Page 28 of Puppy Christmas

Chapter 7

Lila strolled through the front door at exactly eight o’clock in the morning, her arms laden with bags of all shapes and sizes. “We’ll start with tea, I think,” she said as she set them down.

“Good morning to you, too.” Ford rubbed his eyes, wishing he had a fraction of her energy. Jeeves might not actually howl at night, but there was no denying that the advent of the puppy into his household was seriously disrupting his regular sleep cycle. “I was planning on starting with a fifth of bourbon, but to each his own.”

Lila stared at him for only a second before accepting this remark. “As long as you drink it from a teacup, I don’t care what vices you indulge in. Where’s Emily?”

Ford found it difficult to reply to the question. Not because he was exhausted, although he was. And not because indulging in various vices with Lila Vasquez wasexactlyhow he’d like to start his day, either. No, it was because Lila was shrugging herself out of her wool coat and hanging it carefully on the coatrack by the door.

Against all reason and weather reports, which promised yet another snowstorm before nightfall, she seemed to be wearing a bright yellow sundress. It fit tightly across the bodice, suspended by two of the flimsiest straps he’d ever seen, and flared improbably wide at the skirt. It took him a few slow, careful blinks before he realized that there were some kind of ruffled petticoats puffing the dress up to reveal much more of Lila’s long, sleek legs than he ever thought to see in his lifetime. To top it all off, her hair was pulled back in yet another twist and coil of braids, this time offset with a crown of flowers woven into the strands.

“Um, did I miss the invitation to the local Renaissance fair?” Ford asked. “I wish you’d said something earlier. I have an elven sword I’m always looking for an excuse to roll out.”

Lila ignored him with her usual bland efficiency. “Is Emily still sleeping?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she smoothed her skirts and looked about the room, her eyes narrowed as she appraised its contents. “That’s good. It’ll give me a chance to set everything up.”

“Actually, she’s been up since about four o’clock this morning. She and Jeeves have been working out the intricacies of all the different rooster crows at Grandma Louise’s house.”Thatfinally got Lila’s attention. She swiveled toward him, her lips slightly parted. “I’m not sure how accurate the training has been, but you’ll be pleased to know that the pair of them seem to have the volume part down just fine.”

“Oh, Ford.” Lila’s hands flew to her mouth, but not before her smoky laugh managed to escape. If he’d thought the power of that laugh while she was dressed in a boxy beige suit was bad, it was nothing compared to the effect it was having on him now. “Did you get any sleep at all last night?”

“Not really, no,” he admitted, but stopped himself from making the mistake of telling her that it was a low-voiced dog trainer who had been responsible for most of his restlessness. “But I used my time wisely, if that makes you feel better. I watched no fewer than twenty-seven YouTube videos on how to make the perfect princess braid. I’m thinking of opening a shop. Can I poke around in yours?”

Her hands moved to her head, curling protectively around the flowers. “No, you can’t poke—” As if remembering something, she snapped her mouth shut and drew a deep breath before starting again, this time with painstaking formality. “Of course, Mr. Ford. Anything you’d like.”

He made a gentle tsking sound, his tone matching her own. “You might want to be careful with those kinds of promises, Ms. Vasquez.”

Her mouth formed a prim line. “If it will help Emily and Jeeves with their training, then you can do whatever you want to my hair.”

“Whatever I want? You obviously underestimate my ingenuity.”

“Oh, I rate your ingenuity just fine. Your sincerity, however, is highly suspect.”

He chuckled. Lila obviously still took him for some kind of loose screw, incapable of uttering a truthful word. If she had any idea how much he meant what he said—of how much he longed to unwind her braids and bury himself in her hair, her scent, her body…well. Maybe it was a good thing, after all. There was such a thing as coming on too strong.

“Since you haven’t dressed yet, can I suggest you put on something a little more formal than usual?” she said. “A bow tie, if you have it. Otherwise, a nice shirt and slacks will do the trick.”

“A bow tie?” he echoed. He cast a look down at himself, aware that today, as yesterday, he was sadly unprepared for the arrival of a gorgeous, well-put-together woman in his home. He had on the same worn-out pajama pants from the day before, his torso bare and his feet in a pair of the fuzzy socks Emily proudly bestowed on him for every holiday.

He wasn’t always such a sad sack of a man, and could, if given enough warning, put together an altogether presentable appearance. But he had a puppy, dammit. And a kid. And a bed that, no matter how many times he tossed and turned and thumped the pillows, never got close to the comfort he’d felt at having Lila seated at his knee while she talked him through the steps of braiding her hair.

“A bow tie is out of the question, I’m afraid,” he admitted. “The tuxedo, too. I probably should have warned you that it was a rental. Owning one is a bit beyond my reach.”

“No bow tie?”

He shook his head.

“No tuxedo?”

He spread his hands in a gesture of futility. Although he knew Lila didn’t take him the least bit seriously, he was grateful for the opportunity to clear the air. She already knew, on some level, that his financial situation was precarious enough that it didn’t allow him to purchase a service dog without the help of the Auditory Guild. If that hadn’t convinced her that he was a man of simple means, then one look at his house and the trusty—and now pee-soaked—minivan would have given her a clue. Single parenthood and hefty medical bills were no joke in this neighborhood.

It was a sobering thing, admitting his penury out loud. Or rather, it was until Lila spoke again.

“Yet you have an elven sword at the ready?”

His crack of laughter brought Jeeves trotting into the living room, Emily not far in his wake.

“What is it, Daddy?” Emily asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. They remained that way until she saw Lila standing there with her hands on her hips, betraying by not so much as a flash of that dimple that she’d bested him at his own game. “Oh, it’s Princess Lila. She’s makingyoulaugh this time.”