Free Fabulous Five 013 - The Christmas Countdown by Betsy Haynes

way Melanie remembered her smiling when she
held Jeffy when he was a baby.
    "Isn't he sweet," her mother cooed.
    "I'll bet Mrs. Miller would like a dog like that,"
said Melanie. "He's not very big and he would be easy to take care of."
    "Maybe so," her mother answered.
    "Look! Look!" squealed Jeffy. A kitten had its paw
stretched out as far as it could reach and was swatting at him. Jeffy swatted
back gently with his forefinger.
    "Can we get one? Oh, can we, please?" he pleaded.
    "We're here to look for a dog for Mrs. Miller, not for
us," said Mrs. Edwards.
    "Daddy talks about the dogs he had when he was little,"
said Jeffy. "Why can't we have one?"
    Mrs. Edwards looked at her husband, her eyes pleading for
help. He had a noncommittal half-smile on his face and didn't say a word.
    Now's the time if it ever will be, Melanie thought. "Let
me show you someone special." She gripped her mother's and father's hands
and pulled them toward the end of the row of cages. Jeffy followed, trying to
look in all directions at once.
    Rainbow raised her head as they approached her cage and
wagged her tail in greeting. Melanie thought she could see recognition in the
big brown eyes. She wondered if the dog knew that she was trying hard to help.
    "Hello, Melanie." Mrs. Graham had left the other
people. "Are you here to visit your friend?"
    "Yes, Ma'am. Can we let her out?"
    "I don't know if that's necessary," said Mrs.
Edwards.
    "Surely. It's no problem at all," said Mrs.
Graham. "Here, let me do it." She opened the door and then returned
to the other people.
    Rainbow looked at them tentatively, as if she were surprised
at the door's being open. Then she came out wagging her tail and sat pressing
her shoulder against Melanie.
    "Look! She's smiling," said Jeffy. "I didn't
know dogs could smile."
    "Some dogs do," said his father. "It's their
way of showing they're glad to see you."
    Melanie caught the look of hopelessness in her mother's eyes
and knew she was breaking. She stroked Rainbow's silken sides as Jeffy held her
head and talked to her.
    As the family hovered around the dog, Melanie put the last
part of her plan into action. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a big
Christmas bow with a ribbon attached that she had brought especially for
Rainbow. She carefully put the bow on the back of Rainbow's neck and tied the
ribbon under her chin. She looked beautiful.
    "Rainbow is one of the animals that will be put to
sleep on Christmas Eve if someone doesn't take her," Melanie said quietly.
She heard her mother sigh. It was the same sigh Melanie had heard her make when
she had given in on other things. "Can we take her when we come to get the
animals? It won't cost us anything, and Jeffy and I will take care of her. We
promise."
    "Yeah, we promise!" shouted Jeffy, jumping up and
down in his excitement.
    Mrs. Edwards stood there while her family stared at her,
waiting for her next words. She shrugged. "I suppose a grown dog wouldn't
be as much trouble to train as a puppy. But we'll put a schedule on the
refrigerator showing whose week it is to take care of her," she added
sternly. Mrs. Edwards reached down and patted Rainbow on the head, and the dog
leaned against her.
    Just then Mrs. Graham walked up to them again. "Oh,
Melanie. You'll be glad to hear that Rainbow will be getting a home. Just
before you got here, a family came in who had seen her on the six-o'clock news.
They're going to come back in the morning to sign the adoption papers and take
her home."
    Melanie was thunderstruck. She couldn't even answer Mrs.
Graham. All she could do was hug Rainbow tightly while the little dog licked
the tears off her cheeks.

CHAPTER 12
    Melanie watched numbly as her parents paid for the little
white dog, whose name turned out to be Jo-Jo, and filled out all the adoption
papers stating that they would guarantee that he would be taken care of or they
would return him to the animal shelter. She knew she should be glad that Mrs.
Miller was getting a