“Thanks.” Willajean, her expression sad, petted Lance.
Luke wondered how he’d feel if six months from now he had to give Lightning up. Awful. Sick to his stomach. Lousy.
Did Megan notice her mom’s grief? He glanced at Megan, but she was watching the pups. Did she know Willajean was a great mom to let her train Lance? Or would she only realize it later? Like him. He remembered the time Mom bought him a Hershey Bears sweatshirt with her teapot money. She’d been saving for a laptop.
“I can wait a few more weeks,” Mom had said, waving it off.
He’d thanked her, but now he understood she never would have gotten that laptop. Every time Luke or his brothers wanted something that they didn’t need, Mom dipped into her teapot and bought it.
If only he could have one more day with Mom. Just one day to tell her how much she meant to him and to apologize.
I was safe inside the move theater. I shouldn’t have called her to come get me.
Swallowing, Luke focused on the present. Willajean and Megan had moved away as if they sensed he needed some space. Odd how he could be having a great day, and then…wham! A memory or guilt would ruin it.
Okay that’s enough. He concentrated on the puppies. The black-collared pup was a chubby male. He liked to barrel through his littermates, using his weight to push them aside.
Luke smiled as the perfect name came to him. “Hurricane.”
During the afternoon, families arrived to pick up their new puppies. After each pup left, Willajean disappeared into the house and only returned when the next car drove down the driveway.
Willajean greeted the last customer with a red nose and blotchy skin.
“Is your mom sick?” Luke asked Megan.
“No. Mom’s upset to see the puppies go. I’m not. They almost destroyed the sunroom last night, and I’m tired of cleaning up after them.”
Luke understood both of them. He’d miss them all, but a part of him agreed with Megan. The litter had been a handful, and now he could concentrate all his attention on Lightning.
After the last customer left, Willajean moved Lightning and Hurricane into the big crate next to Lance so they wouldn’t be lonely.
As they prepared the food for the next day, another car crunched along the drive. Willajean hurried out. Soon voices approached the kennel. Luke and Megan exchanged a concerned look when Willajean entered with a scowling man.
“I’m sorry about the mix-up, Rodney. I had you down for one of Sweetie’s pups. You can have the puppy I saved for myself.” Willajean picked up Hurricane. “He’s a—”
“I don’t want a male. I specifically requested a female so I can breed her. The creases in Rodney’s face deepened.
Oh no. Luke clutched his hands together. Willajean had promised this man a papillon, and the only female left was Lightning. His good mood fled in an instant.
“I’m really sorry. You can have pick of my next litter. Sweetie—”
“I want a pup from Lady. She has excellent markings.” Rodney stabbed a finger at Lightning. “What about this one? Is it a female?”
A numb horror washed over Luke. No way Willajean would upset a paying customer.
“She’s sold to someone else.” Willajean kept her gaze on Rodney.
“Can you see if your other customer will wait for a pup from Sweetie? I paid top dollar for this dog, and I’ve a timeline of my own, you know.”
A painful knot gripped Luke’s stomach. The last thing he wanted was to lose Lightning, but Willajean had been so nice to him, and she’d done so much for him. She needed his help this time. He couldn’t be selfish.
Could he?
CHAPTER 11
The Boy Whose Mother Died
“Take her,” Luke said to Rodney. “I can wait for the next litter.” His heart shattered.
“No,” Willajean said. “I’ve first pick of Robert Crick’s litter.” Before Rodney could protest, she held up a hand. “The stud’s the same one I used for Lady, and the mother is Crimson Ivy of Hundred Acre Kennels. You can have that pup. The litter will be ready next week.”
Luke gaped at Willajean. He opened his mouth to object, but the words caught in his throat.
“Crimson Ivy? She won best in breed at Westminster.” Rodney’s face smoothed, and his blue eyes glowed. “Are you sure?”
“Quite certain. Do we have a deal?”
“Of course.” Rodney pumped Willajean’s hand. With a smile and wave he left the kennel.
“But, Willajean…” Completely at a loss, Luke spread his hands.
“Lightning is your puppy. I promised you first. Besides, I made the mistake. You shouldn’t suffer because of it.”
Yeah, but people suffered all the time over other people’s mistakes. His dad and brothers hurt because of him. And his mom—
Willajean returned Hurricane to the crate and headed for the house. Luke let Lightning out. He gave the little dog a quick hug.
“Wow, Luke, that was really really nice,” Megan said.
He shrugged. “You’d do the same, right?”
“Wrong. I wouldn’t give up Lance for all the money in the world.”
He kept quiet. She didn’t understand why he’d offered Lightning to the man. It was like Mom’s teapot money. She could have spent it on herself, but she didn’t. Mom enjoyed spending it on her sons. To Luke, seeing Willajean happy was more important.
Megan and Luke resumed preparing the dogs’ food in the kitchen while Lance and Lightning dove for anything that dropped on the floor.
“I don’t want to go to school,” Megan said as she peeled the carrots. “Alayna’s all excited. She even has her first day outfit ironed and hanging in her closet. She’ll love being the new girl and getting all the attention. I won’t.”
“It’s better than being ignored,” Luke said, thinking of his friend, Ethan, who’d avoided him after Mom died. Plus Dad still evaded him with the determination of an army drill sergeant.
“No it isn’t. I’d rather no one noticed me. I’d rather be going to my school back in North Carolina.”
“You can text your friends at lunch.” Luke dumped rice into the cooker.
“Really? They let you text in school?”
“Only at lunch.”
“That’s pretty cool.”
“I guess. But if you’re caught texting at any other time, your cell phone is confiscated. And the only way to get it back is for one of your parents to pick it up.” He added water and turned the cooker on.
“That probably won’t happen to me. I don’t get many texts anymore,” Megan said in a quiet voice.
Luke glanced at her. She was chopping the onions with extra force. Were those tears on her cheeks from the onions or not? He kinda understood how she felt. Megan had moved away from her friends, but Luke’s had backed away from him.
Partly my fault. Being around Ethan – who still had his mother – hurt too much. The few times he’d gotten together with his friend after the accident had been complete disasters. But now… Now he could handle it better, but it was too late.
“I’d text you if I had a phone,” Luke said.
“So you can tell me how great Lightning is?” She smirked at him.
“Of course. Did I tell you she almost caught a cricket this morning?”
Megan rolled her eyes. “Many times.”
They pulled the frozen meat from the freezer.
“I’m going to miss Lighting when we go back to school,” Luke said.
“She’s so small, you can probably smuggle her into class in your backpack.” Megan laughed.
Luke didn’t. Megan’s comment had struck him like lightning.
No storms threatened for the first day of school. A good sign. Luke pedaled to
Willajean’s. Today was one of the few days Luke didn’t mind going to school. Everything would be new – teachers, classes, locker, schedule. But soon it would fade into boredom and routine.
At least this year he had Lightning.
He arrived at the kennel in time to help finish the morning feeding. Alayna wore an apron so her new clothes wouldn’t get dirty. Megan pretended to spill a bowl of dog food on her sister. Alayna shrieked and complained to Willajean, who ignored her.
After the last dog was fed, Luke had a few minutes to play with Lightning before they needed to leave.
“Hey, Luke, can you check the temperature sensor after school?” Willajean asked.
“Sure. Why?”
“I think one of the wires is loose. I looked at the data Alayna recorded yesterday, and it reported a high temperature of twenty degrees.”
“Does she know how to work the data logger?” he asked.
Alayna glared at him. “If you can do it, any idiot can do it too.”
“So you’re an idiot then?” Megan asked.
Alayna rounded on Megan, who smiled sweetly at her.
“I don’t have time to bother with children.” Alayna slammed the door behind her and headed up the driveway.
“There goes the princess.” Megan pretended to bow. “Going to catch her big yellow carriage.”
Luke laughed. “We’d better get going, too.”
Megan kicked off her work boots and put on a pair of flip-flops. She wore jean shorts and a T-shirt like always, but these didn’t have any stains or holes in them. Her messenger bag was clean, too. Luke fingered the duct tape on his shoulder strap. He had fixed Jacob’s old backpack because his was beyond repair.
As they biked to school, she stayed right next to him. Luke did all the talking.
“You’ll like Mr. Savoca, he never gives homework.”
“Don’t eat the taco salad unless you want to burp all day.”
“Don’t use the water fountain next to the gym. The water tastes like metal, and it’s warm. There’s another one right around the corner that’s newer.”
“Avoid Mr. Adams, the athletic director. He’s tall and bald, so you can’t miss him. If you catch his attention, he’ll bug you to sign up for a sport.”
Megan locked her bike next to Luke’s but hung back as he headed for the front doors. She was acting weird. He’d bet if the school had been full of dogs, she’d be running inside. Thinking about it, he guessed he’d act the same way if this was his first day in a brand-new school.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you around.”
He led her through the crowded and noisy hallways. Kids stared at them both. A new kid walking with the boy whose mother died. A strange pair. Luke kept moving, ignoring the gawkers. Nothing could help him, but Megan needed a friend who wouldn’t attract as much attention. He scanned lockers and spotted Jenna.
Jenna was nice to everyone. She was also a math genius and had helped him a couple times last year without making him feel stupid. Plus she didn’t get as awkward after his Mom died. She’d treated him almost the same. He slowed. Would she still be okay?
“Uh, Jenna…”
“Hey, Luke. How was your summer?” Jenna smiled.
“Uh, fine. This is Megan, she’s new and—”
“Hi, Megan. Where are you from?”
“North Carolina,” Megan said.
After that, it didn’t take Jenna long to drill Megan about her schedule. Megan handed Jenna her class list in self-defense.
“Oh, my God, we have fourth period geometry and first period earth science together,” Jenna said. She tugged on Megan’s arm. “The science lab is down this hallway. Let’s go. Later, Luke.”
Megan flashed him a big grin as she followed Jenna. He shot her a thumbs-up before reporting to his first period class. English. Ugh. His least favorite subject. And to make it worse, Ethan sat three seats away. He didn’t glance up as Luke passed him. A complete dodge.
Luke hunched over his desk and fidgeted with his pencil. And tried not to stare at the tall, thin boy that had once been his best friend. Ethan’s hair had turned almost white from the sun, and his tanned skin meant he’d had spent his summer at the pool. Luke wondered who Ethan had invited to go with him this year. Matt or Grant? Both? Luke’s stomach churned.
The day went downhill from there. Just like at the end of last year, kids whispered behind his back. The teachers treated him as if he’d break. After a summer with Megan, he’d forgotten how weird everyone had been around the boy whose mother died.
By the time he met Megan at the bike rack after school, he wanted to scream. Instead, he pedaled fast, heading toward the kennel. He had to get far away or he’d burst. Megan did all the talking.
“Jenna is super sweet. She already texted me at lunch.”
“The brownies were unbelievable. At my old school all we had for dessert was pudding.”
“Did you know earth science has a meteorology unit? I bet you’ll ace that test.”
“We got brand-new textbooks in history. I love the smell of new books.”
When they reached the kennel, Luke dumped his bike and ran inside. Lightning yipped, dancing with excitement. He picked her up. She licked his nose. And he no longer wanted to scream.
Every morning, Luke biked to Willajean’s and met up with Megan. After school they raced back to the kennel to play with their dogs, help with the late afternoon training session, and record weather data for Willajean.
He stayed at Willajean’s as long as possible, doing homework with Megan and eating dinner with her family a couple times a week. Dad didn’t seem to mind that Luke was never home. At least, he hadn’t said anything. But Luke and Dad weren’t exactly talking.
They exchanged a few words before both bolting, and Luke spent a ton of time in his room alone. This awkward relationship had a good side – no conversations about the puppy or school, and a bad – Dad still hated him. Luke’s insides knotted.
By mid-October Lightning was housebroken and had learned a few good manners like sit, stay, and be quiet when signaled. All Luke had to do was place his finger on his lips, and she’d settle down.
On the morning of the seventeenth, the Weather Channel tracked a Nor’easter brewing close to the East Coast and heading north. Heavy rain was predicted for central Pennsylvania on the eighteenth. Luke would miss school tomorrow.
After the afternoon training session was completed, Luke pulled a couple of his books from his backpack and hid them in the kennel. Then he put Lightning into his backpack.
He left the top unzipped, and Lightning stood on the remaining books, poking her head through the gap. Not sure what she would do, Luke mounted his bike and started out slowly. The little dog stayed in the pack and seemed to enjoy the wind in her face.
When he reached home, he pulled off his pack, gave Lightning the quiet signal, and pushed her down so he could zip it closed. Dad barely glanced up as Luke hurried upstairs to his room. And for once, Luke’s chest didn’t tighten over being ignored. He let Lightning out, pressing a finger to his lips again. She sniffed every inch of the room before settling down on the bed.
Happy for the first time since March, Luke curled up next to her. Before turning out the light, he called Megan. “Just so you know, I brought Lightning home.”
Surprised, Megan asked, “Your dad let you?”
“No. I snuck her in.”
“What about tomorrow morning? Won’t your dad see her when you leave for school?”
“I’m not going to school. Dad will cover for me,” Luke explained. Dad let him stay home on stormy days.
“Luke, what’s with you and the rain?” Megan asked. “My mom can drive us.”
He bit his lip. Should he tell Megan and risk having her laugh at him
?
“I don’t like it,” he said quietly into the phone.
“Like what?”
“Being exposed. Being at the mercy of the forces of nature. Forces that don’t care if they ruin your life.”
“Oh,” Megan said. “Is this about…your mom?”
“You know?” If Megan started treating him different, he’d… What? Not much he could do. It would just suck big time.
“We knew she’d…died, but not how or when. Jenna told me the details.”
Great. The silence on the phone stretched past awkward. “I never liked storms. Even when I was little. What happened to my mom just proves how dangerous they are.”
Another pause. Oh no, here comes some stupid comment about Mom being in heaven, or it was just her time. Words that made it hurt more.
“Guess it sucked being right,” Megan said.
“Yep.”
“Want me to get your assignments tomorrow?”
“No,” he said quickly. He didn’t want Megan to make a special trip in the rain just for him. If Luke had his way, all his family and friends would stay home during storms. Too bad, he never got his way.
At least he had Lightning to keep him company this time. The next morning after everyone left, Luke let Lightning out of his room. She explored every corner be-fore curling up on his lap while he watched the Weather Channel. Luke gazed at the small dog and wished Mom could have met her. He smiled just imagining it.
Mom would have been all obnoxious. “Told you she’d be perfect, Luke. Didn’t I?”
He’d agree, and then she’d coo over Lightning and feed her treats, spoiling the dog rotten. Just like she’d done with the bloods. They’d all lost weight since March. Luke wondered if they missed her, too. Funny that he’d never thought about it before now.
“Do you have big plans for tomorrow?” Megan asked. She was playing tug-of-war with Lance. When she won, she threw the toy. Lance and Lightning chased after it.
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