The Secret Puppy

Chapter Five

By the next day, Barney was sick of waiting by the front of the pen. Why had Daisy stopped coming to see him? What if there was something wrong? He prowled around the run all day, sniffing the edges of the pen and trying to find a way out. He needed to go and find Daisy. He was sure she was still somewhere close.

Barney hardly ate any of the meals that Julie gave him. As usual, she brought the puppies their last meal of the day through from the farmhouse at about nine. As she put the bowls down in the pen, Barney didn’t race over like the others. He just went on sniffing carefully at the wire.

Julie shook her head and looked at him worriedly. “I really hope you cheer up a bit before tomorrow,” she said, kneeling down next to the puppy to stroke him. “Your new owner’s coming to see you. She called me today, to tell me she’s chosen you from those photos I emailed her. She’s been waiting for the perfect puppy for a while, she said, and she thinks you’re the one. She wants to take you to dog shows.”

Barney nuzzled her hand gently. He might be miserable, but he still liked Julie. He thumped his tail on the scruffy grass of the pen.

“Good boy,” Julie said. “Are you missing Daisy? Her mum said she was getting too fond of you, and she was worried it was going to make it hard for her to say goodbye.” She sighed. “I probably shouldn’t have let her come to see you so much, but she was having such a nice time… Oh dear, I think that’s what it is, isn’t it?” She rubbed his ears. “Don’t worry. You’ll have a lovely new owner soon.”

As she stood up, Barney sighed and lay down by the wire of the pen, looking out at the garden. Julie frowned. He really was missing Daisy. And she was sure Daisy would really be missing him, too.

Julie walked out of the gate, latching it carefully behind her. As she headed back to the farmhouse, she wondered if there was anything she could do to help the puppy.

She didn’t notice Barney’s ears twitching curiously. One of them pricked right up, and the other followed suit but then flopped over again the way it always did.

He’d found a hole in the wire fence.

Daisy lay on her tummy at the edge of the river, watching the ducks. Oliver had gone off to play football again, and Mum and Dad had gone to do the washing-up after dinner. Daisy thought Mum was probably still feeling sorry for her, after she’d been so upset at the stables. She’d suggested that Daisy read a book in the tent, or find some friends to chat to. But Daisy had spent so much time playing with the puppies, she hadn’t really made friends round the campsite like Oliver had.

It was starting to get dark, and the ducks swam slowly away. Dinner had been late – the gas stove had taken ages to boil the water for the pasta – so it would be time to go to bed soon.

She wriggled up on to her elbows and flicked a little stick into the water, watching it float away downstream. Maybe she could play pooh-sticks with herself… But then she decided that was just boring. And a bit sad.

She’d go and read in a minute, she thought, dabbling her fingers in the water and wishing the ducks would come back.

Barney scrabbled at the little dip in the packed earth under the wire fence. The run backed on to the path up to the camping area. If he could just get underneath, he was sure he could find Daisy.

The other puppies were still eating, and his mum was over at the farmhouse, so no one noticed him scraping, and digging. Finally, he wriggled underneath the wire, and out on to the path.

He trotted away, sniffing the long grass and wondering which way to go. He could hear people talking – their voices carrying through the quiet evening, as children were called back into the tents, and their parents settled down to chat for a while before going to bed.

He sniffed again carefully. He couldn’t smell Daisy yet, but perhaps she would be where he could hear all those voices. He hurried down the path, his tail wagging a little, head down, searching. He could smell the river, although he wasn’t sure what it was. It smelled different and exciting, full of the scents of mice and water rats. Then he spotted some ducks, swimming slowly along the far bank, and went faster, eager to get a closer look.

It was as he was hurrying over the little bridge that he caught Daisy’s scent. He stopped dead, sniffing the air and looking around hopefully.

She was there! Lying by the water, as though she were waiting for him! He was so desperate to see Daisy that going the whole way to the end of the bridge seemed too slow. With a joyful bark, Barney jumped through the railings, landing just on the bank, his back paws scrabbling in the damp mud at the water’s edge. Kicking up the mud, he raced along the grassy river bank, and threw himself at Daisy, who stared at him in amazement.

“Barney! It’s you!” Daisy hugged him, laughing. She’d heard the bark, and the mad scuffling and splashing, but she’d never thought it would be Barney coming to find her. “How did you get here? I wonder if Julie’s looking for you – did you sneak out somehow?”

Barney laid his head on her lap, and sighed contentedly. She wasn’t cross. Whatever had happened to make her stop coming, she still loved him. He could tell from her voice.

“Oh Barney, I’ve really missed you.” Daisy ran her hand gently through the thick fur on his back. “I think you’ve got bigger, and it’s only three days since I last saw you.”

Barney wasn’t sure what she was saying, but he liked listening to her. He wriggled himself closer, so that his paws and shoulders were on her lap too. He wasn’t going to let her disappear again.

Daisy frowned. “I’m not supposed to be around you. Mum says.” She swallowed, feeling a lump rising in her throat. “And she’s probably right. She thought it was just going to make both of us miserable. I’m going home soon, you see…”

She knew she ought to take Barney straight back to the farmhouse and tell Julie he’d got out somehow. But she couldn’t. Not just yet. She wanted to cuddle him a little bit longer. Only till Mum and Dad came back from doing the washing-up…

But then they might say it was time for bed, and Dad would take Barney back instead. Daisy shook her head suddenly. She knew she couldn’t let that happen. Mum was right – she was just making it harder for herself, but she didn’t care. Being away from Barney hadn’t stopped her missing him. It didn’t look like he’d forgotten about her, either; he’d obviously come to find her. Would another day of being around him really make it any worse for them both?

Daisy gathered Barney into her arms and stood up. “You’re so heavy,” she whispered to him lovingly, and Barney licked her ear. He liked being carried. “Come on. Mum and Dad will be back soon. And Oliver. We’re going to have to be a bit sneaky.”

For just one night she could pretend that Barney was her dog… Daisy carried him round to the back of their tent, to her own secret door, and put him down beside her while she unzipped it. Then she crawled inside, beckoning Barney after her.

He pattered in happily, sniffing around the funny little room, before slumping down on her sleeping bag.

“Good idea,” Daisy muttered. “I’ll tell Mum and Dad I’m tired. Are you hungry, Barney?” she whispered, remembering the nearly full pack of dog treats that was still in her pocket. She hadn’t been able to throw it away. “Julie said she usually gives you supper at about nine. Did she leave the gate open afterwards?” Daisy frowned. She couldn’t imagine Julie doing that. She was so careful. “I know I ought to take you back, but I can’t. Not yet. I’ll take you first thing tomorrow.”

She fed Barney a handful of treats, and watched him gulping them down while she put on her pyjamas, and slipped into her sleeping bag.

Barney sniffed thoughtfully round the walls of the tent, and then lay down next to Daisy, staring up at her, his dark eyes glinting in the dim evening light.

Daisy rubbed his head and Barney wriggled, his ears twitching. Then Daisy heard what he’d heard – voices. Mum and Dad were on their way back. They mustn’t see him!

Quickly, she arranged her fleece blanket half over her sleeping bag and half over Barney, so he looked like some of her stuff. In this light, when Mum looked in to check on Daisy, she’d never be able to tell he was a dog.

“Sssh…” she whispered, feeding him another treat. “You’re my secret, OK?”

Barney snuffled up the treat, and then snuggled closer to her. He didn’t mind being quiet, as long as he was with Daisy.