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And I was happy to enlighten them.

Thaddeus lunged for Wally and tried to wrap him in a hug.

“No!”

Raphael snapping at Thaddeus had Marcie and me shifting to intervene.

Raphael was a gentle soul who rarely spoke loudly.Actually, in new circumstances, they were a child of few words.Unless one got them talking about something they were passionate about.

Thaddeus rocked back, clearly stung by their sibling’s command.

“Gentle.”Raphael held out their hand to an equally stunned Wally.

Wally, bless his little heart, accepted the gesture as the kindness it was intended to be.He allowed Raphael to pet his fur and soon was leaning against my nibblet.

Slowly, three-year-old, normally exuberant Thaddeus approached.He mimicked Raphael’s gentle movements.

The dear dog, had he been a cat, would’ve been purring.Of that I was quite certain.

Marcie grasped my hand.

An unspoken thought passed between us.

She wanted a dog desperately—almost as much as the kids did—but she struggled enough as things stood.Her husband, Darren, worked on the military base and put in long hours so Marcie could stay home with the kids.

Thaddeus’s daycare costs weren’t unreasonable, but still tough to pay for on just one salary.Instead of keeping Thaddeus at home, his parents wanted him to be with other kids.As Raphael had been before.

Marcie was planning to get back into the workforce once Thaddeus was in kindergarten.Her former work as an event planner often had her working evenings and weekends.With the kids needing her so much, returning to the work she loved might prove impossible.What she needed was a good babysitter whom Raphael could trust to take care of their needs.Marcie had found a few over the past couple years, but none had been the right fit.

Adding a dog to that mix would be more trouble than benefit.Plus, Darren was allergic to fur, so that had to be taken into consideration.

Wally licked Raphael’s cheek.

My nibblet laughed.

Inside my previously tight chest, my heart soared.I hadn’t been certain how today would go.I knew, in my soul, that the kids would love Wally.But even though the shelter owner had told Phillip that Wally loved kids, I just hadn’t been certain the dog would reciprocate.

He had.

In spades.

His joy couldn’t be understated.

Phillip was an enigma—no question about that.

Wally truly appeared to be an open book, as sweet and friendly as Phillip had promised.

I glanced at my watch.“Okay, I think it’s time to walk Wally.”

Wally perked up at that.At my tone or at the word?Perhaps excitement at getting a reprieve?Or maybe he enjoyed walks.I was under the impression—whether accurate or not—that the little guy hadn’t been exercised a lot.He was such a sweetheart.

When the kids had first arrived, Marcie and I had sat on the floor and gently introduced the dog to the kids.Most of my worries evaporated as the mutual love fest had been so obvious.

Wally wasn’t hesitant.

The kids were, for the most part, gentle.I hovered nearby to intercept any inadvertent mishandling.

Raphael was also now protective of Wally and ordering Thaddeus around.Which happened.Other times, the younger one took the lead as only an imperious child who understood they didn’t get all the attention they felt they deserved would.