Muddy Paws Read online

  “You can do that? So I can hear you, but everyone else just hears you barking? Cool!” Beth kissed the top of his soft little head. “Let’s go and find Auntie Em. Breakfast should be almost ready. I bet you’re hungry after your long journey.”

  Storm’s tummy rumbled and he gave an eager little bark.

  As Beth went toward the farmhouse, she smiled. Her boring two weeks at Tail End Farm looked like they were going to be a lot more fun with Storm around!

  Chapter THREE

  “I wonder where he came from,” Emily said thoughtfully after Beth finished telling her about Storm. “We’re pretty far from any houses out here.”

  Beth looked across to where Storm was chomping on a dish of dog food. Ella, the old collie, lay curled in her basket watching the puppy.

  “I bet Storm was abandoned. His owners were probably hoping some kind person would give him a home. Like you, Auntie Em,” Beth said hopefully.

  “I really hate people who treat animals like that,” Martin said.

  “Me too!” Beth said with feeling. It was the first time she and Martin had agreed on anything.

  They all sat at the kitchen table, eating their huge farmhouse breakfasts and drinking big mugs of tea.

  “I’m not sure it’s a good time to have a stray puppy getting under everyone’s feet,” Beth’s uncle said. “We’re very busy on the farm and no one has time to train him. Maybe we should take Storm straight to the pet care center.”

  Beth’s heart pounded. He couldn’t mean it! She just found Storm—she couldn’t bear to lose her new friend so quickly.

  Suddenly Ella gave a rusty-sounding bark. She got up and limped stiffly over to Storm. The tiny puppy whined softly, wagging his tail and wriggling his fat little body as the old dog bent down and gave him an experimental sniff. Ella’s eyes softened and she began licking Storm’s head.

  Martin’s face lit up. “Look at that! Ella’s telling us that she’ll keep Storm in check. She won’t let him be a pest around the farm. Way to go, old girl!”

  Everyone laughed.

  Beth looked at her uncle and aunt. “So, can Storm stay? He can live in my room and I’ll take him home when Mom and Dad come to get me,” she pleaded.

  “In that case, it’s fine with me. If it’s okay with you, Emily,” Oliver said to his wife.

  Beth’s aunt gave a questionable smile, but she nodded.

  Beth went over and hugged her aunt and uncle. “Yay! Thanks a million!”

  She felt so happy that she was even ready to forgive Martin for playing mean tricks on her, but there was still one thing she wanted to mention to him first.

  Beth waited until she, Martin, Storm, and Ella were walking across the fields before bringing the subject up. “I think you should apologize for pushing me into Darcy’s pen. It was a mean thing to do,” she exclaimed.

  Martin’s eyes widened. “Are you still talking about that? Can’t you take a joke? Girls always make such a big deal out of everything.”

  “Yes, because boys do such stupid things!” Beth replied. “I thought Darcy was going to charge at me. If it hadn’t been for St—Anyway, I was lucky to get out without getting hurt.”

  But Martin wasn’t listening. He had turned around to wait for Ella who was lagging behind. The old collie was walking stiffly with her head drooping. “Come on, girl!” he called fondly.

  At the sound of his voice, Ella tried to quicken her step, but her back legs gave way and she sat down.

  “She’s been doing that more and more lately,” Martin said, frowning.

  Beth’s anger with Martin melted away as her heart filled with sadness at the sight of the sick old dog.

  Storm glanced up at her with softly glowing eyes. “I will fetch Ella!” he woofed gently.

  Beth stood beside Martin and they watched Storm bound down the field. As soon as Storm reached the old sheepdog, he barked encouragingly and licked Ella’s gray muzzle. When she just lay there panting, Storm crouched down onto his front paws and stuck his bottom in the air, inviting her to play chase.

  Martin smiled at the cute puppy’s antics. “You’re wasting your time, Storm. Ella’s running around days are well over!” he called, but then his face fell and his eyes looked sad and troubled.

  Beth reached out to touch his arm.

  “I’m okay. Don’t make a scene!” Martin said, rubbing a sleeve across his face.

  Beth saw Storm running back and forth in front of Ella, woofing gently to encourage her until she finally heaved herself to her feet. As the old collie limped up the field, Storm ambled alongside her, keeping pace on his short legs.

  “Here she comes. Good girl,” Martin said, petting Ella’s ears.

  “Thanks, Storm,” Beth whispered to him. “Martin might be the most annoying person in the universe, but he really loves Ella.”

  The four of them slowly walked back to the farmyard in silence. As they came through the gate into the yard, Martin turned to Beth. “Do you want to see the dairy?” he said more cheerfully.

  Beth shrugged. “I don’t care. But I thought we weren’t allowed in there without permission.”

  “No problem. I told Mom we might go in and she was cool with it.” Martin opened the door of a brick building, next to the barn. “But dogs are definitely not allowed. Stay, Ella,” he ordered.

  Ella sat down obediently.

  “Will you wait here, please, Storm?” Beth whispered, so Martin couldn’t hear. “I won’t be long.”

  Storm immediately sat down next to Ella and lay with his nose on his paws.

  Martin smiled. “Storm really catches on quickly, doesn’t he? Look how he copies what Ella does. He’s one bright puppy!”

  Beth smiled to herself. If only Martin knew how right he was!

  Inside the dairy it was cool and really clean. Beth walked around, looking at the white work surfaces, shiny metal equipment, and huge fridges, being careful not to touch anything.

  But Martin was just the opposite. “I haven’t been in here for so long. I forgot that some of this stuff’s pretty high-tech. I wonder what these do.” He began turning some dials on a big drum-shaped machine.

  There was an ominous glugging noise.

  “Should you be playing with that?” Beth asked worriedly.

  Martin grinned. “You’re such a scaredy-cat. Don’t panic. I’m putting the settings back to what they were.” He turned the dial again and the glugging noise got louder.

  Gloop. Gloop. Whoosh! Suddenly a fountain of milk gushed out of a narrow chute and poured onto the floor.

  “Oh no!” Martin cried, frantically working, but the milk only sprayed out faster.

  Beth stood there in horror as a rising tide of milk swirled around her boots. “Do something, Martin!”

  “I’m trying to!” Martin’s face was bright red.

  The door banged open and Emily Badby rushed into the dairy. Taking in the situation with one look, she marched over to the machine and adjusted the dials. Seconds later, the flow of milk slowed and then stopped.

  Emily turned around with a furious look on her face.

  “Beth told me to do it!” Martin cried, before his mom could speak.

  Beth’s jaw dropped. “No, I didn’t!”

  Martin smirked. “Yes, you did! Don’t try and squirm your way out of it—”

  “Be quiet! Both of you,” Emily snapped. “I’m very disappointed in you both. You’re not even supposed to be in here without permission!”

  Beth glared furiously at Martin. She was really tempted to tell her aunt how he had lied about having permission to come in here, but she’d never been a tattletale and she wasn’t about to start now.

  “You know the house rules perfectly well, Martin. Besides, Beth is our guest,” Emily said stiffly, still furious. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  Martin shrugged. “Chill out, Mom! Don’t have a major panic attack! It’s only a little milk. It won’t take long to clean up.”

  “You think so?” Emily’
s face darkened. “Stay there, you two! Don’t you dare move!” She sloshed through the milk and opened a cabinet. “Here!” She thrust mops and buckets at Martin and Beth. “I want that floor spotless. Do you hear me? I’d stand and watch you, but I have to go out now. I’ll be back in an hour, though, to check up on you. And if you touch anything else, Martin Badby, you’ll . . . you’ll be in big trouble!”

  She stormed out and a few seconds later Beth heard a car start up and drive away.

  “Oh gosh!” Beth said, letting out a huge sigh of relief. She’d never seen her aunt so angry. “I thought she was going to explode!”

  “Oh, Mom’s never angry for long. She’ll forget all about it by this evening. You don’t mind cleaning up by yourself, do you? I just remembered I’ve got something important to talk to Dad about,” Martin said, splashing milk everywhere as he went toward the door.

  “Hey! Come back—” Beth cried, but Martin had already left.

  Her spirits sank as she looked down at the lake of milk. It was everywhere: under the work surfaces, sloshing around the machinery, and even leaking out under the door into the yard. She hardly knew where to begin.

  “Thanks for nothing, Martin,” she grumbled, angry that she’d bothered to save him from being in even more trouble with her aunt.

  “I will help you, Beth!” Storm woofed eagerly from the open doorway.

  Beth felt a warm prickling sensation down her spine. Something very strange was about to happen.

  Chapter FOUR

  Big gold sparks ignited in Storm’s fluffy black-and-white fur and his ears and tail crackled with electricity.

  Storm raised a big black front paw and a spurt of golden sparks shot out and whooshed around the dairy. They zizzed around like a swarm of busy worker bees.

  Beth heard a series of faint pops as a shimmering army of mops appeared out of thin air and stood at attention. As if at an invisible signal, they began mopping the floor up and down in neat rows. In perfect time, they squeezed their milky heads into each bucket in turn. Swish! Swoosh!

  “This is great!” Beth said, clapping her hands with glee as the rows of mops did their work.

  In no time at all, the dairy floor was spotless. The magic mops stood at attention once more and then disappeared in a final cascade of golden sparks.

  “Wow! Thanks, Storm, that was awesome!” Beth went over and gave him a cuddle.

  “You are welcome,” Storm barked happily. “But I saw Martin going into the house. Why didn’t he help you?”

  “That’s what I want to know,” Beth said angrily. “He made some lame excuse about talking to his dad about something. I’ve had just about enough of my annoying cousin. Come on, Storm, let’s go and find him. I’ve got a few things I want to say to him!”

  Storm yapped in agreement.

  As Beth charged into the house with Storm toward the living room, she heard Uncle Ollie’s voice coming through the open door and stopped in her tracks.

  “It’s really not fair to let Ella go on like this. She’s in pain and she can barely move around. I think it’s time we called the vet and put her to sleep,” he was saying.

  “No! Please wait, Dad. Let’s leave her for just a little longer,” Martin pleaded, sounding as if he was very close to tears.

  “I’m sorry, Martin. I know you love Ella, but I’m not prepared to let any animal suffer, however hard it is for you to accept. We have to think what’s best for Ella. Why don’t we talk about it again tomorrow. All right?” Oliver Badby said gently.

  “Okay. But I’m not changing my mind about calling the vet and you can’t make me!” Martin said in a choked voice.

  Beth didn’t wait to hear the rest of the conversation. She already felt a little guilty for listening. “Come on, Storm,” she whispered, tiptoeing away.

  Storm trotted at her heel as she went into the kitchen. Beth felt her anger drain away again, just like when they were in the field earlier. However annoying her cousin was, she wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

  “Martin was actually telling the truth this time. He really did want to talk to his dad about something important. Ella must be very sick if Uncle Ollie thinks the vet should put her to sleep. Poor old girl,” she said to Storm.

  Storm nodded, his midnight-blue eyes sad.

  Ella was curled up in her basket in the warm alcove. As Beth bent down to pet her, the old dog’s tail thumped against the floor.

  Beth felt tears stinging her eyes. “It’s a shame that Ella’s in such pain. If she wasn’t, she’d be able to enjoy a few more months with Martin.”

  Storm pricked his ears. “I might be able to help!”

  Beth blinked at him. “Really? Can you use your magic to make her young again?” she asked hopefully.

  “I am sorry, Beth. No magic can do that,” Storm woofed gently. He padded over and stood in front of Ella.

  Once again, Beth felt the warm tingling sensation down her spine.

  Big gold sparks ignited in Storm’s fluffy black-and-white fur and the tips of his ears sparked with magical power. She watched as he huffed out a warm glittery breath.

  A shimmering golden mist surrounded the old collie. For a few seconds, pinpricks of gold danced all around her like miniature fireflies and then they sank into Ella’s dull fur and disappeared.

  Beth waited expectantly, but nothing happened. Ella looked just the same, with her gray muzzle and faded eyes.

  Storm’s magic didn’t seem to have worked.

  “Never mind. You tried. I guess magic can’t be expected to do everything,” Beth said to Storm, trying hard to hide her disappointment as the last golden spark faded from Ella’s fur. “Let’s go into the living room and find Martin. He’s probably feeling really upset. Maybe we can cheer him up.”

  Storm had a gleam in his eye, but he just nodded. “You have a very kind heart, Beth.”

  “Anyone would do the same,” Beth said, blushing. She always got embarrassed when people gave her compliments.

  Martin was lying on the sofa. Behind it, Beth could see the cabinet displaying the cups and trophies her uncle had won in plowing competitions.

  Oliver Badby sat at the table, working at the computer. He looked up and smiled as Beth and Storm came in. “Hello. What have you two been up to?”

  “We . . . I’ve finished cleaning up all the milk in the dairy. I thought Martin might like to go out with us or something,” Beth said.

  Her uncle frowned and glanced at Martin. “What’s that about milk?”

  “Er . . . nothing!” Martin said hurriedly, getting up in a rush and pushing Beth out. “Come on, Beth. Let’s go and see if Mom needs any help with her shopping.”

  “But she’s not even back yet . . .” Beth protested, shaking off his arm.

  “Duh! I know that! But Dad doesn’t, does he?” Martin scoffed. “And why did you have to mention the milk?”

  But once in the hall, his shoulders slumped. “Dad’s been talking about taking Ella to the vet, to . . . to—”

  “I know. I heard you talking to him,” Beth interrupted, feeling a lump rise in her throat. “I’m so sorry.”

  Martin shuffled his feet. “Yeah, well. I know Ella’s old and everything and I’m not ready to let her go, but Dad could be . . .” He lifted his head and looked past Beth into the kitchen. She saw an expression of complete amazement come over his face. “I don’t believe it!”

  “What?” Beth whipped around and saw Ella padding out of the kitchen. The old dog was moving easily. Her coat looked glossy and her eyes were bright and alert.

  Ella trotted up to Martin and jumped up to be pet. “Woof !” she barked happily, wagging her tail and giving him a wide doggy grin.

  “Look at her! It’s like a miracle. She’s not even limping!” Martin threw his arms around Ella and hugged her, burying his face in her fur.

  Ella barked, licking him all over his face.

  “Just wait until Dad sees her! There’s no way he’ll be taking her to the vet now!” Martin’s face
was lit up like a Halloween pumpkin.

  Beth beamed with joy as she watched the two of them. She bent down to pet Storm. “Thanks again, Storm. This time from Martin and Ella. They’re going to have a great summer together,” she whispered.

  Storm wagged his little tail happily.

  Chapter FIVE

  “Ella seems to have found a new best friend since that puppy arrived,” Emily Badby said as she was clearing away lunch the following day.

  Beth was helping her aunt load the dishwasher. She smiled, wishing that everyone knew just how true that was! But, of course, she would never tell them or anyone else how magical Storm was.

  Oliver Badby was finishing a cup of tea and Martin had just come back into the kitchen after taking some food scraps outside to the pigpen.

  Storm was stretched out under the table. Suddenly his eyes flashed with mischief. Leaping out, he ran around the huge farmhouse table, his ears laid back and his tail streaming behind him.

  Across the room in her bed, Ella’s ears pricked up. With a spring in her step, she shot toward the silly puppy and started chasing him. Storm suddenly swerved, leaped into her empty bed, and threw himself down. Ella jumped straight in after him. Seconds later, the two of them were curled up together, licking each other.

  Everyone laughed.

  “That’s one way to sneak into a warm bed! You know, Ella and Storm could almost be a mother and her puppy,” Martin said fondly.

  Then they heard the rumbling sound of a heavy trucks pulling up outside in the yard. Martin ran to the window and looked out.

  “It’s here, Dad! The Fergy’s arrived!” he shouted, dashing outside.

  Beth’s uncle and aunt went outside to look. Beth followed curiously, wondering what was going on.

  A large flatbed truck stood in the yard. On the back of it, there was a tomato-red tractor. Oliver went to speak to the truck driver and then they began the unloading. A few minutes later, the red tractor stood in the yard.

  Martin walked around it, his eyes shining. “It’s supercool, isn’t it?”