Read Online Pearl of Great Price by Myra Johnson - Free Book Online Page B

anger. She peered through the cloudy rear window, then instantly shrank back. “Oh—a dog! It can’t get out, can it?”
    I rolled my eyes. I could never understand some people’s irrational fear of animals. If a dog is vicious or dangerous, there’s usually a logical reason. Like abuse. Starvation. Illness. Abandonment. Conditions likely traceable to a cruel or irresponsible human being. “No, she can’t get out,” I snapped. “I agree, though—she’s probably getting overheated by now. You’re right, Grandpa. Let’s go.”
    I could probe Grandpa with questions after we got Mama Dog and her pups safely settled in. All of a sudden I just wanted to get out of there, away from this woman who made me feel as jumpy inside as a frog in a hot frying pan.
    ~~~
    Back at the Swap & Shop, I didn’t have time to think much more about the resort or the crazy lady who used to live there or the grumpy old guy she’d sold it to. All my attention went to getting Mama Dog and those pups settled in, and I was amazed at how quickly she made herself at home. It convinced me she must have once lived with decent folks, just got lost somewhere along the way and was forced to fend for herself. She seemed plenty happy to hop in the big galvanized washtub out back, letting me lather her up and pick those nasty ticks off with a pair of old tweezers. When I finally rinsed her off, she hopped out of the tub and yipped with pure glee. After a good shaking, she had me almost as wet as herself.
    And by then it had gotten so late that I’d never get myself cleaned up, fix Grandpa some supper, and still make it to Bible study on time. I gave Sandy a quick ring and told her to make an excuse for me. “We found another stray,” I told her, not saying where. “I just got through de-ticking her, and I’m a mess.”
    “Then for heaven’s sake, please stay home,” Sandy said with a gasp. “I’ll catch you up on everything tomorrow.”
    Mama Dog and the pups spent the night on a fresh, clean blanket in a box at the foot of my bed, and the next morning we headed to the vet for a checkup and shots. I cradled one of the tiny black pups in my two hands and lifted it to eye level. “What breed do you think they are?”
    Doc Wagner chewed her lip. “The mother could be part shepherd, maybe border collie. Hard to say yet what the pups will look like. Want me to put an ad on the bulletin board? This sweet girl will be easy to find a home for, and the pups, too, when they’re old enough.”
    “Let me think on it,” I said slowly. Mama Dog had already wormed her way deep into my heart, and I had a feeling I’d be keeping her around.
    On the way home I tried out some names for the old girl. “Stormy? Smoky? Blackie?” I flicked a glance toward the rear of the van. “Nope, too ordinary. How about Sylvia? Gretchen. Ashley. Brynna—”
    She yipped. Whether I’d accidentally landed upon her original name or maybe one that sounded similar, it was settled. Mama Dog was officially renamed Brynna.
    That afternoon, Grandpa and I brought Brynna and the pups downstairs with us while we swept and dusted and generally got organized to reopen for business on Thursday. Brynna seemed a bit uneasy at first with Sneezy sniffing around the puppies, but they soon forged a cautious friendship.
    Grandpa and I had some of our best conversations doing busy work around the shop, so with everything weighing on my mind lately, I decided to take advantage of today’s opportunity. I maneuvered my broom and dustpan over to where Grandpa was polishing the glass fronts of LeRoy Tuttle’s china display cabinets. Most of our vendors did a pretty good job keeping their own booths clean and orderly, but for a few we had to put forth a little extra effort. A tenant’s streaked display case or dusty merchandise didn’t speak well for the Swap & Shop.
    “How’s it going, Grandpa?” I reached the broom under Maddie Barton’s front table and swept out a gum wrapper and a few