Free Storm Watcher by Maria V. Snyder Page A

between huffs. “I don’t know whether to praise him or punish him.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “He’s not supposed to be here. We were playing, and I said your name. It was weird. He stood real still with his nose up, and then he just took off.”
    Luke glanced at the wind vane. He was upwind of the training yard. “Why did you say my name?”
    “Oh.” Megan stammered, and the red splotches on her face spread. “I said maybe when Luke comes back, we might take him swimming in the pond.”
    “I think praise. You said my name, and he found me. Isn’t that what your mom’s training him to do?”
    “I guess. But he shouldn’t have bolted.” She sighed. “He’s still a pup. I don’t want to be too hard on him.” Megan scratched Lance behind the ears, telling him he’d did good. He leaned against her legs.
    “If you help me finish, we can detour to the pond on the walk back,” Luke said.
    “Okay.”
    They worked for awhile in silence. Lance snuffled through the corn, flushing out a couple of rabbits. He chased them into the tree line and then looped back to check on Megan and Luke before racing back into the corn to investigate again.
    “I’m going to ask Mom if I can have him,” Megan said.
    Luke was so focused on the wind speed sensor that he had to stop and think. “Have who?”
    “Lance. Mom’s training him to do search and rescue. I really want to do it. To be his partner. There’s a ton of training involved. If I start now while he’s a puppy, by the time I’m sixteen, we’ll both be ready to volunteer with a SAR team.”
    “What’re your chances that she’ll agree?” Luke remembered his unsuccessful attempt to get permission for a papillon.
    “She’s fond of Lance, but if I show her I know what I’m getting into, I might convince her that I’m serious. Just like you did with your dad. Right? And that worked out.”
    “Yeah,” Luke said. He ignored the queasy pinch in his gut. The desire to confess to Megan that he hadn’t gotten permission from Dad pushed up his throat. Luke had been afraid to say anything to Dad. Megan might have an idea, a solution to his dilemma, but he swallowed the words.
    When they finished, they took Lance to the pond. He raced to the edge of the dock, dog-flopped into the water, and splashed Luke and Megan. It must have felt good on his hot skin. Luke would have jumped in after him, but pond scum clung to the banks.
    “Here’s a perfect stick for him.” Megan threw it over Lance’s head.
    Lance surged after it. He clamped the stick in his teeth and swam back to the dock. Dripping wet, Lance scrambled up the bank and plopped the stick onto Megan’s work boots. Just as she reached down to grab it, Lance shook his body, spraying her with water. The dog had a mischievous streak.
    Luke laughed. “Good dog.”
    Megan yelled, “Bad dog.” But she couldn’t keep a straight face.
    “So when are you going to ask your mom about Lance?” Luke asked.
    “When she’s in a really good mood.” Megan launched the stick high into the air. “Probably before the bloods go to their new owners. She’s always moody when a litter leaves. But I think, why get sad? You can’t run a kennel if you keep all the dogs. Fact of life.”
    Luke understood. It hurt to let go of something you loved. And despite her flippant fact-of-life comment, he suspected Megan understood too.
    After Lance tired, they walked back to the kennel. The other dogs had already been returned to their crates. Luke peeked through the kitchen window. Alayna hacked carrots for the dogs’ food with furious strokes.
    “I’d better head home now,” Luke said.
    “Coward,” Megan chided.
    “I’m not the one who ran off and left her with all the work.”
    Megan swung her arm to swat him. Luke ducked, and she missed him by inches. She stepped toward him.
    “Later.” Wagging his fingers, he sprinted for his bike and jumped on.
    She stopped chasing him half way up the lane.
    “Coward,” she