Read Dr. Noah and the Sugar Plum Fairy for Free Online

spraying disinfectant everywhere. That pair of boxers actually looks like shorts, and your dad will be fine with him.”
    “Him? Did you at least warn this guy about the boxers?”
    “Water glasses, please. And you need to relax. I’m the mama, and I will take care of everything. I always do.”
    The doorbell rang.
    As was customary in the Trumbull household at Christmastime, everyone ran for the door. It was a peculiar little habit they’d developed through the years. Mostly because it was Christmas and a ringing doorbell could mean carolers or treats from the neighbors or gifts in the mail—and everyone wanted to be the first to see. Not to mention it often caught whoever it was off guard, and they were either tickled or alarmed by the crowd at the door. Either way it was funny.
    Jane flew from the kitchen and hopped over the back of the easy chair to beat everyone to the handle. Her mother, dad, grandpa, and Major slid to a stop behind her. Poor Melody would have been on her heels had she been able to crawl out of bed.
    Jane flung open the door.
    And gasped in astonishment.
    Not to mention embarrassment.
    “Dr. Noah? Bridget?”
    “Hi, Jane.”
    “What are you doing here?”
    “Jane!” Her mother pushed her aside. “Don’t be rude. C’mon in, Noah.”
    “Thanks, Mrs. Trumbull,” he said as if from a black-and-white fifties sitcom.
    “Call me Sunny. Everyone does. This is my husband, Richard. Everyone calls him Rich, and you know Grandpa Stone and Major. You’ve met Jane. Our daughter Melody won’t be joining us because she’s sick.”
    The men were shaking hands and exchanging ‘nice to meet yous’ and ‘nice to see yous’ while the dogs sniffed each other and Jane suffered a considerable internal meltdown.
    “Hang on a minute,” she said, flailing her arms in front of her until they formed a definite ‘stop’ signal. “What is happening here?”
    Her mother nudged Noah toward the dining room. “Don’t be so dramatic, Jane.”
    “Yeah, Jane,” he said over his shoulder. “Don’t be so dramatic.”
    She glared at him. “I didn’t realize you all knew each other. Dr. Noah didn’t say a word.”
    “He didn’t know. We just connected the dots when we passed each other at the grocery store the other day.”
    “Is that so?”
    “Yes. Me and Grandpa had to take Major to see Dr. Salmons a couple weeks ago. It was that day he ate a little plastic UT football. We thought he swallowed it whole. Turns out, he’d chewed it up enough to not be of any harm. We just had to be patient and let nature take its course.”
    “Really, Mom? At lunch? In front of a guest?”
    “Oh, hush. Anyway, Noah was there. That’s how we met. He told us about the clinic. So, when I saw him at the grocery store, we got to talking and it hit me that he may have been on duty when Snowball was sick. I mentioned you and here we are.”
    “Here we are,” he mimicked as he sat down at the table. “Your mom was kind enough to invite me for lunch, but really I’m here for the cookies.”
    Grandpa looked as if he was going to bang his spoon on the table. “Can I have my chili?”
    “Sure, Grandpa,” Jane answered. “Do you want iced tea?”
    “Yup.”
    “How about you, Dr. Noah? Iced tea?”
    “Yes, please.”
    Jane followed her mother to the kitchen. “You couldn’t have told me this was happening today?” She was trying so hard to keep her voice down it came out as a squeak.
    “Hand me that fresh rosemary. I want to sprinkle a little on this bread and give it a quick broil to melt the butter. Yum.”
    “Hel-looo... Cute veterinarian in the dining room, and I am in my sweatpants.”
    Her mother made a quick trip with the tea and came right back. “It just happened, Jane. He’s a sweet guy, and he’s new in town. He has to work all through the holiday or I would’ve had him here for Christmas dinner.”
    Jane waved the ladle around. “ Sweat . Pants . And grandpa? No . Pants .”
    Her mother ignored her