It was all too much. While every sensible instinct told him he was doing the right thing in returning the beast, his softer emotions overruled him. A tense minute passed for everyone except the happily snoring beast. “Oh, all right,” he snapped. “I’ll give him one more chance. Just one.” Like magic, the sobbing stopped. Emily lifted her head from Annie’s shoulder and turned a wet but smiling face his way. “Thanks, Uncle Mark. He’ll be good from now on. I know he will.” She jumped up and came over to give him a hug before dropping to her knees and giving the dog an even more loving embrace. Kitsu roused himself enough to stop snoring and lick her face with his huge tongue. Determined to assert his authority in some small way, Mark ordered her to bed after her busy day, and without any argument or delay, she went. Followed by the useless watchdog. He turned to his nanny with a feeling she wasn’t going to be so easy to pacify.
