Free Bandit by Ellen Miles Page B

up.” She shifted the puppy in her arms.
    “Left him?” Lizzie stared at her. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean left him,” the lady said. “In a lettuce box that they must have found in the Dumpster out back. He was all wrapped up in a red towel, to keep him warm.”
    Maria’s mouth was hanging open. “Why would anybody leave such a cute puppy here?” she asked. “If I had a puppy like that, I would never, never leave him anywhere.”
    The puppy whimpered, and the lady held him closer. She shook her head. “Some folks have it hard these days,” she said. “I think they would have liked to keep him, but—” She reached intothe pocket of her green “Eat At Al’s” apron and pulled out a piece of paper. She handed it to Lizzie. “Here, read it yourself.”
    Lizzie unfolded the paper. “‘This is Bandit,’” she read out loud. Bandit. What a perfect name, because of the black mask around his eyes. She smiled at the puppy. “Hi, Bandit,” she said softly. She still could not get over how cute this puppy was. He looked like a stuffed toy. She wanted to gather him up and hug him and—
    “Lizzie, the note!” Maria said. “What does it say?” She craned her neck, trying to read over Lizzie’s shoulder.
    Lizzie looked back at the note. “‘Bandit is a Shih Tzu. He is six months old, and we love our little boy very, very much,’” she read. “‘But the vet says he needs a special operation for his heart, and we just can’t afford that, not if we alsowant to feed our kids. So we hope you can find someone who can help, before he gets any sicker.’”
    “Why would somebody
do
that?” Maria burst out. “They should have left him at their vet’s, or at least at an animal shelter, like Caring Paws. Not at a truck stop.”
    Lizzie felt the pancakes in her stomach turn to lead. Maria was angry, but Lizzie just felt a wave of sadness washing over her. What if Mom and Dad told her they had to give up Buddy because they couldn’t afford his care? “Oh.” She closed her eyes for a second. “The poor little guy.” When she opened her eyes, Bandit was peering back at her, his shiny black eyes alert and happy.
    Hi, there! I bet you want to be my friend. Everybody wants to be my friend.
    Lizzie couldn’t help smiling at the puppy. He didn’t
look
sick. Not at all.
    The lady nodded. “It’s a shame, all right. I’m not sure how they thought
we
could help, except that we get lots and lots of folks through here every day.” She looked down at the puppy in her arms. “I swear, every single person who’s seen this peanut this morning has fallen in love with him. I never saw a dog who made friends faster than this one does. I’m sure someone will come along who wants to take this sweetheart home. I sure wish I could, but I don’t think my cats would appreciate that.”
    “I’ll take him,” Lizzie announced.
    “What?” Maria stared at her. “Are you crazy?”
    Lizzie shrugged. “He needs help.”
    “But—but,” Maria spluttered. “We’re on our way to the cabin, for one thing. He needs a big operation, for another. And your parents—”
    Lizzie just nodded. “I’ll have to call them.” She felt very calm, and very sure that she was the right person to help Bandit. She and her family had helped so many puppies, and this one needed their help most of all. “I’m sure they’ll come get me. We’re only a half hour or so from home.”
    “What’s going on here?” Maria’s father joined them at the cash register. “We should get back on the road.” Then he caught sight of the puppy. “Oh, my,” he said. “Who’s this?”
    “That’s Bandit,” said Lizzie. “My family is going to foster him.”
    Mr. Santiago raised an eyebrow. “You mean you want to bring him to the cabin with us?”
    Lizzie shook her head. “I think it would be better to take him home, if you don’t mind waiting for my mom or dad to come pick me up. I hate to miss out on going to the cabin, but this is