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Chapter 14
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Cleaning out the kennels was usually a job Noelle disliked so much, she’d do just about anything to get out of it. On days when Rhonda was volunteering, she didn’t need to worry because the older woman didn’t mind it one bit. That Tuesday morning, as Noelle went from stall to stall making sure everything was tidy, she wasn’t paying enough attention to the job to be too upset. Her mind was on other things.
Brady would be bringing her lunch in just a few hours. It seemed strange to think of that as something special really. It wasn’t like it was a date or anything. He was actually coming by to see Pooch. Brady was just being nice, volunteering to bring her something to eat. He could probably see how hard she worked at her job and didn’t want to be rude, coming at lunchtime and not bringing her anything. So, being excited about it was probably pretty ridiculous.
Yet, that morning, she’d put on a sp
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“Hi!” Did she sound too enthusiastic? She thought maybe she sounded too enthusiastic.“Hi.” He returned her smile, though he didn’t seem to be quite as loud as she was. “How are you?”“I’m good. How are you?”“Good--thanks.” He stared at her for a moment, and Noelle fumbled for words, getting a little lost in his eyes. “Do you have a break room or someplace we can sit?”“Oh, yeah! This way.” She shook her head, trying to clear it, and then gestured for him to follow her. She hadn’t expected him to eat with her. For some reason, she’d thought he’d want to take Pooch for his walk while she ate, that he’d just been being nice when he offered to bring her lunch. She was right to be prepared, just in case.The break room was small--just a round table with two chairs wedg
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Pooch was so excited to see Brady, he couldn’t help but laugh as the little guy squirmed in his arms and licked his face. He was glad he already had the leash attached to his collar so he could set him down. Even then, the dog jumped up and down, pawing at his leg, wanting so badly to have Brady’s full attention.He did--for the moment. Noelle was getting her coat and gloves on and said she was going to get Blacky from his cage to take him for a quick walk. She wouldn’t be able to be away from the front for too long since there were no volunteers to help anyone that might come in, but the fact that she was going to spend a few moments walking with them in the back of the shelter had Brady smiling widely as he stooped to pet Pooch.She sure had a way of helping him get his thoughts together. When he’d come into the shelter with her lunch in hand, he’d had an idea that there was something they could do to hel
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“You want to do what?” Martha Davis asked, her eyes wide as she stared across her desk at Brady.“Bring Christmas back,” he said, infusing energy into his voice instead of the doubt he was feeling inside. He didn’t know this woman well enough to gauge her reaction, but he had the idea that she thought he was crazy, despite the discussion they’d had at the meeting the day before.She shook her head. “Brady, I understand what you’re saying, I do. And I agreed with what you had to say yesterday. But as my fellow council members said at the meeting, I don’t know how it can be done.”Brady flashed her his winning smile. “I think it can. Listen, you’re good friends with Doris Snow, right?”Martha nodded, her forehead crinkling. They were sitting in her office near the downtown shopping district. She worked as a therapist when she
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 18
It was dark by the time Noelle got home from work, but then, it was almost always dark when she got home from work, whether it was the dead of winter like it was right now or the middle of summer when the sun stayed up until almost 9:00. Still, as she got out of her car and headed toward her apartment, it just seemed like she had missed out on most of the day. She loved her job but hated the fact that she was at the shelter for so long, she often missed out on the fun parts of life, especially this time of year.A light snow had started falling not long after Brady had left the shelter. Though it had stopped, her feet crunched through a light dusting as she headed toward the stairs that led up to her apartment. She’d have to be careful in the morning in case it froze over.Once upstairs, she unlocked her door, wondering why she ever even bothered to lock it in Holiday Hills, and pressed inside, flipping on the lights and dropping
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Once Noelle had her coat on, Brady opened the door for her. Noelle took her keys, wallet, and phone and headed out the door.The snow was coming down again, catching the light and twinkling as it fell all around them. Noelle locked up and then headed down the stairs. Brady stayed with her, one hand on the railing, the other out in case she should fall.The steps were slick already. Had it gotten so much colder in just the few minutes she had been inside that ice had formed? She hadn’t realized how cold it had become.Noelle had just reached the bottom step and was crossing onto the landing when her foot slid out from underneath her. Having already released the handrail, she felt herself shooting up into the air and then careening backward. The idea that she was about to collide with the ground had her holding her breath, but it wasn’t the icy walkway that met her back.It was Brady’s
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 20
Sitting across from Noelle in the little diner in Holiday Hills was a far cry from the fancy restaurants Brady used to take his ex-girlfriend to in the big city. Charlotte would’ve never thought this place was good enough for her. Not only was Noelle perfectly content to eat at such an establishment, she hadn’t ordered a salad and a glass of water, opting for chicken and dumplings, one of Brady’s favorites, instead.“So… what made you decide to become a city planner?” Noelle asked as she took a drink of soda.“Well, it’s always been a dream of mine,” Brady admitted. “I love architecture and engineering, but I also like finance and accounting. I figured this would be a good way to use all of those interests.” He smiled at her and then took another bite of his beef stroganoff. This diner had a wide variety of dishes to keep a person warm on a cold night, and he’d fou
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Brady pulled to a stop in front of Noelle’s apartment and turned the truck off, thinking he’d walk her to her doorstep so that she wouldn’t have to risk falling again. He hated to dwell on the fact that she’d slipped earlier. He doubted she’d ever fallen before, or at least not frequently, and had certainly traversed that section of walkway thousands of times, but now that he knew it was a possibility she might fall and hurt herself, he couldn’t help the compulsion to protect her.Only Noelle wasn’t getting out of the truck. Maybe she was waiting for him to come around to open the door for her, like a gentleman. He reached for the door handle, but then she started talking. “Thanks for dinner,” Noelle said.“Sure. Thank you. I’m sorry again that it got sprung on you at the last minute.”She giggled. “That’s my mom.”
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 22
Being quiet in the kitchen in the morning was something Brady had had to get used to. Most days, he was up before his hosts, and he didn’t want to wake them as he went about making his coffee and grabbing a bagel or toast on his way out the door.The morning after he’d had dinner with Noelle, he walked into the kitchen to see Rob there already, sipping some coffee with his robe on over his pajamas, staring at his phone, a groggy look on his face.Studying him for a moment, Brady tried to figure out what was going on. “Good morning,” he said.Rob looked up, his eyes bleary, and said, “Good morning. How are you this morning, Brady?” He stifled a yawn.“I’m good,” Brady said, thinking that was truer that morning than most days. He was looking forward to his lunch meeting, getting on with the Christmas event planning, and of course seeing Noelle and Po
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All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Epilogue
One year later….“That one’s not for you, Pooch!” Noelle said, sitting on the floor beneath the Christmas tree. “That one clearly says Goldie on it. You don’t want to steal your sister’s present do you?”Pooch panted and hopped up and down undeterred by the fact that he’d have to settle for another present. Noelle removed the wrapping and held up a new squeaky toy for Goldie who barked with glee and then took it out of Noelle’s hands to investigate more.Brady reached beneath the tree and pulled out another gift. “This one’s for you, buddy,” he said to Pooch, unwrapping a new bone. The gift had Pooch giddy with excitement. He took it and dragged it across the floor, already gnawing on the end.“What about me?” Noelle asked. “Where’s my one Christmas Eve present?&rdqu
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 42
Noelle hadn’t seen Brady anywhere. She’d spent most of the parade looking for him, walking down the sides of the street, trying to spot him amid the bundled up viewers, leaping up to try to see over the heads of men much taller than her. If Brady was there, she hadn’t seen him.The thought that she should call him entered her mind, but she didn’t do it. What would she say? Sorry I accused you of doing something you’d never do--again? No, until she figured out how to apologize, she wasn’t going to just call him and hope the right words popped out of her mouth.With a sigh, she took one more look around. The downtown area had basically cleared out. She did see one lone figure she recognized, though. Drawing in a deep breath, Noelle approached Mayor Jenkins who had that smug smile on his face. “Good evening, Miss Snow.”“Is it?” she asked, trying to keep her ange
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 41
The last week had been rough for Brady. While he’d been distracted painting a few rooms in his new house and picking out new furniture, he missed Noelle, and she absolutely refused to return his phone calls or texts. Going by to see her seemed desperate, and he wasn’t ready to be that guy yet, so he decided to come to the parade and see if he could run into her there.He’d spoken to her mom earlier in the week, but Doris didn’t know what had sparked the outburst about the budget at the fair. Noelle hadn’t told Doris either. Now, as the sounds of a marching band sounded in the distance, Brady walked along between the citizens of Holiday Hills that he was getting to know, smiling and waving, but not feeling any of it.Even closing on his new house earlier that day had not been that thrilling, and knowing that the board members agreed with his new proposal to move the animal shelter also seemed like something
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The week both seemed to fly by and drag as Noelle tried to stay focused on her work. It was difficult, standing in the back room of the shelter, seeing Pooch’s empty cage and not having any idea what had happened to him. She just prayed that, wherever he was, he was having a nice Christmas. It wasn’t what she’d hoped for when she’d first met the little dog. If she was honest, over the weeks that he’d been at the shelter, she hadn’t just started to hope that Pooch would end up with Brady; she’d hoped they both would. That she and Pooch would both become a part of Brady’s family.But now, on Christmas Eve, as she finished topping off the dogs’ food and water, knowing it would be a little later than normal when she came in the next day, she had to bury those wishes deep. Not only had Pooch been adopted by a different family, it had been almost a week since she’d spoken to Brady, and she wasn’
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Something was off with Noelle. It seemed as if Mrs. Davis had told her about the donations because she had been smiling when she spoke to the woman, but by the time she made it over to the tent, she wasn’t just sad; she was scowling.“No luck?” Brady asked her.“Nope. I can’t believe he’s just… gone.”He’d moved to put his arm around her, but she stepped away.“I feel just terrible,” Rhonda said, not for the first time.“I know. It’s okay,” Noelle said. “I think we can go ahead and start loading up these empty kennels,” she said. “We can leave the animals that haven’t been adopted out for a bit longer, but other vendors are starting to load up.”“I can help with that,” Brady volunteered.“No, it’s okay,” N
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 38
Noelle was doing her best to keep from yelling. Clearly, Kelsey had made a mistake, and being angry at her wasn’t going to bring Pooch back or make her feel any better. “Do you remember what they looked like?” Brady asked, his tone much more controlled than Noelle’s would've been if she would’ve tried to speak at the moment.The teen shrugged, as if she actually didn’t even care that she’d made a huge blunder. “No. They were kinda old. Maybe your age.”Brady’s eyes widened, and Rhonda scolded her granddaughter. “Brady’s not old, Kelsey!” she said. “Would you say the couple was in their late twenties or early thirties?”She shrugged again. “I don’t know. The lady had long dark hair and a big tummy. The guy had short brown hair and a black coat. That’s all I remember. Can we go now?”“
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 37
Getting all of the animals unloaded and in spots where they were both comfortable and warm had been a challenge, but Noelle managed with the help of Rhonda and a few of the other volunteers. Along with Pooch and Blacky, she’d brought six other dogs and four cats, animals she thought had a good chance of finding new homes. They were all bright-eyed and happy to be out of the shelter. A couple of them, including Blacky, barked at every person who came by, even on the road away from where they were set up in a parking spot next to the sidewalk on the main strip. The road was closed to cars now that the event was beginning, and the merchants had all had a couple of hours to bring in their wares--or their friends as was the case with Noelle. She was satisfied that they had a good spot for traffic, near the hot cocoa stand and the kettle corn. It smelled great, that was for sure. Now, all she needed was to find some animals a good home.“Well, they
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 36
The entire downtown area looked like something off of a Christmas card. Brady couldn’t help but smile as he walked toward the large pine tree in the park that they’d decorated earlier in the day. That had been fun, hanging ornaments with Noelle, as well as with children from all over town, their parents and grandparents. It had been a long time since Brady had had so much fun.Now, a light snow was falling, but he felt all warm and cozy inside, with the scarf his mother had made for him wrapped tightly around his neck.He was about fifteen minutes early, but there were already a ton of people gathered around the tree. They’d set up a small stage over to one side, along with a microphone. All of the lights on the tree were battery powered, but he had found an electrician, George Rivera, who had been kind enough to rig them all up so that it would appear as if one flip of a large switch was turning the tree on when in fa
All I Want for Christmas is Pooch Chapter 35
Saturday was a beautiful day. Noelle awoke to see the snow had stopped overnight, and while it was cold enough outside to keep the ground from becoming wet and sloshy, it wasn’t frigid either.She was up bright and early, headed to the shelter to take care of the animals before she went to the downtown area to help with the Christmas decorating. The kittens were thriving, Goldie was almost one hundred percent healed, and Pooch was his adorable self. She almost spent too much time playing with him, which would’ve made her late, but she was able to pull herself away from the cute pup in time to make it downtown by 10:00, the time her mother had asked everyone to arrive.In the backseat, Noelle had several boxes of Christmas decorations to donate to the cause. She’d stopped by the local hardware store the night before to buy a few boxes of lights and plastic ornaments, on top of the ones they’d generously donated, b
