“C’mon,” Bobby said, getting to his feet. “I’m taking you into my room.”
Your room? In the house? Are you sure that’s a good idea? I want to go and all but won’t we get into more trouble if we do that? I’ve already been in trouble once today. Or was that yesterday? Or maybe the day before?
His tail wagged tentatively. I remember now. It was all of those days. They kind of run together when I don’t get to do anything exciting. I wish I could find a sheep to herd or a lamb to guard once in a while.
The boy led the way. Puddles followed, head held low as if sneaking up on a marauding wolf.
This is how I’d do it if I saw a lamb in danger. I’d be real careful. And quiet. Instinct drove him into a crouch. Then I’d jump up and run! Like this. Watch. I’d go around and around till I knew the time was right, then I’d run in next to the baby lamb and bite the bad guy.
To the eager puppy’s delight, his master laughed. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re making me dizzy.”
I’m showing you my attack plan, silly. You’d be glad I was so brave if there was a real wolf around. Go on. Get in the middle of my circle where I can watch you, and stop giving me trouble. That’s better. You make a really dumb lamb, you know that? Any sheep worth guarding knows it’s smart to pay close attention to the herding dog, especially if a Border collie is the one on duty.
Bobby headed for the back door.
Hey, stand still. I’m herding here, I’m herding here. Why are you so stubborn? No wonder your mother has so much trouble understanding you. I can practically read your mind and I can’t figure you out half the time, either.
“Shush. Stop that barking.”
Why? Oh, yeah. I remember. We’re sneaking into your room. I can do that. Watch how low I can crawl. I like visiting your room. It’s got dirty socks and lots of stuff to chew. We should go over to Mark’s so I can show you the treasures I found there!
That made Puddles remember his master’s earlier mood. He lagged back. Somehow, I’ve got to get you over those dumb ideas about poor Mark. I don’t want to run away. I like it here. Even without any real job to do, this neighborhood feels like my home.
Bobby? Bobby! Wait for me. I just stopped for a sec to check that interesting spot on the kitchen floor. I’m coming, I’m coming!
CHAPTER 15
Worried about her son’s dour mood, Krista decided it would be best if she took him all the way to school the next day rather than trust him to ride the bus. When she pulled up to the curb in front of Serenity Elementary, Principal Vanbruger happened to be standing on the lawn.
“Here we are,” she said cheerily. “I put your milk money in your backpack with your lunch. Have a nice day.” The boy didn’t make any move to get out of the car.
“Yes, I see Mr. Vanbruger, honey. We talked about this at home, remember? He has to be here. He works here. You can’t skip school just because you don’t like one person.”
The sulking child folded his thin arms across his chest and pouted.
Krista got out and circled to the passenger side. “Okay. It’s your decision, not mine. If you want your mother to walk you to class like you’re a kindergartner, then I will, even if it makes me late for work.”
She jerked open Bobby’s door and reached for him. The look of astonished disbelief on his face would have made her grin if she hadn’t fought down the urge. Clearly, her son wasn’t used to taking orders he didn’t agree with. Had she been as soft on the boy as Mark had implied? At first hearing, his opinion had seemed ludicrous, hurtful. Yet perhaps there was a seed of truth in it.
To Krista’s relief, her son undid his seat belt and shuffled out of the car. Gaze cast down, he was studying the toes of his sneakers as if they held the secret of the universe. He wasn’t happy but at least he was moving in the right direction.
Smiling, she looked over at Mark, caught his eye and waved. He waited until Bobby was out of sight before joining her with a joyful “Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
“Looks like Bobby isn’t thrilled to be here.”
Krista laughed. “That’s an understatement if I ever heard one. I thought I had the upper hand when I got him into the car. Getting him out just now was even harder. I’m beginning to think you may have been right.”
“Hey, that’s what they pay me for.” Mark’s grin widened. “Which of my learned opinions are we talking about?”
“Discipline,” she said. “After Len’s accident, Bobby and I both felt miserable and lost. It’s possible I allowed myself to lean too heavily on Len. You know, relying on his opinion rather than making necessary decisions myself.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised.” Stepping closer, Mark grasped her hand. “You were under a lot of stress. You craved sympathy and your son commiserated. Mutual support was what you needed. But that’s all in the past. He’s still a little boy. It’s not too late to make some positive changes and assert your authority. Kids say they don’t want rules, but they flounder without proper guidance.”
She tried to pull away. “Now wait a minute. I may have been a bit lax from time to time but I always set sensible rules.”
“There’s more to it than that. If you don’t believe me, ask Hannah.” Mark released her reluctantly and stepped back. “No parent is perfect, Krista. Not even you. If I didn’t care what happens to Bobby—and to you—I wouldn’t be trying to help. Is that so bad?”
Disgusted with the way her imagination had immediately taken his innocent mention of caring and blown it all out of proportion, Krista purposely concentrated on the discussion she and Bea had had regarding her turbulent first marriage.
If being married to Len Brody had been the equivalent of a vaccination, as she’d professed, then she truly was immune to another man’s charms. Even Mark Vanbruger’s. However, that didn’t mean it was safe to let her guard down when she was with him.
“Well, I have to get to work,” she said. “Hannah will pick Bobby up after school as usual. Bye!”
The smile Mark gave her in parting was so captivating it practically curled her toes. It wasn’t merely unwise to spend time with him, she concluded—it was downright dangerous!
CHAPTER 16
The sound of the metal gate latch awakened Puddles.
Bobby! Hooray! I didn’t know it was time for you to come home. What are we going to do today? Where shall we go? Huh? Huh? I’m ready!
A nylon strap dangled from the child’s left hand. His backpack was in the other.
Do you want to put my leash on? Are we going to the farm? I like the farm. Even the chickens. As soon as I get a little bigger I’m going to herd them. That should be loads of fun, huh?
Running circles around his young master while also diverting to explore interesting natural phenomena, Puddles nevertheless kept up. They’d gone a long way on the rural roadside before the boy got tired. Puddles was panting and ready for a break, too.
Whew! We’ve never been here before, Bobby. Are you sure it’s okay? Your mother might not like us to go so far away from the house. How about taking me over to Mark’s later? The grass under his trees is cool on my tummy. We could stretch out and take a nap. Yeah, that sounds good. I’m bushed.
He plunked down at the boy’s feet. Bobby? Why are you acting so funny? What’s the big hurry? We’ve passed all kinds of delicious smells. Slow down and let me check ’em out.
Suddenly, the boy jumped into the shallow ditch beside the road, dragging the puppy with him. “Hush. Hold still. We have to hide.”
We’re playing hide-and-seek? Oh, goody. My brothers loved that game. I used to always be “it,” though, ’cause I was the smallest. Everybody would pretend to be sheep lost in the forest, and I’d have to go find them and bring them back.
Do you want me to take you home, Bobby? I know the way.
Tears gathered in the boy’s eyes, spilling out onto Puddles’s fur.
Hey, don’t cry. I’ll get you home faster than you can say “Baaaa.”
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“I don’t really want to run away,” Bobby said. “I just want everything to be the way it was before. I want my mama to be happy like she used to be.” He sniffled. “Whatever I do is wrong.”
Puddles lunged, nuzzling the boy’s cheek. There. Better? I know how you feel, kid. I haven’t been doing such a great job of cheering you up lately, either. Maybe you should go lick your mama’s nose. Mine always liked that a lot. She said it made her whiskers tickle.
The sound of the car’s motor faded into the distance. Bobby straightened. “I ate all my lunch at school. I’m hungry.”
Me, too! Did you bring my food? Water? No? Well, what’re we waiting for? Let’s head for home and chow down. C’mon. Follow me.
Standing at the shoulder of the deserted country lane, Bobby looked left and right while the puppy waited for a sign from him. Instead, the boy began to cry.
Oh, brother! You’re lost, aren’t you? I knew it. Mother told me humans could be more stupid about directions than sheep. Well, don’t worry. I’ll lead you home.
He trotted off, then paused, waiting for his master to comprehend. Bobby continued to stand there and wail.
Okay, if that’s the way you want it. I know what to do, but you’d better pay attention to me and move when I run around you or I’ll have to nip your heels to get you to go. It won’t hurt. Not much. I’d never do anything to hurt you, except maybe for your own good. This is a serious job, you know.
Barking repeatedly, the young Border collie dashed at the boy until he finally paid him heed. “You want me to go that way? Is that it?”
Arf! Arf!
To the immense relief of Puddles, Bobby began to follow. Good thing, too. It would be awful to have his first rescue thwarted just because the victim was too slow-witted to understand simple instructions.
CHAPTER 17
“What do you mean, he’s gone?” Krista was astounded. “How could he be gone? I drove him to school myself. You saw me.”
Mark held her trembling hands. “He apparently left the school yard around noon. His teacher missed him when class resumed after lunch.”
“Don’t you have anybody watching the playground?”
“Of course we do. We’re not sure how he slipped away but we suspect he went to your house.”
Krista’s eyes widened. “How do you know? Is he there now?”
“No. I already checked. Puddles is missing though. Unless the dog is an escape artist as well as a wanderer, somebody had to let him out of his pen.”
“Bobby.”
“Most likely. It’s only one-thirty. He hasn’t had time to walk far. I’ve asked the volunteer fire department to help us search. We’ll find him.”
She whipped off her apron and handed it to her boss. “Sorry, Bea. I can’t stay here while everybody else is out looking for Bobby.”
“Of course you can’t. No mama worth her salt could sling hash while her baby was missin’.” She gave Krista a parting hug. “I’ll be prayin’ for you.”
“Thanks.”
Mark escorted her toward the rear door, his hand at the small of her back. “I figured you’d want to go along. I brought my car. You can ride with me.”
“No. We can cover twice the area if I drive separately.”
“And get yourself lost? I used to explore Fulton County as a teenager, and I was forever discovering dirt roads I didn’t know existed, even though I’d been over that same ground before. Besides, you’re upset. That’s no time to be behind the wheel.”
She made a disgusted face at him. “I hate it when you’re right.”
“I’m glad you haven’t lost all your sense of humor. I have a feeling you’re going to need it when we find your son.”
“What am I going to do with him, Mark? This kind of thing can’t go on.”
“Counseling, maybe? We just hired a fella named Bates. He seems pretty knowledgeable.”
“That would be the same as admitting I’ve failed as a mother.” Adding to her chagrin, Mark shook his head and laughed.
“Not hardly,” he said. “Your family had already been through some tough times when you moved to Serenity. I’m not saying that was a mistake. But you have to remember that Bobby probably feels more like an outsider than you or I would if we were in his shoes.”
“So what do I do now?”
“Well,” Mark said, reaching over to give her hand a quick pat. “The first thing we do is locate your son. Then we go from there. It’s possible he just let his dog out to play and followed it when it ran off.”
“Nice try, Vanbruger. Bobby could take alibi lessons from you. Would you care to explain what you think he was doing home in the middle of the day?”
“In my expert opinion,” Mark said, “he was ditching school.”
“You had to go to college to learn that?”
“No. That I learned growing up here. This town is so small you can’t get away with a thing, especially when you’re a kid. No matter how hard I tried to hide my bad behavior, my folks usually knew I’d gotten into trouble before I got home.”
“Len used to say the same thing. Is that why you two were such good buddies?”
“No. We were never close as kids. Too much difference in our ages. When I ran into him in St. Louis, I could see he’d gotten pretty wild. I was worried.”
“That he’d hurt himself?”
“No,” Mark said softly. “That he’d hurt you.”
CHAPTER 18
Limping, Puddles had slowed to a walk by the time home came into sight.
There. See? I told you I’d save you.
He followed Bobby around the house, made a beeline for his water dish and began to lap.
Oh, that tastes wonderful! My tongue was starting to feel yucky, like the time I licked Krista’s slippers and got that pink fuzz stuck on the inside of my mouth. Thought I’d never get it all spit out. Bleah!
Glancing up from his dish, he noticed the weary boy sitting beside him.
You can have a drink. I’ll share. It’s kind of warm but it’s good and wet. That’s all that counts when you’re this thirsty, right?
Bobby was fighting back tears. Sympathetic, Puddles crawled into his lap, cuddled up and closed his eyes. He was already dreaming of herding sheep when shouts awakened him.
Oh, no! While I was napping we were surrounded! Is it wolves? Are we about to be eaten?
He scrambled off the boy’s lap and managed a feeble growl before he realized he’d been mistaken. They weren’t being attacked. They were being hugged. Krista had hold of Bobby and Mark was picking up his tired rescuer.
Hooray! Now I can go back to sleep. I don’t think I’ve ever been this worn out before, not even when my brothers played a trick on me and led me on a chicken chase. Or was that a goose chase? Doesn’t matter. Nothing does right now.
Puddles gave a big yawn and relaxed in the man’s arms. Mark cradled him upside down like a human baby, much to the relief of Puddles’s throbbing paws.
“Oh, no. Krista, look,” the man said.
Puddles wanted to look, too, but he was simply too exhausted to open his eyes. He felt someone gently touching each of his legs in turn.
“Bring him in the house,” Krista said. “I’ll let the volunteers know we’ve found Bobby, and then I’ll call a vet. I’ve heard the one in Peace Valley is good.”
Oh, no. No vet. Don’t want a vet. They have needles and medicine and ouchy stuff. Mama told me. All I need is a little shut-eye and maybe some dinner and I’ll be good as new. Sheepdogs are tough.
In the background, Bobby was whimpering. “I didn’t know. Honest. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
“No, but you did mean to scare me silly,” his mother said.
“Let me hold him. I can take care of him,” the boy demanded, confronting Mark.
Krista stayed firm. “No. Puddles is asleep. Leave him alone.”
“But—but he’s my dog.”
“Right. And you were so busy being mad and thinking about yourself, y
ou let him walk till he hurt his paws. Puppies are babies. You have to treat them gently. I told you that even before we brought him home.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“And I said no. Your dog trusts Mark. Let them alone.” She sensed the gentleness in Mark’s touch as he tenderly petted and soothed the puppy, then blushed furiously when she caught herself wishing she were in its place!
I do trust him, Puddles thought. His arms are strong but he never squeezes me too tight or chokes me with my collar, not even when he’s mad at me for visiting his house by myself. And his heart is tender. He doesn’t let it show, but I know the truth. I can feel love all around him, especially toward Krista.
He sighed. This is wonderful. Here we are, all together in the same house. Even me! We’re one big happy family. And I’m getting my tummy rubbed. Life is so-o-o-o-o good.
CHAPTER 19
The veterinarian kept Puddles overnight for observation. Bobby was so subdued by his responsibility for the puppy’s injuries, he didn’t even argue when his mother sent him to bed a little earlier than usual.
Though his moral support was no longer needed, Mark had hung around all evening. He and Krista sat on her porch swing in the twilight, watching fireflies, listening to whippoorwills call, and trying to unwind. Their camaraderie was so unique she hated to move or speak for fear she’d break the mood.
Mark laid his arm across the back of the swing and caressed her opposite shoulder. “This has been quite a day.”
“You can say that again.”
“Can’t. I’m too tired,” he quipped. “Saying it the first time wore me out.”
Krista laughed. “You make an excellent doggy daddy. I don’t know if my son was impressed with the way you handled Puddles, but I sure was. That’s a tenderhearted part of you I’d never seen before.”
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