Excerpt of Puppy Toys & Sleigh Bells by Jennifer Faye

“Not a chance," Bob said. "I wouldn’t miss your wedding. This is about something else. We’re having some problems here. That’s why I’m calling.”

“What can I do to help?” Candi asked.

“Don’t know if you’ve heard about all of the flooding in the area.”

She felt guilty because she’d been so caught up in wedding plans that she hadn’t been following the news. And the closer the wedding got, the more distracted she’d become.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She felt awful. “I haven’t been listening to the news.”

“Anyway, we have taken in a lot of rescue dogs that got caught up in a big flood not far from here. I’ve been calling everyone I know to take on some more dogs, but with the holidays right around the corner, no one is willing or able to take on more animals. I thought of you, but if you can’t help, I totally understand.”

Candi’s mind struggled to process this onslaught of information. “But I thought you closed the animal shelter and moved in with your son.”

“I did. It’s a long story, but I started volunteering at a shelter here in Kentucky. At the moment, we have too many animals, so I’m placing as many as I can as far from the flooding as possible.”

Candi nodded. “I understand. I’d be happy to help.”

“How many can you take?”

Candi hesitated. She’d been hoping to open a shelter there in Kringle Falls, and at first Merry had been on board with the idea, but one reason after the other kept them from moving forward with the project.

She didn’t know if Merry would be agreeable to the idea of taking on more puppies this Christmas. If not, that would leave Candi with the job of caring for them until she could find them homes. With that thought in mind, she couldn’t take as many as she would like.

“I could take a couple.” She sure hoped Michael would be willing to let her keep them at his place until she could place them in permanent homes.

There was a slight pause. “Are you sure you couldn’t take, maybe, six?”

“Six?” She gasped. There was no way. “You have that many?”

“We do.”

She worried her bottom lip. “Maybe I could take three.”

“Think of all of those sweet adorable faces. You know how much joy they’ll bring to people’s lives. So, how about five?”