Cinnamon Roll Murder (Hannah Swensen, #15)(30)

Hannah tossed her the duck, which quacked several times on the way. Lisa caught in around the middle and it issued another volley of quacks.

“Look at this one,” Delores said, pulling toys from her bag. “Here’s a stuffed rooster. And this one’s a horse that whinnies. And I’ve got a pig that oinks, a cow that moos, and a sheep that does ... whatever it is that sheep do.” Delores turned to her eldest daughter. “What is it called, Hannah?”

“It’s called a bleat, Mother.”

“Really? I don’t think I ever knew the name for the sounds sheep make.”

“They’re not the only animals that bleat. It’s also the word for the wavering sound made by a goat or calf.”

Lisa reached out and squeezed the sheep and it started to bleat. Not to be outdone, Hannah grabbed the duck and the pig, and activated them. Then Delores entered into the fun with the rooster and the horse. Michelle, who was still in the coffee shop, heard the racket in the kitchen and came in to check. When she saw what they were doing she hurried in to activate the plush cat and plush dog. The four women were having so much fun, squeezing the stuffed animals and laughing, that they didn’t hear the back door open. They were perfectly unaware that Herb was standing there watching them until he said, “And what do we have here? Wannabe farmers?”

Lisa giggled, Hannah winced, Michelle blushed, and Delores tried to look as if she were merely an observer of three other women making fools of themselves.

“They were trying out the toys I bought for Sammy,” Delores explained.

“Right.” Herb glanced at the toy rooster and the toy horse in Delores’s hands and grinned. It was clear that he wasn’t fooled by her uninvolved observer act.

And then she quickly changed the subject. “Where’s your new little guy?” Delores asked, changing the subject before he could comment.

Herb smiled. “Right here,” he said, flipping his coat back to show Sammy snuggled in a baby carrier, his ears sticking up in two sharp points and his black eyes moving from face to face.

“Adorable,” Delores pronounced, stepping forward to stroke Sammy’s head. “He’s just darling.”

“Yes, he is.” Lisa beamed like a mother accepting compliments on her newborn.

“I can hold him while you go out to my car,” Delores said, sitting down at the workstation and holding out her arms. “The keys are over there on the counter and the crate’s in the backseat.”

“Crate?” Lisa asked, looking surprised.

“Two boys from the pet sore loaded it for me, but it’s too heavy for me to carry in. It should go perfectly in that corner,” she pointed to the corner closest to her, “and it’s made out of wood so that it can double as a table.”

“That’s clever,” Hannah said.

Lisa smiled. “Yes, it is. We can always use another flat surface for stacking cookie boxes.”

The swinging door opened and Mike stepped into the kitchen. “What’s everyone doing back here? The coffee shop’s packed with customers. Marge and Jack can’t handle everything alone.”

“My fault,” Michelle said. “I was only going to be gone a minute, but we were having so much fun, I lost track of time.”

“Me, too,” Lisa admitted. She hurried over to give Sammy a little kiss on his head, and then she turned to Herb. “Do you think you can bring in that crate by yourself? I really should be up front. It’s time for another performance.”

“I can probably do it. And if it’s too big for me to handle alone, I’ll snag Mike to lend a hand.”

“Sure. I’ll help,” Mike agreed. “Where’s the crate?”

“In Mother’s car,” Hannah answered him.

“My keys are on the counter,” Delores added. “It was too big for the trunk so they put it in the back seat.”

“What’s in the crate?” Mike asked.

“It’s empty,” Delores told him. “I bought it for Sammy.”

“Sammy?”

“This Sammy.” Delores lifted a corner on the blanket so that he could see the puppy in her arms. “Sammy is Lisa’s new puppy, and he’s going to be staying here during the day.”

“I take it Sammy’s another police dog in training?” Mike asked, winking at Hannah. He was the one who’d told her that it was okay to bring Dillon into the kitchen as long as he was a police dog in training.

“That’s exactly what he is,” Hannah said. “Either that, or he’s a service dog in training. We’ll just have to wait for him to grow up a little before we decide.”

“Fox terrier?” Mike asked.

“That’s what Doctor Bob thought,” Herb said. “Grab the car keys, will you Mike? Once we get that crate in and set it up, Delores won’t have to hold Sammy any longer.”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Delores said. “He’s a little angel. He just licked my hand.”

Hannah stared at her mother in surprise. Delores seemed to be developing a soft spot in her heart for animals. Come to think of it, she was also getting much more compassionate about other people’s problems, and more generous with her friends. Something was changing her mother’s outlook on life, and Hannah liked the change.