Bailey Read Online Free Page B

Jenn’s face cleared. She grinned. “Okay, that’s good. I just thought I’d come and say thanks. It’s probably time for Bailey to nap again. I’m sure you’ve tired him out! He’ll be fine now until I close up and can spend the evening with him.”
    Kat nodded, hugging the sweet puppy close to her. Aunt Jenn wasn’t angry. She wasn’t worried about Bailey.

    Carefully, Kat and Maya put Bailey back in his crate.
    â€œBye, little guy,” Kat told him, giving him a last rub on the head.
    â€œHave a good little sleep,” said Maya. She kissed the palm of her hand and then placed the kiss onto the puppy’s head.
    â€œThanks, girls,” said Aunt Jenn. “It looks like you did a great job looking after Bailey today.”
    Kat and Maya held their breath. They didn’t want to ask. They didn’t dare hope. But they couldn’t say good-bye until they knew.
    â€œSo,” continued Aunt Jenn, “do you think you two could come again tomorrow and maybe Thursday afternoon as well? Bailey’s owner won’t be back until Thursday night. I’m sure Bailey would like some playmates, especially if I’m as busy tomorrow as I’ve been yesterday and today.”
    â€œWe’d love to,” said Kat. “Right, Maya?”
    â€œYou bet,” agreed Maya with a huge smile on her face.
    â€¢ • •
    On Wednesday, the girls hurried toward Tails Up! right after school.
    Kat complained to Maya as they walked. “Megan and Cora stood behind me in the line after recess. Then they started making little kissy noises as we walked back into class,” said Kat. “When I turned around, they looked all innocent and said, ‘Oh, Kat, were you looking for Owen?’ They are so annoying. Can’t they think of anything better to do than bug me?”
    Maya shook her head. “I told you. Revenge. An eye for an eye. If they do something mean to you, do something mean back.”
    Kat shrugged. “Yeah, maybe,” she said. And then all thoughts of school and Megan and Cora vanished as Kat turned onto Orchard Valley’s main street. Tails Up! was in sight, and there was a little lonely puppy waiting for them.
    Once again, the reception area was crowded with customers and their dogs. Kat was pleased. Aunt Jenn’s business was doing so well!
    The girls made a beeline to the doggy day care room.
    â€œIt’s us, your buddies!” Kat called out to Bailey as they hurried toward his crate. She saw the puppy jump to his feet and wiggle. He gave little excited puppy woofs, asking to come out and play.
    â€œI think Bailey recognizes us,” cried Maya.
    Kat lifted up the puppy and gave him the first hug. Then she passed him over to Maya, who covered his head in little kisses.
    As soon as Maya set Bailey down, the retriever puppy went off to explore the room again, sniffing here and there, his tail high. After a while, the girls sat on the floor and rolled Bailey’s ball back and forth between them. Bailey raced after it excitedly. The ball was too big for him to hold in his mouth, but he pounced on it like a kitten, and sometimes he managed to trap it between his big puppy paws. The girls laughed while he wrestled with it.

    The golden-yellow puppy had tons of energy, but Kat and Maya were careful to make sure he didn’t get into any mischief. He even used his newspaper properly!
    Dinnertime came quickly. It was time to put Bailey back in his crate.
    Kat picked him up and snuggled him in her arms, enjoying his puppy smell. The girls stood in the sunshine, looking out the window at the backyard.
    The yard was large and surrounded by a chain-link fence. There was a smaller fenced area along one side, something like a doggy “playpen.” There were also some bushes and trees running down two sides of the fence for shade.
    Kat pointed at a small children’s wading pool propped up against the fence.