'Twas the Chihuahua Before Christmas (4 page)

Charlotte put Lila down and shortened the
lead. Then she let her advance toward the tree.

The new Chihuahua stood and stepped out of
her bed, Ivan’s hand still in her fur.

Ivan and Charlotte spoke soothingly as the
dogs came closer. Finally they sniffed noses, and two plumy tails
began to wag, one black, one white. Then Lila suddenly dropped,
legs splayed, and barked an invitation to play.

“I think they will be fine,” Ivan said. “But
I will get a leash and harness, just in case.” He picked up the new
dog and walked toward the foyer, where several leashes and
harnesses hung on pegs.

Charlotte picked up Lila and walked forward
so she could see inside the box. The two white puppies squirmed
blindly, their eyes sealed shut. They seemed impossibly small.

Lila whined questioningly.

“Aren’t they precious?” Charlotte said.
“You’re going to have brothers and sisters again! At least, there
may be a brother. I don’t know yet.”

Ivan came back with the white Chihuahua on a
leash. She ran back to the box and settled in with her pups.

“I guess she’ll play with you later,”
Charlotte told Lila, who trembled with excitement. She went to a
nearby love seat and settled Lila on her lap. “Do you know what sex
they are?” she asked Ivan.

“One boy, one girl.”

Charlotte smiled. “We’ll need to come up with
names for them. You said
Ded Moroz
travels with his
granddaughter?”

Ivan nodded. “The Snow Maiden.”

“What’s her name in Russian?”

“
Snegurochka.
”

Charlotte made a face. “Kind of a
mouthful.”

Ivan chuckled. “In English,
Ded Moroz
is ‘Grandfather Frost.’ You could call the boy ‘Frost’ and the girl
‘Snow.’ That still leaves the mother.”

“Oh, I already know what I’m going to call
her,” Charlotte said, smiling. “Ivana.”

Ivan turned away and stroked Ivana’s head.
She looked up and blinked at him with affection. “That is a nice
name,” he said.

Charlotte scratched behind Lila’s ears. “I
want you to know, this is one of the best Christmases I’ve ever
had.” She laughed. “And I’ve had a lot of them.”

Ivan grinned at her. “That is because you
have your own Santa Claus. Shall I put on the costume for giving
presents?”

Charlotte looked down at Lila to hide her
smile. “How about just the hat?”

Ivan got to his feet. “And the beard. It is
much fancier than the one
Ded Moroz
has. Do you think it
would be all right to wear it to the casino tomorrow?”

Charlotte chuckled. “I think that would be
perfect.”

About the Author

Esri Allbritten lives in Boulder, Colorado
with her husband, Joe, and her cat, Musette La Plume. She enjoys
discovering quirky real-life towns and wreaking fictional havoc in
them in her Tripping Magazine mystery series. The first book,
Chihuahua of the Baskervilles
, was published in print and
ebook from St. Martin’s Press. The second in the series,
The
Portrait of Doreene Gray
, will come out July of 2012 from the
same publisher. All books in this series feature Chihuahuas.
Musette La Plume does not approve of dogs, so this is how Esri gets
her Chihuahua fix – for now. You can learn more at
EsriAllbritten.com
, or
communicate with Esri “in person” on
Facebook
.