The Art of Wag by Susan C. Daffron Read Free Book Online Page B

soggy and annoyed.
    Linus followed Kat around the yard as she called for Roxy. His tail drooped and water dripped off his long brown coat. Kat looked down at him. “Sorry, Big Guy. I hope Roxy wasn’t stupid enough to go out in this. We’ll never find her.”
    The front door opened and Kat turned at the sound of Lady’s and Lori’s scrabbling claws as they ran back inside the house. Joel stood on the landing and said, “I think you’re right. I don’t think she’s out there. She barked again and I’m pretty sure it came from inside somewhere. It was too close.”
    Kat patted Linus’s head. “Thank goodness. It’s horrible out here.”
    Back in the house, Kat pulled off her sodden coat and walked into the kitchen. “That is a seriously cold rain. I’m freezing.”
    Joel smiled and put his arms around her. “Look at the bright side. It’s not snow. Now you know why I’m so motivated to get firewood.”
    Kat shuddered and huddled in closer. “I’m not sure I’m cut out for winter.” At the sound of another yipping noise, she pulled her head away from his chest. “Was that Roxy?”
    “Presumably. Somewhere.”
    Kat looked up into his face. “She’s in the kitchen. Could she have gotten into the cabinets? Tracy told me she got into her pots and pans. But how could I not hear that? I was right here.” She walked over to the kitchen and crouched down. “Roxy? Are you in there?”
    A little yip noise came from the corner cabinet. Kat opened it and sat cross-legged on the floor, pulling pots and pans off the lazy Susan. “Roxy? It’s okay. Where are you?”
    Joel crouched down and looked over her shoulder. “There’s no dog in there.”
    “But I heard her. She’s in there somewhere. What’s behind the cabinet?”
    “A wall? Move over and let me look.”
    Kat picked up the pots and pans and put them on the counter while Joel reached around in the back of the corner cabinet. “There’s a loose piece of wood here behind the lazy Susan, but I can’t get at it.”
    Kat said sweetly, “Oh Roxeeey, are you in there?” and received a small yip in reply. “Uh-oh.”
    Joel stood up and turned off the burner for the soup on the stove. “I think dinner may be delayed. I’ll go get my tools.”
    Kat sat in front of the corner cabinet. “Are you okay, Roxy? Don’t worry. Joel is good at getting animals out of small spaces. He’s had lots of practice. You’ll be okay.”
    Joel returned and sat in front of the cabinet, next to Kat. “I need to take the lazy Susan out first. Then I might need to lift the counter.” He positioned himself on his back inside the cabinet so his head and shoulders were inside. “Could you shine the flashlight in here?”
    Kat complied. “If you have to kill the kitchen to get this dog, I’m going to be depressed.”
    Joel mumbled something unintelligible and began removing pieces of the lazy Susan mechanism and handing them to Kat. Finally, he extricated himself from the cabinet and sat on the floor next to her. “I can hear Roxy scrabbling around back there. I think there’s a strip of wood that she was able to push in, but then it wouldn’t go the other way, so she can’t get out.”
    Kat put the flashlight in her lap. “What is it with the animals here? It’s like they become possessed and need to explore the deepest recesses of this house.”
    Joel shook his head and shoved aside the pieces of the cabinet on the floor, so he could reorient himself in the cabinet again. He grabbed a saw and stretched out on his stomach with his head and shoulders inside the cabinet. “I think I can avoid messing with the counter if I just cut out this piece of wood. Look out, Roxy.”
    Kat peered over his shoulder. “Be good, Roxy. Watch out for any blades you might see go by.”
    After slowly and methodically sawing for a few minutes, Joel yanked on the piece of wood, which gave way with a crack. The dog jumped up over his arm and ran down his back into the kitchen. Joel