An Alaskan Christmas Promise by Belle Calhoune

Author:Belle Calhoune
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-09-02T20:44:03+00:00

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Leo spent the next few days away from Owl Creek checking out possible new horses for the ranch at an auction. Uncle Patrick had come along with him, and together they’d made the decision to purchase two midnight-colored stallions and one chestnut mare. Spending time with his uncle served as a balm for all the emotions stirred up by the anniversary of his father’s death. Uncle Patrick and his father had always been close, so in a sense, Leo felt more connected to both of them.

The entire time he tried not to think about how he’d first met Dahlia at a similar horse auction in Fairbanks where she’d accompanied her father. They’d continued to develop their relationship online in the months following their in person meeting. Despite those painful memories, he focused on the business of acquiring horses for the ranch. He was tired of wallowing over past hurts.

Although it had been a great trip, Leo was eager to get back to Owl Creek. The holiday stroll was only days away, and he’d committed to participating with his service dogs and their owners. All of his past trainees he’d reached out to had been enthusiastic. Now, he needed to talk to Kit after their session and make sure she was able to join in. He was looking forward to it, especially since it would be the first time in ages that he’d been in a social setting. Owl Creek was full of down-to-earth, caring folks who’d created a wonderful community. For the last year, he’d been steeped in grief. Leo had made a vow to be more involved in the goings-on in his hometown. There was no better time to engage than right now during the holiday season.

When Kit showed up at the ranch for their session, Leo realized he’d missed working with her while he’d been out of town. He’d gotten used to seeing her regularly and deepening their friendship. Kit’s sweet personality appealed to him. She was a burst of sunshine on the rainiest of days. And in the last year and a half there had been a lot of rainy days he’d endured.

Leo had to hand it to Jupiter. He was teaching him a lot about making premature judgments. The plucky Labrador retriever was out performing all the other dogs he’d trained in the program. He was learning each task at a much faster rate than his siblings and working in sync with Kit’s needs. Jupiter had sure shown him that he didn’t know half as much as he thought he did. It was fitting that Kit was paired up with a high-achieving pup. God was looking out for her, whether she realized it or not.

“Jupiter is breezing through the training, so I think it’s time we step things up since his main job will be to help you out with tasks and to make sure you avoid dangerous situations. I know you’ve had some falls recently, so that’s important work. Public access training will be really important as you go to work, do grocery shopping, among other things,” Leo explained.

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