Free Snowy Christmas by Helen Scott Taylor

planned to get something for her.
    The jewelry shop was unlike any she'd ever
seen before. It was down a side street, the front very discreet
with nothing in the window but a sign. Marcus pressed a buzzer
beside the door and spoke into an intercom. "Mr. Bramwell for a
private viewing."
    The door buzzed open, and they stepped
through into a large open space filled with lit glass cases
displaying sparkling jewels. Emily wasn't sure what she'd expected
to find behind the plain storefront, but not this extravagant
display.
    "Good afternoon." A pretty young woman
approached them. "How can we help you today?"
    "I want to buy a Christmas present for my
girlfriend." Marcus smiled at Emily and she felt she should say
something, but was at a loss for words.
    "Do you have anything in mind, sir?"
    "We'll wander around and browse," he
said.
    Marcus put his arm around Emily's waist, and
they strolled between the glittering displays of necklaces, rings,
bracelets, earrings, and watches. Some of the prices were
heart-stoppingly expensive, and made her debts seem like small
change.
    "What would you like for Christmas, darling?"
he said.
    "Gosh. I have no idea where to start
looking." A strange whooshing sounded in Emily's ears as she
surveyed the fortune in jewels surrounding her.
    He chuckled as if she'd made a joke, but she
was serious. She didn't know how much he wanted to spend. One
glance at the prices suggested a lot . Nothing was cheap. Of
course his idea of cheap was different from hers.
    He stroked a strand of hair from her cheek
and pressed a kiss to the skin beneath her ear that normally made
her go all tingly. Right now she hardly noticed, she was so
overwhelmed.
    "Those are nice." Marcus pointed out some
diamond drop earrings that cost as much as a small car.
    "They're lovely." But they weren't for her.
When would she wear earrings like that? She'd worry the whole time
she would lose one. Asking her to choose for herself was a nice
idea, but it actually made her uncomfortable.
    On the far side of the room against the wall,
a display caught her eye. It featured a picture of a cute Westie
that looked like Snow White. The dog was like a familiar landmark
in a foreign land. She hurried between the glass cases towards it,
and her heart nearly melted at the adorable line of jewelry called
Paw Prints on Your Heart.
    There were all types of pieces decorated with
paw prints, hearts, and animals. A pretty heart-shaped pendant
decorated with a diamond-studded paw print was her favorite. And,
relative to everything else she'd seen, it wasn't too
expensive.
    Marcus could obviously read her mind or her
expression, because he beckoned over the hovering assistant and
pointed out the pendant. "We'd like to look at this, please."
    The gold heart on its chain was laid on a
navy velvet display board. Emily picked it up, cradling the piece
in her palm. The heart was just the right size, not too big and not
too small, with the paw print in the middle.
    "Would you like to try it on?" Marcus took it
from her and fastened the chain around her neck. He stood behind
her with his hands on her shoulders as she stared in the
mirror.
    She fell in love with it the moment she saw
her reflection. She touched her fingertips to the gold heart. It
wasn't only pretty; the way it laid flat against her skin made it
comfortable too.
    Marcus smiled at her in the mirror. "It could
have been made especially for you."
    "I love it."
    He pulled her close and kissed her temple.
"We'll take it," he told the assistant. He unfastened it and turned
the heart over on his palm. On the back it said Paw Prints on
Your Heart in small cursive script.
    "I should have one of these as well," he said
softly. "We both have paw prints on our hearts." Then he laughed.
"Actually, my whole family does."
    • • •
    For the next few days, Emily walked on air. She used
the loan to pay off her credit card accounts and loved seeing the
zero balance when she logged into them on the Internet. She'd