A Prairie Creek Christmas by Elizabeth Bromke

Author:Elizabeth Bromke
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elizabeth Bromke

Chapter 18—Miles

Miles easily shook off Sabrina’s passive aggressive tirade for his own ego, but he wasn’t one to let a wicked witch tear apart an innocent like Erika. Standing up for her and putting Sabrina in her place came naturally.

And after that, it was time for the next competition:

The bio round. Miles was unfazed by each of the rounds and growing less so as the day lurched on.

“How long until the second round?” Erika asked as they left the gazebo, where Miles had pulled his clothes back on and retrieved his notebook to add some more talking points.

“The itinerary thing in there said about twenty minutes. You hungry?” Popcorn wasn’t enough to stave off Miles’ evergreen appetite.

“Sure.”

They started in a loop, first checking in on Frosty, who Erika petted with a squishy-faced fervor, baby talking to the husky while the rescue folks chatted mildly with Miles. At one point, Mr. Griffin pulled Miles aside to talk about a personal business matter, and they kept their voices low and tight.

Though he wasn’t strictly a businessman, Miles was good at arranging new contracts with potential investors, patrons, and private contractors for a great variety of work or scenarios. His personability alone was likely the reason the sportsman’s shop continued to thrive into the modern age. Of course, its rural locale was helpful, too. But Mr. Griffin wasn’t interested in talk about the shop. He had other ideas in mind. Miles listened, murmured back, eyed Erika. Eyed Frosty.

And by the time the pair had shook hands and agreed, Erika stood up, groaning. “Is he still available?” She spoke to Mr. Griffin, but her eyes flashed to the other women working the booth. There was another fence full of puppies on the far side of the table, and Erika hadn’t yet given them attention. A little more motley, that bunch, like perhaps a pug mix. Squatty, black rollie pollies were granted the advantage of fuzzy blankets and a small space heater, since they didn’t have the thick coats to shield them from the cold.

Mr. Griffin paused for a heavy moment. “Not exactly.”

Miles frowned at him, and his heart melted to watch Erika’s face crumple. “Aw.” She looked back down at Frosty as if to contemplate the pooch’s entire fate in that single, soulful moment. When she looked back, her shoulders were slumped and her pink cheeks pinker. Her body shivered and she replied, “Sad for me. But happy for him.”

Miles had half a mind to point to the other litter of pups, but he decided against it. “Ready to grab a bite?”

Together, they walked, Erika’s arm again looped through Miles. Millie’s café sponsored a booth with hot dishes to go, and nothing sounded more delicious than a piping bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese or a hearty soup.

On their way there, Miles went out on a limb. “Tell me more about Pippy. She was the love of your life. Three legged. What else?”

Erika’s grip on his arm tightened ever so slightly and a hitch in her step tugged him back a nearly imperceptible bit.

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