Page 6 of Sweet Dreams at the Forever Home on Muddypuddle Lane (The Forever Home on Muddypuddle Lane #2)

‘In that case, you need to see Jakob. He runs the rescue centre side of things. I’ll give him a shout for you.’

A few minutes later, a large bear of a man appeared. He didn’t smile, but nodded a greeting and got straight down to business, firing a succession of questions at him until Elijah felt like he was being interrogated by the police.

‘Sorry, had to ask,’ Jakob explained gruffly.

‘It’s part of the adoption procedure. We need to make sure you’re the right fit.

These dogs have had enough upheaval in their lives, and our mission is to find them their forever homes.

So,’ he continued, ‘to recap: you’ve never had a dog before, you’ve got a secure garden, and although you work, you’re home in the afternoons and evenings.

You used to run marathons, but you’ve had to give it up, so you’re looking for an active dog that you can take on long walks. Have I got that right?’

‘Spot on,’ Elijah said.

The man pressed his lips together thoughtfully, then said, ‘Okay, I’ve got a couple of dogs in mind. Would you like to take a look?’

‘Yes, please!’ Elijah’s pulse quickened as he followed Jakob outside and across a yard towards the kennel blocks, and as they approached, the noise grew louder.

‘Not all the dogs in the centre are available for re-homing right now,’ Jakob explained. ‘Some have medical needs which we’re in the process of treating, others have behavioural issues that need to be addressed before we can put them up for adoption, and some have yet to be assessed.’

Elijah glanced into each kennel as they walked slowly past, and was relieved to see they were spacious, clean, and had both indoor and outdoor areas, although the outdoor bits were covered over to protect the dogs from the elements.

Each one contained a comfy bed, a water bowl, a selection of toys – and a dog .

A succession of inquisitive noses and hopeful eyes peered out, and as each little face tugged at his heartstrings, Elijah had a sudden urge to take all of them home with him.

‘Okay, here’s the first dog I’ve got in mind that might be perfect for you,’ Jakob announced, coming to a halt in front of a pen containing a tall, golden-coloured dog.

‘This little lady is called Xanadu, and she’s a Greyhound/German Shepherd cross.

She’s two-years old, intelligent, active, and friendly.

She’s got a sweet nature, although she can be a little boisterous at times. ’

Elijah gazed at her. Xanadu came up to the bars and stuck her nose through, her tail wagging.

‘She’s lovely,’ he said, and was about to ask if he could meet her properly, when the dog in the next pen caught his eye.

The animal was smiling at him. Its tongue was lolling, and its mouth was turned up at the corners.

Elijah had seen dogs panting before, but this wasn’t a pant. ‘Is that dog smiling?’ he asked.

‘Biscuit?’ Jakob laughed. ‘He does that a lot. He’s a friendly chap. In fact, he was one of the other dogs I thought might be a good match for you.’

As though understanding that his future happiness might be on the line, Biscuit lay down and rolled onto his back, exposing his fluffy belly, and wagged his tail. His happy expression had become a pleading one.

Elijah’s heart melted. ‘What breed is he?’ he asked. Not that it mattered, because Elijah liked what he saw.

‘A Bernese Mountain Dog. He’s three years old, nearly four, and loves everyone. There’s not a nasty bone in his body. He’s a real people-pleaser. But don’t let the goofy expression and fluff ball appearance fool you – he’s going to need a fair bit of exercise. These dogs were bred as working dogs.’

‘That’s exactly what he’ll get with me, plenty of exercise,’ Elijah said, crouching down and holding out his hand.

Biscuit, perhaps sensing that his “please love me” act might be getting him somewhere, leapt to his feet with alacrity and shoved his wet nose into Elijah’s palm.

Elijah laughed when Biscuit licked his hand.

Jakob said, ‘Do you want me to fetch him out? See how he behaves without a barrier between you?’

‘Absolutely!’

‘I’ve got to warn you that Berners can shed heavily, especially in the spring and autumn when they blow their undercoats.

You need to be prepared for that and groom him regularly,’ Jakob advised, his hand on the bolt.

‘And they don’t like being left alone for long.

He’ll be able to cope with a few hours, as long as he has plenty of mental stimulation and physical exercise.

In other words, wear him out and he’ll be okay. ’

‘I think I can manage all that.’ Elijah, never one for late nights, would simply get up a little earlier and take the dog for a nice long walk before work, for an hour, maybe. Then another, longer one when he got home. ‘Exercise is one thing any dog of mine will get a lot of,’ he assured him.

Jakob opened the door, using his body to prevent Biscuit from escaping, and once he’d brought the dog out, he gestured for Elijah to come closer. Biscuit, bless him, sat at Elijah’s feet and smiled again.

‘He’s gorgeous,’ he said, kneeling down to ruffle the dog’s ears. His fur was soft and dense, and Elijah buried his fingers in it.

Biscuit licked him on the nose.

‘I think it’s safe to say he likes you,’ Jakob laughed.

‘And I like him. I really want to take him home with me right now. Don’t worry, I know I can’t,’ he added. ‘Where do we go from here?’

‘If you’re sure Biscuit is a good fit for you, you’ll need to fill in an application form.

Once that’s done, we’ll arrange a home visit to see if your house and garden are suitable.

I’m sure they will be, but that’s the procedure.

Biscuit has already had a thorough health check, but we’ll give him another before you collect him. And that’s all there is to it.’

‘It sounds straightforward.’

‘It is, as a rule.’

Elijah, his arm around the dog, who’d scooted into his side and was now leaning on him, pressed his lips together.

This was a big decision. Not something to be taken lightly.

If he adopted Biscuit, he would hopefully be looking after him for the next decade, so he had to be sure he was doing the right thing.

‘Can I have a day or two to think about it?’

‘You can take as long as you need,’ Jakob said. ‘I can’t guarantee he’ll still be here if you leave it a couple of weeks, but there’ll be other dogs. There are always other dogs.’

Elijah promised he’d be in touch shortly, and as he returned to his car, he knew he had some serious thinking to do and—

‘Oops!’ He hadn’t been paying attention to where he was going, and had barrelled around a corner and bumped straight into a woman heading in the opposite direction, almost sending her flying.

‘Sorry, sorry,’ he babbled. ‘I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you okay?’

The woman brushed at her top as Elijah steadied her, his hand on her arm.

‘I’m fine, honestly. I wasn’t concentrating on where I was going, either. Too eager to find my perfect dog.’ She stopped talking and peered at him. ‘Don’t I know you?’

‘You might; I own the bakery in the village.’

Her face cleared. ‘Ah, yes, so you do. I think I must be your best customer.’

He thought she looked familiar, but he didn’t spend much time in the shop, so he couldn’t be sure. He preferred to be out the back, baking. If she was local, he’d probably seen her around, though. He saw a lot of people, especially when he was out on his runs, although he didn’t converse with many.

Apologising again, he left her to her quest for her perfect dog and headed home.

It was only when he got there and wondered what he was going to do with himself for the rest of the day, did he realise he’d already found his perfect dog. He didn’t want any other: he wanted Biscuit . Even the pooch’s name was perfect.

Taking it as a sign, Elijah got back in his car. He had a dog to give a loving home to!