Page 7 of Sweet Dreams at the Forever Home on Muddypuddle Lane (The Forever Home on Muddypuddle Lane #2)

Nora might feel like skipping into The Forever Home’s reception area, but her body had other ideas.

She was still feeling like pooh, but apparently it was common to feel this way when you suddenly stopped eating the amount of carbs your body was used to.

However, she was heartened by the knowledge that she wouldn’t feel like this forever.

‘I’m not too late to have a look around, am I?’ she asked the woman in reception.

‘Not at all. Are you looking to re-home a dog?’

‘I am! Would you be Maisie, by any chance?’

‘That’s me, and I’m guessing you’re Nora from the salon? Dulcie says she loves her hair, by the way.’

‘Customer feedback is always appreciated,’ Nora said.

‘Is it possible to see some today? Dogs, I mean – I’ve already seen several customers.

’ She chuckled at her own joke, feeling unaccountably nervous.

From what Dulcie had told her, there was a vetting procedure, and she was keen to make a good impression.

‘Jakob will show you around,’ Maisie said, gesturing to a large man perched on a chair in the corner.

He looked up as his name was mentioned. ‘You’re a potential adopter?’

Nora nodded.

‘Word’s getting around,’ he said to Maisie, then back to her, ‘You’re the second drop in we’ve had today. Take a seat.’

Nora sat obediently.

‘Have you owned a dog before?’ he asked.

‘When I was a child. Obviously, my parents looked after it, so I’ve no experience of caring for a dog on my own. But I’m willing to learn,’ she added.

‘That’s good. Why do you want one now? I’m not being nosey,’ he said. ‘I’m merely trying to ensure that we re-home the right dog with you.’

‘Don’t I get to choose?’ Nora had assumed she’d be able to pick the one she wanted.

‘Yes and no,’ the man replied cryptically. ‘I’ll see which dogs might be the best fit for you – and you for them – and we’ll take it from there. Why now?’ he repeated.

She was trying to think what might be an acceptable reason, but found herself blurting, ‘I’ve got diabetes.’

‘Okay…’

She could see Jakob trying to make the connection and failing, so she went on to explain, ‘I need to lose weight and increase my exercise.’ Which translated, meant that she actually had to start doing some.

Jakob didn’t look enthralled. ‘You’ve heard the saying that “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas”? You don’t have a dog just so you can lose a couple of pounds.’

Nora took a deep breath. ‘You don’t understand. I’ve got this for life. Diabetes doesn’t simply go away when you lose weight. I’m going to have to keep active and watch what I eat forever, because if I don’t…’ She trailed off and swallowed.

The hard lines of Jakob’s face softened. ‘I see. I didn’t realise.’

‘Everyone has heard of diabetes, but most people don’t understand what having it actually entails.

’ She blew out her cheeks. ‘If I’m honest, I don’t fully understand, either.

I’m still trying to get my head around it, and I think it’s going to take a while.

Getting a dog will be part of my new life, because it’s going to need a drastic change. ’

Jakob was nodding thoughtfully. ‘Okay, so we’ve established what a dog can do for you; now, what can you do for a dog? ’

‘Oh, right. Um, I can give it a loving home, I’ll walk it twice a day, it’ll come to work with me—’

‘What do you do?’ Jakob interrupted.

‘I’m a hairdresser. I have my own salon in Picklewick.’

‘So you’re the boss? You don’t need to ask permission or wait for a “bring your dog to work “day?’

‘I did check with my staff first, to make sure they’d be happy with a dog around the place all the time, and they are,’ she added defensively.

She’d even phoned Paige, the part-timer who covered Andrea’s days off and holidays, and she hadn’t minded either.

In fact, they all seemed delighted at the prospect.

‘Do I take it you’re looking for a confident dog who likes people?’

‘Does that mean I’ve passed the test?’

The man smiled. ‘It means that you sound like a suitable person to adopt a dog. Just a couple more questions, okay?’

She nodded, wondering what could he possibly ask her now: did he want to know her shoe size, her favourite colour, what she liked to watch on TV, perhaps?

‘Are there any children or other pets we need to consider?’

‘No.’

‘Anyone else in the house, like a partner or an elderly parent?’

‘No.’

‘What kind of property do you live in?’

‘A house.’

‘Will the dog have access to a garden, and if so, is it secure?’

‘Yes, to both.’

‘Last question, I promise; do you need to obtain a landlord’s permission to have a dog on the property?’

‘No, it’s mine, I own it.’

‘Great. All done.’ Jakob sat back, and Nora let out a sigh.

She’d never been arrested, but she could now easily imagine what being grilled by the police would feel like, thanks to Jakob and his twenty questions.

‘Oh, I forgot to ask,’ he began, and when she rolled her eyes, he grinned. ‘What sort of dog are you thinking of. Large? Small? Smooth haired? Fluffy? Male or female? And would you consider re-homing a puppy?’

She didn’t mind those questions. They were fun. ‘Definitely not a puppy, because I can’t have it doing wees and poops in the salon while I’m cutting someone’s hair. Not if I want to keep my customers.’

‘Okay, house trained,’ he murmured to himself.

‘But not too old,’ she continued, ‘because, you know, I’ll get too upset when—’ She broke off. ‘A girl, I think, and smooth haired. I do enough styling and primping in the salon.’

‘So,’ he began, counting off points on his fingers. ‘Friendly, confident, active, likes cuddles?’ He glanced at her for confirmation and she nodded. ‘A female, not too old but not a puppy, and smooth-coated. Have I missed anything?’

‘I don’t think so. Do you have a dog like that?’

‘We do. Her name is Shona, and she’s a Whippet.’

‘Don’t Whippets need loads of exercise?’ Nora asked worriedly. ‘I mean, I’ll be taking her out twice a day, but in between she’ll need to settle and behave herself.’

‘Don’t let her looks fool you. Yes, she’s quick, but Whippets also love lounging around on the sofa. Would you like to meet her?’

Nora gave a little clap. ‘I’d love to.’ She could imagine it already, the dog lying on a pink bed, calmly accepting strokes and scritches from her clients. Shona sounded perfect.

‘Follow me,’ Jakob instructed, and Nora jumped to her feet.

As he led her along a row of kennels, she tried not to look inside; she didn’t want to see their poor little faces begging her to take them home and love them, and she tried to close her ears to the barks and whines.

But it only took one look, just one sideways glance out of the corner of her eye, and she was immediately smitten.

‘Wait,’ she said, coming to a halt. ‘Is this one available?’

Jakob stopped and turned to look at the dog she was pointing at. ‘Yes, but—’

‘What’s her name?’

‘Biscuit, and she’s a he. Not only is he the wrong gender, he’s large and fluffy. Not what you were looking for.’

The dog was staring at her with big brown eyes, his expression solemn. Then he slowly lay down and rolled over, showing her his tummy.

‘Aw!’ she cried.

‘He keeps doing that.’

‘He’s adorable.’

‘And he knows it.’ Jakob was shaking his head, but his eyes were kind.

‘Hello, Biscuit,’ she crooned, and the dog lumbered to his feet.

So much for wanting a smooth, short-haired, smaller animal.

This dog came up to the top of her thigh and his mostly black coat was long, with feathers down his legs, and a plume of a tail.

But he was so handsome, with his white chest, the white markings on his face, and tan legs, and he had such a loving expression. A bit goofy, too.

When he licked her hand, Nora’s insides turned to mush. ‘He likes me!’ she exclaimed.

‘He likes everyone.’

‘That’s a good thing, isn’t it? He’ll fit right into the salon.’

‘He won’t be too big?’

Nora guessed that Jakob was playing Devil’s Advocate because Biscuit was the exact opposite to what she’d thought she wanted. But she’d fallen in love, and with a name like Biscuit who could blame her? She’d given up one kind of biscuit, but would gain another. A Biscuit for a biscuit.

‘I really want this one,’ she said. ‘He’s perfect. What do I have to do?’

‘Don’t you want to think about it for a day or so? You could go home, and if you’re still certain you want him after a couple of days, you can pop back and fill in an application form or do it online.’

Nora took her phone out of her bag. ‘I don’t need to think about it.’

‘Let’s go to the office then, and you can fill the form out there.’

‘It’s okay, I’ll do it now online,’ Nora said, brandishing her mobile. ‘It won’t take long.’ She’d already found it on the website as he’d been speaking, and she was now typing away, her thumbs flying over the screen.

‘What breed is Biscuit?’ she asked, coming to a section asking which breeds she might consider adopting.

‘A Bernese Mountain Dog. The breed originated in Switzerland to herd livestock.’

‘And now he’s going to live in Picklewick and herd me. Okay, all done. Now what?’ She was impatient to take the dog home and get him settled in, but she assumed that wasn’t going to happen today.

‘I’ll arrange a home visit and—’

‘Can we do that now? Arrange the visit? I’ll fit in around you. And you can visit the salon as well, if you want.’

‘Are you suggesting I need a haircut?’ His tone was deadpan, and it took her a moment to realise he was joking.

‘If the cap fits,’ she responded in kind. ‘Aw, I don’t want to leave him. He looks so sad.’

Biscuit had his head lowered and was gazing up at her from under his brows. His eyes seemed almost human.

Jakob said, ‘He’ll be fine. Assuming we can get all the checks done in a timely manner and there are no hold-ups, you’ll be able to take him home in a couple of weeks.’

Nora was dismayed. ‘That long?’

‘Dawn, who manages the main centre in Thornbury, will review your application and do the home visit, but she’s on holiday for two weeks.’

‘Can’t you do it?’

He shook his head. ‘Sorry, I can’t. But you could come and visit Biscuit a couple of times to let him get used to you. Actually, we encourage that, otherwise it’s a big shock for them to suddenly be in a strange place with someone they don’t know.’

It was better than nothing, she thought. ‘Can I come any time?’

‘The Forever Home is open for drop ins every day between two and four p.m. If I’m not here, Maisie or one of the others will sort you out. If you come with me to reception now, I can make sure you’ve filled the form out properly, and let Maisie know what’s going on.’

As they retraced their steps, Nora realised she hadn’t asked a pertinent question. ‘How did Biscuit come to be here?’ She hoped his story wasn’t a terrible one.

‘Divorce,’ Jakob said. ‘Neither party was in a position to keep him on. He’s clearly been well-loved and well-treated, with no behavioural issues.

As far as his personality is concerned, he’s an ideal dog for you and I would have suggested you meet him if it wasn’t for the fact that physically he’s the opposite of what you said you wanted. ’

Nora chuckled. He was, wasn’t he? But her heart had spoken and she wasn’t going to ignore it.

Jakob opened the door to the reception area, gesturing for her to go ahead of him, and when she stepped inside she was surprised to see the baker from earlier. He was standing at the desk, resting his hands on it, his attention on Maisie.

Nora gave him a cursory glance, her mind still on Biscuit, but her eyes travelled back to him almost immediately. Although she hadn’t actually spoken to him until today, she’d seen him pounding the streets. Rumour was that he ran marathons in his spare time.

When he turned to see who’d entered, he nodded at her in acknowledgment and she nodded back.

Maisie said, ‘Jakob, just the man I wanted. Elijah has filled out an application form, but I was telling him that he’d have to be vetted by Dawn before we can take it any further. Am I right in thinking she’s on leave for the next two weeks?’

Jakob pulled a face. ‘Um, yes, she is, but…’ He took a breath, blew out his cheeks, then turned to the man and said with a sigh, ‘You’ve just applied to adopt Biscuit, haven’t you?’

When Nora heard that, her heart dropped like a stone down a well, to land with a plop of dismay in the dark depths of her disappointment.