The Secret Dog (10 page)

One of the two dogs inched closer. Josh tickled him behind his ear.

‘No need for that,’ Dunham said.

Josh suddenly noticed the dog’s distinctive markings, a white patch around his left eye. ‘Is this Kearney’s dog?’

‘
Kearney’
s dog?’ Dunham said dismissively. ‘I wouldn’t let that lad
near
any of my working animals. He’s hopeless.’ He looked on, irritated, as his second dog came to Josh, wanting some affection. Josh stroked the side of his head.

Josh couldn’t help feeling pleased he’d discovered Kearney had made up the story about ‘his’ dog. But now he had to come up with a lie himself. One that would fool Dunham. He continued to stroke the dogs – touching an animal helped him think. Then he had it. ‘The thing is,’ he said to Dunham, as if confessing a crime. ‘I like to rescue small animals that are hurt. I must have got my trousers dirty when I was crawling towards the fox den I discovered yesterday.’

‘You like to rescue animals?’ Dunham said, with a crooked smile. He clearly thought Josh was an idiot. He pulled on the leads, forcing the dogs towards him.

Josh stood. He couldn’t leave yet. If he did Dunham would just go back to working his dogs. And hurting the sheep. ‘I’d better get going,’ Josh said.

Dunham relaxed and moved to shake his hand. But as he did so, Josh looked beyond him and pointed. ‘Oh, no, look!’ he said, in what he hoped
was a surprised tone of voice. ‘That ewe belongs to my uncle.’

Dunham interrupted in a low, threatening voice. ‘You’ll not be accusing me of hurting another man’s sheep?’

So he
had
recognised Uncle Calum’s green brand! Josh didn’t respond directly. ‘They must have escaped through a hole in our fence.’ he said.

‘You didn’t answer my question.’

Josh was glad his loose trousers hid his shaking knees. He had to stand firm.

‘
Have
they been hurt?’ he asked, as if he didn’t know already.

‘If they have, it wasn’t by me.’

‘Then why would I accuse you of anything?’ Josh replied.

Dunham glowered. But Josh’s logic was hard to argue with. ‘Right,’ he said. ‘I’m done for the day. You’d better get those sheep back to your uncle.’ He started to drag his dogs away. They looked longingly at Josh. He guessed they didn’t get much affection. Josh hesitated. Then he started to walk towards the ewe who was ‘mawing’ for her lamb.

Dunham wasn’t expecting that. ‘Where are you going?’ he demanded.

‘That ewe over there is distressed,’ Josh pointed.

Dunham’s face went dark, like clouds before a storm. Josh could see his struggle to control himself. The dark-eyed man knew what Josh would find.

‘Why don’t I come with you to check it out?’ he said, tightening the lead on his dogs.

They walked together awkwardly. As they got nearer to the hole in which the lamb had fallen, the dogs started to bark with excitement.

Dunham pulled sharply on their leads. ‘Shut up.’

‘That’s why she’s calling,’ Josh said, trying to keep his voice even. ‘Her lamb’s in the hole there.’

‘What a shame,’ Dunham said.

‘It mustn’t have been looking where it was going,’ Josh said carefully.

‘That’s right.’

Josh jumped down into the hole, and helped the frightened lamb to her feet. He felt up and down each leg carefully. Nothing seemed to be broken. Then he noticed the bite wounds near the lamb’s tail. He inspected the wound with his hand. He felt two sticky spots. The dog had drawn blood.

If he said anything about the wound, Dunham would deny any knowledge of it. And he couldn’t say he’d seen the dog jump on the lamb’s back because Dunham would know he’d been watching from behind the gorse bush. So Josh said nothing. He picked up the lamb and lifted her above his head, placing her on the higher ground. Dunham didn’t do anything to help. He had his hands full restraining his dogs. The ewe ran towards the lamb and immediately started licking it clean.

Josh pulled himself out of the hole.

Dunham looked relieved. ‘Happens to my lambs all the time. They haven’t got a brain in their heads. No harm done then,’ he said warningly.

Josh hesitated, then, thinking of Reggae, he nodded. ‘No harm done.’

Dunham stared at the dirt on Josh’s trousers, still suspicious. ‘I don’t like being played for a fool.’

Josh held up his empty hands, in a gesture of peace. ‘There’s nothing to worry about, Mr Redlin. I’ll call my uncle from my aunt’s house. He’ll come and get his sheep.’

‘You won’t say anything about me and my dogs
 . . .
’

Josh shrugged. ‘What’s to say? You have a right to work them.’

‘That’s right. I have a right,’ Dunham agreed.

‘Sorry to disturb you. I’ll be off then,’ Josh said politely, heading off in the direction of his aunt’s.

Dunham dragged his dogs off in the opposite direction.

Josh carried on until he was sure that Dunham was well out of sight. He just hoped that Reggae had stayed where she was.

Then he turned and, following a circuitous route, returned to the valley. This gave him plenty of time to think. And none of what he thought made him feel any better.

Dunham hadn’t believed Josh’s story about the fox’s den. And he wouldn’t like the fact that Josh now suspected Dunham’s dogs had hurt his uncle’s sheep. He would want to find some way to make sure Josh kept his mouth shut.

When he reached the gorse bush Reggae was on her feet, breathing rapidly. She charged over to him and jumped up on his chest.

‘Good girl. It’s all over,’ Josh said, patting her reassuringly. ‘You’re safe. That was really bad luck. He’ll be keeping an eye on our valley from now on. We can’t train here any more. But he won’t be back today.’ He scanned the valley just to be sure. ‘At least we can round up Calum’s sheep, show them how well-trained dogs behave.’

Reggae sat, quivering with excitement. At last she was going to work!

Chapter 16

The following day, Josh walked to school with legs that were heavy and lifeless. Sleep had seemed within reach all night, only to retreat when he got near. He kept remembering Dunham’s words, ‘I don’t like being played for a fool.’ What might that mean?

Josh had spent part of the night trying to think of another secluded part of the commons where he and Reggae could work without having to worry about being discovered. The only place he could think of would take ages to get to. Reggae’s training time would be greatly reduced. And all this just at the time he really had to ramp up the preparation.

It was about three in the morning that he’d started to question himself. What had ever made him think that
he
could train a dog?
In less than a year
? The very idea was ridiculous. He’d totally messed it up. He’d started way too late. He’d done two long outruns with her, but the Gathering required tons of long outruns, all at a much greater distance than they’d ever attempted. The most gruelling test of man and dog
 . . . 
and he thought he could get a dog in shape for
that
?

As he trudged through the stand of trees, his eyes firmly focused on the ground, Josh felt a tap on his shoulder.

‘Are you still ignoring me?’

Yvonne.

‘No,’ he said in a flat voice. ‘I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep last night.’ Quickly, he filled her in on what had happened. ‘I should have kept my mouth shut.’

‘You couldn’t let that man’s dogs hurt your uncle’s sheep!’

‘Reggae’s my priority.’

‘You wouldn’t be you if you let someone hurt animals – your uncle’s, or anyone else’s,’ Yvonne declared firmly.

Josh felt comforted by this. Even if he wasn’t sure Yvonne was right.

But she had more to say. ‘I’ve got news. About the Gathering!’

‘Yes?’

‘I heard my dad on the phone,’ Yvonne told him. ‘He’s found a new parasite on the commons’ sheep. He’s decided to move the Gathering forward two weeks so they can treat it before it affects the health of the rest of the sheep on the island.’

‘They can’t do that!’ Josh protested. But before he could say another word, somebody barged between them.

‘What’s the Gathering to you?’ Kearney demanded. ‘You’re not thinking of working in the pens are you, City Boy?’

‘So what if I was?’

Kearney laughed loudly. ‘The island men would eat you for lunch.’

‘Kearney,’ Yvonne protested.

Josh could have sworn that for a millisecond Kearney looked hurt. But even if he was, his words were full of scorn.

‘You’re not really encouraging this loser to work in the Gathering?’ He barged Josh again.

Josh had had enough. He didn’t want Yvonne to think he couldn’t defend himself.

‘Talking about losers,’ he said. ‘How’s your dog?’

For a moment, Kearney looked thrown.

Josh went on. ‘Remember? You told me about him in the library – the one with a white patch around his left eye.’ Josh savoured the moment. For once, he wasn’t being bullied by Kearney.
He
had the power. Kearney seemed to shrink. ‘I saw him yesterday, “your” Border. Your father laughed when I asked him if she was yours
 . . . 
He said he’d never let you near any of his dogs.’

Kearney stared at him. Just for a second Josh imagined red rays coming out of the boy’s eyes and converging on his heart – stopping it dead. Then Kearney shot a quick glance at Yvonne. His shoulders slumped.

‘You feel pretty clever now, don’t you?’ he snarled. ‘It won’t last. I’ll make sure of that.’

With that, Kearney stalked off ahead of them.

‘Josh!’ Yvonne said, frowning.

‘He deserved it,’ Josh asserted.

‘Get off,’ Yvonne said sharply. ‘Would you kick a dog?’

‘That’s different!’

They walked together in silence. Josh’s face was
burning. In successive days, he’d managed to make enemies of the two biggest bullies on the island, father and son.

‘I shouldn’t have done that.’ He admitted after a bit. ‘I hope he’s wrong about the island men.’

‘Of course he is,’ Yvonne said. ‘They’ll judge you by what you can do.’

‘With two weeks less to train Reggae now, that may not be much.’

Yvonne stopped and turned to him. ‘Be realistic, Josh. No one trains a dog in the time you’ve got. You just have to make sure she can do the basics. And when are you going to talk to my dad? You still need to get his permission to take part.’

‘He’s not “your dad” to me,’ Josh said quietly as they set off once again.

‘He isn’t an ogre.’

‘It’s not that!’ Josh said, anguished. ‘I’ve
never
been able to talk to him.’

They could see the school yard ahead. Josh felt exhausted, both from lack of sleep and the events of the previous day.

As they arrived at the school gate, Yvonne slapped her head. ‘I almost forgot! I’ve got something for you.’

She took off her school rucksack and shoved her hand deep into one of its pockets. She removed a small plastic object. ‘It’s an old MP3 player. Now that I’ve got a new phone, I don’t use it anymore.’

Josh felt confused. Surely Yvonne knew that listening to music wasn’t high on his list of things
to do in the coming days. But he didn’t want to seem ungrateful. ‘Thank you,’ he said, not really meaning it.

‘Is that the best you can do?’

‘I don’t have time to listen to music,’ Josh said, defensively.

‘I know that,’ Yvonne exclaimed. ‘Have a little faith.’ She assumed a dramatic pose. ‘Ta da! There’s an audio recording of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” on it. The Shakespeare play we’re studying in class?’

‘Really?’ Josh asked. ‘You mean I don’t have to read it?’

‘It’s not a replacement for reading,’ Yvonne said primly. ‘It’s an aid. Which you can listen to before our tutorial.’

‘You’re brilliant!’ Josh exclaimed.

Yvonne’s face glowed. ‘That’s more like it,’ she said quietly.

Chapter 17

Josh and Calum carried the roll of fencing between them. The dew in the pasture glistened in the early morning sun. His uncle liked to start errands early on a Saturday, which suited Josh, as it meant he was free in the afternoon.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a full roll. Those weighed a ton.

They walked in silence, dressed in their work clothes: loose jeans and flannel shirts. Calum wore a worn grey rucksack, full of tools, U nails, a staple gun and other items they might need.

‘Josh, I’ll be out Thursday night at the Crofters’ Association meeting,’ said Calum. ‘And Saturday a couple of my old friends from the SFU – the Farmers’ Union – will be coming over for a drink and some dinner.’

‘No problem,’ Josh said. That meant he could spend more time with Reggae on Thursday, and maybe see Yvonne on the Saturday.

They walked on in silence. Then Calum began again.

‘I was thinking about the other day. When you found our sheep on the commons. How did you
manage to gather two lambs and two ewes and bring them back on your own?’

Josh stumbled. He’d deliberately been vague about the number of sheep that he’d found. How had Calum figured it out?

Then Josh knew – by the state of their fleece and the wounds that Dunham’s dogs had inflicted. Calum must’ve inspected the whole flock. As Calum well knew, it was almost impossible to gather four sheep on your own. Even two was a stretch without a dog.

‘Normally, it would have been hopeless,’ Josh said. ‘But just by chance I had a couple of long ropes in my rucksack.’

Josh was happy to leave it at that. But Calum wasn’t.

‘I still don’t get how you managed to get them
together
.’

Josh’s mind spun like a hamster on a wheel, rejecting one possible explanation after another.

‘They weren’t that far away. You know the gorge with the wooden fence around it, on the way to Alastair’s house?’

After a moment Calum replied, ‘Yes. Watch this hole here.’

They manoeuvred the roll of wire around the erosion hole.

‘Well, they were grazing against the fence. I had some Polo mints in my pocket. From lunch. I sometimes give them to the sheep as a treat.’

‘You lured them using mints?’ Calum didn’t sound at all convinced.

‘The two ewes had tasted them before. They knew it was a treat. I got hold of the lambs when they came to get milk. It took a while.’