Lizzie tried to soothe the little white pup. “Everything will be okay,” she said. She stroked his back as she walked toward Mariko’s house, but the puppy was not calm. He kept fidgeting, squirming around, and trying to get free.

“What’s the matter, boy?” Lizzie asked. “If you stick with me, I’ll get you home soon.” Now that she could walk on the partially cleared sidewalks, she could make better time. But Spirit kept whining and shifting in her arms.

They were only a block or so from Mariko’s by then. “All right. I’ll put you down if you promise to be good and stay with me,” Lizzie said, trying to sound firm. She hated to let a puppy walk without a leash on, but Spirit seemed so mature. Plus, it wouldn’t be easy for him to run far with all this snow. “Do you promise?” Spirit stopped squirming. He replied with a single, short bark.

I can be good!

“It’s a deal,” Lizzie said, bending down to place Spirit on the icy sidewalk. “Let’s go.”

The puppy stayed dutifully by Lizzie’s side as she made her way to Mariko’s house. Lizzie knew that Mariko’s dad was extremely allergic to dogs— and cats, and guinea pigs, and probably even fish. Lizzie came up with a simple plan. She would tell Mariko what happened, and then they’d go straight to Spirit’s house together. They could hand over the car keys and the puppy, and then they’d go back to Mariko’s to make the candy.

When Lizzie rang the Miyanos’ doorbell, Spirit sat down next to her. Lizzie looked at him. She admired his feathered tail, the one tiny pink spot on his pointed black nose, and his dark, thoughtful eyes.

“Lizzie!” Mariko said as she opened the door. She stared down at Spirit. “Hey, isn’t that one of the Leckners’ puppies? What’s he doing here with you?”

Mariko’s mom, Mrs. Miyano, appeared behind her a moment later. “Oh, that’s Spirit. I thought he was going out to live at Crowners’ Apple Orchard with his sister Sassy.”

“I don’t know anything about Sassy or the orchard,” Lizzie said. “I just know that Mr. Leckner’s car slid off the road down the street and Eli had to go to the hospital.”

“What?” Mrs. Miyano said. “What happened?”

Lizzie told as much as she knew, and Mrs. Miyano and Mariko peppered her with questions.

“Goodness,” Mrs. Miyano finally said. “As if that family doesn’t have enough on their plate just now.”

“Their plate?” Lizzie frowned.

“Mrs. Leckner is, like, eight months pregnant,” Mariko said, holding her hands way out in front of her stomach. “So they were in a hurry to find homes for all their dog’s puppies.”

“It was such a cute litter,” Mrs. Miyano added. “Six little white balls of fluff. We were visiting every day for a while, and we got to know them all.” She sighed, then leaned over and put both hands behind Spirit’s ears, giving him a good scratch. Then she stood up. “You should take Spirit to the Leckners’ house right away. One more minute on our doorstep and Mariko’s dad will be sneezing for hours when he comes home.”

Mariko went back inside to get ready. Lizzie thought it really was too bad that Mr. Miyano was allergic. Mariko and her mom both loved dogs so much.

Mariko appeared again in a long, puffy lavender-colored coat and lace-up snow boots with a fuzzy lining. “Let’s go,” she said, pointing the way.

The two girls and the puppy set off. “That’s it, right there,” Mariko said after they’d passed a couple of houses. She pointed to a gray, two-story house with a wreath on the door. Spirit took off at once. With great strides, he bounced up onto the porch and stood at the door, his tail wagging in a swirling motion.

Here we are! This is my house! My people are inside. And my mom. I’m happy to be home.

Lizzie and Mariko rushed to catch up. Mariko knocked. “I think their doorbell is broken,” she said. “At least it was the last time we visited the puppies.” She took off her purple glove and knocked again, harder this time.

In a few moments, Mrs. Leckner opened the door. She smiled at Mariko. Then confusion clouded her face. “What’s Spirit doing here?” she asked. She stood in the narrow opening, so Spirit could not nudge his way inside.

“Mrs. Leckner,” Mariko began carefully, as if she didn’t want to shock her, “this is my friend Lizzie. She, um, saw Mr. Leckner down the street, and he gave her his car keys and asked her to bring Spirit here.”

Lizzie reached into her pocket and held the keys out. Lizzie noticed Mrs. Leckner’s hands shaking a little as she took them.

“Do you know what happened?” she asked. “Is Eli okay? I just got a jumble of texts from my husband, and I wasn’t sure what to do.” As she spoke, her hand moved to her very round belly, and she rested it there.

“They slid off the road. Eli might have broken his leg, but he seems fine otherwise. He was being very brave. He was calling for Spirit as they put him on the stretcher,” Lizzie explained.

“That boy has a one-track mind,” Mrs. Leckner said, shaking her head.

“Mom!” a voice called from inside the house. “Dad just texted again. He said the tow truck is on its way. He said we should take the keys and meet them at the car.”

Mrs. Leckner raised her hand to her forehead and stared at the ground. “Nora, you’re going to have to come with me,” she called back. “I don’t want to lose my balance on all this ice.” She sighed and looked up again. “But what about Spirit? I thought my husband was taking him to Crowners’ Apple Orchard. They already took his sister Sassy and they’d agreed to take him, too.” She reached for a coat hanging on a hook by the door. “I thought I’d seen the last of our crazy puppy days. And now this! I just can’t have him here.”

“Well, we can’t take Spirit because of my dad’s allergies, but Lizzie’s family is kind of famous for fostering puppies,” Mariko said. She put a hand on Lizzie’s shoulder and smiled. “I’ll bet they can take Spirit, at least for now.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea, Mariko. Lizzie, our whole family would be so grateful.” Mrs. Leckner smiled at Lizzie as she slung her handbag over her shoulder. “Spirit is a super sweet puppy who definitely deserves a good home,” she added. She tried to button her coat around her belly, but only the top two buttons would close. “Nora! We have to go!”

Lizzie opened her mouth, then closed it. What was there to say? Of course she had to help Spirit, but she knew she wasn’t supposed to take on a new foster puppy without her parents’ permission. Before Lizzie could explain the situation, Mrs. Leckner and Nora had pushed past them. Eli’s sister looked like she was in middle school; she was almost as tall as her mom and strong enough to help her down the porch stairs.

Spirit started running circles around their legs and yipping excitedly. “It’s good to see you, too, Spirit!” Nora said.

“I’m sure Lizzie and her family will take good care of you,” Mrs. Leckner said, stooping down with a sigh to pet the puppy’s head. And then she and Nora were off.

Lizzie picked Spirit up before he could bolt after them. They watched together as the puppy’s first family walked away.