this little girl had such a big heart.

“Hi there,” the lady said when they stepped inside. “Can I help you find something special?”

“We’re volunteering to put together stockings for children at a shelter in the city,” Dulcie explained. “We wondered if the owner is around to talk about possible donations.”

“Travis is a very generous man,” the lady said with a smile. “If you’ll wait for a moment, I’ll duck in the back and see what he has in the donation box today.”

“Can I look at my castle?” Elizabeth asked hopefully.

“Of course,” Dulcie told her. “But you won’t touch anything, right?”

“No,” Elizabeth said, looking scandalized.

Dulcie smiled and watched as the little girl dashed back toward the window display, this timeadmiring the castle from inside the shop. Luckily, Dulcie could easily keep an eye on her from her spot at the counter.

The lady came back out again a few minutes later with a pretty, reusable shopping bag that had the store’s logo on it.

“These are all the smaller toys he has back there for donation,” the lady said. “They’re mostly cars and horses, and there are a few packs of stickers too. You’ll want to remove the price tags.”

“Wow,” Dulcie said, gazing down at the full bag of brand-new toys. “This is amazing. Thank you.”

“Travis is a good guy,” the lady said. “He always says he would rather donate than discount, so normally when he replaces inventory, he gives away a lot of what’s left of the old stuff.”

“Please thank him for us,” Dulcie said.

Turning back to Elizabeth, she saw the little one was still gazing at the castle.

“Her dad got one for her already,” the lady confided. “But I guess you knew that.”

Dulcie blinked at the lady for a moment before realizing that she must think she was Elizabeth’s mother.

“Oh, yes,” she said, not wanting to have to explain, and secretly loving that someone would make that assumption.

“Actually, we were out of stock on the princess when he came in, but we have one now,” the lady told her. “Do you want it?”

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