Page 51 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
When his phone rang, and it was Belle, he let it go to voicemail. He just couldn’t tell her that they still had no idea where her beloved dog was. He had some more digging to do before he was willing to give her that news.
Next, they executed a search warrant on the suspect’s house. Parker was there. He didn’t know what he expected to find. The place was a small white bungalow. The outside appeared to be in disrepair with peeling paint and torn screens on the windows.
Once inside, Parker found the interior of the home dirty and unkempt. There were dirty dishes piled in the sink, and the trash was overflowing. Parker found himself gagging more than once. This was bad, really bad.
“Back here,” Deputy Williams called out.
Parker stepped toward the back of the small house. There was a bathroom straight ahead with a bedroom on either side. He glanced to the left and then the right, where he spotted Williams.
When he stepped up to the doorway of the bedroom, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Odie was there being fussed over by another deputy. He breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn’t wait to tell Belle. He knew how worried she was about Odie.
His gaze continued to move about the room, and that was when he noticed the room was clean. There was a dog bed, little pastel blankets, and dog toys. This room conflicted with the rest of the house. It made no sense.
“Can you believe this?” Williams asked. “It doesn’t look like the man had any intention of giving Odie back. I mean, look at that basket full of toys.” Williams leaned down and picked up one of the toys. “It’s a hedgehog.”
Williams gave the toy a squeeze. The hedgehog let out a loud squeak. Odie ran over and started jumping for the toy. Williams gave it to him. The pup ran around the room with it in his mouth and his tail wagging.
“Can you find a leash?” Parker asked. “I have to make a call, and then I’m taking him home.”
“What about the house?” Williams asked.
“You’re in charge of the search. Make sure nothing is overlooked.”
“Yes, sir.”
Parker stepped out of the house and drew in some fresh air. He pulled up Belle’s number and then pressed the phone to his ear. The phone rang only once before Belle came on the line.
“Did you find Odie? Is he okay?”
“We found him. And yes, he’s okay. He misses you.”
“He…” Her voice cracked. “He’s really okay?”
“Yes, he is.” There was a pause, and Parker imagined her with tears of joy.
“Where is he?” she asked. “I want to come get him.”
“I’m bringing him to you.”
“I can’t wait. Please. Tell me where you are.”
“I’m going to scoop him up and head to you right now.”
“Oh. Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
Parker was smiling by the time he slipped the phone back into his pocket. Finally, Belle was going to have her happily ever after, with the dog of course. But at last, the time was right for him to officially ask her out.
She was so excited.
And yet she wouldn’t let that excitement out.
Belle paced back and forth in her house. She’d sent Candi and Michael home a while ago, promising she’d be fine. They didn’t want to go, but they understood she just wanted a little time alone. They told her to call if she needed anything. The only thing she needed was her puppy and Parker was bringing him to her.
She wanted to smile and squeal with excitement, but she couldn’t let herself. She was afraid of jinxing it. She remembered her parents’ car accident. When the deputy had taken such pains to hold back the bad news, she immediately jumped to the conclusion that both of her parents were alive and well.
When they reached the hospital, and she was told her father had passed, it felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under her. She tried but she couldn’t get her footing after that. It always felt as though everything was off kilter.
When they informed her that her mother was still hanging in there, she’d clung to that news like it was a life preserver. She couldn’t deal with the loss of her father, so she’d pinned all of her hopes on her mother surviving. So much so that she didn’t hear the cautions the doctors issued with each update.
