Read Online Timmy in Trouble by Holly Webb - Free Book Online Page B

wrong!”
    Dad nodded seriously. “I know, Jess, sit down. You too, Katie. I haven’t finished explaining.”
    Jess sat down, looking worried, and Katie sat too, though she was so happy she could hardly keep still.
    Dad leaned towards them. “We’re not giving you a puppy for Christmas, Katie—”
    Katie’s eyes opened wide with horror. “But you said…”
    “We are getting a puppy, but he or she will be a family dog. Like Misty’s a family cat, Jess. You’re right that Katie’s a bit too young to have all the responsibility of a dog by herself.” Dad smiled at Katie. “There’s a lot of looking after, so don’t worry, there’ll still be plenty for you to do.”
    Katie felt like butting in and saying that actually, she was sure she was old enough, but she decided it was best not to.
    Mum leaned over to touch Jess’s hand. “Try not to worry, Jess. We know we’re going to need to be really careful when Misty meets the puppy. We’ll all do our best to make sure she doesn’t get upset.”
    “And the puppy won’t arrive atChristmas, Katie,” Dad added. “We’re going to try and get one before Christmas, if we can, or maybe afterwards. Christmas is just too busy – it’s not a good time to bring a new dog into the house. Mum and I have agreed we’ll look around for someone with puppies for sale locally. Happy now?” Dad beamed.
    Katie nodded blissfully, but Jess was staring at the table, twisting her fingers together. “I still think Misty’s going to hate it,” she muttered. She looked anxiously over at Misty, snoozing by the kitchen radiator on her favourite pink blanket. It had been Jess’s when she was little, and Misty had adopted it.
    “What sort of dog shall we get?” Katie asked, ignoring her grumpy big sister. 
    She wished she could remember the puppy in her dream better.
    “Nothing too big!” Mum said quickly.
    “But not too small, either. We want to be able to go on some good long walks.” Dad sounded as though he was really looking forward to it. “Maybe a terrier? An Airedale, they’re great dogs, really friendly.”
    “I’ve always liked pugs,” Mum said thoughtfully.
    “The ones with the squished-up faces?” Katie asked, giggling.
    Mum nodded. “I like the way their tails curl up,” she said, smiling. “What about you, Katie? This was your idea. What kind of dog would you like?”
    Katie thought back to her dream. “What sort of dog has long ears?” she asked, wrinkling her nose as she tried to remember more. “A brown and white puppy with long ears. I dreamed about one like that last night.”
    Jess sniffed, as though she thought that was silly. “You can’t get a dog because of a dream.”
    “Why not?” Mum asked gently. “Katie’s been thinking about it a lot, Jess. That’s probably why she dreamed about a puppy.”
    “Maybe it was a spaniel?” Dad suggested. He got up and disappeared into the living room. They could hear him muttering to himself as he searched the bookcase, and he came back with Katie’s dog sticker book. “Was he anything like this, Katie?” 
    Katie took the book and gasped with delight. There he was. A little brown and white dog, staring impishly out of the page at her, his eyes bright and alert. “A cocker spaniel,” she murmured, reading the caption. “Oh, yes! I mean, I’d love any dog – even one with a squished face, Mum! But I’d really, really love one of those…” 

Chapter Three
    A couple of days later, Katie was kneeling on the window seat in the living room, waiting for her dad to come home from work. As soon as she saw him walking down the road, she shot out of the front door and raced towards him.
    “Hurry up, Dad, you’re so late! I’ve been waiting ages!”
    Her dad looked at his watch. “It’s only six o’clock, Katie, that’s my normal time. Has your mum made a special dinner or something? What’s the rush?”
    “Oh, well, it feels later,” Katie said excitedly. “We have to have dinner