Just for Christmas - Emily Harvale Page 0,3

owner. Dogs have to be chipped now by law, apparently. But there wasn’t a chip, so we couldn’t find out if anyone owns him or where he came from. Asher reported it to the local council, to let the dog warden know – which is another legal requirement and he called the local shelters and the RSPCA but they were all inundated. I know I shouldn’t have, but as no one had any room for him, and I’ve owned a dog before, I offered to look after him. Just for Christmas. Asher cleared it with the powers that be and I knew Terry wouldn’t mind. I didn’t think you would either. Honestly, I completely forgot about your allergy. Truly I did. Now I don’t know what to do. I’ll have to take Miracle back to Asher and see if he can find someone else to look after the poor thing.’

Asher Bryant lived in a tiny village by the sea, about fifteen miles south of Easterhill. It was called Seahorse Harbour and was a pretty magical place. Molly had often thought it was the perfect place to live. But so did everyone else, it seemed, and property there rarely came on to the market, either for sale or to rent.

Asher and Terry had met two years ago, via their mutual love of running. They’d bumped into one another several times on their respective runs. Both in their mid-thirties at the time, and with many other interests in common, including each having only one sister, they soon struck up an easy friendship.

Not long after they met, Terry even set up a date for Asher and Molly, but although they enjoyed each other’s company, that spark was missing and they’d agreed to be just friends.

Despite the fact that there was at least one vet in Easterhill, Molly had called Asher and driven the extra miles out of her way because she trusted him completely. Both with people and with animals.

Sarah sniffed.

Her allergy was clearly starting already and Miracle was nowhere near her yet. Molly couldn’t ask her to let Miracle stay. Not even for just one night.

‘Well, you can’t spend the night out there,’ Sarah said, half laughing, half sighing. ‘I’ll go and take one of my tablets and we’ll see what happens. But please try and keep him as far away from me as possible.’

‘You’re letting him stay?’

Molly couldn’t quite believe it. Sarah was a lovely person, Molly knew that, but to allow the dog to stay even though it meant she would suffer was really going above and beyond.

‘Yes. But just the dog. You can find somewhere else to stay.’ Sarah laughed at her joke before sneezing loudly and dashing off, no doubt to take her allergy tablet.

Terry frowned at Molly as he let her in.

‘How could you have forgotten? If Sarah’s tablets don’t help, you’re going to have to take the dog elsewhere, you know that don’t you?’

‘Of course. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. But what could I do? I couldn’t leave him by the road, could I? And Asher tried really hard to find a place for him, but everywhere is full to bursting. I’d offered before I even realised what I was doing. And even Asher must’ve forgotten about Sarah’s allergies, so it wasn’t just me.’

Miracle sniffed the Christmas themed doormat, the door, and Terry’s legs before glancing up at Terry as if to say, ‘Hello. Who are you?’

Terry sighed. ‘He’s a bit of a scruffy mutt but he doesn’t seem the worse for his adventure,’ he said, closing the front door and bending down to pet Miracle. ‘He could very well be a stray and not belong to anyone. Look at the expression on his face though. It sort of says, “Whatever”. He doesn’t appear to be at all concerned by any of this.’

Miracle promptly licked Terry’s face before shaking vigorously and sending wet snow everywhere. He flopped onto the floor and scratched behind his ear with his back paw, shook his head again and yawned as if he was bored.

‘Asher said something similar.’

Molly dropped the lead that Asher had given her. He’d also given Miracle a Christmassy collar and the dog hadn’t been at all bothered by that, so although Miracle wasn’t tagged and his details hadn’t linked up with any on the ‘missing animals’ websites, both Asher and Molly felt it might not be the first collar Miracle had ever worn. Either he had belonged to someone at some stage in his young life, or