A house is not a home...
Category: Pink Sheep Future
After an afternoon at Penny Summerby's house, Maddy had a mission. Penny's golden retriever had had a litter of puppies and they were just about ready to leave their mother. There were five little balls of golden fluff that licked and nibbled fingers and rolled onto their back for tummy rubs.
She wanted one.
Mummy always said that the four children running around the house were all the animals they needed, but that was before. Maddy was seven now. She didn't need help to cut her meat or comb her hair anymore, and she was even allowed to play in the garden by herself as long as Mummy and Daddy could see her. She was a big girl; she could take care of a puppy.
Peeking through the rooms, she backed quietly from the kitchen when she spotted Mummy and her little brothers and sister. She needed to speak to Daddy first. Maddy was sure he'd agree that she was old enough for her very own pet, and then he'd help her convince Mummy.
It was a very good plan.
She found him in the study. Wiggling into his lap, she hugged him tightly around the neck. "Hi Daddy!"
"Hello, princess," Stephen said with a grin, setting down his issue of Which Broomstick? and giving his eldest a smacking kiss on the forehead. "Did you have fun with Penny?"
"Mmhmm," came the emphatic reply, a nod of her head reinforcing the point. She snuggled into her Daddy's chest, tugging his arms around her. Daddy's lap was the coziest place in the house, she had to beat Annaleigh to it, though. Her sister was always hogging the best spots.
"Daddy, do mummy dogs get sad when their babies go away?"
He glanced down at her with a raised brow. "I don't know, Maddy." He didn't have that much experience with dogs; his father had kept two greyhounds when he'd been young, but they had never played with the children, preferring to act as sentries for Robert Cornfoot. "Why do you ask?"
A sad little sigh slipped past the seven-year old's bow lips and Maddy lifted wide blue eyes to meet her father's. "Penny's dog had babies and they're going to give them away. Wouldn't you be sad if you couldn't see me anymore?"
"Madeline, you know I'd miss you, but that's not the same," he said, lips curling as he caught on to the angle his precious baby girl was working. "And hasn't your mother already said no to a puppy?"
"But I'm big now!" Maddy insisted, lower lip trembling . "I could feed it and walk it and you and Mummy wouldn't have to do anything! I promise! Please, Daddy?"
Oh no, not the tears. Stephen prided himself on staying firm and not giving in to his children's every request, but when the girls broke out the tears, he was as good as gone. "Maddy," he said, his voice strained, "baby, I don't know if we need a puppy. It's a lot of work."
Eyes brimming with tears that hadn't quite spilled over the edge of her long lashes, Maddy sniffled loudly. "I don't mind. I can be responsbubble. And I could train him to protect us so no bad people can come here. You could make Mummy say yes!" she cried, the last bit broken by distressed hiccups. If Daddy said no, no one would ever get Mummy to change her mind.
"Maddy, Maddy, don't cry," he hurried, petting her long hair soothingly. "I'll talk to Mummy. I can't promise she'll say yes, but I'll talk to her. How's that?"
"Talk to me about what, exactly?" Cassie asked from the doorway, brow raising as she took in the damp-faced little girl being comforted in her father's lap. Their eldest child had learned quickly just what buttons to push when she wanted something. It was probably wrong that Cassie was rather proud about that.
Maddy turned a bright smile to her mother, though her face was still pink from her upset. "Can we get a puppy, Mummy? Daddy doesn't mind!"
"I said we would discuss it with Mummy," Stephen hurriedly interjected before Cassie could unleash on him. "Why don't you tell your mum why you think we should get a puppy?"
"Because he'll protect us from bad people and play with me and sleep on my bed, and I can feed him and walk him in the garden because I'm allowed to go outside all by myself," Maddy said in a rush.
Moving to sit beside them on the sofa, Cassie's lips twitched. Maddy seemed to think this puppy would be just for her. Cassie was willing to bet the other three little monsters wouldn't agree. "And you'd let your brothers and sister play with him, too?"
Maddy's mouth was hanging open and she looked to Stephen for help. Her siblings were still little. They could have a puppy when they were big like her.
Stephen raised his eyebrow at Maddy. "If we got a puppy, princess, you'd have to share him with Jonathan and Annaleigh and Josh." Merlin help him if he wound up with four little children and four puppies.
Frowning, Maddy looked down at her lap, her lower lip jutting forward. "But they're babies. It's not fair!" She started to sniffle again.
"No crying or you won't have to worry about sharing because there will be no puppy, Madeline," Cassie said firmly. Good lord, she'd as much as said they were getting a dog. How did this happen?
"And when they're older, they can help you take care of the puppy. Puppies need lots of love," Stephen said, "and you don't want the puppy to not have enough love, do you?"
She'd give it plenty of love, but saying so would just make Mummy and Daddy change their minds. "No," Maddy replied grudgingly. At least they weren't allowed outside by themselves.
"Alright," Cassie began, "why don't you go tell the others about the new puppy we'll be getting?"
Maddy wrapped her arms around Stephen and gave him a rather wet kiss before whispering in his ear. "Thank you, Daddy." With that, she slipped to the floor and ran from the room. "Jonathan! Annaleigh! Josh! We're getting a puppy!"
Chuckling, Cassie shook her head as she settled in next to her husband. "We really need to build your immunity to tears, love."
"I was powerless," he admitted, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her into his lap. "She looked up at me through those lashes, her big blue eyes filling up with tears, and I couldn't say no."
"Just wait until the tears are because you don't like her boyfriend. I bet you'll manage a 'no' then," she teased, nuzzling his neck. "That will not be a 'no,' it will be a 'hell no,'" he groused. The very thought of nasty boys even thinking about touching his precious princess was enough to put him in a nasty mindset.
Nibbling lightly at the skin of Stephen's neck, Cassie giggled. "You were one of those nasty boys once. I think you turned out alright." She wasn't looking forward to the children getting old enough to date either, but her husband's grumpiness over the thought was just too cute.
"I'll have you know that I was an inexperienced, blushing virgin until you came along and corrupted me with your evil, sexual ways," he said loftily, lips curling in the smallest of smirks. "A paragon of chastity and virtue."
"I did a very good job of it, then," she quipped. "Kudos to me."
Summary: Maddy plays her daddy like a fiddle.
After an afternoon at Penny Summerby's house, Maddy had a mission. Penny's golden retriever had had a litter of puppies and they were just about ready to leave their mother. There were five little balls of golden fluff that licked and nibbled fingers and rolled onto their back for tummy rubs.
She wanted one.
Mummy always said that the four children running around the house were all the animals they needed, but that was before. Maddy was seven now. She didn't need help to cut her meat or comb her hair anymore, and she was even allowed to play in the garden by herself as long as Mummy and Daddy could see her. She was a big girl; she could take care of a puppy.
Peeking through the rooms, she backed quietly from the kitchen when she spotted Mummy and her little brothers and sister. She needed to speak to Daddy first. Maddy was sure he'd agree that she was old enough for her very own pet, and then he'd help her convince Mummy.
It was a very good plan.
She found him in the study. Wiggling into his lap, she hugged him tightly around the neck. "Hi Daddy!"
"Hello, princess," Stephen said with a grin, setting down his issue of Which Broomstick? and giving his eldest a smacking kiss on the forehead. "Did you have fun with Penny?"
"Mmhmm," came the emphatic reply, a nod of her head reinforcing the point. She snuggled into her Daddy's chest, tugging his arms around her. Daddy's lap was the coziest place in the house, she had to beat Annaleigh to it, though. Her sister was always hogging the best spots.
"Daddy, do mummy dogs get sad when their babies go away?"
He glanced down at her with a raised brow. "I don't know, Maddy." He didn't have that much experience with dogs; his father had kept two greyhounds when he'd been young, but they had never played with the children, preferring to act as sentries for Robert Cornfoot. "Why do you ask?"
A sad little sigh slipped past the seven-year old's bow lips and Maddy lifted wide blue eyes to meet her father's. "Penny's dog had babies and they're going to give them away. Wouldn't you be sad if you couldn't see me anymore?"
"Madeline, you know I'd miss you, but that's not the same," he said, lips curling as he caught on to the angle his precious baby girl was working. "And hasn't your mother already said no to a puppy?"
"But I'm big now!" Maddy insisted, lower lip trembling . "I could feed it and walk it and you and Mummy wouldn't have to do anything! I promise! Please, Daddy?"
Oh no, not the tears. Stephen prided himself on staying firm and not giving in to his children's every request, but when the girls broke out the tears, he was as good as gone. "Maddy," he said, his voice strained, "baby, I don't know if we need a puppy. It's a lot of work."
Eyes brimming with tears that hadn't quite spilled over the edge of her long lashes, Maddy sniffled loudly. "I don't mind. I can be responsbubble. And I could train him to protect us so no bad people can come here. You could make Mummy say yes!" she cried, the last bit broken by distressed hiccups. If Daddy said no, no one would ever get Mummy to change her mind.
"Maddy, Maddy, don't cry," he hurried, petting her long hair soothingly. "I'll talk to Mummy. I can't promise she'll say yes, but I'll talk to her. How's that?"
"Talk to me about what, exactly?" Cassie asked from the doorway, brow raising as she took in the damp-faced little girl being comforted in her father's lap. Their eldest child had learned quickly just what buttons to push when she wanted something. It was probably wrong that Cassie was rather proud about that.
Maddy turned a bright smile to her mother, though her face was still pink from her upset. "Can we get a puppy, Mummy? Daddy doesn't mind!"
"I said we would discuss it with Mummy," Stephen hurriedly interjected before Cassie could unleash on him. "Why don't you tell your mum why you think we should get a puppy?"
"Because he'll protect us from bad people and play with me and sleep on my bed, and I can feed him and walk him in the garden because I'm allowed to go outside all by myself," Maddy said in a rush.
Moving to sit beside them on the sofa, Cassie's lips twitched. Maddy seemed to think this puppy would be just for her. Cassie was willing to bet the other three little monsters wouldn't agree. "And you'd let your brothers and sister play with him, too?"
Maddy's mouth was hanging open and she looked to Stephen for help. Her siblings were still little. They could have a puppy when they were big like her.
Stephen raised his eyebrow at Maddy. "If we got a puppy, princess, you'd have to share him with Jonathan and Annaleigh and Josh." Merlin help him if he wound up with four little children and four puppies.
Frowning, Maddy looked down at her lap, her lower lip jutting forward. "But they're babies. It's not fair!" She started to sniffle again.
"No crying or you won't have to worry about sharing because there will be no puppy, Madeline," Cassie said firmly. Good lord, she'd as much as said they were getting a dog. How did this happen?
"And when they're older, they can help you take care of the puppy. Puppies need lots of love," Stephen said, "and you don't want the puppy to not have enough love, do you?"
She'd give it plenty of love, but saying so would just make Mummy and Daddy change their minds. "No," Maddy replied grudgingly. At least they weren't allowed outside by themselves.
"Alright," Cassie began, "why don't you go tell the others about the new puppy we'll be getting?"
Maddy wrapped her arms around Stephen and gave him a rather wet kiss before whispering in his ear. "Thank you, Daddy." With that, she slipped to the floor and ran from the room. "Jonathan! Annaleigh! Josh! We're getting a puppy!"
Chuckling, Cassie shook her head as she settled in next to her husband. "We really need to build your immunity to tears, love."
"I was powerless," he admitted, wrapping his arms around her waist and tugging her into his lap. "She looked up at me through those lashes, her big blue eyes filling up with tears, and I couldn't say no."
"Just wait until the tears are because you don't like her boyfriend. I bet you'll manage a 'no' then," she teased, nuzzling his neck. "That will not be a 'no,' it will be a 'hell no,'" he groused. The very thought of nasty boys even thinking about touching his precious princess was enough to put him in a nasty mindset.
Nibbling lightly at the skin of Stephen's neck, Cassie giggled. "You were one of those nasty boys once. I think you turned out alright." She wasn't looking forward to the children getting old enough to date either, but her husband's grumpiness over the thought was just too cute.
"I'll have you know that I was an inexperienced, blushing virgin until you came along and corrupted me with your evil, sexual ways," he said loftily, lips curling in the smallest of smirks. "A paragon of chastity and virtue."
"I did a very good job of it, then," she quipped. "Kudos to me."
Summary: Maddy plays her daddy like a fiddle.