Michael Delphy Hunt

Liberty For Christmas Michael Delphy Hunt

Two deserving girls. One adorable beagle puppy. Who gets Liberty for Christmas? All 11 year old Alexis Hartman wants for Christmas is Liberty, an eight week-old orphaned beagle puppy. All 10 year old Casey Taylor wants for Christmas is Liberty, as well. All Liberty wants for Christmas is love and a family. After a mix-up at a local pet store results in competing adoption claims for Liberty, the perfect Christmas visions of Alexis and Casey are threatened. When neither family can agree on who has a superior legal right to Liberty, the single parent of each child (Felicia for Alexis and JT for Casey) consents to employ a neutral third-party to observe Liberty with each child, and render a binding decision as to whom should be awarded permanent custody of Liberty. Forced to temporarily share rotating custody of Liberty, Felicia and JT rekindle a childhood friendship that began and ended in grade school, some thirty years earlier. To JT and Felicia's pleasant surprise, in the span of days, their unexpected union deepens into feelings far more heartfelt. As part of the evaluative process, both families agree to a set of rules, with the two most important being-1) remain civil to one another at all times, and 2) do no harm unto Liberty. Liberty responds well to, and loves the attention given by, both Alexis and Casey. She would be happy with either child, either family. However, neither Alexis, nor Casey can conceive of Christmas without Liberty. Ultimately, the evaluative process strains the relationships of all involved. When both rules are challenged and compromised, unintended consequences occur, which definitively impact which family secures permanent custody of Liberty. Liberty For Christmas is a heart-warming and enduring novel of love and family for any age, at any time. For as we all know, in the end, everyone wants Liberty For Christmas.