Page 2 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
Belle rushed to get ready, which could be difficult with a rambunctious puppy getting into everything. Somehow, she managed to keep him out of things.
When she stepped up to the closet, she couldn’t decide on an outfit. Nothing seemed to fit her mood. Running out of time before she was late for work, she tossed the discarded clothes onto the bed. At last, she settled on a blue sweater with a snowman on the front paired with a blue skirt that hit mid-calf.
She moved to her chest of drawers. On top was her jewelry box from when she was a kid. Once upon a time, it had a ballerina inside it that would turn as the music would play. She couldn’t remember the last time it had worked. Sadly, after all of these years, the jewelry box was falling apart.
She thought of the antique jewelry box she’d found an estate sale this past autumn. The wooden box had a rose carved in the lid—her favorite flower. It needed a bit of work so she had it stored in the garage until she had time to spiff it up. It shouldn’t take more than some sanding and staining it.
Noticing the time, she realized she better hurry. She lifted the lid on the jewelry box and one of the hinges came loose. She sighed. She didn’t have time to do anything about it now. She grabbed a snowflake necklace. It would go perfectly with this sweater. And she had snowflake earrings to match.
She scooped up Odie and rushed downstairs. He needed one more trip outside before he went into his crate. She put his red coat on him before they rushed out to the small area she kept shoveled just for him.
However, Odie had no interest in doing his business. Instead, he sniffed every snowflake and then proceeded to stick his head in the snow. Belle couldn’t resist a chuckle when the puppy pulled out his snow-covered head. He blinked and then looked at her with those two big brown eyes looking out from what looked like a big snowball on his head. As she laughed, Odie shook himself, sending snow all over her.Oh, puppy.
By the time they returned to the house, she was running late. She put Odie into his crate with his comfy cushion and a couple of fleece blankets. He had some toys and a water bowl.
Odie whimpered and sent her a sad puppy face. It was so hard to leave him. “I really do have to go to work if you want more kibble. I love you, little guy. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
With the greatest regret, she turned away from his pleading eyes. She couldn’t be late for work. Not again.
Belle ran out of the little red house that resided on the outskirts of Kringle Falls. As soon as her foot hit the sidewalk, she slipped. Beneath the freshly fallen snow was a layer of ice. Her arms waved at her sides as she regained her balance. She slowed down the rest of the way.
She hopped into her old red Jeep. With a glance in the rearview mirror, she backed out of the gravel driveway and headed to work. Her gaze strayed to the dashboard. She had exactly nine minutes to get there. Every time she glanced at the time, she pressed a little harder on the accelerator.
Mrs. Mavis Thompson was a widow, and she had been Belle’s boss since she was in high school. Although Mavis was very kind, she was a stickler for timeliness, and Belle had been late just the day before. It wasn’t her fault, but Mavis didn’t want to hear any excuses. And now that Belle was trying to convince her to sell her the business when she retired, it was imperative that she impress her.
Belle pulled to a stop at the intersection. After a few cars passed in front of her, she turned right onto Main Street. Frills & Heels Boutique was on the other side of town.
As soon as she made it into Kringle Falls proper, the first traffic light she came to was red. With a sigh, she tramped the brakes. The last thing she needed was to hit all three red lights on her way across town.
Her fingers drummed against the steering wheel. As she waited for the light to change, she glanced around. Fresh snow had fallen the night before, coating the rooftops and awnings. It made Kringle Falls look as though it had been stolen from the front of a Christmas card.
Even though it wasn’t even eight o’clock in the morning, the sidewalks were busy. She’d grown up in this town and spent her whole adult life here. But in recent years, city hall had really played up the part of it being a Christmas town—a tourist’s destination.
The campaign had really taken off. Their little town was growing. Sometimes, she worried that it was growing too fast. When she was little, everyone in town knew everyone else. These days there were a number of faces she couldn’t put a name to. So, their campaign had its pluses and minuses.
Still, Belle couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Her memories were here. Her friends were here. And her future was here. Her main goal now was to buy the boutique when the owner retired. Mavis didn’t have any children to leave it to, and she was anxious to be closer to her sister who lived in Florida.
Belle had been saving her money for years. Sometimes more than other times, but her nest egg had steadily grown, and the portion that she’d invested had done really well. Now that she had a respectable amount, she felt as though she could approach a bank for a small business loan without them laughing her out of the place.
The light changed to green. The car in front of her didn’t move. Belle tapped her horn. The car inched forward. It appeared they weren’t comfortable driving on the winter roads, even though the roads in town had been plowed and treated.
To her relief, the car turned left. She continued straight ahead. She was happy to find the roadway nothing more than wet. Christmas was just two weeks away, and the town was completely decked out in its finest holiday decorations.
As usual, she didn’t have any Christmas plans other than to work. Without any family, the traditions from her past had slipped away. Now she watched a lot of holiday movies and occasionally did things with her friends. When she had a boyfriend, she would hang out with him, but after the last breakup didn’t go well, she wasn’t anxious to enter into a new relationship.
Wee-woo! Wee-woo!
Her gaze flickered to the rear-view mirror and found flashing blue lights.Seriously?She let off the accelerator, hoping they would go around her. They didn’t. She inwardly groaned.Not again.
Chapter Two
Thiscan’tbehappening.
With a frustrated groan, Belle put on her right-turn signal and looked for a spot to pull over. When she pulled to a stop, she tried to figure out what she was getting pulled over for. She definitely wasn’t speeding, not in this winter weather.
Her gaze strayed to the digital clock on her dash. Only three minutes remained until she was late for work. She stared straight ahead, trying not to get worked up. The calmer she remained, the sooner she’d be on her way. The boutique was only a block away.
After a moment, when the officer still didn’t appear at her window, she glanced into the side mirror. He hadn’t even gotten out of the car yet. Her gaze returned to the clock. Only two minutes now.
