Belle's Challenge Page 7

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  When we got home from the ice cream shop, Darcy spread a blanket on the floor in her sleeping burrow. Pointing to it she said, “Lie down, Buster and Belle.”

  Wriggling my nose, I smelled liver flavored treats in her jeans pocket and plopped down.

  Buster let his haunches drop, then spread his forelegs with a long sigh. “Now what?” he asked.

  “I think Darcy’s going to teach us something,” I replied, eyes on her face.

  She opened a small book and laid it between us. Patting a page with one hand, she took my paw with the other, placing it on the open volume. “Good dog, Belle.” Giving me a treat, she faced Buster, patted the page and pressed his paw onto it.

  He stared at me. “What in dog heaven?”

  Cocking my head and relaxing, I laughed at his befuddled expression. “I don’t know, but I’m enjoying the biscuits.”

  Darcy repeated the action, patting the book, placing our paws on it and giving us treats. Again and again, we did the exercise.

  Then she held the book out to me, tapped, and sat still.

  I waited for her to pick up my paw. She slapped the book again. When I didn’t move, she laid my paw on the page.

  Confused, I stared at it. Why didn’t she speak? Usually when she wanted something, she used a word, like ‘jump.’

  Was the tap a signal? Did it mean I should put my foot on the book? I nuzzled her hand. Sometimes it would be so nice to speak people language, not just understand it.

  Turning to Buster, she tapped. Wagging his tail, he slurped his tongue on her lips.

  “Poof!” Giggling, she wiped her mouth with her arm.

  The tap must mean something. Eyes on her, I lifted my paw.

  Giving off a faint lightning smell, she tapped again.

  I laid my paw on the page.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “That’s right. Good dog. Good Belle.”

  I got not one but two liver treats.

  “That’s it, Buster,” I muttered between bites. “When she taps, put your paw on the book.”

  “Glad you figured it out,” he retorted and yawned.

  I gave him a sour look. Holy fleas, how could he be that way? I’d just learned an interesting new command.

  Darcy tapped again and again. Each time, I slapped my paw down right where she wanted it. What a game. Tail flying back and forth, I licked her neck. “Try it, Buster, it’s fun.”

  “All right, if it makes her happy.” He nuzzled Darcy.

  She tapped the book and he thumped his foot onto it.

  She dropped three liver flavored treats in front of him. Wait a minute. I only got two. No fair.

  Darcy worked with Buster a few more times, then snapped on our leashes and led us to the door. I tap danced in a circle. Another walk. Maybe she’d take us to Susan’s and I could show off my new trick to Jazzy. Prancing, I strained toward the hall.

  She led us back to the blanket, pulling our leashes to make us sit.

  When we dropped to our haunches, she pushed on our shoulders. “Let’s get comfy and read.”

  We lay down on the blanket.

  “Good dogs.” Leading us back to the door, she repeated the sequence.

  After several tries I turned to Buster. “‘Let’s get comfy and read’ is another command for ‘lie down’.”

  “You think?” His ears hung low as we trotted to the door again.

  “I’ll bet you a dog biscuit.”

  Darcy led us back to the blanket. “Let’s get comfy and read.”

  I lay down.

  “Good dog,” Darcy handed me a treat.

  I gave my ears a defiant lift. “Ha!” I snipped.

  Darcy pulled us up. “Let’s get comfy and read.”

  We both settled on the blanket. She dropped down between us, opened the book and patted the page.

  I plopped my paw on it. So did Buster.

  Hugging us, Darcy passed out more treats, and rubbed Buster’s ears. “You are the biggest doofus. You might be slow to pick up commands, but Guadalupe Sanchez was right. You’ll make lots of friends at the library.”

  Leaning against Darcy, I pushed my head into her knee and whimpered. “I thought you were depending on me.”

  She laughed. “Oh yes, I love you too, Belle. You’re all set for your first trip to the library.”

  I hung my head. Not a word about what I’d done well today.

  Chapter 8

  Emily Strikes Back

  I followed Darcy and Buster into a huge den that smelled of books and ink. This must be the library.

  Lifting my head, I took a good sniff of the place. The guy in the arm chair by the window reeked of paint. A girl near the shelves smelled of lilac talc. When she saw, us she laughed, her voice blending with rustling papers and scratching pencils.

  Rabid cats, so many people. The two I’d sniffed smelled friendly, but what about the others? Ears erect and nostrils flared, I awaited the harsh sounds and peppery smells that would tell me if I needed to defend myself.

  The food burrow’s worth of odors that filled my nose—garlic, sardines, crackers—smelled okay. Wait. Here came another smell. Lily of the valley. Margaret!

  Turning toward the scent, I saw her standing near bean bag chairs where kids curled with books in their hands.

  Thank you, dog heaven. Straining against my leash, I tried to run and lean on her.

  Darcy held me tighter, and I stayed with her. Did I have fleas in my brain? She would protect me if I needed protection. Still, I pressed against her leg and shivered.

  Buster wagged his whole self and let his tongue loll. “Wow, this game is going to be fun,” he said. “Look at all the different people to get to know.”

  Game, huh? If you say so.

  Greeting Darcy and us, Margaret pointed to blankets spread in an open space in front of low book shelves.

  Doggie smells filled the space. A beagle sat on one blanket with his mistress. A fox terrier wagged her tail and waited with her master. The humans were both adults I didn’t know. Thinking of some of the ruffians I’d met in my life, I cowered, nose wriggling, but with all the other smells, I couldn’t sniff out their moods.

  A sweet earthy scent attracted my attention, and I spotted Jazzy with Susan and Mrs. Krebbs. They waved to Darcy and Margaret.

  Good, I could get away from all those strangers and maybe show Jazzy how I could put my paw on a book.

  Darcy led us to an empty blanket. “Sit,” she commanded, dropping onto the floor.

  We sat. No one moved. Neither dog nor human woofed or spoke.

  I whispered to Jazzy. “So what happens next?”

  “We wait for kids to come by. Sometimes we get real busy, and sometimes we don’t.”

  Rabid skunks. Just what I wanted. To sit around licking my paws while nothing happened. Sulking, I lowered my ears.

  “What’s wrong,” Jazzy asked.

  “I think I’d like a more active job,” I replied. “I’m a herding dog. I want action.”

  “Be patient,” she retorted. “We may soon have plenty of it.” She put her head on her paws.

  Glancing at Darcy, I sighed. Time for discipline. She was depending on me. Stretching one foot, I stuck my tongue between my toes.

  Three of my paws lay damp on the blanket when running feet and squeals made me look up from my bath.

  Children burst into our area, bringing the smell of bubble gum, glue and crayons. Running to the low shelves, they grabbed books and dashed back to us. One settled by the fox terrier and another by the beagle. Two ran to Jazzy.

  A small shiver made my tail twitch. Kids could be mean. Big Toby, Bonehead’s son, sure was, at least until someone made him go to a special school. I didn’t want to experience another kid like him. Wiggling my nose, I sniffed the youngsters. The
y smelled happy, and a touch like lightning.

  Buster’s ears drooped. “I hope someone comes to us. I feel lonely.”

  Susan’s voice rose above the scuffles of kids settling on blankets. “Come on, Jazzy, let’s get comfy and read.” She opened a book and tapped a page. Jazzy lay down and put her paw on the volume.

  I felt like barfing. “Where did you learn to do that, Jazzy?” I growled.

  “All the dogs who work here at the library do it. No big biscuit,” she growled back.

  Putting my head on my paws, I sulked. Darcy must have read about the trick in that book about therapy dogs from the Pet Partners. It wasn’t fair. That trick should have been mine alone, mine, especially after I had figured out a new kind of command.

  Something rattled. Turning, I saw Buster lifting his head and wagging his tail. Emily led Katherine around all of us to the book shelves. Katherine saw Buster and waved to him. He wagged his tail faster.

  “Don’t pay attention to those stupid dogs.” Voice rising, Emily tugged at Katherine’s hand. Susan, Mrs. Krebbs and several of the readers looked up.

  “Auntie Josie said I could read with the therapy dogs,” Katherine whined.

  Emily stamped her foot. “Pick out a book and sit in a bean bag and read, or I’ll tell Mother on you.”

  Mrs. Krebbs and Margaret exchanged a look and frowned. Heaving a sigh, Katherine knelt and pawed through the bottom shelf of one of the cases. In about the time it takes for a good stretch and an ear flapping shake, she pulled out a volume with a dog on the cover.

  Emily frowned. “Why don’t you read something about the ocean? Forget dogs.”

  Katherine tossed her head. “When I grow up, I’m going to have a dog. I need to know about them. So there.”

  Emily stalked away.

  Cocking my ears, I heard titters and smelled the girls I’d smelled in Mrs. Merriwether’s chorus the first day of school. They’d clustered around Emily after tryouts. Now in the library, Emily’s laughter joined theirs.

  Shutting her book and tucking it under her arm, Katherine tiptoed to us.

  Buster stretched his neck toward her.

  She patted him and glanced at me. “That one’s not very friendly.”

  My body stiffened. I couldn’t bounce around like Buster did, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t friendly. Once I felt safe with someone. Katherine, so far, was as sweet as a dog biscuit.

  “Belle’s shy,” Darcy answered, “but would you like to read to her and Buster?”

  Katherine hesitated, then whispered, “I don’t read too good out loud.”

  “That’s cool,” Darcy smiled. “They won’t care. They’ll help you do better.”

  Tongue lolling, Buster let his tail thump the blanket.

  Taking a deep breath, I touched Katherine’s wrist with my nose and smelled sour stomach. Was she as scared of the library as I was?

  Shrugging, Katherine sat down between us and opened the book.

  Darcy tapped it. We dropped to the blanket and stretched out our paws. Mine beat Buster’s to the page. Ha!

  He gave me an annoyed look, then curled up against Katherine’s leg.

  I snuggled beside her other knee, but sweet as she was, cuddling with her didn’t feel as nice as nestling up to Darcy. Hitching backward, I stayed within patting distance.

  Katherine swallowed hard and opened her mouth. “Dog Breeds.” She murmured the book’s title.

  “There are many kinds of dogs. This book will intro... intro...” Her shoulders twitched and she slouched on the blanket.

  Darcy and Margaret said nothing. Buster nuzzled Katherine and wagged his tail.

  Her sour stomach smell grew stronger. I didn’t know what frightened her, or what to do about it, so I gave her a whiskers kiss.

  “Belle and Buster think you can sound the word out,” said Darcy. “They’re encouraging you to try.”

  We were? Was that another idea Darcy had gotten from the book?

  Katherine straightened. “Intro... introduce?” She looked at me.

  I had no idea.

  Buster gave her a supportive nudge, so I did, too.

  “Belle and Buster think you said the word right, and I agree with them,” Darcy said.

  “This book will introduce different kinds of dogs to you.” Katherine finished the sentence.

  I put my head on my paws. What was going on here?

  Buster’s nose twitched, and he wagged his tail. What did he find so exciting?

  Margaret cleared her throat. “Can you tell Belle and Buster what ‘introduce’ means, Katherine?”

  A grin spread across Katherine’s face, and she put an arm around each of us. “It means to let us meet them.”

  “That’s right.” Darcy patted us. “Got that, Belle and Buster?”

  Of course, we did, but then people didn’t always realize we understood their language.

  Katherine turned a page. “Working dogs. Working dogs are…”

  A sharp rosy smell washed over me. Emily’s perfume.

  “Oh, fleas,” Buster muttered.

  “Katherine!” Emily’s hands flew to her hips. “What are you doing?” She pulled Katherine up and glared at Darcy. “Take your filthy dogs home before they bite everybody.”

  Margaret laid her hand on Emily’s arm. “Emily, therapy dogs don’t bite.”

  Darcy shot to her feet and stared Emily down. “They’re probably cleaner than you are.”

  Margaret rustled.

  Darcy bit her lip and put her hand to her mouth.

  Mrs. Krebbs rose. “Emily, please. I need you to either join us to read in a civil manner or leave the reading corner.”

  Emily’s hands flew to her hips. “You can’t talk to me like that. I’ll tell my father.”

  Folding her arms, Mrs. Krebbs laughed. ‘Go ahead,’ the sound suggested.

  Emily wheeled on Darcy. “You stink like you haven’t washed your clothes for a year.” Emily pushed Katherine away from us, then stomped on Buster’s tail.

  Lowering his ears, he gave her a hurt look and slithered behind Margaret.

  Emily swung her foot at me.

  Dear dog heaven. Bonehead all over again. All right, stay calm. Squelching a yelp, I eased out of kicking range.

  “Good work, Buster and Belle,” Jazzy said. “Stepping on you and kicking was uncalled for.”

  Emily pointed at me. “She does too bite. She snapped at me right now.”

  “Belle didn’t bite you,” soothed Margaret. “Therapy dogs are trained not to do that. If you don’t want to read with the dogs, that’s fine. Please sit down somewhere.” Setting her lips and giving off a faint peppery odor, she looked first at Emily and then at Darcy.

  “I want to read to the dogs!” Katherine pushed out her lower lip at Emily. “You can’t make me come with you. Dad said I could do what I wanted at the library. I’ll tell him you were mean to the dogs.”

  A round, short lady with dark skin and a turquoise necklace stepped from between the shelves.

  “Now you’ve done it, Katherine,” Emily said. “The librarian’s coming.”

  Tears welled in Katherine’s eyes. Turning to the woman she said, “Emily started it, Mrs. Redhouse.”

  Mrs. Redhouse put one sturdy hand on Emily’s shoulder and the other on Katherine’s. “Let’s let those who want to read with the dogs do it.”

  Emily pointed to me. “That one tried to bite me.”

  “Bite you?” Mrs. Redhouse’s jaw dropped. “Are you sure?”

  Emily rolled her eyes at Mrs. Redhouse. “I was taking Katherine away and that dog snapped at me. She snapped at me during soccer tryouts, too.”

  Mrs. Redhouse looked at Margaret. “Does your dog have a history of biting?”

  “Certainly not,” replied Margaret. “Or she couldn’t
be a therapy dog. Emily kicked at her and stepped on Buster’s tail.”

  Mrs. Krebbs and Susan nodded. “Belle moved away from Emily. I saw the whole incident.”

  “So did we,” chorused the other dog handlers. “Betty Krebbs is right.”

  “Liars,” Emily snarled. “Just remember, I’m the mayor’s daughter. And the city’s going to cut this stupid therapy dog program anyway. When it cuts the library’s budget. I heard my father say so to someone on the phone.”

  Mrs. Redhouse turned Katherine and Emily toward the front door. “It’s probably time to stop reading for today. The doggies are tired. Let’s meet again next week, okay?”

  The other readers groaned. “Do we have to?” The boy on Jazzy’s blanket put his arms around her. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Yes, I think it would be best to stop for today,” said Mrs. Redhouse. “We’ll meet again next week.”

  Moaning and glowering at Emily, the kids shut their books.

  “Come on up front,” Mrs. Redhouse prompted. “You can check your stories out and finish them at home.”

  They let Mrs. Redhouse point them toward the front of the building.

  Grabbing Katherine’s hand, Emily stalked out of the area.

  When everyone had left, Mrs. Redhouse faced the dog handlers. “I need to document what happened by Pet Partners rules, so if you wouldn’t mind staying a minute and giving me a statement of what you saw, I’d appreciate it.”

  Margaret fixed Darcy with her eye. “Please take Belle and Buster home.”

  Darcy lowered her head. “I lost it with Emily, I know. I’m sorry.”

  Margaret’s voice softened. “I was annoyed with her myself. Sometimes, it’s not easy to keep your cool.” She shooed Buster and me off the blanket.

  Darcy picked up our leashes. “And next time, I either think before I speak or find a new social studies project, right?”

  “Let me talk to Mrs. Redhouse.” Margaret turned away from us.

  Smelling like dry leaves, Darcy led us toward the street door.

  I shook my shoulders, smoothing the hair that Katherine had ruffled, and strained toward the fresh air. Thank dog heaven nobody believed I’d bitten Emily.