A Family Under the Christmas Tree Read Online Free PDF Page A

the building. She shook her head to let him know she hadn’t found Troy.
    â€œWhere could he have gone?” David pulled out his cell phone. “I have to call the police.”
    Riggs returned to the same spot and barked again. This time the pitch intensified, became more insistent.
    â€œRiggs, come,” Sophie called, a good dose of frustration lacing her tone.
    The dog dashed forward and then backed up, all the while barking frantically.
    â€œI think he’s trying to get us to follow him,” David said. “Maybe he found Troy.” He rushed to trail after the dog.
    â€œNow, that would be a Christmas miracle.” Sophie hurried to catch up to David. Please, Lord, let us find Troy safe and sound .
    Riggs’s barking led them through the trees to the far corner of the park. The dog paced in front of a large evergreen bush until he noticed them. He raced over to them.
    Sophie made a grab for Riggs’s collar. The dog dodged her attempt to control him and ran back to the bush. He pawed at the ground, sticking his nose into the branches, and then gave her a look that made her feel like she was missing something.
    Sophie met David’s confused and worried gaze. “Troy?”
    â€œTroy!” David called out.
    Riggs cocked his head, then lay down to shuffle beneath the bush until all that was visible was his back end. Unable to resist, she brought the camera lens into focus and snapped off several shots.
    â€œTroy must be under there,” Sophie whispered to David. Riggs had heard or smelled Troy, or maybe both, and had somehow understood the boy was in trouble and needed help. Smart dog.
    David knelt down and army-crawled under the bush next to Riggs. Sophie pressed her lips together to keep a giggle from escaping. The situation wasn’t in the least funny. Troy had run away from David and hidden under the bush. He was safe, but he’d scared them something fierce.
    But the image of the dog and man buried to the waist beneath the leafy branches was too comical for her not to smile. She took a number of shots. She could hear the velvety tenor of David’s voice as he talked with Troy, who refused to come out of his hiding spot.
    She approached the space and squatted down beside David. Though she could see only the whites of Troy’s eyes in the murky depths of the shrub, she said, “Hey, Troy, if you’ll come out, you can help walk Riggs home.”
    â€œReally?” His little voice was followed by a hiccup.
    â€œYes, really.”
    Soon both Riggs and David wiggled back out from beneath the thick plant, along with Troy. All three were soaked and layered with mud. Through the lens of her camera she captured the expression of relief on David’s handsome face. She caught Troy’s tear-streaked cheeks and Riggs’s proud countenance. These shots would add so much character and life to her portfolio.
    David put the coat around Troy’s shoulders before lifting the boy into his arms to hug him close. She took another picture, capturing the tender moment.
    There was something so precious about the man and boy. A lump formed in Sophie’s throat and she quickly leashed Riggs, mostly to give her something to do to cover the emotion that welled up uncontrollably inside her.
    â€œYou scared me,” David said to Troy.
    â€œSorry, Uncle David,” the boy said, hanging his head. He lifted his deep blue gaze to Sophie. “Can I walk Riggs now?”
    Sophie gave David a questioning look, not wanting to usurp his authority with the child. The relief and love on his face softened her heart even more. He nodded and set Troy on his feet.
    Sophie held out the loop of the leash. “We’ll both hold the loop,” she told him. She was afraid the puppy would drag the slight child.
    As they walked back through the neighborhood, Sophie and Troy walked ahead of David. She glanced back several times and wondered at his pensive expression. Was