Catch-Up VII

Pamela M. Kelley

Piping Plover Press

Copyright © 2018 by Pamela M. Kelley

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

It’s Christmas at River’s End Ranch and five couples are visited by a beautiful white dog that brings the gift of Christmas spirit to each of them. Couples featured are:

Jingle-Bell Jam—Melanie and Bryan

Billionaire’s Baby—Anna and Ben

Teasing Tammy—Tammy and Clark

Romancing Rachel—Rachel and Adiel

Make-Believe Marriage—Cameron and Ethan

Chapter 1

Jingle-Bell Jam—Melanie and Bryan

Melanie Baker struggled to hold back a yawn as she stood by the big gym window that overlooked the River’s End Ranch courtyard. People walked along toward the shops as it began to snow softly. It was a festive scene and Melanie sighed, wishing that she was home, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate, with a warm blanket tucked around her.

She glanced at the giant clock on the wall. Her last class of the day was starting in ten minutes. She smiled as Annette, one of her favorite coworkers, came over to chat.

“Cindy Lou Thompson just canceled her three o’clock personal training session because she’s worried about the snow. There’s not even a dusting out there!”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Melanie sympathized and then grimaced as her stomach tightened again. It had been feeling achy and off all day.

“Are you okay? You don’t look good.”

“I’ll be alright. I think I might be getting that bug that’s been going around. I’m done after this spin class though.”

Annette shook her head. “Why don’t you just go home now? I can take over your class since I have nothing scheduled for the next hour.”

Melanie hesitated. She ran the fitness center and had never been one to go home early.

“Seriously, go. It’s not like it’s even busy here.”

Melanie looked around the room and laughed. There was only a handful of people there. Annette was right. It was a slow day, and with the snow coming, they weren’t likely to get any busier.

“Thank you. I’ll take you up on that offer. I owe you.”

Ten minutes later, Melanie stepped outside and took a deep breath. The crisp, cool air was invigorating and her stomach already felt like it was calming down. She stood for a moment admiring the pretty snow as it swirled and twirled before slowly drifting down. As she turned to walk to her car, she saw a familiar face coming her way, Wade Weston, the general manager of the resort. He grinned as he saw her.

“Will we see you and Brian this week at trivia?” he asked. There was a group of them that played most Thursday nights at the restaurant.

“Hopefully. We should be able to make it.”

“Great, Maddie’s looking forward to it. You heading out now?”

Melanie nodded.

“Drive careful, I hear it’s getting slippery out there.”

The roads were a bit slick, but Melanie took her time and it wasn’t long before she pulled into the driveway where she and her husband Brian, lived. She still got a thrill when she saw their custom-built house. It was on the lake and was everything that she and Brian, who was a builder, had ever dreamed of. They’d just moved in a few months ago.

The snow was coming down harder as she stepped outside and walked toward the house. She squinted as she saw something move by the front door. It was a dog. A shivering all-white dog with a bright red collar. When she reached the door, the dog lifted its head and almost seemed to smile when it saw her.

“Well, hello there. I haven’t seen you in the neighborhood before. Why don’t you come inside for a minute and I’ll see if your collar has contact info so we can get you home?” She stepped into their mud room and held the door open so the fluffy white dog would follow. She shut the door tightly behind her and took her coat off, then grabbed a towel and used it to brush the snow off the dog.

She wiped the snow off the pretty red collar too and the silver tag, which had the name Prancer delicately etched into it. There was no contact info though, which Melanie thought was unusual. The dog clearly belonged to someone, and the collar looked brand new.

“Well, you might as well come in and meet Holly and Rudy. I’m going to make a few calls and see if we can figure how to get you home. It’s too cold for you to stay outside.” Prancer wagged her tail as if she understood everything Melanie was saying and followed her into the living room.

She grabbed her cell phone and called Jess, who ran the local vet clinic with her husband Jake. While she waited for someone to answer, she watched with amusement as her two cats, Holly and Rudy, sized up the strange dog that stood quietly by her side. When the cats slowly made their way toward them, Prancer took a step closer to Melanie and she reached down and gently petted her head. Jess came on the phone as the cats stopped about a foot from Prancer and a staring contest commenced.

Melanie quickly told Jess about the dog. “She’s beautiful, a Samoyed, I think, based on fluffy white fur and built-in smile. I’ve never seen her in the neighborhood though.”

“The only Samoyed I know of, moved away a year ago. You could call the shelter and the police in case anyone has reported a missing dog to either of them. It’s nasty out there. Can you keep her for a night or two in case you don’t hear back right away? If not, you could bring her here.”

“I think we can manage for a night or two. Thanks, Jess.”

Melanie called the local shelter, and they told her that they didn’t have any reports of a missing dog yet, but told her to call back the next day. She heard the same from her brother-in-law, Jack, when she called the police and he answered the call.

“No missing dog reports yet. If anyone calls though, we’ll get in touch.”

“Thanks, Jack.” Melanie ended the call and smiled as she saw the animals checking each other out. Holly was sprawled out in front of Prancer while Rudy tentatively reached out a paw and tapped it against the dog’s foot. Prancer responded by sticking out her tongue and licking Rudy’s paw. And just like that, they were all friends.

Melanie went and made herself a cup of hot tea and then settled in her favorite soft chair by the huge window that overlooked the lake. The sun was starting to set now, so all she could see was a swirl of white, but it was still soothing to watch as she sipped her tea. Her stomach tightened up again as a mild cramp came and went. It eased up though as she sipped her ginger tea.

She pulled her favorite soft blanket over her and opened the book she’d started the day before. It was the latest Danielle Steel novel, and she was eager to see what was going to happen next. Before she dived back into the story, she reached down and gave Prancer a pat. She was curled up at Melanie’s feet and had a motherly paw over Holly as she slept snuggled up to her. Rudy was sound asleep a few feet away. Melanie thought it was cute how well they all were getting along.

Her nose suddenly itched followed immediately by a sneeze and got up to go to the bathroom for a tissue. There weren’t any left, so she rummaged around in the bathroom closet until she found a new box. As she was opening it, she heard the front door open. Bryan was home early. When she turned, she saw that Prancer had followed her to the bathroom.

“Come on Prancer, you have one more person to meet.”

She went to greet Bryan, whose cheeks were bright red and icy cold as he gave her a kiss hello.

“I’m glad you’re home. It’s nasty out there.” He looked up in surprise as Prancer came toward them holding a small white bag in her mouth. It looked like it had a box of toothpaste or something in it.

“Who is that?”

“Prancer.” She told him how she’d been waiting outside when she got home.

“She’s a sweet girl. She must have gotten lost, could be new to the area. Holly and Rudy like her.”

“Do you want to keep her?” Brian laughed.

“I wouldn’t mind, but I’m pretty sure she belongs to someone. She has a gorgeous collar, and she’s well groomed.”

“What’s in her mouth?”

“She must have grabbed something from the bathroom. I was just in there. Come here, Prancer.”

She came over and Melanie took the bag out of her mouth. “I’ll be right back.” She took the bag back to the bathroom. It was too light to be toothpaste. She looked inside and sighed when she saw what it was. A pregnancy test. Something she hadn’t needed for a while. She’d bought the test months ago when they were trying. They’d finally given up and had decided to start going through the IVF process after the holidays and were going to not worry about it until then.

As Melanie threw the bag away and put the box back on the shelf, a thought occurred to her. She did some quick calculations and was shocked to realize she was almost two weeks late. She’d been so preoccupied at work and relieved that they didn’t have to think about trying again for a while, that she hadn’t noticed that the weeks were flying by. Maybe she didn’t have a bug after all.

Her hands shook as she picked up the box again and slowly opened it and followed the instructions.

Exactly three minutes later, she walked back to the living room, where Bryan was sitting comfortably by the fire. Prancer was curled up by his feet. The dog jumped up as Melanie approached and then sat and looked up with big, expectant eyes.

“You know what was in that bag that Prancer was holding?”

Bryan chuckled. “What?”

Melanie handed him a plastic stick.

He jumped up and pulled her into his arms. “I can’t believe it!”

Melanie felt overcome with emotion as it sunk in. “We’re having a baby, finally.”

The next morning was sunny and clear. The snow had stopped sometime during the night and only a few inches had accumulated. Melanie was up early and was making coffee when Bryan walked into the kitchen. He glanced toward the door where Prancer sat wagging her tail.

“I’m going to take her outside for a minute. Be right back.”

“Okay. Coffee should be ready when you get back.” Melanie gave Prancer a hug and a scratch behind her ears. “I’m so glad you decided to visit us,” she whispered to the dog, as Bryan opened the door.

Five minutes later, Bryan was back, by himself.

“Where’s Prancer?” Melanie handed him a mug of hot coffee.

“I don’t know. She was there one minute and gone the next. Maybe in the light of day, she knew where to go.”

“Well, I hope so. Maybe she’ll come back. I could get used to having her around.”

Bryan leaned over and kissed her gently. “I could too, but I have a feeling she’s gone home. She was like our Christmas Angel.”

Melanie leaned over and brushed her lips against Bryan’s before saying softly, “She really was. She delivered the best Christmas present ever.”

Chapter 2

Billionaire’s Baby—Anna and Ben

Anna stuck her head into her husband Ben’s office, where he was busy working. He’d been at it hard since breakfast and hadn’t stopped once, not even to break for lunch. It was nearly three and Anna was feeling a little stir-crazy. She was on Christmas break from law school and classes wouldn’t be starting up again until mid-January.

“Taylor and I are going to take a walk, want to join us? It’s sunny and not too cold out there.”

Ben hit send on his email, then looked up and smiled. “Sure. I could use a break to stretch my legs.”

They gathered their coats, and Anna got Taylor’s stroller. She was almost two and a good walker, but if she got tired, Anna could push her part of the way.

The air was cool but clear as they made their way down the driveway toward the main road where there was a bike path that was perfect for walking.

“Was your day productive? You don’t usually work through lunch,” Anna asked.

“It was crazy busy today. I am a little hungry now that you mention it. Did Mrs. Johnson make something good for us or do you feel like going out to dinner?”

“I’d like to go to trivia on Thursday, so let’s stay in tonight. She made a big pot of beef stew. I had a taste of it at lunch and it’s delicious.”

“That sounds good. So, about today, we got some great news. The show at the ranch has been extended. Ratings are better than anyone imagined.”

“Oh, that’s fantastic.” Ben was one of the investor’s in the TV show that was filming at River’s End Ranch. His best friend, Adiel was the main writer, so they saw him and his wife Rachel often. Rachel was one of the stars of the show. Anna was glad to hear that it wasn’t in any danger of ending any time soon as that mean Adiel and Rachel would be staying in Riston.

“And I found another film I’m going to invest in. Adiel wrote the screenplay and I think it’s fantastic. It could be his huge breakout project.”

“Oh, that’s exciting. Rachel mentioned a while ago that he was working on a top secret project. That must be it.”

“Probably, and there’s a part for Rachel in it, a big part. She’ll be the female star, so it will be a huge opportunity for her too.”

“What kind of story is it? Similar to the show?”

Ben chuckled. “No, completely different. It’s a suspense thriller. The only similarity is that it’s set in a small town. And the good news is we should be able to film here in Riston too, which will keep expenses down.”

“And since it’s Adiel and Rachel, they can work it around the filming for the TV show.”

“Exactly. They’ll do it while the show is on hiatus,” Ben confirmed.

“Doggy!” Taylor cried as she ran ahead and they saw a rabbit dart out of the bushes and then back in again. She turned back and looked ready to burst into tears.

“That was a bunny, honey. A rabbit. Not a doggy.”

“I want a doggy. Can we get one?”

Anna looked at Ben. Taylor had been asking almost daily if they could get a dog. Ben thought they should wait a year or two until Taylor was older. But Anna wasn’t so sure. She thought it might be good company for the little girl.

“Maybe someday, honey,” Ben told her.

“Is someday tomorrow?” Taylor asked hopefully.

Ben chuckled. “Probably not tomorrow honey.”

They turned around and made their way back to the house. Taylor looked exhausted and climbed into the stroller for the walk back. But when they came around the corner and saw the house ahead, she suddenly screamed and Anna stopped walking. “Doggy!!!!” Taylor bolted out of the stroller and ran toward the front step where a beautiful fluffy white dog with a red collar, sat almost as if she was waiting for them.

“Have you ever seen that dog around here before?” Anna asked.

“No, never. It must belong to someone nearby though.”

When they caught up to Taylor, the little girl was sitting next to the dog and tentatively reached a small hand to pet it. Anna was nervous for a moment but the dog almost seemed to be smiling as it leaned closer to Taylor and let her pet her. Anna saw that the silver name tag on her collar said Prancer.

“What are you doing here, girl?” She asked her softly and reached out to stroke her fur. The dog seemed to smile up at her. Suddenly she stood and took a few steps away then circled back and looked at them expectantly.

“I think she wants us to follow her,” Ben said.

“She wants to play!” Taylor said.

“Sure, let’s see where she wants us to go,” Anna said. They had been walking for about twenty minutes or so, a few more minutes would be fine.

Prancer bounced ahead of them, circling back every few minutes to make sure they were following her. When they reached the main road, she turned right, the opposite direction they’d just walked.

“Okay, we should probably head back now,” Ben said.

“No!” Taylor screamed.

“Let’s go on a little longer. It’s a nice day to walk,” Anna said.

“Okay, a few more minutes.”

Prancer took them about a hundred more years and then ran to a small cardboard box at the base of a tree. When she reached the box, she sat and waited for everyone to catch up. Anna noticed that she seemed excited and was wagging her tail furiously.

And in a moment, they could see why. In the box were two golden retriever puppies, their fur baby soft and blonde. They looked dazed and confused as if they’d just woken up. They were nestled in the box with a soft blanket. But it was obvious that someone had just dumped them at the side of the road. Anna immediately felt furious, then protective and grateful to the pretty white dog that showed them the way.

“Puppies! Can we keep them? Please?!!” Taylor jumped up and down with excitement.

Ben smiled and took Anna’s hand. “Yes, I think we have to. Someone has to take care of them.”

“It’s meant to be,” Anna said, watching as Taylor patted both puppies using both her hands.

Ben reached down and scooped up the box while Anna petted Prancer and thanked her for leading them to the puppies.

“Okay, let’s get these babies back to the house. Everyone ready to go?” Ben asked as he turned toward the house.

Anna grabbed Taylor’s hand, and they started walking. She glanced back to see if Prancer was right behind them and realized that she wasn’t. She was already racing down the road back to wherever it was that she’d come from, now that her mission was accomplished.

“Mama, two doggies is best Christmas ever!”

Anna smiled. “I think you’re right.”

Chapter 3

Teasing Tammy—Tammy and Clark

Hey, Clark! What time do you think you’ll be home? I have a new recipe I want to try out tonight for us. Melissa said it’s her favorite chicken dish with lots of mushrooms and peppers.” Tammy was only a block from home and had stopped at the store to get all the ingredients that she needed. It was a cold night, and she was looking forward to relaxing in front of the fire with her husband and a delicious meal.

“That sounds great, but we might have to do it tomorrow instead,” Clark sounded regretful.

“You picked up someone’s shift?” Tammy knew he had a hard time saying no.

“Ricky’s son is playing hockey tonight. His team made the finals, so I told him I’d switch shifts. But he’s going to work for me tomorrow night, so we can do it then.”

“That means you’re working a double though. You’re going to be exhausted.”

“I’ll be fine. It hasn’t been too crazy today.” Clark was an orthopedics doctor and worked a shift or two in the ER.

“All right. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“Have a good night, Tammy. Love you!”

She smiled. “Love you too.”

She decided that her Plan B for dinner would be heating up some soup and treating herself to a mug of hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows. As she turned onto their street, she smiled at the sight of their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Greenfield’s, house. It was beautifully decorated. She must have just done her porch that day. Pretty lights were draped along the length and oversized red ornaments hung every few feet.Through the bay window, she could see her Christmas tree all lit up.

Tammy pulled into their driveway and saw that she had a visitor on her porch. A fluffy white dog who looked like it was waiting patiently for her. Tammy gathered up her bag of groceries and walked toward the door. The dog stood up and wagged its tail as she approached.

“Why, hello there? I haven’t seen you around. Let me set this down and I’ll come right back to pet you.” She opened the door, went into the kitchen and quickly put the chicken and veggies into the refrigerator then went back to the porch. The white dog was still sitting there and stood and barked as soon as she opened the door.

“What is it? Are you lost?” She gently patted the dog’s head and read the name on the collar. “Prancer, what a pretty name.”

The dog barked again and rubbed its head against her leg and then started toward the steps, looking back as if to say, “Follow me.”

Tammy did, curious where Prancer wanted her to go. She was moving quickly and Tammy picked up her pace when saw where Prancer was going. She followed the dog onto Mrs. Greenfield’s porch and stopped in front of her door. She knocked but there was no response. Prancer barked again and Tammy grew worried. She turned the doorknob and was relieved to see that it wasn’t locked.

“Mrs. Greenfield? Are you okay?” she called out.

“Tammy is that you? I’m in the living room dear.”

She and Prancer followed the sound of her voice to the living room and Tammy gasped at what she saw. Her elderly neighbor was lying on the carpet in front of her Christmas tree. A ladder was beside her and a delicate angel, meant for the top of the tree, was in her right hand.

Tammy rushed to her side. “Are you okay? Let me help you up.”

“I think you might need to call for help, dear. My leg doesn’t want to move at the moment.” She struggled to sit up and winced at the effort.

“Don’t try to move. You must have broken something. I’ll call 911. Where is your phone?”

“My cell phone is on the kitchen table.”

Tammy went to the kitchen, saw the phone and called for an ambulance. Less than ten minutes later, she heard sirens coming toward them.

“Is that your dog? She’s beautiful” Tammy asked her. Prancer was sitting by Mrs. Greenfield’s side.

“Prancer? She is lovely isn’t she? I’ve never seen her before today. She showed up on the front porch when I was hanging the lights there. I almost took a tumble then too, now that I think of it. Those ladders aren’t as sturdy as they used to be.”

Tammy opened the door to let the emergency medics in and they quickly assessed Mrs. Greenfield and bundled her onto a stretcher. She looked pale and nervous as they lifted the stretcher to carry her out. Tammy had grown fond of the older woman since she and Clark had moved in next door. She lived alone and was always cheerful and sweet.

“I’ll meet you at the hospital to keep you company,” Tammy assured her.

“You’re such a dear. Thank you.”

Twenty minutes later, Tammy walked into the ER and was happy to see that Mrs. Greenfield had already been taken in to a room. It didn’t look like the ER was too busy which meant she didn’t have a long wait, which was a good thing.

Several nurses came in and out of the room, taking Mrs. Greenfield’s vital signs and then she was wheeled off for x-rays. Soon after she returned, her doctor arrived, and Tammy was happy to see that it was Clark.

“Well, I didn’t expect to see you so soon tonight,” he said with a smile. Tammy knew he was trying to put the older woman at ease.

“The good news is that it’s just a fracture of your ankle, so we don’t need to do surgery. We just need to get a boot for you and some crutches and you’ll have to keep your weight off it for a few weeks.”

Mrs. Greenfield looked relieved. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“It’s a piece of cake, and because you’re our favorite neighbor, I’ll stop in to check on you, so you don’t have to come into the office.”

The older woman’s eyes welled up. “The two of you are too good to me. I’m grateful for both of you.”

“Well you are our favorite neighbor.” Clark smiled, then turned to Tammy, “Were you there when she fell?”

“No, it was the strangest thing, actually. When I got home, there was a pretty white dog that I’ve never seen before, on the porch. Her name is Prancer, and she was barking and wanted me to follow her.”

“I think she may have heard me holler when I fell off the ladder,” Mrs. Greenfield said.

“Did you get a dog?” Clark asked.

“No, I’ve never seen her before today. Good thing she happened to stop by though,” she chuckled.

“Very good thing. I wonder who she belongs to?” Tammy said.

“Before I send you home, I’m going to need you to promise me something,” Clark had a stern look but his twinkling eyes betrayed him.

“What is it?”

“No more climbing on ladders. If you need to use one, we can help you.”

Mrs. Greenfield chuckled. “Fair enough. And I’ll take you up on that. My angel still needs to get to the top of my tree.”

“We can make that happen.” Clark leaned over and softly said to Tammy, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Mrs. Greenfield, I’ll be right back.” Tammy followed Clark out of the room.

“I’m glad you came in with her. She was lucky that you happened to be home.”

“I know. And luckier still that Prancer knew to come get me.”

“I don’t think I told you today that I love you, did I?” Clark said so softly that no one else could hear.

“You may have actually, but I don’t mind hearing it again. I love you Clark Baker.”

“Not as much as I love you.” He gave her a quick kiss before heading back to work. As Tammy turned to go back into the room with Mrs. Greenfield, she glanced out the window and was surprised to see that it was starting to snow. For a moment, she thought she caught a glimpse of a dog that looked like Prancer, but then realized it wasn’t her. She wondered where the dog had come from and where she went. She hoped that she was home, snug and warm in her bed, having done her good deed for the day.

Chapter 4

Romancing Rachel—Rachel and Adiel

That’s the dog I was telling you about. Prancer!” A pretty white dog came running over to Anna, who gave her a hug. Prancer then looked expectantly at Rachel.

She reached over and patted the dog. Prancer rubbed her head against her hand, gave it a sniff and then scampered off toward the woods.

“I’ve never seen her around here before,” Rachel said.

“She must live somewhere nearby,” Anna said as they walked into Sadie’s Saloon. Rachel had a break from filming so when Anna had called and said she was going to be stopping by the bookstore and could Rachel meet for coffee, she’d been happy to agree.

They ordered their coffees and took them to one of the small tables to chat for a while. They were both so busy with work and school that they hadn’t seen each other for a few weeks.

“We have a sitter for Thursday night so we can go to trivia. Can you and Adiel go?”

“I’m not sure. He’s been working night and day trying to get this new film project nailed down. It’s almost there though, so maybe we’ll be able to get out and celebrate.”

“I hope so! And not just because I want you to come to trivia. I know what a huge opportunity this could be for you both.”

“Thanks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. It’s almost too good to be true. Adiel said he wrote the part with me in mind, but he might not get approval to cast me. It’s a big role and I’m not that well known yet.”

Anna smiled. “I think you’re underestimating how popular the show and you are. I have a good feeling about this.”

Rachel took a sip of her coffee. “I do too, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up. Just in case.”

Anna’s phone rang, and she frowned when she saw who was calling. “Hi Mrs. Johnson, is everything all right?” She was quiet for a moment listening and then said, “I’ll leave now. Tell Taylor I’ll see her in ten minutes.” She ended the call and stood up.

“I have to run. Taylor is having a meltdown and Mrs. Johnson thinks she isn’t feeling well. She said her forehead feels hot.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I hope she feels better soon.”

“Me too. And hopefully I’ll see you on Thursday night?”

Rachel grinned. “I’ll be there, even if Adiel can’t make it.”

Anna rushed out and Rachel stayed a few minutes longer, enjoying the rest of her coffee break. When she finished the last drop of her coffee, she stood to make her way back to the set.

The rest of the afternoon flew by and before she knew it, they were done for the day. As they walked to the car, Rachel saw the white dog again. Prancer ran over and put her paw up as if she wanted Adiel to shake it.

“Wow, she’s trained well,” Adiel said as he shook the dog’s paw and then scratched behind her ears. “Do you know her?”

“We just met today. This is the dog that led Anna to the puppies.”

“No kidding? What did they decide to do with the puppies? Are they keeping one of them?”

Rachel laughed. “It was love at first sight, for all of them. They’re keeping both of them. Taylor named them Ernie and Bert.”

“I’d love to get a dog.” Adiel sounded wistful. They both knew that it wasn’t practical for them to have a dog. They weren’t home enough and depending what projects came their way, they could be traveling on short notice.

“I’d love one too, someday. I’d be tempted to adopt Prancer if it wasn’t clear that she belongs to someone. Her collar is gorgeous.”

Prancer rubbed against both of them as Adiel’s cell phone rang. When he started to talk, Prancer grew still, cocked her head and looked like she was listening intently.

“Yes, I do feel pretty strongly about who should play Amanda. Rachel would be perfect. I see. Okay, thank you.” He looked dazed as he put his phone back in his pocket and turned to Rachel.

“Well that went about as well as could be expected.” He sounded more amused than upset and Rachel was confused. She didn’t think it was funny at all that they didn’t want her. Prancer came closer and leaned against her. She patted her head, wishing they could take her home with them.

“Rachel.” His tone commanded her attention, and she gave it to him.

“What is it?”

He grinned. “Only the best news ever. My script got the green light, and you did too. They approved you for the part!”

“What! Oh my…”

Adiel pulled her in, lifted her up and twirled around. When he set her down, they were both laughing.

“I thought you were getting bad news and that they’d said no to me for the part.”

“No, it was all good news. They just wanted to confirm that I thought you were right for the part. And that was easy enough to do. I wrote it for you.”

“And I love you for it.” Rachel gave him a quick kiss.

“Instead of going home, let’s walk to the restaurant and have some dinner and a celebratory drink?”

“I’d love to!” Rachel felt on cloud nine as they strolled the short distance to the restaurant. Prancer trotted along behind them but when they reached the restaurant, she had disappeared.

“She must live nearby,” Adiel said as they walked inside.

“She was on Anna’s street the other day, which is a few miles from here, so who knows?”

“Well she can come around anytime. She brought us luck tonight.”

Rachel laughed. “I think she did!”

They were seated right away and Adiel ordered a bottle of good champagne while they looked over the menus. Once the bottle was opened, and they each had a freshly poured glass, Adiel lifted his to make a toast.

“To all of our hopes and dreams coming true and to the best partner in life I could ever have. I love you, Rachel.” Adiel’s eyes were shining as he tapped his glass against hers.

“And I love you too. I feel so very lucky and grateful.” These past few months had been a whirlwind, meeting Adiel, getting the part on the show, and now this. As grateful as she was for the opportunities in the show and the film, it was the man himself that made her feel like the luckiest girl in the world. She’d always been a little skeptical about the idea of soulmates and finding that perfect person, but Adiel was it for her. As long as they were together, she was happy. Everything else was just icing on the cake.

Chapter 5

Make-Believe Marriage—Cameron and Ethan

You’re sure you’ll be okay if I go shopping for a few hours? I don’t mind staying.” Mrs. Crosby looked around the kitchen which was already beginning to look as though a sugar bomb had hit it. Bits of flour were all over the kitchen island and a cloud of powdered sugar floated in the air and coated everything with a fine sheen. Cameron was attempting to bake Christmas cookies.

She laughed. “Of course I’m fine. I promise not to burn the house down while you’re gone. Good luck shopping.”

Mrs. Crosby still looked doubtful as she backed out of the kitchen and then shut the front door firmly behind her. Cameron sighed as she looked around the messy kitchen. No wonder Mrs. Crosby was concerned. It never looked like this when she was cooking or baking. Cameron picked up one of the finished sugar cookies and took a bite. It was delicious! She might make a mess but at least the results were good.

She slid another batch of cookies into the oven and picked up the canister of powdered sugar and dusted it over a tray of cooled cookies. Her cell phone rang as she finished and she saw that it was Ethan.

“Hey! Are you ready for a cookie break? They are coming out great.”

“Not just yet. I actually called to see if you want to run down here to see something amazing. Lady’s foal is going to come out any minute. If you hurry, you should be able to see.”

“I’ll be right there.” Cameron checked the clock. The cookies had twelve minutes. Plenty of time for her to run down to the stables and back. She untied her apron and pulled on her down coat.

Two minutes later, she was at the stables and saw Ethan in the corner with Jake, their friend and the local vet. He and his wife, Jess ran a Vet clinic and their practice was mostly cats and dogs, but Jake started out in a large animal practice and still helped out some of his friends.

“Cameron, check this out. The baby is coming any minute.”

Cameron walked closer and saw that something was indeed beginning to come out of Lady. The horse looked in distress though to Cameron and she wondered if it was normal, like with women. As a nurse, she’d seen enough deliveries to know that childbirth was painful, no matter how ‘easy’ it was.

“Is she okay?” she asked. She didn’t know much about horses, but something felt off to her and she didn’t like the look in Lady’s eyes. There was a panic there that she’d seen before, when women had difficult pregnancies.

“She’s been fine, it should be just another minute or two and this foal should slide right out. Right, Jake?”

“Mind if I get in there to feel around a bit? She does look like she’s struggling some.” Ethan stepped aside and Jake gently felt all around Lady’s underside and then carefully slipped a gloved hand in.

“The foal is twisted a bit. I need to rearrange things to get it into a better position.”

Cameron and Ethan watched anxiously as Jake prodded and pulled and reached so deep into Lady that his elbow disappeared. Finally, he pulled his arm out and a moment later the foal began to ease out and with a final whoosh came sliding out and Ethan was there to catch and gently lay on the bed of hay.

A bark behind them got Cameron’s attention. She turned and saw a beautiful, white, fluffy dog wagging its tail and looking anxious. It turned to head toward the house then circled back and barked again. That’s when she realized she lost all track of time.

“That was amazing, but I have to go! I have cookies in the oven.”

She ran back to the house, the dog in front of her. When she reached the front door, and opened it, black smoke came billowing out and the smoke alarm was blaring. The dog sat at the front door and barked again.

“Thank you for coming to get me,” she said as she ran inside and grabbed potholders then opened the oven and pulled out a cookie sheet full of charcoal cookies, burned to an absolute crisp. But, aside from some smelly smoke, at least she hadn’t burned the house down. She opened all the windows on the first floor to let the smoke out and after a few minutes the smoke alarm stopped chirping.

But it wasn’t soon enough as she heard the sound of sirens and a moment later saw a fire truck coming down the drive. She stepped out onto the porch and the white dog was still there. She’d never seen it before and leaned down to see what the pretty red collar said. The only inscription was the dog’s name, Prancer.

“Well, that suits you. Thanks again, Prancer. I couldn’t hear the smoke alarms from the stable and lost all track of time.”

Cameron saw Ethan and Jake walking toward the house as two firemen got out of the truck. She walked down to meet everyone.

“Everything all right here?” One of the firemen asked.

“It’s my fault. I was baking cookies and left them in too long and set off the alarms.”

“She had good reason though, we just had a foal born, and I called Cameron to come watch,” Ethan said.

“Well, good thing for smoke alarms then,” the other fireman said with a laugh.

“Actually, I couldn’t hear the alarms from the stables. It was a dog that got my attention. That pretty white dog on the porch.”

“I don’t see anything on the porch,” the first fireman said.

Cameron glanced back toward the house and the dog was gone.

“I’ve never seen it before today. Must be a new neighbor’s dog.”

“Well, you were lucky. It could have turned into an actual kitchen fire if you hadn’t caught it in time.”

“We’ll take a quick look inside, but it seems like you have things under control.” The two fireman went into the kitchen and were back outside a few minutes later.

“You’re all set. We’ll be on our way.”

“Thank you for coming. Merry Christmas!” Cameron said as they climbed back into their truck.

“I’m going to be on my way too,” Jake said.

“Thanks again, Jake. We’ll see you and Jess at trivia tonight?”

“Yes, we’re looking forward to it.”

After Jake left, Ethan and Cameron went back inside.

“You have to try a cookie,” she said as she went back to the island and got ready to scoop another batch of cookies onto the cookie sheet.

Ethan grinned. “I need to wash my hands first.” He soaped up at the kitchen sink and once he was toweled off, he picked up one of the cookies and took a bite.

“These are great! Even if you almost burned the house down to make them,” he teased her.

“I know! Luckily Prancer came to get me.”

“Prancer?”

“That’s the name of the fluffy white dog. I wonder who she belongs to? I’ve never seen a dog around here.”

“It’s a mystery,” Ethan agreed as he reached for another cookie.

Cameron slid the tray of cookies in the oven and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“Want one?”

“Sure. I can take a coffee break before I head back out to the stables.”

Cameron poured a cup for Ethan as well and brought them both to the other side of the island. They settled into the comfy chairs and sipped their coffee while the cookies baked.

“Lady’s doing fine now?” she asked.

“She is. She’s exhausted and resting with her new baby.”

“That really was amazing to watch. I see babies born all the time at the hospital and it’s always something special. The miracle of birth.”

“It’s a special time of year too. I can’t believe Christmas is less than a week away. Our first Christmas together.” He met her eyes, and she felt all warm and mushy inside. Ethan always had that effect on her now. She smiled thinking of how far they’d come. When they were children, she didn’t see Ethan that way at all. But he’d grown on her as she got to know the special caring person that he was. Now, she couldn’t imagine her life without him.

“It is special. And this year is the most special because I get to spend it with you.”

“You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life now.” Ethan grinned.

“I like being stuck with you. And I’m never letting you go.” She leaned over and kissed him.

Ethan put his hand on hers. “I love you so much, Cameron.”

“I love you too, Ethan. Always and forever.”

He leaned over and kissed her this time and they both jumped when the kitchen timer went off.

“Time to take out the cookies,” Cameron laughed and went to pull them out of the oven as Mrs. Crosby came through the front door.

“You’re back early,” Cameron said as she set the cookies on a rack to cool.

“I forgot my wallet, if you can believe it. I have a pile of gifts at the shop, all wrapped and ready to be paid for and there it is, my wallet on the side table by the door. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She looked around the room and took a sniff.

“Smells wonderful. Looks like everything is going smoothly around here?”

Ethan and Cameron exchanged glances and Cameron tried not to laugh.

“Couldn’t be better!” They both said at the same time.

Epilogue

It was softly snowing as Wade Weston walked over to the spa to meet his wife Maddie. As general manager of River’s End Ranch, Wade’s days were always busy, but he tried his best to manage his time so that he could finish up early on Thursday evenings to take his wife and daughter Vivian out to dinner at the restaurant. Vivian loved the pizza there and on Thursday nights they ran a buy one get one free special. And it was fun for the adults too because all their friends liked to go and play trivia, which Vivian also thought was great fun.

Maddie was waiting for him when he reached the spa and they walked together to the kid’s corral, the daycare center at the ranch, to pick up Vivian. She spent her afternoons there after school while her parents were working and loved playing with her friends.

Vivian came bouncing out the door when she saw them, but she ran right past them and stopped in front of a beautiful, white dog.

“Mom, Dad, this is the kind of dog that I want! And her name is Prancer, look.”

“She’s beautiful,” Maddie said. She reached out and patted the dog’s head and she seemed to smile up at her.

“That’s a Samoyed I think. Not a common dog around here. She is a beauty.”

Prancer rubbed her head against Wade’s hand and then after a moment she trotted off.

“She must live nearby,” Wade said as they walked off toward the restaurant.

When they stepped inside, Jaclyn and Simon were in their usual seats at the big round table they liked to sit at. Cameron and Ethan were already there too, along with Jess and Jake, Rachel and Adiel, Melanie and Brian and Anna and Ben. They joined them and a few minutes later, Tammy and Clark arrived. It was a bigger group than usual and everyone was in a festive mood.

Once everyone ordered their drinks and pizzas, Jaclyn asked how everyone’s week was. Wade listened with interest as each couple talked about a mysterious visit from a beautiful white dog and how the dog affected them.

“I saw that dog! On the way in here. Prancer is special. I wonder who she belongs to? I told Daddy I want a dog like her.”

“Well, maybe you can come visit her whenever you like,” Jaclyn said, with a twinkle in her eye.

“You know who she belongs to?”

Simon chuckled and put his hand on Jaclyn’s. “She certainly does.”

“We adopted Prancer a week ago from a shelter in Lewiston. Her owner passed away, and we knew instantly when we met her that she was meant to be ours. She’s very special.” She looked around the table.

“And the fairies told me that she’s been getting to know everyone. Thank you all for making her feel welcome.”

Wade chuckled. “Well of course she’s your dog, Jaclyn. That’s as it should be.” He raised his glass of beer and looked around the table.

“Merry Christmas all, and cheers to Prancer!”

* * *

I hope you all have wonderful holidays! Thank you so much for reading my books.

Coming next, in January, will be the first in a new series of my own. The first book, The Nantucket Inn, features Lisa Hodges, a fifty-something widow and her four adult children, twins Kate and Kristen, son Chase, and the baby of the family, Abby. To receive an email alert when this book goes live, click here, to join my email list.

Thank you!

Pam

Also by Pamela M. Kelley

Have you started our new Quinn Valley Ranch series? My first book in the series is Ryder Revisited. My next book in the series will be Calling Charlie, in April.

Nashville Dreams

The Wedding Photo

Quinn Valley Ranch

Ryder Revisited

River’s End Ranch Series

Veterinarian’s Vacation

Charming Chef

Cute Cowboy

Merry Manager

Bernie’s Birthday

Missing Melissa

Billionaire’s Baby

Teasing Tammy

Romancing Rachel

Make-Believe Marriage

Six Months in Montana

Mistletoe in Montana

Mischief in Montana

Match-Making in Montana

Winter in Ireland

Trust (Waverly Beach Mystery Series #1)

Motive (Waverly Beach Mystery Series #2)

About the Author

Pamela M. Kelley lives in the historic seaside town of Plymouth, MA near Cape Cod and just south of Boston. She has always been a book worm and still reads often and widely, romance, mysteries, thrillers and cook books. She writes contemporary romance and suspense and you'll probably see food featured and possibly a recipe or two. She is owned by a cute little rescue kitty, Bella.

Keep in touch!

www.pamelakelley.com

pam@pamelakelley.com

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