She’d walked into the studio carrying a too-cute beige-and-brown shih tzu with button eyes, a red bow on its collar and a face that would melt the hardest heart. Close behind, a little blue-haired lady in a red jogging suit held the leash of a cream-colored Irish wolfhound the size of a small pony. The wolfhound sported a larger red bow on its collar.
The dogs were a brilliant choice. By bringing two such different breeds, Tansy had demonstrated a keen understanding of visual drama.
Anchorwoman Lisa Dunbar moved out from behind the Channel 10 news desk and over to the studio set where they’d be shooting the segment. The set featured three dark green easy chairs, a five-foot artificial Christmas tree and a dark wood coffee table topped with a small red poinsettia. Lisa took the center chair.
While Tansy was being fitted with a mike, she talked soothingly to the small dog. After that she was directed to the chair on Lisa’s right, and the grandmother type, who had no mike, was settled on the left. The regal wolfhound claimed a sizeable chunk of real estate on the floor. Head up, he kept a close watch on Tansy.
Station manager Paul Huntington had a soft spot for The Haven because his family had adopted their beloved golden retriever, Sadie, from there a year ago. He’d instructed Ben and the other two cameramen to get as many adorable doggie shots as possible to convince viewers to donate or adopt. Ben planned to follow Paul’s directions, but Tansy was so expressive that she’d probably generate as much support as the dogs. In his opinion, faces like hers justified the invention of cameras.
Then again, maybe he was biased. He’d spent so many years training his lens on carefully made-up women like Lisa that Tansy was a refreshing change. Dressed in jeans, sneakers and a blue sweatshirt with the shelter’s logo on the front, she seemed genuine and approachable.
Lisa, blonde and elegant in a gray silk suit and a Christmas-red blouse, was the more classically beautiful of the two. But she was also addicted to the spotlight. He wondered if she’d ever competed with animals for center stage. In his experience, the animals won every time.
When everyone was seated, Lisa responded to a cue from the station’s director and looked into the camera with practiced ease as she introduced Tansy. “She’s brought some friends along,” Lisa added. “One of her many dedicated volunteers, Rose Parker, and a dynamic doggie duo.” She turned to Tansy. “I hope both these doggies are available for adoption, because I just got a signal from our director that the phones are lighting up.”
“They’re available, Lisa.” Tansy’s smile was effortless. “This little guy is Ewok. He’s four years old and mostly shih tzu, but we think he might have some cocker spaniel in him, too.”
Lisa beamed at the small dog. “What a perfect name. He looks just like those creatures in Star Wars. How’re you doing, Ewok?”
The little dog stood on Tansy’s lap and wriggled happily as he focused his dark button eyes on Lisa.
“Oh, he wants to come to me!”
Tansy laughed. “He might, at that. He loves people. But I’d better keep him over here. Your suit looks expensive.”
“I’m sure it could survive a few paw prints.”
“Let’s wait until he’s adjusted to his surroundings.”
Lisa managed a tight smile. “That’s fine. He’s so adorable I’m sure he’ll have a home before we wrap up this segment. I’m tempted, myself.”
“Ewok could have been adopted a dozen times since he came in, but we’re determined he won’t leave the shelter without his pal over there, Wookie.”
Lisa glanced at the wolfhound. “Ah, I get it. Ewok and Wookie. George Lucas would be thrilled. What’s their story?”
“They grew up together and now they’re inseparable,” Tansy said. “To place them in different homes would really stress them out.”
Now Ben understood why the dogs had been brought in together and why Wookie’s attention was firmly on Tansy. She was holding his best pal.
Their story was touching, even to Ben, but he’d decided long ago that adopting a dog or cat was asking for heartache.
“Goodness, that’s a challenge,” Lisa said. “My little condo wouldn’t hold Wookie, I’m afraid.”
“He doesn’t need as much indoor space as you think.”
Lisa chuckled. “No more than a MINI Cooper, at any rate.” She turned back to Tansy and Ewok. “I’ll put a bug in Santa’s ear to give Ewok and Wookie a new home for Christmas.”
“Great. And while you’re at it, please tell Santa we have plenty of other loving dogs and cats looking for homes.”
“Absolutely! We’ll be featuring pictures of your cuties right up through Christmas Eve to promote The Haven’s Home for the Holidays campaign. Can you fill us in on the details?”
“You bet.” Tansy quickly outlined her plan to place as many animals as possible in homes just for the holidays so they wouldn’t have to spend the festive season at the shelter. “It’s like giving them a Christmas break,” she said.
“What a wonderful idea,” Lisa said. “I’m sure the residents of Tacoma will respond, especially because it also gives them a chance to try out a pet before making that forever commitment.”
“Exactly. But if people can’t take an animal over the holidays, I hope they’ll consider donating to our Christmas fund-raising campaign.”
“Your press release said you’re raising money for a special project?” Lisa said.
“We are! We recently removed sixty cats from a hoarding situation. We couldn’t accommodate them in our Kitty Condo, which is our free-roaming cat facility, so they’re temporarily being housed in a portable building on loan from a generous donor. So we desperately need to build a second Kitty Condo for our new furry friends.” As Tansy became more animated in describing the proposed facility, Ewok put his paws on her chest and began licking her face.
Laughing, she tried to coax him back down onto her lap as she continued. “We’re hoping that by Christmas Eve…Ewok, now stop!”
But the little dog was determined to give her kisses, and it was great television. Directions came through Ben’s earphones to keep his camera on Tansy. He was only too happy to oblige.
“We hope we’ll have the money we need to…Ewok, honestly!” Tansy dissolved into laughter again.
Watching her through the lens of his camera, Ben was fascinated. He’d been intrigued when she’d entered the studio, but her amused struggle with the affectionate little dog captivated him so completely that he forgot the time, forgot the studio, forgot everything but the joyful woman captured in his camera lens.
She was love personified, and a longing to have even a tiny bit directed at him stole the air from his lungs. But he’d learned the hard way to beware that telltale ache. Love was great when you had it, but when it disappeared, the pain brought you to your knees. He’d paid a high price to learn that lesson and wasn’t about to forget it.
“Let me have him so you can talk.” Leaving her chair, Lisa swooped in and gathered Ewok in her arms.
More instructions came through Ben’s earphones. “Follow the dog.”
He panned from a rather startled Tansy to a smug Lisa. An outsider might view Lisa’s move as an attempt to be helpful. But after observing her since she was hired eighteen months ago, Ben recognized her bid to retake center stage. By holding Ewok, she had it.
“Such a cute little doggie!” She hugged and nuzzled him as if hoping he’d start to lick her, too. Instead Ewok squirmed, obviously wanting to escape. “Go on, Tansy,”