Muddy Paws (5 page)

Beth helped Martin collect buckets, sponges, and cleaning liquid. Storm came outside and lay down with his chin resting on his paws as she and Martin started work.

“There's all kinds of plowing, you know. Tractor-trailed, mounted, reversible. You have to be very skilled to work a plot and make perfect ins and outs,” Martin explained enthusiastically as he sponged soapy water over Fergy's bright-red hood. “They have world championship competitions. One day Dad might be good enough to participate.”

Beth didn't reply. She was scrubbing hard at a greasy mark on Fergy's red grill.

“Hey! Are you listening? Or are you ignoring me on purpose?” Martin flicked soapy water at her.

“Who said that?” Beth joked and flicked water back at him.

Martin's eyes gleamed mischievously. “Oh yeah!”

Beth dodged out of the way as another sponge full of water flew toward her. “Missed!” she teased.

Laughing, they flicked soapy water back and forth.

Beth giggled as she pushed her damp hair out of her eyes and crouched behind the tractor. She was smaller than Martin and managed to avoid getting too wet, but most of her soapy flicks found their mark.

Martin's T-shirt was soon drenched. “Right! Now you're in for it!” He grabbed the whole bucket and lifted it into the air.

“Don't you dare!” Beth shrieked breathlessly.

As she went to flick more water at Martin, a tiny shower of golden sparks crackled around her hand and tingled against her fingers. The soapy sponge shot out of her hand. It zoomed through the air with perfect aim and splatted in Martin's face.

“Phoof!” Martin spluttered. He took a step backward and slipped over onto his backside, tipping the entire bucket of water all over himself.

Beth cracked up laughing. She was helpless. She glanced across at Storm who wore a wide doggy grin and wagged her finger at him, scolding him gently.

“Sorry, Beth. I thought he was going to hurt you!” Storm yapped.

Scowling, Martin slowly got up. His dark hair was plastered to his head and water was dripping off the end of his nose.

Beth tried to stop laughing at the look on Martin's face, but her mouth kept twitching. “You should see yourself,” she gasped, holding her ribs.

Suddenly Martin burst out laughing, too. “That was a great shot—for a girl! Come on, let's get some clean water.”

Beth went with him to fill her bucket from the outside tap. Staying at Tail End Farm was starting to feel a lot better these days.

She was amazed at Martin. This was the most friendly he'd been since she arrived. And all because they'd had a water fight and she'd beaten him.
I'll never understand boys
, she thought as they finished cleaning the tractor.

Chapter SIX

Beth stood in the barn beside her aunt and watched her milking the goats. Storm was sprawled on a pile of clean straw beside the pens.

Beth sighed. It had rained almost every day since she'd been here. Heavy rain was drumming on the roof once again. “I'm getting fed up with this terrible weather,” she complained.

Emily smiled. “You learn to deal with it when you work on a farm. But the goats really hate the cold and the wet. That's why I brought them into the b arn, b ut I'd hoped they coul d go out in their field again by now.” She looked at her niece's sad face. “Do you want to try milking?”

“I don't know,” Beth said doubtfully.

“Come on. Don't be shy. Stand here. It's not very difficult and Daisy's a good milker,” Emily encouraged. She showed Beth how to take a firm but gentle hold and squeeze down with one finger at a time.

Beth took a deep breath and rested one shoulder against Daisy's flank. She followed instructions, a bit awkwardly at first. To her surprise, the milk began to flow into the bucket.

“Hey! I'm doing it!” she cried delightedly.

In a few minutes Beth felt like an expert. She filled a bucket and then strained the milk into the metal churn, feeling really pleased with her success. “That was great. Maybe I'll ask Mom and Dad if we can have some goats. It would save Dad moaning about having to dig up all the weeds and we'd have tons of milk to give to all our friends.”

“Hmm. Remember that you'd have to milk them twice a day, summer and winter, seven days a week, in all kinds of weather, just like I do,” her aunt cautioned, smiling.

Beth raised her eyebrows. “On second thought, I think I'll stick to milk in cartons and leave the weeds to Dad!”

Her aunt laughed.

A loud triumphant braying came from the back of the barn. There was a stamping and clattering, followed by a rustling noise.

“Darcy?! What's he doing?” Beth asked.

“It sounds like he's jumped out of his pen—again,” her aunt sighed. “That goat's a real menace. He's been cooped up for too long because of all this rain and he's got energy to spare. It's going to be really hard to catch him.”

“Can I help you?” Beth offered.

“You could go and see where Darcy's gone, if you like, while I close the barn door so he can't escape,” her aunt said.

“I will find Darcy!” Storm barked, darting to the back of the barn.

Beth hurried after him. As she reached the big stack of straw bales near the goat's pen, she spotted Darcy standing right on the very top of them.

“Look at him! He thinks he's the king of the castle!” Beth said.

Looking down his haughty nose, Darcy snickered as if he agreed. He looked very pleased with himself for having climbed up so high.

Storm wagged his tail and then jumped up onto his back legs and put his front paws on the bottom bale. “Gr-oof!” his bright eyes flashed playfully.

“Watch out, Storm. That stack looks a little wobbly—” Beth began, but before she could finish her sentence, Darcy flexed his powerful back legs and did an almighty leap in the air, right over Beth and Storm's heads—and then everything seemed to happen all at once.

The top straw bale shook wildly from the force of Darcy's takeoff and slowly began to tip forward.

Beth's eyes widened in horror. Storm had turned his head to watch Darcy land on the barn floor a few feet away and hadn't noticed the danger. The bale was about to fall and land on him!

Without a second thought, Beth threw herself forward. Her fingers just touched Storm's fluffy black-and-white fur and she managed to grab him. Holding him close to her chest Beth rolled out of the way just in time. The heavy bale crashed to the ground and she felt the rush of dusty air as it missed them both by a fraction of an inch.

Beth let out a shaky sigh of relief. Still holding Storm, she pushed herself slowly to her feet. “Are you all right?” she asked the shocked little puppy.

“Yes. You saved me, Beth. Thank you,” Storm woofed, reaching up to lick her chin.

“I couldn't bear anything happening to you,” Beth said as she pet Storm's soft ears. She felt a surge of affection for her tiny friend.

Glancing down the barn, Beth saw that her aunt had managed to get a rope on a subdued-looking Darcy and was leading him back to his pen. She frowned when she reached Beth and Storm and saw the straw bale on the floor nearby. “I thought I heard something fall, but I couldn't be sure with all the noise Darcy was making. Are you okay? You're lucky you weren't badly hurt,” she said.

“Oh, it missed us by miles,” Beth said lightly, not wanting to worry her aunt.

“Thank goodness for that!” Emily said, relieved. “I'm responsible for you while you're here and your mom and dad wouldn't be very happy with me if you had an accident. I'll get Oliver to come and fix that stack. Just let me tether this naughty goat in his pen first. He's full of surprises.”

Beth bit back a grin.
He's not the only one!
she thought.

 

 

“I'm sorry, Martin, I don't have time to go out with you today. Maybe tomorrow. I'm planning to clear the unused part of the top field and use that for practicing plowing, but I can't promise when I'll get around to it,” Oliver was saying.

“Aw, Da-ad. You've already been out on Fergy a couple of times. When am I going to get the chance to take a drive?”

Beth sat in the window seat in the living room with Storm curled on a cushion beside her. Her uncle and cousin were in the yard outside. Their voices floated in through the open window. “Martin's obsessed with that dumb old red tractor, even though Uncle Ollie told him it's too big for him to drive by himself.”

Storm's ears twitched and he gave a sleepy nod, tired out from all the excitement in the barn earlier.

Two minutes later, Martin burst into the room and threw himself down next to Beth.

“Watch it! You almost sat on Storm!” Beth complained.