Read Online Bold Beauty by Dandi Daley Mackall - Free Book Online Page B

cages.
    Woooo-hoo! The wolf whistle could only belong to Hawk’s chattering lory. Peter zoomed at us and landed on Pat’s shoulder.
    â€œPeter! You fresh thing!” Pat scolded.
    I petted his bright red head the way Hawk did. “You miss Hawk, Peter?”
    Peter bobbed his head. “Ring! Ring! Who’s there?”
    â€œJust Winnie,” I answered. “And I’d better get to those e-mails.”
    â€œI’ll be upstairs if you need me.” Pat headed for the steps at the far end of the store.
    Pat and her husband used to live in our house, the one we rent from her now. When he died, Pat opened the pet shop and moved into the attic apartment.
    Pat called down from the top of the stairs, “Peter, here, would sure like to know how you really got hurt.”
    I tried to laugh. “Tell Peter curiosity killed the cat. No offense.”
    Pat didn’t laugh. I heard her door shut.
    Sorry, God, I prayed as I waited for the computer to boot up. As soon as I figure out what went wrong at that hedge, I’ll tell Pat . . . and Dad and Lizzy . . . everything.
    Another picture of the fall flashed into my brain. I fought it off.
    Logging onto the help line, I checked out the homepage Barker was working on for the Pet Help Line. The moving graphics looked great but took a long time to load.
    Pat padded downstairs again, and I prepared to be interrogated. Instead she handed me a plastic grocery bag. “Thought you might need these for school until that bruise heals.”
    I peered into the bagful of makeup stuff. “Thanks, Pat.”
    â€œAnd whatever you really did to get that thing, don’t do it again.” Pat walked off, Peter Lory still on her shoulder, pecking at her brown curls.
    Feeling guiltier than ever, I opened the in-box and scrolled through all the e-mails since Friday. One of Barker’s made me think of Chico.
    My Schnauzer, Muffin, won’t stop barking when we go on our walk! I love my fluffy, wuffy baby Muffy Wuffy. I pick her up and tell her, “Mama’s baby shouldn’t barky warky.” But she simply will not listen to her mommy! What’s a mommy to do????
    â€”Princess
    Barker had answered:
    Dear Princess,
    Dogs usually bark because they’re afraid. If you pick Muffin up when she sees another dog, she’ll really think she’s in danger. She’ll believe you’ve picked her up to keep her safe. My advice is to let her walk. And one more tip: some dogs understand 2,000 words—but no baby talk. They like clear cues. Hope this helps!
    â€”Barker
    My favorite Catman e-mail was actually about jumping, kind of:
    Catman!
    My cat won’t stop jumping onto the kitchen counter. I think it’s really cute. But Mom says if I can’t get Claribel 2 stop jumping on her counter, she’s going 2 give Claribel away! If she does, I’m running away. U have any other ideas?
    â€”Katz
    Cool it, Katz!
    Don’t leave your digs yet, man. Plan A: Spread syrup over the counter. Cats hate sticky feet. Claribel will get the picture and steer clear. Plan B: In case Mrs. Katz isn’t cool with the syrup gig, cover the whole counter with aluminum foil. Claribel will freak out at the noise and hate that counter. So be cool, Katz!
    â€”The Catman
    Twelve horse e-mails waited for me. Eight of them got the same solution, even though the problems ranged from stall-kicking to friskiness. The horses needed more turnout time, more freedom to run and play. Otherwise that energy comes out in a way that makes owners write to me about their “problem horses.” Most of the time it’s the people who are the problems.
    I took my time answering the other e-mails.
    Dear Winnie,
    Help! My horse, Shirley, won’t stop eating! Every time I go on a trail ride with my friends, I get laughed at. Shirley stops and grazes, and I can’t get her head back up. Shirley is huge, and I’m not.