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  Animal Lovers Praise Kristin von Kreisler

  An Unexpected Grace

  “Kristin von Kreisler is an acute observer of dogs and a fine novelist. Her novel about the healing powers of dogs is enchanting. I was captivated from page one and I learned a great deal from this heartwarming, thrilling book.”

  —Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, New York Times bestselling author of Dogs Never Lie About Love

  “Kristin von Kreisler weaves a modern tale that seems at first to be a relentless search to understand a workplace shooting. But wait; von Kreisler takes us deeper into the powerful connections between humans and animals who are wounded by the incomprehensible and bound together by love.”

  —Jacqueline Sheehan, New York Times bestselling author of Picture This and Lost and Found

  “In An Unexpected Grace, Kristin von Kreisler deftly tackles the age-old question of how to make sense of tragedy. When Lila’s world falls apart, she learns that hope can come from unexpected places. With vivid descriptions and true-to-life characters, von Kreisler proves it’s possible to heal, trust again, and love deeper than before. A heartwarming story on the healing power of dogs.”

  —Susy Flory, New York Times bestselling author of Thunder Dog

  “Kristin Von Kreisler understands the unique bond between survivors of trauma in this captivating novel of a woman and a dog learning to trust each other in a threatening world. You have to root for them as the damaged heroines of An Unexpected Grace, woman and dog, find the healing power of trust and love in each other.”

  —Susan Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of The Dog Who Danced and One Good Dog

  “A sweet and charming story of the tender, patient, and forgiving nature of our canine friends, Kristin von Kreisler’s An Unexpected Grace will warm the heart of anyone who has ever loved a dog.”

  —Amy Hill Hearth, New York Times bestselling author of Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters’ First 100 Years and author of Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women’s Literary Society

  For Bea

  “[For Bea] kept me reading late into the night. Bea is unforgettable. Her story will touch your heart.”

  —Mary Tyler Moore

  “We all love our pets, but there is always that ‘special one’ from whom we learn so much and whose influence lasts a lifetime. Bea is such a one. A lovely story.”

  —Betty White

  “This moving and extraordinary story needed to be told. I say ‘Brava!’ for caring individuals like Kristin von Kreisler.”

  —Rue McClanahan

  “The book is beautiful.”

  —Bea Arthur

  “It’s tough to look at a beagle without smiling, even though those soulful eyes often belie strong wills and independent natures. From the first to the last page of this deeply touching love story, you can’t help thinking, ‘What a lucky dog, what a lucky person.’ ”

  —Jon Katz, New York Times bestselling author of The Second-Chance Dog

  “With the keen eye of a journalist and compassionate heart of a dog lover, Kristin von Kreisler paints a portrait of an unassuming but unforgettable little dog. Beyond Bea’s endearing ways and forgiving spirit, this book explores a larger issue: mankind’s seemingly infinite capacity to hurt—then heal—the animals with whom it shares the world.”

  —Paul Irwin, president, Humane Society of the United States

  “[For Bea] is a journey beautifully captured . . . a lyrical tale of the sometimes miracle-making bond between human and beast.”

  —San Francisco Chronicle

  “This is the perfect feel-good read.”

  —Tribune Media Services

  “[Von Kreisler] weaves a lovely tale. As you read the book, you can feel the softness of Bea’s ears, sense what is behind the soulful stare, and ache at her obvious reluctance to trust.”

  —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

  [For Bea is a] colorful, high-energy memoir . . . If you like happy endings with a poignant magic in the air, von Kreisler delivers.”

  —The Seattle Times

  “This book is a charming, inspirational story.”

  —Knight Ridder

  “I urge you to check out For Bea because it’s more than a story of an animal rescued from a terrible life. It’s also the story of the gifts that special animals like Bea bring to us, if we’ll just take the time to discover them.”

  —San Jose Mercury News

  “A story such as this one . . . will be heartwarming to any animal-lover.”

  —AKC Gazette

  “A worthy addition to collections of true dog stories and reminiscences.”

  —Library Journal

  “Compassion and love abound in this short but life-changing book. Read, weep, and share Bea with everyone you can.”

  —Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

  “A lovely, gentle heart-pleaser of a story.”

  —Susan Chernak McElroy, author of Why Buffalo Dance

  “Von Kreisler has captured the rare and wonderful relationship between a dog and a person who have rescued each other, who respect each other, and who grow closer day by day. Told with wit, compassion, and intellect, the story of Bea is hard to put down.”

  —Joanna Burger, author of The Parrot Who Owns Me

  Beauty in the Beasts

  “If you love animals, you’re going to be crazy for Kristin von Kreisler’s new book, Beauty in the Beasts.”

  —USA Today

  “This is a feel-good overview of animals’ heroic deeds. Readers of all ages will eagerly welcome this charming study.”

  —Publisher’s Weekly

  “The stories collected for this book are heartwarming examples of animals caring for one another and for their human companions . . . This book is for any animal lover.”

  —Booklist

  “Kristin von Kreisler has penned a book about the astonishing acts of animals. Her theory is that animals are sensitive, compassionate beings who choose to do good . . . If you’re a pet lover yourself, you’re bound to agree.”

  —Jane Chestnutt, editor-in-chief, Woman’s Day

  “It’s been questioned whether animals are capable of choice, and that frequently they choose to do good. Combining expert scientific opinion with anecdotal evidence, von Kreisler makes a highly convincing case.”

  —Quality Paperback Book Review

  “Most of the accounts in Beauty in the Beasts are warmly uplifting. A few will bring tears to your eyes.”

  —Virginian-Pilot

  “The hundreds of animal stories here are incredibly interesting to learn about, and the scientific approaches to animal behavior are food for thought.”

  —Long Beach Union

  The Compassion of Animals

  “An inspiring collection of animal loyalty, love, and bravery. No one can deny the emotional impact of this anecdotal book.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “An extraordinary combination of incredible research and deep feeling.”

  —Cleveland Amory, author of

  The Cat Who Came for Christmas

  “Through dozens of inspiring true stories, Kristin von Kreisler makes a strong case for a ‘controversial premise’—that animals demonstrate genuine acts of compassion toward others every day. This book will remove the ‘controversial’ from the premise!”

  —Paul Irwin, president, Humane Society of the United States

  “Ms. Von Kreisler is fearless, intriguing, and compassionate. Highly recommended.”

  —Roger Caras, president, ASPCA

  “Nobody writes about animals better than Kristin von Kreisler.”

  —Christopher Willcox, editor-in-chief, Reader’s Digest

  Also by Kristin
von Kreisler

  The Compassion of Animals

  Beauty in the Beasts

  For Bea

  An Unexpected Grace

  Kristin

  von Kreisler

  KENSINGTON BOOKS

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Animal Lovers Praise Kristin von Kreisler

  Also by Kristin von Kreisler

  Title Page

  Dedication

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  A READING GROUP GUIDE - AN UNEXPECTED GRACE

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  About the Author

  Copyright Page

  For Jimmy Wolf, the brother I’ve adopted,

  and Debby Harrison, his wife and my dear friend

  With love and thanks

  Now is the time for the world to know

  That every thought and action is sacred.

  This is the time

  For you to compute the impossibility

  That there is anything

  But Grace.

  —Hafiz

  1

  Lila’s father called her stubborn, but she preferred to put a positive spin on it and say she was determined. Today only a determined person would go outside and brave the storm. The sky was charcoal gray; rain was pounding down in sheets. The local NPR newsman had said that wind had toppled trees and battered boats moored in San Francisco Bay.

  Waiting at the door of her apartment building, Lila braced herself for getting wet. She shouldn’t go to work today, she thought. She could snuggle under her down comforter, sip Morning Sunburst tea, and listen to rain tap her windows. She could escape eight long hours at Weatherby and Associates Public Relations, the last place she’d ever expected or wanted to work.

  But, mustering her resolve, Lila chased away these tempting thoughts. She could not go back to bed. Not when she was living in an apartment she called Cockroach Manor, existing on tuna and beans from the Grocery Outlet, and saving every penny for six months to be a full-time artist. Since breaking up with her ex-boyfriend, Reed, in whose house she’d lived the past five years, she had to get back on her financial feet and put together her next art exhibit. Striking out into a storm was nothing compared to picking up a brush and doing her real work. On Lila’s scale of importance, getting rained on was a mouse’s squeak, and painting was an elephant’s trumpet.

  Her best friend, Cristina, pulled up at the curb in front of the door in her Volvo station wagon. She’d insisted on driving Lila to work to keep her from riding her bike in the rain. Lila stepped outside and opened her umbrella. As wind ruffled her fleece-lined poncho and blew her hair across her face, she sloshed down the steps. By the time she reached the sidewalk, water had gotten into her size-eleven loafers and was squishing between her toes. A moving van rumbled by and left a trail of exhaust fumes. A chill from the Bay blew in her face. She shivered.

  “I’m glad you made it. Nobody should be driving this morning,” Lila said as she opened the door.

  “Sorry I couldn’t get here sooner. There was a wreck on the Golden Gate.” Cristina tossed her purse in the backseat to make room for Lila.

  She climbed into the car, set her backpack at her feet, and clicked on her seat belt. As she fluffed damp bangs off her forehead, she said, “I think it’s time to build an ark.”

  Cristina’s dark Italian eyes shone when she laughed. “We’re late.” She sped down the street. To get downtown to the Crockett Building, where she and Lila worked on different floors, she turned left onto Geary and ran a yellow light. “I’ve got a surprise,” she said. “Look in my purse. Get the manila folder in the side pocket.”

  “I know what the surprise is going to be.” Cristina had been springing the same one on Lila for eighteen years. With reluctance, she reached to the backseat, grabbed the folder, and set it in her lap.

  “Open it,” Cristina urged. “I’ve made a new poster.”

  “I don’t have to see it. What do you have this time? A poodle? A Lab?” Another ambush was in the making. Cristina would badger her about adopting a dog.

  “Her name is Grace. She’s the best one yet. The world’s most precious.”

  Cristina flipped on the car’s interior light so Lila could see the poster better. As usual, at the top was written in three-inch block red letters, NEEDS A HOME! This time what needed a home, however, was not the world’s most precious. It was the world’s saddest golden retriever.

  Grace’s lugubrious eyes looked straight at Lila and begged for a bowl of kibble and a reassuring hug. Grace’s forehead was rumpled as if she were worried, and she was so scrawny that her ribs stuck out like a corrugated roof. Cristina had obviously tied a red bandana around Grace’s neck to add a cheerful, festive look, but it had failed. Anyone could tell this dog had seen hard times. Her odometer had too many miles on it. She looked as worn as a tennis ball that had lost its fuzz.

  That was probably why the man next to her in the photo seemed protective. Lila couldn’t read his expression because he was looking down at Grace. But his body language said he was keeping her from harm. He’d wrapped his sturdy arm around her back, pulled her close, and curled his hand across her chest. His plaid wool jacket’s softness must have comforted her. She looked small, nestled against his shoulder, which seemed to say, I’ll keep you safe and warm.

  Lila asked, “Who’s the man?”

  “Adam Spencer. My friend from the dog park. I’m not looking for a home for him. It’s Grace I’m worried about.”

  “No need to worry. You always find somebody for your dogs.”

  “Why don’t you take her?”

  Here we go. The inevitable question. Cristina had asked it more times than Lila wanted to remember.

  “You even match. You’re both strawberry blondes. People would kill for your curls,” Cristina continued. “She could protect you.”

  “I don’t need protection.”

  “Keep you company, then.”

  “How do I know she won’t attack me?”

  “You’ve got to get over what happened twenty-five years ago. You have to forgive and move on.”

  “Not a chance. I’m scared of dogs. I can’t help how I feel.”

  Every time Lila saw a dog—especially a large, galumphing one—she thought only of fangs, and her heart pounded like it was trying to break out of her chest and run down the street. Her mind always flashed back to the white-and-tan mutt she’d met the summer after fourth grade as he was lounging around, as big as a moose, in front of Walmart. Then an ardent dog lover, Lila had stooped down to pet him, just as she petted every dog she found. She had expected him to give her a dopey smile and thump his tail on the sidewalk. Maybe he’d slobber on her, though she wouldn’t mind.

  But he’d snapped his eyes open, jumped to his feet, and stuck his face in hers. When he snarled, she’d smelled his sour breath and cringed at his yellow fangs. He’d lunged at her and sunk his teeth into the very hand she’d reached out to pet him with. Lila had the scars to prove you couldn’t trust dogs. If she’d created the world, there wouldn’t be a dog whisker in it.

  “If Grace were a cat, I’d adopt her,” Lila said. “But I can’t afford a pet right now.”

  “You’d love
a dog if you’d give her a chance. Grace would never hurt you.” Cristina sighed with exasperation and passed a FedEx truck. “I’m not giving up till you get a dog. You’re missing out . . .”

  “Truce?” Lila patted Cristina’s arm to convey I love you, but let it go.

  “Okay, okay.” Cristina stopped at a red light.

  To steer her to another subject, Lila returned to the storm. “About building that ark? Where do you think we could get some wood?”

  Armed with four dog posters that she had agreed to put up in restrooms, Lila rushed twenty minutes late into Weatherby’s reception area. It was a brightly lit, cheerful place, where you could practically grab the urge for teamwork from the air. Nature photos on the walls suggested mountains climbed to get things done for clients, and rivers flowing toward their fame and fortune. A promise of public relations success was practically woven into the sofa’s royal-blue upholstery.

  Lila waved to Emily, the receptionist, who was about to retire. “At lunch I’ll bring you the begonia I rooted for you,” Lila said.