Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

When mean and angry Judd, who has never known kindness, takes to drinking and mistreats his dogs, Marty discovers how deep a hurt can go and how long it takes to heal.

Christmas is coming and Marty and his rescued pup Shiloh are sure glad about that, for their town is running low on love and understanding and they hope that the joy of the holiday will bring with it the generosity of spirit that's so lacking.

Is ornery Judd Travers a changed man? Marty believes he is, even when a body is found and just about everyone in town thinks Judd is the murderer. But the piece of orange cloth Shiloh digs up may be a clue to what really happened.

When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.