A Puppy's Tale

By Valerie Hansen

Fall in love with this fan-favorite novella of family, romance and dogs from author Valerie Hansen.

Single mom Krista Brody has no problem walking up to a neighbour’s door while searching for her son’s runaway puppy, Puddles. But the stranger who opens the door is very familiar…

Mark Vanbruger hasn’t seen Krista in years, but now they’re living in the same small town. They missed a chance at romance years ago—could a matchmaking puppy help them find happiness as a family now?

Originally published in 2003.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9780369700407

Valerie Hansen

Valerie Hansen resides in the rural Ozarks where she writes the books of her heart, primarily for Love Inspired Romance and Suspense. She is married to her childhood sweetheart and has worked as a teacher's-aide, EMT, fire dept. dispatcher, dog breeder, commercial artist, dulcimer builder, Veterinarian's asst., 4-H leader, Sunday School teacher, antique restorer and certified Storm Spotter, etc. See ValerieHansen.com for more!

Book preview

INTRO

Arf! I’m Puddles. Sometimes I think you humans don’t have the sense God gave a gopher. You wash too much, and you don’t know a thing about the best place to bury a bone!

But you do have some good qualities: like fingers just right for scratching tummies and opening doors. And you taste almost as good as old shoes! I love my boy Bobby, but his mama’s eyes keep leaking salty water. I think they both need a daddy human to make them happy. As a born sheepdog, I should be able to round one up. In fact, I think the nice one down the street would suit me just fine….

CHAPTER 1

There it is! That’s his house. He stole my dog!

Krista Brody held tight to her young son’s hand. He was understandably upset, since his new puppy was involved. Why don’t we go knock on the man’s door and ask him? she suggested.

No, Mom! Bobby tugged on her. He’s real mean. My friend Josh said.

"Nonsense. Just because we haven’t met all our neighbors yet doesn’t make this one some kind of a monster.

He is so.

Krista bent down to meet her son on his level. We have to introduce ourselves and ask the man if he’s seen Puddles. You want to find your puppy, don’t you?

Uh-huh.

Then we have to look everywhere. Including this house.

Tears were pooling in the child’s blue eyes. Krista’s heart ached for him. Getting Bobby the black-and-white pup had been her latest attempt at helping her son feel loved and accepted. Most of the children in Serenity had known each other all their lives. Bobby was clearly an outsider, even though his paternal grandparents still lived on the farm where his father had grown up.

She straightened. Trust me, honey. I’m just going to knock on the door and ask whoever lives there if they’ve seen Puddles. Okay?

The child nodded solemnly. I’ll go, too. I won’t let him be mean to you.

Good, Krista said, smiling. I like having a strong man around for protection.

Like Dad was?

Yes, honey, like your daddy.

Why did he have to go to heaven?

Answering the child’s questions about his father’s death was getting easier now that several years had passed since Len’s accident. Your daddy was driving too fast. He wasn’t being careful. And he left me with a child to raise all by myself, she added silently, stifling a surge of exasperation.

Dad would go get Puddles for me if he was here, huh?

Yes, Krista assured him. But since he can’t, I’ll help you.

You gonna beat that guy up? He’s pretty big, Mom.

Krista stifled a laugh. I don’t think it’ll be necessary to fight anybody for your puppy, Bobby. Puddles probably wandered off, that’s all.

Hey! What if he went to Gramma Brody’s farm?

Puddles has only been missing since you let him out to play after school. He couldn’t possibly have run that far in such a short time.

Krista led Bobby up the front steps of the modest brick house, then paused. There was no homey lawn furniture on this porch. Though the yard was well-kept, it too lacked a personal touch.

Beside her, Bobby tugged on her hand. You scared, Mama?

No, honey. The front door stood ajar. She knocked on the frame of the screen and called, Hello? Anybody home?

Heavy footsteps echoed inside the house. Determined to make a good first impression, she smiled broadly.

The steps halted. The door swung open. A tall man with dark, tousled hair and a disconcerted expression confronted her. Yes?

We’re sorry to bother you, Mr....

The rest of her words stuck in her throat the moment she looked into his eyes. Dark, inviting eyes. Familiar eyes. Eyes that had once sparkled with the joy of life and made her pulse dance when he spoke her name.

Eyes that had peered so deeply into her soul she’d almost called off her engagement to the man who was to become Bobby’s father.

CHAPTER 2

Puddles began to wiggle his awkward puppy body, quivering all over, the second he heard the boy’s voice through the screen.

It’s them, it’s them! Yeah! I knew they’d find me. Humans are so smart about some things. Of course, none of them can find a squeaky toy in the dark like I can. And they don’t seem to care one bit about important stuff, like the best place to bury a bone—or finding something really old and dead to roll in to make their fur smell good. They throw the best stuff in the garbage.

The man was heading for the door. Puddles followed, leaping and circling.

Faster, faster. Come on, slowpoke. There’s a boy on the porch and we’ve got some serious playing to do. I’ll bet he misses me. We’re good buddies. ’Course he’s not as much fun to chew on and fight with as my brothers and sisters were, but he gives me good-tasting stuff off his plate when his mother isn’t looking.

He could hear two voices now, just on the other side of the door.

That’s the mother human. Krista’s her name. She’s nice but kind of hard to figure out. One minute she’s petting me and the next she’s hollering at me and my boy, Bobby. He loves me already. I know he does. I took to him right off, too. He’s gonna let me