The Gift of the Maltipoo E-Book

Andrew Grey

• Herausgeber: Dreamspinner Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 111

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

Tyler knows getting his mother a dog as a Christmas gift is a bad idea, even if she'd like to have company while she undergoes chemo. But he stops at a dog rescue on the way home anyway… and leaves with an injured Maltipoo named Daisy who follows him like he has bacon in his pockets. So much for getting a dog for his mom. Maybe Tyler's the one who needs company anyway. After all, he's been mooning over his neighbor, Anthony, for months. Suddenly, when he's out walking Daisy, his little ice-breaker, Anthony approaches him about attending his law firm's Christmas event—as Anthony's date. Can Daisy work her magic and bring Tyler the best Christmas gift ever?

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Blurb

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Epilogue

Keep Reading

About the Author

By Andrew Grey

Visit Dreamspinner Press

Copyright

The Gift of the Maltipoo

By Andrew Grey

Tyler knows getting his mother a dog as a Christmas gift is a bad idea, even if she’d like to have company while she undergoes chemo. But he stops at a dog rescue on the way home anyway… and leaves with an injured Maltipoo named Daisy who follows him like he has bacon in his pockets. So much for getting a dog for his mom.

Maybe Tyler’s the one who needs company anyway. After all, he’s been mooning over his neighbor, Anthony, for months. Suddenly, when he’s out walking Daisy, his little ice-breaker, Anthony approaches him about attending his law firm’s Christmas event—as Anthony’s date. Can Daisy work her magic and bring Tyler the best Christmas gift ever?

To Peter, Lisa, and the real Daisy.

Prologue

DAISY STOOD wagging her tail as hope and excitement rose once more. A man and a woman walked through the shelter, looking into the cages. They petted some dogs and had Andrew, the man who fed them sometimes, take one out and then put them back. Daisy wagged her tail harder as they got closer to her cage. She wanted to be good and look cute so they would give her a forever home.

She’d thought she already had one of those. Since she was a puppy, Karla had looked after her and loved her. Mom Karla had given her the best treats, and she slept at the foot of Mom Karla’s bed. On cold nights, she even slept under the covers. Mom Karla was very special, and Daisy had loved her with her whole heart and soul and even her teeth. There was no part of her that didn’t love Mom Karla.

They were in the car when the love came to an end. Mom Karla was taking Daisy to the park when there was a bang, boom, scrunch and then a smell that made Daisy want to hide. It was a bad smell, one Daisy never wanted to scent again. It was the end. Daisy tried to get to Mom Karla, but the doggie seat belt stopped her. She wanted to kiss her and make her better, but she couldn’t. So Daisy waited with Mom Karla as the angels came and took the love part away. Daisy watched her go, and then a man got her out of the car and held her. He was so gentle, but Daisy was heartbroken. So she lay down and wished with all her might that the angels would bring Mom Karla back.

After that, everything was confusing, but she’d ended up at the shelter when there was no one else to love her. So now Daisy put on her best front. She wagged her tail and circled in the cage, excited to find a love like she had with Mom Karla. Daisy knew she was special and that she had lots and lots of love just waiting to burst out.

“This one is so cute,” the woman said, and when the cage opened, Daisy hurried forward. When the woman picked her up, Daisy kissed her hand and nestled up next to her just like Mom Karla liked. “She is so sweet. Reggie, I want this one.” She turned to the man, and Daisy did the same, giving her happy face.

“No. Too much of a mop dog, and her leg is bunged.” Still, he lightly petted Daisy, and he wasn’t rough or mean. “I need a dog I can take running with me. I don’t think this little one will be able to keep up with me for very long.” He lifted Daisy out of the woman’s arms. “She’s really sweet, though.”

Daisy gave her best smile and, when she was close enough, kissed his nose.

“You are a real cutie. But I run in the mornings.” He handed Daisy back, and Andrew returned her to the cage and closed the door.

Daisy watched as they moved on down the way. The woman kept turning around, and Daisy kept hoping, until they opened Lenny’s cage. Both of them seemed to like him, and then they put a leash on Lenny and led him away. Daisy tried not to be disappointed, but it was hard. She lay down on the blanket and put her head on her front paws and sighed. Maybe she was never supposed to have the love she had before. Maybe Daisy only got that once. She closed her eyes and tried to rest, because happiness was exhausting, especially since she still loved Mom Karla.

“There you are,” Mitchell said from outside her doggie dream. She opened her eyes as he opened the cage and lifted Daisy out. He was so gentle, and even though he had given Daisy a shot when she first arrived, he was so caring that Daisy forgave him. “Let’s take a look at your back leg.”

The accident that had taken Mom Karla had hurt her back leg, and it sometimes didn’t work right. His hands were gentle as he felt along, and she was good, breathing quickly, but she didn’t bite even when she yipped from the pain. “I know, sweetheart, but it’s healing well, and soon you’ll be all better. I promise. The leg will always be stiff, but the pain will go away.” He set her back in the cage and gave Daisy a treat from his pocket.

“I know. You wish you could keep her,” Andrew said.

“That’s the trouble with having a dog rescue. I want to keep them all. But this little girl, she’s a sweetheart. Her leg was broken when I brought her in, but it’s getting a lot better now, and soon she’ll be a hundred percent, just in time for Christmas.”

“A couple was just in looking at her, but they chose another dog. Should I not show her yet?”

Mitchell looked through the wire. “Yes, you can show her. She’s healing well. The best thing for this little girl is to find someone who will love her.” His eyes were big and pretty and filled with love. Daisy licked his nose, and Mitchell laughed. “You’re such a flirt. But I will get in trouble if I bring home another dog, so Andrew and I will just have to find you a special home where you’ll be loved.”

Mitchell closed the door, and Daisy lay down on the blanket in the back.

It was warm in the shelter, and that made Daisy sleepy. She closed her eyes and dreamed of chasing rabbits and lots of yummy treats. Mostly she dreamed of Mom Karla, because that was home. She wondered if anyplace would ever feel or smell that way again. Mitchell said he would find her a forever home, and Daisy hoped with her whole doggie heart that he was right.

Chapter 1

“MOM, I DON’T think a dog is a real good idea. How are you going to take care of it?” Tyler Lemieux was worried that his mother was going to get in over her head. “You’re in the middle of chemo at the moment, and I can’t be here every day. You know that. A dog is going to need to be walked multiple times a day, and sometimes you can barely get out of bed.” He worried about her constantly.

Tyler picked up the glass of water from the side table and helped her drink before setting it back in place. His mother’s cancer had been aggressive, and so had the treatment. The doctors were hopeful that with the tumor now gone, this would be the last of it once this round of chemo was over.

“But I get so lonely. Couldn’t you find me a small dog?” she asked.

“Even small ones need to be walked. So how about this? Once the chemo is over, I will get you the dog of your choice. You can go with me to pick out the one you want. That way we can be sure of a great fit.” He took her hand, and she half smiled.

“Okay. That’s a deal.” She closed her eyes, and Tyler left the room, closing the door. Knowing she would sleep for a while, he took a few minutes to clean up the kitchen and get the dishwasher running. He also did a load of laundry and wiped down the sinks and counters in the bathroom. His mother had always been a fastidious housekeeper, so the counters would have driven her crazy. Maybe they still did, but she just didn’t have the energy to do anything about it.

Through the last six months, she had her good days and her bad days. Unfortunately, the bad days had been coming more often, but with only two more treatments left, he hoped that she would soon get some of her energy back and actually start to feel better.

He made a quick lunch for her and went into the bedroom. His mom was awake and ate a few bites before handing him the plate. “Everything tastes like sawdust.”

“Then how about one of your shakes?” he asked and handed her one. She drank half of it before setting it aside. That was an improvement over the past few days, so he was pleased.

“I’ll be fine. You need to get home, and I need to sleep for a while.” She took his hand. “Tyler, I’m going to be fine. I know you’re worried, but the doctor said that everything is looking good so far. Two more treatments and then this part of my life will be over and I can go back to living. And you know I’ll make sure that you keep your promise.” She smiled and for a second looked like the mother who had chased after him on the playground and read him bedtime stories.

“Okay. I’m going to go home for a while, but I’ll stop in tomorrow if I can. There’s some soup in the refrigerator.” His friend Lily had made it and sent some for Mom knowing she loved it. “It’s the chicken noodle you like so much. There’s also some more crackers and the meal shakes.”

She patted his hand. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I’m going to rest for a while and then watch television. You go and have some fun. Stop worrying about me. This is almost over, and I’m going to kick cancer’s ass or die trying.” She grinned at her little joke, and Tyler did the same. “Carolyn is taking me for my next treatment at the end of the week so you can have a little time off.” He’d gone with her to each one and sat with her as the damned machine pumped chemicals into her body. Tyler had hated seeing it, but he kept that to himself. There was no way in hell his mom was going to go through this on her own. It was bad enough that his father had taken off two years ago to start a new life with a woman two years older than Tyler, leaving his mom alone. He wasn’t going to have her abandoned again.

“You call me if you need anything,” he told her before leaving the room. He pulled on his winter coat and left the house. Snow was just beginning, so he started for home, hoping it was just a few flurries and not the start of something worse.

Tyler got into his truck and slowly backed out of his mom’s driveway before heading to his home on the edge of Carlisle.

The way was very familiar. He had driven this route so many times, and he knew he each bump and every turn. Tyler was still thinking about his mother’s request for a dog as he approached the dog rescue that he passed each and every day. Usually he just went by, but today his mom had gotten him thinking, so he pulled into the lighted yard and came to a stop near the well-kept barn.

He got out, thankful the snow had stopped, and went inside. The barn was warm and smelled clean. He hadn’t known what to expect, except maybe the overwhelming scent of dog.

“Can I help you?” a man in his mid-thirties asked.

“My mom has cancer, and she keeps asking me to get her a dog. She had a pug named Bowser for years, and he passed away just after she was diagnosed. She asked me today about getting her another dog.”

The man bit his lower lip. “I’m sorry, but we usually don’t allow dog adoptions as gifts. A dog is a real responsibility, and….” He trailed off.