Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Nora double-checked her grocery list, adding the ingredients for peppermint chocolate drop cookies to it as she glanced out to the living room where Chessie was, hopefully, still sleeping.

It had been a long day. Nora had planned to catch up on house chores during Madison’s nap, and she’d been hopeful that it would be a success.

Madison was back to her usual sleep schedule, naps included, and the solution of keeping Chessie in her and Aiden’s bedroom at night to sleep had solved the nighttime barking. It had definitely been an issue of separation anxiety. She was still waking Nora and Aiden up every morning, but she had at least started to adjust to their schedule, so she didn’t usually jump up onto the bed until just before the alarm clocks went off. Aiden had joked that they might as well get rid of them, with Chessie around. She was every bit as good as one.

But today, Chessie had gotten bored of her array of chew toys, and had decided to attack a feather pillow on the couch. Nora had thought, so far, that the pillows were safe, but they had turned out to be the subject of Chessie’s attention that afternoon. She’d torn it apart before Nora had caught her, and left feathers scattered all over the living room and beyond.

It had taken a long time to clean up. Well past the time when Madison had woken up from her nap, and then she’d been cranky, because Nora had been focused on cleaning up feathers instead of playing with her. She was sure that she hadn’t gotten them all, and the only consolation had been that at least she’d accomplished the chore of sweeping while trying to gather them all up.

Madison had been too cranky and fussy to eat much of her lunch, and Nora had decided to make it up to her by going to the park. They’d gotten all bundled up, and she’d put Chessie on her leash, taking the opportunity to get them all some fresh air. She figured that would get some of the puppy’s boundless energy out, and cheer Madison up. A walk always did them both a lot of good.

It had been a gorgeous day too. There had been a heavy snow the day before, with enough time for the plows to come out and clear the paths, so what was left were sparkling big drifts. The park was covered in snow as well, but there was the large, open pavilion that was cleared out, with a small play area for the littler ones and heat lamps hanging from the roof, as well as a fireplace at the far end. It was remarkably cozy, and Nora had settled in with Madison, chasing her and Chessie around the play area until they were both suitably tired out.

It had been a fun afternoon, that was for sure. Nora always loved those afternoon outings with Madison, and it had been more than a little entertaining watching her chase Chessie around in endless circles, running after the balls and tumbling over each other. Chessie was a remarkably tolerant puppy, letting Madison grab handfuls of her fur and tug on her ears, and Nora couldn’t deny that both the baby and the puppy seemed to have taken to each other since the moment they’d met.

The downside of the unplanned outing was that it had put her even further behind on her to-do list. She hadn’t gotten a chance to run to the general store yet for her dinner supplies, and it was already five in the evening. She was supposed to be starting dinner shortly, not still getting around to going shopping.

Chalking it up to the chaos that she’d told herself she was more than capable of managing, Nora bundled up Madison again, getting Chessie in her harness and leash, and loading everyone up in the car to drive to Sugar Maple. She knew that Aiden would be home late—winter projects often ran into the evenings, when he and Blake would bring out the floodlights and work well past dark. This time of year, any unexpected storm could throw off schedules by days or weeks, so when the weather was clear, he’d work as long as he could.

At least, she reflected, he wouldn’t come home hungry to her running behind schedule. She’d expected to put aside leftovers for when he came in late, so it was really just herself and Madison that she needed to feed soon. That reminder made her feel better, as she drove through the snowy streets to Sugar Maple, enjoying the view. It was getting dark, and the Christmas lights all along Main Street glowed. It was brightly festive, and Nora felt her spirits lifting as she pulled into the parking lot and unloaded baby, dog, and stroller.

Bethany, to her surprise, was at the front counter when she walked in. “Leon had plans with some of his friends,” she explained as Nora walked in, clearly catching the surprised look on her face. “I told him I’d close up so he could have more of the night off.” She smiled as Nora walked over to the first shelf, looking over the array of dry goods there. “How are things going?”

“Oh, you know. Busy as always.” Nora didn’t want to let on just how frazzled she actually was, as she gathered up buns, ketchup, and a handful of potatoes. Burgers and fries for dinner sounded good, and while she briefly thought of just going and getting something to-go from Rockridge Grill, she decided to go ahead and cook. Being home and cooking something in the relaxing comfort of her own home would be simpler than another stop with both Madison and Chessie in tow, and she was hoping that after the excitement of the day, both of them would sleep for a good while.

“How is Chessie settling in so far?” There was a hint of a knowing smile in Bethany’s voice, and Nora let out a small laugh.

“She’s enjoying having the run of the house. How is the search for her owners going, by the way?” Nora asked, trying not to sound too interested. “Or have you found someone interested in adopting her yet?”

Bethany smiled. “No, I don’t think her owners are anywhere to be found. They’re definitely not in Evergreen Hollow, and she wasn’t chipped. I’ve done all I can in that regard. But as far as adoption—” She glanced to where Chessie was curled up in Madison’s stroller next to her, both baby and puppy sound asleep. “I think she’s already found her forever home.”

Nora pursed her lips to one side, lifting one shoulder. “She looks calm and peaceful now, but what you’re seeing is definitely not how it is most of the time.” She emphasized it as she spoke, keeping her voice low so as not to wake either Madison or Chessie. “I love Chessie, for sure, but it’s been absolute chaos. I definitely underestimated the challenge.”

Bethany smiled indulgently as Nora brought some of her purchases to the counter, leaving the stroller for a moment as she went over to the case where the meats were kept to pick out a package of ground beef.

“I don’t know,” she said slowly, her tone sing-song as she looked at the sleeping Madison and Chessie curled up together. “I don’t think there’s anything cuter than a little kid with a baby animal. That’s the most adorable combination anyone could possibly come up with. Plus, the two of them have really taken to one another. And it’ll be good for Madison, as she gets older.”

Nora plopped the package of beef onto the counter next to her other groceries. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well…” Bethany started to ring it all up, her gaze still drifting over to the stroller with an expression that said she found the scene cute beyond words. “It’s good for children to have a bit of responsibility as they grow up. A dog is an excellent way to teach that. And a companion is a good thing too. Madison and Chessie will both grow up together, and they’ll always be inseparable. As Madison starts to walk and run around, Chessie will look out for her. It’s the perfect partnership. And ,” she added with a flourish, reaching for a paper bag, “having to share the attention with someone else is good practice for Madison, in case you and Aiden decide to grow your family with a sibling or two for her.”

Nora smiled, but she groaned inwardly, thinking that Bethany must have heard Aiden’s comment about wanting a second baby that night when they stopped in front of the house. It felt like only a few days ago that she’d felt like superwoman, sure that she could handle a half-dozen kids if that’s what she and Aiden decided on, no problem.

She’d thought that a second baby would be a breeze, and that a puppy would be even easier. Looking back, she felt the irony of the fact that she had been the one to convince Aiden that fostering Chessie was a great idea.

But she hadn’t thought it would be permanent. And it had been good for Madison. The bond between her daughter and the puppy was clear, and she thought it had been good for Madison’s mood overall, even if their routines had been upended.

That was the thing though, as she dodged Bethany’s efforts to say for sure whether or not they would be keeping Chessie, and told her goodnight, taking the groceries out to the car. She’d had a carefully established routine, one that she and Aiden had worked hard to get right. They’d worked it out together, and she’d been very proud of how well they’d cracked the code of parenting.

Now it had been shaken. And it was making her second-guess if expanding beyond just having Madison was really the best idea. Maybe once they’d gotten that routine down, they should have stuck with it.

Just as she climbed into the car and started it, waiting for it to heat up before leaving, her phone buzzed. She saw that it was Aiden, and answered, rubbing her chilly hands over her jeans.

“Hey there,” she said with a smile. “Everything all right?”

“Of course. I just realized that I didn’t bring my laptop charger with me today. Do you know where it might be? It should have been on my desk with the rest of my things when I packed up this morning, and I guess it wasn’t. My work computer is dead, and I need to pull up some blueprints for this house that Blake and I are repairing.”

Nora grimaced. She was pretty sure she knew where that charger might be. “I haven’t seen it,” she said, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel. “But I would check in the most unlikely of places that are Chessie-sized.”

Aiden chuckled. “You’re probably right. I’ll see if I can send them to Blake, maybe he can pull them up. Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I’ll look for the charger when I get home too,” she promised.

“If you have time. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Nora hung up, glancing back at Chessie as she put the car in gear, who was sitting up in the backseat panting. The puppy was adorable, that much was undeniable. But Nora was also at her wit’s end.

She couldn’t even keep her own house in order, anymore.