Read Online Identity by Nat Burns - Free Book Online Page B

at her sides. She appeared ready for anything Liza might say to her.
    “Ladies? Is there a problem?” Carol had approached the paddock as the two women argued. She studied their angry faces. “I don’t think you’re setting a very good example for the dogs, do you?”
    Liza couldn’t help smiling as she backed down. “No, we’re not.”
    Shay’s cheeks were pink from a day of sun and her waning anger. Liza thought she looked adorable.
    “What do you think, Carol? Is Scarlet a border collie?” Liza pulled her eyes from Shay.
    Carol studied Scarlet, who was trying to engage Maizie in some leaping dog play. “No, I think she’s a cattle dog. One of the Australian ones. They come from dingos, you know…” Carol broke off as Shay let loose a yelp of victory.
    “I told you. I told you she was!” Shay punched her fist into the sky and whirled about in a dance of triumph.
    Liza’s mouth fell open and a deep flush moved from her neck along her cheekbones. She closed her mouth abruptly and cleared her throat, determined to learn from the embarrassment. She ignored Shay and turned to Carol. “How can you tell for sure?”
    Carol, eyebrows lifted in surprise, pulled her gaze from Shay and motioned for Scarlet to come to them. “Touch her back.”
    Liza leaned and pressed both palms along the dog’s broad back. “So?”
    “Dig your fingers into the fur? There. Feel that undercoat…it’s kind of oily? Borders have much finer fur. There’s longer fur on a border but it’s finer in texture. That’s really the only way to tell, especially when there’s Border somewhere back in the line.”
    Liza glanced sideways at Shay, who had quieted and was now listening to the other two. “So, there is border in there? Why are you saying she’s more ACD than border?”
    Carol’s hand lay along Scarlet’s back in an absent-minded caress. “A lot of the cattle dogs have border in them now. As a match, it’s a good one.”
    “Look at the markings,” Liza interrupted. “They look more like…”
    “Look at the hindquarters though,” Carol said insistently. “See the brindling? That’s a cattle dog trait. As are the brown eyebrows. Borders just have the mask.”
    As if understanding Carol, Scarlet turned her cute face toward Liza, showing off the deep tan of her eyebrows. Her tongue lolled from her mouth. It looked as though she were grinning at Liza.
    “Don’t feel bad, Liza,” Shay added. “It’s an honest mistake. Scarlet does have an exceptionally dark mask and other markings. I wouldn’t have known if not for her rough coat and the brindling.”
    Liza appreciated Shay’s attempt to make her feel better, but the embarrassment lingered. “Ah well, it’s good to learn something new every day.”
    Carol smiled. “True. Hey, have either of you seen Chris? I wanted her to help round up the dogs, but she’s wandered off.”
    Liza’s eyes roamed the shelter grounds. “I don’t see her. We’ll help you, though. Have you got the leads?”
    “I’ll get them. You two start getting the littler ones together and we’ll take them first.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
     
    “This isn’t your car,” Liza said accusingly. “Is it? This wasn’t the one you had last night.”
    Shay laughed. “I didn’t think you’d notice. That one was a loaner,” she explained. “This relic was in being babied and soothed into another ten thousand miles.”
    She patted the hood of the classic ’77 Beetle. It was vintage but painted a bright lemon yellow.
    Liza looked at Shay as if she’d grown a pair of wings. “I would have remembered this car.”
    Shay smiled proudly.
    Liza smoothed her hand across the baby-bottom decklid. “Wait a minute. I don’t know much about cars, really, but I know you can’t find these parts anymore. This looks like it must have when coming off the showroom floor.”
    She peered inside. “Even the vinyl bucket seats! And the original over-sized steering wheel.”
    She straightened her back and