Emily March | Heart-Warming Tales of Canines in Eternity Spring

From ANGEL’S REST,

Eternity Springs #1

Arf, arf, arf. It pounced again, his forelegs landing on Gabe’s chest, and a long wet tongue rolling out to lick his face.

A dog.

Gabe’s breath fogged on the air as he let out a heavy sigh, pushed the dog off his chest, and sat up. It was a goofy, too friendly, starved to skin-and- bones boxer with floppy ears and a crooked tail. Gabe turned his face as the tongue came back and bathed his face in slobber once again.

Then, for the first time in months, John Gabriel Callahan smiled. From HUMMINGBIRD LAKE

Eternity Springs # 2

The gift he’d left was no stuffed animal or hockey stick or flavored lip balm. This wasn’t a basket in her bed. It was a bed in her bed. A dog bed.

This time, his gift had a heartbeat.

Colt Rafferty had left her a puppy. A puppy! A little white puff ball of curls wearing a red collar tied with a big red bow, curled up and asleep on a purple pillow.

A folded gift card hung from a ribbon threaded through the wicker. In a state of shock, Sage reached for it and read his bold handwriting.

She’s a Bichon Frise and she’s lonely. She’s had all her shots and Nic says she’s healthy and ready to be loved. I left dog food, bowls, a leash, some toys, and a silly dog sweater Celeste pushed on me in a sack in your kitchen. (Please, though, don’t humiliate the poor dog by dressing her up.)

She’s ready for you, Sage, and you’re ready for her. You bring smiles to the lives of others through your work. Let this little furball bring smiles to your life through play. – Colt

From HEARTACHE FALLS

Eternity Springs #3

As Mac pulled into his driveway and parked the truck, he wished Ali were home so he could tell her about it.

But Ali wasn’t at home. No one was home. He was alone. Totally alone.

With that thought, Mac’s throat went tight. Dear Lord, he was tired of this. Feeling lonely. Feeling empty. Feeling old and used up.

His shifted into park and switched off the motor. Shutting his eyes, he let his head drop back against the headrest. He thought he just might cry. He hadn’t cried since Judge Roscoe Whitcomb sentenced his mother to jail the first time, but here in his very own driveway on a sunny Saturday in springtime, tears were welling up inside him. How pitiful was that?

Screw this.

He sat up straight, twisted the key, and started the engine once more. If he wasn’t mistaken, the animal shelter was open until two. “I’m gonna go get me a dog.”

In ANGEL’S REST, a dog literally saves Gabe Callahan’s life. In HUMMINGBIRD LAKE, a puppy helps Sage Anderson recover from a traumatic event. In HEARTACHE FALLS, a mutt rescued from the pound provides companionship for Mac Timberlake when he needs it the most.

Dogs play a special role in the Eternity Springs series because they play a special role in my life. My husband and I foster boxers for a local rescue group, Legacy Boxer Rescue. We adopted our dog, Doc, from Legacy four years ago--despite the fact he walked into my house and had explosive diarreah on my dining room floor- -and he's been such a joy in our lives. Last spring after Legacy sent an email (with photos) begging for new foster homes for dogs on death row, my husband and I decided to help out that one time.

"Yeah, right," she says nine dogs later.

Last June I brought home a new foster. Meet Angel, named for ANGEL'S REST. Angel had been hit by a car she'd suffered a broken leg and fractured pelvis, she had hookworms and unfortunately, heartworms. Poor Angel totally captured my heart. She remained on strict crate rest for weeks and in mid-August, we discover that she was expecting some little Angels of her own. Angel gave birth to six puppies, three boys and three girls. Mama and the Angel Babies did great and LBR set about finding the perfect forever homes not just for one dog, but for seven.

In February, healed and healthy and ready for adoption, Angel met a potential forever family who had two young children and another dog. Angel prissed and primmed and played and the family fell in love. Angel had found her forever home!

I missed her dreadfully, especially during the daytime when I'm at work in my office and Angel wasn’t there at her "Angel's Rest," gazing out the window at the world.

Because our spring schedules involved a lot of traveling, we took a little break from fostering after Angel found her family, but the good thing about rescue organizations is that there’s always opportunity to volunteer in one way or another. We volunteered to be foster “sitters” to help the rescue group save on boarding fees when foster families go out of town and need someone to care for their foster dog. Now that our schedules have calmed down a bit, the Boxers-In-Need page of the rescue’s website is calling out to me. By Memorial Day, I’m sure we'll have a new foster to love on. That's what rescue is all about.

To all my readers who are also animal lovers, I encourage you to consider fostering for a rescue group in your area. It's truly rewarding. If you have any questions about our experience as volunteers for a dog rescue group, please ask! If you have any comments our questions about my Eternity Springs series, please ask those too.

Emily March

EmilyMarch.com

Don't miss any of the Eternity Springs books:

ANGEL'S REST February

HUMMINGBIRD LAKE March 22

HEARTACHE FALLS April 27